Say hello to your newest naturalized immigrant friend. Me. Today I joined 1,240 other people from 98 nations to become naturalized, US Citizens! I’m excited. I can now vote, and according to the MC I can tell police to back off, I’m a citizen. I think I’m safe on that one until cops start profiling bald Australians though.

Extra special was having the ceremony in the incredible Paramount Theater in Oakland, California, a town I love in one of my favorite venues in the world. I felt a little strange, swearing to give up allegiance to Australia, so please don’t start any wars my fellow/former Australians. I will always call Australia home, to use a Qantas by-line. It will never be replaced in my heart as my home and my roots, and I do feel a tinge of sadness at becoming an Aussie-American, but this is my new home, that I love dearly, her people, her natural wonders, her cities and her struggles. I did tear up just a little during President Obama’s video when he said “this is YOUR country now”. That did feel pretty deep.

So after year’s of sending my wife off to vote solo, I get to enjoy the incredible technological triumphs of the great State of California and registered to vote online in just 5 minutes! Yay technology. Voter suppress my ass I dare you.

And to ease any doubts from those of you heavily embedded in one extreme or another of our political shit storm, I picked NO PARTY. Because there just aren’t any that seem to fit a white, immigrant, somewhat morally conservative, very progressive, very open, democracy loving, social justice fighting, Christ following, hip hop loving, racism hating, equity obsessed, tech loving, open debating, non-LGBT bashing, government honoring yet government reforming, data loving, truth seeking, community building, service driven family guy. And forming a party of independents seems slightly nonsensical.

So join with me: U..S..A….U..S..A…, Oi, Oi Oi