Dear Editor,
A citizen is a person owing loyalty to, entitled to vote in, and entitled to the protection of a nation or state.
Not all inhabitants qualify as citizens, nor do all professed candidates for public offices.
There are three qualities required of a citizen and the voting public needs to make the effort to find out if the candidate of choice is really qualified as a citizen to run for the office. 
Unfortunately, our nation is overly generous with residential requirements for awarding citizenship status. The elusive quality of citizenship is the first mentioned because it is an essential but easily secreted quality for citizenship or treachery.
Does the person in question truly personally “owe” loyalty to the state or nation?
Here, actions speak louder than words. Any candidate will profess to loyalty as a matter of course. Most of them will show that loyalty by their profession of just what that loyalty means to them, whether to the Constitutional principles of our Founding Fathers, the progressivism of the socialist states, or the intentional overthrow of the democratic republic experiment that now constitutes the United States of America as we know it.
Equally important is the decision we make about our own citizenship under the same guidelines.
Remember, Maj. Nidal Hasan of Fort Hood notoriety took the oath of allegiance similar to that our elected officials take but it will take longer for the consequences of treachery to manifest themselves in politics.
The very entitlement to vote and protection are at stake.
Do your homework before you vote.
James Graner,
Larrned