Pete Hegseth here for a live Q&A on 4/28. What questions do you have for me?

Citizenship is a concept basically rooted in the idea of social contract. A person can be a citizen of the world, a particular nation, state, city, town, and neighborhood. Each human has to balance the rights and duties of being a citizen of these entities in their own particular way. In turn, as part of the social contract, these entities have duties and obligations to their citizens. The Founding Fathers in essence believed in the Enlightenment concept of the Natural Rights of Man. Other nations, states, and governing bodies do not. Some assert that citizens are basically subservient to the needs of the state. Some entities govern by pure force, others by deception, speaking platitudes but engaging in corruption.That sets up a situation of conflict. Thus, the interpretation of citizenship is influenced by external forces, also, that can encroach on the Natural Rights of Man, and even the principles of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. One of the more extreme examples is genocide, where a government literally kills a select portion of its own citizens. The psychological studies of psychologist Dr. Stanley Milgram revealed that even ordinary citizens are capable of shocking cruelty, if encouraged by a entity perceived as legitimate. Thus, it is extremely important that the governing entity, whatever form it takes, actually be a legitimate entity. By extension, it follows that legitimate governments would follow a rule of law, which would be perceived by its own citizens, and even citizens of other entities, to be rooted in the concept of Justice. By studying the history of the Roman Empire, one can get a sense of the many forms citizenship has taken in the past. Becoming a Roman citizen was once a prized event. Towards the end of the Empire, Rome's own citizens behaved in a way that undermined their own civilization. Those examples are still relevant today. Sic transit, gloria mundi.

MAJ Pete Hegseth, how do you propose we get the youth of today interested in growing a spine? That is the biggest issue I see to this country getting back to what it was, along with eliminating Political Correctness from everyday life. If we can do those two things, we can become that shining city on the hill again.

I have no question's for the Maj, but would be available to discuss with anyone any issue regarding Homeland Security/Immigration and Naturalization. Especially since I went through "hell" after my ex conveniently lost or what ever with my naturalization documents, when I tried to retire at 66.

I am a principal at a grades 5-12 school. My students, many of them, are raised in households that neglect positive citizenship. How can you assist , through your book or lectures, educators with cultivating a rich arena where the environment is based on the citizens and not the citizen? We must find a way as a nation to define productive citizenship.

These are actually two very different questions. Regarding citizenship and our responsibilities and rights as citizens. We have different kinds of rights, some are natural rights, some are constitutional rights and some are legislative rights. They aren't all the same. Natural rights are the rights all humans have by virtue of being born, regardless of where they are born. Constitutional rights we have as Americans regardless of what state we live in. Legislative rights are legal rights we have that are subject to the authority of the court or legislative body which gave us the right.

On top of that we have the ability to do things which aren't necessarily a right to do the activity.

To many people fail to understand the difference between the rights and a right and an ability, which in conjunction with not understanding that we are a Republic and how a Republic actually works have corrupted the system. We have a government that doesn't understand the difference between rights and ability and a citizenry that thinks it has a right to do whatever it wants regardless of how it might effect someone else's right. People claim the right of free speech while throwing rocks and bottles at others for exercising their freedom of speech. In the name of diversity we have become exclusionary. Diversity should be empowering inadequately represented groups to obtain greater representation. We have failed at this mission. Instead of empowering others we have begun to restrict over represented groups in order to make numbers match.

Regarding the government

We the people are the government. We elect representatives, not rulers. We fought a revolution to obtain home rule, but we have developed a citizenry which is more concerned with what other countries think about us than what is best for us. We have a media that screams and shames us for loving our country and has made exceptionalism a bad word. How can we expect other countries to respect us when we aren't allowed to respect ourselves. We should absolutely believe the country we live in is better than every other country. If we don't then we need to be doing something to fix our country or move.

People scream about a popular vote for president which is completely the opposite of a Republic. There is a reason states are called states and other countries have provinces. Provinces are ruled by the central government. States rule the central government and when the central government step outside its authority the states have a responsibility to put it in its place.

How can we return to what this nation is supposed to represent, when the powers tat be feel so entitled, that they don't give a hoot as to what the rest of us are experiencing, so long as their individual, negative, destructive agenda, comes to fruition? Do you actually think they listen to the majority? What's your take, Sir?

I have been considering not re-enlisting due to how the military is today from all the political changes our country has gone through. The extreme downsizing and the major financial cutbacks to our military has put my financial needs in a strain. Seeing how our country has been drastically changed so much over the last 10years and the influx in immigration to our country has greatly affected the way our service men and women survive in and out of the military. What support do have? by that question I'm not looking for a political answer.

Wow, I see restating the same sentiment makes everything better.
What is citizenship? A legally recognized subject or national of a state or commonwealth, either native or naturalized.
So, once a citizen, what obligations does one have to maintain citizenship?
None.
Is this the opinion network for the Good Idea Faeries?
This thought process does not address any core principles, it gives some people an Atta Boy and creates a lengthy band wagon train following it. Do well through your actions to be an upstanding citizen and do not judge another by their misdeeds but rather pick up the slack and work harder for what you believe.
Blah blah blah........