With regard to the double standards and weasel words all too characteristic of United States “authorities” —

[and a deep bow to the Mentality of Mordor thread, where comments are about to surge past the 100 level!]

Recent exhumation of a file from the early 1990s has brought to light the following exemplary paragraph extracted from a U.S. consulate one-pager:

Information about Possible Loss of U.S. Citizenship

There are no specific steps you can take in advance of naturalization as a Canadian citizen to protect your U.S. citizenship and a consular officer cannot provide any assurance that you will be able to retain it. However, in all cases in which Canadian citizenship was acquired without the intent of relinquishing U.S. citizenship, the Department of State has determined that an individual may continue to be documented as a U.S. citizen. Nevertheless, each case must be adjudicated individually.

Translation: We are going to have it both ways … and puny little you does not get to have it either way.

Expansion: We rule, and we revel in inflicting arbitrary uncertainty. You want out now in 2012? Pay us a big fee. Maybe even pay us exit tax. Deal with inscrutable forms. Suffer indefinite long waiting periods. After all, we have to protect you from thinking you know what you want, in case you might be wrong. And it’s all a matter of that black-box intent in a specific moment from years ago, your own intent – which we will decide on, not you!

To paraphrase: Freedom’s just another word for everything we can take away.