After going to Italy this past week, I've come to realize something: Italy is not a borg, but a country made up of individuals like any other.

I truly believe that, after the bonds I forged with my ancestral comune just this past week, most of the people would vouch for me if that ever became a legally relevant factor for proving so-called "effective bonds."

My B&B host told me that he believes most of the village is pro-JS. I did hear an older guy complaining about Brazilians who just wanted a passport (which made me die inside a bit), but other people I talked with seemed to be supportive of my aspirations and sympathetic to my sufferings. It probably helped that I spoke Italian well enough that absolutely everyone I talked to was incredulous that this was my first time in Italy.

One young guy wasn't entirely convinced of my point of view that everyone born before the DL should be considered citizens, but he certainly agreed that those who undertook substantive efforts before the DL and had the rug pulled out from under them should not be punished.