To which Tau Food responded:
That's a good, common sense question, isn't it?
It is absolutely a good common sense question and the best answer to it is the one I gave. A Child is expected to acquire it's love of country from it's Father. The word "Patriotism" derives from the Latin word for Father. "Pater."
The word literally means "love of my Father's Country."
That you are resorting to common sense is a good sign, because common sense is a kissing cousin of Natural Law. A Child cannot gain a love for a different country than that which his father loves, and so the father's allegiance is the determining factor in that of the child.
Partus Sequitur Patrem.
I like that. Good for you! ;-)
In the modern world, nearly two millennia after the fall of the Roman Empire, mothers can instill love of country as readily as fathers.
No judge or member of Congress is going to try to equate Ted Cruz’ first 4 years of life in Canada against his 38 years of life in the U.S. with a mother from Delaware.
And as we know from the cesspool of daytime talk television’s obsession with paternity tests, the persons named as fathers are sometimes NOT the true father; Barack Obama Senior, Frank Marshall Davis or Malcolm X anybody? Stanley Ann Dunham was born in Wichita, Kansas, Barack Obama Senior born in Kogelo, Kenya, Frank Marshall Davis was born in Arkansas City, Kansas and Malcolm (ne’e) Little born was in Omaha, Nebraska.
In today’s brave new world, we also have tens of thousands of children (estimates are between 20,000 and 60,000 per year) conceived by artificial insemination where the identity of the male sperm donor is unknown.
That is probably a bit of emotion gone overboard, but it is inconsequential. Current law accepts the citizenship of one parent, whether the father or the mother.
To be honest, though, descent through the mother is actually easier to prove. Questions about the real mother are a lot easier to answer than questions about the real father.
Maternity tests are far less common than paternity tests.