We are so close to agreement, my dear proud mother of a Marine Vet. And thank you for your families' service to our country.
Please note this excerpt from the US Constitution, Article II, Section 1, Paragraph 5 ...
No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President;As you can see, the Constitution actually DOES provide for an exception to the NBC requirement. The "grandfather" clause exempts mere citizens who were alive at the time of Ratification because there were no NBC's yet; the country had only just been established. Most were born in a British Colony in the New World. They and their parents were bornBritish subjects and remained so until after The War of Independence.
Our primary point of disagreement is about whether any citizen is also a "natural born Citizen." This crucial national security provision of the Constitution recognizes "Persons," "Citizens," and "natural born Citizens."
Please help me understand?:
Why did the Framers make a distinction between "Citizen" and "natural born Citizen" if there is no such difference?
Because you can be a naturalized citizen, not being born here but becoming a citizen later in life. My friend who works for the Passport agency processing applications to check for citizenship tells me there are several ways to be a citizen and not be born here. My aunt by marriage was born in Guatemala and married my uncle in 1955. After they were married a few years, she became a citizen through the naturalization process. She would not be eligible to be president.