Posted on 08/04/2009 12:25:56 PM PDT by Hillary'sMoralVoid
What I find so amazing about the "birther bashers" (or "afterbirthers" as I call them) is that they have so little appreciation for the complexity of Obama's citizenship dilemma. They also do not appreciate the trap doors that exist at various points in his life regarding adoption and immigration between countries where he resided. Most of all, though, they don't understand the basic terms that they banter about.
In short, Obama's life path is fraught with potentially disqualifying conditions for the office he holds. As a constitutional law instructor, perhaps no one understands these conditions like he does, and that explains his intransigence in releasing anything that might expose him to constitutional challenge.
Let me just take a stab at a few terms that the 'afterbirthers" throw around like they are interchangeable.
American citizen - this only means that at least one of the birth parents was an American and that the indivicual was naturalized, if not born in the US. These alo include immigrants who have been naturalized citizens. You can be considered an American citizen if you have dual citizenship with another country. To scream that Obama is an American citizen, as many afterbirthers do, proves NOTHING avout his right to be president. Even Syrian-born Tony Rezko is an American citizen.
Native Born Citizen - this means that an individual, in addition to having at least one parent who is an American citizen and you were born on US soil (including territories and American bases). Although this term is thrown around by afterbirthers, this still does not meet the definition of a Natural Born Citizen.
Natural Born Citizen - this is an individual born of two American parents, whether the parents were native born or were foreign born and then naturalized. I believe that Bobby Jindal's parents were not native born, but he would be qualified for president because both parents were American citizens through the naturalization process.
The afterbirthers scream that there were seven presidents born that had at least one foreign parent like Obama. That is true, but in every case, the foreign parent was naturalized, with the exception of Chester Arthur. His father was Irish and became a Canadian citizen, never a naturalized US citizen. He obviously realized he was not qualified for office because he actually burned some of his personal records to keep anyone from finding out. A familiar pattern of behavior?
The fact is, we don't need to go to Kenya to disprove Obama's eligibility. It is hidden in plain sight. He is not a Natural Born Citizen due to to his Kenyan father. The Supreme Court simply has to take on this issue to declare that the meaning of the term has never changed. Constitutional scholars have been eerily silent on this issue, but in the research I've done, I can find no other interpretation.
As mentioned earlier, there is a plethora of reasons why Obama might otherwise be unqualified should the Supreme Court not decide against his natural born status, but that is the most logical starting point.
Thoughts, additions, corrections welcome.
We only recognize 2 levels of citizenship in this country, not three. There are naturalized citizens and natural born citizens.
True. Native born is a canard that the afterbirthers use.
Well, I refuse to be intimidated for trying to uphold the Constitution. All I want to see is proof that Barry is a natural born citizen as per the Constitution. People can call me all the names they want but I’m not budging.
Excellent post....
From now on...everytime a faux-con after-birther waxes poetic about the constitution, liberty, law, morals, etc....remember that they really do not believe in those things if they are calling birthers “kooks”
Obama’s eligibility to be President is probably the most important constitutional issue of our time....and we have fraud-cons siding up with DailyKos and HuffPo
It would have been easier to disqualify him before the election than since. McCain’s camp didn’t raise this issue.
If you go back one year ago to the day, MANY OF US HERE WERE SCREAMING ABOUT THIS THIS ALMOST DAILY!...
Uncovering this now will have the result only of weakening his presidency not ending it.
That’s why the issue is bigger now and one of his lack transparency and secrecy.
We know nothing about this man. NADA. Nothing about the courses he took in college, his grades. His law school work or his work in the Illinois legislature.
His biographies are uniquely written and carry the air of a ghost writer, and that being William Ayers.
His response or I should say his calculated response to the Crawley/Gates incident botheres a lot of people as we fear that this guy is anything but a unifier because of his inbred and imbued racism.
I’m not an Obama hater or Kook, Mr. O’Reilly. I find your portrayal of people in this forum with these concerns insulting.
I also find that you are poorly informed on this entire issue. Your body language tells everyone that you are lying when you say you have seen the long form of the BC and that you can vouchsafe for Obama’s citizenship.
The BC is a side show.
Question: My husband has been a US citizen since birth, but I became a citizen in 2000, that is 5 years after my youngest one was born. Both my children were born in the US, one parent was a US citizen but the other became a citizen after they were born. Are they natural born citizens or not? It seems to me that they are more than native born citizens, since at this time both their parents are US citizens, but they may not measure up to natural born citizens. Am I right? If so, what would you call this 4th class of citizens?
What about the “Anchor” babies; those born of a foreign national mother on American soil?
American citizens, not natural born.
Technically no, you and husband were NOT both citizens at time of birth.
Definitions are gleaned from a voluminous amount of reading on the subject, but I am certainly not the final authority.
Native born citizen is not a legally defined citizenship as far as I can tell, but it is throwhn around by the afterbirthers like it is!
“Since it is acknowledged that Obama’s parents were not both US citizens, then his only claim to citizenship is that he was born in the United States. It’s either true or not.”
He’d still be a citizen if born in Hawaii, but not a natural born citizen (therefore unqualified). Had Stanley Ann not declared who the father was, it could not be proven that he was not a natural born citizen (born to two American parents) assuming they could not find a foreign father through DNA.
The whole point of the article is that he is not, and has never been a Natural Born Citizen of the united States, per the constitution.
You're correct. Your children are not natural born citizens, but they are native born ones.
“What about the ‘Anchor’ babies; those born of a foreign national mother on American soil?”
What about them?
“after the 14th Amendment was ratified ... naturalized-by-birth”
No. The 14th amendment says all persons born OR naturalized in the U.S. are U.S. citizens. The “or” means born citizens and naturalized citizens aren’t one and the same. To be born a citizen is not to be “made natural,” but rather to be natural.
I fully agree with that statement, yet notice how mute the Congress and SCOTUS are about this matter. It appears that they KNOW that there is something rotten in this whole affair but are unwilling to take action.
If this silent group considers itself to be citizens of this country they would have demanded that the problem be resolved for the sake of the country's SECURITY and wellbeing. Obama could be vulnerable to blackmail from individuals if they have proof of his legal ineligibility for the presidency.
And the solution of this crisis is idiotically simple — let Obama produce a valid BC. What seems to be apparent is that the people of this nation should not expect help from its government in solving this national dilemma.
“It seems to me that they are more than native born citizens, since at this time both their parents are US citizens, but they may not measure up to natural born citizens. Am I right?
No. The only way one can something more than a regular citizen is to be a natural born citizen, and, as implied by the title, whether you are natural born depends upon the conditions of your birth. It wouldn’t matter if your mother was naturalized sometime during your life. That would not affect how you were born.
That should be: “The only way one be can something more...”
“Native born is a canard that the afterbirthers use.”
Seems to me it is the birthers who love the term “native born,” because it gives them an alternative to saying people born on American soil without citizen parents are naturalized, which with good reason sounds strange to most ears.
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