No papers -- and little hope of advancement

Los Angeles Times / latimes.com ^ | August 23, 2009 | By Garrett Therolf

[thecodont]

Many days, Jamal King stands at South Vermont Avenue and West 46th Street in South Los Angeles, his muscled arms covered with tattoos flaunting his membership in the Rolling 40s, a drug-running criminal gang.

His former foster father often drives past slowly, wagging his finger.

"I know people look at me and just see a gangbanger," King said. "It's not really who I am. It's just temporary."

But King's hope for a better life is hobbled by more than poverty and his surroundings -- he lacks a birth certificate.

[thecodont]

Posting this because of the BO birth certificate issue: context and further discussion.

[ottbmare]

Obviously the lack of a birth certificate doesn’t stop one from becoming president of the United States, so this is just an excuse, Jamal.

[Berlin_Freeper]

Now they all want to be president.

[glorgau]

But King's hope for a better life is hobbled by more than poverty and his surroundings -- he lacks a birth certificate.

Nonsense. In this great country of ours, he can still go on to become President!

[livius]

It is interesting. Maybe some foundation will offer to help Barry get his birth certificate. Just in case he can’t afford it on his own, you know.

[Flag_This]

There's always the Presidency

[driftdiver]

Poverty is not an excuse to be a criminal. The amount of money you have has no bearing on your morals and integrity.

[Vince Ferrer]

Now they all want to be president.

Considering Obama's lack of verifiable past, Immaculate Conception will become the new standard for running for office. Or let's just skip to raising our candidates in test tubes.

[Berlin_Freeper]

I got to remember to burn my bc.

[onedoug]

I wonder if he ever registered for elementary school.

[white17x]

I thought a birth certificate made you a prohibited person in America today.

[Bryanw92]

This story could have been written about how illegal immigration makes it hard for legal residents to prove their identity because every roadblock that this guy has encountered in getting a BC and subsequent ID has been put there in an attempt to stop illegals from improperly gaining citizenship.

[Gay State Conservative]

This is the LA Times’ way of calling for “PAPERS FOR EVERYONE”.

[Waco]

All he’s got to do is sneak into France, England, Germany, Belgium, Italy or some other socialist paradise, he’ll be treated like a kingand given whatever papers he may need, a good job, and college tuition, health care, the whole ball of wax.(B,S. session over!)

[ridesthemiles]

Is he an illegal intruders?

Where from?

[thecodont]

This is the LA Times’ way of calling for “PAPERS FOR EVERYONE”.

It's that, or it's a subtle acknowledgement of the "birthers."

The article goes on to mention:

__________

In King's case, foster care officials and, later, juvenile probation officials were long aware that he lacked basic identification documentation. Although both agencies have procedures to obtain birth certificates for children before they leave their systems, King was among an undetermined number who fell through the cracks.

Assemblyman Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate) is sponsoring AB270, a bill in the state Legislature that would strengthen the mandates that no children leave the system without basic documents. It is currently stalled because of the state's budget problems.

"These situations offend our sensibilities because foster children are, in essence, children of the state," De La Torre said. "We are being really horrible parents in carrying out these basic aspects of preparing our young people to be an adult."

__________

Assemblyman Hector De La Torre

http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a50/

AB270

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_0251-0300/ab_270_cfa_20090519_170823_asm_comm.html

[_Jim]

What? Was he mid-wifed into this life?

[thecodont]

What? Was he mid-wifed into this life?

From the article:

"He was born in a car 20 years ago as his mother tried to get to a hospital. By age 2, he was being raised by Los Angeles County's child welfare system. At 18, he was sent by the system into adulthood without a single form of identification: no driver's license, no Social Security card, no way to prove who he was. "

I suppose his mother could have gotten him a birth certificate after she'd delivered him, but apparently it slipped her mind.

[_Jim]

He was born in a car 20 years ago as his mother tried to get to a hospital.

Usually, this means they got there; so, did the hospital drop the ball?

[thecodont]

I think in this case “tried to get there” means that once the baby was born in the car, mother and child did not show up at any hospital. If they had, I assume the hospital would have set up the paperwork.