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To: edge919
That's simply not true. John Bingham, one of the authors of the 14th amendment, said, "

Off-the-cuff remarks made on the floor of Congress carry no legal weight.

Notice, this admits that persons born in the United State of parents owing allegiance to a foreign sovereignty are NOT natural born citizens.The 14th amendment therefore created citizenship at birth for these people that did not previously exist.

That is simply not true. Free white persons born in the USA of foreign parents, but subject to US jurisdiction, ware ALWAYS citizens at birth, even before the 14th Amendment. From Justice Grey's opinion in Kim Wong Ark:

"That all children born within the dominion of the United States of foreign parents holding no diplomatic office became citizens at the time of their birth does not appear to have been contested or doubted until more than fifty years after the adoption of the Constitution, when the matter was elaborately argued in the Court of Chancery of New York and decided upon full consideration by Vice Chancellor Sandford in favor of their citizenship. Lynch v. Clark, (1844) 1 Sandf.Ch. 583."

308 posted on 08/26/2010 4:07:53 PM PDT by curiosity
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To: curiosity; edge919
That's simply not true. John Bingham, one of the authors of the 14th amendment, said, "

Off-the-cuff remarks made on the floor of Congress carry no legal weight.


In deciding what the amendment meant to those voting on it, and what it should continue to mean, remarks made on the floor about it by the authors have tremendous significance.
309 posted on 08/26/2010 4:11:05 PM PDT by aruanan
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To: curiosity; edge919
That's simply not true. John Bingham, one of the authors of the 14th amendment, said, "

Off-the-cuff remarks made on the floor of Congress carry no legal weight.


This reminds me of the remarks made by a high school honors English teacher about William Golding's own recorded comments about the meaning of certain themes in Lord of the Flies. After she listened to what he said, she replied that he didn't know what he was talking about.
310 posted on 08/26/2010 4:22:33 PM PDT by aruanan
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To: curiosity
Free white persons born in the USA of foreign parents, but subject to US jurisdiction, ware ALWAYS citizens at birth, even before the 14th Amendment.

Apparently, the argument depends on the assertion that "natural born citizen" means something other than "citizen by birth". What the distinction might be is beyond me.

329 posted on 08/27/2010 4:19:11 AM PDT by zort
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