Replies

It’s up to Congress to define who is or isn’t a NBC.”
Agree

“It’s not up to some French author, it’s not up to the Courts, and it’s most definitely not up to your “conjecture”.”
Agree

“According to the law in effect at the time, Cruz is a NBC.”
Strongly disagree

"According to the law in effect at the time, Cruz is a NBC." Strongly disagree

Why?

Here is the relevant law:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1401

And here is the relevant clause of that law:

(g) a person born outside the geographical limits of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents one of whom is an alien, and the other a citizen of the United States who, prior to the birth of such person, was physically present in the United States or its outlying possessions for a period or periods totaling not less than five years, at least two of which were after attaining the age of fourteen years

Ted Cruz's mother clearly meets the requirements here (she is, in fact, a NBC). Therefore, her children are NBC.

“It’s up to Congress to define who is or isn’t a NBC.
Agree”

Based on this assumption, Congress also has the right to define “arms”, as in Amendment 2 “...keep and bear arms...”, to “appendages” eliminating the ability to own flintlock guns, or pistols, or rifles or the dreaded “assault” weapons.

Likewise, this assumption gives Congress the right to define “speech” as “only what comes out of your mouth that I agree with”. (Seems like they’re working on this one wholeheartedly - is this really where you want to go?)

Do you seriously believe the Founders gave Congress the ability to redefine native terms in the Constitution? If you think they have the constitutional authority to define NBC, then they have the authority to redefine it and ALL other words/terms in the Constitution. (You must be of the ‘Living Constitution” branch of the Progressive-Americans crowd).

The Naturalization Act of 1795, also signed by the same President George Washington as the 1790 act, was a recognition of an error and repudiation of Congress’ ability to define native Constitutional terms. Citing the 1790 act without acknowledging the 1795 act is intellectually dishonest, or worse. Ted Cruz is guilty of this, much to my disappointment.

Why do you want to accept anything other than the strictest interpretation of born on the soil to citizen parents?