Posted on 12/05/2008 10:18:12 AM PST by STARWISE
Four days ago, Roger Bredow uploaded a video to YouTube beseeching like-minded people to come to Washington, D.C. and stand with him outside the Supreme Court.
"[Barack] Obama was born a dual citizen," Bredow said, "British, and a citizen of the United States, at birth." This, said Bredow, meant that the president-elect could never take the oath of office.
And on Friday, the Supreme Court would read Donofrio v. Wells, a suit brought by a New Jersey poker player against his state elections officer, which laid out the charges in the hopes of nullifying the election.
Today at 8 a.m., they came.
"If I'm going to be honest with you," said Bredow, sporting a floppy American flag hat that he'd promised on YouTube he'd be wearing, "I thought I might be the only person here."
He had flown in from Georgia. The other fifteen to twenty people who cycled in and out of the small protest had traveled shorter distances—southern Pennsylvania, northern Virginia—but they felt they had to do something.
The "dual born citizen" claim is the latest (and maybe strongest) attempt by Obama conspiracy theorists to argue that he can't be president, but most of the people I talked to had questioned Obama's citizenship long before this.
"I first heard about it from Phil Berg's case," said Julie Menge of Williamsburg, Virginia, referring to a case that alleges, among other things, that a 2007 state of Hawaii reproduction of Obama's birth certification is forged, and that Obama's paternal Kenyan step-grandmother Sarah was in the room when he was born.
One protestor claimed that a mysterious Muslim imam blessed Obama's birth in Kenya, and that this fact would eventually be revealed, somehow. (He cited African Press International, a bizarre web site that claims it has, but will not make public, a tape of Michelle Obama ranting about racist media coverage of her husband.)
At 9 a.m., a black minister who would only give his name as Brother Pittman led a prayer circle and a recitation of the pledge of allegiance. Pittman, who lives in Silver Spring, came as a "representative of the Rev. James David Manning," a Harlem preacher who became an Internet legend for a February sermon in which he called Obama a "long-legged mack daddy" who was "born trash."
"I've been shunned by members of my own family," Pittman said. "I tell them, do the research! Go online and look up the facts! This is all about openness and why Barack Obama won't answer questions about who he is."
There's nothing new at all about small, strange protests outside the court, whether or not the justices are at work.
While the Obama protestors were praying, a group of 16 young Christians walked up to the other side of the Court steps, strumming a guitar and lighting candles before holding a pro-life prayer vigil.
Police and tourists looked on and a very small group of journalists grabbed the Obama protestors for interviews. "This story is writing itself," said a Mother Jones reporter as he filmed the prayer circle.
The Supreme Court will announce whether it will actually consider the Obama lawsuit as early as today and as late as Monday.
If (as expected) the Court tosses the suit, Bredow will start challenging Obama's legitimacy based on "foreign money that went into his campaign."
Other protestors said they'd start contacting members of the Electoral College. Steve Brindle, who drove down from Pennsylvania, said he'd called his senators yesterday.
"There aren't a lot of people out here today," said Brindle. "There are a lot of people talking about this back home. Really, everyone's asking questions."
So does anyone know when and how we’ll find out how this SCOTUS meeting voted?
funny how this is not being mentioned a lot on TV and in the papers like the NY times
Again, though, a conservative would not let the social outcome affect his decision.
I especially can’t see Thomas saying “oh, the blacks will riot, so I can’t rule according to the Constitution”
Yes there are people who think that there is a chance McCain could be President. Since the Electoral College has not yet voted, nor all pending challenges disposed, that chance is certainly more than infinitesimal.
Wilberforce was an amazing man. Our (SBC) minister almost worships him for what he was able to accomplish.
I guess the EC could vote for anyone that was qualified.
Under the same scrutiny and standard, perhaps McCain isn’t qualified either...
They could vote for Hillary, or Palin, or Biden... or my next door neighbor.
With what clearly appears to be a USSC smackdown today, maybe Donofrio should go back to playing cards for a living. He clearly wasn't very good at practicing law.
For the record, Obama isn't my guy but I find Donofrio's "first-class/second-class" citizenship argument to be a lot more offensive and un-American than an Obama administration. WE WILL survive Obama's Presidency! The Republican party now has the opportunity to refocus and regain the confidence of conservatives.
The USSC codifying Dred Scott II and disqualifying the man who clearly was elected (along with millions of other native-born Americans) is ugly business with horrible implications that would have divided this country irreparably and destroyed all faith in our institutions. Hopefully this is the end of this nonsense and Donofrio can be relegated to nothing more than a trivia question in American history.
Whatever floats your boat, LucyT....
Do you have information we should know about?
When Obama is disqualified, the Democrats won’t have a choice in the matter. It would go to McCain.
Is all law or the Constitution offensve and un-American to you?
I am no fan of hope or belief. Nor of praise, or of rebuke. What do we live for? To seek some joy of truth. And that is a rare nectar.
Ah great! Someone familiar with Wm. Wilberforce, my hero too as well as your pastor’s! Yes, what an example, everytime I’m caving to impatience my thoughts turn to William Wilberforce.
almost forgot: Here’s a toast to chaos in ‘09; the tree of Liberty will soon be completely parched and in bad need of re-watering...
Donofrio's argument has no basis in our Constitution. We don't have "first-class" and "second-class" Americans. Believe it or not, many people find this concept offensive and un-American. Imagine that.
And to answer your question in post #91, the USSC announced that certiorari would be granted in only two cases today. Donofrio v. Wells was not one of them. In clearer words, it has most likely been denied but we have to wait for the orders to be published.
At the very minimum, we all need to pledge to NOT help the economy recover. Buy only essentials (and ammo and guns) for the duration of 0bamanation.
We can’t allow a good economy to enable him to institute his socialist crap.
The decision was reached but won't be announced until Monday.
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