Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Just how 'American' must a president be?


The question of citizenship regarding a presidential candidate has come up several times, including 2000 when McCain was running. In 2004, the issue was raised again: U.S. Congress moves to clarify the rules: Just how 'American' must a president be? The Natural Born Citizen Act would include children born outside the United States to citizen parents or parents able to transfer their citizenship. That would include McCain, whose parents were citizens, as well as an estimated two million others who, according to government figures, have been born to U.S. parents living and working overseas."

"Who is a natural-born citizen? Who, in other words, is a citizen at birth, such that that person can be a President someday?"

TITLE 8 > CHAPTER 12 > SUBCHAPTER III > Part I > § 1403 Prev Next § 1403. Persons born in the Canal Zone or Republic of Panama on or after February 26, 1904

(b) Any person born in the Republic of Panama on or after February 26, 1904, and whether before or after the effective date of this chapter, whose father or mother or both at the time of the birth of such person was or is a citizen of the United States employed by the Government of the United States or by the Panama Railroad Company, or its successor in title, is declared to be a citizen of the United States.

"REMEMBER, we're dealing with TWO different issues here. “Automatic Citizenship upon birth” doesn't also automatically qualify one as the “natural born” requirement of the federal constitution. According to that Supreme Court case, there's the matter of “geography” involved. And also, remember, the “birth certificate” didn't exist at the time of the adoption of the federal constitution. Also, this country didn't have territories and military bases in other countries, nor “such District (not exceeding ten Miles square): Article I, Section 8. [17]” which is today's federal District of Columbia. The federal constitution at that time was only dealing with 13 States, each which had its own constitution, but which was considered the “country known as the United States.” (In the Declaration of Independence the country was termed to be “the united States,” another issue, but I note it just so the reader realizes there are many side/extended/related issues in all of this.) Many believe that “natural born” in regards to being born within the geographical boundaries of this country would be a correct interpretation by the Supreme Court in its decision."

Actually this very complicated legal matter has never been settled in the courts. And it does matter. If Barack Obama was born in Kenya, as his African grandmother and other relatives reportedly state, it is very likely that he should be disqualified as a presidential candidate. And if he was born in Hawaii and Lolo Soetoro was his biological father, then he is not African-American and a whole lot of people are voting for a poseur. Seriously, I was not there and I do not know. But reportedly Lolo Soetoro was a student at the University the same time as Stanley Ann and Barack Obama Sr. Barack Jr. states in his memoir that the details surrounding his mother's marriage to Obama Sr., if there was one, are murkey. Lolo Soetoro later adopted the boy or claimed him for purposes of enrollment in the school he attended in Indonesia as a Muslim.

It would be so simple if Barack Obama Jr. would produce the proof of these "murkey" circumstances.

Actually, the whole point may be moot and it will be confirmed that he was born in Bethlehem. Case closed.



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