I knew there was talk around the time of the election that Barack Obama may not be a "proper" American. That was all based on him being born in Hawaii and when that state entered the union. But it appears now that there are loads of people who are convincing themselves that the President is not a natural born American at all. As if they are? Anybody who can be convinced of such nonsense is far too loopy to be a natural born anything.
Chuck Norris has entered the fray. He now wants to see the presidential birth certificate. What for I cannot know. Perhaps we can see Chuck's and wonder if his is real or fake. This trouble and strife all stems from the "natural born" reference. It has come to be implied to those born in the United States. However, it was originally put into the constitution to clarify the position of those born in the Colonies as British subjects who became American citizens as a direct result of the status of independence. Ten presidents were affected by this clarification.
In the sense of 18th Century English, "natural born" meant just being born in the United States of American parents. Birth meant citizenship, automatically. However, because a territorial description was not added conclusively a natural born person could possibly be born elsewhere to American parents. Because it is a quandary the US Government no longer refers to such in current laws regarding citizenship.
The inhabitants of the US Virgin Islands are citizens, probably natural born ones, but they cannot vote in presidential elections let alone be president. They can, though, vote in the primaries. A crumb of electoral comfort there then. So with this confusion comes the conspiracy theorists. Some may think anyone born in Hawaii isn't a proper American. Some may think that if your father is foreign you are no American. But then all this started with making the former Colonists into natural born Americans. They were born on the continent, but not in the USA, they started out as British and ended up as American, all the while being "natural born"!
Chuck Norris should just reckon that all this birther baloney is not natural. It is very unnatural. Instead of begging to see a certificate, he should be getting the Congress to write a definitive law on the matter. I bet Norris wouldn't have batted an eyelid if Bob Hope had ever wanted to be president. But Bob was born British, as was Jerry Springer and loads of other Americans who just missed being born naturally. In Jerry Springer's case he definitely was born unnaturally. In a tube station in London. His mother got him an audience that night!
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2 comments:
Re: "In the sense of 18th Century English, "natural born" meant just being born in the United States of American parents."
Natural Born just meant being born in the country regardless of the number of parents who were already citizens. That was the law in the colonies before the revolution.
The Wong Kim Ark case at the US Supreme court includes quotations like this: '"Natural-born British subject" means a British subject who has become a British subject at the moment of his birth." "Subject to the exceptions hereinafter mentioned, any person who (whatever the nationality of his parents) is born within the British dominions is a natural-born British subject. This rule contains the leading principle of English law on the subject of British nationality."
The exceptions already mentioned were only the children of foreign diplomats, and the children of members of an invading army, who are not natural born subjects or citizens.
And that is why such prominent Senators who are also lawyers as Orren Hatch and Lindsay Graham say that a Natural Born Citizen is simply one who was born in the USA:
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), said:
“Every child born in the United States is a natural-born United States citizen except for the children of diplomats.” (December 11, 2008 letter to constituent)
Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT), said:
“What is a natural born citizen? Clearly, someone born within the United States or one of its territories is a natural born citizen.” (Senate Judiciary Committee hearing hearing on OCTOBER 5, 2004)
There has been a rumour circulating that Obama was born in Kenya of a British Citizen or a Kenyan national - depends who you ask.
Came about, I understand, from his father's mother admitting that he was not born in any of the american states.
Others claim that the fact that the British Govenrment may have evidence to that fact is the basis for his dislike of this coutnry.
Which is why, a glimpst of the presidential birth certificate rather than the Hawai paperwork which is not one, may stop these conspiracy theories.
Refusal to release it (and I believe that there has been a court order to that fact) only fuels such speculation.
My view - I think he's British because I have a wicked sense of humour - and I can just see the headlines now "The Patriot Part Two - or The Return of the British!" Bliss!!!
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