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News & ArtsMonday, December 8, 2008
2008 The Supremes and Obama's Citizenship
Posted by Eli Sanders on Mon, Dec 8, 2008 at 11:35 AM
Back in October, I suggested that paranoid liberals shouldn't worry too much about legal challenges to Obama's U.S. citizenship. Today the Supreme Court said much the same:
The Supreme Court this morning unceremoniously declined to hear an emergency appeal from a man who claimed President-elect Barack Obama is not qualified for the presidency because he is not a "natural-born" citizen.
Is that the end of all this? Of course not:
There are two other cases at the Supreme Court, neither of which has been scheduled for consideration. The most celebrated is filed by Philip J. Berg of Lafayette Hill, Pa. There are others still at lower court levels.Berg argues that Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii as Obama has said and Hawaii officials confirm. Alternately, Berg argues that Obama may have renounced his citizenship as a boy in Indonesia, where he lived for a time with his mother and stepfather.
Those supporting Berg do not believe a birth certificate Obama's campaign has produced.
Factcheck.org has done an independent investigation of the controversy.
"FactCheck.org staffers have now seen, touched, examined and photographed the original birth certificate," the group writes. "We conclude that it meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship.... Obama was born in the U.S.A. just as he has always said."
1
This is the darkest day in American history. Right thinking patriotic Americans should fly their flags upside down from this day forward.
2
Here in Denver, the top-rated morning radio talk guy Peter Boyles has been spotlighting this insane issue for well over 3 months solid. This story is solid gold amongst racist baby-boomers.
3
@2: I was in a cab in Boston in October and the cabbie was listening to some right-wing talk radio guy saying the exact same thing. They're obsessed.
4
I can only imagine the what ire would have come to him had he been born on a military base in Panama.
6
The tinfoil-hat brigades would not be convinced if you could put them in a time machine, take them back into the labor room in Hawaii in 1961, and actually SHOW them the birth. They'd still maintain it was somehow a trick. Who knew grasping at straws could be so entertaining?
I love the ones who are somehow convinced that, because Obama's mother married an Indonesian, she somehow automatically became an Indonesian and gave up her U.S. citizenship, although the converse is NOT assumed by them as true for Obama's Kenyan-born father. Tells you a lot about how they regard women - as property which automatically assumes the citizenship of their husbands.
I love the ones who are somehow convinced that, because Obama's mother married an Indonesian, she somehow automatically became an Indonesian and gave up her U.S. citizenship, although the converse is NOT assumed by them as true for Obama's Kenyan-born father. Tells you a lot about how they regard women - as property which automatically assumes the citizenship of their husbands.
7
With everything in their world going so swimmingly, the Republican grass roots has no greater problem demanding their attention than Obama's citizenship. Pretty much whenever nobody wants to vote for a party and nobody but buffoons wants their nomination, it's time to caterwaul at the moon.
I hope I don't sound ungrateful. Thank you, Republicans. Thank you!
I hope I don't sound ungrateful. Thank you, Republicans. Thank you!
9
Don't worry, Lord Basil, several members of the Obama Youth Brigade will be by shortly to escort you to the gulag of your choice.
10
Will somebody help me out? This is a real question, and probably only highlights my ignorance, but here goes: President Obama's mother was an American citizen at the time of his birth, right? So, no matter WHERE her child was born, that child was born an American citizen by virtue of his parantage, no? Am I right? So, who cares WHERE he was born? Please post corrections if I'm mistaken.....
12
i'm looking forward to hearing bruce springsteen's 'born in the usa' as obama mounts the podium to take his oath of office on january 20, 2009.
13
** BARAK ** BARRY ** BARACK ** HUSSEIN ** MUHAMED ** ABDULLAH ** BIN SAETORO ** UBAMA
ILLEGAL ALIEN , kenya
ILLEGAL ALIEN , kenya
14
@10 - yes, that's correct, but there's an exception for people whose middle name is "Hussein". It's in the Constitution, somewhere near the end.
15
Currently Over 17 Illegal Alien lawsuit's vs. Ubama,DNC
Barry Barack Hussein Ubama is an Illegal Alien , kenya
Barry Barack Hussein Ubama is an Illegal Alien , kenya
16
bunch of morons.
look, if your mom or dad is an American citizen, so are you.
now, get over it and march into the sea, lemmings!
look, if your mom or dad is an American citizen, so are you.
now, get over it and march into the sea, lemmings!
17
Shit - so my jokey nonsense about Obama's middle name slides in between even more nonsensical crap from some moron who actually takes this stupidity seriously.
18
@10: To qualify to serve as President, though, you must be a natural born citizen--you must have been born on US soil or territory.
20
Panama was US territory at the time McCain was born there. On a military base, I believe, so it counts double.
22
This page
http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_c…
defines "Natural-born citizen" as including, among other possibilities,
"Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is an alien and as long as the other parent is a citizen of the U.S. who lived in the U.S. for at least five years (with military and diplomatic service included in this time)"
Let it go. Just let it go.
This page
http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_c…
defines "Natural-born citizen" as including, among other possibilities,
"Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is an alien and as long as the other parent is a citizen of the U.S. who lived in the U.S. for at least five years (with military and diplomatic service included in this time)"
Let it go. Just let it go.
23
If I am reading the Wiki right, even if Barack was born in Kenya, the fact that his Mom was a U.S. citizen, he too would be a U.S. citizen. The asshats are saying thst Barack renounced his citizenship while in Indonesia (like a kid could make that decision).
24
Panama was US territory at the time McCain was born there. On a military base, I believe, so it counts double.
The US statute creating the Canal Zone acknowledged that Panama retained sovereignty over it. Panama is a ius soli country, so McCain acquired Panamanian nationality at birth. Further, according to the State Department, "Despite widespread popular belief, U.S. military installations abroad and U.S. diplomatic or consular facilities are not part of the United States within the meaning of the 14th Amendment. A child born on the premises of such a facility is not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and does not acquire U.S. citizenship by reason of birth."
So, at birth, McCain acquired US citizenship from his parents, and Panamanian citizenship by being born in the Canal Zone. Considering the intent of the "natural-born" clause was to prevent a President with divided loyalties, McCain is not "natural born."
The US statute creating the Canal Zone acknowledged that Panama retained sovereignty over it. Panama is a ius soli country, so McCain acquired Panamanian nationality at birth. Further, according to the State Department, "Despite widespread popular belief, U.S. military installations abroad and U.S. diplomatic or consular facilities are not part of the United States within the meaning of the 14th Amendment. A child born on the premises of such a facility is not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and does not acquire U.S. citizenship by reason of birth."
So, at birth, McCain acquired US citizenship from his parents, and Panamanian citizenship by being born in the Canal Zone. Considering the intent of the "natural-born" clause was to prevent a President with divided loyalties, McCain is not "natural born."
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