Constitutional huh vs. birtherism
2011-Apr-01, Friday 08:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ssurgulMy, my, my. I thought there was a rather blatantly obvious 'WTF' about the so-called Birther movement. They claim that since Obama refuses to disclose his 'official' birth certificate, which implies that he's not a natural citizen, and thus not eligible to be President. Sure, we've all heard the nutjobs and stupid remouthing these words like they were whores going down on a teenager.
However.
Article II, Section 1, Paragraph 5: No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States. (http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html ; and Bantam Classic covering both Constitution and the Declaration purchased years before Obama was actually elected and copyrighted July 1988 -- both are identical in this paragraph).
Ok, so there's that little clause 'at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution'. Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but NO ONE (that we're aware of anyway) today was alive at the time of the passage and ratification of the Constitution. The Tea Party whackjobs continually spout about Constitutional Truth and Originalism. They demand the government function as the Constitution states. Yet, right there, it seems to me on reading this section that the Founding Fathers chose knowledgeably and willfully to exclude anyone from being the First President that hadn't fought in the War and hadn't laid his life and property on the line for American Liberty and Freedom. No other Federal Government office has a requirement for natural citizenship. And it seems to me that on direct, unmodified reading of the document, they only wanted the first few Presidents to be part of the rebellion that led to the founding of the country. Then the typical citizenship and occupancy requirements kick in, which is fine and dandy.
So why aren't the Tea Party Losers errrr.... Patriots demanding to see his Green Card or equivalent? Oh, right, because EVERYTHING he's done so far can't be done by a non-citizen. But, as with almost all Xian-based gameplayers, they totally take what they want from 'holy' scripture, and discard the rest as rules all while claiming they follow the letter and intent of the document. Such liars, and hypocrites.
However.
Article II, Section 1, Paragraph 5: No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States. (http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html ; and Bantam Classic covering both Constitution and the Declaration purchased years before Obama was actually elected and copyrighted July 1988 -- both are identical in this paragraph).
Ok, so there's that little clause 'at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution'. Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but NO ONE (that we're aware of anyway) today was alive at the time of the passage and ratification of the Constitution. The Tea Party whackjobs continually spout about Constitutional Truth and Originalism. They demand the government function as the Constitution states. Yet, right there, it seems to me on reading this section that the Founding Fathers chose knowledgeably and willfully to exclude anyone from being the First President that hadn't fought in the War and hadn't laid his life and property on the line for American Liberty and Freedom. No other Federal Government office has a requirement for natural citizenship. And it seems to me that on direct, unmodified reading of the document, they only wanted the first few Presidents to be part of the rebellion that led to the founding of the country. Then the typical citizenship and occupancy requirements kick in, which is fine and dandy.
So why aren't the Tea Party Losers errrr.... Patriots demanding to see his Green Card or equivalent? Oh, right, because EVERYTHING he's done so far can't be done by a non-citizen. But, as with almost all Xian-based gameplayers, they totally take what they want from 'holy' scripture, and discard the rest as rules all while claiming they follow the letter and intent of the document. Such liars, and hypocrites.