First off, let me just say that I've been good. I haven't gotten mad at too much lately. Deep breaths in, deep breaths out, slowly count to ten, and let it all go.
I've been good. I've been very good.
There is no emotion, there is only peace....
But good things never last. I don't think I can keep my mouth shut on this one.
What's it been? Nine months? Ten months? Do these people ever stop?
Today while reading a forum for one of my favorite video blogger posts, someone commented, yet again, just out of the blue, about Obama's birth certificate.
It had context. It wasn't a troll, for sure, despite it coming from left field. It was obviously yet again someone still smarting from the smack of last November's presidential election.
The comment went something like "obama the illegal Kenyan Muslim communist President.." oh throw in liberals there for good measure. He actually said something about liberals in the next sentence, but I can't really remember what it was.
People, breathe in, breathe out, slowly count to ten, and try to let it go. LET IT GO.
If you hadn't heard, the argument was that Obama was not eligible for the office of President because he was not legally an American citizen. The evidence? A strange birth certificate from the state of Hawaii that seemed odd. Some said it was missing a border common to all certificates. Some said there was no watermark. I even heard an argument once that said the dye used in the ink for printing the certificate was the wrong color.
Sooooo..... some loonies on the conservative side start screaming that the election was a fraud. Obama wasn't a citizen because his father was Kenyan and his birth certificate was a forgery. They claimed the election was stolen. Imagine that! Conservatives complaining an election was stolen? I guess they know what to look for.
Let's get something straight for all you people who obviously played hooky when you should have been in eighth grade civics class.
It doesn't matter what nationality Obama's father was. Obama's father doesn't even have to be human. He's an American citizen because he was born to an American citizen. It doesn't matter where he was born. It doesn't matter if he had a birth certificate or not. He was born to an American citizen. And more importantly, he was born within the United States.
Even if both parents are illegals, the child born to them, if born within the borders of the United States, is a United States citizen.
It is a misunderstanding of the wording of the Constitution of the United States when people claim that because he wasn't born in the contiguous United States he isn't "natural-born." They say that if he wasn't born in the United States, then he isn't qualified to be President.
Natural-born means more than this. Natural-born means either born in the United States or US territories and/or born TO a citizen of the United States. Obama was in Hawaii, and Hawaii was a state at the time.
The thing that gets me is the people who claim this last part seem to be blind to the fact that McCain was born in Panama. By their own logic, the candidate they wanted to win, the candidate they say should've won, had it not been stolen by an illegal participant, was himself illegal.
So, like it or not, Obama was eligible to be President. It doesn't matter if he were born in Hawaii, Kenya, or on the moon. It doesn't matter if he had a birth certificate or not (unless, of course, there were no other records that indicated that Obama actually came out of the woman he claimed to be his mother). Obama was a natural-born American citizen. To not be natural-born and be a citizen requires naturalization. If you aren't naturalized, you are a natural-born citizen. End of argument.
Yet I'm sure there are people who still claim the world is flat...
So. We've knocked down illegal and Kenyan. He's a MUSLIM!
And? This matters because? Has he signed an executive order tearing down all churches and requiring citizens to not shave their beards and attend mosques? I didn't think so.
It shouldn't matter if he's Christian, Muslim, a Noodler or a Jedi. Separation of Church and State, remember? If you agree that even if he were a Muslim and it were a bad thing, then I'm sure you don't. You're probably the same people who waved flags and rang bells when Bush Jr. stated he was going to put God and his faith in front of his Presidential decisions. You want people to be religious and put religion first, that is, until it isn't your religion.
How many times are we going to have to deal with this? Till death do we part? I sure as hell hope not.
Communist? Give me a break. There is a difference between communism and socialism. Jeez, read a book. Wait? What's that tingling? Deja Vu? Yeah, we've discussed this before too. Several times. Don't burn books. It's bad for your mental health.
Socialism isn't bad either. Not all socialism. Just because we want equal health care for all doesn't make us hell-bent socialists. If our bodies are important enough to us to have socialized police protection and fire protection, then health protection is a no-brainer. Especially when you save money in the long-run.
President? Well at least they got one thing right.
This whole charade over his citizenship is bad. It looks bad, and smells worse. If I were a paranoid person I'd think that the people claiming this were liberal moles doing their best to discredit conservatives. Just make them stop, guys. Each one who opens his or her mouth makes all conservatives look dumb.
P.S. For all of you who know from where the line there is no emotion comes, you get ten points to spend on the Fatbody Shopping Network.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
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4 comments:
Fyi, the controversy over Obama's citizenship has little to do with the possible incongruencies with his birth certificate. It has everything to do with the fact that no one has seen his long form birth certificate, only the certification of live birth.
Stick with me here. A certification of live birth was issued to every Hawaiian citizen once Hawaii became a state, because at that point in time hawaii didn't ascribe to the same laws as the united states, and so babies weren't all issued birth certificates. This "certification of live birth" spoke not to where someone was born, only THAT they were born.
Obama was born after Hawaii became a state, and so should have been issued a standard long form birth certificate (not to be confused with a certification of live birth). He has never produced this document. The certification of live birth doesn't tell what hospital he was born in, or dr. was present, or even state that he was born in Hawaii. So we have ostensibly seen no proof that he was born in Hawaii. The fact that he was born in Hawaii was even refuted by his own paternal grandmother, who states that she was a witness to his birth in Kenya.
You state that He was born to an American citizen, which also is not entirely accurate. There are questions over his mothers citizenship at the time of his birth. For one thing, you have to be an American citizen for 5 years after your 16th birthday to retain your citizenship once you move out of the country. She was only 19 at his birth, and clearly conceived him in Kenya, was married in kenya, etc. Also, there has been some evidence to suggest that she renounced her citizenship at some point prior to his birth.
But, even more damning than whether or not his mother was a citizen at his birth, Barack Obama studied at a school in Indonesia under the name Barry Soetoro. This is key, because at that time in Indonesia, you had to be an Indonesian citizen to enroll in school in the country, meaning he would have had to renounce any American citizenship that may have been conferred to him by being born to an American.
In addition, Obama travelled to Pakistan in 1981. During this time, travel by American citizens to pakistan was restricted, so how did he travel there with an American possport? Likely, he still had an indonesian passport which can only be conferred to Indonesian citizens.
His school records have been sealed, is it possible that that was because they show that he applied as a non citizen of the united states?
I could go on and on. The point here is that regardless of whether or not you support his election, there are very serious questions that need to be answered concerning his eligibility. All I ask is that the documentation be shown that qualifies him. I have to show my birth certificate (long form) to get a job, to get a license, to get a passport, etc. Why not to become president of the United States? Hard to argue that logic.
Thank you for posting, I was unaware people still read this drivel.
"Obama was born after Hawaii became a state, and so should have been issued a standard long form birth certificate (not to be confused with a certification of live birth."
Hawaii does not issue long form birth certificates.
"He has never produced this document."
He is not legally required to provide this. Even if he were, it'd be kind of hard for him to do so, seeing as Hawaii doesn't issue them.
"The fact that he was born in Hawaii was even refuted by his own paternal grandmother, who states that she was a witness to his birth in Kenya."
My kooky grandmother could say I was born on the moon, that doesn't change what is said on any of my birth certificates.
"There are questions over his mothers citizenship at the time of his birth."
Obama's mother was born in Wichita, Kansas. She's a citizen no matter how you cut it.
"Also, there has been some evidence to suggest that she renounced her citizenship at some point prior to his birth."
You need to prove this. It's that whole "innocent until proven guilty" thing. You can't damn a person on "there having been some evidence." It's either there, or it isn't.
"This is key, because at that time in Indonesia, you had to be an Indonesian citizen to enroll in school in the country, meaning he would have had to renounce any American citizenship that may have been conferred to him by being born to an American."
Absolutely not. There is this little thing called "dual citizenship." My family members have it. They didn't have to renounce anything.
"His school records have been sealed..."
And?
" is it possible that that was because they show that he applied as a non citizen of the united states?"
Could be. It could also suggest he was trying to hide the fact that he's a shape-changing lizard and took classes on how to adequately fool humans. They probably only teach that in Indonesia.
"In addition, Obama travelled to Pakistan in 1981. During this time, travel by American citizens to pakistan was restricted, so how did he travel there with an American possport?"
I have no idea, but based on the recent track record of the United States and letting people on planes to various locations, I'm not surprised.
"All I ask is that the documentation be shown that qualifies him."
That documentation you seek doesn't exist. Hawaii never provided it. If you guys stated that in your arguments, maybe people wouldn't jump on the broken bandwagon so much.
" I have to show my birth certificate (long form) to get a job, to get a license, to get a passport, etc."
I have no idea why you've had this problem. I have applied for jobs, got a driver's license, went to college, even got a passport, and never had to produce this document. My "certificate of birth", as you call it, was sufficient.
"Hard to argue that logic."
I'm not seeing any logic. You can't hold the man accountable for Hawaii's policies. You also can't hold him accountable for what his grandmother says over what his mother says, just because it suits your argument. You can't argue his mother's citizenship without concrete proof, which you do not have. You can't continually use straw man arguments. Dual-citizenship is a reality for every citizen - men eligible for the draft, women, and children. Barry Soetoro? So what. Just because his father adopts him and changes his name doesn't strip him of his citizenship.
The thing that interests me is that the same field that is pushing Obama needing to provide a document that cannot be provided to prove his eligibility when the mandate of the Constitution of the United States specifically states what is required - and it isn't a "long form birth certificate" from a state that does not issue long for birth certificates - is the same group that pushes for smaller government and constitutional mandates.
Sure, the founders had no idea about vital statistics and birth certificates, but if we can't change the mandates for other things, why is this one important enough to change? Two words: cherry picking.
Straw man? Yeah, I confess. But I'm just trying to answer the arguments at their own level.
Oh, another thing:
"But, even more damning than whether or not his mother was a citizen at his birth, Barack Obama studied at a school in Indonesia under the name Barry Soetoro. This is key, because at that time in Indonesia, you had to be an Indonesian citizen to enroll in school in the country, meaning he would have had to renounce any American citizenship that may have been conferred to him by being born to an American."
The records could be sealed simply to hide the fact he was an American citizen applying to a school that only accepted Indonesians. He father was very wealthy and influential and he may have had a lot to do with that. It could also explain the name change." If we're arguing conjecture, this explanation is just as valid. Actually, it makes a little more sense. Funny thing is, I don't even like Obama.
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