*sigh*....
Remind me to not get into a battle of wits with an unarmed person.
A friend on FB posted that he couldn't believe that people believe Obama is not a US citizen. Said friend has a FB friend who believes that while Obama is a US citizen, he is not a natural-born citizen because Obama has a parent born outside the US, and therefore is ineligible to become President. (Said friend furthermore believes _he_ is ineligible to become president because while he was born in Maryland, his father was born in Greece.)
I stayed awake in Tanoff's and DelBene's class, and took American History I in college. So I looked up Article II of the US Constitution, which states in part:
>"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."
Obama, by his own admission, is a US citizen. Therefore, whether or not you like him, his party, or his decisions, Obama is a legimate President. Ignore for a moment (see below) what a natural born citizen is. Obama was born in Hawaii, and is a US citizen.
(And while the government does keep things hidden from time to time, I refuse to believe in the great conspiracy that one person phrased thus: "A pregnant woman leaves her home to go overseas to have a child -- who there’s not a passport for -- so is in cahoots with someone ... to smuggle that child, that previously doesn’t exist on a government roll somewhere back into the country and has the amazing foresight to place birth announcements in the Hawaii newspapers? All while this is transpiring in cahoots with those in the border, all so some kid named Barack Obama could run for President 46 and a half years later.")
Except that said friend of a friend still believes that a person with a foreign-born parent is not a "natural-born" citizen, and "cites" the same Article II as "proof." If someone can find it, please let me know. I'm willing to be open-minded and admit when I'm wrong when given proof of same.
Additionally, I pointed out that other presidents - including Arthur, Buchanan, Wilson, and Hoover - had at least one parent who was born outside the US. Arthur and Hoover at least ascended to the Presidency after becoming vice-president. I pointed out the illogic of having a vice-president who could not meet the standards of the Presidency, since in a few cases, those people have become President.
But no. He wants to ignore all this. So I finally called it quits. T'aint no use talking to people sometimes....
EDIT: I found the citation the friend of a friend quoted. It's from a 1790 law which indeeds states it - but he naturally forgot that it was overturned in 1934. And even if it wasn't, the 14th amendment to the Constitution, which states " All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside" would supersede it since it was passed _after_ 1790!
A friend on FB posted that he couldn't believe that people believe Obama is not a US citizen. Said friend has a FB friend who believes that while Obama is a US citizen, he is not a natural-born citizen because Obama has a parent born outside the US, and therefore is ineligible to become President. (Said friend furthermore believes _he_ is ineligible to become president because while he was born in Maryland, his father was born in Greece.)
I stayed awake in Tanoff's and DelBene's class, and took American History I in college. So I looked up Article II of the US Constitution, which states in part:
>"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."
Obama, by his own admission, is a US citizen. Therefore, whether or not you like him, his party, or his decisions, Obama is a legimate President. Ignore for a moment (see below) what a natural born citizen is. Obama was born in Hawaii, and is a US citizen.
(And while the government does keep things hidden from time to time, I refuse to believe in the great conspiracy that one person phrased thus: "A pregnant woman leaves her home to go overseas to have a child -- who there’s not a passport for -- so is in cahoots with someone ... to smuggle that child, that previously doesn’t exist on a government roll somewhere back into the country and has the amazing foresight to place birth announcements in the Hawaii newspapers? All while this is transpiring in cahoots with those in the border, all so some kid named Barack Obama could run for President 46 and a half years later.")
Except that said friend of a friend still believes that a person with a foreign-born parent is not a "natural-born" citizen, and "cites" the same Article II as "proof." If someone can find it, please let me know. I'm willing to be open-minded and admit when I'm wrong when given proof of same.
Additionally, I pointed out that other presidents - including Arthur, Buchanan, Wilson, and Hoover - had at least one parent who was born outside the US. Arthur and Hoover at least ascended to the Presidency after becoming vice-president. I pointed out the illogic of having a vice-president who could not meet the standards of the Presidency, since in a few cases, those people have become President.
But no. He wants to ignore all this. So I finally called it quits. T'aint no use talking to people sometimes....
EDIT: I found the citation the friend of a friend quoted. It's from a 1790 law which indeeds states it - but he naturally forgot that it was overturned in 1934. And even if it wasn't, the 14th amendment to the Constitution, which states " All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside" would supersede it since it was passed _after_ 1790!