Obama and the Birther Backlash

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looks like the walls are closing in on obama,soon he will be sitting in sing sing prison with the rest of his good ole boys

charles brown of WA 6:58PM April 21, 2010

To be President you must be a "natural born citizen", what ever that means in the modern era. I wish the Supreme Court would define this and end this matter.

Joe Horn of NJ 11:53PM August 06, 2009

...you may not want to be called a birther, but it's preferable to what you actually are:
A bigot.
Sorry about that, old sport!

Ellid of MA 1:51PM August 05, 2009

I live in Malaysia now. my birth certificate does not look like the one shown belonging to that Aussie chap. It is entirely different. I wish that I could put a scanned picture here to show to you. Many people here in Malaysia think Mr. Obama was born in Kenya. What difference does it make where he was born? He should not be ashamed to be born there. I have been to Mombasa and it's quite beautiful.

Loura 11:39PM August 04, 2009

THIS IS THE LAW: "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." READ FOR YOURSELF AT: http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Article2
THIS IS THE CASE LAW: "The right of citizenship never descends in the legal sense, either by the common law or under the common naturalization acts. It is incident to birth in the country, or it is given personally by statute. The child of an alien, if born in the country, is as much a citizen as the natural born child of a citizen, and by operation of the same principle." SEE FOR YOURSELF AT: http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0169_0649_ZO.html
Note that Justice Gray DOES NOT SAY "...The child of an alien, if born in the country, is as much a NATURAL BORN citizen as the natural born child of a citizen..."
The constitutional requirements for federal elected officials is different. The legislative branch must be CITIZENS, while the executive branch must be NATURAL BORN CITIZENS. Since the requirements are different, there has to be a difference between being a CITIZEN and being a NATURAL BORN CITIZEN. This is supported by Justice Gray writing for the majority in the 1898 Ark decision. He writes that citizens and natural born citizens have the same rights. His choice of words are where the distinction lies. Obviously, the "...The child of an alien..." is different from "...the natural born child of a citizen..." Both are citizens according to the law and in the eye of case law and both are able to hold office inr the legislative division of the federal government, per Article I of the constitution. However, Article II clearly states that "No person except a natural born Citizen..." can be president. Case law (Ark) clearly shows that "...The child of an alien..." is diffent from a NATURAL BORN CITIZEN. The only way to become a natural born citizen is to be born a natural born citizen of TWO CITIZEN PARENTS. Being born to "..an alien" still allows you to be a CITIZEN, but you can never be a NATURAL BORN CITIZEN.
BHO's father was a British subject. "In other words, at the time of his birth, Barack Obama Jr. was both a U.S. citizen (by virtue of being born in Hawaii) and a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies (or the UKC) by virtue of being born to a father who was a citizen of the UKC." YOUR CAN READ FOR YOURSELF AT: http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/does_barack_obama_have_kenyan_citizenship.html
Now, considering what the law says, what case law establishes, and what we know about BHO's father, what conclusions can we draw?
Are laws being broken?

choprzrul of CA 3:25PM August 04, 2009

The reason why this continues to strike a nerve is because it is about disclosure. This "President" obviously has something to hide in his long form. Leftist do not have a logical reason in why this information is being supressed so they continue to beat straw man arguments.
Even minded Americans are increasingly trying to figure out why a simple $15 disclosure is difficult for the most powerful man in the world. Because the story is being blacked out and guffawed by the main stream media, everyone else is filling in the blanks.
And if you dont think Obamas tanking poll numbers have anything to do at least in part to this controversy, you are incredibly naive.
Once the long form is released, the story will end - one way or another.

J. Stone of TX 3:00PM August 04, 2009

Contrary to what's stated in this opinion and the comments of some readers, Obama's original birth certificate, the one that would show the doctor that delivered him, birth weight, place of birth, etc., has never been revealed. All that's been shown so far is so called "Certificate of Live Birth" from Hawaii, a document that anyone can obtain, even if he or she has not been born in Hawaii. Furthermore, all of Obama's school records have been sealed--why is there so much secrecy around his past? Obviously, he must have something to hide. Come on people, wake up!

Lisa Burns of NH 2:45PM August 04, 2009

As the Grandmother of a Mixed child, I would love to be able to share the full history of this Prez with him some day, just as my parents took me to various birthplaces of Prez's when I was a child. As far back as Jimmy Carter, Americans can tell and show their children where he was born (that hospital now bears the name of Carter's mother, in his honor), and GWB's history can be told through a two-page information packet at the Hospital of his birth, with details about Dr. Maggie Tyler who delivered him into this world. What do we tell our kids as to why President Obama will NOT divulge his own personal history, so that all Americans (and most especially Mixed kids who are thrilled with this President) can share in his background info, just as we do with our other beloved Presidents. I don't know what we're supposed to tell our kids.

Judy Strickland of SC 2:40PM August 04, 2009

In law the 'best evidence' rule holds that an original be produced rather than a secondary document. Nobody has seen the original long form of Obama's birth certificate.
Probably Obama was born in Hawaii at one of the two hospitals he says he was born in, but why has he spent a million dollars in legal fees to keep the document out of sight?
It makes no sense. If any elected official squanders a million dollars to hide what should be (and probably is) an innocuous document, then reporters (if there are any left) should be asking themselves what is going on?
Okay, let's concede he was born in Hawaii. But what is he hiding???? What secret is worth a million dollars for him to hide from the public?
The 'birthers' may be looking for the wrong thing, but they seem to be looking in the right hole to make Obama nervous.

Rachelle Young of AZ 2:26PM August 04, 2009

Ronald Reagan must be shifting in his grave.
This is what the Republican Party has been reduced to - wild conspiracy theorists, religious zealots, cranky old men, rambling and barely cogent ex-beauty queens, people consumed with nostalgia for a almost-all-white America, anti-intellectuals, etc. etc.
The death of a once-great political party by it's own hand.
The Republican Party is commiting suicide right before our eyes...

FreeBilly of KS 10:47AM August 04, 2009