Obama's birth certificate ... (Page 5)

I still don't understand why it matters where he was born. His mother is American. So, he's American. Even if he was born in Kenya. Even if he was born of Mars.

It boggles my mind that this is even an issue.

Reading the statute, if President Obama was born on Mars, his mother's U.S. citizenship is not enough.  Correct?

• United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 649 (1898): In this case, the majority of the Court held that a child born in U.S. territory to parents who were subjects of the emperor of China and who were not eligible for U.S. citizenship, but who had "a permanent domicile and residence in the United States, and are there carrying on business, and are not employed in any diplomatic or official capacity under the emperor of China" was a U.S. Citizen.

The Court stated that:

The constitution nowhere defines the meaning of these words [citizen and natural born citizen], either by way of inclusion or of exclusion, except in so far as this is done by the affirmative declaration that 'all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.'^[9]

Since the Constitution does not specify what the requirements are to be a "citizen" or a "natural born citizen", the majority adopted the common law of England:

The court ruled:

It thus clearly appears that by the law of England for the last three centuries, beginning before the settlement of this country, and continuing to the present day, aliens, while residing in the dominions possessed by the crown of England, were within the allegiance, the obedience, the faith or loyalty, the protection, the power, and the jurisdiction of the English sovereign; and therefore every child born in England of alien parents was a natural-born subject, unless the child of an ambassador or other diplomatic agent of a foreign state, or of an alien enemy in hostile occupation of the place where the child was born. III. The same rule was in force in all the English colonies upon this continent down to the time of the Declaration of Independence, and in the United States afterwards, and continued to prevail under the constitution as originally established.

And more recently.

A memorandum to Congress dated April 3, 2009, written by the Congressional Research Service, states--

Considering the history of the constitutional qualifications provision, the common use and meaning of the phrase "natural-born subject" in England and in the Colonies in the 1700s, the clause's apparent intent, the subsequent action of the first Congress in enacting the Naturalization Act of 1790 (expressly defining the term "natural born citizen" to include a person born abroad to parents who are United States citizens), as well as subsequent Supreme Court dicta, it appears that the most logical inferences would indicate that the phrase "natural born Citizen" would mean a person who is entitled to U.S. citizenship "at birth" or "by birth".^[17]

A memorandum to Congress dated April 3, 2009, written by the Congressional Research Service, states--

Considering the history of the constitutional qualifications provision, the common use and meaning of the phrase "natural-born subject" in England and in the Colonies in the 1700s, the clause's apparent intent, the subsequent action of the first Congress in enacting the Naturalization Act of 1790 (expressly defining the term "natural born citizen" to include a person born abroad to parents who are United States citizens), as well as subsequent Supreme Court dicta, it appears that the most logical inferences would indicate that the phrase "natural born Citizen" would mean a person who is entitled to U.S. citizenship "at birth" or "by birth".^[17]

But he wasn't.  So what does that question have to do with the concept of "Natural Born Citizen"?

. . .

We are talking about what is, not what if.

Yes, we are.  Maybe you missed it.  madkat suggested that President Obama's place of birth was irrelevant and that he would be a natural born citizen even if born on Mars.  I'm curious how.

dontracy - 2011-04-28 10:28 AM
Plus, I hope someday to possibly be able to vote for Bobby Jindal or Marco Rubio
for President are Vice President,
even though I'm a white European American.
I'll see if I can look past my racism on that one.  

I would be interested in Bobby Jindal for my vote as well, if I could just look past my pesky Commie liberalism. I think he'd make a hell of a president if he added a little bit of presence.

Thanks.  So, again, which example, or statutory provision, applies to President Obama if he were born on Mars.  Was Dad a U.S. citizen or U.S. National?

Reading the statute, if President Obama was born on Mars, his mother's U.S. citizenship is not enough.  Correct?

As a person who normally gets his panties in a bunch when anything political drops, I'm just laughing that this is and ever was an issue. This is equally as stupid as people calling into question Bush's ability to lead the nation because he used to drink a lot and curse on camera. We are all entitled to our opinions about why someone is or is not qualified to lead a country, but when you get a groundswell movement towards absolutely stupidity, something else is at work in our country that has nothing to do with fixing the problems of said country.

The most ridiculous part is this:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/top-20-crazy-tea-party-reactions-to-obamas-birth

I work work people like this.  It's sad really.  I told them they were whack jobs, they said I was un-american.  [shakes head]

I'm referring to the link, not UWMadTri.  Sorry, that came out ambiguous.

 ETA: clarification

I miss all the fun.

This:

WAIDAMINIT!

Does that mean I can't be President? But I'm turning 35 this year and I'm a nonwhite Republican female who actually knows an awful lot about politickin' ... I'm the perfect upstart candidate!

I was born on U.S. soil to two non-U.S. citizens, neither of whom was a U.S. resident at the time.