Stupid Birther Mother: Both parents have to be citizens. She's wrong yeah?

[abelenkpe]

She just wont let it go. Claims Constitution says both parents have to be citizens. I just looked up Constitution online and don't see that anywhere. She's an idiot, yes? Anyone know is there is some secret fine print in the Constituion I'm missing.

And yeah, she posts this on my wall today cause after releasing his long form birth certificate and doing away with Bin Laden she's still harping over this.

Feel like telling her to deal with it, he's her president and will be after the next election too.

Can I just adopt a saner mother?

[robinlynne]

1. neither parent has to be a citizen.

[jenmito]

2. She's wrong, as are all of the birthers who claim both parents have to have been born here. n/t

[JaneQPublic]

3. A baby born in the U.S is a U.S. citizen

...even if NEITHER of the parents are.

[gratuitous]

4. Correct; she's wrong

Since it's your mother, you can decide whether the standard "I decline to do your research for you" response is useful or warranted. But do indeed ask her where in the Constitution that principle resides. Because it isn't there from your reading of it. She will not, of course, have an answer based on the Constitution, and while you can harmlessly agree that the awesome awesomeness of whatever her source is for this misinformation is not to be questioned, you're a lot more comfortable with a constitutional authority.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

5. There's nothing that says both parents have to be citizens.

That's just an interpretation some nutty right wingers, like your mom (unfortunately) are clinging to to let themselves believe Obama is not the president.

It's essentially sticking your fingers in your ears and going LALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU so good luck convincing her of anything.

[Vanje]

6. Whadda dope

If a child is born in the USA (which actually does include our 50th state), that child is a citizen.
In America, it matters not what one's parents are. In America, one need not show one's pedigree to recieve rights of full citizenship.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

7. Right. Neither parent actually has to have been a citizen as far as I know.

[PDJane]

8. You have all my best wishes.

Nope, there is no secret statement saying that both parents have to be citizens. In fact, the constitution doesn't say anything about the parents, it says natural-born, which means on US soil or of American citizens, as far as I can tell.

I'm sure there are mothers out there that would be glad to have you!

[jberryhill]

9. Here, would you like a legal expert to weigh in?

Send her this:



Aside from the fact that there is no such requirement, the fact that Mr. Obama's father was not a citizen was admitted and widely known for a long time. The Clinton campaign never figured this out? The McCain campaign never figured it out either?

And up walks Justice Roberts to administer the oath of office?

[abelenkpe]

22. Excellent. Thank you! nt

[Iggo]

10. She's wrong, yeah.

:)

[jenmito]

11. Yeah, she's wrong. Show her this part of the Constitution:

Natural-born citizen

Who is a natural-born citizen? Who, in other words, is a citizen at birth, such that that person can be a President someday?

The 14th Amendment defines citizenship this way: "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." But even this does not get specific enough. As usual, the Constitution provides the framework for the law, but it is the law that fills in the gaps. The Constitution authorizes the Congress to do create clarifying legislation in Section 5 of the 14th Amendment; the Constitution, in Article 1, Section 8, Clause 4, also allows the Congress to create law regarding naturalization, which includes citizenship.

Currently, Title 8 of the U.S. Code fills in the gaps left by the Constitution. Section 1401 defines the following as people who are "citizens of the United States at birth:"

* Anyone born inside the United States *
* Any Indian or Eskimo born in the United States, provided being a citizen of the U.S. does not impair the person's status as a citizen of the tribe
* Any one born outside the United States, both of whose parents are citizens of the U.S., as long as one parent has lived in the U.S.
* Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is a citizen and lived in the U.S. for at least one year and the other parent is a U.S. national
* Any one born in a U.S. possession, if one parent is a citizen and lived in the U.S. for at least one year
* Any one found in the U.S. under the age of five, whose parentage cannot be determined, as long as proof of non-citizenship is not provided by age 21
* Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is an alien and as long as the other parent is a citizen of the U.S. who lived in the U.S. for at least five years (with military and diplomatic service included in this time)
* A final, historical condition: a person born before 5/24/1934 of an alien father and a U.S. citizen mother who has lived in the U.S.

http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_citi.html

[Jack Rabbit]

12. The Constitution does not define natrual born citizen

It merely says that the president must be a natural born citizen.

[Overseas]

13. Golly gee, maybe the GOP multi-million dollar opposition research before the election

just missed that whole point too.

Yeah, gee, millions of dollars for research just can't buy what it used to. That whole dang Republican party and their teams of right wing PR firms just missed that whole provision. Gosh darn.

[librechik]

14. she's wrong. They want to make their own definition of the constitutional phrase "natural born"

to mean both parents and the child are born on US soil. Of course it only means the child must be born on US soil. It's one of their talking point thingies they won't give up no matter how silly it is.

[Renew Deal]

15. Tell her to show you where in the constitution it says that.

And then wait...Forever.

[kestrel91316]

16. RWers manage to froth over "anchor babies" born to illegal immigrant mothers and in the

same breath froth over Obama born in the US to a US citizen mother.

The stoopid runs incredibly caustic in some.

[seabeyond]

17. adopting a saner mom might be easier or just simply loving her for who she is

in all her mess.

[abelenkpe]

21. You're right.

I love her, but she sure is stubborn!

:)

[seabeyond]

23. lol lol. i have a family of them. i know what you are saying. nt

[Withywindle]

18. There have been *SEVEN* US Presidents with at least one foreign-born parent.

They were all from "white" countries, though, so there's your answer for why all of a sudden it's an issue now.

[K8-EEE]

19. But they were white, right?

I think we all know that's the real motivator with this "constitutional crisis."

[Withywindle]

20. Eggggg-sactly.

UK, Ireland, Canada...

[abelenkpe]

24. Thank you

Your post led me to this on google:

Obama is the seventh president with a foreign-born parent

http://www.examiner.com/progressive-in-san-francisco/obama-is-the-seventh-president-with-a-foreign-born-parent

(snip)

Herbert Hoover had a Canadian-born mother. Woodrow Wilson's mother was English. Chester Arthur and James Buchanan both had Irish fathers. Thomas Jefferson's mother was born in England, and Andrew Jackson's parents were both born in Ireland.

Along with McCain, presidential contender Mitt Romney's father was born in Mexico, and Bill Richardson's parents were both foreign-born, his father from Nicaragua and his mother from Mexico.

And why are all of these people eligible for the presidency of the United States? Because the Supreme Court, after citing many, many precedents, ultimately decided in US v. WONG KIM ARK (1898) that the 14th Amendment guaranteed citizenship to all persons born in the United States, regardless of their ethnic heritage

(more at link)

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I'll try that info and the bit about the supreme court not protesting and hopefully she'll just stop. I don't want to unfriend her again. Causes too much drama... ;)

[phleshdef]

25. Barack Obama is like the seventh President that had at least 1 non-American parent.

[treestar]

26. The constitution doesn't say it

The loonies want to claim that it is the requirement for "natural born citizen."

Not so in the law. "Native born" and "natural born" are synonymous. But since the words are slightly different, birthers see a chance for a distinction (to their wishes, of course).