The Birther Worm Has Turned

Let me start by making this perfectly clear. If you are a person who believes that President Obama is not a Natural Born United States Citizen, yet you are supporting Ted Cruz in his aspirations to become President, you are a fraud. I know, it's not nice to lay it out there like that, but I don't care about nice. I care about right and wrong, and the facts of the matter are what they are. To be clear, I am not a "Birther" but I do not believe that President Obama is a natural born United States citizen, nor do I believe that Ted Cruz is either. This is not a off handed, uneducated position either. I have read the thoughts of those who believe otherwise, but I disagree. My opinions are based in a Senate Resolution that we have that speaks to the matter in question.

Many of you are likely unaware that this resolution is even on the books. I have addressed it in previous articles, but my audience is rather limited and thus my social impact is as well, so here is a refresher. You know all of those people who love to point out that there were two Presidential Candidates in 2008 and only the black one had his citizenship questioned? Well, that is wrong. On April 30th, 2008, the United States Senate passed S.Res.511 which officially and legally recognized John McCain as a Natural Born Citizen. That's right, only the white guy needed an act of Congress to allow him to run for office.

This bill was considered to be necessary because questions arose over McCain's status in this matter based on the fact that he was not born in the United States. What is interesting is the testimony that was given before Congress that was used to stipulate that John McCain was indeed a natural born citizen.

Michael Chertoff

My assumption and my understanding is that if you are born of American parents, you are naturally a natural-born American citizen,

Patrick Leahy

Because he was born to American citizens, there is no doubt in my mind that Senator McCain is a natural born citizen,

These thoughts are consistent with what John Bingham espoused on the matter in front of the United States House of Representatives in 1866.

Every human being born within the jurisdiction of the United States of parents not owing allegiance to any foreign sovereignty is, in the language of your Constitution itself, a natural-born citizen;

To see how this applies to both President Obama and Ted Cruz, we must look at their status in obtaining citizenship.

President Obama:

President Obama was born in Hawaii. He was the son of Stanley Ann Dunham and Barack Obama Sr. Stanley Dunham, his mother, was a United States Citizen who was born in Wichita Kansas. Barack Sr., his father, was a Kenyan and as such a British subject. He was not then nor is he now a United States citizen.

Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz is the son of Eleanor Elizabeth Darragh Wilson and Rafael Bienvenido Cruz. Eleanor is a United States Citizen from Wilmington Delaware. Rafael, his father, is from Cuba. He was not a US citizen at the time of Ted's birth, but he became a naturalized citizen in 2005. Ted was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Now, judging from the above legal opinions on what constitutes a "natural born citizen" we see that both of these men have some issues in making their respective case. Nether man was born to parents who were citizens who owed no allegiance to any foreign sovereignty. In the case for Ted Cruz, however, we don't really even have to go that far as he himself doesn't even meet the most basic qualification that all of these men brought up. That of being born within the jurisdiction of the United States.

Now, all of this aside, I am certainly not the ultimate authority on who is or is not a natural born citizen. Could a case be made for both of these men? No doubt it could be. My opinion on this could eventually be proven wrong in either or both cases. However, that will do nothing for the frustration I feel now at seeing many who have expressed that Obama was not eligible now riding the Ted Cruz bandwagon. In a recent facebook discussion with one of these individuals, they said the following.

Obama only produced fraudulent cyber-created credentials. Experts agree that Cruz is qualified.

So it's that simple, huh? We shall dismiss Obama based on a claim of fraud and accept Cruz based on the unstated and unlinked opinions of "experts"? Where has the rah-rah "give me natural born citizens or give me political suicide" spirit of the Tea Party gone? This is, plain and simple, political fraud. These people who disdain "Establishment" Republicans for allegedly flipping into more favorable political winds are in the process of making a compelling flip flop of their own. And for what reason? This is a primary candidate, my friends. If this were the general election and he was the last Republican standing, I too would most likely support his candidacy and keep my fingers crossed. At the moment, we have 300 million Americans to choose from, and you Tea Party types are already abandoning your principles for one single solitary guy?

I understand that I have nothing to gain for stating my opinion on this. I further expect that many of my facebook friends who praised my analysis on Obama's citizenship status then will rip me for my analysis of Cruz' citizenship status now. Thems the breaks. However, if you are one of the ones getting ready to slam that keypad and rip me a new one, remember this about your old establishment Republican buddy. I'm not flipping into a favorable political wind for Ted Cruz, you, or anyone else. This is my principled stand, and it will be familiar ground for those of you who once stood here with me. All is not lost, however. Perhaps those who ripped my stance last time will stand with me now against those who stood with me then but have now turned. Yes, what a fickle lot you political junkies are.

Comments (2)

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  Conservative Values

  • 27 March 2015 at 14:56
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  I don't care if he is a natural born citizen or not. Neither was Obama and we got him anyway, so I will support Cruz.

  reply

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    Administrator

    • 01 April 2015 at 19:01
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    So I take that as to you the natural born clause isn't an important one?

    reply