Barack Obama is an American Citizen: Now Can We PLEASE Move Forward?
December 17th 2008 01:38
Across the blogiverse (I Like it better than blogoshpere), including right here in the friendly confines of our own little blogging community, there are people crying foul when it comes to the issue of Barack Obama's citizenship. This is despite the fact that clearly the preponderance of evidence shows that indeed President Elect Barack Obama is a Natural Born U.S. Citizen, and anyone who screams from the rooftops that he is not is blind to the facts before their eyes. This is a very long post, but I urge everyone to read it in total, as this issue does not seem to be going away, even though it has been settled repeatedly in every way.
So, let's just lay out the facts, let them speak for themselves, and stop spreading ill-conceived conspiracy theories...at least about this issue!
Claim: Barack Hussein Obama's Birth Certificate is a fake, a forgery, a Photoshop document, not real.
"Evidence" used to back the claim: The birth certificate doesn't have a raised seal, It isn't signed, the certificate number is blacked out, the document is a "certification of birth," not a "certificate of birth." Obama's father is listed as "African" on the document, even though black people at the time were referred to as "Negroes".
Facts: A number of people have been allowed to touch, feel, and hold the actual certificate. Photos have been released that dispute the illegality of the document. In the pictures, a raised seal is clearly visible. The signature on the document is a standard issue stamp on the back by Hawaii state registrar Alvin T. Onaka (who uses a signature stamp rather than signing individual birth certificates).
As to the issue of the blackout, Obama spokesperson Shauna Daly says, "[We] couldn't get someone on the phone in Hawaii to tell us whether the number represented some secret information, and we erred on the side of blacking it out. Since then we've found out it's pretty irrelevant for the outside world." And for those who would question that answer based on the fact that it came from the Obama campaign, the number has since been released and it has been identified in person. The number is 151 1961 - 010641.
As for claims against its validity based on the "certification of birth" vs. "certificate of birth" scenario, lets also put that to rest. The document in question is a "certification of birth," which seems to be causing all of the uproar. It is also known as a "short form birth certificate". It is printed by the State and has all of the necessary information required by the State Department. The long form contains details like birth weight, height, etc. Legally, the long form cannot be reprinted or photocopied, therefore the short form with all of the pertinent information was displayed by the Obama campaign, and is just as legal as that long form.
Further, a birth announcement was listed in the Honolulu Advisor, on August 13, 1961. Those desperate to refute every bit of hard evidence claim that Obama's grandmother planted the announcement, on the off chance that her newborn Grandson may one day become President. Even this has been refuted, as Honolulu birth announcements at the time came directly from the Vital Statistics Office as reported by local hospitals.
Finally, the issue of the word "African" appearing on the document. This is cleared up very easily. Plainly, the conspiracy theorists simply have the wrong information. According to the Department of Health in Hawaii, parents are allowed to identify their race and ethnicity themselves, and "we accept what the parents self identify themselves to be." If Barack Obama Sr. claimed himself to be "African" (which makes sense since he was from Kenya) then that is what they would put on the document. Problem solved.
Claim: if only one parent was a U.S. citizen at the time of birth, the citizen-parent "must have resided in the United States for at least ten years, at least five of which had to be after the age of 16." Obama's father, of course, was not an American citizen, having been born in Kenya. That leaves his mother, who was a natural-born citizen, but who was only 18 when Obama was born, on August 4, 1961.
"Evidence" to back the claim: ??????
Fact: The confusion here lies in the definitions of the concepts of jus sanguinis and jus soli. According to jus sanguinis, a person's citizenship is passed down through their blood. In otherwords, whatever the citizenship of the parents happens to be, so goes the citizenship of the child. However, this is not the only way to determine citizenship. There is also the matter of jus soli. This means that a person's U.S. citizenship is based on the place that they were born. Born on U.S. soil = U.S. Citizen. Period. This is why people who wish for their kids to be U.S. citizens sneak across the border to have their children here. Because it automatically makes you a natural born citizen. Obama's mother was a U.S. Citizen. But even if that was not enough, he was born on U.S. soil, and therefore, a natural born citizen, and eligible to be President of the United States of America. The only time that jus sanguinis comes into play is if the child was born outside of the U.S. Which Obama was not, regardless of how badly the naysayers want to believe it isn't so. Which leads us to...
Claim: Obama's Paternal Grandmother says he was Born in Kenya and was present at his birth.
"Evidence" to back the claim: A taped recording of Bishop Ron McRae of the Anabaptist Churches of America during which he asks a translator to confirm that she was "present" at his birth, and she says yes.
Facts: This one is sketchy at best. First of all, I listened to the tape, and you can too, just do a You Tube or Google search for it. Brother McRae calls to speak to them, and starts out the conversation by earning their trust, saying that he is praying for Obama. It is clear that he is calling with the agenda of seeking "evidence" that Obama was born outside the U.S. He even sighs heavily when agreeing to pray for Obama (some Christian charity!) Anyway, after exchanging pleasantries with the translator who is barely audible and Obama's grandmother who is even less audible, he asks if she was present during the birth. She says yes (well, the translator does). The problem here is that throughout the conversation, the line is fuzzy, there is a language barrier between even the translator and the interviewer, and the pre-existing agenda. It would not hold up in a court of law.
What is known, is that Sarah Hussein Obama is on the record having said, ”son of the village”. Does this mean he was born there? I think you could easily argue that this means his father was born there and that he is a son of the people. And, incidentally, the village of his Grandmother is not the only one to claim Obama. Some unearthed records indicate that he is a son of a tiny village of Moneygall, Ireland. Obama's great-great-great-grandfather, Fulmuth Kearney, was reared in Moneygall, and now they are claiming him as their own. Something tells me no one there is claiming he was born there, even though they say he is a "son of the village".
Claim: He is a Muslim.
"Evidence" to support the claim: His time living in Indonesia, pictures of him in "Muslim" clothing, Muslim family members.
Fact: This one I care so little about anymore. So what if he were a Muslim...what would that mean? Is that unconstitutional? Would that make him unfit? If he had been raised or influenced by Islamic believers as a youth, could he not change his mind? Is that impossible? Oh, and about those pictures that I am sick to death of seeing....I have a picture of myself dressed as a witch when I was younger. Does that make me Wiccan? Besides, I found this incriminating picture of Obama online today...
Finally, I'd just like to make a few Constitutional pointers. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that some part of the claims is proven to be correct. (Which we've already disproved, so this is purely hypothetical pondering) The term ‘Natural Born Citizen’ is used as a requirement for eligibility to serve as President or Vice President of the United States. Section 1 of Article II of the Constitution states: ‘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.’ The 14th Amendment goes on to further define this statute. ‘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.’ It does not use the terminology of "Natural Born Citizen" at all. "Natural Born Citizen" is not defined anywhere in the Constitution, and even the Supreme Court has not given a specific definition of the Constitutional determination of "Natural Born Citizen".
My reason for making this point is that all of these claims and smears that Obama is not qualified to be President based on his citizenship status are based on loose interpretations at best as to the meaning of the terminology in our treasured document. It is notable that many of our earliest Presidents had parents who were born on Foreign soil and did not obtain official U.S. citizenship.
I find it disturbing that so many people who claim to be "Patriots" and "strict Constitutionalists" are howling at the moon over these ridiculous claims, and yet they sat by and cheered as their chosen President undermined that very document repeatedly throughout his terms in office. Heck, Bush is even quoted as saying, "it's just a goddamned piece of paper".
All of the claims made by the far right fail to provide one scintilla of evidence that President-elect Obama is anything other than what he says he is. Rest assured, although he may not have been your choice for President, the sky is not falling, the Republic will live on, and we will make it though this Presidency without having to change our middle names to Hussein. God Bless America!
Oh, speaking of names, there has been a bit of a stink made about Barack Obama's name possibly having been changed at some point in his life due to his mother's second marriage. While there is no real proof that his name was ever anything other than Barack Hussein Obama, he was called Barry when he was younger (I wonder what that could be short for?) and it isn't a stretch to imagine that maybe when his mother was married to someone else he went by that last name for a time. It happens every day. But, what's in a name? At least 8 Presidents have changed their name.
Ulysses Simpson Grant -- changed from Hiram Ulysses Grant
Grover Cleveland -- changed from Stephen Grover Cleveland
Woodrow Wilson -- changed from Thomas Woodrow Wilson
Calvin Coolidge -- changed from John Calvin Coolidge
Dwight David Eisenhower -- changed from David Dwight Eisenhower
Gerald Rudolph Ford -- changed from Leslie King, Jr. (changed when his mother remarried and his stepfather legally adopted him)
William Jefferson Clinton -- changed from William Jefferson Blythe (changed when his mother remarried and his stepfather legally adopted him)
If indeed Barack Obama forged his Birth certificate and has been faking his true identity since birth, that would mean that he had hundreds if not thousands of co-conspirators since 1961 in several coutries. They would range from conspiring officials at the Hawaii Department of Health, the Cook County (Ill.) Bureau of Vital Statistics, the Illinois Secretary of State’s office, the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois and many other government agencies. Not to mention Senator John McCain, because believe me, if this were true, you better believe he'd have his attack dogs all over it...or maybe he's in on it! (cue the dramatic creepy music!)
Can we all relax now?
Sources for information contained in this post:
Factcheck.org
Politifact.com
You Tube
Washington Post
Chicago Tribune
My own damn common sense!
So, let's just lay out the facts, let them speak for themselves, and stop spreading ill-conceived conspiracy theories...at least about this issue!
Claim: Barack Hussein Obama's Birth Certificate is a fake, a forgery, a Photoshop document, not real.
"Evidence" used to back the claim: The birth certificate doesn't have a raised seal, It isn't signed, the certificate number is blacked out, the document is a "certification of birth," not a "certificate of birth." Obama's father is listed as "African" on the document, even though black people at the time were referred to as "Negroes".
Facts: A number of people have been allowed to touch, feel, and hold the actual certificate. Photos have been released that dispute the illegality of the document. In the pictures, a raised seal is clearly visible. The signature on the document is a standard issue stamp on the back by Hawaii state registrar Alvin T. Onaka (who uses a signature stamp rather than signing individual birth certificates).
As to the issue of the blackout, Obama spokesperson Shauna Daly says, "[We] couldn't get someone on the phone in Hawaii to tell us whether the number represented some secret information, and we erred on the side of blacking it out. Since then we've found out it's pretty irrelevant for the outside world." And for those who would question that answer based on the fact that it came from the Obama campaign, the number has since been released and it has been identified in person. The number is 151 1961 - 010641.
As for claims against its validity based on the "certification of birth" vs. "certificate of birth" scenario, lets also put that to rest. The document in question is a "certification of birth," which seems to be causing all of the uproar. It is also known as a "short form birth certificate". It is printed by the State and has all of the necessary information required by the State Department. The long form contains details like birth weight, height, etc. Legally, the long form cannot be reprinted or photocopied, therefore the short form with all of the pertinent information was displayed by the Obama campaign, and is just as legal as that long form.
Further, a birth announcement was listed in the Honolulu Advisor, on August 13, 1961. Those desperate to refute every bit of hard evidence claim that Obama's grandmother planted the announcement, on the off chance that her newborn Grandson may one day become President. Even this has been refuted, as Honolulu birth announcements at the time came directly from the Vital Statistics Office as reported by local hospitals.
Finally, the issue of the word "African" appearing on the document. This is cleared up very easily. Plainly, the conspiracy theorists simply have the wrong information. According to the Department of Health in Hawaii, parents are allowed to identify their race and ethnicity themselves, and "we accept what the parents self identify themselves to be." If Barack Obama Sr. claimed himself to be "African" (which makes sense since he was from Kenya) then that is what they would put on the document. Problem solved.
Raised Seal on Obama Birth Certificate
Claim: if only one parent was a U.S. citizen at the time of birth, the citizen-parent "must have resided in the United States for at least ten years, at least five of which had to be after the age of 16." Obama's father, of course, was not an American citizen, having been born in Kenya. That leaves his mother, who was a natural-born citizen, but who was only 18 when Obama was born, on August 4, 1961.
"Evidence" to back the claim: ??????
Fact: The confusion here lies in the definitions of the concepts of jus sanguinis and jus soli. According to jus sanguinis, a person's citizenship is passed down through their blood. In otherwords, whatever the citizenship of the parents happens to be, so goes the citizenship of the child. However, this is not the only way to determine citizenship. There is also the matter of jus soli. This means that a person's U.S. citizenship is based on the place that they were born. Born on U.S. soil = U.S. Citizen. Period. This is why people who wish for their kids to be U.S. citizens sneak across the border to have their children here. Because it automatically makes you a natural born citizen. Obama's mother was a U.S. Citizen. But even if that was not enough, he was born on U.S. soil, and therefore, a natural born citizen, and eligible to be President of the United States of America. The only time that jus sanguinis comes into play is if the child was born outside of the U.S. Which Obama was not, regardless of how badly the naysayers want to believe it isn't so. Which leads us to...
Claim: Obama's Paternal Grandmother says he was Born in Kenya and was present at his birth.
"Evidence" to back the claim: A taped recording of Bishop Ron McRae of the Anabaptist Churches of America during which he asks a translator to confirm that she was "present" at his birth, and she says yes.
Facts: This one is sketchy at best. First of all, I listened to the tape, and you can too, just do a You Tube or Google search for it. Brother McRae calls to speak to them, and starts out the conversation by earning their trust, saying that he is praying for Obama. It is clear that he is calling with the agenda of seeking "evidence" that Obama was born outside the U.S. He even sighs heavily when agreeing to pray for Obama (some Christian charity!) Anyway, after exchanging pleasantries with the translator who is barely audible and Obama's grandmother who is even less audible, he asks if she was present during the birth. She says yes (well, the translator does). The problem here is that throughout the conversation, the line is fuzzy, there is a language barrier between even the translator and the interviewer, and the pre-existing agenda. It would not hold up in a court of law.
What is known, is that Sarah Hussein Obama is on the record having said, ”son of the village”. Does this mean he was born there? I think you could easily argue that this means his father was born there and that he is a son of the people. And, incidentally, the village of his Grandmother is not the only one to claim Obama. Some unearthed records indicate that he is a son of a tiny village of Moneygall, Ireland. Obama's great-great-great-grandfather, Fulmuth Kearney, was reared in Moneygall, and now they are claiming him as their own. Something tells me no one there is claiming he was born there, even though they say he is a "son of the village".
Obama with his Paternal Grandmother
Claim: He is a Muslim.
"Evidence" to support the claim: His time living in Indonesia, pictures of him in "Muslim" clothing, Muslim family members.
Fact: This one I care so little about anymore. So what if he were a Muslim...what would that mean? Is that unconstitutional? Would that make him unfit? If he had been raised or influenced by Islamic believers as a youth, could he not change his mind? Is that impossible? Oh, and about those pictures that I am sick to death of seeing....I have a picture of myself dressed as a witch when I was younger. Does that make me Wiccan? Besides, I found this incriminating picture of Obama online today...
Say it isn't so! Obama is secretly Jewish!!
Finally, I'd just like to make a few Constitutional pointers. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that some part of the claims is proven to be correct. (Which we've already disproved, so this is purely hypothetical pondering) The term ‘Natural Born Citizen’ is used as a requirement for eligibility to serve as President or Vice President of the United States. Section 1 of Article II of the Constitution states: ‘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.’ The 14th Amendment goes on to further define this statute. ‘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.’ It does not use the terminology of "Natural Born Citizen" at all. "Natural Born Citizen" is not defined anywhere in the Constitution, and even the Supreme Court has not given a specific definition of the Constitutional determination of "Natural Born Citizen".
My reason for making this point is that all of these claims and smears that Obama is not qualified to be President based on his citizenship status are based on loose interpretations at best as to the meaning of the terminology in our treasured document. It is notable that many of our earliest Presidents had parents who were born on Foreign soil and did not obtain official U.S. citizenship.
I find it disturbing that so many people who claim to be "Patriots" and "strict Constitutionalists" are howling at the moon over these ridiculous claims, and yet they sat by and cheered as their chosen President undermined that very document repeatedly throughout his terms in office. Heck, Bush is even quoted as saying, "it's just a goddamned piece of paper".
All of the claims made by the far right fail to provide one scintilla of evidence that President-elect Obama is anything other than what he says he is. Rest assured, although he may not have been your choice for President, the sky is not falling, the Republic will live on, and we will make it though this Presidency without having to change our middle names to Hussein. God Bless America!
Oh, speaking of names, there has been a bit of a stink made about Barack Obama's name possibly having been changed at some point in his life due to his mother's second marriage. While there is no real proof that his name was ever anything other than Barack Hussein Obama, he was called Barry when he was younger (I wonder what that could be short for?) and it isn't a stretch to imagine that maybe when his mother was married to someone else he went by that last name for a time. It happens every day. But, what's in a name? At least 8 Presidents have changed their name.
Ulysses Simpson Grant -- changed from Hiram Ulysses Grant
Grover Cleveland -- changed from Stephen Grover Cleveland
Woodrow Wilson -- changed from Thomas Woodrow Wilson
Calvin Coolidge -- changed from John Calvin Coolidge
Dwight David Eisenhower -- changed from David Dwight Eisenhower
Gerald Rudolph Ford -- changed from Leslie King, Jr. (changed when his mother remarried and his stepfather legally adopted him)
William Jefferson Clinton -- changed from William Jefferson Blythe (changed when his mother remarried and his stepfather legally adopted him)
If indeed Barack Obama forged his Birth certificate and has been faking his true identity since birth, that would mean that he had hundreds if not thousands of co-conspirators since 1961 in several coutries. They would range from conspiring officials at the Hawaii Department of Health, the Cook County (Ill.) Bureau of Vital Statistics, the Illinois Secretary of State’s office, the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois and many other government agencies. Not to mention Senator John McCain, because believe me, if this were true, you better believe he'd have his attack dogs all over it...or maybe he's in on it! (cue the dramatic creepy music!)
Can we all relax now?
Sources for information contained in this post:
Factcheck.org
Politifact.com
You Tube
Washington Post
Chicago Tribune
My own damn common sense!
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Comment by Cheryl J
Rhythmatism
Budget Centsability
This whole thing has been raised by people who are very poor losers indeed.
And for crying out loud, his name was not chosen by him, it was chosen by is parents. How much of an outcry would there have been if earlier he had changed his name to Barry Smith and then people "uncovered" he had changed his name. They would cry foul that he was hiding something. This whole matter is just ridiculous!
He may or may not turn out to be a good or bad president, only time will tell, but he is as entitled to the office as any other qualified natural born American citizen. Get over it people!
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by RubySoho
Music Zone
Thought Zone
Oh man that is gold! What grandmother of a black baby born in 1961 wouldn't have thought that her grandson could be president some day?
Comment by Lola Tahlulah
Lola Tahlulah
Comment by Morgan Bell
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
i can tell this has been pissing you off, i dont blame you, its mind-boggling that people are STILL disputing the birth certificate even after they have been shown hard evidence many many times
haha Ruby, so true!
Comment by Natalie 2
My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog
Ruby, that is sooo true! LOL
Lola, thanks! I did read S.L.'s posts, and they aren't much different than some of the other posts I've read out there.
Morgan, you are right. It has been pissing me off! I was just going to leave it alone, but I decided that I was going to make one comprehensive post about the issue that refuted every claim that I've heard, and let the evidence speak for itself.
Comment by Natalie 2
My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog
Morgan, is there some sort of rule similar to Reductio Ad Hitlerum with regard to "the race card"? Just curious. If there isn't, there should be. I do not see how anything that I've said in this post shows that I am playin the R.C.
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Anonymous
Here are some factors to consider:
1. One expert states that the border on Obama's certificate has one from the 90.s not from the year he was born.
2. Politicians have changed their names before but but has Obama done so legally?
3. Fact Check admits it requested the long form certificate but was never given an answer about it.
4. This is a National Security issue and a group like Fact Check ( owned by Annenburg who Obama worked for) is not adequate to decide what is true here. A Federal review of the certificate must take place.
5. Obama has sealed his medical and School records?
6. The Democratic Convention didn't vet Obama as a candidate and will not now. Warning Bells,anyone?
7. The media often will use the Freedom of information Act to sue in court to get information it wants but not with Obama. Also none of the "journalists" around Obama will even venture to question him about his birth. More Warning Bells!!!
8. There was a news report about 4 months before the elections about the FBI investigating his campaign concerning foreign donations but the media never followed up on it ???
9. Why won't Obama just show his actual birth certificate? If it is valid, then, we can then all move on. Don't put down those of us who want answers when Obama can show us his.
Comment by Natalie 2
My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog
Anon #1: Special treatment???
Anon #2:
1. Kurt Tsue at the DOH said The borders are generated each time a certified copy is printed.
2. Don't know, don't care, haven't done enough research as his name does not affect citizenship or eligibility to be Pres.
3. Factcheck.org also states that no one is given the long form certificate. They did not say they didn't get a response as to their request. They were told that the Hawaii DOH doesn't do that. The lack of request they are referring to is to their question as to why this is their policy. This policy extends to everyone, not just Obama.
4. Many other sources beyond Factcheck have looked into this and have come up with the same conclusion. Interestingly, Leonore Annenberg of Annenberg Foundation Endorsed John McCain.
5. The University of Illinois has refused to release records regarding school, not Obama. I am assuming you are not talking about grade school. There is no evidence other than conspiracy theory that Obama has anything to do with preventing their release. Further, when someone is elected President, their records are automatically sealed. This is common knowledge. In fact, GWB even resealed some of his father's records when he became Pres. Many many many presidents, candidates, and vp's have kept certain records sealed, including medical records. Why is Obama held to a different standard?
6. Obama was vetted. From the start there were skeletons released from the closet. Are you speaking of a private vetting? If so, how do you know it didn't take place, as it would have been private?
7. Is it possible that most people aren't questioning Obama because most people who have taken the opportunity to look at the evidence with their eyes wide open see that the preponderance of evidence shows that the BC issue has already been answered? There is no need to sue for information that is already available.
8. This was based on a bogus email that was being spread about a fake article written by Maureen Dowd. The allegations were never proven, FBI was not investigating. Politifact.com extensively researched this, as did Politico.com, as did many others. The reason there was no follow up is because there was nothing to follow up. The story was false. Dowd says so herself. Just like the thousands of other bogus emails that circulated during the campaign, this one started a lot of rumors that were primarily picked up by very far right bloggers, and then dismissed after being debunked.
9. I do not expect Obama to hold a press conference where he holds up his birth certificate for all the world to see when a legitiamte (PROVEN time and time again) copy was provided by Hawaii. Tell me about the times that other Presidents were asked to do such a thing and complied. There is no realistic reason to suspect that the state of Hawaii is conspiring to cover up information regarding his birth.
I don't mean to put anyone down. I just state the facts as I see them. I have researched this issue well, and cannot find a shred of evidence to convince me that these allegations are warranted.
Comment by Morgan Bell
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
i know its your little rule in the USA that you have to be born there to be prez, but i wonder how many people would want to turn a blind eye if Arnie was running for the top job?
Comment by RubySoho
Music Zone
Thought Zone
Cause he's a scaaaaaaaaaary black dude man! And his middle name is Hussein. Did you know that Natalie 2? Did you know that his middle name is HUSSEIN!!!
Comment by Natalie 2
My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog
Oh my GOSH, Ruby! That is not seriously his middle name, is it?!?!? Well, that changes everything!
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