PAY ATTENTION OBOTS and you too, Brian Kilmeade...

Friends:
 
As I listen to more and more people, many of whom are educated, supossedly intelligent, including the media and even those in elective office (Arizona legislators, even US Congressman), I am wondering more and more why they say so many things that indicate they truly simply cannot fully grasp what a natural born citizen is.  I used to think they were deliberately clouding the issue (and I'm sure some are) but more and more I am believing they just do not get it.
 
Therefore, I have tried to break it down so that anyone can understand it as follows:  Please tell me if you think this is helpful in explaining it to those who really just don't get it  -- thinking natural born just means born in the United States "normally".  You will not hurt my feelings if you say it's not much better than what is already out there in "getting anyone to understand it".  Here goes:

LET’S TRY TO EXPLAIN IT THIS WAY

No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of the Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President.

Outlined in Black =  the primary clause

Outlined in Blue  =  the grandfather clause.

Analysis of the Sentence

1. It uses two different terms that of citizen and that of natural born citizen in the same sentence.  Does that not clearly mean the founders intended two different meanings?

2. Since there are two different meanings, is it not clear that the natural born citizen is the more restrictive of the two terms requiring that a higher standard than just being a citizen be met?

3. Is it not clear that the grandfather clause in blue allows only the founders, or citizens at the time of the adoption of the Constitution, to be President at first. But that after they are gone with no more persons still alive who were citizens at the time of the adoption of the Constitution that to be eligible for the Presidency after that required a natural born citizen (the part of the sentence in black) ?  No longer would plain citizens be allowed.

4. Here is why just being born in the United States does make you a citizen but NOT necessarily a natural born citizen.  The founders (i.e., Washington, Franklin etc) WERE born in the United States which made them citizens.  But if they intended to permit just citizens to FOREVER BE ELIGIBLE, THEN THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO NEED FOR THE GRANDFATHER CLAUSE.  It would have just simply stated that any citizen of the United States was eligible period.

5. Being in agreement (how could you not be) with the first four statements above, then requires the obvious question of okay then what is a natural born citizen?  What is the higher standard required over just being a citizen?

6. Now, here is where the critics come in and say that the founders did not provide the definition within the Constitution.  Technically true, but let’s think a little about the obvious.  Since the country was first being established, and all citizens like the foundrs were therefore still British subjects, it would obviously take another generation of citizens born of citizens to have persons who were not subjects of another country.  IF YOU ACCEPT THIS, THEN CAN ONE NOT TAKE THE SMALL LEAP AND SAY THAT THE DEFINITION of REQUIRING CITIZEN PARENTS IS THERE FOR ALL TO SEE RIGHT WITHIN THE ONE SENTENCE?

7. If unwilling to take that small leap then to continue to find the written definition of the above, it has been documented that the founders and drafters of the Constitution had all read and studied the Law of Nations by Vattel Book I, Title 19, Chapter 212.  As verification that the founders did in fact consult the Law of Nations, the Constitution itself does in Article I, Section 8 contains a clause giving Congress the power to enforce any and all offenses against the Law of Nations.

8. And finally, if you disagree in any fashion with 1-7 above, then you tell us what you think the intended definition of natural born citizen was or is.  And please don’t be stupid enough to go backwards and equate it just with a citizen born here in the United States IT REQUIRES MORE, SO YOU TELL US JUST WHAT THAT “MORE” IS.