Friday, July 31, 2009

Obama's Attempt to ReWrite History

Redacted and reprinted from a citizen with permission.

Dear Mrs. Mxxxxxxx:

Thank you for taking the time to contact me about President Obama and his eligibility to be President under Article II of the Constitution. I appreciate hearing from all Pennsylvanians about the issues that matter most to them.

Article II of the Constitution states that "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." This clause is generally interpreted to mean that one must be born as a U.S. citizen on American soil in order to become president. During the 2008 presidential election, concerns were raised about the ability of both Senator McCain and then-Senator Obama to meet this constitutional requirement. Questions about Senator McCain's eligibility centered around his birth on a naval base in the Panama Canal Zone, but a Senate Resolution, S. Res. 511, passed by unanimous consent on April 30, 2008, officially recognized Senator McCain as a natural born citizen.

While not every American voted for Mr. Obama, and it is unlikely that you or I will agree with every decision he makes while in office, I am confident that Mr. Obama meets all the constitutional requirements to be our 44th president. Mr. Obama has posted a copy of his birth certificate on his campaign website and submitted an additional copy to the independent website FactCheck.org. The birth certificate demonstrates that he was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1961, thereby making him a natural-born citizen eligible to be president.

I share your strong belief in upholding the Constitution and want to thank you for sharing your concern with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you.

If you have access to the Internet, I encourage you to visit my web site, http://casey.senate.gov . I invite you to use this online office as a comprehensive resource to stay up-to-date on my work in Washington, request assistance from my office or share with me your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you and to Pennsylvania.

Sincerely,
Bob Casey
United States Senator

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Dear Senator Casey,

THE CONSTITUTION STATED TWO PARENTS OF US. CITIZENSHIP.... NOT ONE BUT “ T W O”!!!!!! The man in the white house had only (1) one parent of American citizenship ....his mother.

The leaders of this country did a terrible disservice to American Citizens by not following the Constitution to the letter of the law!!!! The contempt they display flaunting it to the people of the world is appalling.

I am disappointed with the lack of respect for the men and women who fought to uphold this precious document and the principals for which it stands. As a former Army Officer, I am truly saddened by the blatant disregard by the Congress and Senate who fail to recognize what the Constitution entails and the rules by which the founding members of the United Colonies determined eligibility!!!!

NATURAL BORN CITIZEN,
Dxxxxxx Mxxxxxxx

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From the editors of GUL- Please take note Barack Obama was a co-sponsor of SR511, that it mistates the facts. Natural Born Citizen as defined by the 1st Congress of 1790 was not the correct citation. The 3rd Congress of 1795 re-stated and corrected the statute regarding NBC status.

Also note V.P. Cheney and Judge Chertoff's exchange.

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110TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION

S. RES. 511__

Recognizing that John Sidney McCain, III, is a natural born citizen.
_______________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

Mrs. MCCASKILL (for herself and Mr. LEAHY, Mr. OBAMA, Mr. COBURN, Mrs. CLINTON, and Mr. WEBB) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
_______________

RESOLUTION

Recognizing that John Sidney McCain, III, is a natural born citizen.

Whereas the Constitution of the United States requires that, to be eligible for the Office of the President, a person must be a ‘‘natural born Citizen’’ of the United States;

Whereas the term ‘‘natural born Citizen’’, as that term appears in Article II, Section 1, is not defined in the Constitution of the United States;

Whereas there is no evidence of the intention of the Framers or any Congress to limit the constitutional rights of children born to American citizens serving in the military nor to prevent those children from serving as their country’s President;

Whereas such limitations would be inconsistent with the purpose and intent of the ‘‘natural born Citizen’’ clause of the Constitution of the United States, as evidenced by the First Congress’s own statute defining the term ‘‘natural born Citizen’’;

Whereas the well-being of all citizens of the United States is preserved and enhanced by the men and women who are assigned to serve our country outside of our national borders;

Whereas previous presidential candidates were born outside of the United States of America and were understood to be eligible to be President; and

Whereas John Sidney McCain, III, was born to American citizens on an American military base in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That John Sidney McCain, III, is a ‘‘natural born Citizen’’ under Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution of the United States.

Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),

Chairman, Committee On The Judiciary,

On The Introduction Of A Senate Resolution

April 10, 2008

Today I join Senator Claire McCaskill in introducing a resolution to express the common sense of everyone here that Senator McCain is a “natural born Citizen,” as the term is used in the Constitution of the United States. Our Constitution contains three requirements for a person to be eligible to be President – the person must have reached the age of 35; must have resided in America for 14 years; and must be a ‘‘natural born Citizen’’ of the United States. Certainly there is no doubt that Senator McCain is of sufficient years on this earth and in this country given that he has been serving in Washington for over 25 years. However, some pundits have raised the question of whether he is a “natural born Citizen” because he was born outside of the official borders of the United States.

John Sidney McCain, III, was born to American citizens on an American Naval base in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936. Numerous legal scholars have looked into the purpose and intent of the “natural born Citizen” requirement. As far as I am aware, no one has unearthed any reason to think that the Framers would have wanted to limit the rights of children born to military families stationed abroad or that such a limited view would serve any noble purpose enshrined in our founding document. Based on the understanding of the pertinent sources of constitutional meaning, it is widely believed that if someone is born to American citizens anywhere in the world they are natural born citizens.

It is interesting to note that another previous presidential candidate, George Romney, was also born outside of the United States. He was widely understood to be eligible to be President. Senator Barry Goldwater was born in a U.S territory that later became the State of Arizona so some even questioned his eligibility. Certainly the millions of Americans who voted for these two Republican candidates believed that they were eligible to assume the office of the President. The same is true today.

Because he was born to American citizens, there is no doubt in my mind that Senator McCain is a natural born citizen. I recently asked Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, a former Federal judge, if he had any doubts in his mind. He did not. I ask unanimous consent that the relevant excerpt from the Judiciary Committee hearing where Secretary Chertoff testified be made a part of the record.

I expect that this will be a unanimous resolution of the Senate and I thank the Senator from Missouri for working with me on this.

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EXCERPT OF SECRETARY CHERTOFF TESTIMONY FROM APRIL 2, 2008:

Chairman Leahy. We will come back to that. I would mention one other thing, if I might, Senator Specter. Let me just ask this: I believe--and we have had some question in this Committee to have a special law passed declaring that Senator McCain, who was born in the Panama Canal, that he meets the constitutional requirement to be President. I fully believe he does. I have never had any question in my mind that he meets our constitutional requirement. You are a former Federal judge. You are the head of the agency that executes Federal immigration law. Do you have any doubt in your mind--I mean, I have none in mine. Do you have any doubt in your mind that he is constitutionally eligible to become President?

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

Chairman Leahy. That is mine, too. Thank you.



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