Originally Posted By SuperDry "Three of the state's top elected Republicans on Thursday determined they lacked sufficient evidence of President Barack Obama's birth records to decide whether to remove the Democratic nominee from the November ballot in Kansas." <a href="http://cjonline.com/news/2012-09-13/kansas-panel-delays-ballot-decision-obama" target="_blank">http://cjonline.com/news/2012-...on-obama</a> This is a perfect example of what's wrong with the GOP these days. These aren't simply party members, but among the state's top elected Republican officeholders. Of all of the issues going on these days, we *still* have people unconvinced that Obama was born in Hawaii?
Originally Posted By velo >>Meanwhile, the state board decided Democrat Tom Sawyer could remain on ballots in Wichita as a candidate for the Kansas House<< gee Tom, you get around! (and apparently your birth certificate was o.k.)
Originally Posted By DyGDisney Since Romney's father was born in Mexico, who is to say Romney wasn't? I have yet to see his long form and short form birth certificates, birth announcement in the newspaper or read any reports of classmates who remember him. Odd.
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 And Kansas let Obama on the ballot in 2008, so what's changed? It really is sad that the elected officials are entertaining, and possibly buying into this stuff. I know that there are plenty of regular laypeople that do, but I hold elected officials to higher standards than the general public...apparently I shouldn't...
Originally Posted By SuperDry There's no way that Obama will win Kansas, so I guess it doesn't matter anyway. This sudden fascination/fixation over birth certificates is beyond ridiculous. I doubt very much that Kansas has a law that specifically requires a "long form" birth certificate or whatever nonsense they talk about. Even if there is a "proof of citizenship" requirement, the fact that Obama has a US passport should be considered proof enough. Or was the State Department's passport office in on the conspiracy for all these decades as well?
Originally Posted By WilliamK99 My kid is screwed if he runs for President as he was born in Germany.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost I wish there was a way to just slowly shake my head on line. (sigh) It's too pitiful to even get mad about. These people have some serious issues and absolutely no comprehension of Democracy. Not to mention a COMPLETE absence of common sense. No conscience, no ethics and no brains...yet they are elected by people who are obviously more stupid then they are. I'm saying this with all honesty...I am glad that I am older and won't be around that much longer. I don't want to live in a world with these people in charge. I never thought it would but it is starting to really, actually depress me. I feel helpless in the face of idiocy. I feel like a voice in the darkness, constantly being over powered by some of the most foolish crap I have ever heard and witnessed in this country. It wouldn't bother me if I didn't think that so many people are buying into it. Talk about the dumbing down of America. A group of people blinded by the glare of Red, White and Blue and not understanding what it stands for or the intelligence and tolerance that it requires to live free.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer John McCain was born in Panama. It wasn't a big deal for him. Obama's mother is American, so regardless of where he was born he is an American citizen.
Originally Posted By WilliamK99 Obama's mother is American, so regardless of where he was born he is an American citizen.<< Then why in the hell are people making such a big deal about Obama's certificate then?
Originally Posted By TomSawyer Goofyernmost, there's a lot more to the world than America and so far we're just a bright, short blip in history. I honestly think that the old angry white guys who are drawn to the GOP are a dying breed, and demographics in this country are going to marginalize them more and more. So far history is still moving toward greater freedom, expansion of rights, and liberalization of power. There's a desperation in the GOP's voice these days with their reactions to gay marriage, women's health care, universal suffrage, and science. The world is evolving around them and they are ag'in it. The GOP is desperate to put laws in place and to create court precedents because they know that they are a dying breed. There have been times in history when the advance of human freedom and liberty slipped back a few steps, but every generation carries us further one way or the other.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer "Then why in the hell are people making such a big deal about Obama's certificate then?" He's black, he has a funny name, and he's a Democrat.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost >>>"Then why in the hell are people making such a big deal about Obama's certificate then?"<<< Because they are idiots!
Originally Posted By HRM People, even John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney put these claims to rest, saying they're Bogus... don't lump these Kansas officials with ALL Republicans.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost You were the only one that implied that I was referring to the GOP, although it does seem top heavy with idiots, I was referencing anyone that was continuing to flog this dead horse for some unexplainable gain. I am more disappointed with the political leaders, which in this case are primarily GOP, but still can't help but feel frustration towards those that buy into it, hook, line and sinker. It is a stupid argument continuously promulgated by stupid people with no real argument, so they make one up. Then the public (I think a small amount now) find justified.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder I've said this before recently when this came up, but any public official who still raises the question of Obama's birth shold be removed from office. However it can be accomplished, just do it.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< John McCain was born in Panama. It wasn't a big deal for him. >>> It's a little more complicated than that, since more specifically he was born in the Panama Canal Zone, which was a US territory at the time. <<< Obama's mother is American, so regardless of where he was born he is an American citizen. >>> Well, not necessarily. There are some residency requirements in order to get US citizenship solely from one of your parent's US citizenship. This is in place to prevent the situation of unending lines of US citizens having no connection to the US. For example, let's say you were born in the US and moved to Australia when you were 1 year old, never to return to the US, and eventually married a native-born Australian, had children, and so on. In the absence of this residency requirement, your Australian-born children would be US citizens (in addition to Australian citizens), and consequently, their children would be, and their children, on to the end of time. To prevent this from happening, there is a requirement that if only one parent is a US citizen, then they have to have been a resident of the US for a certain amount of time in order to pass US citizenship on to offspring that are born outside the US. The specific requirement varies depending on whether the US citizen is the mother or father, the year of the birth, and in some cases whether the parents were married. Some birthers claim that Obama's mother did not meet the residency requirements at the time of his birth, because of her extensive overseas travels and living, and therefore since his father was not a US citizen, Obama did not receive US citizenship at birth solely by the fact that his mother was an American. I have not looked into the details that much, and don't really know about that specifically. It may be true. But, IT DOESN'T MATTER since he was born in Hawaii and received citizenship at birth because he was born in the US.
Originally Posted By FaMulan I read the story where this Kansas lawmaker rescinded his objection to the President being on the ballot. He gave as part of his reasoning for questioning the validity the fact that Obama's father was not an American citizen. Foreign citizenship of a parent or parents is not an impediment to a child born in the US being an American Citizen, particularly if that child is born on US soil.
Originally Posted By SuperDry ^^^ I read that too. It's amazing to me how many people believe things that are simply not true with respect to citizenship laws, because these falsehoods have been put forth by some birthers and happen to fall in line with anti-Obama viewpoints. It's really not that difficult for someone to independently research the matter and determine what the Constitutional requirements are for the office of President, and what the rules are for citizenship at birth. Although there are a lot of, well, not-so-smart people that buy into all of the birther nonsense, I'd expect a state lawmaker, especially one that went to the trouble to filing an objection of having the current President appear on his state's ballot for re-election, would be able to do the 10 minutes of independent research required to figure out that both parents don't have to be US citizens in order for a child to be one, whether or not the child is born in the US.
