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MOJO VIDEO: Rallying to Unelect Obama
Obama-haters, conspiracy theorists, and old fashioned Constitution devotees that question Barack Obama's eligibility for the White House due to his birth status reached their collective apogee Friday morning in front of the Supreme Court. The justices were considering whether to put on the docket a New Jersey case that alleges Barack Obama was a dual American and British citizen at birth, and that he thus fails the ill-defined "natural-born citizen" standard demanded of presidents by Article II of the Constitution. Legal experts doubt that the case will move forward, but that didn't stop roughly 20 people from gathering on the steps of the Supreme Court building to wave flags, pray, say the pledge of allegiance, and generate as much media attention as they could.
— By Jonathan Stein and Tay Wiles
@ Tom Ames 2... on your other point: anyone who was a citizen at the time the Constitution was adopted was also eligible to be elected. They did think of this!
There's always a few...
Usually looking to get their faces on the evening news, I think, after their 15 seconds of fame, and the good ol' media is happy to oblige.
man, those are probably the craziest 20 people in america. ...except bill o reily, sean hannity and rush limbaugh.
a New Jersey case that alleges Barack Obama was a dual American and British citizen at birthThe British aren't even citizens -- they are subjects.
What bearing, if any, that has on the merits (or lack thereof) of this case, I have no idea. Just sayin'.
Wow! Clarence Thomas is actually interested in a case!
Hey Jonathan, I know it's Friday and all, but maybe we could still cover a serious story, instead of giving these morons even more of what they crave.
This might be a place to start:
The U.S. military expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the United States by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials.
The long-planned shift in the Defense Department's role in homeland security was recently backed with funding and troop commitments after years of prodding by Congress and outside experts, defense analysts said.
There are critics of the change, in the military and among civil liberties groups and libertarians who express concern that the new homeland emphasis threatens to strain the military and possibly undermine the Posse Comitatus Act, a 130-year-old federal law restricting the military's role in domestic law enforcement.
But the Bush administration and some in Congress have pushed for a heightened homeland military role since the middle of this decade, saying the greatest domestic threat is terrorists exploiting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/30/AR2008113002217...
Do the people of the United States really want or need 20,000 uniformed (and obviously militarily armed) US troops here to keep the peace? Stationed here? In our neighborhoods?
Might be worth a minute or two of discussion.
One of the wingnuts claimed that "natural born citizen" means "born on US soil, to parents who are US citizens". Wouldn't this requirement have disqualified many of our early presidents? (George Washington certainly wasn't born to parents who were US citizens.)
if you are born on american soil you are an american citizen, regardless of whether your parents were citizens, british subjects or illegal immigrants.
@Navamske: as I recall, the British finally redefined their subject population as 'citizens' at some absurdly late date. Wikipedia suggests that after 1949, children born with a connection to Britain (including through the colonies) was both a citizen and a subject; after 1983 (!), British citizenship became the only status, and the term 'British subject' applied only to non-citizens (a category created in 1949, into which Obama would not fall). It also appears he would not have been born a "Commonwealth citizen" (as defined between 1949 and 1983), because Kenya was not a 'crown colony', but a Protectorate...but only a specialist citizenship attorney would really know!
@ Tom Ames: your description of the 'naturalists' reminds me of the Athenian state's decision around 460 BCE to make Athenian citizenship dependent on descent on both sides, mother and father -- which led to a huge amount of litigation and the growth of a disenfranchised class of non-citizen denizens. It was not, in the longer run, a good thing for Athens, and it would scarcely be a good thing for the US, today.
@ Tom Ames 2... on your other point: anyone who was a citizen at the time the Constitution was adopted was also eligible to be elected. They did think of this!
"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..."
No doubt there will be commenters trying to dignify this insulting waste of time by invoking the Constitution's requirements for Presidential eligibility.
However, have we heard from these howling assholes when GWB repeatedly shat upon the Constitution?
No, of course not.
Particularly offensive is the prayer for Barack Hussein Obama to repent for whatever he needs to repent for, which is between him and God, but the petitioners would like to share in the fruits of his repentance. Or some such crap.
Clarence Thomas's interest in this matter should qualify him for impeachment. He's a nut case.
i dont care if hes from kenya, indonesia, or milk of magnesia...i swear allegiance to obama, not amerikkka or the kkkonstitution
Good thinking there, 'high on "coffee" '.
It brings to mind those who acted out of loyalty to Richard Nixon, rather than acting on their oath to uphold the Constitution.
I can think of many bad results, historically, from such loyalty to a charismatic person, rather than to a nation & it's people, and very few good ones.
Some people will do anything to avoid having a black president. Unfortunately, if they want to question "natural born citizen", this was the wrong election cycle to do it, since McCain was born outside the US and received his citizenship via his parents and his eligibility was also questioned by people who don't know the law.
The only valid definition of citizenship is in the first sentence of the 14th Amendment, adopted explicitly to overrule Dred Scott:
"Section 1. 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." Hawaii was American territory for over 50 years before Obama was born in there and was state for two years. Period. End of discussion.
The Supreme Court may have accepted it only so they could dismiss it and put an end to, or at least discourage, the 100s of lawsuits coming up through the courts.
If there is a vote involved anything different than 9-0 will give this thing legs.
I'm encouraged that they at least had the courtesy to legitimize their argument by dredging up a Negro to give the invocation against "Barack Hussein Obama". That proves that there is no racial component to their movement whatsoever.
I'm also relieved to see such a revival of interest in upholding the US Constitution. I'm sure that parallel to this action, the group is also working on ending torture, government wiretapping, executive orders, presidential detentions, the Supremacy Clause, and other critical Constitutional issues.
With a prayer and a flag, by golly, they'll get 'er done.
-Wexler
High-on-coffee: We do not swear allegiance or loyalty to any person. The idea of swearing loyalty to the person of the president is a travesty that was used by Justice Department officials when they refused to cooperate with congressional investigations of the US Attorney firing scandal. Even the "Pledge of Allegiance" is not to the dirt we stand on, but to the ideal -- the 'country for which [the flag] stands: one nation (under God) indivisible, etc'. For myself, it is that ideal and undiscovered country that I love, and the one that this collective people aspire to become.
Some people just have no clue. After 8 years of the worst president in US history, we finally have a beacon of hope. These few, ignorant neo-cons probably voted for "w" and 12 gauge cheney on 11/4 for 3rd term. Perhaps we should ship them all to Iraq. After all, they still believe that we are doing the right thing by being there. What a bunch of losers !!!!!
I'd like to see a poll of these people who thing that America is "too litigious" of a society.
Here is one for you...ask them if America would be a better place if they would:
(A) continue their protest
or
(B) invest their time into helping fatherless children or he poor.
About time people who talk the talk walk the walk. It all starts at home...then your community. I'm walkin'...how 'bout you?
Unbelievable, a country of 300+million people and 20 of them support this joke and the mainstream media runs with it as hard as they can. I caught the fox-fever being aired over here in Australia and cannot avoid giving a word of advice. Start cleaning house right there in New York, people, fox studios would be a great starting point for your liberation. Just ask yourselves why you collectively put up with the lies, red herrings and distortions of the murdoch media empire? A large number of us here in Oz breathed a deep sigh of relief when murdoch took out citizenship with, well, any other country on planet earth and left us. It just happened to be you. Perhaps you can see now just what he is capable of doing to a market...remember, he always refers to people as consumers, never citizens...not only does he obfuscate and deceive the listeners, viewers and readers on a daily basis but he also avoids paying taxes on profits as he does it. You need to clean house America, just don't ship him back here, okay? We are no longer a colony and since he left our shores, our economic future is looking good and being accurately reported on to boot. Good luck.
I also was thinking that maybe it would be a good idea for the SC to look at this in order to shoot it down. However, with Clarence baby on the court, I don't expect better than an 8 - 1 decision. He has a record of regarding anyone of African heritage who accomplishes anything as being somehow unclean. Remember how he regards with disgust the affirmative action policy? And, yes, I am accusing him of self-hate.
What mystifies me in all this is that the case is before the Supremes. Already? I'd heard of assorted crackpots trying to grow legs on this story, and of some low-level judge throwing right out of his court. Do plaintiffs get to appeal to the Supreme Court straightaway, or do the pontiffs, exuse me, justices get riffle through any old tossed-out case that amuses them?
Justice "Uncle Ruckus" does indeed have issues.
One of the first decisions he authored was a case which involved the first African-American to hold a county supervisor seat in a Deep South county. Up until his election, each Supervisor had been empowered to execute some discretionary spending his or her section of the county. Upon the election of the African-American member, the board ruled that such spending was subject to a majority vote of the body. Thomas wrote the majority opinion that held there was no discrimination inherent in the policy change.
How convenient.
These guys provide a sideshow, but the real question is whether Obama has unelected himself with his cabinet choices.
This kind of wingnuttery isn't going to go away, because the perps have decided that if they can't run the country, they'll ruin it. There's a direct line from Watergate to Iran/Contra to Newtster to the endless pointless Whitewater hunt to the Shrub administration.
We need to recognize that we're looking at the kids who basically terrorised their elementary schools because they were psychologically and pathologically incapable of learning to "share" or "play well with others" and their parents refused to teach them to mind their manners because their little darlings were "better than THOSE children."
They're oversized kindergarten bullies, and THIS time they get all the toys, or nobody gets ANY. God said it, they believe it, and that settles it.
Does this mean then, that my daughter, who has dual citizenship because I'm UK+US, will give birth to a child who can't become President because she or he is also bla bla bla, and so on down the line forever? There is some absurd logic at work in this case. Oops, I forgot, it isn't about logic: it's about painting Obama as the horrific/inconsistent Other.
Stormkite, how well summarized! Republicans dropped their stolen toys in the storm sewer and fixing to sue the city that put it there. These crazy idiots should worry more about the American dream, that talented Bush turned into American nightmare!
Maybe they can challenge the admission of Hawaii to the Union.
That would do it. (Or would it?--he'd still be the son of an American mother. Hey, this is fun!)
BTW- I believe (surely someone will correct me- I hope) the Article 13 of the Constitution ,, conspicuously left out, has within it's language.. " that the the President of the United States is more or less subservient.. to the Crown"
I suppose we all knew already the the current Pres is distantly related to the Queen Mother- didn't we?
You may ask, "what the hell does this have to do with anything?", go back to "get Serious'" posting.. and get serious!
too late to be questioning Obama's citizenship.
What a bunch of kooks...
What a bunch of nuts. They ought to join up with Westboro Baptist Church and start their own country on some uninhabited island.
I can't just keep thinking "whack jobs". These people are just not right in the head. President after president commits high treason, they say nothing. Obama is not even in office yet and they're trying to get him out. For what? Not being white and having an anglo-saxon name? Good grief, the first several presidents were born citizens of the British Empire. But they were white and had anglo-saxon names. So it's Ok. Hehehehehehe.
Good point about the 20,000 troops engaged in domestic law enforcement. Also, under Bush, the CIA has its own mini Army; expanded special forces units in all branches; expanded use of Blackwater-type civilian soldier-contractors; a new generation of nuclear weapons including portable devices; and the expanded sale/transfer of military assault weapons and equipment to civilian law enforcement to expand SWAT teams and heavy-handed tactical strategies. Lastly, factor in the number of jailed dessenters and the invitation-only speaking engagements at political events, press manipulation, and expanded document classification and you have a fascist regime out of control and acting above the law.
My co-worker actually was whooping and hollering around the office last week when he heard the Supreme Court was going to hear this case. Not a peep today. He holds onto his pet conspiracy theory, and also likes the solidarity w/ other "underdogs" in a fringe element.
Tell these nut jobs to get a life....the lunatic fringe...we listen to the neo-cons and got Bush/Cheney for 8 years...their credibilty stinks
I LOVE that the Supreme's not up in arms about the erasure of the bill of rights by that stinkin' mis-named "Patriot Act", but now that a n*****'s 'bout ta be our King, well, p'rhaps we'all better read this heah damn constitution and put this on th' fas' track!!!
Wasn't John McCain born in Panama? I'm just sayin'...
This news 13 minutes ago
Supreme Court won't hear challenge to Obama's citizenship AP
well.... is he or isnt he ?
whats wrong with that?
joe jones
I'd like to see "Under God" removed from the pledge of allegiance. Its the only thing I refuse to say in that pledge and I think Religion needs to be separated from our Government once and for all.
Surprisingly, I received an email from Newsmax, a decidedly Republican website that usually has nothing but negatives re Obama, clarifying the issues regarding his birth certificate and that Obama Was Born in the United States.
You can read this info at:
http://www.newsmax.com/kessler/?s=al&promo_code=73E6-1
Monday, December 8, 2008 11:30 AM
Additionally, the Supreme Court has declined to review Berg's lawsuit.
As the strict constructionist that Justice Thomas claims to be, should he not claim only two-thirds of a vote?
I think that you are absolutely correct in your negative summation of GWB and his neo-cons. Perhaps the USA will get back some of the respect that your country has most certainly lost in recent years.Perhaps World Peace doesn't have to be a contradiction in terms now that BO has been elected!
I think the problem is that there are no quality "natural born" American candidates running for office, so we needed to import them, just like automobiles and TVs.
More and more folks just showing how stupid they can be.
Well said!
WHAT A STEAMING LOAD OF BULLSH*T!!!!
The ultimate irony, which of course will be totally lost on these pathetic losers, is the fact that McLiar was born in Panama.
Evidently their feeble minds can't grasp the concept of "What's Good For The Goose Is Good For The Gander"! Also a little item about "possession being 9/10's of the law" might very aptly be applied here. After all..........Obama now "OWNS" the presidency after a preponderance of voter affirmation. This distinct "majority" gives him a TRUE mandate from the electorate. Not the "mythical" mandate that President Numbnuts declared after an unimpressive 2 point victory. Stupid is, as stupid does. DUH!
In light of the fact that our country is facing a "real" crisis of colossal proportions at this time, I have only ONE thing to say to these foolish citizens............Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way! Stop wasting our time with your petty delusions.
THE MOST IMPORTANT NUMBER ON EARTH.........."350"!
Go to www.350.org to find out why. Do it for your grandchildren.