Natural Born Citizen of how many countries?
Posted on 08/19/2013 6:17:17 PM PDT by kristinn
If my patriotic Father and Mother sired me on Mars while exploring for America, would you say I was not eligible?
Cruz’s Parents lived the American dream.
Cruz is the result of the American dream.
OMG. And someone who was born a United States citizen, who has been a United States citizen since birth, and who was raised in the United States, is not an "American?"
From up Canada way and English born myself. Perhaps this may be considered by one and all. A certain important personage in British history happened to be born at Blenheim, England. His father was a high mucky muck, a lord no less. Always on the lookout for a little American wealth, he married an American woman in England. 1874 saw his son born in England.
Later on that son was introduced to the American legislature. Because of his leadership in WW2, he was given...... pause for effect.
Honorary American Citizenship.
I would presume that although the flamboyant and dazzling Jenny Jerome was born in the United States, she did not give American citizenship to her son. He was Winston Churchill. He was granted citizenship only because he did not have it.
America for Americans, says I.
Ooh. Answer my question.
We are discussing Cruz. How does this exception apply to Cruz, who’s father was neither a servicemember nor an American citizen?
By law he is a Cuban citizen at birth, Canadian by nationality (as that is his country of Origin), and American by naturalization.
It's not up to you. The Constitution was vague on the subject and subsequent court rulings specified that one must have ONE U.S. citizen parent who has lived in the U.S. for 10 years prior to the foreign birth. In such a case, the child is a U.S. citizen and qualified to run for president.
Not anymore than he’s a Cuban and a Canadian too.
The Founding fathers did not want someone with divided loyalties at the head of the nation. For good reasons too. This is why they had the restriction that they did.
Again - you believe that unless the Republicans nominate Cruz they will lose, correct?
This is good news and it also signals he is going to run, and I support his running. He just better make Sarah Palin SECDEF and then I can be at peace. But I digress.
There is no question that Cruz is a ‘Citizen By Birth’; not even an iota of doubt. He has immediately released his long form birth certificate and just to be clear and open he renounces any possible citizenship he has with Canada where he was born. Already then he is orders of magnitude more transparent than the current occupant of the White House.
But is he a Natural Born Citizen? We know that this term is different than just ‘Citizen By Birth’ and we know ‘Citizen by Naturalization’ is different in meaning as well.
Why did the Framers write:
“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.”
and call out this distinction that was never set out for any other officeholder except President? Many say they were vague but I don’t believe it. They knew exactly what it meant.
NBC had its meaning well understood in English Common Law which was used by the colonialist governments hundreds of years before the establishment of the United States. Their aim was to discourage, actually prevent dual allegiance. Many Americans at the time of the adoption of the Constitution were still in allegiance to the Crown or to other foreign powers such as Spain or France. The Framers wanted future presidents to be born of two citizen parents on soil that was under the jurisdiction of the United States or of citizen parents that were possibly transiting in territories not under US jurisdiction such as the Louisiana territory when it was held by the French. Even in the case of Texas when it was an independent republic, a child born there would not be a natural born citizen.
At the time the Framers wrote NBC into the Constitution there was no dual citizenship. A person held allegiance to one flag and one flag only unless they were without a country.
No, the Framers were not vague in their understanding or their writing, they knew. But now many of us do not know because the meaning has been buried for so long. We have a sense that they wanted only people who were born of two citizens domiciled on US soil or territory. (Look up ‘domiciled’ as it is different than residence.)
And Americans haven’t paid much attention if any to the meaning with exception of brief commentary regarding President Chester Authur in the 1880s.
Enter Barack Obama. For the first time observer he appeared as an intelligent and ‘clean’ black like candidate that many swooned would show how marvelous America could be in choosing a person of any ethnic or cultural background for its leader. Obama’s opposition were shocked when they found out about his longtime preacher shouting “God D*mn America!”. But the issue was swept under. People worried about Obama’s allegiance to Muslims, to people like Louis Farrakhan and to the Muslim Brotherhood. Somehow the nation had survived the Clintons and these concerns about Obama seemed unsubstantial.
And for many Americans the jury is still out with respect to Obama’s allegiances. We know now he most definitely is alligned with Muslim interests and radical ones at that given his current support for the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
So we have now a group called ‘Birthers’ and some of them have been quite articulate in reminding us of the historical meaning and intention of the term NBC versus simply Citizen by Birth.
Where does that leave us with Cruz?
As conservatives, we love this man. Nearly every expression he utters resonates with our deeply held traditional beliefs and love for America.
Now I know that many who will back Cruz will argue ad nauseum the nuances of US Statutes in defining the various classifications, requirements and definitions of citizenship and they will make some sort of shoehorn fit to get Cruz into the NBC category.
But such a shoehorn fit is not a satisfactory resolution nor will be any resolution taken up inside that country club of good old boys and gals known as the US Senate as was done for the brain damaged Senator from Arizona.
Mark Levin commented on a recent show about what he thinks of ‘Birthers’ and it is not good. He thinks they are obsessed. He thinks Birther talk about Cruz is crazy.
No Mark, it is not crazy. It is necessary. And as you go about promoting your new book which appears wonderful and timely and (patting myself on the back) with prodding from people like yours truly (he was at one time against an Article V movement), I think you should support an Article V amendment to settle the question of NBC once and for all and also the question of allegiance to no other foreign power be it a recognized nation, or a religious or political movement that seeks to overthrow the Constitution. For example, allegiance to the goal of imposing Sharia Law as the law of the land in the United States would be grounds for disqualification.
Let’s not gloss over this. Levin is our point man. Let him take the lead in hashing this over.
Ask George Washington, Father of Our Country.
Ask Thomas Jefferson, Father of the Declaration of Independence.
Ask James Madison, Father of the Consitution.
Every one of them served as United States President while simultaneously holding citizenship with France.
Not that I am suggesting holding dual citizenship as ones preferred status. But they all did it.
Cruz has never been naturalized because he has been an American citizen since birth.
Since this has been made crystal clear multiple times, I can see now that you are a troll, which I had begun to suspect awhile ago.
Cruz is a no good Commie.
“Ask George Washington, Father of Our Country.
Ask Thomas Jefferson, Father of the Declaration of Independence.
Ask James Madison, Father of the Consitution.
Every one of them served as United States President while simultaneously holding citizenship with France.”
And all of them explicitly stated that they were grandfathered because they were born prior to the formation of the United States.
Is this really the best argument you’ve got?
I feel your pain brother.
First it was said “oh he wasn’t a Canadian citizen”.
Now all of a sudden he is.
Next it was said that “he was an American from birth”,
Now all of a sudden he isn’t.
He was naturalized, like many American citizens are once they moved back to the United States and resided here.
Or are you saying that when he was born those 4 years aren’t important? Either/or. Either it is crucial that the president was born in America or it is not. If you concede this point - it will be a very long time before there is another American president who is actually American.
If he was born on Canadian soil to a diplomat or someone in the American Military, NO ONE should question his loyalty!
Least of all, the Gay Illegal Alien, who HAS no DOCUMENTATION!
Never heard of the grandfather clause, eh?
Never heard of the grandfather clause, eh?
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 is the law under which we are now operating.
Section 301 is about those who are automatically citizens at birth. It says “shall be citizens at birth”.
(a) says: “a person born in the United States.” In other words it covers you and me.
(g) says: those born outside the US and one parent is a citizen.
(g) is the paragraph that covers Ted Cruz.
INA: ACT 301 - NATIONALS AND CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES AT BIRTH
Sec. 301. [8 U.S.C. 1401] The following shall be nationals and citizens of the United States at birth:
(a) a person born in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof;
(b) a person born in the United States to a member of an Indian, Eskimo, Aleutian, or other aboriginal tribe: Provided, That the granting of citizenship under this subsection shall not in any manner impair or otherwise affect the right of such person to tribal or other property;
(c) a person born outside of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents both of whom are citizens of the United States and one of whom has had a residence in the United States or one of its outlying possessions, prior to the birth of such person;
(d) a person born outside of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents one of whom is a citizen of the United States who has been physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possessions for a continuous period of one year prior to the birth of such person, and the other of whom is a national, but not a citizen of the United States;
(e) a person born in an outlying possession of the United States of parents one of whom is a citizen of the United States who has been physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possessions for a continuous period of one year at any time prior to the birth of such person;
(f) a person of unknown parentage found in the United States while under the age of five years, until shown, prior to his attaining the age of twenty-one years, not to have been born in the United States;
(g) a person born outside the geographical limits of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents one of whom is an alien, and the other a citizen of the United States who, prior to the birth of such person, was physically present in the United States or its outlying possessions for a period or periods totaling not less than five years, at least two of which were after attaining the age of fourteen years: Provided, That any periods of honorable service in the Armed Forces of the United States, or periods of employment with the United States Government or with an international organization as that term is defined in section 1 of the International Organizations Immunities Act (59 Stat. 669; 22 U.S.C. 288) by such citizen parent, or any periods during which such citizen parent is physically present abroad as the dependent unmarried son or daughter and a member of the household of a person (A) honorably serving with the Armed Forces of the United States, or (B) employed by the United States Government or an international organization as defined in section 1 of the International Organizations Immunities Act, may be included in order to satisfy the physical-presence requirement of this paragraph. This proviso shall be applicable to persons born on or after December 24, 1952, to the same extent as if it had become effective in its present form on that date; and
(h) a person born before noon (Eastern Standard Time) May 24, 1934, outside the limits and jurisdiction of the United States of an alien father and a mother who is a citizen of the United States who, prior to the birth of such person, had resided in the United States. 302 persons born in Puerto Rico on or after April 11, 1899
I knew this about a month ago while researching Cruz although I didn't bring it up on FR. I wonder if it is the same newspaper that I read where some Ottawa professor said Cruz "is technically" a Canadian citizen.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.