A Letter For The Self Induced IGNORAMUSES (Is There Such A Word?) -- Read: "Birthers" -- In Our Midst.

President's citizenship

I am glad the President finally showed his birth certificate. Although this should put an end to the “birther” movement, I am sure there will still be zealots that say he modified it in Photoshop.

I never doubted the President's origin of birth. However, this should have never been an issue in the first place. According to Title 8, Section 1401 of the U.S. Code, there are 10 definitions of what is a “natural born citizen.” While one is being born on the soil of the United States, there are several other ways to be considered a natural born citizen. Number 7 states: “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 14 years.”

This means even if he had been born in Kenya, he would have still been considered a natural born citizen because his mother was born in Kansas and did live at least five years in the U.S. and two years after attaining the age of 14. No one has disputed her citizenship status and thus no matter what country her son was born in, he is still a natural born citizen.

While the ignorance of the American people when it comes to civics has been well-documented, what I want to know is why did not one media outlet spend five minutes looking up this definition in the first place? His citizenship status was never in doubt; neither is the ignorance of many Americans.