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Vegblog 1/20/09: Obamanos! The End of an Error

posted January 20, 2009 - 1:26pm
Vegblog 1/20/09: Obamanos! The End of an Error

Our friends the realtors closed their office today, declaring it “Obama Day”. My husband and I watched the inauguration on two TVs and a computer and we can now sit back and sigh in great relief that finally, the dark Bush years are behind us. I teared up, I got goose bumps. It was great theatre, the closest thing to a royal ceremony America has to offer. But not everyone had such a good time.

One of the great gifts of democracy is that it’s elastic enough to accommodate many points of view. One current example is the ongoing efforts of right-wing extremists to nullify Barack Obama’s presidency because, they insist, despite all readily available documentation, he’s not a natural born American citizen. These folks are poisoned by xenophobia or racism or both, or perhaps something else even more sinister.

So instead of joining other proud, patriotic Americans to rejoice over our first president of color and just how far we’ve traveled as a nation on the road away from black slavery and racial discrimination, they’re out there shaking their fists at the good news and spitting venom wherever they go.

But ya gotta love ‘em and be grateful that we’re a big enough country to provide enough room for the minority of crazies as well as the more reality-based majority. I do, however, feel sorry for them, because the lunatics are purposefully and with malice aforethought depriving themselves of being part of a joyful and transcendent moment in history in exchange for a self-righteous tilt at nonexistent windmills. Because it really doesn’t matter if you think Barack Obama is capable of curing all the world’s ills or not (and I don’t think he can), what’s important is his mind-boggling inauguration as our 44th president. And let’s face it, we have Dubya to thank for that. If he had not been such a consistently lousy president and brought such shame to his own party, Obama would likely not have been elected. So thank you, Private Citizen George Bush.

Enjoy and be proud. These moments are few and far between.

Author: veghead
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Comments

Your views of citizenship

Publius - Tue, 2009-20-1 7:14 pm
Your views of citizenship would be plausible...if they weren't so contradictory. "Also, the U.S. doesn't allow someone who is a citizen of another country to become a citizen of this country unless they first give up their foreign citizenship. But, if you're American and you want to become, say, a German citizen also, you can do that without giving up your American citizenship..." This is the great flaw of our current understandings of citizenship. How can one be a dual citizen if the U.S. requires that all naturalized citizens give up all foreign allegiance? And how can a U.S. citizen acquire citizenship in another country without renouncing their citizenship here? Surely the two cannot be reconciled without ignoring the national sovereignty of one of the two countries, or ignoring the philosophy that guides the one stance but not the other. And what are the problems that would arise out of such conflicting citizenship? You see...this is precisely why dual citizenship has never been "officially" recognized by our government. It is a fiction of natural and national law. You cannot owe allegiance and claim protection from two separate sovereignties. And if dual citizenship is not allowed by the laws of nature and of nations, how can one be born a dual citizen? The simple answer is - one cannot. The long answer is currently being drafted...and I will be sure to inform you when I'm finished. Our Founders and the statesmen who drafted the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the 14th Amendment understood these problems and passed laws that addressed them. Our failure to properly apply them today is why we have the immigration problems we have...and it's why we have arrived at the crossroads of usurpation and a legitimate presidency. "Doesn't matter if the other parent is not American, like Obama's father." This is where you are in direct opposition to the aforementioned statesmen and laws. The citizenship of both parents did indeed matter when it came to citizenship. Only by a grave misinterpretation of law did the citizenship of both parents become insignificant. "My own definition of 'natural born' is 'from birth' (either one or both parents are American or you were born in the United States)." And your definition is wrong. It fails for the same reason as your previous quote. But don't fret...it'll be explained soon enough. Stay tuned. Who is Publius? Join Xomba and get PAID to write - CLICK HERE!

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"These folks are poisoned by

Publius - Tue, 2009-20-1 6:55 pm
"These folks are poisoned by xenophobia or racism or both, or perhaps something else even more sinister." You dangle such enticing bait. I must say though, your words are not very impressive for someone who believes she is enlightened beyond her many, many...many years. So, you think upholding constitutional law is xenophobic or racist? Let me guess...you've never read any laws on citizenship, have you? You've never read any of the philosophers that influenced the Founding generation, have you? And as long as your "liberal" views are epitomized in Obama, you'll never have a problem with him, will you? It's irrelevant if he's not constitutionally eligible for the presidency - it only matters that he's not George Bush, right? I don't know what's more pathetic - you're inability to understand the most basic American philosophies and/or laws, or your increasingly debilitating LPS. What is LPS, you ask? That would be: Les Porter Syndrome. It's a condition where you become ferociously condescending and pompous, and are prone to extreme ridicule levied against those who have differing opinions. As far as I know, there is no cure...and it gets worse with age. But back to your funny take on the matter... Is it "patriotic" to ignore laws that have to do with who can become the leader of the most powerful country on the planet? I'd actually like an answer to that. Is it "patriotic" to pretend the constitution doesn't say what it actually says? Or to ignore the meaning of the words in their original context? I suppose we can do that if we'd like to, but I don't believe we'd exist in this state for much longer. That's OK, though. Feel free to mock and ridicule. It really doesn't bother me as much as you'd assume. I actually do know the laws and I do understand the intent of them. Your ignorance on the matter has no relevance to the final outcome. That will be settled by people much more capable and informed than yourself. You will simply be a bystander, like you have apparently been for much of your life. In the meantime, celebrate this joyous occasion. It's always fascinating to see something we've never seen before...even if it is a usurper in the White House. Who is Publius? Join Xomba and get PAID to write - CLICK HERE!

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that's OK, then, jdub

veghead - Tue, 2009-20-1 5:10 pm
Sadly, Obama doesn't seem to have any plans to throw Bush/Cheney and friends in the clink. Doesn't fit with his post-partisanship philosophy.

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the vagueness of citizenship is due to different laws, wHATUP

veghead - Tue, 2009-20-1 5:08 pm
If at least one of the parents is an American citizen, so is the child, if the parents so choose (and they usually do). Doesn't matter if the other parent is not American, like Obama's father. Also, the U.S. doesn't allow someone who is a citizen of another country to become a citizen of this country unless they first give up their foreign citizenship. But, if you're American and you want to become, say, a German citizen also, you can do that without giving up your American citizenship, although there are some countries, like North Korea, Cuba, and other politically problematic places, where that rule does not apply. My own definition of "natural born" is "from birth" (either one or both parents are American or you were born in the United States). "Unnatural born" is meaningless, of course. That's different from "naturalized", which is someone who was not born American (i.e., at least one American parent, or born on American soil, including foreign military installations, like John McCain in Panama) but became one at some point in time after taking the citizenship test and swearing allegiance to the U.S., etc. This citizenship issue can get confusing, and the anti-Obama lunatics are clearly taking advantage of that.

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Just sharing a whimsical observation--more humor than politics

jdubhub - Tue, 2009-20-1 4:39 pm
My other observation is that there are lots of people around the world who would rather refer to the former president as "Inmate Number 02334487". JOIN US IN TOASTING YOUR FUTURE SUCCESS!

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very funny, jub ;)

veghead - Tue, 2009-20-1 4:30 pm
I thought you had sworn off politics, though (I'll keep this a secret, I promise).

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You have a point

kissmeimgone - Tue, 2009-20-1 2:10 pm
You do have a point. Without specific examples, how are we supposed to know? <3

<3

Baiting

Darrell Curts - Tue, 2009-20-1 2:06 pm
I'm sure Pub will have more to say about this but I will just put this little bit in. I do believe there needs to be a defination of what "natural born citizen" means. I mean can there be an unnatural born citizen? Of course not. Will we or won't we recognize dual citizenship and why? If a man does not declare in some way his citizenship to another country, is he a citizen of that country. Take Pub's example. If Obama's father was a Britain citizen and he son is automatically a British citizen without declaring himself so as an adult is he still a British citizen? And because his mom was a US citizen does that mean he has dual citizenship and why is he not a "natural born citizen". Do both parents have to be a citizens at the time of birth and why? When these definitions are vague it leaves doors open. Visit my homepage here

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^.^

kissmeimgone - Tue, 2009-20-1 1:54 pm
I like your comment above, jub. ^.^ I believe that no matter what color you are, I agree this is a major event that changes history no matter what your view point. My favorite thing about Obama is the fact that even though there are people of different backgrounds and views, he's for all of the people in America. <3

<3

I like the sound of that, veghead...

jdubhub - Tue, 2009-20-1 1:41 pm
"Private Citizen" Bush has a nice ring to it. I guess that would make Cheney a "Private Dick"? JOIN US IN TOASTING YOUR FUTURE SUCCESS!

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