Constitutional Reading Interrupted

[Harley]

WASHINGTON "“ House Republicans' reading of the Constitution was interrupted Thursday by a woman who shouted "except Obama, except Obama" to the venerable document's words on a U.S. citizen's eligibility to be president.

Just as Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., was reading "no person, except a natural-born citizen, or a citizen of the United States" is eligible for the presidency, a woman in the visitor's gallery yelled out that it did not apply to President Barack Obama.

Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, who was presiding over the House, banged the gavel and halted the proceedings, warning that such action from members of the public was a violation of House rules. The woman was quickly removed by Capitol police.

Lawmakers took turns reciting each verse and article of the document. Republicans in charge of the chamber rattled it off with missionary zeal, as if in a school civics class. Democrats pitched in, but with seemingly less ardor.

Historians said it was the first time the 222-year-old governing document had been read in its entirety on the House floor.

So-called "birthers" claim Obama is ineligible to be president because they say there's no proof he was born in the United States, with many of the skeptics questioning whether he was actually born in Kenya "” his father's home country.

The Obama campaign issued a certificate of live birth in 2008, an official document from Hawaii showing the president's birth date, city and name, along with his parents' names and races. The certificate doesn't list the name of the hospital where he was born or the physician who delivered him, information collected by the state as part of its vital records. Hawaii's health director said last year and in 2008 that she had seen and verified Obama's original vital records.

Republicans and their tea party allies, who campaigned during the past election on the need for Washington to stop flouting limits on the powers of the federal government as defined by the Constitution, said the reading of the Constitution gave proof to their dedication to the nation's original principles. Democrats viewed the proceedings with more suspicion.

Before the reading began, Democrats questioned the GOP decision not to read sections of the 222-year-old governing document that were later amended, such as the Article I, Section 2 clause that classified slaves as three-fifths of a person for the purpose of congressional apportionment and taxation.

"It's a consequence of who we are," Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Ill., son of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, said in reference to the three-fifth's clause and its deletion from the reading.

Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash, while saying the reading was "special for all of us," asked whether it was "not intended to create some statement of congressional intent."

Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., who organized the reading, noted that Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., a pioneer of the civil rights movement, has been asked to read the Thirteenth Amendment that abolishes slavery. He said he hoped the event would "inspire many more Americans to read the Constitution."

The recital began with new Speaker John Boehner, reading the "We the People" preamble. Then Boehner's predecessor Nancy Pelosi recited the first paragraph of Article I that describes the powers of the legislative branch.

They were followed, more or less alternating between parties, with lawmakers repeating momentous clauses on the rights and responsibilities of the three branches of governments and more prosaic sections regarding the oversight of forts and dockyard and the ban on office holders receiving gifts from foreign princes.

The entire reading of the seven articles and 27 amendments of the Constitution took about an hour and a half. Members volunteered on a first-come-first-serve with the reading of the Second Amendment clause on the right to bear arms going to freshman Republican Frank Guinta of New Hampshire.

For the first hour of the recital the Republican side of the chamber was full, while far fewer Democrats occupied the other side. After an hour, the number of Republican listeners also declined.

See the Video Here

Has anyone heard this story? I know there are a lot of people who don't support Obama but jeeze, this is just rude.

 

[xfivebyfive]

I hadn't heard about that. And wow that is so rude.

 

[Kean]

That's President Obama, ma'am.

Rude indeed.

The fact that his birth certificate has actually been released and people still question his citizenship is crazy.

 

[Blondie Bear]

I'll just be over here in the corner ashamed of my fellow conservative-ish people, thanks. (This is why I'm not a registered anything, not even Libertarian.)

 

[zobothehobo]

I just read this. My god these crazy ultra-conservatives have no shame! This is so ridiculous it's almost comical.

 

[white avenger]

I just read this. My god these crazy ultra-conservatives have no shame! This is so ridiculous it's almost comical.

Let's at least be fair about the facts. Liberals are just as guilty of shouting their own beliefs anywhere that they can get any attention as conservatives are. People are people, regardless of their political beliefs, and people are sometimes rude, impolite, and downright obnoxious.

The fact remains unanswered to the satisfaction of a lot of people in the United States as to whether or not Mr Obama is, in fact, a native born united States citizen, and the so called evidence that has been put forth so far has been inconclusive, to say the least. As has been said in the above article, the document used to prove Obama's place of birth contains neither the name of the hospital or the delivering physician, both of which are required on a legal birth certificate. So far, all that we have seen is what amounts to an unsubstantiated claim, regardless of whether that claim is made by some state employee, thus "official" or not. If the Mr Obama has a legal birth certificate, all he has to do is to present it for public view and settle all of this controversy. It's a requirement to receive a legal passport in the United States, no other document, "official" or otherwise, may be substituted, and I'm sure that the man MUST have a passport. That birth certificate states the place of birth, country, state, city, hospital, and attending physician, and can prove once and for all whether Obama is lying or not.

I have objections to President Obama, primarily about his political views and policies, but I, personally, could care less where the man was born. I do object, however, to the fact that he is allowing the issue to continue to go on unsettled.

And I also object to the term and connotation "crazy ultra conservative" when someone just as outspoken, rude, and inconsiderate, but with liberal political views, is simply called a "political activist."

Zobothehobo, this is most certainly NOT a personal attack on you. I'm sure that what you said was said in the most general of ways, but the implication that only conservatives have those in their ranks who are rude and obnoxious has become a common belief in this country, and it is most certainly not true. There are a**holes in every political, social, and religious group in the world. If more people would begin to accept that fact and quit playing politics, we might be able to straighten out some of the real problems we have in the United States and in the world.

I'll get off of my soap box now, and go take my blood pressure medicine.

 

[zobothehobo]

Let's at least be fair about the facts. Liberals are just as guilty of shouting their own beliefs anywhere that they can get any attention as conservatives are. People are people, regardless of their political beliefs, and people are sometimes rude, impolite, and downright obnoxious.

The fact remains unanswered to the satisfaction of a lot of people in the United States as to whether or not Mr Obama is, in fact, a native born united States citizen, and the so called evidence that has been put forth so far has been inconclusive, to say the least. As has been said in the above article, the document used to prove Obama's place of birth contains neither the name of the hospital or the delivering physician, both of which are required on a legal birth certificate. So far, all that we have seen is what amounts to an unsubstantiated claim, regardless of whether that claim is made by some state employee, thus "official" or not. If the Mr Obama has a legal birth certificate, all he has to do is to present it for public view and settle all of this controversy. It's a requirement to receive a legal passport in the United States, no other document, "official" or otherwise, may be substituted, and I'm sure that the man MUST have a passport. That birth certificate states the place of birth, country, state, city, hospital, and attending physician, and can prove once and for all whether Obama is lying or not.

I have objections to President Obama, primarily about his political views and policies, but I, personally, could care less where the man was born. I do object, however, to the fact that he is allowing the issue to continue to go on unsettled.

And I also object to the term and connotation "crazy ultra conservative" when someone just as outspoken, rude, and inconsiderate, but with liberal political views, is simply called a "political activist."

Zobothehobo, this is most certainly NOT a personal attack on you. I'm sure that what you said was said in the most general of ways, but the implication that only conservatives have those in their ranks who are rude and obnoxious has become a common belief in this country, and it is most certainly not true. There are a**holes in every political, social, and religious group in the world. If more people would begin to accept that fact and quit playing politics, we might be able to straighten out some of the real problems we have in the United States and in the world.

I'll get off of my soap box now, and go take my blood pressure medicine.

Wow. Well I didn't mean any harm by my post and I most certainly didn't mean liberals can't be rude, outspoken, and ridiculous. I mean look at me. It would be a fair statment to call me a crazy ultra liberal. More so my mother, but me too
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Kean]

I do object, however, to the fact that he is allowing the issue to continue to go on unsettled.

Did a quick google on the issue (I have this weird fascination with the American Presidency) and found this article.

HONOLULU "” State officials in Hawaii on Monday said they have once again checked and confirmed that President Barack Obama was born in Hawaii and is a natural-born American citizen, and therefore meets a key constitutional requirement for being president.

Health Director Dr. Chiyome Fukino said she hoped to end lingering rumors about Obama's birthplace.

"I ... have seen the original vital records maintained on file by the Hawaii State Department of Health verifying Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawaii and is a natural-born American citizen," she said in a brief statement. "I have nothing further to add to this statement or my original statement issued in October 2008 over eight months ago."

So-called "birthers" "” who claim Obama is ineligible to be president because, they argue, he was actually born outside the United States "” have grown more vocal recently on blogs and television news shows.

Renewed attention

Fukino issued a similar press release Oct. 31, but was prompted to speak out again because of the renewed attention on Obama's beginnings. Hawaii's Health Department has been flooded in recent weeks with questions from individuals and several national TV news networks asking for proof that Obama was indeed born in Hawaii.
"They just keep asking over and over and over again," Health Department spokeswoman Janice Okubo said.

The Constitution states that a person must be a "natural-born citizen" to be eligible for the presidency. Birthers contend that Obama's birth certificate is a fake, and many say he was actually born in Kenya, his father's homeland. They've challenged his citizenship in court.

One widely circulated YouTube clip of a town hall meeting showed a Republican congressman getting booed for saying Obama is a citizen. Talk show host Rush Limbaugh and CNN's Lou Dobbs have also raised the issue, and 10 Republican members of Congress co-sponsored a bill that would require future presidential candidates to provide a copy of their original birth certificate.

House resolution
However, it appears Congress has moved on and has accepted Obama's island birthplace. The U.S. House on Monday unanimously approved a resolution recognizing and celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hawaii becoming the 50th state. A clause was included that reads: "Whereas the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961."

State law bars the release of a certified birth certificate to anyone who does not have a tangible interest.

However, Obama's birth certificate along with birth notices from the two Honolulu newspapers were brought forward even before he took office. But that's done nothing to shake the belief by many Obama critics that the president was born abroad.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32180625/ns/politics-white_house

 

[prophecygrrl]

Ugh, that woman is ridiculous. It's even more rude than when that S. Carolina representative who shouted "You lie!" last year in the middle of Obama's speech. At least Rep. Wilson was angry over differences in policy.

For the record, Obama has actually produced his birth certificate. Back in 2008 during the campaign actually...and the photocopy of it was (probably still is?) available on the internet.

 

[white avenger]

As I said, my problems with Obama have nothing whatsoever to do with his place of birth. However, given these circumstances, considering all of the disturbance this issue has caused, I would consider that to constitute "tangible interest" on behalf of a large number of U S Citizens.

And as for Congress making a proclamation that Obama was, in fact, born in Hawaii...well, I'm not gonna go there. My blood pressure medicine hasn't kicked in yet.

 

[prophecygrrl]

Thanks for the article, Kean. I know there are some people who may not completely trust MSNBC or any reputedly partisan news organizations, so here are some links to nonpartisan factcheck organizations:

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html

Full article at the link, here's the summary provided:

Summary
In June, the Obama campaign released a digitally scanned image of his birth certificate to quell speculative charges that he might not be a natural-born citizen. But the image prompted more blog-based skepticism about the document's authenticity. And recently, author Jerome Corsi, whose book attacks Obama, said in a TV interview that the birth certificate the campaign has is "fake."

We beg to differ. FactCheck.org staffers have now seen, touched, examined and photographed the original birth certificate. We conclude that it meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship. Claims that the document lacks a raised seal or a signature are false. We have posted high-resolution photographs of the document as "supporting documents" to this article. Our conclusion: Obama was born in the U.S.A. just as he has always said.

Update, Nov. 1: The director of Hawaii’s Department of Health confirmed Oct. 31 that Obama was born in Honolulu.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthcertificate.asp

Again, full article at the link, but here's a part of it that is more relevant to the concerns raised on this thread:

the supposedly incriminating details don't pan out: the certificate is consistent with others issued in the same time and place, and the embossed seal and signature don't show through very well on the scanned front image made available on the Internet because they were applied to the back of the original document, not the front. Those who have actually touched and examined the original certificate have verified and documented that it bears all the elements of a valid certificate of live birth.

 

[zobothehobo]

Ok, so I'm home and I can better respond now. I think it's ridiculous this is even an issue. Like I mean why is there so much question about it. If I told you I was born in Durham, NC (which I was) would you ask me for the hospital and physician? Would you ask to see my birth certificate? Plus like others have pointed out it's already been resolved by Obama and the state of Hawaii. I just don't understand why people are still harping on it. By this point it shouldn't be Obama's job to give evidence he's a native born citizen (since he's already done that), it should be the people who still aren't satisfied's jobs to get over it and accept the facts.

 

[white avenger]

it should be the people who still aren't satisfied's jobs to get over it and accept the facts.

If only it worked that way!! Unfortunately, we still have people arguing about whether or not Oswald worked alone in assassinating Kennedy, what really caused the "Titanic" to sink, whether Davy Crockett died fighting at the Alamo or was captured and executed later, whether George Washington and Betsy Ross were lovers, whether Joseph was really a carpenter or a stone mason, whether Moses parted the Red Sea, or simply knew of a relatively dry passage through a swamp called the "Sea Of Reeds"...People love hidden plots, secret agendas, and conspiracy theories, especially when they involve some very public figure who just may have (like any of the rest of us don't, right?) something to hide. It's a part of human nature, and I don't see it changing anytime soon.

 

[Crazy Flakes]

Let's at least be fair about the facts. Liberals are just as guilty of shouting their own beliefs anywhere that they can get any attention as conservatives are. People are people, regardless of their political beliefs, and people are sometimes rude, impolite, and downright obnoxious.

I'm not denying the fact that there are a lot of obnoxious liberals out there (believe me, I know plenty of them), but in the United States, you can't even compare their presence to that of staunch rightists. The labor movement lost steam after FDR's days and the political binary is skewed decidedly to the right; the vast majority of the Democratic party consists of left-leaning moderates and most leftists are relegated to third parties (there are exceptions such as Bernie Sanders, but they're few and far between). Far-right politicians, on the other hand, are largely involved in current politics and as a result their voice is a lot more prominent.

I have objections to President Obama, primarily about his political views and policies, but I, personally, could care less where the man was born. I do object, however, to the fact that he is allowing the issue to continue to go on unsettled.

"Unsettled?" He produced his birth certificate and there are photocopies of it all over the place. What else can he possibly do?

 

[prophecygrrl]

Blondie Bear agrees: If you were running for president . . . sure.

Yeah I get that, but I think the issue with Obama and the "birther" controversy is that almost three years later, we are still discussing whether or not the guy's a citizen- even though he's produced his birth certificate and it's been verified as authentic by non partisan fact check organizations, the state of Hawaii, his family, and so many other sources. For people so obsessed with facts and getting to the truth, you'd think the super aggressive "Obama was born in Kenya" folks like the woman in this article would back off when real, factual evidence DOES exist; it just goes against their claims. Alas...🙄 Fringe politics, lol. 😀

 

[SupportOGal]

This issue makes me really mad - it shouldn't be a question anymore at all. It's clear that President Obama was born in Hawaii, but those who wish to discredit him this way don't care for facts. I don't recall cries of outrage asking to see W's birth certificate when he became president. Why not? What if he wasn't a natural born citizen? I don't know, I've never seen his birth certificate! Apparently that's a normal thing to request of presidents, right? Oh yeah, he's a rich white guy, so why would we question it?

The political figure with the murkiest citizenship question is John McCain, but I don't recall anyone talking about that very much. He was born in the Panama Canal Zone, and his citizenship depends on what "natural-born" actually means, which the Constitution does not elaborate on. Legal scholars were/are divided on whether he meets the criteria to be president. (Note: I certainly think he is eligible, and that it shouldn't be a big question, but the point is that it's actually a valid question with him.)

If you don't like President Obama, use your valid reasons to disagree with him. That's fine! This birth certificate thing is completely unfounded, though.