I’ve Got Mine!
Most of us know right where our birth certificates are. I just pulled mine out of the little metal box where I have kept it ever since my parents entrusted it to me when I went away to college. Over the years I have had to produce it for one thing or another, like applying for a passport or enlisting in the military. In any event, I’ve always known that it was an important document and made sure I kept it in a safe place where I would always know right where it was. If I didn’t have a birth certificate or couldn’t find it, I know that I could apply through the proper channels and get a replacement, like my uncle had to do. It would be a simple matter of providing alternative documentation and witnesses…no big deal.
What It Tells About Me
My birth certificate has my full name, the county and city of my birth, the hospital where I was born, and my parents’ home address at the time. It also has the full names of both of my parents, in addition to their race, age, length of residence in the state and their birthplace, occupation and employer. It is signed by the doctor who delivered me. That’s actually a lot of information and it’s conceivable that some individuals might not want everyone to have access to this much personal data relating to their entry into the world.
Eighth Grade Civics
The radical turn that our country has taken since the 2008 presidential election has given many thoughtful citizens pause to reflect on just what the requirements are for someone seeking to become president. Birth certificates have been a significant part of that discussion. Anyone with even a basic understanding of civics knows that the Constitution of the United States requires that candidates running for president must have been born in the United States. Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the Constitution states that to be eligible to serve as President of the United States one must have attained the age of thirty-five and have been a resident within the United States for fourteen years. In addition, they must be a natural born citizen, which means they must have been born within the jurisdiction of the United States, including its territories, or born of citizens temporarily residing abroad.
Obama’s No Exception
Barack Obama isn’t being singled out for extra scrutiny (see WOW) about his birth certificate (or lack thereof), as his supporters suggest. Throughout the years, various candidates have been questioned about their eligibility to run for president based on this requirement and it seems reasonable to expect that anyone aspiring to this high office should be willing to prove they were born in the U.S.A. Back in 1964 the liberals tried to say that Barry Goldwater was ineligible because he was born in Arizona in 1909 while it was still a territory of the United States and not yet a state. More recently, John McCain was questioned because he was born on a military installation in the Panama Canal Zone where his father was stationed as a Navy officer. It seems ‘altogether fitting and proper’, as Abe Lincoln might say, to expect Barack Obama to produce his birth certificate and submit it to the same scrutiny as others have had to do.
Only Three Possible Explanations
There are really only three scenarios that would explain Mr. Obama’s failure to produce his birth certificate for scrutiny as other presidents have:
Scenario 1: Legitimate Birth Certificate with no Surprises
He has a legitimate birth certificate in his possession (probably in a little metal box like mine), documenting his birth in Hawaii and with no additional surprises in the accompanying documentation. He has been withholding his birth certificate from public scrutiny in order to stir up conservatives and his ultimate plan is to make fools of them when he finally does reveal it.
Scenario 2: Legitimate Birth Certificate with Surprises
He has a legitimate birth certificate in his possession, documenting his birth in Hawaii, but it has potentially embarrassing or controversial information in the accompanying documentation that he does not want the public to see.
Scenario 3: No Birth Certificate / Not Born in the U.S.A.
He has no birth certificate because he was not born in the United States of America and he is not eligible to be president according to the Constitution.
Enough Already!
The best case scenario from Mr. Obama’s point of view would be Scenario Number One. It would mean that this entire episode has been a game and that he has a legitimate birth certificate, proving that he was born in Hawaii. Most reasonable Americans are hoping that this is the case. If so, then OK, Mr. President, you win! Now would be a good time to ‘whip it out’ and make us all look like fools!