Full Circle
The Constitution is a living document, and I how I know this is that it can be amended. If the framers and founders wanted a Constitution set in stone for all time, they would have included a provision like “This document can never be modified or amended or added to in any way. Suck it, our progeny.”
But no, they included and envisioned an amendment process because they knew society evolves and changes. And so it came to pass that 14th Amendment was passed and ratified, and thus added to the Constitution. You see, once an Amendment is ratified in the necessary manner, it becomes a provision of the Constitution. It becomes the Constitution. It is the Constitution. So Mr. Trump, and all idiot Republicans following his fascist and racist path, the 14th Amendment cannot be unconstitutional, for that is saying the Constitution is unconstitutional.
Now, if you want to change the Constitution, that is all well and good. I want to amend the 2nd Amendment to make it clear that gun ownership can be regulated and if necessary prohibited to certain classes of individuals like felons and the mentally ill. I want to amendment the Constitution to make it clear that money is not speech and campaign contributions can be limited, regulated and disclosed. I know the chances of both being ratified are slim to none in the near term, because the process of amending the constitution is arduous. You need two thirds majorities in both houses of Congress. Then you need three fourths of the states to ratify it. If you fascist Republicans want to end birthright citizenship as found in the 14th Amendment, you have to do it by amendment. And good luck to you, for you will fail horribly. And you should fail, because ending birthright citizenship is the most unAmerican thing I have ever heard of.
What is birthright citizenship? Well, the 14th Amendment says the following: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
That means if you are a citizen if you are born here in the United States or are naturalized as a citizen through the immigration process.
So I keep hearing Republicans say they want to end the birthright citizenship provision because they just hate them so brown anchor babies. But if you are going to strike that provision, what are you going to replace it with?
Only white people of European descent are citizens? Only male property owners are citizens? Only those who have served in the military are citizens?
The reason for the 14th Amendment in the first place was due to the racism of those wanted to disenfranchise African Americans. And it was the Republicans of their day that fought for this amendment, that fought for the citizenship of those who did not look like your white bread framer of the past. And now we have come full circle, with Republicans wanting to end birthright citizenship because don’t want people who don’t look, or act, or speak like them to be citizens.
In the grand scheme of things we are lucky as mankind that Donald Trump is able to speak on this so in the subsequent discussion, we can as a nation decide where we want to be…
After much thinking, it is probably better to have such discussions out in the open where everyone can weigh in, in this case Hispanics too, than have such large sweeping changes be decided only in the Republican caucus room of the US. Senate.
In that vein, I have come to the conclusion that Trump is good for America (Good for America as long as he doesn’t get elected that is) and that our founding fathers knew what they were doing when the allowed for even that possibility to occur…
He is doing a better job at painting the Republicans as bigots, KKK lovers, torturers, Hate-mongers, than you or I ever could. One can just feel the intense hatrid seething under their surface, and exposing that vein to the American people, I think, can create the environment where change for the better is possible.
Bravo Kavips! Well said.
Hope you are right Kavips. However, I am not as trusting of the American electorate. I can see another candidate who represents much of what Trump is saying, but coming out of the pack and being seen in a positive light in contrast to Trump. Most Republicans will feel a big sigh of relief and get behind that candidate. I think these are dangerous times and am hoping that the Clinton campaign is ready to effectively tie the Republican nominee to the positions taken during the primary.
That’s the beauty of constant media coverage, much like 2012 there will be no backtracking on the far right insanity of the primary. Also believe Clinton is ready for whatever the Republicans and their billionaire buddies throw at her, and that includes the corporate media we know and love so well.
Full circle indeed — here’s an Iowa conservative with a proposal to make undocumented immigrants the property of the state/a>.
14th amendment does not apply to American Samoans. Making it the only place in the United States without birthright citizenship.
Do I even need to say it was due to some racist court rulings?
“Do I even need to say it was due to some racist court rulings?’
Well, you could but I would do a bit of research first. American Samoans themselves are divided on the question of whether they would like to be Americans. The government of American Samoa, head by the governor (Lolo Matalasi Moliga), a High Talking Chief from the village of Sili, members of his administration, as well as the legislative branch are all opposed. They even legally intervened in the court case to support the US Government’s contention that the Samoans are divided on the issue and cannot act to grant citizenship until and if there is more universal agreement by the Samoans.
Perhaps they don’t see the benefits of US citizenship, but racism? Not so sure.