When our son Max was born in Liberia, we didn't expect any problems. We didn't have any, either, until the time came for us to come back to the States, when the official at the Embassy refused to issue him a passport on the basis that I might be his mother, but how could we prove that Jerry was his father? Jerry protested that he had been there at both ends of the process that produced Max, but the official was unimpressed.
"Where is your marriage certificate?" (Which come to think of it suggests real naivete on his part.) Our marriage certificate was back in Salt Lake City, safely in storage.
Jerry, in desperation, asked, "Couldn't you just give him a bastard's passport?" but the official sniffed, "We don't do things like that."
Finally he accepted the name change in my passport as proof that we were married and Max was legitimate. He issued us the passport, but he had the last word. "You realize that because the child was born overseas he will never be able to become president."
This didn't bother us, and doesn't seem to have bothered Max, either.
As I watched the inauguration, though, I thought about it. If he had decided to go into politics, he would not have been able to become president, because he was African-American.
But mostly I thought about our great-nephew, also Max, who, though born here, is racially African-American. He is three years old. Maybe he'll be the president by the time he is son Max's age. And no one will find race or birthplace even worth mentioning.
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5 comments:
Of course McCain, born in the Panama Canal Zone, wouldn't have been eligible either....
Lucie, I think the majority view is that people either born in the USA or born in another country with two parents who are both citizens of the USA would be a natural born citizen of the USA. There is a nice article on this subject in Wikipedia. The obvious reason for the constitutional provision was that the new nation didn't want the Tories to vote in a naturalized citizen of England who might try to restore the US as a British colony. There have been presidential candidates who were born outside the USA and they obviously thought they were eligible. But someone like Arnold Schwartzenegger is definitely not eligible.
Just goes to show you how much the Volgon at the embassy knew.
I go with Blue Spruce--natural born just means that the person's parents are American citizens. So Max can run for President if he wants. But I'd imagine all his bands are more fun!
What an interesting story!! We're thinking about you!
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