US Citizens (Second Class)

An acquaintance of mine who lives in America and is of the teabag persuasion (his political beliefs are full of holes) has been getting into something of a stew - and not for the first time - about the so-called mystery of President Obama's birth certificate. Now, Obama's place of birth is a matter of complete indifference to me, but I do understand that the US Constitution declares that you must have been born a citizen in order to hold the office of president. My friend's conspiracy theories - or his expression of them, which makes it sound as if being born outside the US is tantamount to being a traitor - have reminded me again how odd that particular provision is. Like the business of bearing arms, this strikes me as one of those items that was understandable at the time it was written down, but has become indefensible since. Because, let's face it, it means that there are two classes of US citizens: those who can be trusted with executive power, and those who can't, by reason of their birth. No other class of American is excluded except the young,* who presumably won't stay young for ever, whereas being born a non-citizen is a stigma that bars you for life, no matter how exemplary that life may be. I'm not aware of any other country that has this kind of provision.

Oddly enough, the ban doesn't seem (as far as I can see) to be a particular bone of contention in the States itself, and I wonder why not? Is it just because relatively few adults want to become President? I'd have thought that, especially now, when immigration into the States is largely by non-WASPs, there would be a case for saying that the provision is effectively racist, aside from being just plain unfair.

There is a way around the sanction, though. I harbour a fantasy that Arnold Schwarzenegger will be able to run for president despite his Austrian birth by the simple expedient of getting himself sent back in time to 1787 so that he fulfils the alternative criterion of being a US citizen "at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution". Actually, I'm surprised he hasn't already done it.

* There may be others - convicts, perhaps? - but none seems to be mentioned in the Constitution.

US Citizens (Second Class)

An acquaintance of mine who lives in America and is of the teabag persuasion (his political beliefs are full of holes) has been getting into something of a stew - and not for the first time - about the so-called mystery of President Obama's birth certificate. Now, Obama's place of birth is a matter of complete indifference to me, but I do understand that the US Constitution declares that you must have been born a citizen in order to hold the office of president. My friend's conspiracy theories - or his expression of them, which makes it sound as if being born outside the US is tantamount to being a traitor - have reminded me again how odd that particular provision is. Like the business of bearing arms, this strikes me as one of those items that was understandable at the time it was written down, but has become indefensible since. Because, let's face it, it means that there are two classes of US citizens: those who can be trusted with executive power, and those who can't, by reason of their birth. No other class of American is excluded except the young,* who presumably won't stay young for ever, whereas being born a non-citizen is a stigma that bars you for life, no matter how exemplary that life may be. I'm not aware of any other country that has this kind of provision.

Oddly enough, the ban doesn't seem (as far as I can see) to be a particular bone of contention in the States itself, and I wonder why not? Is it just because relatively few adults want to become President? I'd have thought that, especially now, when immigration into the States is largely by non-WASPs, there would be a case for saying that the provision is effectively racist, aside from being just plain unfair.

There is a way around the sanction, though. I harbour a fantasy that Arnold Schwarzenegger will be able to run for president despite his Austrian birth by the simple expedient of getting himself sent back in time to 1787 so that he fulfils the alternative criterion of being a US citizen "at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution". Actually, I'm surprised he hasn't already done it.

* There may be others - convicts, perhaps? - but none seems to be mentioned in the Constitution.

"The Sun is God"

For me, travelling to work usually involves a 15-minute drive through a fairly unprepossessing part of Bristol (via the big Eastville Tesco and up the Fishponds Road, as often as not). Occasionally I walk it, in which case it becomes a hilly 50-minute trek, but one that allows me to take in a few pleasant shortcuts across parks and such. Today, however, the weather being particularly glorious, I decided to see whether it was possible to walk the four miles to work without using any pavements or streets at all. Barring a couple of hundred yards at the very beginning and end, and a fifty-yard stretch in the middle, it was. On the way back I took some photos...

( It kind of pleases me that it's possible take a walk like this through the middle of a city )

"The Sun is God"

For me, travelling to work usually involves a 15-minute drive through a fairly unprepossessing part of Bristol (via the big Eastville Tesco and up the Fishponds Road, as often as not). Occasionally I walk it, in which case it becomes a hilly 50-minute trek, but one that allows me to take in a few pleasant shortcuts across parks and such. Today, however, the weather being particularly glorious, I decided to see whether it was possible to walk the four miles to work without using any pavements or streets at all. Barring a couple of hundred yards at the very beginning and end, and a fifty-yard stretch in the middle, it was. On the way back I took some photos...

( It kind of pleases me that it's possible take a walk like this through the middle of a city )