Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Far Right wants review of birthright citizenship

Republicans want review of birthright citizenship

Click "Republicans" above to read full Yahoo article

Begin quote of above article below:


"I'm not sure exactly what the drafters of the (14th) amendment had in mind, but I doubt it was that somebody could fly in from Brazil and have a child and fly back home with that child, and that child is forever an American citizen," Sessions said.
Legal experts say repealing the citizenship right can be done only through constitutional amendment, which would require approval by two-thirds majorities in both chambers of Congress and by three-fourths of the states. Legislation to amend the right, introduced previously in the House, has stalled.
end quote.

Though I agree having someone fly in from another country just to deliver their baby here so they can become an American Citizen might cheapen citizenship for the rest of us, I think trying to take away becoming a citizen by birth from the rest of us who live here is pretty crazy. Also, the probability that this will be done is somewhere between zero and 1 out of 10. Look at the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution. It has never passed three fourths of the states individual Congresses and that was about 30 or so years ago. It is very hard to amend the U.S. Constitution at any time and I think even harder now in these fractious times when people are talking about states secceeding like during the Civil War 150 years ago. I personally think a new amendment has no chance at all of passing 3/4 of the state congresses even if you gave it 10 or 15 years.

note: I checked the status of the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution: 35 of the necessary 38 states have ratified it and both houses of Congress ratified it in 1972. If three more states ratify it it will become a legally binding Amendment to the Constitution.

So just like the ERA Amendment it might take 30 to 40 years and still not pass as an amendment. If the equal rights amendment hasn't passed in all these years there isn't much hope for this amendment either.

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