Portrait of a smear

No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States. — US Constitution. Article II. Section 1.

Again, and again, there has been shown by reoccurring examples, that, many Republicans and their supporters do not read, understand or respect the Constitution of the United States of America. Again, and again, there has been shown by reoccurring examples, that, many Republicans and their supporters will state untruths as truths. The wording to one adage of experience is something near to: do not ascribe malevolence to something that can be explained by ignorance. The mind is constructed to recognise patterns. The patterns are: Republicans have no scrupulosity about truth, and run continuous black propaganda meaning to deceive, and will not relent in repeating falsity.

Richard Shelby was a Democratic senator from Alabama. In 1994 the Republicans did well enough, at the polls, to become the majority party in both houses of Congress. Since then, Shelby has been a Republican. Saturday, past, he spoke at a steak house in Cullman County, Alabama, and answered questions. Someone brought up a rumor, that, has extensively, and has repeatedly shown to be without merit, and utterly false. Shelby is quoted saying:

“Well his father was Kenyan and they said he was born in Hawaii, but I haven’t seen any birth certificate. You have to be born in America to be president.”

Well this will not end, and it is not meant to end. Once a story has been made, it exists, and as existing, someone will encounter it a first time, and then another... Truth is not a prerequisite for a story’s continuance. This story is put out, and is meant to cause doubt concerning the legitimacy of Barack Obama as president. This has been a continuing Republican tactic. gwbushjr stole two elections, and we have emerged from eight years of criminal conspiracy, and the press will not discuss that.

Beyond that, to say “his father was Kenyan” is meant to say “his father was a black african, not born in the US”. That is meant to rekindle the country’s bigotry against negroes, mulattoes, non-nativists, and the children of immigrants. Beside that, at the time Kenya was a british colony, and kenyans were british subjects. Republicans do not say, “Obama had a british father”.

Barack Obama was born in Hawaii. The document exists and has been made public. Is Shelby the officer in charge of examining candidates’ documents? Does Obama need to send every Republican a copy of his birth certificate? Have you seen Shelby’s birth certificate. Hawaiʻi was annexed to the United States by Senate vote on 6 July 1898, 42 to 21. On 21 August 1959 territorial status changed to that of a state. Obama was born 4 August 1961.

Shelby’s statement is untrue on several points. Shelby’s statement is malicious on several points. Barack Obama was qualified as a candidate for the presidency, de jure and in ability, and was legally elected and installed, unlike the previous occupant. Obama did take the oath, unnecessarily a second time, probably to stem idiotic statements, that, he was not properly inaugurated. The only unresolved item is whether: Shelby is ignorant and idiotically so, stupid, mean, mean and stupid, or cunningly malevolent?