An Open Letter to a Friend

Last night I had a rather heated discussion with a conservative and very smart guy I have known for some 45 years. Yes, that's right, 45 YEARS! We grew up together, we saw each other turn from kids to boys to men and during that time we often went opposite directions but never lost our appreciation for each others company.

Somehow through all those years we have managed to stay in relatively close contact even though we're physically separated by hundreds of miles, and equally amazing we ended up astonishingly sympatico with each others values and beliefs.

Now to the disagreement. We had discussed several topics and as usual agreed down the line when the subject of Hussein's birth certificate came up. It was at that point in time that my great friend uttered something that floored me. ..."Does it really matter?". His assertion basically being that the Constitutional provision concerning natural birth was probably insignificant compared to the damage it could potentially do to the country if this was pursued and "The One" would be shown to be of foreign birth.

His concern for our great nation and his willingness to swallow a bitter pill for the good of the country is as admirable as it is misguided. There are but 3 requirements that our brilliant founding fathers felt important enough to include in the second most sacred of documents ever published and one of those three is that the head of the Executive Branch of our government be a "NATURAL BORN CITIZEN". What was their intent? That could be debated endlessly, but the bottom line is it wasn't parsed, modified with caveats, or diluted. It is what it is and to ignore that basic requirement is to essentially admit that the Constitution is rather than a sacred and inviolate document only to be amended as prescribed, but, rather, simply a "guide" to be invoked when convenient and discarded when expedient.

Many readers of this blog may question my candor on this, but, I DO truly hope that Obama does meet the Constitutional requirements to be POTUS. As G [my bud] acccurately argues, the alternative could be devastating to the country. But, more devastating yet, would be the subverting of our nation of laws to accomodate our nation of men. An old adage comes to mind...."The road to hell is often paved with the best of intentions" The natural born requirement may not be good, or right, or even smart but it is the law and to disregard it in an attempt to foster momentary political harmony is to delegitimize all that we are.