Lawsuit Claims Obama Can't Be President Because He's Black. Seriously.

[The Grand Nudger]

Why is a mixed race person always considered black? I've said it before, i'll say it again, except for his excellent soul singing, he's all honkey. Banks, lobbying, fuck me, he's practically a Texan.

But seriously, why black, not white?

Horseman, cmon...Everyone knows that white is the default color of racial purity. If you are anything less than completely white, you're black.

[Rev. Rye]

Why is a mixed race person always considered black? I've said it before, i'll say it again, except for his excellent soul singing, he's all honkey. Banks, lobbying, fuck me, he's practically a Texan.

But seriously, why black, not white?

You see, in America, we have the "one-drop rule." Basically, if a person has any black ancestry (at least after 1620,) they count as black. Why does this rule exist? To preserve the White Supremacist Power Structure.

As Barack Hussein Obama II is of the “mulatto” race, his status of citizenship is founded upon the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Before the [purported] ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, the race of “Negro” or “mulatto” had no standing to be citizens of the United States under the United States Constitution.

If only he had been born after July 9, 1868, because if he was, than this whole constitutional quibbling is totally fucking pointless... oh wait! Yes he was, and yes it is!

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

That's what you Americans have to pay for an efficient justice system

Americans have a justice system? WOW! I didn't know that. When did that happen? Last I knew,the US had a deeply flawed legal system, in which is justice is occasionally done through happy accident.(just like virtually every other country on earth)

This cynical view was taught to me by lawyers; I know quite a few lawyers socially.

[Minimalist]

I'm just glad that one of the republibertarianeo-conazi fucktards had the decency to finally say what all the rest of the cocksuckers are thinking!

[The Grand Nudger]

Justice system no, system of revenge by legal recourse...yes.

[leo-rcc]

A plot from Yes, Minister many years ago featured a staggeringly succesful and hugely embarassing petition, which Jim Hacker MP ordered to be destroyed so that no-one would ever see it again. His Private Secretary, Bernard, replied that "in that case, it would be better if I filed it." Speaking as an ex-Civil Servant myself, I know this to be spookily accurate.

I frequently use that scene as an example myself. Yes Minister was a great comedy series.

The explanation of the papers in the UK still holds true:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGscoaUWW2M

[reverendjeremiah]

Yes..for those who do not live in America we have racism entrenched in our history.

We have the "one drop" concept that rev Rye so elegantly pointed out.

We also have the 3/5ths rule - where black people are not consider a whole person, but merely 3/5ths of a person. A slave owner could use his slaves as an extra vote for whoever the slave owner wanted to vote for.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-Fifths_Compromise

One drop of black blood makes you 3/5ths of a person.

[The Grand Nudger]

A slave owner could use his slaves as an extra vote for whoever the slave owner wanted to vote for.

That sounds eerily similar to something we're still doing...lol.

[Rev. Rye]

We also have the 3/5ths rule - where black people are not consider a whole person, but merely 3/5ths of a person. A slave owner could use his slaves as an extra vote for whoever the slave owner wanted to vote for.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-Fifths_Compromise

One drop of black blood makes you 3/5ths of a person.

Technically, it's better to use "had" for this one; while the effects of the "one drop rule" are still felt, the 3/5 compromise is a relic of the days of slavery that ceased to be relevant after the passage of the 13th amendment.

Here's the thing: during the drafting of our constitution, there was some debate as to who counted towards the population; this was due to the fact that there was to be a strict proportion of 1 representative per 30,000 people. There was some conflict: Abolitionists didn't want slaves to be counted, as it just gave more power to the slave states. Less extreme northeners didn't see the point in including slaves, since they didn't have a vote anyway. Southerners, however, wanted to count them, so that they had political power. In the end, they decided on having them count as 3/5 of a person. As a result, until the election of Lincoln, the South dominated Congress, and their peculiar institution was preserved.

And I'd like to conclude with a reading:

Just to the left, and not very far away, were the Triple Demons of Compromise—one tall and thin, one short and fat, and the third exactly like the other two. As always, they moved in ominous circles, for if one said "here," the other said "there," and the third agreed perfectly with both of them. And, since they always settled their differences by doing what none of them really wanted, they rarely got anywhere at all—and neither did anyone they met.

[Doubting Thomas]

I guess they've finally given up on the whole "born in Kenya" thing for something even more retarded.

Before the [purported] ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, the race of “Negro” or “mulatto” had no standing to be citizens of the United States under the United States Constitution.

I'm pretty sure the 14th Amendment was ratified long before 1961. Unless they're trying to claim that it was never ratified, with the [purported] inserted in there.