Based
on the hysterical flailing at Donald Trump -- He's a buffoon! He's a
clown! He calls people names! He's too conservative! He's not
conservative enough! He won't give details! His details won't work! --
I gather certain Republicans are determined to drive him from the race.
These same Republicans never object to other candidates who lack
traditional presidential resumes -- Carly Fiorina, Ben Carson, Newt
Gingrich and Herman Cain, to name a few. I'm beginning to suspect it's
all about Trump's opposition to mass immigration from the Third World.
Amid the hysteria, Trump is the only one speaking clearly and
logically, while his detractors keep making utter asses of themselves.
By my count -- so far -- Fiorina, Chris Christie, Rick Perry and the
entire Fox News commentariat are unfamiliar with a period of the
nation's history known as "the Civil War." They seem to believe that
the post-Civil War amendments were designed to ensure that the children
of illegal aliens would be citizens, "anchor babies," who can then
bring in the whole family. (You wouldn't want to break up families,
would you?)
As FNC's Bill O'Reilly authoritatively informed Donald Trump on Tuesday
night: "The 14th Amendment says if you're born here, you're an
American!"
I cover anchor babies in about five pages of my book, Adios, America,
but apparently Bill O'Reilly and the rest of the scholars on Fox News
aren't what we call "readers."
Huh.
In 1884, 16 years after the 14th Amendment was ratified, John Elk, who
-- as you may have surmised by his name -- was an Indian, had to go to
the Supreme Court to argue that he was an American citizen because he
was born in the United States.
He lost.
In Elk v. Wilkins, 112 U.S. 94, the Supreme Court ruled that the 14th
Amendment did not grant Indians citizenship. [... they obtained
citizenship in a law perplexingly titled: "THE INDIAN CITIZENSHIP ACT
OF 1924."
Yeah, Trump's the idiot.
Still, how could anyone -- even a not-very-bright person -- imagine
that granting citizenship to the children of illegal aliens is actually
in our Constitution? I know the country was exuberant after the war,
but I really don't think our plate was so clear that Americans were
consumed with passing a constitutional amendment to make illegal
aliens' kids citizens.
Put differently: Give me a scenario -- just one scenario -- where
guaranteeing the citizenship of children born to illegals would be
important to Americans in 1868. You can make it up. It doesn't have to
be a true scenario. Any scenario!
You know what's really bothering me? If someone comes into the country
illegally and has a kid, that kid should be an American citizen!
Damn straight they should!
We've got to codify that.
MORE -"
YOU
MEAN IT'S NOT ALREADY IN THE CONSTITUTION?"