Constitutional Scholar and Instructor: “natural born Citizen” Means Born of Citizen Parents

“HE MUST BE LOYAL TO THE UNITED STATES ALONE”

by Sharon Rondeau

(Sep. 7, 2015) — In her August 24 radio broadcast, constitutional scholar, author and instructor KrisAnne Hall opened by stating that the current media focus on the 2016 presidential race is government-driven and “irrelevant.”

Hall’s radio show discusses current events including government overreach, liberty vs. security, Congress, and “a resolution in the House OUST Boehner!” [sic]

She then provided a history of what she described as Marxist “programming” creeping into American schools beginning in the early 1830s.

Hall is an attorney and former Florida deputy prosecutor who was terminated for teaching constitutional principles to Tea Party groups during her free time.  Throughout the year, she presents classes in the Constitution in various states on the topics of “The Roots of Liberty,” state sovereignty, the Second Amendment, and others.  Her husband, JC Hall, teaches a class entitled “Righteous Resistance to Civil Authority.”

The Halls both served in the U.S. military, where they met.

KrisAnne’s Facebook page is here.

In her discussion of public education, KrisAnne stated that the federal government has imposed an “outline” devised by the National Education Association (NEA), Marxists and John D. Rockefeller to “brainwash” children.  She said that students are now being taught the “global view” of The Golden Rule, to include philosophies from world religions.  Reading from a North Carolina educational plan, Hall said that teaching “respect,” “addressing global citizenship” and an “agenda” fostered by the United Nations to diminish gun ownership are elements which have already been implemented in that state.

Citing statistics on the causes of teenage deaths stated in the North Carolina educational plan, Hall said the facts were misrepresented to children, reportedly stating that firearms are a major factor.  “Here we are, teaching our children lies,” she said.

She recommended the work of Charlotte Iserbyt, who wrote “The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America” which is available for downloading at no charge.

Obama’s “Common Core” educational standards are reportedly confusing and frustrating many children and have been rejected by a number of state legislatures and parents. The Common Core website states that the curriculum is based on “international models,” among other things.

At the 23:12 mark, Hall said that the “global” instruction children receive in public schools today confuses them about their U.S. citizenship, turning to a discussion of that topic.

Obama has been called a “citizen of the world,” and questions about his constitutional eligibility as a “natural born Citizen” as required by Article II, Section 1, clause 5 of the U.S. Constitution persist.  On his 2008 now-defunct “FighttheSmears” website, Obama claimed dual citizenship with Kenya and the U.S. at birth and presidential eligibility under the 14th Amendment, not the Constitution.

The eligibility of Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Marco Rubio, Gov. Bobby Jindal, and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum has also been questioned based on the citizenship of their parents when they were born.

“Citizenship is a ‘parent’ thing, not a ‘child’ thing,” Hall began.  Moving to the Article II requirement for president, she contended that the Founders defined “natural born Citizen” as “a child born of two parents who were citizens of the United States at the time of the birth of the child.”

For those who disagree with her characterization of the term, Hall recommended an article at Publius Huldah‘s website for greater amplification.  “A person who is born of just one parent who is a citizen of the United States is a citizen by birth, but not a ‘natural born Citizen,'” Hall continued.  “Someone cannot hold or have held dual citizenship with a foreign country and be a ‘natural born Citizen,’ and the fact that we are confused about this qualification or perhaps even wish to alter this qualification has to be because we don’t understand why this qualification was established in the first place,” Hall said.

She explained that the Framers insisted on the requirement for the president because of their previous experience with rulers seeking “foreign influence” in other countries.  Quoting George Washington, Hall said that he had believed that “liberty” would be greatly endangered by foreigners seeking authority over the new government.

Hall stated that the “exception” contained in Article II, Section 1, cause 5, also known as the “grandfather clause,” which allowed the Framers themselves, most of whom were born British citizens, to serve as president was included so that those who fought the American Revolution and shown undivided loyalty to their new nation could serve.  “The president is the commander-in-chief of the military.  Our Framers knew from their history that it would be extremely dangerous to allow someone of foreign influence to exercise power over our military,” she said, invoking the letter written by Founding Father John Jay to George Washington on July 25, 1787 while the Constitutional Convention was under way.

“The commander-in-chief must be loyal to the United States first and only,” Hall said, contending that if both parents were U.S. citizens, the child would have been raised without any “attachment” or “bias” toward a foreign country.

At 32:26, Hall summarized that “protecting America, protecting the states, protecting the people from foreign influence was a very, very important thing to our Framers, and they knew, chief of that, was protecting the office of the president from anyone with foreign influence.”

Additionally, she said that “the birthplace” of a child has never established citizenship or a “natural born Citizen.”

“Our Framers did what they did on purpose,” she contended, cautioning Americans to “think very long and very hard” before “diluting” or “altering” the meaning of the “natural born Citizen” clause as intended by the Framers.  “We would do well to learn from this history instead of dooming ourselves to repeat history’s mistakes,” she said.

Using the word “anchor,” Hall then recapped that “natural born” citizenship “is linked to both parents…for a very important reason: because the commander-in-chief cannot have a partial love or a partial hatred for a country.  He must be loyal to the United States alone.”

The term “anchor baby” has been invoked by some of the 2016 presidential candidates as well as Americans who oppose “birthright citizenship” awarded from the current interpretation of the 14th Amendment, which historical texts indicate was not intended to apply to illegal aliens and their children.

Posing a list of hypothetical questions involving divided allegiance, Hall told her listeners in closing, “These are the reasons why we need to know our history.”