My Way or the Highway

Mine is the Great Truth. Yours is only a myth.

   The rebirth of the chant, "Love America or leave it" is little more than a demand that everyone must agree with the chanter, and those who disagree must "go back to where you came from."
   The problem with that, of course, is that America was founded on disagreement, when the colonials decided that the iron-fisted ruling attempts by the British government at the time could no longer be tolerated.
   In fact, the first to come to America were those who disagreed with government policy at the time. This includes the Pilgrims, who wanted the freedom to worship as they chose, and not be forced to join the Established Church, especially if they wanted to take part in government.
   Currently, the demand that those who disagree with the president "go back to where you came from" is silly on its face, because many already are where they came from. They were born here.
   Meanwhile, the independent news media are increasingly critical of the tweets emanating from the Oval Office. But "critical," however, may not be the appropriate word. Straight reporting of the name-calling and insults, as well as the racial, ethnic and sexist slurs aimed at those who disagree with the president is enough.
   Such a practice fulfills the journalistic duty of reporting accurately what a government official says and does, and also carries forward the mission of informing readers and viewers so they can decide for themselves how to vote.
   And lest we forget, the Constitution specifies that a candidate for Congressional office must have reached the age of twenty-five years and been seven years a Citizen of the United States, and who when elected, be an inhabitant of the state in which she shall be chosen.
   That's for the House of Representatives. A Senate candidate must be at least thirty years of age, be a citizen for nine years, and must live in the state he or she wishes to serve.
   Clearly, there is no requirement that the candidate be born in the U.S. The Constitution does not require that a candidate for Congressional office be a native born citizen, nor does it require that she or he be a natural born citizen.
   For the president to say that the four women members of Congress who criticized him "go back" to where they came from defies the Constitution, since three of them already are where they came from. The fourth came here at a young age, acquired citizenship, and reached the minimum age mandated for members of the House of Representatives.
   In fact, nowhere in the Constitution does it specify that a government official be born here. Even for the presidency, the qualification is that a candidate be a "natural born citizen." That's not the same as "native born." A candidate for president could be born anywhere in the world, and if at least one parent is a U.S. citizen, then the child is by definition a "natural born citizen." Only a presidential candidate must be a "natural born citizen." The Constitution also requires that a presidential candidate be at thirty-five years of age, "and been fourteen years a resident within the United States."
   As for ranting "go back to where you came from," one wonders how many generations a family must live in this country before they become "true Americans." If it's more than two generations, then the current president himself does not meet that requirement, and he should "go back" to where he came from. In his case, that would be Germany, since that's where his grandparents lived before coming to America.
   But maybe he can't go back, because Germany may not want him.