GOP senators call for repeal of 14th Amendment birthright provision

Senator John Kyl: Maintaining the dignity of the World's Greatest Deliberative Body

From CBS News:

Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz., said today that Congress should hold hearings to look into denying citizenship to illegal aliens' children born in the United States, as the fight over immigration widens into the explosive "birthright" issue.

Last week Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he was considering introducing a Constitutional amendment to repeal a provision of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born within U.S. borders. Graham suggested that children born in the United States whose parents are here illegally should not automatically become U.S. citizens.

The 14th Amendment was enacted in 1868 to ensure that states would not deny citizenship to former slaves. It reads, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

This is another example of Republican desperation in the face of the decline of the one demographic they can still count on: white people frightened at the prospect of their irrevocable (and inevitable) loss of power and status.  And wouldn't you know it?  After all the hysterical tea-bagger jibber jabber that President Obama was going to repeal the 2nd Amendment and take away their guns, it is the Republicans who are calling for a repeal of rights from the Constitution that they (falsely and cynically) claim to revere.

It is hard to imagine that Republican fear-mongers like John Kyl and Lindsey Graham might actually succeed in altering the Constitution.  That would require that they win a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress, plus win passage in 38 of the 50 state legislatures across the country.  But I expect that they know that it is a pipe dream.  What they hope for, of course, is another hot-button issue they can use to rally their idiot base.

They have used the abortion issue over the years in the same way.  And, if you recall, there was even some talk, back in the Newt Gingrich era, about a constitutional amendment requiring Congress to balance the federal budget every year.  Nothing ever happens with either of these issues but, boy, oh boy, do they work the right-wing fringe into a lather!

It is offensive to me that a despicable loser like John Kyl (or Joe Lieberman) imagines he has any authority at all to determine the legitimacy of anyone's citizenship.  If anyone is going to have his citizenship examined, I propose that we start with bald-faced hypocrites who ignore the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution against cruel and unusual punishment in order to protect a war criminal.

But, even Cheney should be afforded due process.

Because if we're going to start questioning each other's rights, where will it stop?