Do the sponsors of HJR34 believe in anti-Obama conspiracy theories?

[struggle4progress]

by: RBH
Wed Mar 04, 2009 at 01:24:21 AM CST

There are a lot of things wrong with something calling itself a "voter's bill of rights" that looks more like a laundry list of favors to help Republicans (such as a constitutional bar on early voting and paying people for voter registration). I suspect that if any action is made on HJR 34, the voter ID portions will be mentioned more in depth. But, something stood out to me in this bill.

Section 8. We the people of Missouri adopt a voter's bill of rights as a defense against corruption, fraud, and tyranny. Missouri voters shall have the following rights:

3. The right to have only qualified candidates placed on the ballot. The secretary of state shall determine that each person is qualified for the office he or she seeks, according to the law, before placing his or her name on the ballot. For candidates who are required by the Constitution of the United States to be natural born citizens, the secretary of state shall request an official copy of the candidate's birth certificate. Other certifications, such as a certificate of live birth, shall not be accepted. Should any candidate fail to provide an official birth certificate within thirty days of the request by the secretary of state, his or her name shall not be placed on the ballot. The secretary of state shall verify the qualifications of any elected officeholder who was previously placed on a Missouri ballot. Should any elected officeholder fail to provide the required documentation or birth certificate within thirty days of the request by the secretary of state, the secretary of state shall turn the matter over to the attorney general who shall within twenty days file suit to obtain the required documentation ... http://blog.showmeprogress.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2538

This is screamingly funny, because "birth certificate" is typically just an short and informal name for "certificate of live birth." I know what my own original birth certificate looks like because I have a notarized photocopy of the paperwork with the delivery doctor's signature -- and across the top it says plainly "certificate of live birth." Maybe the idiots in the Missouri state legislature hope that Obama couldn't be re-elected if they passed their law, since in Hawaii the "birth certificate" is called "certificate of live birth." I suppose they also hope to prevent any Missouri residents from being elected President in the future, because the text of the current Missouri Statute for this vital record discusses neither "birth certificates" nor "certificates of live birth" but only "certificates of birth"

Loa‘a Ka ‘Aina Ho‘opulapula
Applying for Hawaiian Home Lands
... Sample of the PREFERRED birth certificate: Certificate of Live Birth ...
http://hawaii.gov/dhhl/applicants/Loaa%20Ka%20Aina%20Hoopulapula.pdf

Missouri Revised Statutes
Chapter 193
Vital Statistics
Section 193.085
http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/c100-199/1930000085.htm
August 28, 2008

[Lasher]

1. Are these people intentionally trying to look stupid?

Either way they're doing a mighty fine job of it.