World News

Here's a crazy story. Ireland has passed a blasphemy law. It makes blasphemy a crime punishable by a fine of up to €25,000 (about $46K). The law defines blasphemy as "publishing or uttering matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby intentionally causing outrage among a substantial number of adherents of that religion, with some defences permitted."

Is it 2009 or 1359?

The rationale is likely to try to prevent incidents such as the one where a Danish newspaper published cartoons about Islam that were viewed as offensive by some Muslims. Some extremists even declared jihad on the artists and just this past week one tried to kill one of the cartoonists. There are movements by some Islamic nations to get similar international laws passed.

This is clearly a freedom of speech issue and no-one should be letting extremists intimidate them into censorship. In a free world anyone should be allowed to say that their god is sacred and anyone else should be allowed to say that that person's god is not sacred. Grow up people. Another person criticising your faith does not in any way affect the reality of your faith. Everyone's sacred cow is someone else's hamburger.

Remember, blasphemy is not hate speech. Blasphemy is speech that is contrary to the tenets of a religion. Someone speculating that Jesus might have been married is blasphemy to many. The people saying it have no hate for Jesus or those that follow him.

Anyway, a group of Irish atheists has decided to challenge the law by publishing a website with a collection of quotes from various people - historical figures, fictional characters, and even figures of various religions. Even Jesus has a quote on there (remember, he was accused of being blasphemous by the Jewish elders).

Click here to visit their site and add your own blasphemous comment.

One of the stories getting a lot of press is the "Birther" movement that doesn't believe that Barack Obama is legally eligible to be President of the United States because they think he was born in Kenya, not Hawaii, as he claims.

The opponents of the birthers argue back that he has a birth certificate on record in Hawaii and there was a newspaper announcement in Honolulu when he was born. Both of which have been made public. (Read more, here).

All of that is needless, though. A simple look at US Naturalization law reveals the following:

2. Who is born a U.S. citizen?
Generally, people are born U.S. citizens if they are born in the United States or if they are born to U.S. citizens:
(1) If you were born in the United States:
Normally you were a U.S. citizen at birth. (Including, in most cases, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and after November 4, 1986, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands),
(2) If you were born abroad to TWO U.S. citizens:
And at least one of your parents lived in the United States at some point in his or her life, then in most cases you are a U.S. citizen.
(3) If you were born abroad to ONE U.S. citizen:
In most cases, you are a U.S. citizen if all of the following are true:
• One of your parents was a U.S. citizen when you were born;
• Your citizen parent lived at least 5 years in the United States before you were born; and
• At least 2 of those 5 years in the United States were after your citizen
parent’s 14th birthday.

(read more, here)

A quick search of the bio of Barack Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, shows that she was born on a military base (Ft. Leavenworth) in Kansas, the geographic center of the United States. Her family moved around, a little, but all within the United States. She very clearly was born in the United States and clearly lived there for over 18 years before giving birth to Barack.

The Constitution of the United States sets the following (and only the following) restrictions on eligibility to be the President:

No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

(read more here).

Since under US naturalization law, even if he had not been born in Hawaii, Barack Obama meets the standards to be considered "born American", he therefore meets the requirements in the Constitution.

Story closed. Yet, I haven't heard any discussion on this subject that serves to illuminate the law.

Humorist and author John Hodgman (most famous for his appearances on The Daily Show and the Mac vs. PC commercials) gave a long, but amusing, pro-nerd speech at the Radio & TV Correspondents' Dinner. He teased the president about his nerd credentials.

I try to avoid politics on this site, but when someone exposes their own stupidity (or dishonesty), I can't help it.

Newt Gingrich is a history professor, and yet he said the following on the Today Show on NBC:

Q: But do you think he should not be trying to mend relationships with other world leaders?

GINGRICH: How do you mend relationships with somebody who hates your country, who actively calls for the destruction of your country and who wants to undermine you?

Q: But we certainly have mended relationships with countries that have hated us in the past. Russia comes to mind, China comes to mind.

GINGRICH: But we didn't rush over, smile, and greet Russian dictators. We understood who they were.

Ummm, then explain these, Mr. Gingrich:

The context was that Gingrich was outraged that when Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez approached President Obama, Obama shook the proffered hand.