Desiree Ventura has written another amazing, heartfelt, insightful, inspiring post at her blog The Drowning Mermaid. Anyone who wants some insight into Chamorro culture would do well to start here.
She also mentions something in this post that I never knew: evidently, even though Guam is supposed to be "American soil," if you're born on Guam - but outside of a US military base - you cannot run for president. Here's her (hilarious) take on this little tidbit:
"There's part of me that thinks it's funny when stateside mothers end up giving birth here. Whenever it happens, I feel the sudden urge to inform the family that their child will never grow up to be president. When I see an American woman walking around heavy with child, I find myself hoping she'll go into labor just so this fact can pop up and bug her later in life. I know. It's pretty immature. I'm working on that."
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Why Can't I Be...Indigenous Without You
2 weeks ago
1 comment:
Technically, a person born on Guam CAN become president of the US. There are only three requirements to be the US president
1) at least 35 years old
2) a Natural Born Citizen of the US (more on this below)
3) lived the past 14 years in the "United States"
re point #2) -- Barry Goldwater ran for president in the 1964 elections even though he was born in the Territory of Arizona prior to statehood. Some people asked whether that violated the natural born provision, but the courts decided that it did not.
Also John McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone to US citizen parents. Of course the Canal Zone never became a state. There was a specific Congressional inquiry to determine if he was eligible as a natural born citizen, and they decided it was so.
Finally, there is some semi-serious talk about Luis Fortuno, the current governor of Puerto Rico, running for president in 2012. His situation is most like the one you describe: born to US citizen parents in the territory of Puerto Rico. The analysis so far has been that he may be eligible, but that if he had lived in the 50 states for the past 14 years that he would definitely be eligible. Many analysts believe that even that residency requirement of 14 years in the United States may be included in residence in the terriories.
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