Barack and Hillary: Showdown in Texas and Ohio

March 4, this coming Tuesday – will it solve anything in the race for the Democratic nomination? Primaries and caucuses are taking place in Texas and Ohio, key states because there are large numbers of delegates at stake. Neither state is a winner take all election. The allocation of delegates to the candidates will be based on percentage of the vote in the primaries. This means that unless one candidate wins an overwhelming percentage of the votes the total delegate count will still be very close. Right now in the polls, Obama and Clinton are running virtually neck and neck in both states.

Texas has 193 delegates at stake in their primary and Ohio has around 100 so you can see there is a lot at stake here in the race to reach the magic number of 2,025 needed to win the nomination. It appears that this race might have to be decided at the convention it is so close.

Clinton desparately needs a convincing win in either Texas or Ohio or she may face elimination. Obama on the other hand might be able to take an insurmountable lead should he win a large percentage in one or the other. I don’t believe that will happen, but watch closely to see if one or the other can deliver a knockout blow. Democrats need to get this race decided so they can focus on the apparent Republican nominee John McCain, instead of fighting each other.

McCain Ineligible to be President? You be the Judge.

The New York Times published an article February 28, 2008 by Carl Hulse that may throw the proverbial wrench into Republican John McCain’s bid to become President of the United States. (left: photo of Senator McCain campaigning. Taken  from his website.)

McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936 to American-born parents. The Canal Zone was a Territory of the United States, not a State or even a Possession. His birthplace was a U.S. military base within the Zone.

The Constitution of the United States states that to be eligible to be President a person must be “natural born”. The exact wording is found in Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution,

“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.”

Most Constitutional experts seem to feel that McCain would win any court challenge, but clearly a challenge could prove messy and the outcome unpredictable. If it was legally challenged before or during the election it could hurt his election chances, and a challenge after his inauguration could prove disastrous for the country. What would happen if he became president, a challenge was mounted and the Supreme Court ruled against him? He would be forced to resign the presidency or be removed from office. What a shocking development that would be.

The crux of the issue relates to the definition of “natural born Citizen” in the Constitution. This would be the clause that the legal interpretation would hinge on. Several things should be in his favor in any challenge,

1) The Panama Canal Zone was a Territory of the United States. Anyone born there would likely be considered “natural born”.

2) He was born on an America military base. Surely this would be considered American soil by the court.

3) He was born to parents who were both “natural born Citizens”, that is they were born in the contiguous fifty United States of America.

If there is no challenge, at the minimum it should be clarified at some future date simply to avoid confusion. Some interesting factoids illustrate confusion that has already occurred. Fortunately, nothing major has occurred to date. However, McCain is a formidable candidate who has a very strong chance of becoming president.

• Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona was the Republican nominee for president in the 1964 election. He was born in 1909 in the then Arizona Territory, three years before it became a state.
• George Romney who was a presidential candidate in 1968 was born in Mexico. Sure seems to me this wouldn’t meet the criteria, but again it wasn’t tested, likely because he didn’t become the nominee of his party.
• FDR, Jr. who once considered running was born on Campobello Island in Canada was definitely ineligible in my opinion. 
• President Chester Arthur, whose official birthplace was Vermont, was rumored to be Canadian born. The only official proof of his place of birth is an entry in the Arthur family bible held by the Library of Congress. In fact it is very likely he was not eligible to be president. He was challenged on the issue, but never legally. See my posting in the archives of this blog which delves into that issue.
• Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California has aspirations to be president. He was born in Germany. He has been told he is not eligible, but what about George Romney in 1968. Why was he even eligible to run when he was born in Mexico?

If a challenge is mounted this year against McCain look for a special sitting of the Supreme Court to quickly resolve the issue one way or the other. To have a major controversy develop during this important presidential election would be untenable.

Further Reading:
Constitution of the United States of America, Article II, Section 1

New York Times, February 28, 2008, Carl Hulse
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/us/politics/28mccain.html

Last Men Standing: World War I Veterans

Above: Canadian soldiers following tank at Vimy Ridge. 

There are now just two North American veterans of “The Great War” or World War I left alive. Both live in the United States, but one is a veteran of the Canadian Army and the other the United States Army. There are 14 surviving veterans worldwide from The Great War.

Jack Babcock, age 107, is the last survivor of 619,636 men who served in Canada’s military during World War I. He enlisted in the Canadian Army at age 15 in 1914. Like many others he lied about his age in order to serve. The military found out about his real age and held him in reserve in England until he was old enough for battle. The war ended though before that could happen. Jack returned to Canada after the war, but within two years moved to the United States where he still lives. Canada’s Veteran Affairs Department only found out about him a few years ago when his wife made inquiries about veteran’s benefits that might help her care for him.

Frank Buckles, also age 107, is the last living U.S. soldier who served in World War I. Frank lives in Charles Town, West Virginia and remains in good health. Mr. Buckles also lied about his age and joined in 1917, shortly after he turned 16. Frank saw combat in France and Germany. Later in the Second World War he became a POW for 39 months after Japan invaded the Phillippines.

Remarkable men both of these survivors, but no more remarkable than any of those who answered the call and served their countries in this terrible “war to end all wars”. As their countries last surviving veterans they have become symbols for all ofthose who served. When they pass into the ages, Canada and the United States will hold services to honor and remember all.

One of the others who served was my grandfather, Cuthbert “Bert” Sendell from Toronto, Ontario. Bert enlisted in the Canadian Army in 1915 and served in France driving munition trucks up to the frontlines many times under enemy fire. He returned home to Toronto in 1919. Bert died in 1983. He left behind children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Total Eclipse of the Moon, Feb. 20, 2008

Above: Chart of the eclipse from NASA.  

Last evening I was treated to an incredible natural event, a total lunar eclipse.  I have seen these before, but not under the ideal conditions of last night; clear sky, no wind and an unusually bright full moon displaying itself for its admirers to gaze on.

Here in Calgary, Alberta the full moon rose in the northeast and first appeared low just above the horizon. Gradually it became higher above the horizon as total darkness fell and by this time was sparkling clear. The night sky filled with stars that shone even through the city lights. At about 6:40 pm local time (Mountain Daylight Time) the lower left edge of the moon began darkening. Over the next sixty minutes the darkness gradually veiled the full moon. By 8:00 pm the sky was completely dark and the moon was entirely obscured with the shadow of the Earth. Above the moon appeared the bright star Regulus and to the lower left Saturn shown brightly. Using high-power binoculars I was able to see the eclipse in all its magnificence. Before the moon was covered the mountains and plains of the moon were able to be seen in amazing clarity. The total eclipse lasted almost an hour.

As I continued to watch in awe, the veil slowly lifted until the full moon was shining brightly in the crystal clear sky once again. I am sure I will see more lunar eclipses in my lifetime, but this one will be hard to beat. Conditions were just perfect, even with city lights interfering to some extent. I live in the extreme northeast quadrant of my city so lights were not a major factor. (Above: NASA photo of last night’s eclipse at totality.)

Lunar eclipses occur when the moon passes into Earth’s shadow is blocked from receiving all of the sun’s rays. Because it still receives indirect sunlight through Earth’s atmosphere it doesn’t go totally black. Usually the veiled moon appears slightly reddish or brown depending on how much dust and cloud cover are in the atmosphere. Last evening it had a reddish hue from my vantage point. This was the last total lunar eclipse until 2010. In 2007 there were two, but only one was visible here and cloudy conditions prevented ideal viewing.

The other treat for stargazers was the appearance of the second brightest star in the night sky, Regulus from the constellation Leo.

This star is about 77.5 light-years from the Earth and is 33 times larger than the Sun, our star. The light my eyes saw last evening had taken that long to reach me. That is simply incredible. If that wasn’t enough Saturn appeared to the left of the moon. It too was shining brightly, but of course not blinking since it is a reflective object. Regulus being a star was blinking.

Today reflecting on this event I feel honored to have been able to see nature’s grandeur displayed for us here on Earth. Many take this for granted, but by doing so they are missing a grand show.