Leave Obama alone and let him govern even if you disagree with him

Dear Editor,

Nearly 15 months after he took office, some people still doubt that President Obama is an American citizen. Although most of the lawsuits have been disposed of, people called "birthers" still circulate allegations on the Internet and in print media.

Obama is clearly a U.S. citizen. Both major Honolulu newspapers reported his birth during the first week of August 1961. Hawaii was already a state at the time. Even if he had been born in Indonesia or Kenya, his mother was an American citizen and that would have made him an American citizen.

In any case, it is time to amend the U.S. Constitution and allow for people born outside the U.S. to serve as president. There are capable people in both major parties who qualify but were born in Canada, Austria, or somewhere else.

The reason the founding fathers put the U.S. citizen requirement in the Constitution was that they feared some Englishman might take office and return the new U.S.A. to control of the crown.

In reality, the first seven American presidents were born British subjects, with the eighth, Martin Van Buren, being the first actually born in post-colonial America.

It is time to leave President Obama alone and let him govern, even if you disagree with him. I have disagreements with him on Afghanistan, abortion, gun control, and same sex marriage, but I feel the rest of his agenda is just right for America.

It is also time to change America's top legal document to allow for qualified men and women to serve as president regardless of where they were born.

Sincerely,

David Shipp

Nevada