Iowa GOP Supports Amendment To Strip Obama’s Citizenship Because He Won The Nobel Peace Prize

At its state convention in Des Moines last month, the Iowa GOP adopted a new party platform that includes the repeal of mandatory minimum wage laws, the elimination of the U.S. Department of Education, and even clarification on the definition of manure. Out of the “387 enumerated planks and principles,” Newsweek’s Jerry Adler found the most “startling” section of the platform calls for “the reintroduction and ratification of the original 13th Amendment.”

Adopted in December 1865, the current 13th Amendment of the Constitution prohibits “slavery” and “involuntary servitude” in the United States or any place under its jurisdiction. The Iowa GOP is not trying to overturn this amendment to reinstate slavery. Instead, it wants to reintroduce the “original 13th Amendment” first offered by senator Phillip Reed of Maryland in 1810. The amendment states that “if any citizen of the United States shall accept, claim, receive or retain any title of nobility or honor” from a “foreign power, such person shall cease to be a citizen” and “shall be incapable of holding any office of trust.” In receiving only 12 out of the 13 votes needed for ratification, the amendment was never adopted.

Traditional supporters of the idea are known as “Thirteenthers,” who seek to prevent those with the title of “esquire,” such as lawyers and bankers, from participating in government. But according to its spokeswoman, Danielle Plogmann, the Iowa GOP supports it as an attack on President Obama’s Nobel Prize win:

There are, of course, other implications of Thirteenthism, such as ensuring that the United States never again suffers the humiliation of having a president win the Nobel Peace Prize. That was just what the Iowa Republicans had in mind, according to Plogmann, who wrote in an e-mail that the plank “was meant to make a statement about the delegates’ opinion about Mr. Obama receiving the prize.” (Presumably they didn’t mind if, in the process, they were also making a statement about any American scientist or writer unlucky enough to win a Nobel.) Unfortunately for them, the Department of Justice looked into whether Obama needed Congressional approval to accept the Nobel under the existing emoluments clause, and based on the meaning of “foreign state” (which would not cover the Nobel Prize Committee) concluded that he did not

http://washingtonindependent.com/92821/the-unemployed-o...

work it was to seek "clarification on the definition of manure" ?

Now there is an example of the purpose-drive life.

Why wouldn't they support it?

LOL.

Republicans, doesn't it?

for their safety, and ours.

Can't argue with madness.

alone, they should not gain a single seat this November.

is equally loony. nt

Curiosity made me look up the repub platform rules and though they are more restrictive at the top, they're similar to the Democrat's rules. Since any party member can propose any plank to the platform at a caucus, it's the job of district, county, and state platform committees to filter out the nonsense and assemble a coherent consensus platform.

That means that either they have lost the ability to filter, or that well-placed nutcases are near the top, or both. There's also the possibility that they really believe this shit. Turns out it's all of the above. They really are that crazy and would gladly pass this kind of legislation if they had the power.

The whole platform makes for a stomach-churning read and this plank is hardly the worst of the lot. Led by Platform Committee Chair Norm Pawlewski, a lobbyist with Iowa Christian Alliance, I was pleased though to see this:

"7.06 We oppose any effort to implement Islamic Shariah law in this country."
Well, didn't know before now that it was a problem. I guess I agree with them on something.

Beyond that it's s pure Christian/fascist/militarist/free-market-pirate wet dream. I think I'll take my chances with the Taliban. Or vote for a Democrat, as always.

with a fire hose for the unhinged.

every one of their Republican opponents with.

What's the downside?

That the opposing candidate will say "Oh, we really don't believe that?"

Like that's going to be any easy sell.

Ronald Reagan won the Nobel, but of course they don't mean to apply this to him.

Fact is, this was intended to cover titles of NOBILITY, an institution of which the founders were leery, not awards. And, of course, Nobel is a private philanthropy, not a foreign government. If I recall correctly, both Jefferson and Franklin were honored by the French Academy of Sciences during their time there.

Of course, facts don't matter.

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/

I had thought he shared one with Gorbachev, but Gorbachev won one alone.

who were staunch republicans, migrated to Iowa in the 1800's. Had they lived long enough to see this, I'm pretty sure they'd be more than just a little bit appalled. They might have been republicans, but they weren't racists and they weren't insane.

was very differnt then. There were actually sane people as members back then.

"The Nobel Prizes (Swedish: sing., Nobelpriset; pl., Nobelprisen, Norwegian: Nobelprisen) are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. They were established in 1895 by the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize

Those Prizes were NOT awarded by a furrin gob'ment, but by a fucking committee! Those Teabagges are totally CLUELESS!

The HUMILIATION of winning a Nobel Peace Prize?
What? Just because their warmongers Bush & Cheney never got one, they essentially dismiss the award?
These people remind me of the spoiled brats everyone knew when they were a kid. If they don't get their way, they have temper tantrums, take their little ball and go home, and play some game with themselves where THEY can make up the rules.

And this comes from a STATE convention? It sounds more like something from some fringe group.

and this horseshit is what gets the attention.

Note that's an "Or" in there. So the many American combat veterans who received medals for bravery from Great Britain and France during WW-2 and South Vietnam would be stripped of citizenship.

Yep, the GOP has thought this one through. Republican Chickenhawks can't be anything but happy about this idea.