Bowyer Invents “Earthers”

http://tinyurl.com/y97h4dp Embarrassed by the “Birther” movement, Jerry Bowyer has conjured up a non-existent conspiracy with which he can accuse Democrats. He calls it the “Earther” movement. He calls them “Earthers” or “anti-birthers” and has invented a set of beliefs that these fictitious people hold.

The “earthers”, Bower writes, feel that having an international point of view is an inherent advantage. They looked down upon President Bush’s and Governor Palin’s limited travel itinerary. They believe that Barack Obama, having lived in Indonesia, would help us to bridge the gap between the Western and Muslim worlds.

Bowyer obviously disagrees with the “earthers”. He writes that they suffer from a “knowledge gap”. Jerry evidently believes that ignorance of foreign lands and governments is a good quality for an American president to have. Not only that, he thinks it’s unconstitutional.

Jerry draws this conclusion from a paragraph found in Article 2, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution which states as follows:

“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.”

Jerry believes that the founders made these requirements precisely to avoid someone with an international point of view.

It is my contention that Jerry Bowyer is the one with the “knowledge gap”. The founders included those requirements so that the American president would be an American with an American point of view. Having and American point of view and a foreign point of view are not mutually exclusive. It’s very possible for someone to have vast knowledge of foreign policy and still be an American with an American point of view. Look at Condoleezza Rice. 

Furthermore, there is nothing in the U.S. Constitution expressed or implied that forbids someone who is well traveled and well acquainted with foreign lands and governments from being President. Whether world knowledge is a desirable quality for an official to have is determined by the voters.