The Least of These – The Christian Case Against Reforming the 14th Amendment

I’ve generally been led to believe, by myself, and certain public polls, that many in the Republican Party/Tea Party, consider themselves to be Christians. Whether or not they act as Christians is debatable, as I suspect it is with most of us. However, it has become increasingly disturbing to me to see what I consider to be a basic tenet of Christian philosophy violated by these so called “God fearing” groups. And that is this statement from Christ:

He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

Jesus is telling us in Matthew 25.45 that we are to treat all those who hunger, or thirst, or are a stranger, naked or sick or in prison with love, compassion and kindness. For all that we do for the “least of us” is what we do for Christ. If you do nothing to help the least, you do nothing to help Christ.

So how does that bring me to the Tea Party/GOP (and probably some Democrats)? There is a movement to reform the 14th Amendment. The 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship to any one born in America. You’re born here? You’re a citizen.

You’ll notice, our current President, Barack Obama, was born to a United States citizen and a citizen of Kenya. You’ll notice there also has been a rather large “birther” movement to “discover” where President Obama was actually born. (He was born in Hawaii and the state says so). The birthers desperately want to prove he wasn’t actually born in America because then they can say he’s not a “natural born” citizen and thus not able to be President pursuant to Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution.

All this talk of Obama’s birth right citizenship must’ve got the creative minds at Tea Party Headquarters thinking. And Rand Paul, in particular, thinking. The good “doctor” (*cough* eye doctor *cough*), who isn’t really certified to practice medicine, is running for United States Senate in Kentucky. He’s a “tea partier” in some ways, but running as a Republican. He’s said he doesn’t think that children born to illegal immigrants should be automatically granted citizenship and thinks the 14th Amendment should be overturned.

All Rand’s talk, in turn, got Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (also of Kentucky) thinking. McConnell realized that you can’t just overturn the 14th Amendment because, after all, it is the Amendment that allows the Supreme Court to apply Constitutional rights of citizens to the states. In other words, the 2nd Amendment, as written, only applies to the Federal Government. Therefore, a “state” government can come in and restrict your right to bear arms all it wants because the Constitution doesn’t apply to “state” governments. However, the Supreme Court has ruled on almost every major Amendment, including just recently the 2nd Amendment, that the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment means that all citizens are entitled to their constitutional rights no matter whose making the laws, states or federal governments. McConnell realized, therefore, to take away the 14th Amendment would take away gun rights. Duh.

So McConnell just wants to “reform” the 14th Amendment so that babies can’t become citizens just because they had the good fortune to be born here. Which brings me back to Jesus. Babies. They’re going after babies. They want to punish a child because they can’t punish the parents. If there was ever a group that embodied the “least of these” it is babies. Is that really at whom they want to point their pitchforks? Babies? Are they not therefore attacking the least of us and therefore in turn hurting Christ?

What has happened to my party? I’m pretty sure that Bob Dole never suggested amending the 14th Amendment. I don’t recall Reagan floating that idea. Hell, even Dick Cheney wasn’t that heartless. In fact, the 14th Amendment is one of the Republican parties greatest legacies, and aides to President Bush and Dick Cheney have said so. The same aides are also stepping up and denouncing this disturbing rhetoric as would any decent human being who wasn’t out to appear more conservative for their constituents (that’s you Lindsey Graham).

Babies?

Do unto others…. Right….