Birther Reportedly Arrested After Interrupting House Constitution Reading (VIDEO)

A supposed birther spectator interrupted the House's reading of the Constitution Thursday, as a representative read the natural born citizenship clause mandating that only candidates born in the United States are eligible to serve in the Office of President.

"Except Obama, except Obama, help us Jesus!" the woman interjected over Rep. Frank Pallone's (D-N.J.) recitation of the Second Article clause.

Politico reports that the woman was arrested by the sergeant at arms after being scolded by Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), who was serving as Speaker pro tempore:

An officer removed her from the gallery as she yelled out "My name is Theresa."

"You're under arrest," the officer could be heard telling her as he led her through double doors at the back of the chamber.

Pallone later told Talking Points Memo that the exercise was set up as an alternating process, and that his reading of the statute was completely random.

"We were reading on a first come, first serve basis. We were waiting in line and they went Republican, Democrat, Republican, Democrat -- like that," Pallone told TPM. "It was just coincidence that I ended up reading that section about natural born citizens being eligible."

Pallone then criticized the birther movement for allegedly continuing their crusade against President Obama despite the presence of evidence that would seemingly dampen their objections.

"I mean it's a fact that he's a natural born citizen, so I think it's just inappropriate for people to keep raising it. The problem is the people that keep raising it want to go against the facts," Pallone told TPM. "I think that was an example of this phenomenon today. There's nothing he can do to make it go away because they just don't want to face the facts."

Slate's Dave Weigel reports on the agitator's alleged identity:

I'm told that the woman who made the disruption was Theresa Cao, a birther activist and supporter of court-martialed birther Lt. Col. Terry Lakin. On December 16, she told WorldNetDaily that she was "taking his message to the White House and Congress." She maintains a blog here.

WATCH (via Talking Points Memo):

Comments

[TeaLady005]

06:28 PM on 01/07/2011

Obama IS a "native born citizen"!  (I bet you are shocked to hear a Tea Party member say that?)
--------The problem for many is NOT where Obama was born.  The issue is the same Obama writes about in his book "Dreams of My Father"  in which he admits he was born with "dual citizenship".  It is an undisputed fact Obama's father was from Kenya and a British subject citizen, which resulted in dual citizenship as his mother was a U.S. citizen.  When Obama's new stepfather, Lolo Soetoro, adopted the young Obama, he changed his name to "Barry Soetoro" and  the young Obama became a "dual citizen" of Indonesia and the U.S., -There is a big difference between being a "native born citizen" and a "natural born citizen". Our Constitution clearly says only a "natural born citizen" may hold the office of president, and can not owe allegiance to any other foreign state.  A person born with "dual citizenship" is a citizen of two nations. A "natural born citizen" is one who is born on the soil to parents (plural) of the soil. Obama IS a "native born citizen" but some day the Supreme Court will have to rule if he is also a "natural born citizen".  ---Any law students care to tackle this?

[TwinX]

09:36 PM on 01/07/2011

OMG!! Tea Lady, you really need to tell people about that whole 'his father was born in Kenya' bit, because I' sure no one noticed that during the 2 year campaign. /s/

Tea Lady, can you tell me why, out of the 1 million Lawyers in the nation, only 5 (approx) think the same way you do? I'm thinking Apuzzo, Donofrio, Taitz...I'm struggling here, perhaps it's only 3?

Have you ever considered it possible the 3 - 5 Lawyers yelling at you from their blogs, have got it wrong, and all the others (including Chief Justice Roberts - a genuine Conservative Constitutional Scholar) have got it wrong?

[TeaLady005]

09:41 AM on 01/08/2011

-
If you bothered to read Obama's book, as I have,,,you would know he writes about his Kenyan father and his dual citizenship.  Lolo Soetoro did adopt the young Obama, and his school records DO reflect his name as being "Barry Soetoro"  while attending the grade school in Indonesia. But you say Indonesia did not allow "dual citizenship"? If that is true then the young Obama would have given up his U.S. citizenship thru documentation submitted by his new stepfather.  Is this what you are saying,,,that the young Obama gave up his U.S. citizenship to attend grade school in Indonesia?

[TwinX]

09:37 PM on 01/07/2011

Ooops, I meant to say 'right as the final word. Way to ruin my post! :-)

[confusus says]

05:11 PM on 01/07/2011

If Obama said that 1 + 1 = 2 the birthers would not accept it. They'd probably say it was socialized mathematics. Their ilk once tried to pass a law in Indiana saying the pi, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to the diameter, was 3 since that is what it says in the bible.

[g-moi]

04:08 PM on 01/07/2011

Theresa Cao, show us your birth certificate! or are you afraid to?

[proud brown]

03:39 PM on 01/07/2011

Thanks to the financial meltdown and real estate bubble, the only job available is tea party activist. She is paid by world net daily.

[Danielle77]

02:44 PM on 01/07/2011

No matter how many times it is verified or how much proof is presented the fact is that the birthers will never accept it. To the birthers all I have to say is this: facts do not cease to be facts just because they are ignored.

[raphaelbonee]

02:29 PM on 01/07/2011

There's a certain justice in being interupted by the very people you encouraged to act in just this way against democrats.

[MarkInTexas]

02:25 PM on 01/07/2011

Birthers only exhibit their ignorance and intolerance. Sad really.

[RyanC1384]

02:12 PM on 01/07/2011

Can we all now agree that these people are on the crackpot fringe of society? The media needs to stop acting like “birther’s” are a major portion of the American populist. If they actually are, we are in even more trouble than I thought!

http://www.doubledutchpolitics.com/2011/01/exclusive-video-interviews-with-the-birther-who-interrupted-congress%E2%80%99-reading-of-constitution

[StopCensoringMe]

01:12 PM on 01/07/2011

I weep when I imagine what America might have been. Instead, we've become a caricature of freedom. America is a joke.

[dbailey]

11:35 AM on 01/07/2011

Which is why Boehners comment yesterday was ludicrous. He stated that he can't talk to his caucus about what their beliefs are (in reference to the birther caucus in his party. You can't have a BELIEF about where someone was born. Where you're born is a FACT. Will these people put down the constitution and read the bible and the dictionary???!!!! And he appoints Bachman to the INTELLIGENCE committee?! Really America?! Really?

[g-moi]

04:10 PM on 01/07/2011

OMG - the intelligence committee!?

[larmarch5]

05:39 PM on 01/07/2011

Well, I believe the Bertha's were born one too many times.

[whirledgonecrazy]

12:20 PM on 01/07/2011

hahahaha! indeed.

[MuddyRiver]

04:28 PM on 01/07/2011

One of the great truths.(sadly)

[ManOutOfTime]

10:58 AM on 01/07/2011

As Colbert said of Dubya: he believes the same thing on Wednesday that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened on Tuesday.

[Gronkie]

10:57 AM on 01/07/2011

For those who are complaining that this was a waste of time and taxpayers money, I say that at least we know these elected officials got through the Constitution at least once. Ex-Rep Alan Grayson, who left congress this week (so sad), always carried a copy of the Constitution in his pocket, and would pull it out and point out specific passages while debating a point.

I also refer to it often. Two great sources:

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution.html

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html

Both include links to download images of the original document (for those conspiracy types who think you might be twisting the original words, you can point it out in Mr. Jefferson's actual handwriting). The second link also includes a link to the Constitution of China, which is an interesting read.

[serendipity007]

02:45 PM on 01/07/2011

Thomas Jefferson (if that is who you mean) did not write the Constitution nor did he attend the Constitutional Convention in 1787. TJ did, of course, write the Declaration of Independence in 1776, but that is another matter. Neither finalized document is in Jefferson's handwriting.

They may not even be in the handwriting of the respective secretaries of either the Second Continental Congress (Mr Thompson, secretary when the Declaration was adopted) or the Constitutional Convention (Mr William Jackson, whose signature is on the actual document).

Does anyone know for sure whose handwriting is preserved on these historic parchments??

[MuddyRiver]

04:40 PM on 01/07/2011

Q: Did Shakespeare or Sir Francis Bacon write the works attributed to Wm Shakespeare?
A: Not important, what is important is only that the works were written.

[ptarmigan78]

10:40 AM on 01/07/2011

It's not hard to understand the "birther people" if you realize that these are also the same people that believe the earth is only 6000 years old, they don't believe in evolution, or climate change, or ect, ect, ect. No matter how much evidence, or data, or facts you give these people, they are never going to believe. Call it delusional, or blatant racism, or mental illiness or what ever it is that fuels these peoples thought process, but there is no use wasting time on being frustrated with them anymore. They are a lost cause.

[grouseless54]

01:23 PM on 01/07/2011

Whoa - a ptarmigan! Fanned! I guess I am no longer grouseless.
What I find fascinating, and I'm no birther, is that Joe Miller can holler an insult during a presidential speech (with Congress attending) and suffer no consequences. But if an ordinary (if deluded) citizen cat calls during a full session of Congress or any of its committee meetings, they get detained. Shouldn't these rules be imposed uniformly? Oh yeah, I forgot, double standards rule the day. It's OK to be deluded and rude if you're a Congressman.

[Gronkie]

10:39 AM on 01/07/2011

Birthers are the epitome of the attitude that most Republicans seem to have:

Don't bother me with facts, my mind is already made up.

[larmarch5]

05:41 PM on 01/07/2011

Heck, they're too lazy to even make up their own minds. They wait for Fox to tell them what to say.