Want a Passport? Answer this: Were you circumcised at birth and was it a part of a religious ceremony? If so, who was there and why? Do you know what kind of pre- or post-natal care your mother received when she was pregnant and what the dates and times of those appointments with her doctors were?
A few weeks ago, I read and discussed an article on the show about new requirements the U.S. State Department wants to make for certain Americans that want to apply for, or even renew, one's U.S. passport.  These changes, according to The Texas Tribune's article, "Feds Mull Circumcision Inquiries for Passports" are contained in a new proposal put out by the State Dept. that would be required for a passport applicant that "submits citizenship or identity evidence that is insufficient or of questionable authenticity."  

This proposal is believed to help prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining an American passport.  However, any 'illegals' already crossed the border without a passport, and any wanting to leave America, for another country, should be welcomed, not prevented.

In addition to this encumbering 'illegals', it could also prevent tens of thousands of honest American citizens from obtaining or even renewing their passports, if for instance, if they were delivered by midwife at home or were otherwise not born at a hospital. 

Questions various articles about this topic pose: 
"Were you circumcised at birth and was it a part of a religious ceremony? If so, who was there and why? Do you know what kind of pre- or post-natal care your mother received when she was pregnant and what the dates and times of those appointments with her doctors were? For as many as 74,000 U.S. citizens a year, supplying this information to the U.S. State Department could be the difference between getting or being rejected for a passport."   

In addition,  journlist and travel book author Edward Hasbrouck writes in his piece on this subject,"The U.S. Department of State is proposing a new Biographical Questionnaire for some passport applicants: The proposed new Form DS-5513 asks for all addresses since birth; lifetime employment history including employers and supervisors names, addresses, and telephone numbers; personal details of all siblings; mothers address one year prior to your birth; any religious ceremony around the time of birth; and a variety of other information.  According to the proposed form, failure to provide the information requested may result in  the denial of your U.S. passport application. 

 
Now I spoke about this on my show a few weeks ago, entitled, "Circumcised Aliyah" and how this could affect some Jewish American citizens from being able to make aliyah (when a Jew moves to Israel), but it seems this news item is out again making its rounds on the internet.  And this time reading about it, the thought went through my mind, "If American citizens will be required by the State Dept. to provide so much detailed and in some cases 'ancient' information just to get their passport renewed, how is that Barack Hussein Obama is living in the White House and holding the most powerful and sensitive position in America, and he doesn't even provide the American People a bona fide birth certificate, let alone the names of those who were present at his birth.  I don't know, maybe their names had too many syllables?

*** I was just made aware moments after I posted this blog, that U.S. President Barack Husein Obama produced a long form birth certificate to the American public after a media blitz by Donald Trump asking about his mysterious background, not only about his birth certificate, but also because he hasn't released his college records to the public and hardly anyone remembers him from his youth.  Trump is reported as saying after he got news a birth certificate was produced, "We have to see is it (the birth certificate he put out) real, is it proper, what's on it. But I hope it checks out beautifully. I am really proud."