RE: Seasoned With Sult N Papper 03/05/19> My theory was a good one but not quite correct...
Well then. Here we go.
I actually have 3 birth certificates. The original from 1951. The sort of original-I was adopted at birth and the original I have was issued the day after at my adoption. It would take me 63 years to see the real original. Not for lack of trying. Anyway, the original lists me as Thomas Stephen and lists my adoptive parents.
I got a certified copy from Spokane County, Wa in the 80s to get my passport and sure enough, that is all caps. You can't get your original birth certificate anymore, only a certified copy. And the original isn't considered legal for ID purposes.
After taking part in not one but two class action lawsuits and a bill being rammed through the Washington State Legislature I applied for and received a copy of my original birth certificate from Spokane County. Where I was listed as Baby Boy. Mother's information there, father unknown.
I didn't get a Social Security card until I was 12 when I started getting a paycheck. I believe that card was issued in all caps, but I can't be sure. I lost my wallet twice in my life. It had the original and duplicate in it. I had to get a replacement card just last year in a pissing contest between two Federal agencies. USDA and SSA.
So. I'm a born American but a citizen of the US. Today when I have to answer that question I carefully say "I'm an American citizen". That doesn't make them particularly happy, but I've never had my car torn up in secondary. Well once, but that was the Canadian Border and one of my drunken buddies said something about dope in the car. In 1970 I think.
Anyway. Yes. We all are a product of a carefully crafted legal scheme to make us sheep for the shearing. Not very many left from the pre gold standard days. You and I are both part of the 'silver certificate' days but even we are getting rarer.
Thanks for shining the light on things. It needs to be done.
Oh. I have, in my possession both my father's and mother's original birth certificates. Mom's was provided by the hospital in Pendelton, Oregon and is pretty plain, but hand written. Dad's is a beautiful document that was issued when he was about 10 days old at 'near Irby, Washington.' When the doctor finally made it to my Grandparent's place... Both of those represented real birth certificates and the births were registered with the county BUT NOT CERTIFIED. That difference is important.
It use to be that births were recorded in family bibles and that is where it belongs in my opinion. But the government needs those birth certificates to prove ownership of its slaves.
I also have the family bible that went from Germany to Russia in the early 1800s. My birth is in there and it is current today. Somebody along the way added a nice parchment leaf for the last few generations. One of my nephews will get it soon.
I didn't get my social security number until I was 13 or 14 and it wasn't in the all caps format back then if memory serves me but it had my full legal name. I still have the card but it was so worn from being carried in my wallet for 50 years or so the numbers were where it couldn't be read any longer. It was styled properly with only the first letter of each name capitalized and the rest of the letters lower case.
A couple of years ago I had to get a replacement card and went to the local SS office to get a new card and the new card had an error when it was printed. My middle name is also Stephen like yours but it was spelled on the card as STEVEN on the card. I didn't catch it until I started to walk away from the little window but I turned around promptly and informed the agent that it was incorrect.
The lady told me that that is the way it is listed in the system, even though the name on the original card was spelled Stephen and was still legible when you look at the card.
I know how that happened but I didn't share it with her. Evidently the SS system didn't want to have to manually input all the names and social security numbers into their computer system so they pulled information from any and all government lists back then that had names and social security numbers with them.
Back in the early 80's when I got my occupational license I decided I didn't like the spelling of my middle name and I filled in the form as "Steven" that was the only time I ever did that, normally I just used my middle initial. So that is where SS got that information and plugged it into their system.
The lady told me that she couldn't change the spelling without me bringing in a certified copy of my birth certificate. I haven't gone back and done that yet, the day I was there I waited four hours to get the new card, I didn't have four hours to waste then and I damn sure don't right now.
So right now I have 3 identities in reality, the living me and the Stephen and STEVEN ones.
It is amazing that an original birth certificate isn't legal for ID purposes only a certified copy of it is.
Which brings up a good case for falsification of government records, your original had the named styled in proper case but the certified copy has the name in all capital letters so there is no way that the copy could be an accurate copy of the original. Just another case of prepping the sheep for shearing as you put it.
I also have to travel in south Texas and the border patrol check points are always a pain in the ass. I too never admit to being a US citizen. I have a routine I go through when I am approaching them and it works pretty well for the last few years.
I put a big chaw of Redman in and get a big wad of spit in my mouth and put my cowboy hat on. When I roll down the window for the agent to ask me if I am a US citizen, I pause for a second or so, then pick up my spit cup and and spit the tobacco juice out, I turn my head toward the window, "I'm a Texan."
In the dozen or so times that I have started using that routine the agent has always said "Have a nice day" and waved me through with the exception of one time. That time the second time the agent asked me if I was a US citizen, I replied, "I'm a Texan, so you tell me, doesn't that make me a US citizen?" his reply, "Have a good day sir." and waved me through.
I guess questioning him on his knowledge was enough to have him just let it go. He probably thinks that is case and he didn't want to hold up the line. Driving a Ford pickup truck too helps paint the good picture, Ford pickups are damn near the official vehicles of old crusty Texans.
The light needs to be shined, the sad part is it gets dimmer each day as the young folks get more and more distracted with games and apps.
I have a Steven ID too :) It's all online (but there may be an off line record) I made it quite a few years ago when I was dipping into some unsavory people's worlds. It's Steven T with my last name spelled phonetically. I go check that email a few times a year :) It's a virtual IPN so nobody needs to know. I used that ID to check out my birth mother... I sent her a letter and got 0 response.
I only rarely get the question at the BP stops because I am usually on my MC. Generally they let me roll right through.
I haven't had a chaw in years, but the truth is I like Redman. Goes back to my old baseball playing days... I just loved spitting on peoples feet. Catchers, umpires, first basemen.