Trip to Japan: Insomnia and Passports

I woke up after 4am today to use the bathroom and when I was trying to get to sleep, this whole trip hit me like a ton of bricks.  I was thinking about everything: my trip to Japan and getting there, my passport for Taiwan, my passport for America, getting my stuff to Japan, what stuff to take, what will happen to my stuff that I have to leave being, my worries on finding a job and what happens if I don't, where am I going to live for the two months before my trip as my brother and his family is leaving the country... argh, everything.  Everything kept me up.  I was up until 7am when I finally fell back asleep do to exhaustion.

After I sent an email to the consulate in Washington DC, I was told to call this morning.  A very rude man told me to call the consulate in Los Angeles where I ended up talking to a very nice woman.  Well, as it turns out because I was born before 1980 and my father was not a Taiwanese citizen at the time, I cannot gain dual citizenship.  Bollocks.  I find that strange because I had my Taiwanese birth certificate on me.  I am thinking about going to the consulate in LA to talk to them directly just to make sure.

To Whom It May Concern
Hello
My name is James Forest and I have a question about dual citizenship that I hope you will be able to answer. I was born in Taiwan in 1969, in Koahsiung. My mother and her family was Taiwanese and my father was an American serviceman who was doing several terms in Vietnam. Being born there, am I eligible to gain citizenship in Taiwan? Below is a copy of my birth certificate. I am looking forward to hearing from you.


Mr. Forest,
Thank you for your email.
Please call us tomorrow east time from 9:00am to 5:00pm for your case.
Best,
Consular Division
Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative
Office in the United States
4201 Wisconsin Ave. NW Washington DC 20016
[A bunch of phone numbers]

A copy of the email I sent and what I got back. Just thought I would put it up here for all to see.  Here is hoping that there is no problem with getting my US passport!