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I Can’t Believe I Said This
Jul 22nd, 2009 | 25 responses
Conspiracy theories know no political boundaries. The assassinations of President Lincoln and Kennedy and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks are replete with theories still being debated today. But, the current so-called “birther” flap over President Obama boggles rationality. And, therein rests the problem with all conspiracy theorists: They won’t accept factual documentation.
In Obama’s case, the wingnuts from the right led by its more vociferous superstars in G. Gordon Liddy, Lou Dobbs and Rush Limbaugh maintain Obama is a foreigner and his Hawaiian birth certificate he posted on his website during the presidential campaign is a fraud.
All I know is that reputable news reporters and the Hawaii public health officials say his birth certificate is legit. Any number of law suits filed in our court system to produce an Obama birth certificate have been dismissed as frivolous.
At issue in Obama’s case is the constitutional requirement a president must be native born and age 35. The birthers failed to gain much traction during the presidential campaign but have raised their heads in recent weeks.
Dobbs, for one, on his radio show cited the case of reserve Army Maj. Stefan Cook refusing to be voluntarily deployed to Afghanistan because the commander in chief wasn’t born in the U.S. Overlooked was the suspicion Cook was duped by his attorney, Orly Taitz, an Orange County (Calif.) attorney whose mission in life is to prove Obama isn’t one of us. Dobbs in his usual spiel said the American people have the right to know.
Then, there is the ever-popular YouTube video showing Republican Rep. Mike Castle of Delaware at a town hall meeting this month interrupted as a woman, rooted on by a boisterous crowd, angrily demanded to know why nothing was being done to oust the “citizen of Kenya” pretending to be president.
But, my call to action on this subject came while watching MSNBC’s Chris Matthews Show Tuesday while interviewing Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.), co-sponsor of a bill now in the House that would require presidential candidates to produce valid birth certificates before taking office. The bill was introduced by Rep. Bill Posey (R-Fla.) who now boasts nine co-sponsors, all Republicans.
Matthews claimed the bill was nothing more than an enabler for the right-wing conspiracy theorists. Campbell remained a good sport during the interview and despite shouts and interruptions by Matthews did manage to explain his position. I listened and found Campbell’s logic compelling.
It reminded me of an email exchange I had with my brother and his wife during the presidential campaign. They are the only conservatives in my family and sent me all sorts of stories culled from the Internet that claimed Obama was a foreigner, most likely born in either Indonesia or Kenya, with no documentation to support their claims. I said not to worry. He constitutionally must submit a birth certificate, most likely to officials before he is sworn into office.
I was wrong. I think. No where in the process can I find for certain it was required. If so, someone certainly is remaining quiet.
At any rate, I started thinking. The state and federal bureaucracies demand I show a birth certificate to qualify for public school, Little League, Pop Warner Football, all of the military services, Medicare, Medicaid and federal housing assistance among a few. No where in the U.S. Constitution does it say that’s mandatory as it does for a President of the United States.
Go figure. For that reason, I believe Rep. Posey’s bill is not a crackpot measure and I would support it. I can’t believe I’m saying this. Strange, but true.
Uh, one caveat. I would add an amendment to the bill. Those who still claim the birth certificate provided by a president is fraudulent would face a firing squad at sunrise.
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25 Responses to “I Can’t Believe I Said This”
To be fair there was a conspiracy in the Lincoln assassination…
As to the nuts on the birth certificate, they make no more sense than the 'Bush planned 9/11' nuts.
The bill would be completely pointless. True Believers aren't going to shut up whether you've proved your case or not. As you may have noticed.
If Obama has a long-form, why doesn’t he show it? If he doesn’t have one, why not? People that hide things, usually have something to hide. He works for us. We have a right to know! We have a right to demand it!!!!!!!!!!!! We need to send a message to Obama and to EVERY OTHER POTENTIAL VIOLATOR OF OUR RULE OF LAW!!!!!!!!!!!
OBAMA, STOP HIDING. SHOW US THE LONG FORM BIRTH CERTIFICATE!!!!!
Aha. There's one of the tin foil hatters now. As one of probably hundreds of millions of other Americans, I do not have a “long form” birth certificate either. I do have a short form one that looks a lot like Obama's (but not from HI), has the seal and a stamp, just like his, and is accepted as authentic by the driver's licence bureau, the passport office, employers and EVERY local, state and federal agency. Give me a break. It is THE official birth certificate issued to me, and it's considered good enough for ALL PURPOSES UNDER US, STATE AND LOCAL LAW.
In an effort to spread Obama’s Eligibility issue across America with little ease and little cost, we should start marking our money bills with “Obama Where’s the Birth Certificate?” or a similiar tagline. Write this using black marker on your money bills.
I know this sounds crazy but imagine if thousands of people started to mark their money bils with the phrase. In just a matter weeks Obama’s eligiblity issue would spread across the country.
Next time you pay for something with cash, be sure your money bills bear the MARK OF OBAMA: “Obama, Where’s the Birth Certificate?”
My birth cert is about a 1/2 page long too, there was never a “long form birth certificate” for me. I've used it to get my passport, into schools, my drivers license, and replace a lost social security card. A “long form” isn't required.
My Birth certificate is also about a half a page. The original is long gone – it was converted to microfiche years ago. I can ask for a copy and it will be a print from that microfiche.
Look folks just read the Posey Bill. It says you have to produce a copy of your birth certificate in order to run for president. Is that a good idea – of course. It should have been required already. It will apply to future presidential candidates.
Separate the bill out from the crackpot theorists and look at it on it's merit. This is the bill:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h…
if the document already produced by President Obama would satisfy the Posey bill, why do we need the Posey bill?
SInce the State has not issued copies of the long form since 2001, why do you insist that he produce it?
What a ridiculous waste of time. No noncitizen has ever become President, nor will she ever. This is a solution with no problem. Isn't it obvious that even the most wacky conspiracy blather will cause a candidate to both post and submit for independent analysis, his or her bona fides?
Yeah, it's an odd one. I have no qualms with a law requiring office seekers to prove citizenship. At the same time, there's no problem the bill solves. I suppose if Congress is bored one day, then they should sent the Posey bill on through.
The problem is John Campbell had the opportunity to say “no question Obama was born in the US”. Instead he said “this bill isn't about what I believe”, then when cornered he said “as far as I know he's a citizen”. If the 10 republican congressmen in question would come out and say there is no doubt the BC Obama already provided is legit and unequivecally proves he's a natural born citizen then I would say the Posey bill might make sense. As it stands they're trying to have their fruitcake and eat it to. For that reason the Posey bill is nothing but a crackpot measure.
Totally bogus issue originated by crazily disgruntled partisans and supported by gullible foolish partisans. Next issue please.
Eh.
Just file away the birther nuts alongside the JFK conspiracists, idiots who don't believe the moon landing was real, scientologists, and Lyndon LaRouche supporters.
No use arguing with people who are unable to accept facts and reality.
sounds to me like the author is verging on becoming another lunatic birther.
I;d love to see the news programs have on Neil Ambercrombie, congressman of Hawaii. He knew and was friends with both of Obama's parents. He even saw Obama shortly after he was BORN right there in Hawaii!
There is also the announcement in the paper.
What, the writer of this thinks Obama was actually born elsewhere and his mother planned this elaborate hoax way back then just knowing her son would become the president…rrrrrriiiiiiiiiight.
Conspiracy theories are seductive – that is how they lure otherwise rational people into their influence. Just remember to use your analytical skills.
To believe the Obama Birther claims is to believe in a multi-national effort beginning decades ago with foreknowledge that Obama would become President.
The bill doesn't seem to me to be about President Obama. It seems the congressman's co-sponsored bill is meant to solve a “problem” or “source of contention” that has been identified…isn't that what we really want those guys doing, rather than playing partisan politics? If the bill in question was law already, would the “Birthers” be getting press?
Or is the fact that it's coming from a Republican problem-solver rather than a Democrat problem-solver the real source of this new debate?
Or even better…a new conspiracy that Republicans AND Democrats are making off with this country like bandits by playing on citizens' emotions, pride, and sense of wanting to be right? They NEED each other to stay in power, do they not?
Well, richless, it's not clear the Posey Law would head off the Birther conspiracy. As someone above said, Obama's already fulfilled all the requirements of the bill several times with the documents that he's provided. And yet on it goes. But since the conspiracy is psychological more than anything else, maybe the placebo effect would work.
I don't know guys, there may be something to this story.
There appears to be something wrong with my own Birth Certificate, I can't be as old as it says I am.
Has anyone else notice this conspiracy of age?
Ok, let's get down to brass tacks, folks. If Obama is truly the Antichrist, he was never “born” at all but has existed since the beginning of time, about 6000 years ago. As such, his entire life history would be a Satanic fabrication. To lend credence to this great Satanic fabrication, Obama the Antichrist created the Birther movement to concoct a theory so preposterous that no rational person would ever question his citizenship, much less his Luciferian ancestry.
That's why Stephen Colbert demanded a DNA test of Congressman Posey. Because of the allegation that he is part allegator..
I cannot believe I'm actually wasting time worrying about this right-wing lunacy, but…
My long-form birth certificate was lost long ago, and I had to get a replacement copy from the federal building in my hometown three years ago. It measures approx. 5″ x 7″ and was deemed perfectly acceptable by the U.S. Department of State when I applied for a passport earlier this year (the main criteria seems to be a raised seal). In addition my mother's certificate of birth from 1951 from Washington, D.C. is titled a “Certificate of Live Birth”, just like the President's.
That said, I have no problem with a bill requiring all who decide to run for federal offices to produce proof of citizenship. Even you, Rep. Posey.
Why haven't any of our pols pulled out their long form to show? How do we know any of them have one?
I have my mother's birth certificate from 1931, and I have my daddy's from 1921. They're not long forms. I've got my kids' original from birth, I have mine and my husbands'. No long form to be found. I have never seen a long form birth certificate and never heard of it until the mental escapees started screaming blood murder.
For that matter, the “lady in red” screaming about having hers, she never pulled it out, did she?
You almost made some sense. And then you joke about a firing squad. Or more accurately, state-sponsored murder of someone who speaks out.
I know… you wil likely say “I was only joking.” Were you only joking about the firing squad, or joking about adding an amendment to limit free speech?