Birther claptrap deserves out reproach

Atlanta Journal Constitution ^ | 4/29/2010 | Loren Collins

[curiosity]

Now, eight years later, three Georgia legislators are indulging the fantasies of a new contingent of conspiracy theorists who believe in a different cover-up. These conspiracy theorists, or “birthers,” refuse to accept the constitutional eligibility of President Barack Obama, under the hypothesis that he might not have been born in Honolulu, and that he instead may have engaged in a five-decade-long ruse before his secret foreign birth was exposed via fabricated rumors spread by fringe bloggers with no evidence late in the campaign.

The conspiracists’ favored theory is that Obama’s mother left her Honolulu home and traveled halfway around the planet to give birth in the Third World nation of Kenya in 1961. To some people, it is apparently easier to believe that our first African-American president was actually born in Africa than to believe that he was born at the local Honolulu hospital.

When his birthplace was publicly questioned in June 2008, the Obama campaign promptly published his certification of live birth online, clearly identifying his place of birth as “Honolulu, Hawaii.”

When online conspiracists said that was a digital forgery, FactCheck.org visited campaign headquarters and took multiple photographs of the document.

When conspiracists demanded extrinsic evidence, two contemporary birth announcements were located in Hawaiian newspapers. And when they demanded even more, Hawaii’s vital records registrar issued a public statement saying that the president’s original vital records confirm his birth in Hawaii.

(By contrast, what evidence did you ever see that Bill Clinton was born in Hope, Ark.? Can you even name the state George W. Bush was born in?)

Yet the conspiracists remain unsatisfied. And so do, apparently, at least three Georgia politicians. In late 2009, gubernatorial candidate Nathan Deal announced that he was writing a letter to Obama asking where he could find evidence of Obama’s eligibility. It seems Deal is either inexplicably ignorant of all the evidence cited above, or considers it insufficient. Even more inexplicably, Deal refuses to release a copy of his letter for Georgia voters to see what nonsense he wrote.

More recently, when Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) was asked in an interview if he could simply say that the president is an American citizen, Broun responded “I don’t know.” Then, when given the opportunity to clear the air in a follow-up interview, Broun only dug himself deeper into denialist territory. Asked “Do you believe the president’s citizenship is in question?” Broun gave a long, rambling reply, eventually concluding with “I don’t know, nobody knows for sure, we’ve not seen any documentation one way or the other.”

As illustrated above, this is an outright lie. Broun has not only allied himself with denialists, but has chosen to further entrench himself with them even when given the opportunity to back away.

Finally, state Rep. Mark Hatfield (R-Waycross) recently introduced House Bill 1516. Had it passed, it would have required presidential candidates to provide evidence of their constitutional eligibility in order to appear on Georgia ballots. In the abstract, such a requirement is perfectly reasonable.

But Hatfield’s real intent shines through in the details. Hatfield does not propose that his fellow General Assembly members should prove their eligibility under the Georgia Constitution, nor that our statewide elected officials, such as the governor, should do so. Nor does he propose the same standard of proof for our federal representatives and senators.

Hatfield’s bill does not even demand documentation from vice presidential candidates, who have the same eligibility standards as the president. Most astonishingly, Hatfield proposes nothing to ensure the constitutional eligibility of any third-party presidential candidates; his bill covers only Republicans and Democrats.

In other words, if Hatfield’s bill passed, the only candidates in the November 2012 election whose eligibility it would scrutinize would be Barack Obama and his Republican challenger. Hatfield has written a bill so narrow that the only way it could be narrower would be for it to identify Obama by name.

Hatfield even admits his bill is targeted at Obama. He says, “I don’t think that the American people have been given any adequate documentation of the president’s citizenship.” This, even though he already has a birth certification, birth announcements and a state official’s confirmation. And to whom did he give his first public interview about his bill? Joseph Farah, the Internet’s leading birther propagandist.

Birtherism is denialist claptrap wrapped in a veil of patriotic constitutionalism. Just as Georgia voters did not ignore McKinney’s conspiracism in 2002, Georgia voters in 2010 should not turn a blind eye to the indulging of birthers by our elected officials of today. Their actions are a boon to conspiracy theorists but an embarrassment to our state.

Loren Collins, an Atlanta attorney, runs an anti-birther blog called Barackryphal.

[Diogenesis]

The issue is BHO is NOT a natural citizen.

Of course, a BC could prove otherwise.

[ASA Vet]

NBC Ping

[the invisib1e hand]

ah well. things would be so much simpler if the thing were so much simpler.

if, for example, he had a true birth certificate or something like that. One that actually dates to his birth.

And if he'd just come down from his throne long enough to reassure the unwashed masses that he is indeed a mere mortal. A mere American mortal.

[Diogenesis]

[ez]

She attacks a strawman. My preferred theory is that his father’s British citizenship disqualifies him to be a “natural-born” citizen, and in fact makes him a naturalized citizen.

[donna]

“I never really had roots in any one place or culture or ethnic group.”
- Obama Olympics speech

[Diogenesis]

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

The only thing consistent with our sometime White House
resident is ITS middle name Hussein.

Things missing or faked BC, School Records and College records.

[Da Coyote]

“Claptrap” can be proven simply by a cheap (real) birth certificate.

Perhaps the kiddie writers at the Atlanta Constipation might want to look up the difference between a Hawaii certificate of life birth and an actual birth certificate.

I know such things are hard for journalists, but ‘tain’t that hard (for those of us who can read).

[M Kehoe]

Good evening.

Just out of curiosity, why are you hitting all the threads regarding B. Hussein 0bama's eligibility to hold the office of president?

Thanks.

5.56mm

[manc]

my issues is why does he refuse to show
why did his wife say Baracks homeland Kenya
why did he refuse and did lie to not put out the full live version
why does the media not ask
every president has had the media do a story on how they grew up, where they grew up, interview friends and family etc, why not obama?
my 12 year old was on about past presidents and asked how did obama do at school
you know what I couldn’t answer him as he sealed his records, he is the only president in our history which no one knows how he did at school what grades he got etc

so that is my question, why does he refuse to show it even after all this?

I have no idea and I’ll take his word if the rats want but I still ask them why does he not show it and why fight not to show it and they never answer that question

[Elsiejay]

The defining concept, and term of description, is “natural born” citizen, which requires that both parents be U. S. citizens as well as that the birth occur in the U. S. or U. S. territory or possession

[J Edgar]

Loren Collins deserves out reproach IMHO.
All that The Usurper has to do, is what every US citizen has done at some time in their life, present papers documenting their origin.
The Usurper is no better than the rest of us, so Loren Collins can go blow smoke up her ....

[OldDeckHand]

"By contrast, what evidence did you ever see that Bill Clinton was born in Hope, Ark.? Can you even name the state George W. Bush was born in?"

The last thing anyone could call me is a birther, but the reference to Clinton and Bush is completely without merit. We have surviving witnesses and bountiful anecdotal evidence about not just Bush's and Clinton's births, but about their entire childhood as well. Both of their lives were open books. We know where they were born, what hospital they were born in, where they went to school and with whom they went to school, and what activities they were involved in while they were in school. And, copious and detailed stories have been written about their births and their childhood from contemporary witnesses who did just that - witnessed it.

Obama is a cipher, a mystery man. We know very little about him, except for his last few years of high school, and sketchy information about his undergrad years. Obama is an enigma, and people don't enigmas as leaders, with good reason.

[eyeamok]

There is Currently More Evidence of Space Aliens than there is that Obama was ever at ANY SCHOOL IN THE United States, let alone a CITIZEN. Everyone should use the word “ALLEGED” when speaking about the past of Barry. That is unless of course Someone can actually produce SCHOOL RECORDS from ANYWHERE for ANYTIME in the US for Obama/Sotero??

[Diogenesis]

Methinks were it not for Team Romney attacking Gov. Palin,
Obama would still be a Senator.

And Team Romney schemes to make Obama a two term Pres_ _ent.

[martin_fierro]

Then Kenya's looking pretty foolish, aren't they.

[Diogenesis]

That, too.

But BHO is unnatural, and probably not even a citizen.

Every move he makes is for terrorists and invaders.

Every move he makes is against Americans. Every move.

[Menehune56]

By contrast, what evidence did you ever see that Bill Clinton was born in Hope, Ark.? Can you even name the state George W. Bush was born in?

Bill Clinton's life, although sordid, had been extensively documented as had GWB's. It took a cipher like Obama, with gaping holes in his biography, to highlight the need for verification of eligibility, especially since the major media have been revealed as the leftist propaganda organs they are. The example of Nicaraguan socialist Roger Calero in the 2004 and 2008 elections is also instructive. The more the elitists pooh-pooh the issue, the more you know it's driving them crazy.

[martin_fierro]

The AP was unwittingly part of the Birther Movement in 2004

[aruanan]

These conspiracy theorists, or “birthers,” refuse to accept the constitutional eligibility of President Barack Obama, under the hypothesis that he might not have been born in Honolulu, and that he instead may have engaged in a five-decade-long ruse before his secret foreign birth was exposed via fabricated rumors spread by fringe bloggers with no evidence late in the campaign.

It's not that they "refuse to accept the constitutional eligibility" of Barry. It's that he has refused to demonstrate his constitutional eligibility and has gone to incredible lengths and great expense to cover it up. Those who assert that he needs to demonstrate fulfillment of a constitutional requirement aren't required to show evidence that he is not constitutionally eligible. The burden is on him to demonstrate that he is.

[manc]

exactly

if the media wants to make fun of people asking why does he not show it then it speaks volumes about them and their view to journalism.

if the media did their job they too would ask why doesn’;t he show iot, that’s weird every other president has never sealed his own records even their school grades

if bozo thinks this question is going to go away then he lives in fantasy world and if we get power back and we have someone who has some guts then they will go public or do an investigation and people like Bachmann or Sarah I can see doing that

for the lefty trolls
tell me this
why does he refuse to show it knowing that there are questions out there and why did his wife say Baracks homeland kenya

funny how the obama’s go off script and they let their mouth s shoot too much
make too much money
redistribute
kenya is his homeland
proud for the first time
I want blacks hispanic to vote again

bozo is losing it for sure and it is only a matter of time before he does and I bet if crowds start shouting at him he will lose it

[plain talk]

When online conspiracists said that was a digital forgery, FactCheck.org visited campaign headquarters and took multiple photographs of the forged document.

That wasnt a real birth certifiate either. It was a dump of a database supposedly and could have been developed by anyone. Proves nothing.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Okay: What hospital in Hawaii was he born in? What physician delivered the baby? Who were the nurses? Why does the Kenyan government and people think he was born there? Was his supposed father (Barack Hussein Muhammed Obama, Sr.) an American citizen? Did his Indonesian stepfather adopt him? If he was the editor of the Harvard Law Review, why did he never publish anything? Who paid for all that expensive schooling? Did he ever register for Selective Service? If not, how did he ever get ANY federal job? I could go on for hours...

[ASA Vet]

why are you hitting all the threads regarding B. Hussein 0bama's eligibility

Probably because being a payed after-birther is piece work.

[ldish]

DITTO!

[wilco200]

If Obama decides to campaign in Arizona, maybe Sheriff Joe can ask him for his papers.

[OldDeckHand]

"If he was the editor of the Harvard Law Review, why did he never publish anything? "

What puzzles me, as a practicing attorney, is how in the world does someone get a job as a lecturer at UC (which is a great law school) without publishing ANYTHING prior to that assignment?

That is VERY, very unusual. I would call it unprecedented. Most people I either know or have met that have similar positions, had pretty remarkable CVs, to include published papers, before getting just a lecturers position, especially when considering the prestige of that school. Even affirmative action wouldn't account for his flimsy CV.

[Venturer]

I ask those who oppose Birthers one question.

Why doesnt Obama put a stop to this by showing his BC, His college records and his real Social Security number.

[roaddog727]

Misdirection.

The prize is Natural born Citizenship. And by his own Admission, Daddy Zero was A Kenyan.

That FACT alone negates Natural Born Citizenship an dhence, POTUS Eligibility.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Yes, he was never a professor, as he & his followers claim, was he?

Would millions of dollars donated by Saudis possibly account for it?

[Drew68]

My preferred theory is that his father’s British citizenship disqualifies him to be a “natural-born” citizen, and in fact makes him a naturalized citizen.

Your preferred theory does not correspond to the law.

Naturalized citizens have extensive naturalization procedures they must follow as well as documentation that these procedures were followed. Naturalization is a process for those who immigrated to the United States and undertook a series of established time-consuming steps to become "naturalized", hence the term.

There is no naturalization process for those born in the United States because these individuals are natural born and do not need to become naturalized.

While you may have "preferred" this not to be so, it is the law.

[parsifal]

This is a fantastic article! As we get nearer to November, I hope those still running around clamoring about their “patriotism” while pledging allegiance to the flag with their aluminum foil helmets on, draw the lightning bolts they so richly deserve. And double-dittos for the quasi-idiot amateur lawyers who scour the darkest corners of bookshelves at the local Goodwill for irrelevant tracts written prior to Wong Kim Ark.

parsy, who keeps hoping the Coulters, Becks, and O’Reillys wake these people up

[deport]

This has been beat to death on FR. If his father was a Keynan and following the logic that both parents need to be US citizens then all the other stuff in this article matters not one whit. LorenC hasn’t addressed that Keynan father issue as best that I can see.

[Forty-Niner]

“My preferred theory is that his father’s British citizenship disqualifies him to be a “natural-born” citizen, and in fact makes him a naturalized citizen.”

Barack is neither Natural Born Citizen, nor is he a naturalized citizen. His birth in Hawaii to an American citizen mother makes him an American citizen with all the rights and priveleges thereof save one........the lack of an American citizen father prevents him from meeting the definition of a Natural Born Citizen and is a disqualifying factor in meeting the Constitutional requirements for being the US President.....

Additionaly, because his father was a British citizen, at the time of little Baracks birth, allows him to claim, in British Court, British citizenship under the conditions of the British Nationality Act of 1948 (there is no evidence that BHO has ever done this)

Baracks citizenship is of the mere citizenship type, without the NBC quality.......

[Spunky]

From Article: "Hatfield’s bill does not even demand documentation from vice presidential candidates, who have the same eligibility standards as the president. Most astonishingly, Hatfield proposes nothing to ensure the constitutional eligibility of any third-party presidential candidates; his bill covers only Republicans and Democrats."

Geez! Can't they do anything right?

[OldDeckHand]

I don't know. What is strange is that law school (along with Yale) is probably one of the most conservative law schools that is in the top 10. Plus, the faculty is WILDLY prolific with respect to journals and books. I would say it's the best published staff in the country, and they put a HIGH emphasis on it. Which makes his lack of authorship even more peculiar, but is most likely what explains his lack of tenure.

To characterize him as an underachiever at that school would be -well- and understatement.

[Plutarch]

And when they demanded even more, Hawaii’s vital records registrar issued a public statement saying that the president’s original vital records confirm his birth in Hawaii.

So, the HI registrar has seen the original vital records, but we can't? Since when does the HI registar get to make the determination on a President's Constitutional eligibility? Funny no anti-birthers ever answer this question. But, they sure do pour on the ridicule, name-calling and bluster, don't they?

[Forty-Niner]

The COLB barack has presented is sufficient to disqualify him as a Natural Born Citizen because it lists his father as a foriegn national..... he is, by definition, not a NBC and cannot meet the requirements set out by the Constitution for being elected President.....

Anything else is just icing on the cake.....

[Forty-Niner]

The COLB Barack has presented is sufficient to disqualify him as a Natural Born Citizen because it lists his father as a foriegn national..... he is, by definition, not a NBC and cannot meet the requirements set out by the Constitution for being elected President.....

Anything else is just icing on the cake.....

[Castlebar]

Bill Clinton's life, although sordid, had been extensively documented

We know who Barak Obama's father was.

We don't know who Clinton's was; his mother took that secret to the grave; not sure if Bill Clinton himself knows.

[El Gato]

The conspiracists’ favored theory is that Obama’s mother left her Honolulu home and traveled halfway around the planet to give birth in the Third World nation of Kenya in 1961. To some people, it is apparently easier to believe that our first African-American president was actually born in Africa than to believe that he was born at the local Honolulu hospital.

Well, in the absense of the long form BC, with the hospital name on it, and the existence of a purported Kenyan BC, with a hospital name on it, it would be a lot harder if the Long Form BC were released.

I mean, how do we know what some red diaper baby is likely to do when she turns 18? She might have seen it as a Great Adventure. Intending to return well before the baby came..but well, Stuff Happens. (Her whereabouts are unknown from the time she finished her first semester at U Hawaii, and the time she showed up at U. Washington, not very long after Barry was born.

Now my personal favorite is the notion that she was sent to Canada to have the child and give it up for adoption. But, as that same crazy red diaper dolly, she couldn't (as many girls could not) and so took Barry and herself to Washington, where she had lived before and had friends. (It's only a few hours drive from Vanouver to Seattle and in those days a couple of gals in car with US plates and with a baby would just be waved on through the border post.

But of course, since his father was not a US Citizen, no matter where he popped out, he's not a Natural Born US Citizen.

[freebird5850]

“If Obama decides to campaign in Arizona, maybe Sheriff Joe can ask him for his papers.”

Joe would have the stones to do that. Be great to see him at a Tea Party!

[Mr Rogers]

“The defining concept, and term of description, is “natural born” citizen, which requires that both parents be U. S. citizens as well as that the birth occur in the U. S. or U. S. territory or possession”

Not according to the Supreme Court. Both the decision and the dissent are worth reading if one wants to know how the Supreme Court has looked at things in the past:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0169_0649_ZO.html

[Mr Rogers]

Consider this comment from the dissent in WKA:

“Considering the circumstances surrounding the framing of the Constitution, I submit that it is unreasonable to conclude that “natural-born citizen” applied to everybody born within the geographical tract known as the United States, irrespective of circumstances, and that the children of foreigners, happening to be born to them while passing through the country, whether of royal parentage or not, or whether of the Mongolian, Malay or other race, were eligible to the Presidency, while children of our citizens, born abroad, were not.”

The dissent disagrees with the majority decision (7-2) in part because it would make it possible for the child of TWO aliens to run for President.

Your thoughts?

[El Gato]

Of course, a BC could prove otherwise.

Only if it showed someone other than the British Colonial B.H. Obama Sr as his father. A US citizen someone. But if it did, there would be the awkward need to explain the posted image of the COLB indicating BHO Sr. as his father.

[deks]

Did you see his FR homepage...

“Recently I’ve become somewhat obcessed with debunking birthers. Not sure why, but I find it somewhat addictive.”

http://www.freerepublic.com/~curiosity/

[omegadawn]

the supreme Court disagrees with you. In the case of Wong KIm Ark ,a child born of parents who had immigrated(legally ) to the U.S. was declared a Native born Naturalized citizen because his parents were not yet U.S. citizens. Native born citizens are those who have parents that are not yet citizens( in the immigration process) or those who only have one parent a U.S. citizen.(partial allegienace to the U.S.) NATURAL BORN CITIZENSHIP requires full and complete allegiance(citizenship) of the parents(both) at the time of birth. Article 2 of the U.S. Constitution is there to protect our nation from foreign influence in the office of the President. This was done by requiring BOTH parents be U.S. Citizens.