Posted on 12/18/2010 2:04:57 PM PST by tricksy
Just hours after being found guilty at his court-martial, Army Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin said he was ashamed and remorseful over his decision to refuse deployment to Afghanistan earlier this year, but he hedged on questions about President Barack Obama's citizenship.
"I don't want [my career] to end this way," a tearful Lakin said to military jurors during the sentencing phase of his trial Wednesday afternoon. "I want to continue to serve ... It crushed me not to be on deployment. I can be on a plane tomorrow. I'd truly do that."
Lakin, a 17-year Army physician, was sentenced to six months in prison and dismissal from the service on Thursday after being found guilty of disobeying orders and ignoring his deployment orders. In April, Lakin posted an online video declaring he would not return to Afghanistan with his unit until questions regarding Obama's birth certificate were answered to his satisfaction. The move made him an instant hero to the birther movement, which helped him raise money for his legal defense.
Obama was born in Hawaii, but questions about his parents and overseas upbringing were raised during his 2008 presidential campaign. Hawaiian officials that year verified the existence of his birth certificate, addressing those issues for all but a fringe group that insists that the president is not legally qualified to serve in the White House...
The 45-year-old physician appeared somber and exhausted from two days in court, and was battered by his own civilian defense lawyer during his sentencing statement.
"Are you done disobeying orders, Col. Lakin?" attorney Neal Puckett angrily asked his client. "You invited this court-martial. You invited this sentence. And for the rest of your life, you get to live with a federal felony conviction."
Lakin sheepishly nodded along....
(Excerpt) Read more at stripes.com ...
Prove it...
Good god! What is the problem, just prove he is a legitimate president. When did it become wrong to demand to know who the man with his finger on our nuclear arsenal is and what his background is?
The protagonist crushed, humiliated, friendless and abandoned. An undeserved and total win for Obozo because I still did not see any proof. So far Obozo wins everything in this department, all at the State's expense.
Lakin, is paying a steep price for his stance, he put a big bulls eye on his back, the JAG was no way was going to play fair.
The coward got off easy IMHO
In January, we will have an opportunity to resolve these questions about Obama in a proper way. Speaker Boehner will have the power to subpoena and secure all of the appropriate documents necessary to resolve this issue.
I would like to see Speaker Boehner do his duty to investigate the constitutional issues and I would like to see Obama use his power to grant this guy some sort of discretionary relief from his sentence.
“Obama was born in Hawaii, but questions about his parents and overseas upbringing were raised during his 2008 presidential campaign.”
By whom? When? Were those questions raised by one ‘mainstream’ journalist or by one opponent for the Democrat nomination or, for that matter, by John McCain. I only heard those questions raised by ‘birthers.
“Hawaiian officials that year verified the existence of his birth certificate,...”
Doublespeak. The document that the Dept. of Health/Hawaii signed said that they have seen the BC. No elaboration on what country it’s from!
Like you say,”prove it”.
Enquiring minds really would like to know. We know he's the "sitting" President, and so legitimate or not, he IS the CIC. But was it appropriate for him to have stood for the office or not?
Waddawedonow? BTW, Col. Lakin had to know he was going down, so the least he could have done is tough it out on the question. The President is not a "Natural Born citizen." It's the "So what?" that's the tough part of this Constitutional crisis.
Pardon and full restitution will be made; when it is proven the usurper was never eligible to be Commander in Chief.
Baloney.
Obama could be unmasked and removed tomorrow and Lakin would still be guilty of refusing to obey the lawful orders of three superior officers and with missing movement. No pardon is justified, regardless of who is president, and no restitution will be forthcoming.
Col. Lakin is no coward.
He is man who gave up his entire military career to stand by the Constitutional oath he swore to our country.
Prayers for this American HERO!
Lakin had his website up soliciting contributions even before he was charged with anything. A week or so ago his lawyer was soliciting donations to help support Lakin and his family if he was convicted. It came out in court that even as Lakin was refusing to deploy, forcing another doctor to go in his place on short notice, he was asking if he could still take his pre-deployment leave. There's a lot that just isn't right about this guy.
>> Baloney.
What is it about that statement you repeatedly take issue with?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.