Birthers embarrass the Republicans (flop sweat continues...)

Guradian UK ^ | 7/25/09 | Tomuch Noise

[Redwood Bob]

” Q: Is it possible that Obama traveled on a U.S. passport in 1981?

A: No, it is not possible. Pakistan was on the U.S. State Department’s “no travel” list in 1981.”

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Sigh. One more time: There was no “travel ban” to Pakistan in 1981. This stuff (almost always copy-and-pasted) keeps reappearing on these threads. I’ve even seen copy-and-pasted stuff that I’ve written, the person apparently unaware I’m debunking the story!

1981 NYTimes travel section article on visiting Pakistan:

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/14/travel/lahore-a-survivor-with-a-bittersweet-history.html?sec=travel&spon=&pagewanted=5

Letter to NYTimes from Reagan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, welcoming more tourism to Pakisstan:

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/23/travel/l-lahore-243000.html?sec=&spon=&scp=3&sq=lahore%20travel%201981&st=cse

U.S. State Dept. travel advisory on how 30-day tourist visas available at airport:

http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/travel/cis/southasia/TA_Pakistan1981.pdf

Not that this will make any difference. These threads will still be clogged with the “Pakistan Travel Ban” months from now.

[Lorianne]

Ultimately the only battles which are effective are ones which end in persuasion of people to one’s point of view, outlook ideas etc.

So, unless conservatives can convince others that conservative values and ideals about governance are better than liberals’, there is no point to any of the so-called ‘battles’.

The birthers are counter-effective in this regard. Not only do they not persuade others toward conservative values, they put them off ... and they put off other conservatives as well.

Even if they ‘win the battle’ of the birth certificate, they haven’t advanced conservatism. If, however they used all that energy to persuade others’ that Obama’s values, proposals, policies etc are bad for the country and bad for individuals ... then each person persuaded is a battle that was ‘worth the effort’.

[FTJM]

It’s never any actual reporting, just a lot of foot stomping.