If you don't know what a 'birther' is, you're not alone. 'Birther' is a relatively new term that is used to describe a fringe segment of the population that ostensibly believes there is a vast cover-up by the government, Republicans and Democrats alike, to hide information about President Obama's birth. Birthers say that they believe that President Obama is not eligible to be the president of the United States because he isn't a natural born citizen of the U.S.
The origin of the birther conspiracy appears to have begun during the Obama presidential campaign when Obama campaign workers heard a rumor that then Senator Obama's birth certificate had his name as Barack Mohammed Obama instead of Barack Hussein Obama. The rumor was untrue and to allay any confusion, President Obama decided to post his birth certificate on the internet.
Instead of allaying any rumors regarding his given name, the posting of his birth certificate on the internet only served to amplify rumors among a small group of passionate Obama haters to spread the false information that Obama was not born in the United States at all but was born in Kenya and therefore wasn't eligible to become president.
The birthers, faced with the factual evidence as submitted by the state of Hawaii, witnesses, hospital workers, family and friends and faced with the actual birth certificate itself, still claim to believe that President Obama isn't really a U.S. citizen. Faced with overwhelming evidence that proves that Obama was born in the United States, the birthers still aren't satisfied.
There have always been people unhappy with the outcome of presidential elections. But since the election of the first African American president, President Obama, there has been a small but increasingly vitriolic segment of the population that appears to genuinely feel hatred towards our new president.
Historically, presidents have borne a great deal of criticism by the opposition party and to some degree at least, we expect this sort of thing. But the criticism aimed at President Obama has crossed the line of expected criticism by the opposition and has spawned the birther movement.
In a town meeting in Delaware earlier this summer, Congressman Castle, (R), Delaware, began taking questions from the audience. A woman stood up with a plastic bag and an American flag clutched in her hand and accused Republican Congressman Castle of being part of the conspiracy that is covering up the president's birth status. The woman all but wept with anger. She talked about how her father had fought in WWII to protect our country and ended her emotional speech by shouting that she wanted her country back. Several people in the audience clapped and shouted in support of the woman. When Congressman Castle stated that Obama is a citizen of the United States, he was booed.
You can see the video here.
There is no doubt that the woman was genuinely distressed about the election of President Obama. She held her own birth certificate in her hand. She talked about her father's military service to the country during World War II. She was clearly angry.
The evidence of President Obama's birth in Hawaii is overwhelming and undisputed by all but the small number of persistent people who choose to ignore facts and evidence like the woman in the video you just watched.
When the people known as birthers, people such as the woman in Delaware, refuse to accept factual evidence, and continue to disrupt and provoke the public discourse with accusations that have been soundly debunked, one must then contemplate what it is that birthers are really upset about.
What is so different about President Obama that this difference has generated an entire movement based on a conspiracy that has been debunked numerous times? What is so different about President Obama from previous presidents that makes a woman stand up during a town meeting and accuse the former governor of the state, a Republican congressman, of being part of a massive coverup?
What is so different about President Obama from previous presidents is his ancestry. He is an American citizen but his father is Kenyan, his mother Kansan. President Obama is an African American. It seems abundantly clear that it is President Obama's ancestry that is at the heart of the warrantless birther movement. There is simply no other explanation that makes any sense.
Occam's razor is a principle attributed to a 14th century Franciscan friar that in its simplest form states that "when you have two competing theories that make exactly the same predictions, the simpler one is the better."
Occam's razor is applied to logic in philosophy and science. The simplest explanation for something is almost always the correct explanation.
Conspiracy theories can be exciting and generate passion but they are unrealistic. For a conspiracy to be successful, a large number of people have to agree to withhold information, withhold the truth for an unlimited amount of time, in other words, a lot of people must agree to keep a big secret. For example, there is a small segment of the population who genuinely believe the lunar landing was nothing more than a hoax.
To fake the moon landing in 1969, all of the people who worked at Mission Control in Houston would have had to have agreed to participate in the hoax and never reveal the truth. All of the astronauts and all of their families would have also had to have agreed to go along with the invented story. So the first and most obvious problem with conspiracy 'theories' is that a large number of people would have to be involved in keeping a great big secret.
There are other problems with conspiracy theories. What would be the purpose of thousands of people participating in a massive hoax such as mankind landing on the moon?
The idea that there are hundreds of people, perhaps thousands of people who have agreed to keep the secret that the president of the United States is not really an American citizen, is not merely illogical, it's absurd. And so there must be some other reason for the passionate hatred by people like the woman in Delaware.
If we apply the principle of Occam's razor to the birther movement, the logical conclusion is that President Obama's race is the reason for such passionate hatred. it is the one thing that makes him very different from every other president that has come before him.
A majority of Americans voted for an African American man for president but that doesn't mean that racism no longer exists in the United States.
The issue of race has all but disappeared from the public discourse but racism may be what has spawned the birther movement. The embittered remarks by people like the woman in Delaware conveniently obfuscate what is really bothering the birthers.
it is unfortunate that the mainstream media network CNN has allowed one of its 'anchors' to lend credibility to the racist birthers by perpetuating the myth that the issue of President Obama's proof of birth in Hawaii hasn't been resolved. Lou Dobbs is encouraging the racist birthers to continue the charade that there is some sort of conspiracy regarding President Obama's legitimacy as an American citizen. In fact, he used the provocative term "undocumented" on his radio show to describe the question of President Obama's birth certificate intimating that President Obama is like an illegal alien.
Here is more about Lou Dobbs and the birthers.
It is much easier to say you hate someone because they are not a citizen of the United States than it is to admit that you hate someone because you are a racist. The easily disprovable notion that President Obama isn't really a natural born citizen of the united States is most likely founded in racism.
Comments
Good job, well said. I'd use your Occam's Razor argument at work, but I'm afraid the knuckledraggers would need it explained to them.
I saw a close-up of Barack Hussein Obama's birth certificate from the Hawaii Dept. of Health. Check it out for yourself....The Certificate Number is: 151 1961 010641
Now pay attention here.
151 + 1961 + 010641 = 12753
Now add up the individual digits....
1 + 2 + 7 + 5 + 3 = 18
You know what that means?
18 = 6 + 6 + 6
Do I have to spell it out for you? 666 people!!!!! THE MARK OF THE BEAST!
Lord Jesus, COME QUICKLY!
R-o-n-a-l-d W-i-l-s-o-n R-e-a-g-a-n (666)
Yes it's about race. Never mind that every one of those "birthers" would have voted for Condoleezza Rice. Never mind that they might really care what the Constitution says, This is about race "straight up". Karen you and your liberal ilk stopped caring about facts a long time ago...
There is further the issue of Hawaiian statehood which occurs very near this time.
President Obama not a citizen? The stupid....IT BURNS!!!!
What exacerbates the stupidity of this issue is the fact that the word "Is" sits at the beginning; and a question mark is employed at the end of the title of this article...
The title should be: President Obama's race IS behind the 'birther' conspiracy movement.
Of course race is the issue. I wish the ‘birthers’ would be candid and just fess-up b/c they're lookin' real looney with their pseudo-platform. These bigots are merely sore that THEIR PRESIDENT is black. It’s stories like this that get out into the international news pool and prompt people to say that Americans are stupid. Birthers, your brand of stupidity is inexcusable are embarrassing in the 21st century. Grow up and suck-it-up! You've got a BLACK PRESIDENT!
I want Obama to be the best thing that's ever happen to this country. I could care less what race he is as long as he's qualified to do the job. Best way to shut these people up is to show them the long form or back of the certificate that shows what they want to see. I ordered my long form for 12 bucks to get my passport, what's the big deal. Show them the proof they want and get this behind us!
The basic argument of the Obama administration is that everyone who disagrees with them about anything is a racist.
It's unfortunately become obvious that Obama has no long-form birth certificate he dares to show. Therefore, he isn't at all likely to have been born in the USA.
I am the proud White mother-in-law to a wonderful Black man, and the 'even prouder' grandmother to my Mixed grandson. I find this article totally racist and I resent it even being allowed! The BC issue began with the Democrats and Hillary - it was, and is, a Constitutional issue. Obama is being treated the same as White Presidential candidates, like McCain, for instance. My son-in-law is from East St. Louis, Illinois, and believe me, not ALL Blacks from Illinois approve of Obama! You owe all of us Mixed families a big apology - articles like this one just serve to divide America.
Not a race issue. I would not want any anti-American loon of any color running this country. That he is possibly an non-citizen makes this horrible
You know you've got them when the Obama sycophants have to drag out the race issue. When all else fails, it's the racists that are out to him. That's their position of last resort.
The only so-called 'birth certificate' he has produced is one that Hawaii gives to NON-CITIZENS. There is no reason to have one of those if you have the real long form.
And the one shown is of questionable validity at that. The ARE legitimate questions about it- there is NOT overwehelming evidence'
Other then this (non-citizen form of) Birth Certificate- what OTHER evidence is there that is so overwhelming? (answr: none)
And why is it that when you disagree with a liberal you are stupid and a 'knuckle-dragger' ? can't you convince me any other way if you feel I am wrong?
Where's the proof that the "birthers" are racists and this is this real reason they are bringing up this issue.
Where?
First of all, Church Lady, take a chill pill.
Second, maybe the better question should be,is President Obama's race behind the failure of the press to do its job? Benign neglect has turned to professional negligence which has turned to egregious malpractice.
A very disturbing article full of wild inaccuracies. I quote from the article:
"The birthers, faced with the factual evidence as submitted by the state of Hawaii, witnesses, hospital workers, family and friends and faced with the actual birth certificate itself"
1) The State of Hawaii has said it has seen a Birth Certificate but has NOT stated what is recorded on it.
2) The ONLY witness to the birth is the Paternal Grandmother who stated that she was present when he was born in MOMBASSA. (see also 'family member')
3) NO hospital worker has been traced AT ALL.
4) No BIRTH CERTIFICATE has ever been displayed. The IMAGE so frequently referred to is of a computer print out and is 100% NOT a Birth Certificate. It is an computer image of a COLB. It is not even a full legal document according to the State of Hawaii. It is an computer image of a COLB.
The article is shoddy, misleading, poorly researched, and mainly full of downright lies.
I would like to know what his doctor's name is! I also would like to know what scholarship program he used to get into his colleges. Such a poor man and he graduated from Harvard? His father was a foreigner and used foreign aid to attend Harvard. Is this how he was able to afford it - which I would assume meant that he was a foreigner? Have you checked out any of these stories or are you just satisfied that there is nothing here to see - exactly nothing here to see, no one has looked. Reporters are not longer in existence since they do not seek out the truth for themselves. They are willing to take second hand information and cut and paste. Job well done!
Second comment:
The article does not report the amount of money - variously estimated at up to $1,000.000 that has been spent by Obama so that he need not produce a State of Hawaii certified copy (cost about $20) of the real long form birth certificate which the article implies exists. Once again, the Internet thing is an image of a COLB which is not the birth certificate that people believe.
Good for you Karen. I've been arguing for years that the Democrts who opposed Chester Arthur were just a bunch of racists.......
Please look up the article by Hank Rand - An Exercise in Patience & Logic; The Obama Citizenship Question
No Knuckledragging, No tinfoil Hat
You can google it or find it at I Report . com
I think Church Lady is right! That is why there is no original birth certificate for Obama! The anti-Christ wouldn't have one! Would HE??
Ms Harper is using the novice approach to discreding those who are seeking to see Obama's real birth certificate - what the hell has racisim got to do with it?
Its not like Obama has been truthful from his campaign until now
Yeah, What Martin said.
" very disturbing article full of wild inaccuracies. I quote from the article:
"The birthers, faced with the factual evidence as submitted by the state of Hawaii, witnesses, hospital workers, family and friends and faced with the actual birth certificate itself"
1) The State of Hawaii has said it has seen a Birth Certificate but has NOT stated what is recorded on it.
2) The ONLY witness to the birth is the Paternal Grandmother who stated that she was present when he was born in MOMBASSA. (see also 'family member')
3) NO hospital worker has been traced AT ALL.
4) No BIRTH CERTIFICATE has ever been displayed. The IMAGE so frequently referred to is of a computer print out and is 100% NOT a Birth Certificate. It is an computer image of a COLB. It is not even a full legal document according to the State of Hawaii. It is an computer image of a COLB.
The article is shoddy, misleading, poorly researched, and mainly full of downright lies."
No, it is not a Race Issue. It is a Race Shield.
Instead of insisting on Obama producing a valid long form birth certificate, you cover it with a Race Shield. Think about it.
Church Lady says:
I saw a close-up of Barack Hussein Obama's birth certificate from the Hawaii Dept. of Health. Check it out for yourself....The Certificate Number is: 151 1961 010641
Where did you see it? The Image that Obama published had the number blacked out (why?) so if you HAVE seen the actual birth certificate, I would indeed like to check it out.
Your reply is..............
Hey, if you don't agree with Ms. Harper, you MUST be a Male Chauvinist Sexist PIG!
Liberials see the world is pink thru thier smiley faced rim glasses!
Ms. Harper, Thank You So Much for calling out the birther movemnt for what it really is: Racist White People Grasping At Draws To Discredit The Historical Election Of A Black President!!! RepubliKKKans never cease to amaze me. They are so imbued with hate and bias. McCain/Palin would have ruined this country, but the birthers are too busy throwing Tea Parties/Klan Rallies to realize it.
This lady is just noticing that some Americans genuinely hate the President? I guess she missed the vitriolic celebration of Bush/Cheney hatred over the past 8 years.
K Mac says:
Ms. Harper, Thank You So Much for calling out the birther movemnt for what it really is: Racist White People Grasping At Draws To Discredit The Historical Election Of A Black President!!!
The KKK was a Democrat organization (Thank you Senator Byrd)not republican - check your history books.
The Obama race baiting machine in action. this man sits in a church that spews hate and bigotry for 29 years, anyone during his campaign that disagreed with him were racist, now we who just want him to prove his elgibilty are racist, I am also sick of people referring to the document Obama put out that we are suppose to believe is a birth certificate when in fact his sister has one also, CERTIFICATE OF LIVE BIRTH and she was born in Indoneisa. You libs have a problem, your guy is in eligible, you know it, I know it , anyone with a half of brain knows it. Why shouldn't people be suspicious when he himself has given 2 different hospitals for his place of birth. what a joke. You libs just keep mocking , race baiting, it is all going to come back around and bite you in the ass when your man is brought out to be a fraud as well as committing treason for knowingly circumventing the consitution he took an oath to protect
Holy crap! Great article! I see you have attracted the loonies right to your very own page. Congratulations!
I would also like to point out that U.S. law states that a child born to an American citizen is an American citizen by birth regardless of location of birth. I could scan and show you the official American birth certificate of my son, born in the Netherlands. His mother is Dutch, I am American, he was born in the Netherlands, but he is still both American and Dutch by birth.
I would also like to point out that Pat Buchanan called on Sotomayor to provide her SAT and LSAT scores before being confirmed to the Supreme Court. Not 1 of the 110 S.C. Justices have ever been asked for this information, but a former Republican Presidential candidate is asking it of the first ever Hispanic, and only third ever female nominated to the court.
Coincidence, or overt racism from the far, far right?
I would fire Karen Harper in a nano-second after an article like this. What unoriginal, predictable trash she writes. Got no legitimate counter arguments or evidence to defend your case?? Then just accuse them of racism, of course! Shoddy, irresponsible and immature. And who are these "witnesses and hospital workers" that Karen speaks of??? There are none to be found. Additionally, the only family alive to speak about it (Obama's grandma) says he was born in Africa!
Yet, this doesn't deter Karen from race-baiting. Just because someone disagrees with you, Karen, doesn't make them racist. It just gives you a convenient tool to shut them up. While there are many things I dislike about Obama, his race isn't one of them.
His sister Maya also has a Certification of Live Birth for Hawaii. She was born in Indonesia.... Hmmm, one can only wonder why a Certification and not a Certificate was shown? No witnesses!
Clifton, you have to be a natural born citizen to be president. Having an American parent isn't enough.
From the State of Hawaii official site:
# Fees for certified copies of birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates are identical:
* $10.00 for the first copy of each certificate, and
* $4.00 for each additional copy of the same certificate ordered at the same time.
That's for a certified copy of an original birth certificate, not the "Certification of Live Birth" this writer thinks is a birth certificate. Maybe Karen can loan Obama $10.00 so he can clear this all up:
Google "Hawaii birth certificate" and go to their Department of Health web site.
Clifton says:
I would also like to point out that U.S. law states that a child born to an American citizen is an American citizen by birth regardless of location of birth.
Shoddy answer, shoddy, shoddy, shoddy.
Check the age requirement of a 'single American parent' that existed when he was born.
If he is not a natural born citizen he is not eligible to be POTUS. He has never provided any proof, but instead his minions produce worthless computer forgeries and blog posts like this. He has teams of lawyers fighting the release of any evidence that might confirm his eligibility, or prove that he is ineligible. These are not the actions of someone who is innocent.
The more he stalls and his sychophants call anyone who questions his background racists, the more many Americans like myself question him. Produce the evidence and put this issue to bed NOW!
The country deserves the truth. What is he hiding? Why is this so hard to understand for the left? Are they OK with potentially having a fraudulent POTUS?
So if anyone questions Obama they are racists? What does that make the insane BDS sufferers who called Bush "Hitler" for 8 years?
@ mike. Obama’s announcements in a Hawaiian newspapers (don't know which ones, but they actually exist -library/microfiche-, you're the 'birther', you do the research), which were published in 1961 the week he was born might suggest that he was actually born in Hawaii in 1961. Otherwise his clairvoyant grandmother must have known to publish his “fake” birth announcement (since he is an "alien") because one day he would run for the Presidency. Now that's real conspiracy mike.
Oh & Obama born in Hawaii (THE USA); Mc Cain born in Panama (on a US military base in PANAMA--actually, NOT THE USA- he’s a citizen by way of technicality but not by birth). Some say that his mom gave birth to him @ the gate of the base (the outer perimeter) so he is really Panamanian... Imagine that! A Panamanian-born/American/ Caucasian male made an ATTEMPT at the presidency... Conspiracy! Ring the alarm!
@ Martin, In response to your post:
Martin says:
Church Lady says:
I saw a close-up of Barack Hussein Obama's birth certificate from the Hawaii Dept. of Health. Check it out for yourself....The Certificate Number is: 151 1961 010641
Where did you see it? The Image that Obama published had the number blacked out (why?) so if you HAVE seen the actual birth certificate, I would indeed like to check it out.
Sorry martin, Martin You are not bright at all. Don't you sense the blatant sarcasm in Church Lady's post? Yeah you are a 'Birther'! Continue to dumb out...
If Occam's razor is the definitive test please consider the simplicity of the following.
Barack Obama has stated in writing that he was born under British rule. His father was a Kenyan citizen under British rule.
At the writing of our Constitution a "Natural Born Citizen" was defined via Vattel's Laws of Nations - a primary resource for our founding fathers - as one who is born on U.S. soil to two "Citizen" parents {Both Mom and Dad must be citizens.} Laws have since passed allowing for persons born abroad to two U.S. citizens to also have "Natural Born" status. Currently, the Senate and the current State Department require those born abroad to have two citizen parents to qualify for "Natural Born Citizen" status.
Simply: Unless Barack Obama lied about his status at birth and his father, he CAN NOT claim "Natural Born Citizen" status as required by our Constitution for POTUS. His place of birth, birth certificate (and race!) are superfluous. He is a usurper and a fraud.
You have proven that it is the Progressives that are the racists and race baiters. You and Barbara Boxer are solid proof!
Race has nothing to do with it. It is a less respected thing called the US Constitution. You have heard of that right?
DEMOCRATS fought the Voting Rights bill.
DEMOCRATS instituted JIM CROW LAWS.
DEMOCRATS started the KKK.
A REPUBLICAN freed the slaves.
Uhh no...If Condolezza Rice or Al Sharpton became President Im sure we wouldnt be questioning their American citizenship.
And as an African-American, I find it insulting you call Obama an African American.. Hes Kenyan..And even if he was born in the U.S. he'd be Kenyan-American...
SMH and LOL says: (something rude - must be lefties!)
Less than $20 settles the argument. Meanwhile Obama carries on with his far-left agenda.
Clifton, there is no question whether Obama is a citizen, or your son. They both are US citizens. The question surrounds that constitutional term "natural born citizen". John McCain's qualification to run was questioned because he was born outside the US of two US citizens, in the Panama Canal Zone. He produced a birth certificate and was deemed eligible because the canal zone was a US naval station.
The founders were concerned about the loyalty or foreigners and dual citizens, thus the "natural born" requirement. And, as far as I have been able to tell, that term has never been precisely defined to clarify all the possible combinations of parentage and birth places. Some think it is clear, but I not one of them.
But, why doesn't Obama just send $10.00 to the state of Hawaii for a certified copy of his birth certificate? $10.00.
The $1,000,000 is a worthwhile investment if it keeps people diverted from his left wing policy issues which even his own party cannot digest. Today, a rash of articles have appeared about birthers - how convenient - kick the bees nest and suddenly the pressure on Obamacare is lessened.
However, the LACK of FACTS concerning his birth speaks volumes.
Racist, racist nonsense. Thank you, birthers, for embracing consipracy theories, ignoring facts, and discrediting the Republican party.
Oh, and hey, noname - are you suggesting Obama is not African-American because Kenya is not in Africa? Try looking at a map!
Hey, "Duh, people", do have $10.00 you could loan Obama so he can obtain a certified copy of his birth certificate from the State of Hawaii?
That "Certification of Live Birth" thing is not a birth certificate.
Do you have the $10.00?
Duh, People says:
Racist, racist nonsense. Thank you, birthers, for embracing consipracy theories, ignoring facts, and discrediting the Republican party
What facts are being ignored?
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