Got a request from a regular to talk about the story of the day, and, being a fairly agreeable chap, with some spare time today for some reason, I thought why not?
"The Birth Certificate Fiasco."
Obama has finally released his long form birth certificate. For 99% of people, this is a non event. The other 1% though ...
A quick check of the various conservative sites (Except Red State - even I can only take so much) showed such levels of paranoia and misogyny that my soul is going to have to be dry cleaned. I am going to paraphrase and not link - these things are not hard to find, though I suggest you don't bother unless you have a strong stomach.
First off, and to show ultra conservatives are human too, a good 90% of the comments were along the lines of "Good, now we can concentrate on the issues. Give the Birther thing a rest!" Sensible - these are people who are passionate about their beliefs in what is right and wrong, and who have as much right to concentrate on the political process as you.They asked a question and it got answered.
Now for the crazy talk.
"It is a fake."
This is by far the most common comment of the 1%. Apparently the scan of the certificate looks weird when you enlarge it by 1600%. You can even see where someone used whiteout to cover a mistake! Understandable, for someone who has never used a typewriter. Though many people who make this point don't seem to believe in spellcheck either.
"The attending doctor doesn't seem to exist."
Yes, several people have been taking the time to try to track down the doctor. By his signature, which, like all doctor's writing, is more or less illegible. I have seen 17 variants of the doctors name already, with more to come. There are going to be a lot of confused, yet suddenly popular, ex-doctors in their 80s.
"The father is put down as African. It should be Negro."
No comment, apart from sometimes I really really hate humanity.
"Someone born after him has a birth certificate issued before his."
Now this seems valid, until you know how Birth Certificates work. They are filled in for the relevent signatures by someone in an office, from the information on the medical charts. If you are at a desk right now, take a quick look at your in tray. Is it in chronological order? If it is, you may want to get that OCD treated.
"He is still not eligible as his father was not a US citizen."
Let us drag in the constitution, written at a time when women were somewhere between pets and possessions. A time many Birthers wish would come again. The legal definition of Naturally Born is born in the USA with at least one parent a US citizen. Note, it does not say the sex of the native parent - just that one of them has to be.
"Hawaii is not part of the USA."
This one is a bit fun. Since Hawaii was not part of the US at the time of it's formation, it doesn't count. The fact that it means pretty much everyone born west of the Mississipi is no longer Natural Born evades them. Mention that sticking to that idea would disqualify their darling Sarah Palin, and their tiny brains will probably explode.
"I don't care, he still is an usurper."
I don't care about the evidence, I believe what I believe!! I'll put my fingers in my ears and shout "I can't hear you!" That is just people being people. They had some excitement and don't want to let it go.
Well, there you are, a short rundown of the response from the lunatic fringe. Some desperate, most hugely offensive. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going for a shower
"The Birth Certificate Fiasco."
Obama has finally released his long form birth certificate. For 99% of people, this is a non event. The other 1% though ...
A quick check of the various conservative sites (Except Red State - even I can only take so much) showed such levels of paranoia and misogyny that my soul is going to have to be dry cleaned. I am going to paraphrase and not link - these things are not hard to find, though I suggest you don't bother unless you have a strong stomach.
First off, and to show ultra conservatives are human too, a good 90% of the comments were along the lines of "Good, now we can concentrate on the issues. Give the Birther thing a rest!" Sensible - these are people who are passionate about their beliefs in what is right and wrong, and who have as much right to concentrate on the political process as you.They asked a question and it got answered.
Now for the crazy talk.
"It is a fake."
This is by far the most common comment of the 1%. Apparently the scan of the certificate looks weird when you enlarge it by 1600%. You can even see where someone used whiteout to cover a mistake! Understandable, for someone who has never used a typewriter. Though many people who make this point don't seem to believe in spellcheck either.
"The attending doctor doesn't seem to exist."
Yes, several people have been taking the time to try to track down the doctor. By his signature, which, like all doctor's writing, is more or less illegible. I have seen 17 variants of the doctors name already, with more to come. There are going to be a lot of confused, yet suddenly popular, ex-doctors in their 80s.
"The father is put down as African. It should be Negro."
No comment, apart from sometimes I really really hate humanity.
"Someone born after him has a birth certificate issued before his."
Now this seems valid, until you know how Birth Certificates work. They are filled in for the relevent signatures by someone in an office, from the information on the medical charts. If you are at a desk right now, take a quick look at your in tray. Is it in chronological order? If it is, you may want to get that OCD treated.
"He is still not eligible as his father was not a US citizen."
Let us drag in the constitution, written at a time when women were somewhere between pets and possessions. A time many Birthers wish would come again. The legal definition of Naturally Born is born in the USA with at least one parent a US citizen. Note, it does not say the sex of the native parent - just that one of them has to be.
"Hawaii is not part of the USA."
This one is a bit fun. Since Hawaii was not part of the US at the time of it's formation, it doesn't count. The fact that it means pretty much everyone born west of the Mississipi is no longer Natural Born evades them. Mention that sticking to that idea would disqualify their darling Sarah Palin, and their tiny brains will probably explode.
"I don't care, he still is an usurper."
I don't care about the evidence, I believe what I believe!! I'll put my fingers in my ears and shout "I can't hear you!" That is just people being people. They had some excitement and don't want to let it go.
Well, there you are, a short rundown of the response from the lunatic fringe. Some desperate, most hugely offensive. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going for a shower
I find it unsettling that everyone freaked about Obama's lack of proof that he was born on US territory, when we have definitive proof that McCain wasn't born on US territory. He was born in unclaimed territory(meaning no country owned that land) in the Panama Canal somewhere. Funny, nobody seemed to care about that.
(Someone please correct me if I'm wrong about this. Politics is not my strong point.)
McCain was born on a naval air station in the Canal Zone (US territory), which means he's a citizen.
Q: What will happen if Trump runs and wins the next election?
A: We're all going to be fired!
You know, I'm a libertarian and I hate how liberals sometimes assume that I'm one of those people... I don't agree with President Obama on just about any issues relevant to the way I vote (which are all fiscal since Presidents don't have much say in social issues anyway) and I don't dispute that he should be President.
Oh, totally agree! The huge majority of Libertarians and far Right Conservatives always considered this a non issue.
Unfortunately, like in every other field, it is the extremists who get the coverage and create the stereotype.
MM, just a point to note about "the doctor doesn't exist." I recently read a news story and heard an audio tape of the doctor's widow and son talking about how they never knew that their husband/father delivered Obama. Now, I suppose this could all be fabricated, but I choose to believe it's real. The doctor's name is Sinclair (David, I believe) if you care to look up the story.
It is very possible.
The doctor that delivered our eldest daughter didn't remember her when she met her recently. And probably never mentioned her over the dinner table to her family either.
It was just another child to her.