[ComputerGuy]

1) Get yourself a copy of the BC pdf file
2) Open it in your pdf viewer and use the Copy function
3) Open MS Word and paste the pdf image into a new doc
4) wtf???
5) This also happens in Gimp and Paint.NET

[TigersEye]

Wow! That’s weird.

[UnwashedPeasant]

Wow, that is freaky.

If you save the pdf to your PC and then open the pdf with Illustrator, the words and so forth are separate objects and the paper background is also separate.

Here is the BC for anyone who wants to try it:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/rss_viewer/birth-certificate-long-form.pdf