As the issue heats up, Hawaii contradicts policy on birth certificates

The Obama File ^

[cycle of discernment]

According to the Hawaii Star-Bulletin, the State of Hawaii, Department of Health no longer issues copies of paper birth certificates as was done in the past, said spokeswoman Janice Okubo.

The department only issues "certifications" of live births, and that is the "official birth certificate" issued by the state of Hawaii, she said.

And, it's only available in electronic form.

Okubo explained that the Health Department went paperless in 2001.

"At that time, all information for births from 1908 (on) was put into electronic files for consistent reporting," she said.

Information about births is transferred electronically from hospitals to the department.

"The electronic record of the birth is what (the Health Department) now keeps on file in order to provide same-day certified copies at our help window for most requests," Okubo said.

Asked for more information about the short-form versus long-form birth documents, Okubo said the Health Department "does not have a short-form or long-form certificate."

"The birth certificate form has been modified over the years and decades to conform to national standards and models," she said.

Okubo also emphasized the certification form "contains all the information needed by all federal government agencies for transactions requiring a birth certificate."

She added that the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized the state's current certification of live birth "as an official birth certificate meeting all federal and other requirements."

The issue of what constitutes an official Hawaii birth certificate received national attention during last year's presidential campaign. Those who doubted Barack Obama's American citizenship called the copy of the Hawaii birth document posted on his campaign web site a fake.

Asked about that document, Okubo said, "This is the same certified copy everyone receives when they request a birth certificate."

Is Ms. Okubo trying to say that Hawaii no longer has a copy of Obama's original birth certificate on file? -- how convenient.

Is Ms. Okubo saying that the previous statement from Hawaii state health director Dr. Chiyome Fukino is not true?

"Therefore, I, as Director of Health for the State of Hawai‘i, along with the Registrar of Vital Statistics who has statutory authority to oversee and maintain these type of vital records, have personally seen and verified that the Hawai‘i State Department of Health has Sen. Obama’s original birth certificate on record in accordance with state policies and procedures."

Why does everyone in Hawaii have a different story?

Maybe Indiana Jones can find Obama's original birth certificate. After all, he found the Ark of the Covenant. COLB 6/7/09

[Danae]

This much is true, it is a smokescreen. Because where he was born isn’t all that relevant, his IMMIGRATION STATUS is whats relevant that that is the question Obama doesn’t want answered.

[Non-Sequitur]

Because where he was born isn’t all that relevant, his IMMIGRATION STATUS is whats relevant that that is the question

If he was born in Hawaii then he doesn't have an immigration status, does he?

[Non-Sequitur]

...where he is born does not establish Natural Born Citizenship status, period.

Yeah it does.

[Danae]

Hawaii does count I know, I was born there and am a Natural Born citizen. BUT, that being said, Hawaii has a vested interest in keeping quiet just how loosely things were tracked back in the 60’s. That baby could have easily been born in Africa, and then “registered” as a home birth which would list a street address NOT a hospital and doctor , and they would have accepted that along with a witness signature which I am willing to bet Ann’s Dunham’s mother provided. It doesn’t matter who provided it. The point is, it would have been easy to get Obama registered in Hawaii as having been born there even if he WAS NOT.

VERY easy, and Hawaii does not want the massive headache that that information would cause jumping down its throat. So they are hiding it.

Hawaiian government in the 60-70’s was and for all I know still is massively corrupt.

[Non-Sequitur]

A natural born citizen must be born in the mainland USA.

So McCain is not a natural born citizen?

[Danae]

Sure he does, if he was adopted by Lolo them he lost his citizenship to become a citizen of Indonesia to go to school there. He could have EASILY gotten that back on returning to the US, but NOT as a Natural Born citizen. You can’t get that status back, and neither Indonesia nor the US recognize dual citizenship between those two countries.

Game over, Obama lost his Natural Born Status when he became a citizen of Indonesia.

[Non-Sequitur]

Sure he does, if he was adopted by Lolo them he lost his citizenship to become a citizen of Indonesia to go to school there.

No he didn't. If he was born in Hawaii then he's a natural born citizen and nobody except Obama himself can relinquish that. Parents cannot do it on behalf of a minor child. And he could only give it up as an adult by deliberately performing one of the legally defined expatriating acts.

Game over, Obama lost his Natural Born Status when he became a citizen of Indonesia.

He didn't lose it. Game back on.

[kabumpo]

I agree — I’m sure you are correct.

[BP2]

Last week at my local County Clerk's office, I overheard one of the clerks talking to a person in line who was getting a copy of his birth certificate for a passport. Obviously, this piqued my interest.

As it turns out, for Texas anyway, a STATE-issued birth certificate created before 1964 is not acceptable for the purposes of a issuing a passport.

When I asked later, the clerk told me that the COUNTY-issued birth certificates DOES have the necessary information the U.S. State Department seems to be looking for to issue a passport — chiefly a certifying authority who is an independent witness of the birth, as well as the hospital or location of birth. The STATE-issued birth certificate, issued before 1964, does not seem to have this information, and is not accepted by the State Dept to issue a passport.

I suspect that because of the scanning and printing technology that exists, a person could get a copy of an older Texas birth certificate and place their information on it. If the counterfeiter was born in another country (say like just across the border in Mexico), they could attest that their parents gave birth to them at home in remote west Texas. If both parents are dead, and there was no midwife, there is no confirmation possible.

If you look at Obama’s famed birth certificate on the internet, it too lacks the birth witness information (ie, attending physician/midwife and address of birth).

As we've had no independent confirmation from the two hospitals Obama has claimed he may have been born, it understandable why questions linger:

[<1/1,000,000th%]

FDR was born in Canada as well.

[bert]

Okubo? Obama?

Where did Okubo come from

[Beckwith]

Correct.

[itsahoot]

Yeah it does.

This sort of puts the truth in the neighborhood of, OH Yeah? Whatever.

[Non-Sequitur]

Correct.

Then it's a good thing he didn't win.

[Non-Sequitur]

This sort of puts the truth in the neighborhood of, OH Yeah? Whatever.

The Constitution recognizes two forms of citizenship - natural born and naturalized. So far as it's concerned if you're not one then you're the other. The 14th Amendment says that children born in the states are, with few exceptions, citizens at birth, AKA natural born citizen. Simple as that.

[Beckwith]

Absolutely!

Hawaii became a state in 1959 and in the law is considered “in the U. S mainland,” even though Hawaii Islanders use the word differently.

So Obama probably meets the requirement of being born “in the U. S. mainland,” but he does not meet the requirement of two U. S. citizen parents.

That he was born a Kenyan citizen and British subject only serves to underline the fact that he is not now, nor ever has been a “natural born citizen.”

[Beckwith]

Well, the Democrats couldn’t say anything if he did.

Nancy Pelosi and company passed a congressional resolution declaring him eligible.

[Non-Sequitur]

Nancy Pelosi and company passed a congressional resolution declaring him eligible.

It was a Senate resolution, and it was non-binding.

[Non-Sequitur]

So Obama probably meets the requirement of being born “in the U. S. mainland,” but he does not meet the requirement of two U. S. citizen parents.

Where is that requirement laid out? Because if true the you've just elimintated Bobby Jindal, too.

[SoftballMominVA]

How interesting....my best friend got a paper copy of her COB from Hawaii just a couple of years ago. It was mailed to her, not electronic as the article states