Posted on 08/01/2009 4:15:36 AM PDT by nathanbedford
The Irony of His Birth
It is ironic that the "state-controlled" media have brought this matter nearly to a boil only after the main props of the Birther argument have been dashed or dramatically weakened so that there can be little doubt left that Barack Obama was born in Hawaii which his underlying long form certificate will confirm. [For a more complete analysis leading to the conclusion that the documents will show the birth of Obama in Hawaii, please see my reply: Suborned in the U.S.A. - The birth-certificate controversy is about Obama’s honesty...http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2304411/posts?page=49#49]
Two revelations undercut both the evidence that he was born in Kenya and the argument that his underlying and suppressed Birth Certificate could under the laws of Hawaii be at variance with his published Certification of Live Birth. The first was dashed by a You Tube audio which conclusively demonstrated that the original audio in which Obama's grandmother said she witnessed his birth in Kenya was, in effect, cropped. In the extended version she disavowed any such reference and maintained that he was born in Hawaii. The second was severely weakened by the statement of Doctor Fukino which, when read in pari materia with her previous statement of October 31, makes it clear that she and a colleague have examined the underlying birth certificate and it says that Obama was born in Hawaii.
Before the publication of the extended YouTube audio and the release of the second statement by the officials of Hawaii, there was plenty of room to believe that Obama could have been born abroad. So long as the direct evidence that he was born in Kenya existed, and while the inference could reasonably be drawn from the officials' first statement of October 31, 2008 that the underlying birth certificate did not necessarily recite that he was born in Hawaii, the birthers were behaving reasonably and indeed, patriotically, in demanding to see the original birth certificate and raising the issue of Barack Obama's status as a natural born citizen.
While the birthers were behaving reasonably, or at least many of them here on Free Republic were behaving reasonably, the media were not. They certainly were not behaving professionally. They persistently and willfully, conflated the published "Certificate of Live Birth" with a regular longform "Birth Certificate." The Birthers kept shouting back that there was a real and significant difference between the two documents and Obama was hiding the latter but the media resolutely continued to ignore that difference. The media recited that the October 31 statement of Doctor Fukino, standing alone, was dispositive of the issue when that logically that was not true. I can recall the instance of Chris Matthews holding up a document for a close up to the camera, but not close enough to reveal the header, which said " Certification of Live Birth," while he proclaimed that it was the "Birth Certificate." Of course, virtually no one in the mainstream media bothered to explain to the people the real and significant potential difference between the two documents and the underlying statute which might have permitted Obama's mother to aver that she was a resident of Hawaii for one year and thus secure a Certification of Live Birth reciting a birth in Hawaii for her son, Barack, even though the original longform Birth Certificate might have recited a birth somewhere else, for example, the place where Barack's grandmother told us on You Tube that she had witnessed the birth, in Kenya.
It is ironic that these revelations have come out just as the mainstream media has begun to take up the issue and, if not to support the Birthers, at least no longer to ignore them to death but to give them the publicity which is the oxygen a media feeding frenzy needs. The media has still declined to get down into the weeds and make a clear presentation to the general public about the elements in dispute. It continues to report the matter alternatively that the Birthers are "crazed right wing nuts" or, "why doesn't Obama released a birth certificate already?" The media as usual is reporting the matter in terms of personalities rather than substance: who is crazy and who is furtive.
Why should this be happening now? Why is the media giving bandwidth to the Birther movement now?
First, I do not believe that the media is bringing this to a crescendo now because it sees an opportunity to discredit the right because of the new revelations that I have recited. I don't think most of them are fully aware of the significance of these developments. Bill O'Reilly made that obvious on his show when he said that he examined the Birth Certificate when he obviously had examined the Certification of Live Birth and betrayed that he does not know the difference between them and, since he does not know the difference, he does not understand the issue. I think O'Reilly is illustrative of most of the media who are very busy and see this as either a ratings gainer or a ratings loser. I think the media are coming to the conclusion that the issue can be a ratings gainer and they are much impressed by the notoriety gained by Lou Dobbs. Dobbs got the best of both worlds, he has the politically correct position in opposition to the birthers, but he has also asked for the exposure of a birth certificate showing that he is in favor of transparency, and, most important in this industry, he got a ton of publicity.
There is another factor which I think is even more important. The magic has gone out of the Magic Negro. One can see the brouhaha over the arrest of Professor Gates as a reaction to a mistake made by Barack Obama but I think the significance of that flapdoodle is that the media now want to take Obama on. Obama's mistake just came at the wrong time. One need not cite gaffe after gaffe committed by Obama during the campaign, through the inauguration, and until very recently, which was utterly ignored or explained away by the media to illustrate its disgraceful bias in favor of electing the first African-American president. The media, like the gods, first build up those whom they will destroy.
The reaction of many FReepers to the second statement of Doctor Fukino saying that the "vital records" show the birth of Barack Obama to be in Hawaii, is interesting. Many will simply not let go of their Confederate money. Others are beginning to see that the issue of where Barack Obama is born is a metaphor for his whole life. They recognize that it was Obama's lack of candor and transparency which ultimately has kept this issue alive and in fact was the oxygen for the fire. I am personally convinced that the underlying birth certificate will show a birth in Hawaii. What else it might reveal about Barack Obama and why he so desperately wants to keep it concealed is not knowable. But it makes for great stuff politically and every ounce of it should be exploited. We have been beaten up on this issue since before the election but now the public is in a different mood and the matter of the birth certificate of Barack Obama is beginning to cost him dear because the public and even the media are beginning to demand an accounting from Barack Obama. The demand for his birth certificates is but a figure for all their fears and anxieties about the man who seems to want, not to govern, but to rule over them.
It is time for the Birther movement to articulate a broader rationale for their demands that Obama produce his birth certificate. They should not be grounded alone in arguments that he is not a natural born citizen, but that he has concealed every significant document which records any part of his life since the time of his birth. The argument should be made that Barack Obama, the President of the United States of America, is a mountebank no matter where he was born and the people of the United States are entitled to know the truth about his whole life. It is an odd quirk of human nature that we as a society will endure a series of insults from our politicians dumbly and then, almost unaccountably, rise up in indignation over some triviality. We saw this applied against the Democrats in the House banking scandal. Today, our people are being abused by their own politicians perhaps as never before. They are yearning for an issue which they can seize upon and vent against Obama. Their cares might be taxes, and healthcare, and fears for their children's future, but their complaint is that he will not release his damn birth certificate!
The issue should be used as a vehicle to continue to assault the mainstream media for their bias and to force them to confront other issues as they arise. One is either on defense or offense and it is better to be on offense against the media even though I have little hope that their tribal culture and taboos can be changed.
One quick historical note on the media: When Paula Jones' lawsuit against Bill Clinton was being derided as the legal convulsion of a "slut and a nut," Stuart Taylor Jr. wrote a piece in the American Lawyer which laid out in scholarly detail the facts which showed that Paula Jones did in fact have a case, that she was entitled to a hearing, and that she was not a "nut." That article actually turned the coverage of the lawsuit around which led to the whole Monica Lewinsky affair and made possible the events which led to the impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton. The parallel to the treatment of the Birthers today is obvious. It is only a matter of time before some enterprising journalist gets into the weeds and reports the nuts and bolts of the birther controversy. It behooves us to make the record clear before that happens that the demand for Obama's birth certificate and the rest of his Life's documents is justified for compelling reasons of good government quite independent from the argument that he is not a natural born citizen. This must be done before a new Stuart Taylor Jr. writes his piece.
Most importantly, the argument of Andrew McCarthy which was the subject of an article by him which was presented on these threads should be adopted. It was one that I had made before his article appeared. The secrets of Obama's birth are but a symbol of the dark secrets of his life. The dark secrets of his life are that he is a Manchurian Marxist bent on the radicalization of America or worse. The dark secrets of his life show that he is governing as he lived. The summons to produce a birth certificate in accordance with the constitutional mandate is but a metaphor for the call to govern in accordance with the Constitution.
The irony Of the Birther movement might be that it brings down Barack Obama after all.
Superb post!
The kicker would be that Obama signed documents saying that he was eligible.
I guess that is democratic honesty.
Great post! We are sitting on top of the scandal of the century!
Thank you my friend. Well stated.
Thank you for writing and posting it.
I actually think this has been happening for some time.
It certainly has on FR where many of us are basically agnostic vis a vis Obama's birthplace but believe it is obvious that that Birth Certificate and the rest of the hidden records will tell a tale that will be extremely damaging to Obama and the Democrat Party. But that fact is NOT going to be picked up by the MSM who need to focus on the Hawaii vs. Kenya issue to make their point that we are all a bunch of kooks. That case can be made in a semi-believable fashion and so that is going to continue to be the basis for the MSM stories. I really don't think there is much we can do about that.
OTOH, that should not stop us from making the broader point: WHO IS THIS GUY? It will take longer for that issue to settle in on the American public unless there is a miracle and the MSM picks up the theme. I don't expect that to happen so I anticipate a long grind on the issue.
Let the grinding begin.
As I stated in a previous thread, the framers of the Constitution placed that citizenship restriction on the office of the Presidency for good and specific reasons. They did not place it there simply as a student might pad a book report with verbiage to reach 1000 words.
The military, police and fire departments have very specific processes and procedures that must be followed, sometimes to the point of near absurdity. The reason this is so is because they are written in blood. Those processes were implemented as a result of tears, pain and blood.
So it is with the Constitution. We of Today have a conceit that somehow everything is new under the sun. It isn't. Every situation, emotion or conflict has a direct analog to those faced by the Founding Fathers. Sure, they didn't have cloning or the Internet, but the point stands.
Those things that are in the Constitution are significant. There is no waste. It is a remarkable document, and every bit as relevant today as it was in 1788.
In closing, it is an excellent thread you have written, NB. Good writers always know how to put an exclamation point at the end of a statement correctly, as you have done:
"The summons to produce a birth certificate in accordance with the constitutional mandate is but a metaphor for the call to govern in accordance with the Constitution.
* Actual long-form birth certificate (NOT an easily-forged electronic copy of a short-form document that is not even officially accepted in Hawaii)
* Passport files
* University of Chicago Law School scholarly articles
* Harvard Law Review articles
* Harvard Law School records
* Columbia University records
* Columbia University senior thesis, “Soviet Nuclear Disarmament”
* Occidental College records, including financial aid that he may have received
* Punahou School records, where Mr. Obama attended from the fifth grade until he finished high school
* Noelani Elementary School records, where Barack Obama attended kindergarten (according to the Hawaii Department of Education, students must submit a birth certificate to register — but parents may bring a passport or student visa if the child is from a foreign country)
* Complete files and schedules of his years as an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004
* Obama’s client list from during his time in private practice with the Chicago law firm of Davis, Miner, Barnhill and Gallard
* Illinois State Bar Association records
* Baptism records
* Obama/Dunham marriage license
* Obama/Dunham divorce documents
* Soetoro/Dunham marriage license
* Soetero/Dunham Adoption records
... and one other ...
Why does Obama need 39 Social Security Numbers?
As a mental exercise- I've tried to put myself in the position of defending Obama in this case. It's when I do this that I'm forced to concede the opposition- those who demand an explanation, are well within the bounds of reason and legitimacy by asking these questions. Twice this week we've seen liberal bloggers begin this questioning process.
From your piece:
It is time for the Birther movement to articulate a broader rationale for their demands that Obama produce his birth certificate. They should not be grounded alone in arguments that he is not a natural born citizen, but that he has concealed every significant document which records any part of his life since the time of his birth.
This, is THE crux of the matter and begs for answers.
Excellent article. I agree as can be seen here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2305060/posts?page=119#119
One unanswered question leads to another question. It certainly seems as if he is hiding things from the public.
Well said.
And it won't hurt to point out that the birther thing is a Dem idea.
"Nathan, we need to talk"
This is a one and only one ping from my old “Mrs don-o prayer list” (the largest one I have), because this vanity post deserves a wide reading.
usually I poo-poo vanities, but well done well written
I’ve always thought that even if the BC issue is bogus, it is emblematic of all the other hidden documents that have led effectively to an erased past.
Thank you, don-o. That is an excellent summary of the issue and its political/social implications.
Don’t miss this terrific piece :)
She is still a brain, and HOT.
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