Even with birth certificate, 'birther' theories will not die

Chicago Tribune ^ | 28 Apr 2011 | Rex W. Huppke

[smokingfrog]

Good conspiracy theories don't die — they simply adapt.

Shortly after the White House released President Obama's long-form birth certificate earlier this week — intended to offer more proof that he is a natural-born United States citizen — conspiracy theorists were working hard to "debunk" the document from the state of Hawaii.

By Thursday, members of the so-called "birther" movement was asking at least a dozen new questions about the president's first days in the world. First off, the document is labeled "Certificate of Live Birth," which is the same as the label on the shorter-form document that Obama released during the presidential campaign, when these issues first surfaced. The online magazine Slate quoted Sharon Guthrie, legislative director for a Texas state legislator who has introduced birther legislation, as saying, "What I've seen online, what they produced today, still says `certificate of live birth' across the top. We want to see a 'birth certificate.'"

Others insist that the certificate is forged. They claim that by using photo-editing software to examine the PDF file the White House released, it becomes clear that the document consists of several separate layers, indicating that it has somehow been manipulated.

Other quibbles get even more detailed: Why is the "Date Accepted" on the certificate four days later than the "Birth Date"? Obama's father's race is listed as "African," but many argue that in 1961 the more likely term would have been "negro." The word "Caucasian" under the listing for Obama's mother's race looks too perfect to have been done with a typewriter from that time.

Speaking of typewriters, others ask, why are the entries on the form centered instead of left-justified? *-snip-*

[Know et al]

Can some legal type answer my question:

Would the COLB proffered by the WH stand up in a court of law on it’s own merits?

[allmost]

"He vill crush de rhinos..."

His date of manufacture is of no concern to you.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

This issue will not die and will hang like an albatross around his neck all the way to the next election.One and done.

[mmercier]

It is true that a good conspiracy mutates rather than dies. Mutation of pattern recognition technique is a necessary thing for the living.

I am not aware if any one has mentioned this here yet, as this topic bores... But those who adhere to this issue shall soon be called the “after birthers”.

How yucky is that. Worse than a “teabagger”.

It will stick too.

[RightCenter]

This is exactly like conspiracy theories about 9/11 or JFK’s assassination. If conspiracy is so obvious, yet the stakes so high, why didn’t the conspirators do a better job? If the birth certificate is such an obvious forgery, why didn’t they forge a more convincing one? It seems as if people are running in circles here.

[Plutarch]

I've been an enthusiastic birther.

I'm all in favor of vetting the WH Birth Certificate here on FR.

But, it really should be something that goes on in Bloggers and Personal, and doesn't get out of there until there is really something solid.

I've not seen anything real solid yet, and I'm inclined to believe that there it is a photocopy of a BC in a book in the HI Dept. of Health.

[The Great RJ]

However, the document proves that Obama is NOT a natural born citizen as his father was not a US citizen so that he was born in Hawaii is irrelevant.

[OldEagle]

"Good conspiracy theories don't die — they simply adapt."

Adapt this:As to WHY BHO released a fake BC, it was the best he could do. His problem is that all his LEGAL documents refer to him by his adopted name and his citizenship as Indonesian. My guess is that he neglected to legally regain his US citizenship. And THAT is a whole 'nuther problem that he will do anything to conceal.

[MetaThought]

It was photocopied onto the green patterned paper (by the government to prevent tampering) and then scanned.

Not that this will convince you, of course.

[Cicero]

Well, no. That is not a possible explanation. You can’t take a color scan and a black and white scan of a piece of paper both at the same time.

If you watch Karl Denninger’s YouTube video, you will understand why what you suggest is impossible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eOfYwYyS_c&feature=player_embedded

[takenoprisoner]

This anchor baby is not eligible to be POTUS. Father was not a citizen. It takes two citizen parents to be eligible to serve as POTUS.

[MetaThought]

1. The original was photocopied on the safety paper, using a black and white copier.

2. Either there were no fringes for whatever reason, or it was retouched to remove the fringes. Possibly fancy scanners do this automatically, I wouldn’t know. He claims all scanners create those fringes when his does, I don’t know if that is supportable.