“I thought birth records were public. Why is his info being kept a secret? How do the Hawaii officials justify this?”
BCs in Hawaii ARE private (probably to prevent identity theft) - certain other documents such as marriage certificates are not.
The ONLY way to receive a copy of a BC in Hawaii is to be the person in question, or to be a relative of the person in question (after that person has died).
The person in question has to provide documentation that he is who he is ...
A relative has to produce documentation that he is related and ALSO a certified Death Certificate of the person in question.
The State of Hawaii then verifies the information.
The sealing of Obamas BC is probably a ruse - no need to seal something others cant get ... but they probably mean that they locked it in a safe.
Ah, thank you for answering my question. I should have thought of the identity theft aspect.