If anything needs to be stopped it is the acceptance of the derisive, ‘Birthers’ term; in the same way, people who visit regularly here and who post on occasion are not obligated to think of themselves as or respond to others by the term ‘Freepers.’
Once labels have been attached and insults traded, the process soon heads straight downhill and any and all merits of the debate itself have been lost in the noise.
The greater issue for future situations where trust in the system must be assured is to examine whether a better level of transparency is required as part of the nomination process where the applicant for the office is treated with at least the same scrutiny as a kid applying for his first job delivering the local newspaper.
Given the birthers penchant for instantly insulting anyone that doesn’t accept their strange theories, they’ve got no standing to complain about insults or labels.
Besides, “birthers” is the generally accepted term for this group of people, just as “truthers” refers to 9/11 conspiracists.
Words are labels. They serve a purpose. We can use a simple word, a label, to refer to a complex concept. That’s language. That’s communication. There’s nothing wrong with it.
BTW, I have no problem being labeled a “freeper”. I’ve been here for twelve years. I am a freeper.