Blogs and Stories
The Obama Haters' Next Move
Haraz N. Ghanbari / AP Photo
Crackpot anti-Obama conspiracy theorists now include congressmen, a former GOP presidential candidate and an Army major. John Avlon on the "Birthers" attempts to pass federal legislation, and their new claims 170 soldiers will refuse to serve the president.
Last week, a U.S. Army major named Stefan Frederick Cook made news when he refused deployment to Afghanistan on the grounds that President Barack Obama might not be a natural-born citizen and therefore is constitutionally ineligible to give orders as commander in chief. Now Cook’s lawyer says she has 170 more soldiers willing to file similar protests against the president.
The 170 number thrown out by Cook’s lawyer has the feel of Joe McCarthy’s claim that he had a list of 205 communists working in Harry Truman’s State Department—i.e. pseudo-specific, intentionally inflammatory, and ultimately bogus.
Welcome to the world of the “Birthers”—right-wing conspiracy theorists committed to undoing the 2008 presidential election by trying to prove that Barack Obama was not born in the United States. The movement is evidence that Obama Derangement Syndrome is going viral from the far right, proliferating beyond fringe-festival Internet sites. It’s in danger of a quiet mainstreaming along partisan lines—reaching into talk radio, cable news, the armed services, and even the halls of Congress.
The 170 number thrown out by Cook’s lawyer has the feel of Joe McCarthy’s claim that he had a list of 205 communists working in Harry Truman’s State Department—i.e. pseudo-specific, intentionally inflammatory, and ultimately bogus. But what’s not in question is the nine Republican congressmen who have co-sponsored a bill that, in response to this much-debunked conspiracy theory, would require presidential campaigns to provide “a copy of the candidate’s birth certificate.”
Asked whether Obama “is a U.S. citizen,” bill co-sponsor Randy Neugebauer, a Texas Republican, replied: “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him produce documents that would say one way or another.”
Major Cook—a distinguished combat veteran—appears to have been a willing pawn in the Birthers’ efforts to bring attention to their cause. He re-enlisted as a reservist in May, with the apparent intention of carrying out this political performance-art litigation. When the military shrugged and said he didn’t have to go to AfPak (issuing a statement saying, "This in no way validates any of the outlandish claims made by Major Cook") and a judge threw out the case, Cook’s legal team celebrated it as a smoking-gun victory. WorldNetDaily—whose editor and CEO has been a major supporter of Birther petition efforts and roadside billboards—trumpeted it as “Bombshell: Orders Revoked for Soldier Challenging Prez.”
In the wake of this “success,” Cook’s lawyer, Dr. Orly Taitz, and her frequent plaintiff, Ambassador Alan Keyes, appeared on CNN to debate the issue. I’d hit the Birthers in my “Wingnut Watch” segment on the Campbell Brown show earlier in the week and was asked to counter their claims alongside New York Daily News columnist Errol Louis.
Before going on air, Keyes had his eyes closed as if in prayer while Taitz was jumpy and pie-eyed, like a patient off her meds. Anchor Kitty Pilgrim then went through a thorough 3-1/2 minute dismantling of the Birther arguments, including the long-ago issuance of Obama’s August 1961 certificate of live birth, its validation by Hawaii’s Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, and two birth announcements published in Honolulu papers. (Both FactCheck.org and Snopes have published detailed investigations and refutations of the non-scandal.)
Asked what more he needed to be convinced, Keyes’ response was an instant classic in the clueless overconfidence of conspiracy theorists: “Some evidence.”
Keyes can be considered patient zero in the spread of Obama Derangement Syndrome. The one-time protégé of Reagan U.N. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick and three-time presidential candidate was recruited to run against then-state Senator Barack Obama in 2004 for the Illinois U.S. Senate seat, despite the fact that Keyes lived in Maryland. (That the GOP could not find an African-American candidate to run in all of Illinois is its own evidence in the Party of Lincoln’s fall.)
The Right Dumps Carrie
Jacob Bernstein is a senior reporter at The Daily Beast. Previously, he was a features writer at WWD and W Magazine. He has also written for New York magazine, Paper, and The Huffington Post.
What's Joe's Problem?
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
Geithner's Stock Plummeting
Jeff Madrick is a contributor to the New York Review of Books and a former economics columnist for the New York Times. He is editor of Challenge Magazine, visiting professor of humanities at Cooper Union, and senior fellow at the New School's Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis. He is the author of Taking America, The End of Affluence (Random House) and The Case for Big Government.
Wingnuts of the Week
John P. Avlon writes a column for The Daily Beast and is author of the forthcoming Attack of the Wingnuts, to be published in January by Beast Books. He is also the author of Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics. Previously, he served as chief speechwriter for New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and was a columnist and associate editor for The New York Sun.
The Next Wingnut Attack
John P. Avlon writes a column for The Daily Beast and is author of the forthcoming Attack of the Wingnuts, to be published in January by Beast Books. He is also the author of Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics. Previously, he served as chief speechwriter for New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and was a columnist and associate editor for The New York Sun.
Glenn Beck's Mob Rule
John P. Avlon writes a column for The Daily Beast and is author of the forthcoming Attack of the Wingnuts, to be published in January by Beast Books. He is also the author of Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics. Previously, he served as chief speechwriter for New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and was a columnist and associate editor for The New York Sun.
Some days I feel as though I've awakened in a parallel universe. After reading this article (and I saw John Avlon on CNN re this), I feel that today is one of those days.
Defending the President, what a novel idea. Too bad the press didn't think of that while President Bush was in office. But then, the press has it's own liberal bent and fair play doesn't rate.
Hiding information from the public, lying to the public and the press, secretly spying on American citizens without warrants, wiping his rear with the Constitution... what was there to defend? His aid to Africa was admirable, but what about American citizens?
I think if you're looking for bias, you'll find bias. If you want to be guaranteed as little bias as humanly possible, listen to NPR or read the Christian Science Journal.
It's the press's job to find the facts - the facts are unequivocally on Obama's side on this one.
How many people publicly prayed for Bush's death, like Wiley Drake is doing? How many threatened Bush's life when he was in office? Do you not understand the difference between verbal criticism and threats of harm?
Keep drinking the Kool-Aid. Bush had the press cowed. It was the mainstream media cowering to Bush that got us mired in Iraq.
The best were the Florida recounts which concluded when every vote was counted Gore beat Bush, but this under headlines reading Recounts Would Have Favored Bush.
Senor,
How do you defend the guilty?...as best you can....
This user is no longer registered.
Hey, "SpeakEnglish", how about following your own advise? It's "ITS", as in possessive, not "IT'S". I'm a voodoo-practicing "Porto-Rican", like that bigot "Sotomayer", and yet I know that. Of course, it helps that I'm educated, and can speak several languages, albeit not your brand on "patriotic English", it seems...
Toodogs, this article has NOTHING to do with being critical of the President's politics, but rather about putting him through a wringer that has nothing to do with politics. I never heard one single claim of churches praying for Pres. Bush's death, nor of members of Congress claiming he was a foreigner or a usurper. If that sort of charge is not based on the fact that he's a man of color whose name is "Barack Hussein Obama", then you really are a Democrat, like you claim to be. "Nuff said!
Come on, Asshole, no one accused Pres. Bush of not being a citizen! How many times must the President show his birth certificate to prove his citizenship? I think some people (the Birthers) don't realize that Hawaii is the 49th state!!! I think this is veiled racism. They can't say anything about his being black, so they play the 'birth card'.
As for Pres. Bush, he was defended by the GOP, no matter that he got us into an unneccesary war, spent like a drunken sailor, and was a disaster as a president. By the way, liberal means fair play!
Oh, c'mon. What OLD crap about the liberal press. You must be referring to sources like Faux News and WSJ, both churning out anti-Obama stories as fast as they can, along with multiple conservative magazines?
Bush was cut a LOT of slack by the press -- illegitimately so during the run-up during the war. There was way too little close examination of his secretive administration because the Bushies used loyalty and good citizenship as reasons not to question his administration. There will be an unending load of crap continuing to be exposed as documents from that sorry era emerge so stay tuned.
I prayed for Bush's continued good health as I considered Cheney to be far worse.
Bush and his Cabal all deserve to be in prison. There is no defense for destroying America for your gain and/or stupidity. I do believe I will faint the day I see one - any one - Rethug say something decent about the President. Rethugs are and have been the most hateful bunch of sore losers and seditionists, liars and racists this country has ever witnessed. People like you make me want to throw up.
I just hope the Secret Service and other Federal agencies are keeping an eye on these nuts, and their supporters. These people are beyond "deranged", they could be dangerous. Just creepy.
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
When someon has nothing to add to the conversation, they fling insults and distractions.
Know it all, KNOWS NOTHING. I hope the Feds are watching these seditionists and haters. They are dangerous. You sound unstable yourself.
Shouldn't there be concern over Obama hiring 30 czars ?
Government appointments that have NO accountability to Congress ?
That should concern left, right, middle,
every American of any political persuasion.
Is that what Obama means by " transparency? "
Oh, and Geo W Bush didn't make such appointments ? and all the presidents in modern times didn't make such appointments. tinfoil does not become people who are unwilling to look at facts. as well, it would take Congress every minute of every working day to confirm such low & middle level appointments. Get real.
Bush started the whole "czar" craze. Most of them were appointed by GWB.
This user is no longer registered.
This user is no longer registered.
Bush was an incompetent phony.
Obama is competent, but a socialist.
Got news for all you socialist loving lefties.
Moderate Dems are waking up, and will
put a stop to Obama's far left agenda.
So break out your favorite musty,
unwashed Che Guevara t-shirt,
and show your outrage by littering
your car with yet another anti-capitalist bumper sticker.
NEW RULE! when you call someone a socialist you need an express example of their socialist dealings. My guess is that most of the people that use this word have no idea what a socialist actually is.
big ol' fail there, sophia
* In 2001, with escalating concerns about possible attacks on our information technology infrastructure, Bush named a "cybersecurity czar."
* In 2003, the president's desire to help his corporate benefactors led to the creation of a "regulatory czar" at the Office of Management and Budget. Around the same time, Bush named his first "AIDS Czar." (He didn't choose wisely -- Bush tapped Randall Tobias, the administration's former top advocate of global abstinence-only policies, who was recently forced to resign after procuring "massages" from a controversial Washington escort service.)
* In 2004, faced with growing discontent over the nation's struggling manufacturing industries, Bush appointed a "manufacturing czar." (He chose the chief executive of a Nebraska company that had laid off manufacturing employees and built factories in China.)
* 2005 was a banner year for czars. In February, Bush responded to revelations about failed national security intelligence by creating an "intelligence czar." Shortly thereafter, we had a "bird-flu czar." A few months after that, following the tragically botched handling of the response to Hurricane Katrina, there was a "Katrina czar."
It's become a common enough strategy to become the butt of jokes. Newsweek satirist Andy Borowitz recently suggested that the White House needs a "lying czar" to "oversee all distortions and misrepresentations."
Bush had about 40 czars. You are simply an uninformed Rethug. Bush had us under a dictatorship run by Cheney. Obama is fixing this - he has been in office 6 months. What do you think the czars are going to do? Take away your birthday, you moronic imbecile?
you mean like the alternative universe where an administration has spent $1.5 trillion to accomplish nothing or like the possible $23 billion that they are in line to spend to accmoplish next to nothing? Or the idea that the government is going to "reduce costs" on insurance and give quality service to everyone? Now that's a bizarro world.
How much of a "bizarro world' would it be? Canada Provides health care to it's citizens.A "bizarro world" would be a place where the majority of citizens in the greatest country on earth can't get quality health care b/c the providers are all about making money and not about saving lives...And learn how to spell...
Knownothing, go to Faux Notion's website where you will be joined by other ignoramuses who cannot complete an original thought and only use Rethug talking points they heard on Limpballs, KKKlannity, Beckanoia, and Orally during their daily radio shows and then watch Faux Noise all night to confirm what they primed you for earlier in the day. You do not know what you are talking about.
John Avlon, CNN, etc, ought to seek the truth and it will set them free. What are they afraid of? Instead of being a political hack John, just stick with the facts. This should not be an issue however where soldiers pick and choose not to serve our country. They signed up and must fulfill their obligations.
Campbell Brown on CNN is sickening, so biased.
I don't understand why the press and the Obama supporters are so upset about this eligibility issue. If you truly feel that there is no substance to it, you would not be lashing out. The American people have a right to know who this man is that holds the highest office in our country. As far as Obama derangement syndrome...sounds familiar. I believe that you were one of the deranged ones when Bush was in office. I can't remember any other president that was questioned on his eligibility...better yet, any president that put under lock and key all of his documents. Pretty strange! By the way, I saw you on CNN and you made a fool out of yourself.
Wow Scooty.....you miss a pretty salient point here.....those that were "deranged" over Bush were so based on his Policies and efforts (the war, etc.)..... you that are deranged over Obama are so because of his Person....you just don't like who he is......monumental difference! One based on thought and one based on emotion.....
I will explain even though it is carefully spelled out in this article. No matter how often it is proven that Obama was born in Hawaii to an American mother the Birthers still want EVIDENCE. That is why we get upset. It's like dealing with a 3 year old who is not your kid. You get frustrated trying to explain something simple when you constantly get the reply of "but why"
McCain wanted to be President so bad he could taste it. If he thought he could ditch Obama on a birth technicality, he would have done it.
enough? Of course not, you want more EVIDENCE. I lost my original birth certificate and got a copy from the state. It looks more like a car title than the original one that was signed by the doctor and it is a" certificate of live birth".Enough? No you want more EVIDENCE There are two birth announcements in Hawaii papers from when Obama was born 47 years ago. Enough? No you want more evidence. The certificate has a raised seal and is verified by the current Governor of Hawaii. Enough? No you want more EVIDENCE. It's not being upset, it's trying to explain a simple point to a group of people that are proving themselves to be irrational. It is frustration at the fact that no matter how much rational real facts are put forth the birthers still want more. Again, it's like dealing with a 3 year old.
Let's give him the benefit of the doubt and say he lost his birth certificate. What happened to all of his other records (e.g. medical records, school records, etc )? I'm in the process of applying for a passport, why do I need to show my birthcertificate, drivers license and other forms of ID. Will they issue me a passport without any verification of who I am? I also find it rather interesting how he was able to travel to Pakistan in the 80's when Americans were not allowed in the country. Let's see the passport, I'm sure it's from the USA.
The election is over and whether we voted for Obama, McCain, or .... doesn't matter. What should matter to all of us is that the bill is passed that requires the candidates to show proof of their citizenship for the 2012 election. That way we will never have to question our presedents eligibility. Let's all support this bill and let our state representatives know that they should support it too.
Scooty, you are simply a racist pig. Nobody has asked for the crap that has been asked of Obama. You would not be happy if you knew what toothpaste he used. McCain was not born in this country, where is your problem with that? STFU.
This whole discussion is illogical as hell. How can anyone truly believe that the Pubies, Hiliary Clinton, John McCain and every candidate that ran missed this fact from 2007 on, when Obama announced his intention to run, that there was "any question" that Obama was NOT born in the US???? It's a good thing that critical thinking is not a "requirement" to be a US Citizen or we would be way short of citizens. Anyone who believes this "birther crap" is braindead. There is just no logic in birther rantings to even make this a credible thing to discuss. Another distraction from a truly important topic...reforming healthcare. Dems, you are being had and out maneuvered if you even listen to this hyped nonsense by the media and Congress critters who are hiding behind it.
Right, if they refute it, it must be because there is something to it. If they ignore, it it must mean that they don't dare contradict it.
So much for Country First. I hope any coward who refuses to serve our country for this trumped derangement ends up in Leavenworth for treason.
That, or, the old fashioned way: Death by hanging.
These are BUSH's wars... idiots.
This user is no longer registered.
Before you go around calling people idiots, you idiot, check your facts. The War in Afghanistan, began on October 7, 2001 as the U.S. military operation Operation Enduring Freedom. This was launched by then President Bush with the United Kingdom in response to the September 11 attacks.
Well done CharlestonDover. That is without a doubt the dumbest statement I've ever seen on the internet.
What planet has this idiot been living on?
Moron.
Currently, Obama is the commander and chief, and he supports the war in Afghanistan and always has. August 1, 2007, then Senator Obama said "We did not finish the job against al Qaeda in Afghanistan... I was a strong supporter of the war in Afghanistan." And Congress agreed in 2001.
And if GW had'nt gotten distracted with avenging his daddy in Iraq we may have never lost the initiative in Afghanistan and might have much more control of the situation over there right now.
No Aranxa, CharlestonDover is right, it is Obama's war now because George Bush, took us there, then abandoned it, in order to go fight a war of choice. He thought Iraq would be an easy win (why????)........but left it for Obama to finish, too.
UMM....Isn't Afghanistan where the war was supposed to be..Weren't they harboring Bin ladin? Isn't that where he's supposed to be hiding? It only makes sense that we re-focus on Afghanistan since that's where our beef was to begin with..
There are rules for refusing to serve during time of war. ENFORCE THEM NOW!
I AGREE!!!!! Didn't Ali go to prison when he refused?
"Bush's wars"-so are you completely braindead or what? Let me guess now you didn't want us to go into Afghanistan either and no democrats voted for military force anywhere and nothing has been accomplished and "Bush lied and soliders died"? Moron U has a scholarship for you dumbass.
Huh? They are Bush's wars because Bush mismanaged one and started the other under false pretenses. I love the way conservatives have such a knack for rewriting history. Bush went ADHD on us and launched an unnecessary war in Iraq, forgetting about the one in Afghanistan. If Iran used one of its proxies to attack the U.S. today, what would we do? Nothing. Why? Because we don't have any available forces with which to fight, thanks to Bush. Bush destroyed our economy and overextended our armed forces - that is indisputable fact.
These became Obama's wars when he chose to take the oath as President of the United States, regardless of who started them. And no matter which president is being spoken about, both Iraq and Afghanistan are America's wars. Regardless of how any us of voted, or didn't vote, or wasn't eligible to vote, or even hadn't been born yet.
This user is no longer registered.
The scary thing is these "deranged" birther movement follower have guns, a lot of them. I am very worry about the security of our elected president. Underneath the movement is racism masked by xenophobia. The other day I was talking with a friend from abroad on the future of US. I feel that as long as 1/3 of the population (i.e. those who voted for Bush no matter what, and those who believe everything Rush told them) remain (gladly) ignorant, there is no hope for this country.
This stuff is depressing me too... But I think its not all bad, a lot of other countries have 1/3 moron levels too ;) its just not the ruling 1/3 the way it is in our country.
The crux of it is to put your energy in the swing 1/3. Some people want to see the light and some don't. People voting for bad people because they pay religion lip service are not necessarily lost causes. We have a big amount of empirical evidence that the religious interest group has been played for suckers for a few decades, if the rational religious among us need to develope a better litnes test for 'good' people.
you are "very worry" but let me guess you aren't the least bit concerned about Islamic terrorists or the terrorists that Obama released from Gitmo who are now heading up the Tablian or the 5 Iranaian responsible for killing over 100 American troops who obama also released? Let me guess you aren't concerned about the radical jihad conference that is now occuring at a 5 star hotel on US soil.
You probably aren't concerned with the trillions squandered, the rising unemployment, deteriorating wages and dollar or accelerating foreclosures.
Who really is a wacko?
Who is really a wacko? - The one who is afraid of everything, delusional, and acts on impuse rather than rational analysis.
P.S. - I think you intentionally left out the important question of when many of those 'terrorists' became radicalized. (Hint: They weren't terrorists before they were captured) Also, FYI - a terrorist is someone who attacks civilian non-combatants in order to sow fear and undermine morale. A person who attacks members of an occupying military force which invaded their sovereign nation are "freedom fighters."
Question, Wasn't unemployment on the rise, foreclosures accelerating, the dollar and wages deteriorating before Jan.09? Things didn't get like this because of decisions made in the last 6mo,Nor will they improve overnite based on the last 6mo.It took 8yrs to get to where we are now.Lets give at LEAST 4 to see ANY improvement..
I am not one bit concerned about the illegally held folks who have been released. I live 35 miles from Death Row in TN and have not one fear about my safety. They need to try those peoplethey can and release those who should never have been held. Placing them in US Prisons is not dangerous to anyone. Why would anyone think another country should take these people? They are US prisoners, we have to deal with them. Send them to Crawford and let W deal with them.
Don't worry fk4711, there are just as many of us gun owners who thought Dick Cheney was the biggest threat to our Constitution, ever.
I wouldn't think these nuts have any more guns than the rest of us......maybe some of the white supremist have more military type stuff but plenty of normal, rational citizens have handguns and shotguns. We have them for protection and hunting but some of us own them with full knowledge that someday we might again need them for the protection of our homes/country, just as our ancestors needed them in 1776.
.
You DO NOT NEED to have a bunch of guns. If you have the internet, you are not some survivor person living on the land. Protect you from WHAT? Who is going to take over your life that you need a gun? It is all BS.
Fear looks quite desperately for reasons to explain itself. It seems to me these people are disguised bigots, clinging to this absurd theory because they can't bring themselves to use racial epitaphs.
This user is no longer registered.
i'm getting old and even i cannot picture amos & andy
sanford and son : the pilot tapes
I'm 55 and Amos and Andy was on when I was a little kid, but I think they were reruns from when my Mom was a kid and they were shown at the movies.
The difference is that while Steel is a Buffoon and Coward, Keyes is a GOP Hannibal Lechter.
100% agree with you.black or white steel is just an idiot.
This user is no longer registered.
Obama Derangement Syndrome
ODS
odious
the Birthers are odious in their actions....
It's just an excuse, they Do Not Want to Serve A Black President! It's an excuse so they don't come across as Racist!!
They're the modern day version of "Draft Dodgers"
Sadly, I have to agree with you. The birthers have found a way to label the president as an "outsider." It's the modern day version of "state's rights."
As caucasians become less and less the majority population of this country, I'm inclined to believe this problem will only get worse.
And add to that the recession, and you have a really explosive situation...
I just don't get how these "haters" can get away with some of this talk. I believe we have to protect freedom of speech. But how about freedom of speech and responsibility.
What do you mean? Illegal aliens are gonna try to run for Pres? Get over it. I've said it before- white people are terrified they may be treated as they treated have others and that is a terrifying thought.
I'm white and NOT proud. "This problem" could only get better with some diversity running the show.
I hope I completely misunderstand your comment.
I was just merely stating that extremists groups will feel defense with the growing percentage of minority populations which will only fuel their fears.
...and I think the fact that the internet offers anonymity so people can express their racism and positively reinforce each other is going to make racial hatred come to the fore again.
Look at the stupid, racist actions and statements by Republican leaders in the past couple of months. The racism was always there, but now it doesn't have to be suppressed any more.
Racists will hopefully be in the minority. I never thought racism existed like it does -- I am waiting because one of the politicians is going to use the N-word accidentally during one of their stupid rants on the congressional floor. Then, all hell will break loose. I am sick and tired of it. I'm wait and ashamed of these fools.
kt, it will improve...once the majority becomes the minority they will have to accept it, just like all the minorities have had to accept the rights of the majority in the past at the loss of many of their rights. I see young people today, who look way beyond race...they did that to elect Obama. They are our hope. We have an interracial marriage in our family and we totally love our grandniece who is half black and half Korean. The young people will break down the walls of prejudice. It WILL be different in the year 2050; I won't be here to see it, but I applaud whatever we can do to move in that direction while I am in the here and now.
it's republicans going back-door
and i thought they were anti-gay...
Look at what they did to Sotomayor. If that crap wasn't racist then what is?
Like the people who bring Hitler into an argument, those who cite "racism" -- the one-size-fits-all dopey conclusion that boils down to "I disagree with you" -- aren't worth listening to.
well said banjo, all we have to say is that we disagree and we are racists. this doesn't fly anywhere but places like here where the extreme liberals actually think they are moderate
Banjo, I don't think you are a red-necked racist because of one post. I made an informed decision after reading your posts over the last few months.
That's bullshit and you guys know it. Racism is not a one-size-fits-all characteristic---although I can see why somebody would think that about Republicans, considering all the blatant utterances of your leaders recently.
We all don't disagree with everything Repubs say, and it doesn't always result in a charge of racism. Just when it's warranted, which is frequently, lately.
They should all be court martialled the minute they fail to show up at their appointed duty stations. End of story.
My son is serving in Iraq and was called up while Bush was still President. He has never shirked his responsibilities or his ability to respect the "Office" of the man who is the Commander-In-Chief. He serves his country, not the particular party or man in power at the time. He is my hero and I personally find the actions of the Colonel a disgrace and dishonor to all the troops who are doing their job, regardless of who is in power. It is pathetic. In my mind, he is nothing but a deserter and a coward when his country needs him to do his job that he volunteered for.
I agree. I happen to know a few of these Obama haters who try to characterize him as a dangerous foreigner who has infiltrated our government. There is no question in my mind that racism, pure and simple, is what underlies their hatred. These people are still reeling in disbelief. How could a black man named Barack Obama be elected president over a perfectly acceptable white man?
No, the Draft Dodgers of Viet Nam had a real reason. This guy is just a racist pig who should be punished by the military or just thrown out.
So play it by the book = courts martial.
Actually, Maj. Cook stated he was ready and anxious to go on his assignment. Being a reservist of 21 years and having served on active duty under arms in Kuwait and subsequently inactively under arms as a defense contractor, he has already demonstrated he is willing to fight.
ALL U.S. Military personnel are required by law to take an oath, which includes the phrase "I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic". It says this before mentioning the legal orders of the chain of command. What Maj Cook was _requesting_ was the validation that the defacto C in C legally meets the requirements established in the Constitution. If he does not meet the Constitutional requirement, then any order he gives is illegal and those that follow them can be prosecuted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and they are not protected under the Geneva convention (which means they can be summarily shot as spies). It is a U.S. Military person's responsibility to ensure the orders they follow are legal and officers are responsible for ensuring the commands they give to their subordinates are legal.
I would like to see any one of you stand up to Maj Cook and tell him he is a coward - I think you would be the one running if you did.
Not only would I stand up to this phony complainer and tell him he is a coward, I would also tell him he is a fool letting these "birthers" suck him into this thing. He will be more ill used than an unconscious hooker on fleet night.
NONSENSE
Falconer, you make a good point.
But being on active duty as a reservist in Kuwait, is a Hell of a lot different than serving in Iraq and Afghan now days. Just the fact that he got a lawyer like Dumbo Taitz says it all! this weekend warrior signed on for the benefits and doesn't want to do shit for them in a horrid torn up place in Afghan, like the rest of us had to. But its fine, let the Republicans make themselves into an even bigger dumb ass party with this non-sense birth certificate crap and see where it gets them.
One thing you're overlooking, US: Every soldier, from the newest recruit trooper to the 5-star General of the Armies has the Chain of Command drilled into him. You do what your immediate supervisor, in this case some nameless Light Colonel or Bird Colonel tells him what to do, and you don't go second-guessing the decisions of the person 2 or more places up on the Chain.
Your little treatise about defending the Constitution and legal or illegal orders is a bullshit rationalization, and you know it. And so does Major Whatshisface and his bimbo lawyer.
Real simple. 170 troopers refusing to serve get their asses tossed in the stockade. End of story.
The MAJ that just went to court over this a week ago was clearly a birther plant. He VOLUNTEERED for Afghanistan in May (5 months after Obama was president), got orders in June and filed suit in July.
Yes! The Army didn't have to "recall" him from "duty" as anyone who volunteers can just decide not to go...what a moron. Oh, and he also got fired from his (I'm guessing rather cushy job) as a sysadmin at the Pentagon -- poor boy didn't seem to realize you shouldn't #@!$ where you eat -- and most employers don't look kindly on employees who sue them for no reason. *Rolls Eyes*
And subsequently lost his job since he was a contract worker for the DoD! Real geniuses, these people!
I think "Obama Derangement Syndrome" is a great way to classify the recent uptick in extremist "noise" that we're hearing. The only thing that I find heartening, right now, is the fact that these groups are so deranged, paranoid and splintered that they are still relatively impotent.
So far, they seem to be spending an inordinate amount of time and energy shooting each other with paintballs, dressing up in ninja outfits and making silly videos with voice disguise technology and spooky background music. The rest, who keep one foot in the mainstream, are cooking up frivolous lawsuits, like the Cook case and interpreting the constitution in pretty much the same way that they interpret the Bible and the prophecies of Nostradamus.
BTW, kudos to you John Avlon, Keep up the good work, .young fellows like you with the courage of your convictions are our best chance of getting through this rough patch.
I knew I need only hit Alt F to find the word "courage" in one of these comments. I was totally waiting for it, and I'm glad that Frumpzilla complied. Isn't he courageous? As a Republican speaking out against his own party? What a hero! "I would vote for someone like that for President." That's the Derangement Syndrome that libs have about rogue Republicans while they shun their own who step out of line. Wow, isn't Frumpzilla a coward?
i knew if i hit Alt F to find the word "libs" i wouldn't be disappointed
thank you for being the dip wad...
WTF are you jabbering about? I can't help but this it's very difficult for you to get through the days being so friggin' stupid.
He, i,e, jackee, is totally incoherent.
I just love the fact that you call people who want to see his birth certificate, college records and such right wing crazies. I am one of them, you see if someone spends almost a million dollars to hide what should be in the open I have questions. Are we not allowed as Americans to make sure our President is eligible to serve in this office without being racists? Tell me one good reason why his records are sealed.
roberta13, why did you never ask to see Bush's birth certificate. Wasn't because he was white by any chance was it?
'I am one of them' -- hey, good job! The first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem.
Why do you want to see his college records, anyway? What, you think he lied about going to Harvard Law...?
Uh no, we call the people "crazy" who in spite of all facts to the contrary continue in their delusion. As the author points out, the public records exist. The President is not concealing them and never has. Are you familiar with the expression "There are none so blind as those who will not see"? You can see the truth but you won't look at it because that would shake your insanity too much. There are drugs to help you. See your doctor.
You are crazy and racist because you keep asking a question that has been answered. The sane people know Obama is a US citizen. Every legitimate fact checking organization has debunked this crazy non-sense, but you wackos just keep on keepin on. You need to get on some serious meds for your condition.
Roberta, President Obama's birth certificate is ONLINE, for Christ's sake! In fact, he's the only President whose birth certificate I have ever seen...!!
roberta13
His records were sealed so you couldn't see them. That's how freakin important you are.
Roberta, let's see your college records!
Roberta13, did you want to see Pres. Bush's birth certificate? His college records? I didn't think so. What makes you think Obama's records are sealed? This is paranoid bullshit. Grow up and get smart. I bet you never cared about Reagan's records, or Nixon's. Whether you recognize it or not, you are a racist and don't want to admit it.
Roberta, since we are looking at documents, I want to see George W. Bush's military records and see where he spent his summer the year he didn't show up for his Texas Air National Guard training in Alabama. Hmmm...what rehab center for cocaine use and alcoholism do you think he was in??? Rethugs put a "dry drunk" in office for eight long, miserable years least we forget all their wisdom? My son is seving with his National Guard Unit in Iraq right now and the Pubies are a disgrace to his service and every other person serving. Rethugs start wars, they never personally participate in them.
The elitist liberal media is to blame for this. Their one-sided reporting in the 2008 campaign remains a disgrace to democracy.
Perhaps if they had placed a critical eye to he and Michelle's 'rise to power' in Chicago...this guy would never have made it through the primary process. Today, either Hillary Clinton or John McCain would be President.
So, while Daily Beast tends to see this as a group of loons out of step with reality...many Americans see the left supporting Obama in the same light.
A well written story, of which this is not, would be the FEC reports which are open to the public. Since last November Obama's leftover funds have been spent to the tune of some $957,000 in legal fees battling inquiries about the President's citizenship and how he received foreign student educational funds if he was, in fact, a US citizen. Either way he is shown as a liar.
It's blatant hypocrisy to slam Palin at every turn but NEVER open one's eyes to the obvious about Obama. Let's hope these lawsuits do not expose the President as NOT a citizen because that would mean this slick talking man is even more of threat to democracy than many see he is proving to be.
So Daily Beast, let's take a look at those FEC (Federal Election Commission) reports and see why Obama has spent all that money to keep his 'heritage' a secret. Now there's a story.
Too bad America's soldiers have to do both their work and the medias.
Jesus, you people really are retarded.
HEY EVERYONE: I found a Birther Looney - right here above my comment. Have at him!
My message to you Birther Looney member 666: Tell Keyes he L.O.S.T. and tell your fellow members who are dodging the war that they are UNAmerican and are nothing but cowards.
yummy
i was getting tired of the palin diet...
Thank goodness you and I share a dislike of Keyes...however he wasnot the original GOP candidate in that Senate race against Obama. The GOP candidate was 20 points ahead when...as if my magic...a sealed divorce agreement was made public...no doubt through some dishonest bureacrat in Chicago...the GOP candidate resigned and the world was left to this Obama character.
Let me ask of you -- if you believe every story about Obama is false -- then why worry when some go after the story to find out? The media rolled over and played dead for Obama and nearly half the country (and growing) is unhappy about that fact and have every right to be.
@ jpelhamtn
"The GOP candidate was 20 points ahead when...as if my magic...a sealed divorce agreement was made public...no doubt through some dishonest bureacrat [sic] in Chicago...the GOP candidate resigned and the world was left to this Obama character."
In your haste to discredit "this Obama character" you left out the name of the "GOP candidate" who "was 20 points ahead..." It was Jack Ryan. This clean-cut "family values" Republican had to drop out of the race in shame because the leaked custody documents you reference revealed that he had taken his wife, beautiful actress Jeri Ryan to several sex clubs where he encouraged her to have public sex with other men.
You bring up this episode in an attempt to impugn "this Obama character"? Jesus, you have a lot of gall.
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
The FEC has a complex web site. If you want anyone to beleive you, supply some links we can follow. Otherwise, most people, myself included, will believe that someone told you it was there and your passing it on as fact. So show us all. Is this hearsay or fact?
The FEC website is easy to follow...though you are right you have to spend some time there reading instructions. You can find the links yourself I'm sure...I'm not the government...here to do work you can do for yourself. :)
And no, I don't post blog commnets about something 'other people told me'...that would be foolish.
The point is, if the media was doing its job so many questions (real & fantasy) could have been handled long ago. The sad part is that nearly half the voting public feels it got cheated of fairness in the last election.
Obama makes great speeches...but speeches do not create jobs...raising taxes does not create jobs....and hiding behind the protective cloak of the media should not hide the truth about one's corrupt past in Chicago politics.
Any finally, because so many Americans do believe there is some smoke and fire to this story...it will only be put to rest when the Daily Beast or some other alleged media outlet does its homework. If there is not truth here...why is the media not covering the issue?
here is a link: http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/MapAppCandDetail.do?detailComeFrom=mapA pp&cand_id=P80003338&cand_nm_title=Obama, Barack
This shows campaign contributions...as for the legal fees? I have not hear of this claim, so if the claimant refuses to cite a source, we should just chalk it up to a bogus statement.
It is humorous: "nearly half of the voting public feels it got cheated...", while that does not come out and save that OVER HALF of the voting public feels that it got a fair election. Rhetoric, Rhetoric, Rhetoric!
jpelhamtn:(re. second post, which I may land above,) "If there is not truth here...why is the media not covering the issue?"
Why do so few make any sense this morning?
jpel. Dood, you could have typed in the names of a link or two from the FEC homepage in a fraction of the time you spent dancing aroung in that reply.
C'mon man. You can admit that you have never seen that on there. We al know anyway.
And Felix, you beat me to it with that one. It sounds like something Colbert would say for laughs.
They are called FRIVOLOUS lawsuits. And they can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and even millions. It is even an underhanded tactic that has been used to drive one's competition out of business. Each and every one of these frivolous lawsuits has been heard and then thrown out because they are BASELESS. The money on spent on legal fees shows nothing else than the incredible persistence of these loonies.
This is nothing other than Xenophobia.
And did you also complain about the FRIVOLOUS complaints lodged against Governor Palin designed to bankrupt her family?
jpelhamtn: Do you mean all the ones that were lodged by Republicans?
jpel: I see that you cannot debate the facts so you try to change the subject. You of course, are aware, that the personnel board that reviews the ethics complaints in Alaska were all appointed by Palin and owe their jobs to her. And you are aware that the complaint she filed against herself over Troopergate was found not to be an ethics violation by HER committee, but a serious violation by the legislature on the same facts, said legislative investigation being done by a BIPARTISAN board. So, if you want to compare apples and oranges, at least know what the apples and oranges ARE first.
so then its not ok to file "frvivolous" ethics complaints against Palin, right? or to spread stupid stories (easily debunked) about who gave birth to whom.
sorry, forgot, since she's a "conservative" the expectation of civil treatment doesn't apply to her.
it's funny when the other ox is being gored.
Funny. I could have said the exact same thing to Bush supporters a few years ago. The man ran businesses into the ground, was a drug abuser and a mental midget who followed his "gut" rather than the facts staring him in the face. But yet, he was elected twice.
Obama, despite his flaws, is at least smart enough to get us out of the mess left by his predecessor. Frankly, I don't care if he's from Mars, if he can get the job done and repair the Country after 8 years of boffo the clown.
He was not elected twice- I don't even think he was elected once;. But EVERYONE (even you) knows he was NOT elected twice!
"So, while Daily Beast tends to see this as a group of loons out of step with reality...many Americans see the left supporting Obama in the same light."
2008 elections popular vote: Obama - 53%, McCain - 46%. http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/president/
So a majority of Americans are now on the "left"? So much for "American is a conservative nation." And rightly so.
Every poll shows conservatives in America outnumber liberals 2 to 1. Try to wish that away.
Yeah, Banjo, and every poll also shows about 21% of Americans describe themselves as "Republican".
No, YOU try to wish that away!!!
There's a difference between being a conservative and being a Republican. And there are different kinds of conservatives with a mix of views. Kind of like the Republicans a long, long, long time away in a galaxy far, far, far away.
You didn't even get the point, Banjo1. jpelhamtn defines Obama supporters as "the left." Obama won 53% of the vote. According to you, "conservatives outnumber liberals 2 to 1." You don't see the contradiction? What happened, did your team just stay home on election day despite your 2 to 1 advantage? Maybe it's not just "the left" that support Obama. Maybe your "2 to 1" ratio is an urban myth. Maybe a whole lot of self-described "conservatives" voted for Obama. Take your pick. While you're at it, keep wishing McCain were President - seems like he was a shoo-in given your 2 to 1 advantage.
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
jpelhamtn
Have you ever questioned the origin of birth for other presidential candidates? This is why I throw out the race card like cons throw around the word socialism. What else should we think of this lunacy? Birth records and birth announcements were produced. Not only that but do you actually think he would be allowed to run if he were not a natural born citizen? If so, why? You people scare me. A severely warped sense of reality has no place in American politics. Please do yourself and your fellow Americans a favor and seek help. I don't mean this as an insult but I honestly believe that you are mentally ill.
There is a comedic element to all this...
Paste it in douche bag.
Do you know when most people stop paying attention? When they read the words 'elitist liberal media' and 'blame' in the same sentence.
I can't even get into this ridiculous topic, so I will just say this: say what you want about the content, but John Avalon's writing style is very readable. But of course, if you're looking for 'stories', then TDB might be the wrong place.
Please. He and Michell's rise to power? It is 'HIS and Michelle's rise to power'. I have noticed that many of the people who are 'birthers' and haters of Obama can't spell or use good grammar. I have to assume that they are uneducated and ignorant and whose opinions are therefore, worthless.
Tangential..circumstantial..loosening of associations...paranoid - Thanks to Jpelhamtn for this fine example of formal thought disorder. Fortunately, there are many new psychiatric medications available these days.
Very nicely done Mr. Avlon. I also enjoyed they way you debated the issue on CNN. Unfortunately I cannot adequately articulate the level of paranoia and schizophrenia exhibited by Mr. Keyes, Ms. Taitz and their rabid followers. They almost as bad as any foreign threat to our democracy.
Exactly. Radical fringe groups in America are in many ways more dangerous. The more foreign based terrorism that happens in America, the more people unify against them. However, extremist home bred groups that have the support of a significant percentage of the population (10-15% perhaps), have the power to cause far more harm. I wonder if the percentage of Muslims who support terrorism wouldn't be equal to the percentage of Americans who support extremist anti government actions. There are these people on both the far left and the far right - however, the far right is far better organized, is armed to the teeth and has a lot more members.
i disagree with "almost as bad"
they are a foreign threat
their ideology is alien
their rhetoric is an attack
their action is an attack
they use the ideology of our democracy to attack
we need to find a way to use our democracy to defend the attack
and
attack in return
got any ideas?
Wouldn't it be easy to defuse this by simply producing the required documentation that would prove beyond a shadow of a doubt BO's place of birth? Why this strange reluctance?
I think that they have done this already and I think it was mentioned in the article.
deadhippo, just ignore Banjo1, he comments on everything in the same moronic way. Unfortunately, for this article he was unable to call someone a RINO. He loves throwing that word around.
People like Banjo wouldn't believe it even if he held the President's birth certificate in his hands. Just ignore him, as he never has anything of value so say...ever.
To Banjo I say..."It's too bad ignorance isn't painful"
I don't know about the two groups that have "investigated" the question. Snopes has been exposed as a liberal couple working out of a trailer in California, and I took a look at FactCheck.org. It's run by former journalists and academics. Talk about a built-in bias. Mention was made in the article of Alan Keyes, the mentally unbalanced publicity whore. How even-handed of CNN to put this tragic figure on the screen. He automatically discredits whatever he's promoting. But to get back to the birth certificate. Why not a careful look by the courts with whatever scientific evidence was necessary to prove or disprove its authenticity? What would it take, a day? This is for you nailbunny: RINO.
Banjo and his peers' strategy is simple:
1) Yell "where's the evidence!!!"
2) Once they are shown the evidence, charge whoever produced the evidence with being a "liberal", "in the tank for Obama" or both.
That's the point. The docs HAVE been produced. These wingnuts just choose not to believe them.
Sort of like the old chestnut about us never going to the moon. Even though they brought back samples and tons of footage that couldn't have easily been created in 1969 - the true conspiracy theorists choose not to believe them.
Reminds me of the arguments from the anti-evolution crowd. Pure faith in the face of all of the facts.
The real problem here is delusional people like you who don't pay attention. Obama DID release the birth certificate. You can go view it right now, which you haven't already because you are intellectually lazy. It's much easier to believe the Birther lunatics at face value than it is to take a few seconds and independently research issues before pontificating on them.
Apparently it's not that easy to defuse. The doucuments have been produced and shown on national TV on many occasions and yet the loons stand there with their fingers in their ears going "la la la la la" refusing to hear the truth.
Why this strange reluctance?
The birth documents many not be in dispute at all -- but Obama createdthe problem by aquiring scholarships for college as a NON-CITIZEN. That said, should he not pay back that money if he was in fact a US citizen? Either way it shows him as craven and dishonest and cavalier about the taxpayers dollars. This is a practice he seems to continue today.
daddynobucks
To answer your question, it's because they are racist.
Oh brother -- so now one of the alleged bloggers here feels any critical comments about the President are based on race. Only the ignorant would attempt to inject that vulgar thought into intelligeent conversation. Those who cry racism are the ones who practice it.
@jpelhamtn
Which scholarship are you talking about? I've seen allegations that Obama attended Occidental on a Fulbright Scholarship. But he went to Occidental undergrad, and the Fulbright Scholarship is only available for MD and PhD students (http://www.foreign.fulbrightonline.org/), so this is patently impossible. Was there another scholarship that Obama illegally took?
Ah, welcome back.
He already produced documentation. His birth certificate has been available since last year. There have been birth announcements in Hawaii newspapers that have been dug up from their archives. These claims are without merit - the apex of frivolous lawsuits.
Is it true that Obama's family members in Africa have not been allowed to be interviewed? If Obama did acquire scholarships for college as a non-citizen, seek the truth and demand more investigations. The denial is worse than the truth, it creates the air of suspicion. Why should Americans have uninvestigated questions? This is a free country. I'll bet the KGB knows more than we do.
Woah - the Cold War ended two decades ago, and the KGB went with it.
There is no denial: he posted his birth certificate on the internet. How much more invasive can you be? Perhaps you should ask for his next colonoscopy photos to be distributed to all Americans so we can make sure our president isn't concealing any sicknesses from us.
They have done this already, and it's been certified by the Governor of Hawaii and the Sec. of State of Hawaii.
The paper has been analyzed as being of the same quality and grade of other birth certificates of the time, but Hawaii has a policy of not allowing the original out of their hands. And the policy has been in place for many years.
Birthers are crazy, and they should be ignored. Army troopers who refuse to serve for this reason should be tossed into the stockade.
The problem is there is NO evidence that the Birthers will accept. What is better evidence that a birth certificate? That is all the evidence you need. Lately the Birthers have been advertising for anyone who was in the delivery room to come forward and swear that the birth was legit. No doubt that when no one comes forward they will claim this as 'evidence' that it was all a hoax.
It has been produced you ..............throwback.
for those too young to remember, in 1961 Barrack's Father's Race would have been 'Negro'. Race was always stated like that back then. But the politically correct race today would be 'African', as shown on the birth certificate published.
There's no way you could identify "race" with one or two words in Hawaii. The place is a total melting pot, and most people don't even know their complete heritage.
This user is no longer registered.
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
It has been done! There is ZERO reluctance to produce the already produced document. There are none so blind as those who WILL NOT see.
I see you disparaging Snopes and FactCheck below. Well anyone can indulge in name calling; show me one example, just one, where either of these sites got it wrong. And show me your evidence.
JHC, Banjo, are you truly retarded or are you just some dippy13-old who's drifted over here from making comments on YouTube?
It constantly amazes me that news outlets such as CNN give people like this air time. To "debate" their views suggests that there is actually something to debate, some legitimate controversy. There's not.
Yet they DONT give air time to the real issues going on. For example, having a bunch of pundits and so called experts talk about the cost of health care, or the bail outs and then never get a real, trained economist to come on and talk about it.
It's just entertainment. CNN, Fox, and MSNBC are just 24 hour reality TV channels.
Have to AGREE with you on this and throw in CBS, ABC & NBC also. The level of insanity on 'news programs' is disgusting...and adds little to the national debate or an informed electorate.
That's why we are all reading this blog-because it is so difficult to find the real news. Obviously, if there was no platform for idiotic hate groups, we wouldn't be giving it the time of day. This is the price we pay for the information superhighway. IN my youth, groups like the John Birch Society shriveled up and died, as they should have. Warhol was right-everyone gets their fifteen minutes of fame---loonies like Keyes, the guys who pulled off the Swift Boat stunt etc. Don't forget about the good old days of not so long ago, of guys in white hoods marching around and waving the confederate flag, hangings, anti-catholic, anti-jewish, anti-irish.
Who's to blame? I personally think much of this is wrapped up in our somewhat failed attempt at the greatest 'Socialist' experiment of the modern era: Public Education. It simply seems to fail to educate ALL citizens. Most of this fear based hatred is born out of dispassion, ignorance and lack of real morality, all virtues easily taught to pretty much any young child. We have utterly failed in Western Society, much like the Arabic society has failed. All that money......spent......spent on stupid cars, televisions and microwaves. Shows you how smart we are as a society. Next election, I am voting for myself. One man, one vote. We live in stupid times. End of story. They should have thrown that soldier in the brink. Same with that idiotic frivolous lawyer.
Not only CNN but the hate-mongers at MSNBC are even worse.
MSNBC hate-mongers? I'm sure you must be thinking of Fox News.
That's the wackos, projecting again.
Ho Ho Ho Rachel rules!
I'm beginning to think 'jpelhamtn' is a blocked user with a new moniker- you sound like a couple of other idiots whose names we haven't seen this morning
Anyone who thinks that MSNBC -- with the token exception of Lou Dobbs -- isn't in the tank for the left wing belongs in the attic with his crazy aunt.
Banjo1,
The Racist Lou Dobbs, the only one you like, is not on MSNBC. DOLT.
"Major Cook" How in the hell did someone this f##king stupid get to be a major in the US military?
The major is a traitor who ought to be tried and convincted of treason and punished accordingly.
And while we are at it lets use the SEDITION clause in the United States Constitution and imprison the likes of Jimmy Carter, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Dick Durbin and a host of others for deliberately supporting the nation's enemies...that would end have the lunacy in politics right there.
jpelhamtn: Perhaps you should include yourself on that list.
Tinfoil hat nutcase.
Odds are that's exactly what will happen.
Happy birthday!
jpel:
I'm not entirely sure you know what sedition is. There is no sedition clause in the US Constitution. There were the Alien and Sedition Acts and various other sedition acts through the years. All of these, save parts of the Smith Act, have since been repealed.
Sedition is essentially trying to overthrow the government, and I don't really think that a former President, current speaker of the House, Senate majority leader and assistant Senate majority leader will be going about that since they would be overthrowing themselves. If you want to talk about sedition though it might best be exemplified by the tea party people in Texas that wish to secede from the US...
Great question and easily answered....there is a list you could make in five minutes of professions that attract highly intelligent and caring people but also attract misled and seemingly idiotic people....here is a starter for you and then you can add your own.....POLITICS, THE MILITARY, THE POLICE.....since I am a photographer by trade, I also add, PHOTOGRAPHY....maybe start a club...just kidding.
Major Cook is unfortunately, someone who advanced through the ranks by cheating on his IQ tests, or greased a few palms....maybe knocked up the Sargeant Major's daughter, or worse, blasted a bunch of 'gooks' in 'nam' and got a bunch of ribbons on his blouse....you cannot make this crap up.
Do you know nothing about the military?? A Major outranks a Sergeant Major as a Major is an officer and a Sergeant Major is a non-commissioned officer. And just for the record, Army officers advance due to promotion boards which consist of numerous officers reviewing hundreds of files with a majority vote assuring advancement.
I don't think we can jump to your conclusions about Major Cooks incompetency but I know that in the Air Force, when a Major gets passed over for promotion to Lt. Col a certain number of times he get "rifted" and is forced to retire. I don't know if it's the same in the Army but I am curious if maybe the Major was in that situation and nothing to lose except a trip to Afgahnistan.
But just so we're clear, I to think he belongs in military prison and I think the 'birther" movement is made up of either idiots or completely insane people. That is the only way they could persist in their beliefs
Easy, the reserves have no shortage of retards and nutjobs who couldn't cut it in the real military, but still get off wearing a uniform and pushing people around who can't push back. As long as you kiss the right butts you'll move up. Before any birthers question my patriotism, I am a 35-year Army veteran who started as a draftee and ended at a Brigade-level JAG.
Here's to you, Mr. Cooper. My hat is off.
Boy, is that a true statement! I spent my time in the Army in active duty and in the reserves, and there's a lot of people with nagging spouses and crappy jobs that somehow got up to the E-6 or E-7 level and revel in their authority at weekend drills and summer camp. It's the worst part of being a reservist.
This user is no longer registered.
I don't understand why Obama doesn't end this distracting static by authorizing the release of the original birth certificate to be vetted by some blue-ribbon panel and get on with the important business of health care, global warming and anti-poverty programs.
Omoore, because he doesn't have to. And the state of Hawaii doesn't have to either.
It's been done, ad nauseum! Why don't you people get it? HIS BIRTH CERTIFICATE HAS BEEN RELEASED AND VERIFIED A HUNDRED TIMES OVER. Get the F over it, already!
The time to raise the issue of President Obama's birthright has passed. That should have been done in the nomination process.What right do these 170 people have to try and nullify the election process?How UN-American can you be? The majority of the United States' citizens have spoken and decided the Honorable President Barack Hussein Obama to be the best candidate.It sounds like sour grapes instigated by the extreme far right. They have no reasonable platform and to say the word Republican is almost consistent with a disease these days.I thought it bad when they tried to blame Obama for the shootings of some nut. This just appears to be an act of desparation.UN-productive obstructionists that have no real solutions to our country's massive problems.Problems, that I might add, were left the Honorable President Obama by his predecessors. To refuse to serve a sitting, elected President is an act of TREASON and should be treated as such. If they have evidence to the contrary, they need to put up or shut up.Their time has passed!
http://www.SissCoKids.blogspot.com
I agree. I think the American voters have already decided this issue when they cast votes for President Obama.
A citizen is considered innocent until proven guilty. There is no evidence to the contrary.Just wild accusations! The Honorable President Barack Obama does not have to prove anything.Our constitution says so!
http://www.SissCoKids.blogspot.com
You gotta be kidding me? This isn't even news. They refuse to serve and you kick their arses out and try them for refusing a direct order.
"and we are not saved..."
These birthers will not be satisfied no matter what evidence is produced. They think of themselves as 'patriots', so they will not simply tuck their tails in between their legs and walk away with at least a modicum of dignity. Oh no, they will claim that the provided documents are well-planned forgeries. He was born in Kenya, or Indonesia, or Poland, so how can such documents be authentic, right? They'll do what they always do and play semantics between a birth certificate and certificate of live birth. They'll 'demand' a copy of his driver's license, green card, library card, Blockbuster card, and just about any piece of documentation they deem necessary to ensure he's a natural-born American citizen. A small minority of these 'birthers' have a genuine concern. The rest are simply nuts(Taitz) or just angry and bitter (Keyes).
aliens have INVADED
first they took over Alan Keyes
then they took over Stefan Cook and Orly Taitz
they're spreading into congress... aiyeeeeeeee
This article is amazing in its capacity to assume the ill-will of those who have the audacity to question whether Obama is properly a natural-born citizen. In the end, regardless of reason, Obama has fueled the flames of this controversy by refusing to release his actual birth certificate and instead produced a copy of his certification of birth. If you are being honest with yourself, you have to admit that this refusal coupled with citizen travel restrictions when he went to Pakistan and refusal to release any school records again fans the flames of concern. These concerns are legitimate; having them does not make one an "Obama hater"; and, it seems to me, that the entire article is an ad-hominem attack rather than an attempt to objectively show that the concerns are misplaced. Would those posters in support of the article support Obamas removal from office IF he were found not to be a natural born citizen or do they view the constitutional requirement as racist or xenophobic or merely outdated and unnecessary? That actually may be the more important question.
I was born a year before Obama. Long go my original birth certificate faded to the point of being illegible and started to turn to dust. So I got a copy.
Having a copy of a birth certificate does not it a fraud.
I guess I can never run for political office now. Especially since they made a mistake on it (switching my parents places of birth). It must be a fake--and I therefore do not exist and am not writing this post.
Basically, you don't have to believe in gravity if you choose not to, but, gravity is still going to hold your dumb ass to the planet. Believe me, I wish I could pull a gravitational off switch that would jettison all the birthers into the stratosphere.
People like you ignore all attempts to objectively show that your concerns are misplaced. Your "ill-will" is a given, and I would replace "audacity" by "stupidity".
Rubber and glue, buddy.
Obama's mother is a US citizen - does anyone seriously doubt that? According to US law, that means that Obama was born an american citizen, and is this a 'natural-born citizen'. What does it matter where he was born?
That is correct. My sister was born in England but, because her Father was a US Citizen, she is even though our Mom was an English Citizen.
But, obviously, these people don't care about facts or laws. They only care that a black man is President and they can't stand it.
He was born in Hawaii. His birth certificate is available for viewing by googling. STOP the insanity and start dealing with substantive issues.
The onus is on you to prove that he's not a citizen it's not Obama's obligation to bow to everyones wishes.
You're presenting the guise of a legitimate argument, but at the end of the day Obama has presented proof that he was born in Hawaii. The uproar is because Obama is black and the Right Fringe doesn't want him in the White House. This uproar wouldn't exist if he were white so let's stop pretending that the controversy is legitimate. We do NOT live in a post-racist society. This is the ugly face of America in the 21st century with some people anxious to preserve the 19th c.
This user is no longer registered.
Exactly! If there is no truth to the story why doesn't the main stream media investigate it? The simple answer is that Obama is lied to get college scholarships as a NON-US citizen. If, as many of you say here that these stories about his citizenship is unture, then should he not pay back the money he received as a liar and thief?
OK, you are entirely full of it. His Mother was a citizen and, therefore, he is too. If you cared about anything more than the fact that a black man is President, you might want to Google his birth certificate. It has been verified so many times and even by the conservative WORLD NET DAILY. But, that would screw with your whole "he's not legitimate" argument and your racism would be laid to bare!
I just re-read your comment and I may owe you an apology. I'm not sure if you are a Birther or not. If not, I'm sorry. If so, get bent.
OK, I've just read some of your other comments, therefore, I'm going with "get bent".
"Exactly! If there is no truth to the story why doesn't the main stream media investigate it? The simple answer is that Obama "is lied" to get college scholarships as a NON-US citizen. If, as many of you say here that these stories about his citizenship is "unture", then should he not pay back the money he received as a liar and thief?"
Well, reading your statement (is lied???) makes it quite clear you never went to college. Or high school.
Quite typical of the birther movement. A collection of uneducated unqualified angry white males led around by the nose and manipulated by Rush, Newt, and their own racial bigotry.
Or, is it fear of the powerful Black man?
Where did you get that crap about President Obama filing for funds as a non-citizen? Was it Faux News, WorldNut Daily or one of the other yellow rags posing as a paper? You keep repeating that crap as though it's true-
you're insane.
The "fact" that Obama got scholarships as a "foreign student" was perpetrated as a HOAX to see just how gullible the Birfers are. Apparently, extremely. The "news" story was even DATED APRIL 1st!
Of course, you could argue that the hoax backfired; the hoaxers weren't prepared for the Birfers' ability to continue to believe total nonsense, even after it was shown to be a hoax and/or flat-out wrong.
He is neither a liar NOR a thief. He is your President, and you should show some respect... or acknowlege that you hate America & what she stands for: the rule of Law in an orderly Democracy.
You are exposed as gullible and cynical...or at best, naive. That was an April Fools joke.
This has been shown on multiple occassions, by multiple impartial investigations (snopes, factcheck.org, politifact.com, etc). Quite frankly, it seems that the evidence some people require is to physically hold his birth certificate in their hands and that is simply ridiculous. I say that proof has been established over and over and now the burden of proof falls on you, the "birthers," to actually show some shred of evidence that your accusations hold any water.
It's what Obama-haters have going for them. It's ALL they have going for them. Heaven forbid that they actually fight him on substantive grounds.
McCain wasn't born in the US: He was born in the Panama Canal Zone. I guess he wasn't a natural-born citizen either?
Yeah, but he didn't win so no one is keeping up this controversy. Obama was born in Hawaii. Full stop.
Re: Congressmen birthers:
Recall HL Mencken who told us that a politician is a creature who would endorse something as repulsive a cannibalism if some members of his constituency practiced it.
He said he'd serve up a missionary for dinner.
Thank you.
As a first time user, your comment has been submitted for review. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a day or two for your comment to be reviewed, depending on the time of week and the volume of comments we receive.
Please log in to leave comments.