Sunday, July 19, 2009

Why the secrecy?


Last week the case was reported of a US Army Major who refused to report for duty in Afghanistan, on the grounds that he could not be sure that President Barack Obama was Constitutionally eligible for election to his office. The US Army promptly rescinded his mobilization orders - were they doing so under orders, to prevent a court ruling on the matter? - but two other officers have now joined his suit in Federal court.

A controversial suit brought by a U.S. Army reservist has been joined by a retired Army two-star general and an active reserve Air Force lieutenant colonel.

Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook filed the suit July 8 in federal court here asking for conscientious objector status and a preliminary injunction based upon his belief that President Barack Obama is not a natural-born citizen of the United States and is therefore ineligible to serve as president of the United States and commander-in-chief of the U.S. Armed Forces.

However, before the issue got to court, Cook’s orders to deploy to Afghanistan were revoked. Lt. Col. Maria Quon, a public affairs officer with the U.S. Army Human Resources Command-St. Louis, said Tuesday that Cook was no longer expected to report Wednesday to MacDill Air Force Base in Florida for mobilization to active duty. Cook, who claims he is now the victim of retaliation due to his suit, received his mobilization orders to report for active duty at MacDill on Wednesday. From there, he was to go to Fort Benning on Saturday for deployment to Afghanistan.

. . .

Last week, Cook filed a request in federal court seeking a temporary restraining order and status as a conscientious objector represented by California attorney Orly Taitz.

The government, in its response to the suit, claims that Cook’s suit is “moot” in that he already has been told he doesn’t have to go to Afghanistan, so the relief he is seeking has been granted.

“The Commanding General of SOCCENT (U.S. Special Operations Central Command) has determined that he does not want the services of Major Cook, and has revoked his deployment orders,” the response states.

In a pleading revised after the revocation of Cook’s orders, Taitz argues that the application for preliminary injunction is not moot and that retired Maj. Gen. Carol Dean Childers and active U.S. Air Force reservist Lt. Col. David Earl Graeff have joined the suit “because it is a matter of unparalleled public interest and importance and because it is clearly a matter arising from issues of a recurring nature that will escape review unless the Court exercises its discretionary jurisdiction.”

. . .

In the filing, Cook states he “would be acting in violation of international law by engaging in military actions outside the United States under this President’s command. … simultaneously subjecting himself to possible prosecution as a war criminal by the faithful execution of these duties.”


There's more at the link.

I have to admit, I believe Major Cook and his fellow officers have a point. I'm not an advocate or follower of conspiracy theories: but I'd love to know why, despite many requests to do so, President Obama has never released his full birth certificate. All he's released is a 'certificate of live birth' from Hawaii, which can be obtained by anybody, whether born in Hawaii or not - it merely confirms that you've been born!

If the Constitutional requirement that the President be a 'natural born citizen' of the USA is to be interpreted as requiring physical birth within the boundaries of the United States, to parents of whom at least one is a US citizen, this is, indeed, a Constitutional issue. Why all the secrecy? Why all the obfuscation? Let the President release his full birth certificate, and clear up the matter once and for all! Why would he not do so, if not to hide the fact that he may indeed have been born outside the USA?

This is very troubling. I hope and trust that the Court will demand the release of the President's birth certificate, in order to clear up these issues once and for all.

Peter

10 comments:

Brad J (Kazrak) said...

What secrecy?

If you ask the state of Hawaii for a copy of your birth certificate, the document he's revealed is what they give you. It is considered prima facie evidence of citizenship in any court in the land.

The state governor (a Republican, in case you're suspecting some sort of partisan hijinks) has stated that Hawaii's records match the certificate. It gives Honolulu as place of birth.

The super-hard-core folks are trying to claim that this is a forgery. But, put bluntly, anyone who's claiming that a document, provided by the state and vetted by the state, is a forgery, will not believe any document you give to them.

(I've heard conflicting stories on getting copies of the original certificate - some saying that he literally can't get a copy of it, some saying that he'd basically have to go to the records department in person and photocopy it. But the state will not give you a nicely sealed copy of the original - you ask the state for a birth certificate copy, and you get the certificate he's already presented.)

Michael said...

Brad,

The issue is that the sitting POTUS has no paper trail. Look it up. the alleged Hawaiian document has peculiar discrepancies that make it highly suspicious. As far as getting the original is concerned, I'm pretty sure that the White House or a high federal court could influence HI to do that, even if only temporarily.

The fact of the matter is that the multiple law suits that have been brought up concerning this issue have been quietly swept under the rug. The more of these that don't get so much as acknowledgment only serve to add fuel to the fire. The first time I heard of such allegations, I rolled my eyes. I don't like BHO, but it sounded like a far-fetched crackpot conspiracy theory to me. The longer it draws out, the more I have to wonder exactly how hard it is to come up with a proper birth certificate. I know that I could get one for myself quite easily. It seems like the POTUS could get his, show it on public television, and say, "Let's put this thing to rest."

But no. In fact, Pamela Gellar of Atlas Shrugs wrote up a very well-documented piece on it. Whether you choose to believe it or not, you should check it out: http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2009/07/obama-scrubs-the-web-of-all-birth-docs.html

Anonymous said...

I figure Obama was indeed born in Hawaii (and accept the Governor's statement to that effect) but is fighting the release of proof for some other reason. What could possibly be worth spending millions of dollars to keep concealed? Especially what could be so important from that early in his life - long before he could be called an aware being responsible for himself? I can't think of anything. So either the birthers are right or Obama's people have decided it is worth investing $2 million to just keep jerking peoples chains and encouraging the opposition to make itself look stupid.

MadRocketScientist said...

More info

http://www.moaablogs.org/battleofthebilge/2009/07/majorcook/

Michael said...

I believe that the only way this issue will be resolved is for it to be hashed out in a court proceeding with actual evidence. On one side, you have people asking for records and proof. On the other, you've got leftist extremists making assertions and showing pictures on the internet. Seriously. This is going to take a whole lot more than that. I have to wonder if the administration knows that they can avoid the issue as long as they keep it as a weird internet debate. And then, why?

"Why?" has to be the most damning question that grants this conspiracy theory any credibility whatsoever. The presence of some kind of cover-up is undeniable. Why? No long form birth certificate. Why? No college records. Why? Who is pulling the strings behind the teleprompter, and where is all of this leading? If it is only represented to appear so, then why? The Kos boys and others like them clearly have no need to know the answers. Why?

Mikael said...

*sigh* I give far more credence to the theory that the Bush administration were behind 9/11 than to this. (Cheney sitting in norad's command center at the time with a wargame going on with the same scenario only with about 20 planes and sending the 6 available interception fighters after the wargame fakes... yeah that seems fishy).

Old NFO said...

Ther interesting point is that Obama has no paper trail...

Rick R. said...

I'm not someone who believes in these conspiracy theories about Obama, but does wish that the paper trail was publicly substantiated -- and it hasn;t been.

One thing to keep in mind is that Obama, as a young man in teh 1980s, traveled to Pakistan while it was on the US list of places a US passport is invalid for travel to.

So, what passport DID he travel to Pakistan on?

The choices are:

1. Illegal use of a US passport -- which would have raised issues when he returned to teh US with a Pakistani visa stamp.

2. British passport, indicating citizenship through his Kenyan father.

3. Indonesian passport, inidcating that he was (as an adult) using a passport he would only be eligible to possess if he had changed his citizenship when he moved to Indonesia.

Anonymous said...

Michigan governor George Romney vied for the Republican nomination in '68 i believe. He was born in mexico, of american missionary parents. Is there any question of Pres. Obamas mother being a US citizen? Wouldnt that render the argument moot?
Joe McDermott

Billll said...

McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone, and the Obama people tried to get him disqualified after he was nominated on the same basis.