Giving Birth to a New Conspiracy

During a recent train ride, a fellow commuter, who was reading the news on his laptop, asked me what I thought of the "birthers". I told him commuter trains don't have sleeping accommodations.

"I'm talking about birther, i-r." he said.

"I'm sorry. We're on a train. I thought you were referring to berths".

"I'm talking about the birther movement." He was getting more emphatic.

"Oh, the birther movement, you mean midwives, those who assist women giving birth --"

"No," he interrupted, "I mean the birther movement that is gaining quite a bit of support. Don't you surf the Net or watch television? There are a growing number of people who don't believe Obama was born in the United States --"

"Wouldn't that make him the "birthee"? Wouldn't his mother be the birther?"

"No, this is not about his mother," he countered. "This is about whether Obama was born in the United States. There is no conclusive proof that he was and if he wasn't, he cannot legally be president."

"Where was his mother when he was born?" I asked.

"What's that got to do with it?" I could tell he was getting annoyed.

"Babies like to be born near their mother, it makes them feel more secure. His mother, an American citizen, was in Hawaii at the time of his birth. Maybe that's just a coincidence but it could be significant."

"As I said, there is no conclusive proof that he was born in the United States."

"Are you saying that Hawaii isn't considered part of the United States? I know Hawaii didn't start off as the United States, but for that matter, neither did the United States."

"There is no proof that he was born in Hawaii. His father was Kenyan, he may have been born in Kenya which would mean he wasn't born in the United States and therefore is illegally holding the office of the presidency."

"Interesting concept. Where were you born?"

"What difference does that make?"

"Are you hiding something?"

"Of course not. It's a ridiculous question."

"Pago Pago?"

"No. Delaware. Why would you suggest Pago Pago?"

"It's fun to say, but more importantly, why should I believe you? I don't know you. I haven't seen your birth certificate."

"I'm not the President of the United States."

"I appreciate your honesty about you not being the president." We finally hit on something we could agree on. "So there is no reason for me to believe you."

"Why should I or anyone else believe Obama?"

"He has been more vetted and subjected to more scrutiny over the past three years than any other presidential candidate in history. You think the idea of him not being an American citizen just happened to slip by?"

"I think there was a conspiracy to get him elected without verifying his citizenship -- a lot of right minded people are looking to protect our country and keep it in American hands." He was getting more agitated.

"A conspiracy to hijack the presidency hatched by a biracial couple 46 years ago." I said. I was distracted by a shiny object soaring across the sky. "Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"The flying saucer that just flew by."

"Where?"

I pointed. "The sky is out there."

"I didn't see it," he said, looking out the window.

I shook my head. "That's another conspiracy. The government doesn't want us to know about the outer space visitations we've had, the alien abductions. You know about the flying saucers and alien bodies recovered in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947."

"I've heard about that. Was there any definitive proof it happened?"

"Plenty of proof for those who believe the proof there is, but not nearly as much proof as there is supporting Obama's birth in Hawaii."

"That's not funny." He closed his laptop, picked up his briefcase and moved to another seat.

He was right. It's not funny. It's frightening, frightening that the media lends credibility by seriously reporting on a group that has no factual foundation for its claims and rejects all factual materials that refute them. I thought that's why there were shows like Jerry Springer, to accommodate the fringe and the audience who enjoys such sideshows.

The birthers, however, could be right about a conspiracy, the conspiracy to destroy any credibility the right may have by devoting and diverting attention to this kind of destructive nonsense instead of having informed debate about real issues like health care, the environment and foreign policy.

There are currently ten co-sponsors for a bill originated by Representative Bill Posey of Florida to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 and create requirements to assure candidates meet the qualifications for the Office of the President. I commend Posey and his co-sponsors for creating a bill to address a problem that was created so there would be a problem to address. Obama, our 44th president and the first black president, is the first to ever have to tolerate questions regarding his legitimacy to hold office. Is there any relationship there?

The birthers have given birth to something that is embarrassing and insulting to all of us. Congratulations on your new baby.

Comments

[BGA1974]

I love stupid people and their stupid conspiracy theories.

I'm really happy you were there to challenge his little mind.

Looks and sounds like that wasn't too hard.

thank you...

bga in LA

[blaqntelligence]

My fellow Americans, why do we not recognize that:

AS LONG AS THEY CAN KEEP THE FOCUS AND CONVERSATION ON THE STUPID AND IRRELEVANT, NO ONE IS PAYING ATTENTION TO, OR TALKING ABOUT, THE RELEVANT AND IMPORTANT.
We need to reactivate the campaign machine, delegate a dedicated staff to refuting repub-driven lies.

- When the insurance companies bus a load of their whores in to disrupt a town hall meeting, the local grassroots members need to be there handing out condoms.
- When the media insists on giving equal time to the birthers, local grassroots need to have their ads ready to run....
- When the birthers insist the Kenyan birth certificate has been discovered, every media outlet should have someone denouncing it.
Let the grassroots do their thing because President Obama and his cabinet cannot be pulled off-message to continue aswering this garbage.

I just don't get it:
The same folks that turned this country into one huge community organization (and swept this Black man, Barack Hussein Obama, into office) are now scratching their heads and wringing their hands because republicans are doing what republicans do best?
WTF IS WRONG WITH US???!?!

[fbr79]

Same can be said about all conspiracy theories plaguing this country. These people rather believe anything, no matter how ridiculous it might sound, as long as it is not the official version of things. Have things always been this way, with this borderline hysterical aversion and distrust of the government?

[stevensnell]

Hm. I was with you until the last part, "Obama, our 44th president and the first black president, is the first to ever have to tolerate questions regarding his legitimacy to hold office." Not to get all historical here, but I remember a lot of questions as to the legitimacy of our previous president's legitimacy. Also: Benjamin Harrison and Rutherford B. Hayes.

[coreyrep]

Let's pretend for a moment that this birther nonsense is all true - Obama was really born in Kenya. Now what? Should he be removed as President? And then who should be President? Is that what you all really want - an elected President removed from office based on a now-trivial technicality put in the Constitution 220 years ago to protect against foreign monarchies controlling our fledgling gov't? I've yet to hear exactly what result the "birthers" want. Joe Biden as President? because that's what you get. Anybody but the black guy, right?

[Proletarian101]

What is weird is that you are giving them enough credibility to write about them. This is the same thing that McCain went through with his birth credentials, or the questions of whether Obama might be a Muslim. This is no different than any other conspiracy out their from the 9/11 truthers, the Moon landing conspiracy and every other crack pot story from Big Foot to Area 51 aliens. The more publicity and attention you give them, the more credibility they gain. If I was a conspiracy nut, I would say that this is being perpetuated by Democrats to make Republicans look like a bunch of nuts or to distract the public from the problems that the Congressional Leadership and the Obama administration are having with healthcare reform and economy. Stop the distractions and focus on the real issues.

[reasonshouldrule]

You are so right. This is even more than frightening. It is showing all of us the true quality of the information we are receiving from the msm. And when we lose the ability to know the facts, we lose freedom.

[Robert Leighton]

When your fellow traveler told you he hadn't seen the flying saucer, you might as well have told him that this was proof that he was part of the conspiracy; "Of course you'd deny having seen it." As you say, conspiracy theorists will construct the most complex arguments to bolster their view, and reject the simplest explanations--or flat-out proof--if it fails to support what they wish to believe. Nice job.

[tedmore123]

Read my lips; WE WON. Get used to it.

[Glocksf21]

his mother was a u.s. citizen, there for B H. Obama is a u.s. citizen,

[noneIn2008]

Sounded like you were talking about all main stream news items. Modern "journalists" are not bothered by facts nor sources. Journalism school teaches that you need to add value by "interpreting" for the masses. You need to push a point of view to help the masses. It is hard to find any objective reporting.

[WindySailor]

Birther = Racist.

That's all that needs to be said.

[Chernynkaya]

Exactly. End of story.

[birtherProof]

Whoa...I have a ton of friends from many different races. Great friends that would be better presidents than McCain but since you raised it, let;'s see who the real racists are:

Wasn't our VP the one that said that Obama was a "you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy" but good ole' Joe. At least he's not Quail otherwise it would be reported about what he says and thinks.

Then you have the whole race issue in the primaries: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0108/7845.html

Of course you have the glowing example of Rev. Wright and the fact everywhere you turn that liberals want to raise up race. I guess it is the "I don't have facts nor an original thought" argument from liberals.

Back to it (limited words here), you have Ginsberg (the great liberal judge) comment on how abortion was to get rid of undesirables:

http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/2009/07/ginsburg-abortion-for-undesirable.html

Oh yeah, then we had to make the farce of Global Warming a racist thing by trying to segway on the opinions of the NAACP and not science:

http://wakeupblackamerica.blogspot.com/2009/07/note-to-senator-barbra-boxer-racial.html

[reasonshouldrule]

Your post is full of distortions rather than facts. One of the main defenses of a racist is to call everybody else one too. None of those links you include show racism--at best they take their issue out of context.

[dogdiva]

I love it! Congratulations Jeffery. Articles like yours attract idiots like flies on honey. This is just one of many examples on all the more liberal blogs that are obviously audited by right wing conservatives and crazies. They're busy little buggers aren't they.

Elevating 'crazy' seems to be gathering momentum. Michelle Malkin yesterday on the panel of ABC's this week?!?! She has no credibility and yet there she is! Instead of denouncing those with no credibility, I would look for more and more of this in the MM to boost ratings or readership. Soon CNN will want to get Michael Savage's take on everything.

Actually this piece reveals an excellent technique for dealing with the right wing. Liberals insist that if people only know the facts they will be reasonable. LOL! How's that workin'? Progressives on every level had better observe Jeffery's techinque and the right wing techniques. Embarrassment, mocking, humiliation. Don't bring just a 'pop gun' of facts and figures to gun fight.

[lelaton]

Dear Mr. Madoff,

Your assertion that Obama has been vetted more than any other president is rubbish. Even George Bush released his college and university transcripts. Obama refuses. When McCain's natural born citizenship status was questioned, he presented a copy to the Senate which declared him a natural born cititzen. Understandable, since he was born to parents who were both natural born citizens of the U.S, who were on military deployment in the service of their country in the Panama Canal Zone. Obama should have taken the opportunity to do likewise at the same time.

Mock, mock, mock. That's something new and refreshing. Actually, some FACTS would be refreshing these days.

[LeftRight]

Yes, they would. When are you going to present any?

The fact of the matter is that the Clintons are the best political machine this country has produced since Nixon. Even Reagan wasn't as good as the Clintons are. Do you REALLY think that they didn't look at this, and had there been any there there they would have hammered away at it. And yet they didn't.

The McCain campaign knew about this, and while they weren't as good as the Clintons, they still had Karl Rove, one of the better political kingmakers this country has ever seen, on their side. Do you REALLY think that they didn't look at this, and had there been any there there they would have hammered away at it. And yet the didn't.

The fact of the matter is that there's PROOF that he was born in Hawaii, and it's been produced, and there's not a single shred of evidence against that fact, and yet you talk as though the conspiracy theory to take Mrs. Obama out of the country when she was 9 months pregnant, so that her biracial son could illegally become President 46 years later, when she could have just stayed in Hawaii, has some basis in fact!!!

[Dustee]

Would you PLEASE stop making sense! It confuses them.

[unitron]

They could have taken his mother into low Earth orbit and, because she was a citizen, he'd still be a natural born citizen.

[reasonshouldrule]

You don't appear to understand what a "fact" is.

[zenlikejen]

The facts have already been presented - and it would appear at this point, if they crawled out of your backside and slithered up to your face you STILL wouldn't recognize them!

[Nunyabiz1]

The media has been doing this manure for 20 years or more.

They dropped the fact that Bush stole 2 elections, dropped the fact that the Bush administration lied continuously in order to take the country into an illegal unjust occupation of aggression in Iraq because of oil companies greed.
I wont even get into the facts surrounding 9/11 that have been covered up.

Meanwhile they carry on endlessly about Michael Jackson and Jon & Kate.

This crap started with Reagan when he deregulated everything and the broadcast news went from 55 owners down to 5 Reich wing multi conglomerates.

[AlexNYC]

Amen! The real and vital news is beign swept aside, and instead nonsense that belongs in trash tabloids are being spread by the corporate owned media as "news".