(Another rant from the quiet one.)

Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin is an Army flight surgeon and apparently has been a pretty good career soldier. But now he has nominated himself to be the likely martyr for the birthers. Lakin is among the reported 27% (in some polls) that do not believe that President Obama was born in the United States. There are three video links in this CNN report. In one of them, Anderson Cooper tries to get Lakin to tell him why a “Certificate of Live Birth” from Hawaii is insufficient in his mind to prove Obama is a U.S. citizen by birth. Cooper could barely get Lakin to respond for his lawyer’s intervention but one question I would have asked is, “did you ask to see President George W. Bush’s birth certificate?” For that matter, as he has been in the service for 17 years, what about Clinton or Bush senior? What about Sarah Palin? There’s more to this than coincidental or fake Kenyan birth documents. The birthers have a scary agenda.

It really is disturbing to me that anyone really believes that Obama was not born in the U.S. But it’s frightening to me that 27% have at least some doubt. What drives this? I’d love to blame the right-wing pundits but not all of them are drinking this Kool-Aid. Last year Bill O’Reilly, who fathered the current craze of television conservative punditry, called Orly Taitz a “nut.” Taitz of course is the non-commissioned loon that has sued just about every person that has ever crossed her or breathed funny. She also was slapped with a $20,000 fine for frivolous lawsuits. She has appealed numerous suits to the Supreme Court and she can’t even get Clarence Thomas to stay a judgment against her. She’s crazy and if Bill O’Reilly doesn’t buy what you’re selling, then maybe you need to tilt at a different windmill.

Anyway, Lakin is also tilting but his battle is more newsworthy given his position, rank, and interest in taking the role of birther poster child. Lakin posted a YouTube video explaining why he is refusing to deploy for another tour in Afghanistan. Yesterday Lakin asked to defer his plea in his court martial until the judge rules on a request to have the case thrown out. The judge gave Lakin two weeks to file the motion. If it is not dismissed, Lakin’s case will begin in October.

All of this spurred me to dig up my own birth certificate. What I have is not the actual certificate. It is a “Certification of Birth Registration” from Henry County, Iowa, U.S.A. It states that I was born in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa on January 16th, 1970 at 11:40 a.m. and that it is recorded in the courthouse records. There are a number of other details that aren’t relevant but that’s about it. I have used this exact document for a number of things. I used it to get an Arkansas Drivers License. I used it get a replacement social security card. And I used it to get a United States passport. Not one person ever doubted its veracity. Of course I would never say that what I have done or do now is as important as being the President of the United States but if I were to run I suppose I could not command this soldier unless I trot up to Henry County, Iowa and ask the clerk to dust off my book and turn to my page. Or would I have to be ultra-conservative too…?

Here’s the real problem I have with this. This Lakin character along with Taitz and all of the other birthers are disrespecting the president and a host of other people in an inane plot to simply rouse the rabble because they don’t like Obama’s politics (or maybe worse reasons.) Lakin is disrespecting the Republican governor of Hawaii, Linda Lingle who stated “the president was, in fact, born at Kapi’olani Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii.” He is disrespecting the entire state of Hawaii really. He is also disrespecting every member of the military who chooses to trust the documentation from Hawaii and the vote of the people of the United States and who thereby serve President Obama as Commander in Chief.