As Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio beclowns himself and his wayward admirers, it is worth bearing in mind that the manufactured controversy surrounding President Barack Obama’s birth certificate has its origins in anonymous e-mails sent by Hillary Clinton partisans during the 2008 Democratic primary. Which is to say that all these many years later, Republicans are still getting played by the Clintons. Some things never change.
There is very little to add to the discussion of the facts of the case. President Obama’s short-form birth certificate (the “certificate of live birth”), which is authoritative evidence in any U.S. court, has long been available for inspection, and the archival records from Hawaii (the “long-form birth certificate”) also have been released. Public officials of both parties have confirmed that the president was born in Hawaii. Every judicial proceeding on the matter has confirmed this, and contemporaneous birth announcements in the Honolulu newspapers documented the birth of Barack Hussein Obama in Hawaii in 1961. There is not a single piece of credible evidence to support claims to the contrary.
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Such conspiracy theories are immortal because one of the features of a really good conspiracy theory is that very lack of evidence for the theory is taken to be yet more proof of the conspiracy. They are long-lived because the underlying mental pathologies are long-lived: As T. S. Eliot put it, “Humankind cannot bear very much reality.”
Conspiracy theories are long-lived also because there is money to be made from them. One of the particularly disturbing aspects of Sheriff Arpaio’s investigation is its relationship with conspiracy entrepreneur Jerome Corsi, who would very much like to sell you a copy of the birther book he has co-authored with Michael Zullo, the volunteer investigator who took the leading part in the sheriff’s recent press conference. There is a booming business in birther baloney.
There is a great deal at stake in 2012: Obamacare either will be uprooted or it will be entrenched, the growth of the deficit either will be curtailed or it will run rampant, our ability to see to our national-security interests either will be reinforced or it will be diminished, the Supreme Court either will become more a guardian of the Constitution or it will become more a guardian of liberal pet interests. And, barring some unforeseen development, the next president will be either a former Republican governor and business executive, a former Republican senator who has been a reliable lifelong conservative, or a left-wing community organizer born metaphorically of the Chicago machine — but born literally in Hawaii.
Republicans who have chosen to associate with the birthers have done their party and their country a disservice. And as Sheriff Arpaio settles comfortably into that political mental ward, the same must be said of those Republicans who choose to associate themselves with him more broadly. Those who cannot distinguish between the birthers’ flim-flam and the critical questions that face our nation in 2012 will not win and do not deserve to.
I saw the video on WND's website "proving" that Obama's birth certificate is fake. I guess they would be convincing to someone like Arpaio who is at that age when people are more gullible and easily scammed. It isn't nice to say, but it is true.
The birth certificate was scanned and the file was shrunk using optimization software as to use less bandwidth as people go on the web to look at it. Not all optimization software works the same, just because it didn't cut up the birth certificate into chunks the same way it did in the demonstration doesn't prove anything.
By the way, I am not sure if he is nuts himself or if he just likes profiting off of the nuts who make up the traffic going to his website, but Joseph Farrah of WND fame does more damage to the Conservative movement than good either way with all his conspiracy theory nonsense.
Arpaio is relying on the opinion of his investigators who are, in turn, relying on the word of forensic document analysts and computer experts. Falling into the latter group myself, I can tell you unequivocally that this BC is AT THE VERY LEAST suspicious. When you add the circumstantial facts into the mix (ie. not releasing it for 3 years, etc..) it becomes even more damning.
Let me issue you this challenge Richard. Do some testing with any and all optimization routines on the market and see if you can come up with anything even remotely similar to Obama's BC. Trust me...you can't. I spent months of my life, which I will never get back, trying to do so. And I was trying to prove it was possible.
You are right that not all optimization software works the same. However, there is a limited set of functionality that can be run on images to optimize them regardless of the manner in which said functionality is implemented.
One thing I can state for 100% certain. Mac Preview does not have any optimization routines that create layers. Why is that significant? Because Mac Preview is the application that was used to generate the PDF that was posted to the WH website.
Your opinion to the contrary is also not proof of anything. In fact, NOTHING in regards to Obama's birthplace has yet been proven. PERIOD.
The Birth Certificate has been proven to be legitimate by reputable and knowledgeable people. The ones used by Arpaio have been shown NOT to be experts..It would be wise to read what this man has to say about his investigation.
The link is helpful in that it shows the gentlemen referenced has a horse in this race; he wrote a book that purports to debunk evidence of prior to.
In watching the push for the changing of the meaning of the word marriage so that it is used to lend an appearance of acceptability to mano-y-mano sexual exploits that is spearheaded by corrupt appointed jurists and store bought politicians in opposition to the expressed will of the people I have become all too familiar with powers ability to corrupt.
In a world where the laws of nature and natures God no longer matter to the elites can any of us really afford to trust anything these reprobates say?
While you might argue that I have a "horse in the race" at this point (since I have a book on the subject), I have been clear from the very beginning that I was happy to go whichever direction the evidence led.
Since "expert" allegations of forgery on YouTube routinely draw hundreds of thousands of views for every thousand page views my videos telling the truth have drawn, if I were interested solely in personal gain, it would be far to my advantage to switch sides even now.
I haven't, because that's not where the evidence leads.
The investigation in the book and subsequent conversations have made it clear that virtually every significant point in Arpaio's press conference had been factually debunked before his investigation was even launched.
It appears that very little in terms of real and professional investigation was conducted. I twice contacted the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office to offer my knowledge and assistance. They gave at least 18 hours' presentation time to Jerome Corsi (who has been using the issue to sell his books, aiming for total book sales of 100,000 copies at roughly $20 each). Mara Zebest, who wrote in 2008, "It's what I live for... my goal to make [Barack Obama] a mockery of the very crowds he seeks for adulation," wrote up their official report and was described by Sheriff Joe on the radio as "the one who came up with" their allegations.
Why were both sides not looked into? Why was, apparently, the State of Hawaii not even contacted?
I see nothing factual, professional or even-sided about this "investigation." From what I see, literally EVERYTHING they've produced -- including the very few new bits -- either can be quite easily debunked from a factual point of point... or already has been.
John, The birthers are nuts, and nuts are , by their very nature, not susceptible to logic, facts or reason. But thanks for fighting the good fight anyway. Cordially, Bill
Your comment implies that homosexuality is against the laws of nature. But the animal world is replete with evidence to the contrary; homosexual acts have been recorded and documented about many animal species.
"Let me issue you this challenge Richard. Do some testing with any and all optimization routines on the market and see if you can come up with anything even remotely similar to Obama's BC. Trust me...you can't. I spent months of my life, which I will never get back, trying to do so. And I was trying to prove it was possible."
Garrett, this comes from the bottom of my heart when I say this, and I truly mean it...
I too am a computer expert with experience in graphic design. I also concur that the document released by Obama's lawyers, (Obama was smart enough not to touch it), IS AN INTENTIONAL FORGERY. Anyone who does not think this is serious business IS DEFRAUDING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
Never mind. Don't even bother. Because whatever you're going to say has already been carefully and honestly considered and examined to see whether it is actually, factually, true, and whether it constitutes actual evidence for forgery.
I personally spent over 500 hours carefully investigating the forgery theories, and produced a 40-chapter book on the topic. Layers? Noise? Bit-mapping? Blurring? Chromatic aberration? White halo? Character duplication? Scaling? Image rotation? Date stamp color variation? Different sized fonts? White dots? Failure to "duplicate" the PDF? Claims of multiple files? Kerning? Duplicate markings? Lack of text curvature? Failure to use tab stops? Lack of an official seal? Hidden text? Lack of chain of custody? Existence of a different document? Out of sequence certificate number? Wrong description? Misspelling in a stamp? Presence of a "smiley face?" The forger's initials? Wrong hospital name? Wrong doctor? Lack of patient records? Wrong race for Obama's dad? Incorrect age? Wrong name for Kenya? Fake registrar name? Indonesian adoption? Alleged expenditure of $2 million to avoid releasing the certificate? Claim of Tim Adams that there was no birth certificate? Failure of the Governor to find a certificate? Refusal to certify by Nancy Pelosi? Spacing anomaly?
ALL of these have been alleged by birthers -- with the ongoing charge led by WorldNetDaily, Joseph Farah, and Jerome Corsi, and at least 23 of these different claims backed or promoted by Corsi -- to be "evidence" or "indication" of fraud. ALL of these claims (and more) have been carefully investigated.
AND THEY ARE ALL HOGWASH.
Birthers have mounted an unrelenting and ongoing campaign of literally DOZENS of ALLEGATIONS, NONE of which have any real and solid evidence to back them up.
What do you call that? I know what I call it.
The fact is, there is NO TRUTH in the birther movement. There's no desire for the truth at all -- unless, of course, that "truth" is that Obama is ineligible. There's no looking at or presenting both sides of the issue. That doesn't fit with the agenda.
Birthers have in fact REFUSED to cover any evidence that doesn't promote their claims. Joseph Farah had a copy of my book on August 29, 2011. He has never given voice to a single statement in it. Not one. Jerome Corsi presented to Arpaio's posse for 18 hours. His fellow birther Mara Zebest prepared the posse's official report, and was described by Arpaio in a radio interview as "the one who came up with it."
I twice contacted Arpaio's officer to offer assistance to his posse. They never replied to either message.
Very simple to test the authenticity of the long-form birth certificate. Find anyone who has a copy of Adobe Illustrator, download the PDF, and open it up.
Per several of the posted Youtube videos, you will find "layers" as well as links that show the PDF was manipulated -- not compressed.
You know this? How? Your comment is essentially if you don't agree with me you are nuts. So freedom of speech refers only to opinions that you agree with.
The directive in your subtitle from the main page "Sever ties with Sheriff Joe Arpaio" appears to me to be the publisher's equivalent of the reader's "cancel my subscription." Thus I say to you: sever you own dern ties. Your comment policy won't allow me to complete the syllogism verbatim.
If you can prove it, prove it. If you can't, drop it. I personally do not believe he was born in Hawaii, and I believe he is a liar about most of the things he says about his youth..............but you cannot go after this issue unless you can prove it......stone cold nail him. If not.......let it drop. Don't be made the fool. We don't need the distraction.
Aloha
