Barack Obama could have Hawaii release his original birth certificate if he wanted to

On June 6, June Watanabe of the Honolulu Star Bulletin offered "Born identity/Birth certificate styles adjust to fit times and regulations" (link) which some have attempted to use to claim that Barack Obama could not release his original, long-form birth certificate. In the article (excerpted below), Hawaii Department of Health spokeswoman Janice Okubo claims that all birth records were converted to electronic form and that the state of Hawaii only issues "Certifications of Live Birth", such as that shown in the picture on Obama's site.

However, nowhere in the article does she say that their paper records were destroyed and, in later statements, she clarified that no paper records were destroyed. Note also that she says that the certification shown on Obama's site is like what they currently send out. While Obama fans might try and pretend otherwise, she's just speaking generally and isn't authenticating that certificate. She's later pointed out that she can't authenticate what's shown on his site.

And, while the rules she outlines might apply to you and me, one would have to have fallen off the turnip tractor-trailer bound for Palookaville to think that their rules apply to the president of the United States. They apparently still have his original documents on file, and if he wanted them to release those documents they could and would. Anyone who says different is either covered in turnipseeds or thinks you are.

Excerpt follows:

The state Department of Health no longer issues copies of paper birth certificates as was done in the past, said spokeswoman Janice Okubo.

The department only issues "certifications" of live births, and that is the "official birth certificate" issued by the state of Hawaii, she said.

And, it's only available in electronic form.

Okubo explained that the Health Department went paperless in 2001.

"At that time, all information for births from 1908 (on) was put into electronic files for consistent reporting," she said.

Information about births is transferred electronically from hospitals to the department.

"The electronic record of the birth is what (the Health Department) now keeps on file in order to provide same-day certified copies at our help window for most requests," Okubo said.

Asked for more information about the short-form versus long-form birth documents, Okubo said the Health Department "does not have a short-form or long-form certificate."

"The birth certificate form has been modified over the years and decades to conform to national standards and models," she said.

Okubo also emphasized the certification form "contains all the information needed by all federal government agencies for transactions requiring a birth certificate."

She added that the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized the state's current certification of live birth "as an official birth certificate meeting all federal and other requirements."

The issue of what constitutes an official Hawaii birth certificate received national attention during last year's presidential campaign. Those who doubted Barack Obama's American citizenship called the copy of the Hawaii birth document posted on his campaign Web site a fake.

Asked about that document, Okubo said, "This is the same certified copy everyone receives when they request a birth certificate."

Sat, 08/08/2009 - 12:35 · Importance: 4