Dave Weigel misleads about Obama certificate issue, again (Janice Okubo)

As part of his long-running campaign to mislead people about the Obama citizenship issue, Dave Weigel of the Washington Independent offers "'Birther' Movement Dogs Republicans" [1]. I just got off the phone with one of his sources for the article, and she refused to verify the impression that Weigel's article is trying to make. Weigel is trying to mislead people into believing that the state of Hawaii has verified that the certification of live birth ("COLB") shown on Barack Obama's site and others. Yet, his quote source (Janice Okubo of the state of Hawaii's Department of Health) repeatedly refused to confirm that she had verified that they match and several times indicated that she wasn't qualified to verify that they match.

Here's that section of Weigel's article:

“It’s crazy,” said Janice Okubo, director of communications for the Hawaii Department of Health. “I don’t think anything is ever going to satisfy them.”

Okubo, who said that she gets weekly questions from Obama ‘Birthers’ that are “more like threats,” explained that the certificate of live birth reproduced by Obama’s campaign should have debunked the conspiracy theories. “If you were born in Bali, for example,” Okubo explained, “you could get a certificate from the state of Hawaii saying you were born in Bali. You could not get a certificate saying you were born in Honolulu. The state has to verify a fact like that for it to appear on the certificate. But it’s become very clear that it doesn’t matter what I say. The people who are questioning this bring up all these implausible scenarios. What if the physician lied? What if the state lied? It’s just become an urban legend at this point.”

I repeatedly asked Okubo to confirm that she had verified that what's on file matches what's shown on Obama's sites and others. She repeatedly refused to confirm that, saying that she will leave the interpretation of her remarks (which I read to her) to those reading her remarks. I repeatedly asked her to respond with a "yes" or a "no" as to whether she had verified that there's a match, and she repeatedly responded by noting that she is not the registrar, and that she does not have the authority to verify certificates. Weigel is simply using her quote in order to mislead people into thinking that Hawaii has verified that what's shown on Obama's site matches what Hawaii has on file, when that's not true.

And, obviously, Okubo isn't helping with this matter by giving statements that can be misconstrued and that can be used to mislead people.

UPDATE: In response to the claims that Obama has publicly released his certificate, see thisUPDATE 2: Also, what Weigel refers to above is a "Certification of Live Birth", not a "certificate" as he states.

[1] washingtonindependent.com/51489/birther-movement-picks-up-steam

Comments

The fact our govt allowed a military officer to refuse deployment orders because he didn't "feel" our President was legetimate is reason enough to believe Mr Obama is NOT a legetimate President. http://www.ajc.com/news/soldiers-suit-against-obama-presidency-dismissed-92933.html The proper state response is court martial and life in jail, not nevermind-unless the officer has a valid case.

This is ridiculous. Ms. Okubo can't state that she has verified any match because to do so would be to publicly disclose information from confidential files. She's probably already revealed more than she is permitted to under Hawaii law. Quit harrassing the poor woman.

Maybe she just thinks you're an asshole.

This doesn't invalidate the information in weigel's article, it only establishes the fact that ms. okubo did not personally verify the birth certificate. Why do people keep bothering ms. okubo anyway? Why not just call the registrar, who presumably DOES have the authority to confirm certificates, and have done with it? or would that put an untimely end to the game?

Keep up the good work. I'm astounded at the obfuscation and ill-manner with which people like Weigel deny the obvious: Obama succeeded at becoming president of the United States as virtually a 'bank slate' vis-a-vis multiple documents which would reflect on his constitutional eligibility to hold the office and over which he has control. Unfortunately, facts are stubborn things. This assertion that a copy of the long-form birth certificate is impossible to obtain is a LIE. The one requirement that the State of Hawaii maintains is 'tangible interest.' Short of Obama authorizing its release (or a court demanding its release by way of subpoena), the document will remain 'vaulted.'

Confidential files? When you become president, there shouldn't be anything confidential. The anti-birthers are a whacky bunch. Sort of reminds me of how the masses supported Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot when their regimes were in power and information such as this was highly regulated by the state.

Can't even spell "wacky" right. LOL.

petty bourgeois I'm surprised you care so little for the privacy laws of Hawaii, since this whole debate is about whether or not the "natural born citizen" provision of the Constitution have been followed. Your selective interest in the laws is revealing of your true intentions.

"Obama succeeded at becoming president of the United States as virtually a '[blank] slate' vis-a-vis multiple documents which would reflect on his constitutional eligibility to hold the office and over which he has control. Unfortunately, facts are stubborn things." Douglas, Yes, facts are stubborn things. And whether you like it or not, Obama's Certification of Live Birth is PRIMA FACIE evidence of Obama's Hawaiian birth in any courtroom in this country. How that constitutes a "blank slate" is something only the most fervently imaginative minds can concoct. If you can't believe Hawaiian officials when they attest that Obama's Certification of Live Birth is official and legitimate, then why should anyone think you'd believe what was on Obama's long-form birth certificate? In the end, Birthers will always demand more evidence than can possibly exist to satisfy their claims, and then cite this as a reason why "questions remain" about Obama's birth. Yes, facts are stubborn things.

So why is the supposed photocopy that was posted on Daily KOS being declared a forgery by licensed forensic experts? Have any of you examined the evidence referred to by the forensic experts? NO....because if you had there is NO WAY you can claim it is not a forgery. http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2009/07/obama-scrubs-the-web-of-all-birth-docs.html#more Let's see how honest you think you are!

What does that “scan image” prove? Document fraud. Internet fraud. Voter fraud. A forged Certification of Live Birth, designed and proffered with one purpose in mind: to deceive the American public into believing that Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawaii and is qualified to be President.A secondary purpose of this document fraud was to prevent citizens and lawmakers from ever seeing his real, original “vault birth certificate, so, it comes down to this: Anyone who says that Hawaii issued a 2007 COLB for Obama, and that a true copy of it is posted online, is either (a) misinformed, (b) misleading others, or (c) lying through their teeth. Read the whole article. Then send it to everyone you know including Obots! Certifigate: If It’s Not a Fraud, How Do We Really Know? http://www.therightsideoflife.com/?p=6644

So, if an official of the State of Hawaii states on the record that Obama's Certificate of Live Birth is legitimate, then how is the fraudulent copy explained? Who, in your mind is responsible, and who should be prosecuted? If the Birthers really believed these conspiracy theories, Orly Taitz, Phil Berg and the rest of them would descend on the State of Hawaii and allege that some official is guilty of fraud. The fact that they don't suggests they don't have the facts to back it up.

He probably meant this kind of "whacky" billy. Pro Obama morons are a bunch of "whack" offs.

Yeah billy..... I agree with the comment above. It appears billy barty had a namesake?

Well, I'm glad to know that as an Obama supporter, all of my arguments can be reduced to "whack off." That's certainly alot to try to absorb at once.

I'm sorry but the US Constitution is a higher authority than hiding behind some HIPAA regulation, dumbass. You crazies will resort to any insane argument to support your messiah. Proclaiming spelling errors reveals the shallowness of your intellectual ability. Hey how is that war thing in the middle east going? There is some real CHANGE. Your boy is just like Bush. Haha!

petty bourgeois Look, you can get into the name calling if you'd like. If you think that somehow advances your cause... I don't dispute that the U.S. Constitution is a higher authority than HIPAA or other privacy rules, but the Supremacy Clause is relevant only when they're in conflict. The U.S. Constitution requires that a president be a natural born citizen. Obama has offered a document regarding the date and place of his birth which is accepted as prima facie proof of his birth in any court in the United States. Show me ONE legal case or law that suggests that a legitimate, official document indicating a person's birth is insufficient to run for public office, obtain a passport, or do anything else in society. Since Obama has provided legally sufficient documentation of his birth, Hawaii's privacy laws are not in conflict with the constitution on this question. So the fact that you don't give a whit about Hawaii laws just shows you're only interested in upholding laws that advance YOUR political agenda. Talk about activism...

IF Obama were legitimate the soldier would be court martialed..... Not only is his birth record a fraud but so are the majority of his promises. The guy is the real life version of the Manchurian Candidate and anyone who can't see he is transforming this country into a third world cesspool has their FatHead in the sand.

"Obama has offered a document regarding the date and place of his birth which is accepted as prima facie proof of his birth in any court in the United States." Let's imagine I'm from Missouri. SHOW ME. Obama has offered...where is it?

You know, I hate to agree with JohnC but he's right. I would add though to hide behind the PF std. might be the weakest tack for O and Co. The problem for Obama isn't just his BC and the questions that surround it; it's the other "secrets" that call into question who this guy really is and what he was doing pre-POTUS. Make no mistake, Obama has gone to great lengths to keep his past secret - now he may not be hiding anything untoward but the fact that he won't release anything (transcripts, passport, college writings, etc.) at the very least suggest that he's hiding something. My take on it (as a life long conservative) is that if Obama were to release EVERYTHING, the it would: (1) not contain the damaging info that those on the right believe, but (2) also not be completely exculpatory for as the far left believes. Now, Obama may or may not be a nat. born citizen, but I think that his non-release strategy has more to do with covering up his true political ideology that the legality of him being POTUS. Obama has been very good a crafting this image of himself as someone that he's obviously not so why allow crack to form in the defense if you don't need to. Someone during the campaign said that the O camp was most afraid of people finding our about O's past as it would conflict with the image that he'd created since entering national politics. Seems like his strategy has worked pretty well so far.

It's Official! Hawaii never issued Obama's 2007 Certification of Live Birth Posted by Polarik on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 7:02:25 PM I asked him if Janice Okubo had confirmed that his office produced a 2007 Certification of Live Birth, date-stamped June 6, 2007, with Obama's birth information on it, and he quickly replied: "Absolutely not. No one in our office confirmed it." http://polarik.blogtownhall.com/

The main post jumps from "Okuba refused to confirm that she has verified that there's a match" -- with Okuba noting that she's not the person qualified to make such verification -- to "Hawaii has not verified that there's a match." That's just idiotic. Sorry.

Where is the birth certificate?

petty bourgeois The birth certificate is in the possession of the State of Hawaii, just as is every other BC held by the state. If anyone in Hawaii wants legal proof of their birth, they can get a COLB just like Obama did. Mary "IF Obama were legitimate the soldier would be court martialed....." That's utter BS. Even if the soldier were court-martialled, Obama's status as president would not be at issue. As an example, let's suppose that a person who was being deployed to war stated he was a conscientious objector on the grounds that his religion opposes war. To the extent that such objection is a valid excuse, the law only requires that the person validly hold the belief, not that the belief itself was valid. (Imagine military courts trying to determine is Jesus Christ really was the son of God before letting a soldier out of his duties.) This is the same issue here, such that that really is why the soldier's deployment was canceled (and we don't know that). The soldier would not have to prove that Obama WASN'T president - that's beyond the military court's role - but just that the solider truly held that belief. So even if a hundred people decided not to serve, Obama's legitimacy as Commander in Chief would not, and could not be tested by those military courts.

Neither Okubo when I asked her, nor anyone else with the state of Hawaii have at any time verified that what's shown on Obama's site matches what Hawaii has on file. Their 10/31 press release (link [1]) didn't verify there's a match, nor has any other statement from them. That's what the challenge [2] is all about. Okubo was hustling me off the phone or I would have asked her about that.

Links:
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[1] 24ahead.com/hawaii-department-health-103108-press-release-about-obama-bi
[2] 24ahead.com/challenge-get-hawaii-clarify-their-1031-statement

"Gravatar Neither Okubo when I asked her, nor anyone else with the state of Hawaii have at any time verified that what's shown on Obama's site matches what Hawaii has on file." Have you tried directly asking the official registrar?

Again JohnC: You said Obama has offered proof. Prima facie evidence. I asked you to SHOW ME. Now you are telling me the messiah has not offered anything, but the State of Hawaii has. Neither claim is supported by any evidence. Your story seems to be changing with every post. Care to back up your claims with some evidence, or are you just some mindless retard living in his mom's basement with a commodore 64 and a dial up connection espousing nonsense?

Petty insults aside, Obama has posted a copy of his COLB. That document is prima facie evidence of his Hawaiian birth. In layman's terms, that means that any court is bound to accept it on its face for the fact that you were born as stated, just as it would a valid driver's license as evidence you passed your driving test. Is it empirical evidence that Obama was born in Hawaii? No, but then neither is his original birth certificate. Whether you wish to say that Obama has offered this document or the state of Hawaii is fine, both characterization are correct. Has Obama personally offered you the document? No, and no one else will either. You're going to have to accept what has been put out there for what it is. Of course, that doesn't mean you're not entitled to be dissatisfied or hold conspiracy theories - that's your call.

If it's so well-established where Obama was born, why do people react so strongly to expressions of doubt about it? Maybe they themselves have doubts?

so, petty bourgeois, where do YOU think obama was born, and what evidence can you present?

This ain't going away. Until he produces a legitimate birth certificate, which is required by the Constitution, the controversy will continue. Of course when it is finally established that he is not born here, the leftists will begin the argument of "so what???.

"Until he produces a legitimate birth certificate, which is required by the Constitution [...]" Bzzzzt. Wrong.

Mary is right. but the fact is obama real birth place means nothing the system boys wants this nation state to collapse and the power bitchs need it in the hands of the world oligarch's will happen. the main reason is"we no longer", have the will to take life! for the ideals of freedom and as a people we no longer can act like Americans because of 60 years of P.C. training and the total instruction in the Red way. so ther reek stink of obama ass will be in the black house for 7 more years after that some white or hispanic or maybe some red chinese monkey gets the power to rule you. the final solution will come as it did for 6 million non jews and 3 million jews and you or your kids will become the new jew with others who will not fall in line with the new world order of stink. one way out of the camp is to work as one and march like Americans to make that place of reek butt stink once called washington a place once more of the people and by the people. but that will never happen.

While we dispute this easily resolved issue, big O continues to advance his socialist idiology of; wealth redistribution reverse discrimination (sotomayor / hate bill / affirmative action, ect. ) multi trillion dollar deficits Gov. take overs of pvt. banks and industry, healthcare.....all in just 1 year. Wants to give tens of milllions of law breakers the same rights as citizens. Cap n trade tax hike and economy killer Refuses to protect American workers and outsourced jobs with protectionism and balanced trade. Is a globalist and believes we are the reason for the rest of the worlds problems. Dislikes free speech Expects working citizens to pay for it all! I can go on and on......... Yeah we don't think this clown is legit. He sure doesn't act like one.

Right you are! I am seriously thinking of joining that march on Washington on 9-12. Time to put a stop to the ruination of our country by this tyrannical fraud.

Rush Limbaugh says: What do Obama and God have in common??? Answer- Neither one has a birth certificate!

You said "Obama has posted a copy of his COLB." Show me where Obama has posted this document. You need back up your claims with some evidence, otherwise you are just a mindless troll. SHOW ME. PUT UP OR SHUT UP.

You said "Whether you wish to say that Obama has offered this document or the state of Hawaii is fine, both characterization are correct." I said no such thing, Now you are just a liar. This is what YOU said, not me. Scroll above and read your own words you fucking dishonest retard. You also said "You're going to have to accept what has been put out there for what it is." Um no, I DO NOT have to accept your loony assertions without any evidence. Put where? By Whom? Where is it? Are you a complete fucking idiot? If anyone is a tin foil hat wearing nutcase, it is you. Ad hominem and lies simply reveals the fact you don't have a brain or an intelligible argument. Moreover, you have offered no evidence of anything. Saying something is true does not make it so. Change your red diapers and concede the argument, dumbass. Again, PUT UP OR SHUT UP.

I claim victory on the issue. Silence is concession. YESSS!

Lets get our butt's up and march like Americans.