Thomas Billo II on Life, the Universe, and Everything (Else). Technology, science fiction, politics, GLBT, and adventures in Minneapolis-St. Paul and beyond.
While my Dad has always had some eccentric beliefs (he reads the sci-fi tabloids, watches Google Video documentaries, etc) he’s now become a birther. Last week he got me going in an email debate with him and his sister, my aunt, in regards to Obama’s eligibility to serve as President of the US. The mistake I made there was that I was attempting to use logic and reason to discuss this issue with them; how can I attempt to use logic to convince them when they used “illogic”, the opposite of logic, to arrive at these conclusions?
This morning I read about Orly Taitz, a ‘lawyer’ involved in the birther movement:
Disbarment of Orly Taitz Sought by California Bar
Even though any questions about President Obama’s eligibility to serve as President were put to rest last June with the release of certified proof of his birth in Honolulu, Hawaii on August 4, 1961, which proof has been accepted and validated by the Governor of Hawaii, the United States Congress, former Vice President cheney, over twenty United States District Courts and the United States Supreme Court on at least five separate occasions, some extremists have refused to let the matter die. Just recently, an April Fool’s Hoax alleging that the President claimed Indonesian citizenship in his college days, began circulating around the internet.
FINALLY there seems to be a chance that the madness will soon end. The Chief Trial Counsel of the State Bar of the State of California has filed a complaint against Orly Taitz, one of the more outspoken of the conspiracy obsessed, a woman who was unable to gain entry to an Accredited Law School and whose career seems to consist mainly of frivolous attacks on anyone within range. With luck, and with the wisdom that the Courts have unanimously shown when dealing with this ludicrous issue, Ms. Taitz will soon no longer be a practicing attorney. We can only hope it comes soon.
Read on and enjoy on Sodahead. It’s absolutely bonkers what this woman has done and is advocating. Armed revolution? “Citizen’s” Grand Juries? Do people really get riled up over conspiracy theories to this extent?
Obama has done more to satisfy me as a voter than Bush has in the last 8 years. How gratifying–I hope it’s a sign of things to come, even though I do know that a new president’s first 100 days have the most impact on policy. I still suspect a massive quagmire to his changes down the line, either in Social Security, the wars abroad, or perhaps with the economy.
My roommate Mike and I were having a discussion today, and how my wish list for Obama also extended to cutting defense by, oh, 80% or something. He was shocked–”What do you mean, not have an army?!” It then kinda dawned on me that a lot of people my age, and many older, have been brought up knowing that America’s army was omnipresent, always recruiting, always doing the dirty work. But I’ve been a long-standing proponent of dismantling the army and navy during times of peace and instead focusing our efforts and funds elsewhere. Sure, defense is an excellent industry to get into and cutting off the army would mean very significant economic changes (remember when the Pentagon tried to shut down the Rapid City, SD Ellsworth AFB?) to America and abroad, but there’s just no use to having an Army in a time of open, declared peace.
