Honolulu – Hawaii’s government would charge $100 for a copy of President Barack Obama’s birth records under a bill introduced in the state Legislature by five Democrats.
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The bill would change a privacy law barring the release of birth records unless the requester is someone with a tangible interest, such as a close family member or a court.
The measure hasn’t been scheduled for a public hearing, a required step before it can move forward. A decision on considering the bill will be made by the House’s Democratic leadership and committee chairmen.
The idea behind the measure is to end skepticism over Obama’s birthplace while raising a little money for a government with a projected budget deficit exceeding $800 million over the next two years.
“If it passes, it will calm the birthers down,” said the bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Rida Cabanilla. “All these people are still doubting it because they don’t want the birth certificate from Obama. They want it from our state office.”
So-called “birthers” claim there’s no proof Obama was born in the United States, and he is therefore ineligible to be president. Many of the skeptics question whether he was actually born in Kenya, his father’s home country.
The Obama campaign issued a certification of live birth in 2008, an official document from the state showing the president’s Aug. 4, 1961, birth date, his birth city and name, and his parents’ names and races.
Hawaii’s former health director also has said she verified Obama’s original records. And notices were published in two local newspapers within days of his birth at a Honolulu hospital.
Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who was a friend of Obama’s parents and knew him as a child, said last month he wanted to release more of the state’s birth information about Obama. But he ended the effort last week when the state attorney general told him that privacy laws bar disclosure of an individual’s birth documentation without the person’s consent.
The new legislation to release records may run into similar legal problems because of Hawaii’s strong constitutional privacy protections, said Rep. John Mizuno, a co-sponsor of the bill.
“If people really want to confirm Barack Obama is born in Hawaii, that’s fine,” Mizuno said. “I don’t have a problem with looking at innovative ways to bring revenue to the state. The taxpayers deserve a break.”
The $100 fee would help offset the extra work by state employees who handle frequent phone calls and e-mails from people who believe Obama was born elsewhere, Cabanilla said.
But the number of birther requests has been declining from the 10 to 20 weekly inquiries received early last year, according to the Department of Health.
“Requests have decreased significantly over the years. Currently we receive anywhere from zero to five per week,” said department spokeswoman Janice Okubo.
The Health Department is still reviewing the bill, Okubo said.
House Health Committee Chairman Ryan Yamane didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment on whether he would hold a hearing on the bill.
Obama’s spent over a million dollars on legal bills to avoid having to show a long form birth certificate that is valid (the short form Hawaii will issue without checking to see if someone has been born elsewhere).
Think about it. If you had a million or two, would you spend it to try to legally avoid showing a valid birth certificate, or would you show it? You don’t have to be a talmud chacham to answer this question.
Once that one is answered, here’s another one, just as easy. What would be the motivation to avoid showing it? Is there a religious or moral principle involved here?
How much common sense does a non-assimilated Jew need to lack to miss the obvious answer: There is no such certificate, because he was not born in Hawaii. And therefore is not eligible to be President of the United States.
“Obama’s spent over a million dollars on legal bills to avoid having to show a long form birth certificate that is valid”
Evidence please.
i wouldnt be surprised if the american people will take to the streets soon and demand to know if their president is a valid president under the constitution. with protests happening all around the world it seems that something will happen here in America soon.
“Hawaii’s former health director also has said she verified Obama’s original records.”
As did Abercrombie’s predecessor as governor, a Jewish Republican who campaigned for McCain.
To be fair, it would be nice to see thousands of America’s dumbest people crawl back under the rocks from where they came with their tails between their legs while the rest of us laugh at and shame them.
That being said, changing the law purely to shoot these people down is not right and not a good precedent to set. We should never make law based on how loud the ignorant-class is in this country. That’s how we ended up with the “Patriot Act” and “Obamacare”. We should always expect our elected officials to make laws based on how well they serve the people. Period.
I would like to see arguments from security and privacy experts on this before anyone goes rushing to push a bill through.
You are wrong!!! # 9 is 100% correct
and for all those who say since when did Obama spend all that money on lawyers do a little research and youll see he never produced a birth certificate thet he was born in America