"We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We've got better stuff to do. I've got better stuff to do. We've got big problems to solve." -Barack Obama
"I have a great relationship with the blacks." –Donald Trump
“Why has Obama, since taking the White House, used Justice Department
Attorneys, at taxpayer expense, to avoid presenting a legitimate birth
certificate and college records?" -Citizen Wells
"Where Oh Where"
Written and performed by the Truth Sleuths
In early 2008, a rift in the United
States was created, further separating our political parties. The juncture in
rational thought arose due to an anonymous email circulating among supporters
of Hillary Clinton. Clinton was a main rival of Barack Obama for the Democratic
Party's nomination. These emails brought an allegation to light: that Obama had
not been born in Hawaii, but Kenya, Africa.
Shortly after this accusation, Phil
Berg, Pennsylvania's former deputy attorney general filed a lawsuit stating
that Obama was not an eligible presidential candidate. The Obama campaign
quickly issued his short-form birth certificate in response to the lawsuit.
This shorter version of the birth certificate is an acceptable proof of birth
for a U.S. passport. However, because it was not the long-form birth certificate and the serial number and other details were left out of their scan,
conspiracy theories exploded from every direction.
People were unconvinced, and the conspiracy theory still thrives
today. These theorists, or “Birthers” as they call themselves, live on and
share the thought that Barack Obama is a Kenyan-born Muslim with anyone willing
to listen or house the same belief.
The news media
have played a crucial part in shaping the birther movement. The way news sources
have covered the issue has caused it to become a full-blown birther/non-birther
bloodbath.
We decided to
take it upon ourselves to dig deeper and find if and how news reporters led us
astray. Our findings show reporters are consistently sharing “truthiness”
rather than the facts. We invite you to leave bias at the door and look to find
the truth for yourself.
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| Barack Obama's short-form birth certificate |
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| Barack Obama's long-form birth certificate |
