Learning from the birther list

My birther list, “Birthers from A to Z” has cruised past the count of 300. I’m pausing to think about the exercise.

One of the things I learned, and this was a surprise, was a quirk in my own attitude towards birthers. Time after time when I added a new birther to the list, I searched this site for a reference to use with the entry. In a surprising number of instances the article was not tagged with the birther’s name. Sometimes an article about a particular birther would have half a dozen tags, but not one to the person the story is about. I’m still puzzled over that one. Note that birthers that have their own blog category (like Orly Taitz) are typically and intentionally not tagged.

Another related thing that I leaned about myself (and had suspected already) is that I am less interested in birther personalities than in birther theories. A case in point is Karl Denninger. I had heard the name, but when a commenter suggested adding him to the list, I didn’t know who he was. Reality Check has significant knowledge of birther internet radio that I know almost nothing about. Several anti-birthers listen to those shows and comment on them. I simply cannot bear to listen to those smug idiots.

The next obvious thing of note is the sheer number of birthers on the list, over 300. That’s a lot of birthers, and just scrolling through the list is impressive. There are more than I expected when I started, and I may have a similar bias estimating the number of anti-birthers. To get on the list, a birther has to run a blog, write an article, file a lawsuit or do something else notable. Applying that same criteria to anti-birthers, I think I would be hard pressed to come up with 30 (commenting on a web doesn’t count). That is, birther activists outnumber anti-birther activists more than 10 to 1. Birthers attempted mass rallies and other initiatives, none of which had much success. Anti-birthers organized going out to eat together, and were wildly successful.

Most of my present activity in updating the list consists of plowing through the over 3,000 articles on this web site. That’s been helpful in and of itself because it has reminded me of things I had forgotten. It also helps improve the site with more articles being tagged, dead hyperlinks replaced and a few typos fixed.

Thanks to everyone who contributed.

About Dr. Conspiracy

I'm not a real doctor, but I have a master's degree.
This entry was posted in Birthers, Lounge and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

52 Responses to Learning from the birther list

  1. Slartibartfast says:

    That’s higher than I would have guessed as well, although I’m not surprised by the lack of notable obots by your criteria. I think that since there are roughly as many unique birther theories as there are birthers (none of them seem to be exactly alike) while obots have the advantage of being able to come to a general consensus, there is more incentive for birthers to have an outlet for their pet theory. In addition, since the obot position supports the status quo, there is no need for obots to undertake any action beyond commenting on blogs an forums.

  2. Bovril says:

    Fanatics, bigots and haters need both validation and “enemies” to rail against, the sane….. not so much.

  3. JPotter says:

    Denninger was wildly popular in the early days (literally, days,) of PDF madness. He was one of the first posting Illustrator abuse sessions on YouTube. Gillar was eating him up, and wingnuts still riding the then-Trump-fueled birther bandwagon were referring to his foolishness as gospel.

    He still posts wingnuttery to YouTube, but his PDF Madness was a passing fancy. Looks like he parrots whatever is currently hot in the echo chambers.

    300 may be a surprising number, but most of them have moved on … right? How many of the birthers you listed are still actively birfin’?

    As for the disparity in active persons on either side … anti-birthers have no need to do anything to “win”, as it was no contest from the start. Thus, it’s 99% volunteer peanut gallery (self-included).

  4. Curious George says:

    Slartibartfast: I think that since there are roughly as many unique birther theories as there are birthers

    Speaking about theories, BR currently is showing an alleged 1960 Vital Statistics Instruction Manual and a copy of a 1961 birth certificate. (Doc Dump: CCP Researcher Unloads;) Mark Gillar alleges that “Negro” would have been the correct term, not “other non-white.” The father’s place of birth on the posted 1961 birth certificate is conveniently redacted. No comment is made as to why the CCP used a 1968 code chart and called it 1961 during their July 17, 2012 press conference.

  5. foreigner=gsgs says:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Denninger
    one of the first who posted videos after 2011.04.27,
    debated on the Gillar talkshow with Woodman
    He clearly has his audience, not really an idiot.
    How would such people have figured out the truth ?
    Well, Corsi isn’t an idiot either, but so biased.

  6. foreigner=gsgs says:

    I remember the DrC had requested the Hawaii coding manual, but then
    I never heard about it again

  7. My requests for old documents from Hawaii were met with the reply that they don’t have any and that nobody from that time still works there.

    I suspect we will never see the actual coding instructions from Hawaii.

    foreigner=gsgs: I remember the DrC had requested the Hawaii coding manual, but then
    I never heard about it again

  8. Hermitian says:

    What was your purpose for compiling your Birther list ?

    You do realize that you promised that e-mail addresses of commenters would not be revealed ? You also required each poster to enter a name. Most entered an alias.

    By summarizing the activities of each person beside each name, you have assisted anyone wanting to identify the person by their alias. Your list facilitates anyone who seeks to correlate aliases and real names.

    Your publishing the real names of persons who have posted anomalously also facilitates anyone seeking to determine their E-mail addresses.

    You have now stated (on the record) that the names were gleaned from the articles that you personally wrote and then posted on your blog.

    “Most of my present activity in updating the list consists of plowing through the over 3,000 articles on this web site.”

    You also stated that others helped you compile your updated list.

    “Thanks to everyone who contributed.”

    What if people on your list now suddenly start dying ?

  9. Dr Kenneth Noisewater says:

    Hermitian: You have now stated (on the record) that the names were gleaned from the articles that you personally wrote and then posted on your blog.

    “Most of my present activity in updating the list consists of plowing through the over 3,000 articles on this web site.”

    You also stated that others helped you compile your updated list.

    “Thanks to everyone who contributed.”

    What if people on your list now suddenly start dying ?

    WTF are you even talking about? None of this has to do with email addresses or people posting here. The list is about birthers who are publicly out there and not those who visit this site. Your whining is ridiculous.

  10. The purpose of compiling the list is in the article and on the list.

    You seem to have a fundamental misreading of what’s on the list. You seem to think that it is a compilation of real names and aliases and/or email addresses. It simply is not.

    Only a small number of entries have both real names and aliases, and these are ONLY for persons who publicly use them together.

    I certainly didn’t use information from comments on this blog to compile the list. You’re on the list, but in association with something public you did under your real name. “Hermitian” does not appear on the list. I have kept email addresses left by commenters on the blog private as I promised.

    I totally fail to understand what you are objecting to. I made a person index to articles on my site, birther lawsuits and other news articles.

    You ask: “What if people on your list now suddenly start dying ”

    Nothing in my list wasn’t public information before, and there is no inciting language on the list. No one is going to die because of my list.

    Go away.

    Hermitian: What was your purpose for compiling your Birther list ?

    You do realize that you promised that e-mail addresses of commenters would not be revealed ? You also required each poster to enter a name. Most entered an alias.

    By summarizing the activities of each person beside each name, you have assisted anyone wanting to identify the person by their alias. Your list facilitates anyone who seeks to correlate aliases and real names.

    Your publishing the real names of persons who have posted anomalously also facilitates anyone seeking to determine their E-mail addresses.

    You have now stated (on the record) that the names were gleaned from the articles that you personally wrote and then posted on your blog.

    “Most of my present activity in updating the list consists of plowing through the over 3,000 articles on this web site.”

    You also stated that others helped you compile your updated list.

    “Thanks to everyone who contributed.”

    What if people on your list now suddenly start dying ?

  11. Hermitian says:

    Dr Kenneth Noisewater: Dr Kenneth Noisewater
    December 7, 2013 at 10:15 am Dr Kenneth Noisewater(Quote)
    #

    Hermitian: You have now stated (on the record) that the names were gleaned from the articles that you personally wrote and then posted on your blog.
    “Most of my present activity in updating the list consists of plowing through the over 3,000 articles on this web site.”
    You also stated that others helped you compile your updated list.
    “Thanks to everyone who contributed.”
    What if people on your list now suddenly start dying ?

    WTF are you even talking about? None of this has to do with email addresses or people posting here. The list is about birthers who are publicly out there and not those who visit this site. Your whining is ridiculous.

    So Mr. C. was just lying when he stated that his updated list was extracted from his 3000 articles that he wrote and posted ?

    Whose whining ? I’m just stating the facts.

    But it does sound like all you Obots are whining…

  12. They could have listened to the statements of Dr. Fukino in 2008 and they could have noticed that Denninger was not qualified as a expert.

    foreigner=gsgs: How would such people have figured out the truth ?

  13. You seem to be confusing the articles that I wrote with the comments that others left. I used the articles, not the comments.

    Commenter emails are in comments, not articles.

    Hermitian: So Mr. C. was just lying when he stated that his updated list was extracted from his 3000 articles that he wrote and posted ?

  14. Hermitian says:

    A guy who is combing through all of the articles (that he wrote and posted on his blog) is a guy who is preparing to “pack it in”.

  15. Dr Kenneth Noisewater says:

    Hermitian: So Mr. C. was just lying when he stated that his updated list was extracted from his 3000 articles that he wrote and posted ?

    Whose whining ? I’m just stating the facts.

    But it does sound like all you Obots are whining

    You’re confusing things. He looked at his previous articles on stuff he’s written about before to see if he missed names. Nowhere did he say he took names and emailing addresses from commenters here and posted them in the list. So it was you who was the one lying. You’ve never stated facts [Redacted Doc.].

  16. JPotter says:

    Hermitian: What if people on your list now suddenly start dying ?

    Quick, Herms! You better send them all copies of the attached. It’s a new Birfer Survival Kit.I just made it myself, least I could do to protect these fine ‘Muricans from the machinations of obots!

    Most complete advice available, even includes visual aids for the avoidance of pesky, sharp-edged, Californian lampposts!

    Guaranteed results …. I’m holding the pages up to the screen right now! Screen grab’em before They take me awaaaa—*

    [“… start dying?” Oh, brudder. 😉 ]

  17. nbc says:

    Hermitian: Whose whining ? I’m just stating the facts.

    I doubt that you would recognize facts as such…

  18. Dr Kenneth Noisewater says:

    JPotter: Quick, Herms! You better send them all copies of the attached. It’s a new Birfer Survival Kit.I just made it myself, least I could do to protect these fine ‘Muricans from the machinations of obots!

    Most complete advice available, even includes visual aids for the avoidance of pesky, sharp-edged, Californian lampposts!

    Guaranteed results …. I’m holding the pages up to the screen right now! Screen grab’em before They take me awaaaa—*

    [“… start dying?” Oh, brudder. ]

    Watch out for those access cover plates, jagged street lamps of doom and romulan death rays.

  19. There is a reason why you’re banned, and why I deleted 4 of your other carping comments: You simply add nothing to the discussion except aggravation.

    I’ve already said that I don’t intend to keep this blog active after Obama leaves office, and that I am preparing the blog as a reference site.

    Hermitian: A guy who is combing through all of the articles (that he wrote and posted on his blog) is a guy who is preparing to “pack it in”.

  20. nbc says:

    Dr. Conspiracy: There is a reason why you’re banned, and why I deleted 4 of your other carping comments: You simply add nothing to the discussion except aggravation.

    Hear hear.

  21. Majority Will says:

    “Your publishing the real names of persons who have posted anomalously . . .”

    adverb
    in a manner deviating from what is standard, normal, or expected

    More comedy gold.

  22. CarlOrcas says:

    Hermitian: What if people on your list now suddenly start dying ?

    Everyone on the list will die. Some sooner than others. Now what?

  23. Curious George says:

    CarlOrcas: Everyone on the list will die. Some sooner than others. Now what?

    Carl, you have such wisdom. Too much so, to waste on birthers.

  24. CarlOrcas says:

    Curious George: Carl, you have such wisdom.Too much so, to waste on birthers.

    Ridicule is easy and, for me, the only way I can deal with most birthers.

    We should not be surprised if something shows up on BR saying “OBOTS predicting all birthers will die!!!”

  25. Curious George says:

    •Garoutte, Robert – Article II Super PAC board member

    Doc, I believe this should be Richard, not Robert.

  26. john says:

    Doc,

    I saw something very curious in your list. Why is Maathi, Wangari Muta listed as a birther litigant?

  27. Uhhh, well, errr…

    I think it has something to do with how I read this document:

    http://www.obamaconspiracy.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/maathi-v-Obama-complaint.pdf

    john: I saw something very curious in your list. Why is Maathi, Wangari Muta listed as a birther litigant?

  28. Paper says:

    Not being an idiot is such a low, irrelevant bar.

    foreigner=gsgs:

    He clearly has his audience, not really an idiot.

    Well, ******* isn’t an idiot either, but so biased.

  29. Andrew Vrba, PmG says:

    Hermitian:
    What was your purpose for compiling your Birther list ?

    [“What if people on your list now suddenly start dying ?” added Doc.]

    Then we’ll all know that Doc owns the “Death Note”. 😉

  30. Teru Mikami says:

    That is being arranged.

    Andrew Vrba, PmG: Then we’ll all know that Doc owns the “Death Note”

  31. Andrew Vrba, PmG says:

    Honestly, I wouldn’t even know about that awful cartoon, if I didn’t have friends who watched it.

  32. Really? My son recommended it to me, and I found it engrossing.

    Andrew Vrba, PmG: Honestly, I wouldn’t even know about that awful cartoon, if I didn’t have friends who watched it.

  33. Andrew Vrba, PmG says:

    Dr. Conspiracy:
    Really? My son recommended it to me, and I found it engrossing.

    I have hard time getting into today’s anime, which is weird, cause in the 90s, I was all about the anime.

  34. Rickey says:

    I mentioned in another thread that I believe that birther/self-proclaimed messiah Geir Smith belongs on the list.

  35. My favorite has always been Ghost in the Shell

    Andrew Vrba, PmG: I have hard time getting into today’s anime, which is weird, cause in the 90s, I was all about the anime.

  36. That makes 320.

    Thanks.

    Rickey: I mentioned in another thread that I believe that birther/self-proclaimed messiah Geir Smith belongs on the list.

  37. Dr Kenneth Noisewater says:

    I see you still haven’t added Gabe Zolna, doc

  38. Dr Kenneth Noisewater says:

    Also didn’t bob gard use his name on here for a while before switching?

  39. Dave B. says:

    When did they suddenly stop dying?

    Hermitian: What if people on your list now suddenly start dying ?

  40. john says:

    Dr. Conspiracy:
    Uhhh, well, errr…

    I think it has something to do with how I read this document:

    http://www.obamaconspiracy.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/maathi-v-Obama-complaint.pdf

    This is a very curious complaint. Wangari Muta Maathai actually was part the original Kenyans who went the US along with Barack Obama Sr. The problem complaint is that Maathai died in 2011. it appears someone was posing her identity.

  41. JPotter says:

    john: The problem complaint is that Maathai died in 2011.

    Oh noes! It’s already begun! The dying! The dying! Aiiieeee!

  42. justlw says:

    john: The problem complaint is that Maathai died in 2011. it appears someone was posing her identity.

    So she won’t get a cut of the $25,000,000 million dollars? Too bad, because that’s a lot of $dollars!

  43. Andrew Vrba, PmG says:

    Dr. Conspiracy:
    That makes 320.

    Thanks.

    When it reaches 420, then we’ll party! 😉

  44. CarlOrcas says:

    JPotter: Oh noes! It’s already begun! The dying! The dying! Aiiieeee!

    If you can identify a kid born in 1961 as a potential President you can make people die…..retroactively. They work all along the time continuum…..forwards, backwards….whatever it takes.

  45. CarlOrcas says:

    john: it appears someone was posing her identity.

    “….posing her identity……”

    Hmm….not sure why but reading that made me think of the gay air traffic controller in “Airplane”.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4WF7sLuwio#t=33

  46. Rickey says:

    The address on the Maathai complaint is the address for the Kenyan Embassy. Apparently it was somebody’s idea of a joke.

    Obama met with Maathai during his visit to Kenya in 2006. Her name should be stricken from the list.

  47. Keith says:

    Andrew Vrba, PmG: When it reaches 420, then we’ll party!

    Which reminds me… has anybody heard from Misha recently?

  48. JPotter says:

    CarlOrcas: If you can identify a kid born in 1961 as a potential President you can make people die…..retroactively. They work all along the time continuum…..forwards, backwards….whatever it takes.

    I postulated back in 2011 that the birfers are, in fact, (wannabe) backwards time travelers. 52 years into their future lies the endgame … the prevention of the birth of Barrack Obama! And then, it’s only a hop, skip, and a jump to Bircher Heaven: reliving the 1950s! Whooooo!*

    ___________

    * That’s a Colbert-style “Whooooo!”

  49. justlw says:

    Keith: Which reminds me… has anybody heard from Misha recently?

    I’ve been wondering the same thing.

  50. The latest post on his blog is October 10.

    justlw: I’ve been wondering the same thing.

  51. Keith says:

    Keith: Which reminds me… has anybody heard from Misha recently?

    justlw: I’ve been wondering the same thing.

    Dr. Conspiracy:
    The latest post on his blog is October 10.

    I hope he’s OK. He had been having some health problems.

  52. The Magic M says:

    Seconded. And where’s Squeeky?

    CarlOrcas: They work all along the time continuum…..forwards, backwards….

    If birthers discovered the additional time dimensions, they might get a clue how we did it without violating Novikov’s self-consistency principle.
    => http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novikov_self-consistency_principle

    Just a simple change in the superposition of all potential Obama BC’s, working backwards in time and sideways in imaginary time…

    And if somebody could just shift all birthers to the parallel universe that never abolished slavery (U3-xCmC-Qaahd), he’d be doing this branch of the continuum (U1-a-a) a big favour.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.