According to an article in the Des Moines Register, federal prosecutors have obtained indictments against 9 employees of an Iowa contractor for the US Department of Education for accessing student loan records of Barack Obama. This is alleged to have happened both before and after Obama’s election.
Arraignments are scheduled for May 24 in U.S. District Court in Davenport, IA.
They should hire Orly and Mario as their attorneys.
There’s a much bigger story here, since all of these people were employed by the same company…which has not been named.
What was the name of their employer?
My bad – the article Dr. C linked to DOES name the employer.
The earlier article I saw at CBS News didn’t.
Another bunch of bigots who got what they deserved.
And yes, I will argue that ALL birthers are inherently racists, consciously or not.
Ultimately, they deny Obama’s legitimacy because of the color of his skin, not his politics (both Clinton and Carter were to the left of Obama, Carter very much so, and AFAIK they were never called “Marxists”), and not because of constitutional or eligibility factors (I’m still waiting for any birther to prove that he fought for the constitution before Obama’s election, or argued Cheney’s ineligibility as a Texas resident).
At the end of the day, if one seeks consistency, race is the ONLY factor that remains.
It is purely, as one of our posters said, quoting BLAZING SADDLES, the visceral reaction: “The Sheriff is a n***!”
how much did they get paid for the dirt they did not find, just curious.
Well, while I think there are many that fall among that true racist category; to be fair there are quite a few that are all bothered by his name and those false “muslim” rumors, so they might solely be just religious bigots or overly fear anything sounding “muslim” to them after 9/11. You have to realize that event had a big effect on the overall American psyche, Lupin and some folks are just overly terrified and prejudiced as a result.
Then of course, the bitter PUMAs were part of what all started this birther nonsense. So although they have some definite open racists amongst their numbers, for some of them, they just had a die-hard determination that a woman was “due” the presidency and feel that Obama “usurped” their moment. I guess that is bigotry of yet another type.
Then you have to realize that all of these bigots and the scam artists that latched onto them, with all their websites & scurrilous emails & spin have riled up the easily susceptible conspiracy folks and those that are super-distrustful of government and got quite a few of them to latch onto these false beliefs.
And I would argue that there are also a number of otherwise semi-reasonable folks who the core birthers been able to bring along with their surface arguments and lies. These are folks who don’t know better and just accept these crazy stories and “concern troll” worries as true, because they have been brainwashed by a steady diet of right-wing propaganda for years.
I agree with every statement you made, and I think you correctly point out various types of bigotry, but ultimately — for argument’s sake — I believe we’re still dealings in shades of the same color (so to speak) and there’s only one root from which all the branches you correctly identify spring.
Let’s take Clinton, for example. He was pretty much loathed by the Right, which indeed managed to stage a near-coup against him, but no one claimed he wasn’t a “real” American.
I think the degree of rejection of Obama’s legitimacy, indeed very citizenship, despite insurmountable evidence to the contrary, goes much farther than any rational opposition I’ve ever seen.
I’m not saying it’s conscious or deliberate, and it is certainly manipulated and stoked by self-serving grifters, of course.
Folks, let’s not jump to conclusions here. This may have nothing whatsoever to do with birthers, racism or anything of the sort. This is a celebrity obsessed culture. There have been numerous cases of workers at the IRS and other agencies fired and/or prosecuted for accessing the files of various celebrities. Their motive? Nothing more than curiosity. That could be the case here. Remember, this started in July 2007, which was before any of the birthers were heard from. The company is in Iowa, a state that Obama was spending a lot of time in in 2007. Given that Iowa was a big Obama state, its possible that there are several Obama supporters among those charged. At this point, we simply don’t know what was going on.
A second point. This is a facility that deals with federal student loans. They don’t process grants from foreign governments or from foundations. Obama has mentioned that he had student loans, and in fact only paid them off completely after he was elected Senator. The birthers of course scoffed at this. The fact that files exist for the President at this facility confirms his story. The President, like most Americans who go to college, had federal student loans. Shocking, no?
What does that tell us? Well, as the parent of a student who is going to college in the fall, I filled out a FAFSA form a few months ago (what fun). Guess what? Only US citizens and legal permanent residents are eligible for federal student loans; foreign students are not. So all the stories that Obama went to college as a foreign exchange student are out the window. And if he released his college records, as the birthers seem so desperate for, the worst they’re gonna show is that he might have blown off a few classes. You know, like in “Animal House”.
I don’t think that the “Marxist” allegations against Obama are sufficient to show bigotry even if similar allegations were not made against Carter.
Keep in mind that Carter was President at a time when people could look at the Soviet Union and know that Carter definitely was not a communist even if he was to their left.
Even though Obama is to Carter’s right, the right wing of the Republican Party may be more likely to perceive him as a left-wing extremist because:
1. The Republican Party is much more conservative today than it was 30 years ago; and
2. Obama is arguably able to accomplish much more than Carter could, meaning that he is perceived as more dangerous to Republicans.
Of course, the allegations that Obama is a communist are evidence of poor education. I live in a country that was, until Tuesday of this week, governed by a party that describes itself as democratic socialist. The so-called “Obamacare” bill would be considered far too right-wing to be proposed here in any form by the Conservatives even if they were not in coalition with a centrist party.
I find it interesting that the Birther’s aren’t quite sure how to handle this. On one hand they could whine about more attempts to “hide his records”, but here we have 9 people that presumably saw details of his student loans and that could (gasp) verify whether he received aid as a foreign student. Could it be that WND et al are afraid that even the slightest chance of the truth coming out would end their gravy train?
there sure is….like a SS# from Connecticut.
Lil’ Barry is a CROOK and a FRAUD, and these folks best be careful…The Feds key witness in the Passport case from the primaries…got whacked…in the back of his head…in front of a churh.
Similar to Obama’s gay Choir Director…Donald Young was “executed” at home around Christmas of ’07…both murders of course are”unsolved”.
I wouldn’t say they’re more conservative because now the conservatives are getting kicked out of the party. Look at Bennett in Utah who got primaried out. I think there’s a wing that has become more crazy. These are the same guys Reagan marginalized because even they were too crazy for him.
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z174/shoeman121/its_a_conspiracy.jpg
It many ways, its the John Birch Society folks rearing their ugly heads again. Those were definitely a bunch of crazy RW conspiracy nutters!
Can we find evidence that Clinton was called a Marxist or a Communist?
Besides I would argue that, in this specific instance, “marxist” is totally disconnected with reality as are homophobic insults hurled at liberals when it’s clear they’re heterosexual, e.g.: Kos being called a “f*gg*t on a weekly basis, but is an epithet meant purely to dehumanize the target.
As I said, they tried to impeach Clinton, but they deny that Obama is “one of us”. It goes much deeper, I think.
I have often said the teabaggers are indeed a resurgence of the Birchers.
Ah Holyroller and ghosts of Whitewater/Swiftboat past. If you can’t win an election, be sure to try to smear the one that beat you.
Based on the well-established notion that the Right Wing always accuse their opponents of their own sins — a tactic actually pushed by Karl Rove himself — the fact that you imply that Obama would use hit men to murder embarrassing witnesses only suggest that your side of the political aisle would be perfectly prepared to employ such tactics.
Which of course comes as no surprise to those who know about the KKK and other violence-prone rightwing movements. One only needs to remembers the murder of Alan Berg or the beating of Randi Rhodes.
When you write such tripe, you don’t seem to realize you’re unmasking yourself, and it’s a very ugly picture.
As a personal PS, I visited Spain several times under Franco in the late 60s and there were plenty of black-shirted [expletive deleted] like HolyRoller. There are still quite a few, but they’re getting long in the tooth now.
Funny thing is Lupin I’ve caught some of these people spouting off talking points that come from an arm of the John Birch Society. Even JBS knows their brand is tainted that they have to spin themselves off.
Everytime I’ve seen someone call Obama a marxist I laugh. I will usually ask them what the 3 main tenets of Marxism are and how do they apply. I hear only crickets.
Do a google search Lupin Bill Clinton Marxist. Quite a few crazy articles come up. Even though they are from after his presidency. The fact remains the right has been calling almost every democrat to run for office since the 60s a communist.
They may not know about Marxism or Socialism but I remember reading somewhere that the articles the most visited on Conservapedia were the ones about gay sex. So at least they know about that.
One out of three ain’t bad, I guess.
You’re quite right and I’m more than happy to concede that point; however I couldn’t find anything predating the 2000s, which is odd.
Maybe google hasn’t caught up?
I certainly don’t remember Bill being called a communist or a marxist in the early 90s. Can you?
Haha Conservapedia. If only it didn’t take itself so seriously it would pass as a parody site. Its just one in a series of issues right wingers have with the world. They don’t like wikipedia because its balanced so they make their own encyclopedia. They don’t like youtube because anyone can add content so they make sites like godtube. They don’t like the bible because Jesus was too liberal so they make their own bible
http://conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_Project
Gotta love how the evolution page goes straight to Godwin in the opening paragraph. Personally I like uncyclopedia better
Its hard to find articles going back to the 90s sometimes. I’ve only been able to find certain subjects. I’m sure if you dig through videos of the pundits you will find something.
Roller, if they had access to the records they now know he was not a foreign exchange student don’t they? We both know that if he had been, that knowlege would have been broadcast and these folks would be hero whistleblowers. So you see Roller, all the evidence is that your beliefs are a fantasy right out of the Karl Rove playbook as Lupin says.
HolyRoller is likely long in the tooth too.
Most of the birther or TeaBagger crowd are.
Good Article….
“It comes none too soon for Health Department workers, who have been inundated with so many requests for the president’s birth records that printouts of the e-mail messages they have received on the topic through March stands some 13 inches high. Each one required a response, and many required consultations with state lawyers.
“It became really, really a burden,” said Janice Okubo, a spokeswoman for the department, who said that handling the hundreds of requests took up huge amounts of the department’s time as it was trying to respond to an H1N1 flu outbreak. Many requests, she said, came from the same handful of people.
By Hawaiian law, birth records can be released only to people with “a direct and tangible” interest in them — a person born in the state, say, or certain relatives or their estates. So when questions about Mr. Obama’s birth first surfaced during the 2008 presidential election, his campaign posted a copy of his “certification of live birth” on a Web site; it states that Barack Hussein Obama II was born in Honolulu on Aug. 4, 1961, at 7:24 p.m.
When questions continued to pour in, the state’s health director, Dr. Chiyome Fukino, announced that she had seen the original records and that they showed that Mr. Obama was “born in Hawaii and is a natural-born American citizen.”
When the questions persisted, the department created a Web page titled “Frequently Asked Questions About Vital Records of President Barack Hussein Obama II.” It did little to assuage the doubters.
Some of the e-mail messages were vulgar, others hostile. Health Department workers found themselves vilified on blogs. “Your name will be synonymous with Benedict Arnold by the time this is done,” reads one that is signed “an American natural-born citizen.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/us/politics/14hawaii.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
Orly has included the S/S stuff in every one of her “presentments”, on receiving them, most court clerks say “it’s comedy time”. What’s amazing is that many of he minions believe this crap. It’s a religion to them, ask hollyroller.
According to an article in the WASHINGTON POST:
“…Hispanics make up 40 percent of the K-12 students in Arizona, 44 percent in Texas, 47 percent in California, 54 percent in New Mexico….”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/13/AR2010051303542.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
Do you hear the bell toll, birthers? It tolls for thee.
For those with an interest in the truly bizarre and funky, Salon have a reporter at the “Trial of the Century” with that nice Dr Manning…
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/
Now I know why visits to the insane asylum such as Bedlam, were regarded as a normal middle class day out activity in the 18th and 19th Century
“Dr” Manning has a lengthy criminal record.
Manning burgled homes. He spent about three and a half years in prison in New York and Florida for burglary, robbery, larceny, criminal possession of a weapon, and other charges.
That is the point. Anything they found had to destroy their theory. If they found anything negatative the right would have shouted from rooftops.
I did a search for Lupin Bill Clinton Marxist, and guess what page came up first? THIS ONE! ROFL! 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄
Thanks for the link!
So, a whole 75 nutters showed up. LOL!
Just read (and watched the video). I encourage all. It’s coming.
BTW The last time I posted at this site I got labeled, basically, loon. Stop it. I read this site because Dr. C. is a just and competent thinker/moderator. I’m challenged by him and many of the posters to both better confirm and articulate my position.
Let’s just please agree to this: you say “coincidence” I say “connect the dots”. I say the same thing to my students who get B’s rather than A’s because of the quality of their critical thinking.
ON THIS TOPIC Word from the other side best suggests that these nine are patsies in a scrub- job AND/OR it’s a “shot across the bow” for those that might oppose.
Trouble is ( as some say) that they will have standing in a criminal trial against an unconstitutional administration, if they are brave.
Just like Lakin (had to get that in there).
“Just like Lakin (had to get that in there).”
yah, poor Lakin, on a path to no where. being a birther is hazardous, poor guy will be splitting rocks, and knock off the “unconstitutional administration” if you wish to be not referred to as a loon. The only thing you will see coming is the guys in the white hats.
Obama is WND livelyhood. I can’t imagine that they actually would want him gone. He brings them in a lot of money as do the birthers – especially Orly Taters.
Dr C you’re spreading information that Bill Clinton was a marxist!
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z475Iw2ZMDQ/SVUvAga4xBI/AAAAAAAAEKc/VSICBFw-nmo/s400/hawaiibirthcertificate1.jpg
“Trouble is ( as some say) that they will have standing in a criminal trial against an unconstitutional administration, if they are brave”
Standing in a criminal trial? Maybe I misunderstand the concept of standing. Aren’t they the ones accused of criminal actions against an individual?
Are you suggesting that if someone breaks into my home, and is arrested, that person will have standing for discovery for all of my personal information?
I must be misunderstanding what you mean.
They do not have any standing neither does lakin. To think so is rather nuts. You’re pretty much saying I could start up an organized crime organization and the feds have no right to arrest me because I could decide to think that the president is not legitimate. Then when I get hauled off to court I can sue the government and say that I have standing. Its ridiculous.
he’s just giving you an example of “critical thinking”, don’t cha know!
ROFLMAO.
..there is nothing quite so satisfying as knowing that
…a devout Obamamohammed is cursing…spitting…flailing
…and looking all over, for their Nobel Peace Pipe
…praying to Obama that a little Hopium is still in the bong. Their nervesneed calming…lol
Lots of stuff is about to be broadcast…what???…I can only guess
…but this I do know…
…IT WILL NOT BE GOOD FOR LIL” BARRY AND THE VICTIMCRATS….
Nixon will be forgotten….
What is the possible penatly???
Whatever it is…is still better than a cap in the back of the head…others haven’t been as lucky.
Roller, I have heard this speech since January 2009. Really, now get a grip.
LOL! Yes, because the way to prove you are not a loon is to spin new paranoid conspiracy fantasies, of course! LMAO!
didn’t find???
….lol
…you know better than that…What they “found”…is what has caused the disturbance in the force…
roflmao…Allahu Akbar Comrade
Speaking of that, I watched the movie Frost/Nixon a few weeks back. Somewhat interesting.
Groucho maybe.
Oh I have a really good grip…and…I give credit where credit is due
…Lil’Barry and his posse are incredibly good at hiding, twisting, turning and decieving
…but it doesn’t really matter what turns up before 2012…cause
…he is gonna be neutered in Nov…but he truly deserves impeachment…and
…we can use the “shovel ready project the looting and burning will create…so, I am confident it will happen…
Where there is a will…there is a way
…especially when we know without question…
Obama is a CROOK and a FRAUD.
yes it was…but…Lil’ Barry is gonna far surpass Tricky Dick…in the history of corrupt Presidents.
Then you probably know that humans have a tendency to find patterns whether they are there or not. Just think of how different cultures see the star constellations differently.
At one time in my life I was a collector of something. I found that I was spending to much money at it, so I made a budget for myself and never went over it. I think conspiracy theorists should start out setting a limit to how far the conspiracy has to go before they decide that there’s nothing to it.
I couldn’t hope for more. And frankly I can say the same for myself. However, I find it valuable to not only confirm my position, but to re-evaluate and question it.
Roller, no he is not. The frauds are the people making money off hatred. If birther nonsense were not so pathetic it would almost be funny. Again, get a grip on reality. It hasn’t happened because there is no truth to it. But please, keep on. I enjoy amusement and you certainly provide it.
Haha indeed. Curious though I did the search you did and didn’t find this site as top for that phrase.
e glenn harcsar, on what ails him:
unfortunately there is only one known cure for your condition.
i believe it’s called “hard evidence”.
Calling Dr. Polarik. Calling Dr. Polarik.
Like a horse and carriage.
HolyRoller: here is an authentic Kenya BC!
Better get cracking!
I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear your spittled hatred over the sound of Obama’s Presidenting.
See you in 2012!
Are you 12? Because you sure act like it. And wipe off that spittle, Beavis.
“The last time I posted at this site I got labeled, basically, loon.”
I can’t possibly understand what made people think that.
of course you can point to any criminal acts that he as committed and HAVE proof right?
Right?
thought not.
To EGH’s comment: “Trouble is (as some say) that they will have standing in a criminal trial against an unconstitutional administration, if they are brave.”
In a criminal case it is the government that requires standing, not the defendant. They usually achieve this by citing things called “laws” in their charging documents.
Well, Newty G did claim once that Bill Clinton was the enemy of all “normal Americans,” which is close to calling someone an ersatz American.
But yeah, trying to say someone isn’t an NBC is a whole new ballgame. I guess if you can’t attack the ideas, attack the person, and if you can’t attack the person, attack their status.
Oh no. If WND manages to get Obama yoinked then Farah would forever be feted and showered with speaker money for his act of “patriotism,” and his site would become a holy shrine to nutbag Conservatives everywhere.
Once “dead,” this cash cow will feed for decades.
The people who passed these laws know how many students are Latino. That is what frightens them. My late father told my husband and I to prepare our children for a brown world when we married in 1970. It isn’t something to be frightened about. This is a change in demographics not an alien invasion. My three very fair sons and grandchildren are doing just fine. The middle son is learning Spanish and was just told he had the best gringo accent his Latino friends have heard. He is speaking Spanish to his 9 month old a couple of days a week. Change is coming people. Get ready and be prepared.
“Change is coming people.”
And that is what is behind all this. What are they going to do when Jindal runs?
I think that they will gladly throw Bobby Jindal under the bus if they think that they can strengthen their case against President Obama by doing it. (Besides, he’s brown, too…)