Glossary

Any day now

(Birtherspeak) This phrase has no actual meaning in Birtherspeak.

Bi-curious

A person who flirts with birther questions, or a legislator who sponsors a birther bill. They will typically say “I am not a birther, but I have questions….”

Birfer

A derisive term meaning “crazy people who think Barack Obama was not born in Hawaii, USA. They Claim his Birth Certificate (COLB) is a fake, he was born in Kenya, making him ineligible to be President. Groups that fall under Birfers: PUMA, Fringe Right-wing Blogs, Conspiracy people, Bigots, Sore Losers and mentally unstable.”– Urban Dictionary.

Birther

Someone who believes Barack Obama is not eligible to be President of the United States by reason of the facts of his birth. Some birthers believe Obama is ineligible because they think he was born outside the United States. Others believe that Obama’s non-citizen father makes him ineligible.

Birther bill

Legislation requiring a candidate to provide documentation of place of birth in order to be placed on the ballot. Birther bills often make demands for documentation that a legitimate candidate might not have.

Birther Peter Principle

A birther digs into the details until they find something they don’t understand (reach the level of their own incompetence), and then declare fraud.

Birtherspeak

A form of jargon used by birthers in which words mean something different from their usual English meaning. See e.g. “soon.”

Birtherverse

Short for “Birther Universe,” Birtherverse refers to the universe as the birthers understand it. In the Birtherverse, government officials are traitors, birthers are patriots, and Barack Obama is not the President.

COLB

Certification of Live Birth. Refers to a certified abstract copy of a Hawaiian birth registration, or specifically to the scanned image released by the Obama campaign of such a certified copy in 2008.

Confirmation bias (aka myside bias)

Myside bias is the tendency to evaluate evidence, generate evidence, and test hypotheses in a manner biased toward one’s own opinions

Checkmate (also End of Story)

A marker used at the end of a nObama argument indicating that they have run out of material and are unable to answer any further objections.

Conspiracy Theory

A conspiracy theory alleges a coordinated group is, or was, secretly working to commit illegal or wrongful actions, including attempting to hide the existence of the group and its activities. In notable cases the hypothesis contradicts what was, or is, represented as the mainstream explanation for historical or current events. The phrase is also sometimes used dismissively in an attempt to portray a person or group’s views as being untrue or outlandish. [Wikipedia]

ditto site

A web site whose content is primarily copied from other web sites, and not checked for accuracy or factual content.

dualist

A historical revisionist who believes that “natural born citizen” as used in the US Constitution means a citizen of the US whose parents are both US citizens.

Doc’s Law

Any significant article by a major media organization on the Barack Obama birth controversy will include at least one factual error.

FogBlow (to take a FogBlow)

To throw out a URL in place of making an argument, also known as “an appeal to a better debater.”

Freeper

A person who is an active participant at the FreeRepublic.com forum.

IANAB

An acronym for “I am not a birther.”

L-Day

April 27, 2011. The day Barack Obama released his long-form birth certificate.

Hawaii

A foreign country located in Kenya, Africa.

Million

Twelve birthers.

Meat and Two (triple-whammy citizenship)

A fringe legal position that natural born citizenship requires birth in the United States and two citizen parents. See “twofer”.

nObama

A person who believes Barack Obama should be prevented from becoming president (or remaining in office) through means outside the electoral process. See You Know You’re a nObama if…

nobot

A person who denies Barack Obama is eligible to be president of the United States.

Obot (also O-bot, Obamabot, Obamatron, Obamathug, Obamaniac, Obongoite, Obamanoid, Obamatoid, Obamanite, O-Borters, ObaMORONS, Oboto Brigade)

Derisive terms for a person who expresses an opinion contrary to a nObama or someone who is happy Obama is president. In birther mythology, Obots are often seen as paid minions of the Obama administration who seek to disrupt the birthers through dirty tricks and the spreading of lies. There is significant doubt as to whether any Obots exist outside birther imagination.

Orlyesque

In the manner of Dr. Orly Taitz, ESQ. It may be used to describe a disdain for rules and procedure, a tendency to find conspiratorial meanings for ordinary events, an inflated view of ones personal importance, credulity, and a single-minded opposition to Barack Obama. The name is a play on words combining Orly with ESQ. Also Taitzesque (Taitz ESQ).

Polarik (Ron Polarik, Ronald Polarik, PhD)

A fictional character in whose story, it is proved that Barack Obama’s birth certificate image is faked. [The Polarik character is drawn by Dr. Ron Polland, whose identity was recently disclosed and confirmed by Phil Berg.]

POSFKBC

Acronym for President Obama’s second fake Kenyan birth certificate. This is the one allegedly signed by the future hospital administrator, Helton [sic] Maganga. Note: There is an alternative definition where the letters “POS” stand for something else.

Proofer

Someone unwilling to admit that President Obama is ineligible, but nevertheless demands additional proof.

PUMA

Acronym “People United Means Action” or “Party Unity My Ass”, a group of disgruntled supporters of Hillary Clinton who believed that Clinton was the rightful Democratic candidate and that Obama should not be President. PUMAs were early members of the birther movement.

Real evidence

(Birtherspeak) Evidence we won’t show you, but send more money anyway.

Soon

(Birtherspeak) Never, but send more money.

Traitor

(Birtherspeak) Someone who thinks Barack Obama is legally President of the United States.

Twofer

One who believes that natural born citizens of the United States must be born in the country to two citizen parents.

United States Constitution

The central authority for the laws of the United States that does not mean what birthers think it does.

Usurper

A derisive term for Barack Obama, containing the implication that he occupies the office of the President illegally.

Zibbit

An exhibit in a birther lawsuit, most often used in reference to Orly Taitz.

Zu-Bots

Persons who have blind faith in Mike Zullo and his decisive evidence against Barack Obama, even in the face of repeated broken promises, and the lack of any convincing evidence. The term “Zu-Bots” first appeared in relation to Mike Zullo on the Internet March 13, 2014, in a comment at Obama Conspiracy Theories.

Other acronyms

• BO, BHO – Barack (Hussein) Obama
• DNFTT – Do not feed the trolls.
• IANAL – I am not a lawyer.