Born in the USA

Either officials in Hawaii are putting their reputations and their jobs on the line as part of a massive conspiracy to cover up the fact that Barack Obama isn't qualified to be president of the United States or he was, indeed, born in the USA.

Once again, the state's top health official has issued a brief statement affirming that the record indicates that Obama was, indeed, born in Hawaii.

"Birthers," who tend to be right wing and who consider themselves ultra-patriotic, will not, I am certain, appreciate the following analogy. But their continued public denial of Obama's birth status is akin to some Muslim who still don't believe Osama bin Ladin was behind the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack. Both groups are desperately holding onto what they believe to be a fact and won't let go. It's like a guy hopped up on drugs who has been mortally shot but keeps coming because he doesn't realize he's already dead. This issue is dead and shouldn't keep coming. Sooner or later, like the wounded drug addict, the argument will collapse.

The point is, the chief justice of the Supreme Court has sworn in Obama after declining to hear an appeal of a lower court's ruling dismissing as having no standing a suit challenging Obama's right to run for president based on his place of birth. Remember, it was the Supreme Court that in 2000 issued a ruling in the Bush v Gore case that decided the outcome of that presidential election. If the birthers are going to reject the Supreme Court's decision about Obama's place of birth then they should have rejected the legitimacy of George W. Bush's election. But they didn't. The nation accepted the decision and moved on.

There are a multitude of serious issues that face the nation right now. Focusing on this sideshow diverts attention from things that really matter.

Give it a rest. Barack Obama is the president of the United States. If you don't like his policies, then challenge them. But like after the 2000 Florida presidential was challenged - it's time to move on.