Archive for August, 2009

Andy Martin bucks Illinois governor on ‘clout crisis’

August 17, 2009

Martin opposes calls for the resignation of the University of Illinois President, Chancellor and Board of Trustees. Andy says that as a candidate for United States Senator, he would normally avoid a controversy involving state officials. But as a graduate of the U of I, with extensive academic experience, he is prepared to assist faculty, staff, students and alumni in the healing process arising from the university’s admissions scandal.

U. S. Senate candidate Andy Martin opposes firing University of Illinois Trustees and management

Martin says Governor Quinn’s demands could inflict permanent damage on the University

NEWS FROM:
ANDY MARTIN /2010
Republican for U. S. Senator

“He works for
the People of Illinois”
Suite 4406
30 E. Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611-4723
(312) 440-4124
www.AndyforUSSenator.com
www.AndyforUSSenator.blogspot.com
www.AndyforUSSenator.wordpress.com

www.MarkKirk.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ATTENTION DAYBOOK/ASSIGNMENT EDITORS

ANNOUNCEMENT OF MONDAY NEWS CONFERENCE IN CHICAGO

ANDY MARTIN SAYS THE U. OF I ADMISSIONS SCANDAL IS NOT “ILLINIGATE”; HE CHARGES THAT ILLINOIS “POLS” ARE SEEKING TO REMOVE THE UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP TO DRAW ATTENTION AWAY FROM THE
POLITICAL CLIMATE THAT CREATED THE “CLOUT” SCANDAL

MARTIN OFFERS TO MEDIATE “APPROPRIATE PUNISHMENTS” FOR UNIVERSITY LEADERS

(CHICAGO)(August 17, 2009) Republican U. S. Senate candidate and insurgent “Internet Powerhouse” Andy Martin will hold a Chicago news conference Monday, August 17th to announce that he has asked Governor Pat Quinn to stop calling for the resignations of University of Illinois Trustees. Martin also opposes removal of the U of I president and chancellor. Finally, Martin will offer to mediate a quiet resolution of the controversy.

“This is a plan of action based on a three-part analysis of the problem,” Martin states. “First, the basis for my intervention; second a review of the Chicago Tribune claims and the Mikva panel; finally, a decision based on what is best for the University, not the political class in this state.

“My initial reaction was the same as most people, namely that individuals who were involved should be fired as part of a ritual ‘cleansing’ of the University. But after study and reflection, I am convinced that current demands for removal of the Trustees and leaders will inflict more damage on the University that they will alleviate. The conventional wisdom about how to proceed is wrong. We need to adopt an unconventional approach to healing the wounds of past misconduct.

“First, I have a unique background to intercede in the University of Illinois ‘clout’ scandal. My mother and I hold a total of three degrees from the U of I. She is a retired college professor and AAUP representative; I grew up on a college campus. I have been an adjunct professor of law in another public university system, the City University of New York. And I have personal knowledge of the U. I. admissions process because a close personal friend served in that office.

“Because I am a candidate for federal office, normally I would not get involved in a ‘state’ matter, unlike my opponent Mark Kirk, who has also announced for the senate, but is running on a platform that mirrors issues in the gubernatorial race. Nevertheless, I am convinced that I can be of help to the Governor, to the University and to the healing process among alumni and students.

“I can never repay the people of Illinois for their generosity to my family in providing us with superior educations. My only ‘conflict of interest’ in this controversy is that I once asked former Law Dean Hurd tongue-in-cheek whether the law school planned to award me special recognition as the law school’s most notorious graduate in history. I am not expecting that recognition any time soon.

“Second, I congratulate the Chicago Tribune for an extraordinary act of journalism. The Tribune’s series on ‘Clout U’ should win a Pulitzer. The Tribune did an outstanding job. But I respectfully disagree with the Tribune editorial board’s call for the removal of the university’s hierarchy.

“Likewise, I met Abner Mika during the 1965 ‘bedsheet ballot’ session of the General Assembly. I helped in his campaigns and he has been an inspiration on integrity to me. The last time I saw Ab I recruited him to be a witness before a U. S. Senate committee in 1972. I can’t say enough good words about Judge Mikva even though today I don’t agree with him on public policy issues. I respectfully disagree with Judge Mikva on his call for the removal of the Trustees and UI leadership.

“Finally, I start from the obvious, but somewhat ignored, point of view that we must ‘first, do no harm’ to the University of Illinois’ future. Why do I oppose removing the President and Chancellor, and trustees?

“First let me address the question of firing President White and Chancellor Herman. White and Herman have sinned. And we are entitled to and should extract a reasonable and measured punishment for their surrender to the culture of corruption in this state. But I am not aware of any evidence that White and Herman profited personally, or put anything in their pockets as a result of their unfortunate deeds.

“Their sole interest was the protection and advancement of the University’s interests. Were this a case of ‘kickbacks’ or cash or other benefits for White and Herman personally, I would weigh the issues and resolve the matter differently.

“Their fall from grace is almost biblical. They were the servants who sought to serve their master, and served too well. But these men were not blinded by personal greed; they were blinded by loyalty to their institution and the growth and advancement of our University. This is not a ‘Watergate’ situation. This is not an ‘Illinigate’ scandal.

“Second, I am convinced that ‘firing’ the leadership of the U of I will make it more difficult to obtain high-quality replacements. The best potential replacements will only be lured to the U of I if we deal with this ‘clout crisis’ in a mature and intelligent way. If we fire the Trustees and fire the President and Chancellor, the search to find replacements will be made immeasurably more difficult.

“White and Herman can and should play a limited role in the selection of their replacements if the university’s tradition of excellence is to be continued. I would expect them to make further apologies and sacrifices, however, as part of the healing process.

“Third, no one is calling for punishment of the ‘johns’ in this case, the actual politicians who sought special favors. The political class was caught red-handed by the Tribune, and now our ‘leaders’ would love to see university officials offered up as blood sacrifice for the culture of corruption in this state.

“President White and Chancellor Herman did not create the culture of corruption in this state; they tried to accommodate their institution to the prevailing morality of Illinois, which is rotten to the core.

“Punishment which is imposed on only one party to an illicit transaction is always suspect. I would have felt more comfortable with the inflammatorily rhetoric directed at the University staff if it was accompanied by an equally sonorous call for resignations of the politicians who are still in office that sought special treatment.

“Corruption has proven resilient in this state. The bad guys that Ab Mikva and I were fighting in the mid-60’s are all gone. Today the children and grandchildren of the crooks we battled are now—what else—crooks themselves. I do not see that President White initiated the ‘clout’ program, or that Chancellor Herman likewise began the processes that ultimately compromised his outstanding contributions to the University. These men inherited a ‘policy’ that was in place before they arrived; they unfortunately failed to achieve a termination of the unconscionable advantages offered to the favored few.

“Fourth, I am convinced that if the Tribune and Governor succeed in ‘shooting’ the leadership of the University, the taint will be greater in the long run than if we honestly acknowledge that horrible deeds were accomplished, make amends, and get on with life. In that sense, Mikva’s committee functioned as a ‘Truth Commission;’ the Commission did an admirable job of exposing a disgraceful process.

“For Governor Quinn to fire the Trustees or senior staff would be akin to making a Casablanca-style discovery that there is ‘gambling’ going on in the Illinois state government cabaret. More mendacity will only prolong the injury inflicted on the University. Acts of revenge against individuals would be grossly political and totally insincere.

“If the Governor asks me to assist in a resolution, I am prepared to mediate with each of the individuals who have been consumed by the controversy, to see what further atonement they are prepared to offer. I think we should ask each of them to search their consciences, and to work towards an acceptable expiation of their role in the scandal.

“I would like to see President White and Chancellor Herman leave the University under their own steam, and not because mendacious politicians pushed them out to save their own skins.

“There may be additional remedies that we can extend to the victims of the scandal. I don’t know.

“In over forty years of fighting corruption in this state, I have never believed that hypocrisy is an acceptable substitute for integrity. But hypocrisy is what is being offered up now as a resolution of the e`mbarrassment. I dissent.

“The ‘ultimate disinfectant’ of sunlight has exposed gross abuses. I salute Mikva and the Tribune. Ab is still the same outstanding public servant he was when we met in 1965; I have had my difference with the Trib but I would endorse the Trib’s application for a Pulitzer. They did an award-winning job in researching and publishing the embarrassing truths about our great university.

“But my independent judgment and academic experience tell me that those who are crying ‘off with their heads’ may not realize that when those heads are chopped off, putting new ‘heads’ in place may become much more difficult. I condemn the barbaric political deeds that were effectively imposed on the management of the U of I. but I propose a Lincolnesque resolution, ‘with charity for all, with malice toward none,’ except perhaps the ‘pols’ that have ruined this great state of ours.

“Our national culture is quite at variance with Illinois’ slimy traditions. Nationally, we look for reconciliation and forgiveness as essential antidotes for unfortunate acts. If the NFL can pardon the unpardonable Michael Vick, I think wise public policy would be for the General Assembly to pass remedial legislation protecting the independence of the U of I, for the individuals concerned to come forward with their own ongoing atonements, and for the people of this state to get off their fat asses and vote for a wholesale change in the political leadership on February 2nd.

“Unless we get rid of crooked politicians, ‘clout’ scandals will continue to be a regular fact of life in Illinois.

“I am willing to help the Governor, so long as he reconsiders his current approach and adopts measured and fit retribution for the sins which were committed. Professional ‘execution’ is not the right resolution for the individuals, and it is certainly not the right approach to safeguard the future and stability of the University of Illinois,” Martin will state. “If present trends continue, and calls for wholesale resignations succeed, the University will have been raped all over again by an inappropriate resolution to the ‘clout crisis.’”

August 17th news conference details:

WHO:

U. S. Senate candidate and Internet Powerhouse Andy Martin

WHERE:

Sidewalk news conference, SE corner of Huron and Wabash,
Chicago

WHEN:

Monday, August 17, 2009 2:00 P.M.

WHAT:

Internet Powerhouse and U. S. Senate candidate Andy Martin opposes the dismissal of the University of Illinois President and Chancellor, says Trustees should not be forced out

MEDIA
CONTACT:

(866) 706-2639; Cell (917) 664-9329 (not always turned on)

WEBSITE:

http://www.AndyforUSSenator.com

E-MAIL:

AndyforUSSenator@aol.com
—————————–
Readers of Obama: The Man Behind The Mask, say the book is still the only gold standard and practical handbook on Barack Obama’s unfitness for the presidency. Buy it.
Book orders: Amazon.com or http://OrangeStatePress.com. Immediate shipment from Amazon.com or signed copies (delayed for signing) from the publisher are available.
—————————–
URGENT APPEAL: The Committee of One Million to Defeat Barack Obama raises money to oppose President Barack Obama’s radical agenda and also to support www.BoycottHawaii.com.
www.CommitteeofOneMilliontoDefeatBarackObama.com
Please give generously. Our ability to fight and defeat Barack Obama’s political agenda is directly dependent on the generosity of every American.
“The Committee of One Million to Defeat Barack Obama has no bundlers, no fat cats and no illegal contributions. Obama is opposed to almost everything America stands for,” says Executive Director Andy Martin. “But while Obama has raised a billion dollar slush fund, his opponents lack sufficient resources. Americans can either contribute now, or pay later. If we do not succeed, Obama will.”
—————————–
Andy Martin is a legendary Chicago muckraker, author, Internet columnist, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. He has over forty years of broadcasting background in radio and television and is the dean of Illinois media and communications. He is currently promoting his best-selling book, Obama: The Man Behind The Mask and producing the new Internet movie “Obama: The Hawai’i years.” Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of www.ContrarianCommentary.com.

Martin comments on regional, national and world events with more than four decades of experience. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York.

UPDATES:
www.twitter.com/AndyMartinUSA
www.facebook.com/AndyMartin

Andy’s columns are also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com; contrariancommentary.wordpress.com.
[NOTE: We frequently correct typographical errors and additions/subtractions on our blogs, where you can find the latest edition of this release.]

MEDIA CONTACT: (866) 706-2639 or CELL (917) 664-9329 (cell not always on)
E-MAIL: AndyMart20@aol.com
© Copyright by Andy Martin 2009.

Dirty tricks seek to block Andy Martin’s Obama birth certificate video

August 11, 2009

Barack Obama’s dirty tricksters are seeking to delay and disrupt the debut of Andy Martin’s birth certificate conference on the Internet.

http://nationalconferenceonobama.blogspot.com/

“What are they afraid of?” Martin asks as he files a civil rights complaint with FBI and Department of Justice. “The truth?”

ANDY MARTIN
Republican for U. S. Senator/2010

“He Works for the People of Illinois”
Suite 4406, 30 E. Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611-4723
Toll-free tel. (866) 706-ANDY
Toll-free fax (866) 707-ANDY
Web site: http://www.AndyforUSSenator.com
E-mail: AndyforUSSenator@aol.com

Please donate:
www.AndyforUSSenator.com

Blogs:
www.AndyforUSSenator.com
www.AndyforUSSenator.blogspot.com
www.AndyforUSSenator.wordpress.com

www.MarkKirk.us

August 10, 2009

Hon. Eric Holder
Attorney General
Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
via fax (202) 307-6777

and
Robert Grant, SAC
Federal Bureau of Investigation
2111 W. Roosevelt Road
Chicago, IL 60608
via fax (312) 829-5732

Re: Criminal Conspiracy Against U. S. Senate
candidate by, inter alia, Scott Shirley and
Maryland Judge Cheryl McCally

Dear General Holder and SAC Grant:

I believe my campaign for the U. S. Senate has become the target of criminal activity by supporters of President Barack Obama. That is not to say Mr. Obama himself is aware of the activity of his agents or supporters.

In order to alert you to the dirty tricks operation which is being conducted against me, and the latest acts of harassment and intimidation, I am formally filing a complaint with your offices and asking than an investigation be initiated. The actions of Judge Cheryl McCally appear outrageous. She issued a “peace order” because I filed a complaint against a dishonest business with the better business bureau. Judge McCally’s behavior is suspect.

Maryland state courts have no personal jurisdiction over me. I have not set foot in the state in decades.

The U. S. Attorney General, of course, is a political associate and appointee of the president. Therefore because the following facts invoke memories of Watergate-style dirty tricks, I wanted the highest levels of the Department of Justice to be alerted to what was transpiring at the lower reaches of President Obama’s political apparatus.

1. The applicable criminal law

Title 18, § 245 (b) “Whoever, whether or not acting under color of law,…or interferes with, or attempts to inure, intimidate or interfere with- (1) (A) campaigning as a candidate for elective office…”

2. Background facts – 2008

During the recently-concluded presidential campaign, Barack Obama’s campaign leaders determined that my activity posed a threat to his election. Obama supporters accused me of being at the center of a “vast right-wing conspiracy,” and I probably cost Obama millions of votes by relentlessly publicizing the facts, or rather the missing facts and false facts, about his past.

My book “Obama: The Man Behind The Mask” generated great controversy and my writing became the basis for books by other authors as well.

The Obama campaign then began a campaign of harassment and intimidation. In particular, Robert Gibbs appeared on Fox News to smear me with false accusations of racism based on a judicial proceeding which was over a quarter of a century old and which had no relationship to the 2008 presidential campaign.

In addition, I believe that Obama supporters also published a false “biography” of me on a web site. We are planning litigation to determine who was behind the bogus biography.

I have continued to actively oppose President Obama’s policies, as well as continued to shed light on his birth origins and links to organized crime figures in Chicago.

3. Current facts related to this criminal complaint

a. In April, I convened a conference at the Capitol Hilton in Washington, DC on Barack Obama’s missing birth certificate and educational records. The conference has a separate blog:

http://nationalconferenceonobama.blogspot.com/

b. Prior to the conference I was contacted by a person who identifies himself as John Borlaza, but who apparently is fact John Gilchrist (“B/G”), 3305 Peoria Avenue, Beggs, OK 74421. B/G asked if anyone was going to tape the conference. I said no and authorized Mr. Borlaza/Gilchrest to look for a taping service at his expense. B/G located Scott Shirley of ADR Productions in Rockville.

c. It was understood at all times, as the documents confirm, that I was the copyright owner of the conference material. Mr. B/G was making payment, but I was the intended third party beneficiary of the agreement for payment between Shirley and B/G.

d. I met Mr. Shirley at my conference and his firm taped the two days of proceedings. Our interaction could not have been more pleasant. Mr. Shirley noted that he was one of the “few people” who could have taped the sessions, because his sympathies were (I’m not sure exactly what words he used) neutral to conservative.

e. After the conference ended, Mr. Shirley prepared a “trailer” or prevue of the conference, indicating that more of the conference was coming. The trailer was a very creative work and I was favorably impressed. Mr. Shirley has since removed this trailer from the Internet. Approximately 3,000 persons viewed the trailer. Mr. Shirley clearly identified me as the copyright owner in his material. (If someone sees this letter and has downloaded the trailer from the YouTube video, perhaps they will provide a copy of the trailer to me, and I will provide it to Holder and Grant.)

f. Mr. Shirley and Mr. Borlaza asked me to provide “edits” of the conference so the final version of the meetings could be prepared for posting on the Internet. Mr. Shirley sent me a watermarked copy of the original materials; I prepared the edits and sent them to him at the beginning of May.

g. Because I was impressed with Mr. Shirley’s creativity in preparing the trailer, I asked him if he would be interested in editing a video movie which we were gong to shoot in Hawai’i. Mr. Shirley said he was interested and I should send my tapes to him, which I did on my return from Hawai’i in mid-May. (The Hawai’i tapes were returned at the end of July after my complaints.)

h. I heard nothing further from Shirley for a month, so I sent him an e-mail, to which he did not respond. I also called him in mid-June, asking about his progress on both projects. He told me he would be done with the Hawai’i project in “about a week,” and I said “fine.” He said he would then complete the Washington conference and I asked him to do so as soon as possible. Once again, our conversation could not have been more pleasant, and I had no reason to suspect Shirley was engaged in a conspiracy seeking to defeat my copyright rights.

i. During July the “Obama birth certificate” issue exploded in the nation’s media, and Mr. Shirley was still silent. I did not hear from him about either the Hawai’i or Washington projects. I began to contact him by phone and e-mail because his fax machine does not work. Mr. Shirley did not respond.

j. When Mr. Shirley refused to respond, I filed complaints with the Washington, DC Better Business Bureau, as well as the Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection (see enclosed).

k. In response, Mr. Shirley replied to the BBB (as of today I have not yet seen a response to the Montgomery County complaint) and said he was willing to sell me the original tapes. I responded to the BBB, and also contacted Mr. Shirley.

l. On Friday, August 7th I received a bizarre Express Mail communication from Shirley telling me not to contact him and attacking me because of my criticism of the president. Mr. Shirley or someone behind him was seeking to convert a simple business transaction into a political dispute. Unfortunately, I apparently neglected to file this letter when I left town, but I will provide it to you when I get back to my principal office. The letter was bizarre.

It became apparent to me that Mr. Shirley was no longer engaged in a simple commercial transaction, but had joined forces with Obama agents to misappropriate my copyrighted material. He is actively obstructing my use of the conference records in interstate commerce and as part of my political campaign.

m. Saturday, August 8th at about 4:15 P.M. a Cook
County Deputy Sheriff appeared at my door, forced her way in, and served me with a Maryland Court order signed by Judge Cheryl Ann McCally. A copy of Judge McCally’s bizarre documents accompany this letter. Shirley committed a criminal act in the Maryland courts when he falsely attested that he claimed he was in “reasonable fear of serious bodily injury or death.” (See attached). This was a perjurious claim, since other than threatening Mr. Shirley with legal process, I have never threatened him personally in any manner.

n. What is interesting is that in his detailed
reply to the BBB, Mr. Shirley never mentioned any threats from me, and certainly no threats amounting to a “reasonable fear of serious injury or death.” He concocted these claims for Judge McCally. This perjurious claim was concocted in order to procure the issuance of a bogus court order from Judge McCally, and to harass and intimidate me and disrupt my campaign for the U. S. Senate. I have had to put my campaign on hold while I respond to McCally’s bogus order.

o. I will be filing a civil lawsuit against McCally, Montgomery County, Shirley and Gilchrist, as well as Obama’s “John Does” who are now manipulating Shirley. Shirley is acting in a manner that reflects he is obviously being manipulated or controlled by unidentified persons. Either they went to Shirley to buy my tapes to obstruct my copyright, or he went out trying to resell my tapes to Obama sources. Either explanation constitutes criminal interference with my intellectual property. I do not know who is involved.

Outrageously, Judge McCally gave me two business days to disrupt my campaign, leave Chicago and appear in her court. This is intentional harassment by a judge whose impartiality and integrity are now subject to serious question.

p. Mr. Borlaza/Gilchrist made clear at all times that I was the owner of the copyright and, ultimately, of the tapes which contained my copyrighted material. I have not heard from B/G for a couple of months. He appears to be an increasingly suspicious presence and may in fact be an Obama operative or supporter. I don’t know.

q. Judge McCally ordered me to suspend my
campaign, leave Chicago and appear in her courtroom with two days notice. This is a significant interference with my campaign. Judge McCally is either professionally incompetent as a judge, in that she signs serious court orders which are facially bogus, or she is a political hatchet operator who is acting in concert and conspiracy with Shirley and his Obama-related operatives. No sensible judge would act the way she did.

r. Because Mr. Shirley’s accusations were patently false and perjurious, he committed a criminal act in the Montgomery County District Court. I am contacting the prosecutor’s office to proffer charges.

4. Request for federal criminal investigation

a. Barrack Obama and his supporters are not going to be allowed to use the federal and state judicial machinery as part his plan to harass his political opponents, either directly or indirectly through the use of fronts such as Shirley.

The idea that Obama operatives have conspired to essentially take control of a person such as Mr. Shirley, and to seek to obstruct my access to my intellectual property, all of which related to Obama’s missing birth certificate, is as close to a Watergate-style conspiracy as I have seen in a long time.

I bear the president no ill will, but I am a political opponent who is a candidate for his former senate seat. The idea that he is taking people like Shirley and using them to harass me with perjurious accusations is a federal criminal matter.

As I indicated at the beginning of this letter, Obama himself may be unaware of the actions of his operatives. But he is responsible for their conduct. This latest episode comes as a part of a continuing pattern of dirty tricks by Obama’s associates directed against me personally, and my professional and political activity.

I therefore ask that you open a criminal investigation, and appoint either the Northern District of Illinois or District of Maryland to conduct a criminal investigation of Shirley, Judge McCally and their associates.

I also ask to be called before one of the grand juries sitting in one of those districts to testify about the facts of this episode.

Please feel free to contact me for further information as it becomes available.

Respectfully submitted,

ANDY MARTIN

AM:sp

W/encl. (various exhibits)

Andy Martin says it’s time to bring down the curtain on Orly Taitz’ “birther” circus

August 6, 2009

Internet Powerhouse Andy Martin says Orly Taitz has shown she is neither a “birther” nor a “doubter;” she is a nut case and an incompetent lawyer. Martin says he may be the “Godfather” of the “birther” movement but he disassociates himself from forged documents and delusional claims.

Internet Powerhouse Andy Martin says two people created the “birther” movement; Barack Obama and Martin

Martin suggests that an Israeli dentist is destroying rational discussion over Obama’s birth certificate and says it is time to “shut down the Orly Taitz circus”

NEWS FROM:
ANDY MARTIN /2010
Republican for U. S. Senator
“He works for
the People of Illinois”
Suite 4406
30 E. Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611-4723
(312) 440-4124
www.AndyforUSSenator.com
www.AndyforUSSenator.blogspot.com
www.AndyforUSSenator.wordpress.com

www.MarkKirk.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ANDY MARTIN SAYS THE MEATHEAD MEDIA (FORMERLY MAINSTREAM MEDIA) LOVE ORLY TAITZ AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE BIRTHER MOVEMENT BECAUSE TAITZ IS AN OBVIOUS CRACKPOT

TAITZ’ LATEST OUTBURST ON MSNBC DISQUALIFIES HER AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF ANYONE, MARTIN SUGGESTS

(CHICAGO)(August 5, 2009) Two people are responsible for the “birther” movement: Barack Obama and me. As the dogged investigator, over the past five years I have researched Barack Obama’s family history, and written columns and a bestselling book raising questions about Obama’s family. I stand by all of my research.

Barack Obama, in turn, believes that toying with Americans who question his provenance benefits him. In the short run Obama might profit from the excesses of fringe elements of the birther movement; in the long run Obama is destroying his presidential legacy by playing games with the truth.

The evidence is undisputed that there have been as many imaginary and incendiary conspiracies hatched by left-wing media as there have been by right-wing conspiracy theorists. Neither the right not the left has a monopoly on crackpotism where Obama is concerned. I do not fall into either camp. From Day One my goal has been to seek the truth and find the facts; nothing more, nothing less.

In mid-August, 2008 I received a call from a Pennsylvania attorney named Philip Berg. Berg said he was planning to file a lawsuit questioning Obama’s legitimacy and he sought my advice as the recognized expert on Obama. I agreed to review his draft document.

I look a look at Berg’s complaint and realized immediately his claims were gibberish. I told Berg he should not file his lawsuit because it would be quickly dismissed and would actually help, not hurt, Obama. (That is exactly what happened.)

Berg spoke to me in terms that demonstrated psychiatric ideation and I had no further contact with him. Berg apparently made a small fortune collecting money from people who were desperate to believe anything negative about Barack Obama. Eventually I reported him as a fraud artist.

In mid-October 2008 I landed in Honolulu to investigate Obama’s past and began to assemble a team. We were the first investigators to look into Obama’s past. The meathead media had completely ignored Hawai’i. (I am happy to report a film we produced in is final production, finally, and will be available shortly. Patience please. We do not have the financial resources of a movie studio.)

While in Hawai’i, I filed a lawsuit in the local state courts seeking access to Barack Obama’s original, typewritten 1961 birth certificate. Obama was promoting a computerized, laser-printed document as a “copy” of his original certificate. Obviously the modern database output was not a “copy” anything but the limited information in the database itself.

Although a trial judge disagreed with my interpretation of Hawai’i law, my case is still pending both in the trial court and in the Hawai’i Supreme Court. (Litigation ain’t beanbag, and confusion and delay are staples of every court system everywhere.)

I have every expectation that my legal claims are meritorious.
My lawsuit simply claims that scholars and archivists have a right to see original Hawai’i documents. No one who writes a book or does historical research does so without seeking access to the original material. Two thousand years after Jesus, people still search for original “scrolls” and texts to analyze. Before computers, we used to call these “ribbon” copies because they were typed on a typewriter (or tablet).

On February 8, 2007 I also raised the question of Obama’s citizenship at birth. Obama was born a dual national because his father was British. Obama initially denied and subsequently admitted I was correct.

Throughout all of the attacks that Obama and his media darlings directed at me, I stood fast because my fundamental factual claims were correct. Indeed during the 2008 campaign, I was the only “opponent” that Obama attacked in national television, because I was the only writer who was raising serious questions about him and presenting them in a coherent manner on television (click on Part Two):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

UKSq2oJ0W1c&feature=related

In 2009, I am still working on the Hawai’i birth certificate lawsuit, and Obama is still concealing access to the original “ribbon” copy. Likewise he has placed a cordon sanitaire around his college materials.

In April, 2009 I convened a National Conference on Barack Obama’s Missing Birth Certificate and college records. I also believe that Obama is being disingenuous about his college files because he is concealing something. What he is concealing, I am not sure. Why won’t he make his records public? He is sitting in the White House as our president, and his college activity is a natural target of scholarly research and popular authors.

Enter Orly Taitz.

I am not quite sure when Orly Taitz popped up. Ms. Taitz was born in the former Soviet Union, now Moldova, and became a dentist in Israel. She eventually ended up in California (doesn’t everyone?) where she obtained a “law degree.”

California is one of a handful of states that still permits unapproved “law schools” to confer law degrees. These institutions are a relic of the past when most lawyers interned with practicing lawyers and “read” law in law offices. Despite the fact that the “law” has become incredibly complex, California persists in licensing unqualified and incompetent lawyers such as Taitz.

One of Taitz’ first crusades was the allegation that the U. S. Supreme Court was conspiring to deny “birthers” review of their claims. (That argument was also a profitable cash machine for Phil Berg.) As I pointed out, most of the birther lawsuits were untimely, poorly drafted and lacked adequate legal “standing” to proceed. Ironically, birther “conservatives” believed that “conservative judges” on the Supreme Court would attack Obama. The reality is that a judge’s loyalty is first to his or her institution, not to a “cause.”

Taitz continued to spin conspiracy theories.

Recently she made claims about a California lawsuit she had filed. For the first time, I actually downloaded one of her legal documents. The arguments she made were gibberish. Her writing was incoherent and her presentation was nonsense. Taitz has no experience as a federal litigator. Her legal education was clearly deficient. Other than obtaining a degree” from a Cracker Jack box “law school,” she has no relevant legal experience. Yet she was wading into the most complex legal questions imaginable. Taitz substituted conspiracies for her lack of knowledge or competence.

I have been biting my lip because it looks bad for me, as someone who has my own lawsuit pending, to denigrate another lawyer’s filing. But in the past several weeks, Taitz has become intoxicated with her own nonsense. Last month she issued a release that said a federal judge had agreed to hear her case. The judge had “agreed” to no such thing. He had merely agreed to proceed with motions. Was Taitz the victim of her broken English? Or was she misleading the public? Or was she a nut? You be the judge. Her claims about the court’s action were incorrect.

The leftist media love Taitz. She is increasingly acting like a crackpot; what’s not to like for the leftist media, portraying her as the “Queen” of a “crackpot movement.” What could better serve the left than a right-wing nut with an accent, spinning out-of-control conspiracy theories and becoming increasingly oppositional and paranoid.

It is time for the “father” of the birther movement, me, to exercise some parental discipline. Orly is being grounded.

The Orly Taitz circus must be shut down.

First, Taitz is professionally incompetent. She is a dentist with a questionable law degree. She knows as much about law as I know about filling teeth (because she was trained in Israel, I assume she is an excellent dentist; but who knows?).

Second, most of Taitz’ conspiracy claims originate in disinformation. I don’t know who creates all of this disinformation, but I have a strong suspicion.

Third, Taitz exercises no professional discipline, and manifests professional incompetence, by filing claims and documents with courts when these claims and documents have no arguable validity.

Finally, Taitz has now turned on the media that are using her; she accuses people such as David Shuster (who is a distant relative of some sort of a close friend of mine) of being proto-Nazis. Enough. Taitz’ latest performance on MSNBC is an embarrassment to birthers, perhaps even to lawyers, since she is a licensed California attorney.

Here are the unavoidable factual issues, and the legal basis for the birther movement to move forward if it is able to disentangle itself from Orly Taitz and her crackpot behavior.

First, although I have not physically seen the “Kenyan birth certificate” (“KBC”) (and birthers have attacked me for “commenting without seeing”), the likelihood is that the KBC is a forgery. Who forged that document is a legitimate avenue of inquiry. Ironically, by inadvertently filing her forged document in a federal court, Taitz created FBI jurisdiction for a criminal investigation of the KBC.

Second, Obama is in fact concealing his college records from Occidental College, Columbia College and Harvard law school. I received an e-mail a few hours ago claiming the Occidental records had been released; those “records” were another hoax.

Third, Obama is still concealing his original, typewritten 1961 Hawai’i birth certificate and everyone—even meathead media-agree and admit that the original document has on it information which is not contained on the laser-printed database output Obama offers as a “copy” of the typewritten 1961 original. As a published author who is writing a second book on Obama, I am pursuing access to that historical record in the Hawai’i courts.

In April, 2009 I convened a National Conference on Barack Obama’s Missing Birth Certificate and college records. I believe that Obama is also being disingenuous about his college files because he is concealing something. What he is concealing, I am not sure. Why won’t he make his records public? He is sitting in the White House as our president, and his college activity is a natural topic for scholarly research and popular authors.

The Conference was recorded and the expectation was that it conference would be on the internet in short order. The tape appears to have been stolen, and I am seeking to recover it. I apologize for this confusion. I believed the conference provided a very valuable oversight of all of the issues which trouble birthers. I apologize for trusting someone who is apparently dishonest to edit the tape. Legal action is imminent.

I would like to convene a second birth certificate conference (see http://nationalconferenceonobama.blogspot.com/ for background on the original) and I am going to start raising funds to cover the cost of the conference. This time I will maintain custody of the tapes myself, so they are not stolen. Because of my political campaign, the conference probably will not be convened until December.

The media have concocted the term “birther” to disparage Americans who have reasonable doubts about Barack Obama’s eligibility to be president.

I originally scoffed at the “natural born citizen” language of the Constitution, and I stated at the April conference that I do not believe a modern court would bar Obama from eligibility. But there is language in old case law from which an argument can be crafted that Obama in fact does not meet the constitutional test. His father was indisputably not an American citizen.

There is a great deal more gibberish out there about Obama, and many more seeds of doubt about who he really is. We are witnessing a historical dance of death. Obama has created these gaps both by his lies and distortions, and by his concealment. Despite media ridicule, public concern is not going to go away. The “birther movement,” is not going to disappear because at its core it presents legitimate doubts about who Barack Obama really is.

In fact, as soon as the crackpots such as Taitz are silenced, the birther movement will gain renewed energy. Why is Obama hiding his college files? Why is he obstructing access to his 1961 Hawai’i original? Who paid for Obama’s law school? Was it Khalid Al-Mansour? These are completely legitimate questions that are being obscured by Taitz’ histrionics. There are many more legitimate questions that scholars and authors can and will continue to ask about Obama in the days, weeks, months and years ahead.

Orly Taitz has become an impediment to reasoned discussion concerning the gaps in Obama’s family and personal history. It is time for responsible birthers to shut down her circus before she does further damage to the legitimate cause of historical inquiry. It is time for Orly to go back to filling teeth instead of claiming she is tryign to fill in the blanks in Obama’s resume. She is not professionally competent to do so.

Orly Taitz has become the left-wing media’s favorite birther for a reason. Taitz is a nut case even if the investigation she claims to be pursuing has limited but legitimate grounds to proceed.

Footnote: in what must be some in of perverse justice, Taitz and Berg are suing each other. I do my own independent research for a reason. I can keep my distance from the Taitz’ and Bergs out there.

[To be continued}
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Readers of Obama: The Man Behind The Mask, say the book is still the only gold standard and practical handbook on Barack Obama's unfitness for the presidency. Buy it.
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Andy Martin is a legendary Chicago muckraker, author, Internet columnist, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. He has over forty years of broadcasting background in radio and television and is the dean of Illinois media and communications. He is currently promoting his best-selling book, Obama: The Man Behind The Mask and producing the new Internet movie "Obama: The Hawai'i years." Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of www.ContrarianCommentary.com.

Martin comments on regional, national and world events with more than four decades of experience. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York.

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