in my previous diary, "certifigate: the cancer metastasizes", i noted how the eligibility "scandal", formerly the fevered affliction of only anonymous self-proclaimed internet "constitutionalists", has single-mindedly vectored from right-wing blogs into the congressional houses of three states and, at least for a day, the u.s. senate. today, the epidemic contaminated another important target population — the active duty military:
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23 feb 2009
to any and all interested parties,
as an active-duty officer in the united states army, i have grave concerns about the constitutional eligibilty of barack hussein obama to hold the office of president of the united states. he has absolutely refused to provide to the american public his original birth certificate, as well as other documents which may prove or disprove his eligibility. in fact, he has fought every attempt made by concerned citizens in their effort to force him to do so.
until mr. obama releases a “vault copy” of his original birth certificate for public review, i will consider him neither my commander in chief nor my president, but rather, a usurper to the office - an impostor.
my conviction is such that i am compelled to join dr. orly taitz’s lawsuit, as a plaintiff, against mr. obama. as a citizen, it pains me to do this, but as an offficer, my sworn oath to support and defend our constitution requires this action.
i joined the army at age 40, after working in iraq as a contractor with KBR in ‘05/’06. i chose to work with KBR to support my troops and then left that lucrative position when the army raised it’s maximum enlistment age to 40. upon completion of basic training, i entered officer candidate school and commissioned as a 2LT in august 2007. after completing the subsequent basic officer leadership courses, i was assigned to ft. knox and shortly therafter deployed to balad, iraq. i was promoted to 1LT on feb. 2, 2009 and i have approximately five months remaining of our fifteen month deployment.
i implore all service-members and citizens to contact their senators and representatives and demand that they require mr. obama prove his eligibility. our constitution and our great nation must not be allowed to be disgraced.
very respectfull,
scott r. easterling
1LT OD/LG
united states army
easterling is not the first serviceman afflicted with the certifigate bug. retired air force colonel gregory hollister is suing obama in his capacity as a ready reserve officer, "subject to presidential recall for the rest of
his life". his case hangs by a fraying thread after having been gutted of its main argument and his advocate philip berg will likely face sanctions for frivolity. retired army colonel harry riley has also been named in a coming lawsuit.
but easterling, as an active serviceman, is the first to openly risk court-martial for his actions. his signed written statement leaves precious little room, if any, for interpretation:
i will consider him neither my commander in chief nor my president, but rather, a usurper to the office - an impostor.
and he declares his duty to be subject to conditions not found in the uniform code of military justice:
until mr. obama releases a “vault copy” of his original birth certificate for public review
ultimately inciting his comrades service-wide to follow him over the hill:
i implore all service-members and citizens to contact their senators and representatives and demand that they require mr. obama prove his eligibility.
if easterling actually consulted a real military legal officer before inscribing his john hancock on the dotted line, he was either poorly served or not listening. from the army manual for courts-martial:
§ 888. art. 88. contempt toward officials
any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the president, the vice president, congress, the secretary of defense, the secretary of a military department, the secretary of homeland security, or the governor or legislature of any state, commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
the potential case against easterling seems quite cut-and-dried to me. but never fear, dr. orly's here!
yes, it's true — lt. easterling has placed his professional career and personal freedom into the hands of none other than an unaccredited part-time dentist-lawyer from california (by way of russia and israel, making her somewhat less than natural-born™, but she more than makes up for it with her special brand of patriotism):
orly taitz's quest for active duty cannon fodder for her fruitless holy war has disturbed even her fellow certifigaters. delusional self-professed paranoid leo donofrio, whose own lawsuits were thrown out by the supreme court, posted this warning to servicemen tempted to enlist in orly's army:
this is very bad language. NO SOLDIER NEEDS TO DISOBEY AN ORDER FOR THE ISSUE OF POTUS ELIGIBILITY TO BE PROPERLY LITIGATED.
i do not believe the attorney meant to do harm, but the consent form is so incredibly dangerous that i must speak out about it. furthermore, i would counsel the attorney that they may be guilty of inciting sedition. please stop using this form and counseling people with regard thereto.
but most certifigaters, from the comfort of their armchairs, have been emboldened by the news. scott easterling, following in a long line of misguided and expendable patriots throughout the history of war, seems destined to join the dusty pile of bones littering the base of every false idol.
thank you mr. easterling!
wow..BRAVE MAN!! A REAL MAN!! between this and senator shelby today..i am beginning to have hope again. something is up!
(hmmm ... i guess word of shelby's "clarification" hasn't sunken in yet ...)
we need to get thousands of officers and enlisted soldiers to join him.
the mark of a soldier is someone who does more than talk, or hope, or pretend, or complain, but actually puts his body and life on the line.
IMO, it appears lt. easterling is putting the constitution and our country ahead of his personal future.
sounds an aweful like those who 'dared' sign a declaration of independence back in 1776.
if lt. easterling is indeed court martialed for this act, it will create a flood of military people standing up in his stead.
lt easterling is a hero, whose neck is further exposed than the patriot legislators in tennessee. rick santelli, another hero, has gotten some press exposure. might some press exposure help easterling? i'm retired military, and can guess that easterling has stirred a hornet's nest in his company. he will now pay whatever price the left can extract. is there some way we can make it worth his sacrifice?