Rightwing nuts known as the “birthers” go off the deep end

Although nothing will satisfy the rightwing nuts known as the “birthers,” Dr. Chiyome Fukino, the Health Director of the Hawaii State Department of Health, issued another statement on Monday that said President Obama was indeed born in Hawaii and is a U.S. citizen.

He issued a statement before the election in October 2008 that he saw the original birth certificate, and on Monday he did the same thing, according to a story in the Associated Press.

“I ... have seen the original vital records maintained on file by the Hawaii State Department of Health verifying Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawaii and is a natural-born American citizen," Fukino said in a brief statement. "I have nothing further to add to this statement or my original statement issued in October 2008 over eight months ago."

In recent weeks the so-called “birthers” have gone even further off the rails, and interest has intensified. One widely circulated YouTube clip of a recent town hall meeting showed a Republican congressman getting booed for saying Obama is a citizen, and one woman flung her birth certificate sealed in a baggie over her head. I have no idea what this is supposed to symbolize.

We saw some of this insanity and veiled racism at the false, so-called “tea parties” on April 15. But the insanity is even going mainstream. Ten Republican members of Congress co-sponsored a bill that would require future presidential candidates to provide a copy of their original birth certificate. Apparently, they are making a huge to-do about the difference between a birth certificate and a “Certificate of Live Birth.”

Factcheck put that no birth certificate myth to rest in August 2008, but it has not slowed down the crazies. Apparently, they believe there is a 47-year conspiracy involving the State of Hawaii, a couple of daily newspapers and the doctor and nurses present at the President’s birth.

But like the AP article says, Congress has moved on. The U.S. House on Monday unanimously by a vote of 388-0 approved a resolution recognizing and celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hawaii becoming the 50th state. A clause was included that reads: "Whereas the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961."

I have no idea why this BS is still going on almost a year after President Obama’s historic victory, I guess some people will never accept an African American President. No one made a big deal out of the fact John McCain was not born in the U.S., and it was only brought up in retaliation because of the charges of Republicans that Obama was not a citizen.

Those of us who live here in Michigan will remember former Gov. George Romney’s brief Presidential run in 1968, even though I was only 10, but not a whole lot of publicity or fuss was raised that he could not be President if elected. He was born to American parents in Colonia Dublán, Galeana, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, and he lived there until his Mormon parents returned to the U.S. when he was five years old.

What’s the difference between Barrack Obama and George Romney? It’s pretty obvious.

Walberg takes a dip in the sewer to try and keep his grip on his House seat

The spinning from extremist Tim Walberg and his rich alley, the Club for Growth, is spinning out of control as they see the 7th Congressional seat slipping away to Senate Minority Leader Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek.

The latest attack has hit rock bottom for both taste and outright lying. The latest despicable ad goes even lower than the last one and it ads the new lie to the others that Schauer voted to send pornography to children. Walberg continues to try and draw comparisons between Schauer and Academy Award winning filmmaker and Michigan resident Michael Moore. I can guarantee you this: Michael Moore has done more for Michigan than Walberg has, and that includes Walberg's 16 years in the state House and two in the U.S. House. He has accomplished virtually nothing.

I debunked the last ad where Walberg lied and said Schauer voted to give illegal immigrants a driver's license in Michigan. That lie was easy to debunk, and this one will just as easy too.

In the 1990's when Schauer was still in the Michigan House he voted with the majority against a bill that would have made it more difficult distribute pornographic material over the Internet. It was a good thing he voted in the majority because he saved Michigan taxpayers thousands of dollars in legal fees defending a bill that was overturned as unconstitutional.

This is contrast to Walberg's dismal record in protecting children. He has repeatedly voted against health care for children. I guess he figured they can just go to the emergency room like he tells the other 47 million uninsured Americans.

In every commercial Walberg claims Schauer was the "deciding vote on the largest tax hike in Michigan history." There is absolutely noting true about that statement, and it contains two lies.

You will recall that the Legislature had to make up a $1.8 billion budget deficit last year. The Legislature finally had to confront the constant tax cuts over the years with no corresponding cuts in spending. After painful cuts had been made across the board, the only other cuts would have had to have been made to vital public services like healthcare, education and public safety. After a brief government shutdown in the wee hours of Oct. 1, 2007 the Senate voted 19-19 for a slight increase in the state income tax and a since repealed sales tax on services.

Schauer is the minority leader in the Senate, meaning the Democrats are the minority in the Senate. That, of course, means Democrats cannot get anything passed in the Senate on their own, and in order to get anything passed Republicans had to vote for it. In a tie vote, the President of the Senate has to cast the tie-breaking vote, so the Lt. Governor actually cast the deciding vote.

Second, it's not the "largest tax hike in Michigan history." That actually occurred under Republican Gov. George Romney when the state income tax was implemented in 1960.

If you want to talk about tax increases, look at the crazy scheme Walberg co-sponsored. The National Sales Tax that would have placed a 30 percent sales tax on everything from food and prescription drugs to cars and homes. The dangerous plan would have had a devastating effect on senior citizens, working families and the auto industry.

It's easy to see why Walberg is taking a swim in the gutter. A new internal GOP tally of U.S. House races has all but conceded the 7th District seat to the Democrats. The poll rates 66 House Republican seats, and the 7th District seat has been rated as "likely gone" and placed on the death list.