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	<title>Comments on: Democratic Party Official Explains Why 2008 Certification to Hawaii Differed from Certifications to Other States</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/09/15/democratic-party-official-explains-why-2008-certification-to-hawaii-differed-from-certifications-to-other-states/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/09/15/democratic-party-official-explains-why-2008-certification-to-hawaii-differed-from-certifications-to-other-states/</link>
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		<title>By: Ms. Cris Ericson</title>
		<link>http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/09/15/democratic-party-official-explains-why-2008-certification-to-hawaii-differed-from-certifications-to-other-states/comment-page-1/#comment-778519</link>
		<dc:creator>Ms. Cris Ericson</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:58:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ballot-access.org/?p=8059#comment-778519</guid>
		<description>BIRTHERS!
REQUEST NEW FEC RULE REQUIRING CANDIDATE
ORIGINAL LONG FORM BIRTH CERTIFICATE!
http://www.fec.gov

If President Barack Hussein Obama is NOT a natural
born citizen, and he has been hiding and seriously and
willfully and intentionally concealing from the public
his original long form birth certificate,
THEN, should we try to keep this &quot;Usurper&quot; from 
being re-elected in 2012; and can we stop him
from being re-elected in 2012?

All Republican and Libertarian and Independent 
ATTORNEYS! LISTEN UP!
 PLEASE FILE A REQUEST
WITH THE FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION TO
CREATE A NEW RULE REQUIRING ALL CANDIDATES
FOR PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
TO PROVE THAT THEY
ARE NATURAL BORN CITIZENS AND TO CREATE A FILE
VIEWABLE BY THE PUBLIC.

STATUTORY BASIS FOR THIS REQUEST FOR A NEW RULE:

TITLE 11 CFR (CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS) Section 105.3
Place of filing; Presidential candidates and their principal campaign
committees (2 U.S.C. 432(g)(4).
All designations, statements, reports, and notices, as well as any 
modifications(s) or amendments(s) thereto, required to be filed
under 11 CFR parts 101, 102 and 104 by a candidate for nomination
for election or election to the office of President or Vice President
of the United States or by his or her principal campaign committee
shall be filed in ORIGINAL FORM with the FEDERAL ELECTION
COMMISSION.

11 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Chapter 1, Subchapter A
Section 111.4 
COMPLAINTS
 [2 U.S.C. Section 437g(a)(1)]
(a) Any person who believes that a violation of any statute or
regulation over which the Commission has jurisdiction has occurred
or is about to occur may file a complaint in writing to the 
General Counsel, Federal Election Commission, 999 E Street,
NW., Washington, DC 20463.  If possible, three (3) copies
should be submitted.
(b) A complaint shall comply with the following:
(1) It shall provide the full name and address of the complainant ; and
(2) The contents of the complaint shall be sworn to and signed in the 
presence of a notary public and shall be notarized.

The Federal Election Commission oversees all the money spent
in campaigns for federal office.  
11 CFR Ch. 1 Part 101 Section 101.2 CANDIDATE AS AGENT
OF AUTHORIZED COMMITEE [2 U.S.C. Section 432(e)(2)]

QUESTION: BECAUSE THE CANDIDATE IS THE AUTHORIZED
AGENT OF THE COMMITTEE, THEN, THEREFORE, 
SHOULD
THE DUTIES OF THE FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION
INCLUDE DETERMINING IF EACH CANDIDATE FOR
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IS IN FACT A
NATURAL BORN CITIZEN by providing their original 
long form birth certificate?

11 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Ch. 1, Subchapter B
Part 200
 PETITIONS FOR RULEMAKING

11 CFR Ch.1, SubCh. B, Section 200.2 PROCEDURAL 
REQUIREMENTS
(a) ANY INTERESTED PERSON MAY FILE WITH THE COMMISSION
A WRITTEN PETITION FOR THE ISSUANCE, AMENDMENT, OR
REPEAL OF A RULE IMPLEMENTING ANY OF THE FOLLOWING
STATUTES:
(1) The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended,  2 U.S.C. 431 et seq.;
(2) The Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act, as amended, 26 U.S.C. 9001 et seq.;
(3) The Presidential Primary Matching Payment Account Act, as amended, 26 U.S.C. 9031 
et seq.;
(4) The Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552; or
(5) Any other law that the Commission is required to implement and administer,

(b) THE PETITION SHALL
(1) Include the name and address of the Petitioner or Agent.  An Authorized
Agent of the Petitioner may submit the Petition, but the Agent shall disclose
the identitify of this or her principal;
(2) Identify itself as a PETITION for the ISSUANCE, AMENDMENT, OR REPEAL of a rule;
(3) Identify the specific section(s) of the regulations to be affected;
(4) Set forthe the factual and legal grounds on which the petitioner relies,
in support of the proposed action; and
(5) Be addressed and submitted to the
FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION, OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL,
999 E STREET, NW., WASHINGTON, DC 20463.
(c) The petition may include draft regulatory language that would effectuate
the petitionser&#039;s proposal.
(d) The Commission may, in its discretion, treat a document that fails to
conform to the format requirements of paragraph (b) of this section as a basis for a
sua sponte rulemaking.  For example, the Commission may consider whether to
intitiate a rulemaking project addressing issues raised in an advisory opinion request
submitted under 11 CFR 112.1 or in a complaint filed under 11 CFR 111.4. However, the
Commission need not follow the procedures of 11 CFR 200.3 in these instances.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>BIRTHERS!<br />
REQUEST NEW FEC RULE REQUIRING CANDIDATE<br />
ORIGINAL LONG FORM BIRTH CERTIFICATE!<br />
<a href="http://www.fec.gov" rel="nofollow">http://www.fec.gov</a></p>
<p>If President Barack Hussein Obama is NOT a natural<br />
born citizen, and he has been hiding and seriously and<br />
willfully and intentionally concealing from the public<br />
his original long form birth certificate,<br />
THEN, should we try to keep this &#8220;Usurper&#8221; from<br />
being re-elected in 2012; and can we stop him<br />
from being re-elected in 2012?</p>
<p>All Republican and Libertarian and Independent<br />
ATTORNEYS! LISTEN UP!<br />
 PLEASE FILE A REQUEST<br />
WITH THE FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION TO<br />
CREATE A NEW RULE REQUIRING ALL CANDIDATES<br />
FOR PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA<br />
TO PROVE THAT THEY<br />
ARE NATURAL BORN CITIZENS AND TO CREATE A FILE<br />
VIEWABLE BY THE PUBLIC.</p>
<p>STATUTORY BASIS FOR THIS REQUEST FOR A NEW RULE:</p>
<p>TITLE 11 CFR (CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS) Section 105.3<br />
Place of filing; Presidential candidates and their principal campaign<br />
committees (2 U.S.C. 432(g)(4).<br />
All designations, statements, reports, and notices, as well as any<br />
modifications(s) or amendments(s) thereto, required to be filed<br />
under 11 CFR parts 101, 102 and 104 by a candidate for nomination<br />
for election or election to the office of President or Vice President<br />
of the United States or by his or her principal campaign committee<br />
shall be filed in ORIGINAL FORM with the FEDERAL ELECTION<br />
COMMISSION.</p>
<p>11 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Chapter 1, Subchapter A<br />
Section 111.4<br />
COMPLAINTS<br />
 [2 U.S.C. Section 437g(a)(1)]<br />
(a) Any person who believes that a violation of any statute or<br />
regulation over which the Commission has jurisdiction has occurred<br />
or is about to occur may file a complaint in writing to the<br />
General Counsel, Federal Election Commission, 999 E Street,<br />
NW., Washington, DC 20463.  If possible, three (3) copies<br />
should be submitted.<br />
(b) A complaint shall comply with the following:<br />
(1) It shall provide the full name and address of the complainant ; and<br />
(2) The contents of the complaint shall be sworn to and signed in the<br />
presence of a notary public and shall be notarized.</p>
<p>The Federal Election Commission oversees all the money spent<br />
in campaigns for federal office.<br />
11 CFR Ch. 1 Part 101 Section 101.2 CANDIDATE AS AGENT<br />
OF AUTHORIZED COMMITEE [2 U.S.C. Section 432(e)(2)]</p>
<p>QUESTION: BECAUSE THE CANDIDATE IS THE AUTHORIZED<br />
AGENT OF THE COMMITTEE, THEN, THEREFORE,<br />
SHOULD<br />
THE DUTIES OF THE FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION<br />
INCLUDE DETERMINING IF EACH CANDIDATE FOR<br />
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IS IN FACT A<br />
NATURAL BORN CITIZEN by providing their original<br />
long form birth certificate?</p>
<p>11 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Ch. 1, Subchapter B<br />
Part 200<br />
 PETITIONS FOR RULEMAKING</p>
<p>11 CFR Ch.1, SubCh. B, Section 200.2 PROCEDURAL<br />
REQUIREMENTS<br />
(a) ANY INTERESTED PERSON MAY FILE WITH THE COMMISSION<br />
A WRITTEN PETITION FOR THE ISSUANCE, AMENDMENT, OR<br />
REPEAL OF A RULE IMPLEMENTING ANY OF THE FOLLOWING<br />
STATUTES:<br />
(1) The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended,  2 U.S.C. 431 et seq.;<br />
(2) The Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act, as amended, 26 U.S.C. 9001 et seq.;<br />
(3) The Presidential Primary Matching Payment Account Act, as amended, 26 U.S.C. 9031<br />
et seq.;<br />
(4) The Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552; or<br />
(5) Any other law that the Commission is required to implement and administer,</p>
<p>(b) THE PETITION SHALL<br />
(1) Include the name and address of the Petitioner or Agent.  An Authorized<br />
Agent of the Petitioner may submit the Petition, but the Agent shall disclose<br />
the identitify of this or her principal;<br />
(2) Identify itself as a PETITION for the ISSUANCE, AMENDMENT, OR REPEAL of a rule;<br />
(3) Identify the specific section(s) of the regulations to be affected;<br />
(4) Set forthe the factual and legal grounds on which the petitioner relies,<br />
in support of the proposed action; and<br />
(5) Be addressed and submitted to the<br />
FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION, OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL,<br />
999 E STREET, NW., WASHINGTON, DC 20463.<br />
(c) The petition may include draft regulatory language that would effectuate<br />
the petitionser&#8217;s proposal.<br />
(d) The Commission may, in its discretion, treat a document that fails to<br />
conform to the format requirements of paragraph (b) of this section as a basis for a<br />
sua sponte rulemaking.  For example, the Commission may consider whether to<br />
intitiate a rulemaking project addressing issues raised in an advisory opinion request<br />
submitted under 11 CFR 112.1 or in a complaint filed under 11 CFR 111.4. However, the<br />
Commission need not follow the procedures of 11 CFR 200.3 in these instances.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Jerry</title>
		<link>http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/09/15/democratic-party-official-explains-why-2008-certification-to-hawaii-differed-from-certifications-to-other-states/comment-page-1/#comment-778314</link>
		<dc:creator>Jerry</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:36:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ballot-access.org/?p=8059#comment-778314</guid>
		<description>#15-17

Yes, Hawaii has changed their birth certificates since 1961, as has every other state.  I think it has something to do with these newfangled things called computers.  If you write to Honolulu or any other state capitol today you will get something that looks like what Obama has, not those 1961 documents.  If you&#039;re asking what happened to his from 1961, his parents are dead and he&#039;s moved several times.  I don&#039;t have my original either and neither do my kids.  If we need documents, we write to the state we were born in and get the newfangled ones.  So far, no one has turned them down.

As far as the stimulus and other actions, the honest truth is that without those, we were virtually certain to have a 1930s style Depression.  Thanks to actions by the Fed and Treasury (under both Bush and Obama) as well as by every other country in the world, we are only having a 1980s style Recession and that is ending.  Had McCain won, he would have either done what Obama did or we would all be in deep doo-doo.

Them&#039;s the facts, Jack..</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>#15-17</p>
<p>Yes, Hawaii has changed their birth certificates since 1961, as has every other state.  I think it has something to do with these newfangled things called computers.  If you write to Honolulu or any other state capitol today you will get something that looks like what Obama has, not those 1961 documents.  If you&#8217;re asking what happened to his from 1961, his parents are dead and he&#8217;s moved several times.  I don&#8217;t have my original either and neither do my kids.  If we need documents, we write to the state we were born in and get the newfangled ones.  So far, no one has turned them down.</p>
<p>As far as the stimulus and other actions, the honest truth is that without those, we were virtually certain to have a 1930s style Depression.  Thanks to actions by the Fed and Treasury (under both Bush and Obama) as well as by every other country in the world, we are only having a 1980s style Recession and that is ending.  Had McCain won, he would have either done what Obama did or we would all be in deep doo-doo.</p>
<p>Them&#8217;s the facts, Jack..</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: borderraven</title>
		<link>http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/09/15/democratic-party-official-explains-why-2008-certification-to-hawaii-differed-from-certifications-to-other-states/comment-page-1/#comment-778298</link>
		<dc:creator>borderraven</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Sep 2009 04:55:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ballot-access.org/?p=8059#comment-778298</guid>
		<description>Jude, don&#039;t be crazy. I voted for W the second time, and he embarrassed me. I was happy to get him out of the Oval Office. I would have preferred McCain-Palin take the White House -- but I voted for Chuck Baldwin -- to provide a balance of power against the Democratic Congress. Here we are $trillions later. Maybe now that the treasury is raped, China will assert control over the shipping lanes, after they make Pearl Harbor look like mild spanking.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Jude, don&#8217;t be crazy. I voted for W the second time, and he embarrassed me. I was happy to get him out of the Oval Office. I would have preferred McCain-Palin take the White House &#8212; but I voted for Chuck Baldwin &#8212; to provide a balance of power against the Democratic Congress. Here we are $trillions later. Maybe now that the treasury is raped, China will assert control over the shipping lanes, after they make Pearl Harbor look like mild spanking.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: borderraven</title>
		<link>http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/09/15/democratic-party-official-explains-why-2008-certification-to-hawaii-differed-from-certifications-to-other-states/comment-page-1/#comment-778296</link>
		<dc:creator>borderraven</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Sep 2009 04:43:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ballot-access.org/?p=8059#comment-778296</guid>
		<description>The URL didn&#039;t work.

Try this
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/assets/gif/M1139416728.GIF

or http://bit.ly/eTT0C

or Google Images for &quot;M1139416728.GIF&quot;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The URL didn&#8217;t work.</p>
<p>Try this<br />
<a href="http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/assets/gif/M1139416728.GIF" rel="nofollow">http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/assets/gif/M1139416728.GIF</a></p>
<p>or <a href="http://bit.ly/eTT0C" rel="nofollow">http://bit.ly/eTT0C</a></p>
<p>or Google Images for &#8220;M1139416728.GIF&#8221;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: borderraven</title>
		<link>http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/09/15/democratic-party-official-explains-why-2008-certification-to-hawaii-differed-from-certifications-to-other-states/comment-page-1/#comment-778295</link>
		<dc:creator>borderraven</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Sep 2009 04:39:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ballot-access.org/?p=8059#comment-778295</guid>
		<description>#14 Is this what you need?

This looks like contrary evidence.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/assets/gif/M1139416728.GIF

Do you think Barack Obama can find his, AND/OR the state of Hawaii can locate the archived ORIGINAL, by 11/16/09?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>#14 Is this what you need?</p>
<p>This looks like contrary evidence.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/assets/gif/M1139416728.GIF" rel="nofollow">http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/assets/gif/M1139416728.GIF</a></p>
<p>Do you think Barack Obama can find his, AND/OR the state of Hawaii can locate the archived ORIGINAL, by 11/16/09?</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Jerry</title>
		<link>http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/09/15/democratic-party-official-explains-why-2008-certification-to-hawaii-differed-from-certifications-to-other-states/comment-page-1/#comment-778255</link>
		<dc:creator>Jerry</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:07:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ballot-access.org/?p=8059#comment-778255</guid>
		<description>#13 You obviously don&#039;t understand the legal concept of PRESUMPTION.  Just as the accused in a criminal trial is presumed innocent until proven otherwise, valid state documents like birth certificates are presumed to be proof of what they say until proven otherwise.  Obama has a fully valid certificate, vouched for by the state of Hawaii.  Forget about whether it says &quot;Birth Certificate&quot; or &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; on top-that is up to the Hawaii Dept of Health.  The important FACT is it states &quot;place of birth-Honolulu&quot;.  No one has shown any evidence to the contrary.  That would shut the silliness up except that some have interests in keeping the silliness going so they can raise money from suckers, appear on news shows and score political points.  It&#039;s as simple as that.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>#13 You obviously don&#8217;t understand the legal concept of PRESUMPTION.  Just as the accused in a criminal trial is presumed innocent until proven otherwise, valid state documents like birth certificates are presumed to be proof of what they say until proven otherwise.  Obama has a fully valid certificate, vouched for by the state of Hawaii.  Forget about whether it says &#8220;Birth Certificate&#8221; or &#8220;Certification of Live Birth&#8221; on top-that is up to the Hawaii Dept of Health.  The important FACT is it states &#8220;place of birth-Honolulu&#8221;.  No one has shown any evidence to the contrary.  That would shut the silliness up except that some have interests in keeping the silliness going so they can raise money from suckers, appear on news shows and score political points.  It&#8217;s as simple as that.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Jude</title>
		<link>http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/09/15/democratic-party-official-explains-why-2008-certification-to-hawaii-differed-from-certifications-to-other-states/comment-page-1/#comment-778254</link>
		<dc:creator>Jude</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:23:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ballot-access.org/?p=8059#comment-778254</guid>
		<description>Harley Says:
September 17th, 2009 at 3:46 am

&quot;If one â€œBirtherâ€ is not a part of the 25-30% who would have given â€œWâ€ a third term if given the chance, he/she wasnâ€™t of legal age on Election Day 2008.

So what do you expect them to understand? Facts mean nothing to them.&quot;

and Judge Land&#039;s order says:
&quot;â€œUnlike in â€˜Alice in Wonderland,â€™ simply saying something is so does not make it so,â€  


So, if the facts are what&#039;s important and proving the facts is important, why are &quot;the people&quot; supposed to accept Obama&#039;s birth in Hawaii when he refuses to prove it. Why can&#039;t &quot;the people&quot; see the real birth certificate and shut all this silliness up?  And why are &quot;the people&quot; demonized for asking to see it?  See Judge Land&#039;s ruling.  He refused to believe the plaintiffs because they didn&#039;t provide proof.  The proof of Obama&#039;s eligibility to Judge Land is all the money that was spent trying to beat him.  For some unknown reason no one who was able to beat him even tried.  This has turned into quite a mystery.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Harley Says:<br />
September 17th, 2009 at 3:46 am</p>
<p>&#8220;If one â€œBirtherâ€ is not a part of the 25-30% who would have given â€œWâ€ a third term if given the chance, he/she wasnâ€™t of legal age on Election Day 2008.</p>
<p>So what do you expect them to understand? Facts mean nothing to them.&#8221;</p>
<p>and Judge Land&#8217;s order says:<br />
&#8220;â€œUnlike in â€˜Alice in Wonderland,â€™ simply saying something is so does not make it so,â€  </p>
<p>So, if the facts are what&#8217;s important and proving the facts is important, why are &#8220;the people&#8221; supposed to accept Obama&#8217;s birth in Hawaii when he refuses to prove it. Why can&#8217;t &#8220;the people&#8221; see the real birth certificate and shut all this silliness up?  And why are &#8220;the people&#8221; demonized for asking to see it?  See Judge Land&#8217;s ruling.  He refused to believe the plaintiffs because they didn&#8217;t provide proof.  The proof of Obama&#8217;s eligibility to Judge Land is all the money that was spent trying to beat him.  For some unknown reason no one who was able to beat him even tried.  This has turned into quite a mystery.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Harley</title>
		<link>http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/09/15/democratic-party-official-explains-why-2008-certification-to-hawaii-differed-from-certifications-to-other-states/comment-page-1/#comment-778230</link>
		<dc:creator>Harley</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:46:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ballot-access.org/?p=8059#comment-778230</guid>
		<description>11 -

If one &quot;Birther&quot; is not a part of the 25-30% who would have given &quot;W&quot; a third term if given the chance, he/she wasn&#039;t of legal age on Election Day 2008.

So what do you expect them to understand?  Facts mean nothing to them.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>11 -</p>
<p>If one &#8220;Birther&#8221; is not a part of the 25-30% who would have given &#8220;W&#8221; a third term if given the chance, he/she wasn&#8217;t of legal age on Election Day 2008.</p>
<p>So what do you expect them to understand?  Facts mean nothing to them.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: Jerry</title>
		<link>http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/09/15/democratic-party-official-explains-why-2008-certification-to-hawaii-differed-from-certifications-to-other-states/comment-page-1/#comment-778213</link>
		<dc:creator>Jerry</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:23:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ballot-access.org/?p=8059#comment-778213</guid>
		<description>Judge Land is the essence of a wise judge and this case is the essence of a frivolous lawsuit.  Orly Taitz owes the taxpayers an apology and reparations for continuing to waste thye valuable time of courts throughout the country with her garbage.

What part of &quot;spurious claim&quot;, &quot;lacking in factual support&quot; do birthers mot understand?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Judge Land is the essence of a wise judge and this case is the essence of a frivolous lawsuit.  Orly Taitz owes the taxpayers an apology and reparations for continuing to waste thye valuable time of courts throughout the country with her garbage.</p>
<p>What part of &#8220;spurious claim&#8221;, &#8220;lacking in factual support&#8221; do birthers mot understand?</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>By: billvanallen</title>
		<link>http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/09/15/democratic-party-official-explains-why-2008-certification-to-hawaii-differed-from-certifications-to-other-states/comment-page-1/#comment-778192</link>
		<dc:creator>billvanallen</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:16:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ballot-access.org/?p=8059#comment-778192</guid>
		<description>IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF GEORGIA
COLUMBUS DIVISION
CONNIE RHODES,
Plaintiff,
vs.
THOMAS D. MACDONALD, Colonel,
Garrison Commander, Fort
Benning; et al.,
Defendants.
CASE NO. 4:09-CV-106 (CDL)
O R D E R
Plaintiff, a Captain in the United States Army, seeks a temporary restraining order to prevent the Army from deploying her to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Plaintiff alleges that her deployment orders are unconstitutional and unenforceable because President Barack Obama is not constitutionally eligible to act as Commander in Chief of the United States armed forces.  After conducting a hearing on Plaintiffâ€™s motion, the Court finds that Plaintiffâ€™s claims are frivolous.  Accordingly, her application for
a temporary restraining order (Doc. 3) is denied, and her Complaint is dismissed in its entirety.
Furthermore, Plaintiffâ€™s counsel is hereby notified that the filing of any future actions in this Court, which are similarly frivolous, shall subject counsel to sanctions. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 11(c).

BACKGROUND
Plaintiffâ€™s counsel is a self-proclaimed leader in what has become known as â€œthe birther movement.â€  She maintains that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States, and, therefore, he is
not eligible to be President of the United States.  See Dr. Orly Taitz, Esquire, [1] http://www.orlytaitzesq.com (last visited Sept. 15, 2009).  Counsel has filed numerous lawsuits in various parts of the country seeking a judicial determination as to the Presidentâ€™s legitimacy to hold the office of President.  The present action is the second such action filed in this Court in which counsel pursues her â€œbirther claim.â€  Her modus operandi is to use military officers as parties and have them allege that they should not be required to follow deployment orders because President Obama is not
constitutionally qualified to be President.  Although counsel has managed to fuel this â€œbirther movementâ€ with her litigation and press conferences, she does not appear to have prevailed on a single claim.[2] In fact, Plaintiff previously filed the present action in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.  That Court summarily dismissed her complaint upon finding that Plaintiff â€œhas no substantial likelihood of success on the merits.â€  Rhodes v. Gates, 5:09-CV-00703-XR, Order Den. Mot. for TRO 3 (W.D. Tex. Aug. 28, 2009). Counsel then re-filed the same action in this Court.
[1] Article II, Section 1, Clause 4 of the United States Constitution provides in relevant part that â€œNo Person except a natural born Citizen . . . shall be eligible to the Office of President.â€
[2] This Court dismissed an earlier action filed by Plaintiffâ€™s counsel on behalf of a military reservist based upon that plaintiffâ€™s lack of standing.  See Cook v. Good, No. 4:09-CV-82 (CDL), 2009 WL 2163535 (M.D. Ga. Jul. 16, 2009).
Plaintiffâ€™s counsel speculates that President Obama was not born in the United States based upon the Presidentâ€™s alleged refusal to disclose publicly an â€œofficial birth certificateâ€ that is satisfactory to Plaintiffâ€™s counsel and her followers.  She therefore seeks to have the judiciary compel the President to produce â€œsatisfactoryâ€ proof that he was born in the United States.  Counsel makes these allegations although a â€œshort-formâ€ birth certificate has been made publicly available which indicates that the President was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on August 4, 1961. To press her â€œbirther agenda,â€ Plaintiffâ€™s counsel has filed the present action on behalf of Captain Rhodes.  Captain Rhodes entered the Army in March of 2005 and presently serves as a medical doctor. The American taxpayers paid for her third and fourth years of medical school and financially supported her during her subsequent medical internship and residency program.  In exchange for this valuable free medical education, Captain Rhodes agreed to serve two years in active service in the Army.  She began that term of active service in July of 2008 and had no concerns about fulfilling her military obligation until she received orders notifying her that she would be deployed to Iraq in September of 2009.
Captain Rhodes does not seek a discharge from the Army; nor does she wish to be relieved entirely from her two year active service obligation.  She has not previously made any official complaints regarding any orders or assignments that she has received, including orders that have been issued since President Obama became Commander in Chief.  But she does not want to go to Iraq (or to any other destination where she may be in harmâ€™s way, for that matter).  Her â€œconscientious objectionsâ€ to serving under the current Commander in Chief apparently can be accommodated as long as she is permitted to remain on American soil. Captain Rhodes is presently stationed at Ft. Benning, Georgia awaiting deployment to Iraq.  This deployment is imminent and will likely occur absent an order from this Court granting Plaintiffâ€™s motion for a temporary restraining order.
[3] The Court observes that the President defeated seven opponents in a grueling campaign for his partyâ€™s nomination that lasted more than eighteen months and cost those opponents well over $300 million.  See Federal Election Commission, Presidential Pre-Nomination Campaign Disbursements Dec. 31, 2008, http://www.fec.gov/press/press2009/20090608Pres/3_2008PresPrimaryCmpgnDis.pdf (last visited Sept. 15, 2009).
Then the President faced a formidable opponent in the general election who received $84 million to conduct his general election campaign against the President.  Press Release, Federal Election Commission, 2008 Presidential Campaign Financial Activity Summarized (June 8, 2009), available at http://www.fec.gov/press/press2009/20090608PresStat.shtml.  It would appear that ample opportunity existed for discovery of evidence that would support any contention that the President was not eligible for the office he sought.
Furthermore, Congress is apparently satisfied that the President is qualified to serve.  Congress has not instituted impeachment proceedings, and in fact, the House of Representatives in a broad bipartisan manner has rejected the suggestion that the President is not eligible for office. See H.R. Res. 593, 111th Cong. (2009) (commemorating, by vote of 378-0, the 50th anniversary of Hawaiiâ€™s statehood and stating, â€œthe 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, was born in Hawaii on August
4, 1961â€).
DISCUSSION
I. Jurisdiction and Abstention
Plaintiff seeks to have this Court declare a deployment order issued by the United States Army void and unenforceable.  It is well settled that judicial interference in internal military affairs is disfavored.  As the Supreme Court has explained:
[J]udges are not given the task of running the Army. The responsibility for setting up channels through which such grievances can be considered and fairly settled rests upon the Congress and upon the President of the United States and his subordinates. The military constitutes a specialized community governed by a separate discipline from that of the civilian. Orderly government requires that the judiciary be as scrupulous not to interfere with legitimate Army matters as the Army must be scrupulous not to intervene in judicial matters.
Orloff v. Willoughby, 345 U.S. 83, 93-94 (1953), quoted with approval in Winck v. England, 327 F.3d 1296, 1302-03 (11th Cir. 2003).  The limitation on the judiciaryâ€™s involvement in military affairs does not mean that such interference is never appropriate.  However, â€œâ€˜a court should not review internal military affairs in the absence of (a) an allegation of the deprivation of a constitutional right, or an allegation that the military has acted in violation of applicable
statutes or its own regulations, and (b) exhaustion of available intraservice corrective measures.â€™â€ Winck, 327 F.3d at 1303 (quoting Mindes v. Seaman, 453 F.2d 197, 201 (5th Cir. 1971)).  Moreover, mere
allegations of a constitutional violation unsupported by a reasonable factual foundation are insufficient to warrant judicial review.  To hold otherwise would be to create chaos within the military decision-making process and chain of command.  As explained below, the Court must balance several factors to determine whether judicial review of a military decision is authorized.
Typically, the first issue to be resolved in cases seeking judicial review of a military decision is whether the soldier has exhausted all intraservice administrative remedies.  See Winck, 327 F.3d at 1304.  In the present case, Defendants do not contend that Plaintiff was required to exhaust her intraservice administrative remedies, presumably because no procedure is in place for a soldier to contest the qualifications of the Commander in Chief.  Defendants do argue, however, that the dispute presented by Plaintiffâ€™s complaint is not justiciable in the courts.
Even if a soldier has exhausted her intraservice administrative remedies, the Court must decline to review the military decision if the review would constitute an inappropriate intrusion into military
matters.  Id. at 1303 &amp; n.4 (citing Mindes, 453 F.2d at 201).  It has long been the law in this Circuit that in determining whether judicial review of a military decision should be undertaken, the reviewing court
â€˜must examine the substance of that allegation in light of the policy reasons behind nonreview of military matters,â€™ balancing four factors: (1) â€˜The nature and strength of the plaintiffâ€™s challenge to the military determinationâ€™; (2) â€˜The potential injury to the plaintiff if review is refusedâ€™; (3) â€˜The type and degree of anticipated interference with the military functionâ€™; and (4) â€˜The extent to which the exercise of military expertise or discretion is involved.â€™
Winck, 327 F.3d at 1303 n.4 (quoting Mindes, 453 F.2d at 201). Although certain aspects of the Mindes decision have been eroded through the years, the Eleventh Circuit has relatively recently reaffirmed the â€œunflagging strength of the principles of comity and judicial noninterference with, and respect for, military operations that informedâ€ the analysis in Mindes.  Winck, 327 F.3d at 1304.
[4] It is not always clear whether the analysis of the appropriateness of judicial review of military decisions involves subject matter jurisdiction or abstention principles based on comity and respect for the unique military decision-making process.  The Court finds that the proper analysis in this case requires an evaluation of the deployment order using principles of abstention.  See Winck, 327 F.3d at 1299-1300 (distinguishing subject matter jurisdiction from abstention principles).
Using the Mindes factors as an analytical framework, the Court finds that it is not authorized to interfere with Plaintiffâ€™s deployment orders.  First, Plaintiffâ€™s challenge to her deployment order is frivolous.  She has presented no credible evidence and has made no reliable factual allegations to support her unsubstantiated, conclusory allegations and conjecture that President Obama is ineligible to serve as President of the United States.  Instead, she uses her Complaint as a platform for spouting political rhetoric, such as her claims that the President is â€œan illegal usurper, an unlawful pretender, [and] an unqualified imposter.â€  (Compl. Â¶ 21.) She continues with bare, conclusory allegations that the President is â€œan alien, possibly even an unnaturalized or even an unadmitted illegal alien . . . without so much as lawful residency in the United States.â€  (Id. Â¶ 26.)  Then, implying that the President is either a wandering nomad or a prolific identity fraud crook, she alleges that the President â€œmight have used as many as 149 addresses and 39 social security numbers prior to assuming the office of President.â€  (Id. Â¶
110 (emphasis added).)  Acknowledging the existence of a document that shows the President was born in Hawaii, Plaintiff alleges that the document â€œcannot be verified as genuine, and should be presumed
fraudulent.â€  (Id. Â¶ 113 (emphasis added).)  In further support of her claim, Plaintiff relies upon â€œthe general opinion in the rest of the worldâ€ that â€œBarack Hussein Obama has, in essence, slipped through the guardrails to become President.â€  (Id. Â¶ 128.)  Moreover, as though the â€œgeneral opinion in the rest of the worldâ€ were not enough, Plaintiff alleges in her Complaint that according to an â€œAOL poll 85% of Americans believe that Obama was not vetted, needs to be vetted and his vital records need to be produced.â€ (Id. Â¶ 154.)
Finally, in a remarkable shifting of the traditional legal burden of proof, Plaintiff unashamedly alleges that Defendant has the burden to prove his â€œnatural bornâ€ status.  (Id. Â¶Â¶ 136-138, 148.)  Thus, Plaintiffâ€™s counsel, who champions herself as a defender of liberty and freedom, seeks to use the power of the judiciary to compel a citizen, albeit the President of the United States, to â€œprove his innocenceâ€ to â€œchargesâ€ that are based upon conjecture and speculation.  Any middle school civics student would readily recognize the irony of abandoning fundamental principles upon which our Country was founded in order to purportedly â€œprotect and preserveâ€ those very principles.
Although the Court has determined that the appropriate analysis here involves principles of abstention and not an examination of whether Plaintiffâ€™s complaint fails to state a claim under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), the Court does find the Rule 12(b)(6) analysis helpful in confirming the Courtâ€™s conclusion that Plaintiffâ€™s claim has no merit.  To state a claim upon which relief may be granted, Plaintiff must allege sufficient facts to state a claim to relief that is â€œplausible on its face.â€  Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949 (2009) (internal quotation marks omitted).  For a complaint to be facially plausible, the Court must be able â€œto draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the
misconduct allegedâ€ based upon a review of the factual content pled by the Plaintiff.  Id.  The factual allegations must be sufficient â€œto raise a right to relief above the speculative level.â€ Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007).  Plaintiffâ€™s complaint is not plausible on its face.  To the extent that it alleges any â€œfacts,â€ the Complaint does not connect those facts to any actual violation of Plaintiffâ€™s individual constitutional rights.  Unlike in Alice in Wonderland, simply saying something is so does not make it so.  The weakness of Plaintiffâ€™s claim certainly weighs heavily against judicial review of the deployment order, and in fact, would
One piece of â€œevidenceâ€ Plaintiffâ€™s counsel relies upon deserves further discussion.  Counsel has produced a document that she claims shows the President was born in Kenya, yet she has not authenticated that document.  She has produced an affidavit from someone who allegedly obtained the document from a hospital in Mombasa, Kenya by paying â€œa cash â€˜considerationâ€™ to a Kenyan military officer on duty to look the other way, while [he] obtained the copyâ€ of the document. (Smith Decl. Â¶ 7,
Sept. 3, 2009.)  Counsel has not, however, produced an original certificate of authentication from the government agency that supposedly has official custody of the document.  Therefore, the Court finds that the alleged document is unreliable due to counselâ€™s failure to properly authenticate the document.  See Fed. R. Evid. 901. 10
authorize dismissal of Plaintiffâ€™s complaint for failure to state a claim.5 Examining the second Mindes factor, the Court further finds that the risk of potential irreparable injury to Plaintiff as a result of the Courtâ€™s refusal to review the deployment order is minimal. Plaintiff has not sought to be excused from all military service. She does not seek a discharge from the Army.   She does not even seek to avoid taking military orders under President Obamaâ€™s watch.  She simply seeks to avoid being deployed to Iraq.   As observed by the Eleventh Circuit, one â€œcannot say that military deployment, in and of
itself, necessarily entails [irreparable harm], even if to volatile regions.â€  Winck, 327 F.3d at 1305 n.9.  â€œHolding otherwise could unduly hamper urgent military operations during times of crisis.â€ Id.  Thus, the lack of potential irreparable harm to Plaintiff weighs against judicial review.
Finally, the â€œtype and degree of anticipated interference with the military functionâ€ that judicial review would cause is significantly burdensome.  Any interference with a deployment order injects the Court directly into the internal affairs of the military. This type of interference has serious implications. For example, it would encourage other soldiers who are not satisfied with their deployment destination to seek review in the courts. It also will have an adverse effect on other soldiers who honorably perform their duties.  Presumably, some other military doctor, who does not resort to frivolous litigation to question the Presidentâ€™s legitimacy as Commander in Chief, would be required to go to Iraq in Plaintiffâ€™s
place.  Similarly, the doctor who Plaintiff is being sent to relieve and who has likely been there for months would be delayed in receiving his well deserved leave because his replacement seeks special treatment due to her political views or reservations about being placed in harmâ€™s way.  â€œIt is not difficult to see that the exercise of such jurisdiction as is here urged would be a disruptive force as to affairs peculiarly within the jurisdiction of the military authorities.â€  Orloff, 345 U.S. at 94-95.
Based on an evaluation of all of these factors, the Court concludes that it must abstain from interfering with the Armyâ€™s deployment orders.  Accordingly, Plaintiffâ€™s motion for a temporary restraining order is denied, and her complaint is dismissed in its entirety.
II. Failure to Satisfy Elements for Temporary Restraining Order
Even if the Court did not abstain from deciding the merits of Plaintiffâ€™s claim, the Court finds that Plaintiff has failed to  establish her entitlement to a temporary restraining order.
Plaintiff must establish the following to obtain a temporary restraining order:
(1) [Plaintiff] has a substantial likelihood of success on the merits;
(2) irreparable injury will be suffered unless the injunction issues;
(3) the threatened injury to [Plaintiff] outweighs whatever damage the proposed injunction may cause the opposing party; and
(4) if issued, the injunction would not be adverse to the public interest.
Schiavo ex rel. Schindler v. Schiavo, 403 F.3d 1223, 1231 (11th Cir. 2005).
As explained previously, Plaintiff has demonstrated no likelihood of success on the merits.  Her claims are based on sheer conjecture and speculation.  She alleges no factual basis for her â€œhunchâ€ or â€œfeelingâ€ or subjective belief that the President was not born in the United States.  Moreover, she cites no legal authority supporting her bold contention that the alleged â€œcloudâ€ over the Presidentâ€™s birthplace amounts to a violation of her individual constitutional rights.  Thus, for these reasons alone, she is not
entitled to a temporary restraining order.
Second, as previously noted, the Courtâ€™s refusal to interfere with Plaintiffâ€™s deployment orders does not pose a substantial threat of irreparable injury to her.  Plaintiff does not seek to be discharged and apparently is willing to follow all orders from her military command except for any order that deploys her to Iraq.
Although close proximity to any combat zone certainly involves personal danger, Plaintiff, somewhat disingenuously, claims that fear is not her motivation for avoiding her military duty.  She  insists that she would have no qualms about fulfilling her duties if President George W. Bush was still in office.  The Court cannot find from the present record that deployment to Iraq under the current administration will subject Plaintiff to any threat of harm that is different than the harm to which she would be exposed if another candidate had won the election.  A substantial threat of irreparable harm related to her desire not to serve in Iraq under the current President simply does not exist.
Third, any potential threatened injury that may be caused to Plaintiff by the denial of the temporary restraining order certainly does not outweigh the harm that will result if the injunction is granted.  As mentioned previously, the threatened injury to Plaintiff is not substantial; yet if the temporary restraining order was granted, the harmful interference with military operations would be significant.
Finally, Plaintiff has failed to establish that the granting of the temporary restraining order will not be adverse to the public interest.  A spurious claim questioning the Presidentâ€™s constitutional legitimacy may be protected by the First Amendment, but a Courtâ€™s placement of its imprimatur upon a claim that is so  lacking in factual support that it is frivolous would undoubtedly disserve the public interest.
For all of these reasons, the Court finds that Plaintiffâ€™s motion for a temporary restraining order should be denied.
CONCLUSION
For the reasons previously stated, Plaintiffâ€™s motion for a temporary restraining order is denied and Plaintiffâ€™s complaint is dismissed in its entirety.  Defendants shall recover their costs from Plaintiff.  See Fed. R. Civ. P. 54(d).
IT IS SO ORDERED, this 16th day of September, 2009. S/Clay D. Land
CLAY D. LAND
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT<br />
FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF GEORGIA<br />
COLUMBUS DIVISION<br />
CONNIE RHODES,<br />
Plaintiff,<br />
vs.<br />
THOMAS D. MACDONALD, Colonel,<br />
Garrison Commander, Fort<br />
Benning; et al.,<br />
Defendants.<br />
CASE NO. 4:09-CV-106 (CDL)<br />
O R D E R<br />
Plaintiff, a Captain in the United States Army, seeks a temporary restraining order to prevent the Army from deploying her to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Plaintiff alleges that her deployment orders are unconstitutional and unenforceable because President Barack Obama is not constitutionally eligible to act as Commander in Chief of the United States armed forces.  After conducting a hearing on Plaintiffâ€™s motion, the Court finds that Plaintiffâ€™s claims are frivolous.  Accordingly, her application for<br />
a temporary restraining order (Doc. 3) is denied, and her Complaint is dismissed in its entirety.<br />
Furthermore, Plaintiffâ€™s counsel is hereby notified that the filing of any future actions in this Court, which are similarly frivolous, shall subject counsel to sanctions. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 11(c).</p>
<p>BACKGROUND<br />
Plaintiffâ€™s counsel is a self-proclaimed leader in what has become known as â€œthe birther movement.â€  She maintains that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States, and, therefore, he is<br />
not eligible to be President of the United States.  See Dr. Orly Taitz, Esquire, [1] <a href="http://www.orlytaitzesq.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.orlytaitzesq.com</a> (last visited Sept. 15, 2009).  Counsel has filed numerous lawsuits in various parts of the country seeking a judicial determination as to the Presidentâ€™s legitimacy to hold the office of President.  The present action is the second such action filed in this Court in which counsel pursues her â€œbirther claim.â€  Her modus operandi is to use military officers as parties and have them allege that they should not be required to follow deployment orders because President Obama is not<br />
constitutionally qualified to be President.  Although counsel has managed to fuel this â€œbirther movementâ€ with her litigation and press conferences, she does not appear to have prevailed on a single claim.[2] In fact, Plaintiff previously filed the present action in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.  That Court summarily dismissed her complaint upon finding that Plaintiff â€œhas no substantial likelihood of success on the merits.â€  Rhodes v. Gates, 5:09-CV-00703-XR, Order Den. Mot. for TRO 3 (W.D. Tex. Aug. 28, 2009). Counsel then re-filed the same action in this Court.<br />
[1] Article II, Section 1, Clause 4 of the United States Constitution provides in relevant part that â€œNo Person except a natural born Citizen . . . shall be eligible to the Office of President.â€<br />
[2] This Court dismissed an earlier action filed by Plaintiffâ€™s counsel on behalf of a military reservist based upon that plaintiffâ€™s lack of standing.  See Cook v. Good, No. 4:09-CV-82 (CDL), 2009 WL 2163535 (M.D. Ga. Jul. 16, 2009).<br />
Plaintiffâ€™s counsel speculates that President Obama was not born in the United States based upon the Presidentâ€™s alleged refusal to disclose publicly an â€œofficial birth certificateâ€ that is satisfactory to Plaintiffâ€™s counsel and her followers.  She therefore seeks to have the judiciary compel the President to produce â€œsatisfactoryâ€ proof that he was born in the United States.  Counsel makes these allegations although a â€œshort-formâ€ birth certificate has been made publicly available which indicates that the President was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on August 4, 1961. To press her â€œbirther agenda,â€ Plaintiffâ€™s counsel has filed the present action on behalf of Captain Rhodes.  Captain Rhodes entered the Army in March of 2005 and presently serves as a medical doctor. The American taxpayers paid for her third and fourth years of medical school and financially supported her during her subsequent medical internship and residency program.  In exchange for this valuable free medical education, Captain Rhodes agreed to serve two years in active service in the Army.  She began that term of active service in July of 2008 and had no concerns about fulfilling her military obligation until she received orders notifying her that she would be deployed to Iraq in September of 2009.<br />
Captain Rhodes does not seek a discharge from the Army; nor does she wish to be relieved entirely from her two year active service obligation.  She has not previously made any official complaints regarding any orders or assignments that she has received, including orders that have been issued since President Obama became Commander in Chief.  But she does not want to go to Iraq (or to any other destination where she may be in harmâ€™s way, for that matter).  Her â€œconscientious objectionsâ€ to serving under the current Commander in Chief apparently can be accommodated as long as she is permitted to remain on American soil. Captain Rhodes is presently stationed at Ft. Benning, Georgia awaiting deployment to Iraq.  This deployment is imminent and will likely occur absent an order from this Court granting Plaintiffâ€™s motion for a temporary restraining order.<br />
[3] The Court observes that the President defeated seven opponents in a grueling campaign for his partyâ€™s nomination that lasted more than eighteen months and cost those opponents well over $300 million.  See Federal Election Commission, Presidential Pre-Nomination Campaign Disbursements Dec. 31, 2008, <a href="http://www.fec.gov/press/press2009/20090608Pres/3_2008PresPrimaryCmpgnDis.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.fec.gov/press/press2009/20090608Pres/3_2008PresPrimaryCmpgnDis.pdf</a> (last visited Sept. 15, 2009).<br />
Then the President faced a formidable opponent in the general election who received $84 million to conduct his general election campaign against the President.  Press Release, Federal Election Commission, 2008 Presidential Campaign Financial Activity Summarized (June 8, 2009), available at <a href="http://www.fec.gov/press/press2009/20090608PresStat.shtml" rel="nofollow">http://www.fec.gov/press/press2009/20090608PresStat.shtml</a>.  It would appear that ample opportunity existed for discovery of evidence that would support any contention that the President was not eligible for the office he sought.<br />
Furthermore, Congress is apparently satisfied that the President is qualified to serve.  Congress has not instituted impeachment proceedings, and in fact, the House of Representatives in a broad bipartisan manner has rejected the suggestion that the President is not eligible for office. See H.R. Res. 593, 111th Cong. (2009) (commemorating, by vote of 378-0, the 50th anniversary of Hawaiiâ€™s statehood and stating, â€œthe 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, was born in Hawaii on August<br />
4, 1961â€).<br />
DISCUSSION<br />
I. Jurisdiction and Abstention<br />
Plaintiff seeks to have this Court declare a deployment order issued by the United States Army void and unenforceable.  It is well settled that judicial interference in internal military affairs is disfavored.  As the Supreme Court has explained:<br />
[J]udges are not given the task of running the Army. The responsibility for setting up channels through which such grievances can be considered and fairly settled rests upon the Congress and upon the President of the United States and his subordinates. The military constitutes a specialized community governed by a separate discipline from that of the civilian. Orderly government requires that the judiciary be as scrupulous not to interfere with legitimate Army matters as the Army must be scrupulous not to intervene in judicial matters.<br />
Orloff v. Willoughby, 345 U.S. 83, 93-94 (1953), quoted with approval in Winck v. England, 327 F.3d 1296, 1302-03 (11th Cir. 2003).  The limitation on the judiciaryâ€™s involvement in military affairs does not mean that such interference is never appropriate.  However, â€œâ€˜a court should not review internal military affairs in the absence of (a) an allegation of the deprivation of a constitutional right, or an allegation that the military has acted in violation of applicable<br />
statutes or its own regulations, and (b) exhaustion of available intraservice corrective measures.â€™â€ Winck, 327 F.3d at 1303 (quoting Mindes v. Seaman, 453 F.2d 197, 201 (5th Cir. 1971)).  Moreover, mere<br />
allegations of a constitutional violation unsupported by a reasonable factual foundation are insufficient to warrant judicial review.  To hold otherwise would be to create chaos within the military decision-making process and chain of command.  As explained below, the Court must balance several factors to determine whether judicial review of a military decision is authorized.<br />
Typically, the first issue to be resolved in cases seeking judicial review of a military decision is whether the soldier has exhausted all intraservice administrative remedies.  See Winck, 327 F.3d at 1304.  In the present case, Defendants do not contend that Plaintiff was required to exhaust her intraservice administrative remedies, presumably because no procedure is in place for a soldier to contest the qualifications of the Commander in Chief.  Defendants do argue, however, that the dispute presented by Plaintiffâ€™s complaint is not justiciable in the courts.<br />
Even if a soldier has exhausted her intraservice administrative remedies, the Court must decline to review the military decision if the review would constitute an inappropriate intrusion into military<br />
matters.  Id. at 1303 &amp; n.4 (citing Mindes, 453 F.2d at 201).  It has long been the law in this Circuit that in determining whether judicial review of a military decision should be undertaken, the reviewing court<br />
â€˜must examine the substance of that allegation in light of the policy reasons behind nonreview of military matters,â€™ balancing four factors: (1) â€˜The nature and strength of the plaintiffâ€™s challenge to the military determinationâ€™; (2) â€˜The potential injury to the plaintiff if review is refusedâ€™; (3) â€˜The type and degree of anticipated interference with the military functionâ€™; and (4) â€˜The extent to which the exercise of military expertise or discretion is involved.â€™<br />
Winck, 327 F.3d at 1303 n.4 (quoting Mindes, 453 F.2d at 201). Although certain aspects of the Mindes decision have been eroded through the years, the Eleventh Circuit has relatively recently reaffirmed the â€œunflagging strength of the principles of comity and judicial noninterference with, and respect for, military operations that informedâ€ the analysis in Mindes.  Winck, 327 F.3d at 1304.<br />
[4] It is not always clear whether the analysis of the appropriateness of judicial review of military decisions involves subject matter jurisdiction or abstention principles based on comity and respect for the unique military decision-making process.  The Court finds that the proper analysis in this case requires an evaluation of the deployment order using principles of abstention.  See Winck, 327 F.3d at 1299-1300 (distinguishing subject matter jurisdiction from abstention principles).<br />
Using the Mindes factors as an analytical framework, the Court finds that it is not authorized to interfere with Plaintiffâ€™s deployment orders.  First, Plaintiffâ€™s challenge to her deployment order is frivolous.  She has presented no credible evidence and has made no reliable factual allegations to support her unsubstantiated, conclusory allegations and conjecture that President Obama is ineligible to serve as President of the United States.  Instead, she uses her Complaint as a platform for spouting political rhetoric, such as her claims that the President is â€œan illegal usurper, an unlawful pretender, [and] an unqualified imposter.â€  (Compl. Â¶ 21.) She continues with bare, conclusory allegations that the President is â€œan alien, possibly even an unnaturalized or even an unadmitted illegal alien . . . without so much as lawful residency in the United States.â€  (Id. Â¶ 26.)  Then, implying that the President is either a wandering nomad or a prolific identity fraud crook, she alleges that the President â€œmight have used as many as 149 addresses and 39 social security numbers prior to assuming the office of President.â€  (Id. Â¶<br />
110 (emphasis added).)  Acknowledging the existence of a document that shows the President was born in Hawaii, Plaintiff alleges that the document â€œcannot be verified as genuine, and should be presumed<br />
fraudulent.â€  (Id. Â¶ 113 (emphasis added).)  In further support of her claim, Plaintiff relies upon â€œthe general opinion in the rest of the worldâ€ that â€œBarack Hussein Obama has, in essence, slipped through the guardrails to become President.â€  (Id. Â¶ 128.)  Moreover, as though the â€œgeneral opinion in the rest of the worldâ€ were not enough, Plaintiff alleges in her Complaint that according to an â€œAOL poll 85% of Americans believe that Obama was not vetted, needs to be vetted and his vital records need to be produced.â€ (Id. Â¶ 154.)<br />
Finally, in a remarkable shifting of the traditional legal burden of proof, Plaintiff unashamedly alleges that Defendant has the burden to prove his â€œnatural bornâ€ status.  (Id. Â¶Â¶ 136-138, 148.)  Thus, Plaintiffâ€™s counsel, who champions herself as a defender of liberty and freedom, seeks to use the power of the judiciary to compel a citizen, albeit the President of the United States, to â€œprove his innocenceâ€ to â€œchargesâ€ that are based upon conjecture and speculation.  Any middle school civics student would readily recognize the irony of abandoning fundamental principles upon which our Country was founded in order to purportedly â€œprotect and preserveâ€ those very principles.<br />
Although the Court has determined that the appropriate analysis here involves principles of abstention and not an examination of whether Plaintiffâ€™s complaint fails to state a claim under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), the Court does find the Rule 12(b)(6) analysis helpful in confirming the Courtâ€™s conclusion that Plaintiffâ€™s claim has no merit.  To state a claim upon which relief may be granted, Plaintiff must allege sufficient facts to state a claim to relief that is â€œplausible on its face.â€  Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949 (2009) (internal quotation marks omitted).  For a complaint to be facially plausible, the Court must be able â€œto draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the<br />
misconduct allegedâ€ based upon a review of the factual content pled by the Plaintiff.  Id.  The factual allegations must be sufficient â€œto raise a right to relief above the speculative level.â€ Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007).  Plaintiffâ€™s complaint is not plausible on its face.  To the extent that it alleges any â€œfacts,â€ the Complaint does not connect those facts to any actual violation of Plaintiffâ€™s individual constitutional rights.  Unlike in Alice in Wonderland, simply saying something is so does not make it so.  The weakness of Plaintiffâ€™s claim certainly weighs heavily against judicial review of the deployment order, and in fact, would<br />
One piece of â€œevidenceâ€ Plaintiffâ€™s counsel relies upon deserves further discussion.  Counsel has produced a document that she claims shows the President was born in Kenya, yet she has not authenticated that document.  She has produced an affidavit from someone who allegedly obtained the document from a hospital in Mombasa, Kenya by paying â€œa cash â€˜considerationâ€™ to a Kenyan military officer on duty to look the other way, while [he] obtained the copyâ€ of the document. (Smith Decl. Â¶ 7,<br />
Sept. 3, 2009.)  Counsel has not, however, produced an original certificate of authentication from the government agency that supposedly has official custody of the document.  Therefore, the Court finds that the alleged document is unreliable due to counselâ€™s failure to properly authenticate the document.  See Fed. R. Evid. 901. 10<br />
authorize dismissal of Plaintiffâ€™s complaint for failure to state a claim.5 Examining the second Mindes factor, the Court further finds that the risk of potential irreparable injury to Plaintiff as a result of the Courtâ€™s refusal to review the deployment order is minimal. Plaintiff has not sought to be excused from all military service. She does not seek a discharge from the Army.   She does not even seek to avoid taking military orders under President Obamaâ€™s watch.  She simply seeks to avoid being deployed to Iraq.   As observed by the Eleventh Circuit, one â€œcannot say that military deployment, in and of<br />
itself, necessarily entails [irreparable harm], even if to volatile regions.â€  Winck, 327 F.3d at 1305 n.9.  â€œHolding otherwise could unduly hamper urgent military operations during times of crisis.â€ Id.  Thus, the lack of potential irreparable harm to Plaintiff weighs against judicial review.<br />
Finally, the â€œtype and degree of anticipated interference with the military functionâ€ that judicial review would cause is significantly burdensome.  Any interference with a deployment order injects the Court directly into the internal affairs of the military. This type of interference has serious implications. For example, it would encourage other soldiers who are not satisfied with their deployment destination to seek review in the courts. It also will have an adverse effect on other soldiers who honorably perform their duties.  Presumably, some other military doctor, who does not resort to frivolous litigation to question the Presidentâ€™s legitimacy as Commander in Chief, would be required to go to Iraq in Plaintiffâ€™s<br />
place.  Similarly, the doctor who Plaintiff is being sent to relieve and who has likely been there for months would be delayed in receiving his well deserved leave because his replacement seeks special treatment due to her political views or reservations about being placed in harmâ€™s way.  â€œIt is not difficult to see that the exercise of such jurisdiction as is here urged would be a disruptive force as to affairs peculiarly within the jurisdiction of the military authorities.â€  Orloff, 345 U.S. at 94-95.<br />
Based on an evaluation of all of these factors, the Court concludes that it must abstain from interfering with the Armyâ€™s deployment orders.  Accordingly, Plaintiffâ€™s motion for a temporary restraining order is denied, and her complaint is dismissed in its entirety.<br />
II. Failure to Satisfy Elements for Temporary Restraining Order<br />
Even if the Court did not abstain from deciding the merits of Plaintiffâ€™s claim, the Court finds that Plaintiff has failed to  establish her entitlement to a temporary restraining order.<br />
Plaintiff must establish the following to obtain a temporary restraining order:<br />
(1) [Plaintiff] has a substantial likelihood of success on the merits;<br />
(2) irreparable injury will be suffered unless the injunction issues;<br />
(3) the threatened injury to [Plaintiff] outweighs whatever damage the proposed injunction may cause the opposing party; and<br />
(4) if issued, the injunction would not be adverse to the public interest.<br />
Schiavo ex rel. Schindler v. Schiavo, 403 F.3d 1223, 1231 (11th Cir. 2005).<br />
As explained previously, Plaintiff has demonstrated no likelihood of success on the merits.  Her claims are based on sheer conjecture and speculation.  She alleges no factual basis for her â€œhunchâ€ or â€œfeelingâ€ or subjective belief that the President was not born in the United States.  Moreover, she cites no legal authority supporting her bold contention that the alleged â€œcloudâ€ over the Presidentâ€™s birthplace amounts to a violation of her individual constitutional rights.  Thus, for these reasons alone, she is not<br />
entitled to a temporary restraining order.<br />
Second, as previously noted, the Courtâ€™s refusal to interfere with Plaintiffâ€™s deployment orders does not pose a substantial threat of irreparable injury to her.  Plaintiff does not seek to be discharged and apparently is willing to follow all orders from her military command except for any order that deploys her to Iraq.<br />
Although close proximity to any combat zone certainly involves personal danger, Plaintiff, somewhat disingenuously, claims that fear is not her motivation for avoiding her military duty.  She  insists that she would have no qualms about fulfilling her duties if President George W. Bush was still in office.  The Court cannot find from the present record that deployment to Iraq under the current administration will subject Plaintiff to any threat of harm that is different than the harm to which she would be exposed if another candidate had won the election.  A substantial threat of irreparable harm related to her desire not to serve in Iraq under the current President simply does not exist.<br />
Third, any potential threatened injury that may be caused to Plaintiff by the denial of the temporary restraining order certainly does not outweigh the harm that will result if the injunction is granted.  As mentioned previously, the threatened injury to Plaintiff is not substantial; yet if the temporary restraining order was granted, the harmful interference with military operations would be significant.<br />
Finally, Plaintiff has failed to establish that the granting of the temporary restraining order will not be adverse to the public interest.  A spurious claim questioning the Presidentâ€™s constitutional legitimacy may be protected by the First Amendment, but a Courtâ€™s placement of its imprimatur upon a claim that is so  lacking in factual support that it is frivolous would undoubtedly disserve the public interest.<br />
For all of these reasons, the Court finds that Plaintiffâ€™s motion for a temporary restraining order should be denied.<br />
CONCLUSION<br />
For the reasons previously stated, Plaintiffâ€™s motion for a temporary restraining order is denied and Plaintiffâ€™s complaint is dismissed in its entirety.  Defendants shall recover their costs from Plaintiff.  See Fed. R. Civ. P. 54(d).<br />
IT IS SO ORDERED, this 16th day of September, 2009. S/Clay D. Land<br />
CLAY D. LAND<br />
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE</p>
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