UPDATE ON BERG VS OBAMA LAWSUIT (birth certificate)
9:35pm
I just got off the phone with Philip Berg, asked some easy questions and some tough ones. I'm no Chris Matthews--for starters, the sight of Barack Obama does not send a chill up my leg--but I think I did a fair job. Keep checking America's Right for the Q&A once I've had a chance to put everything together.
5:15pm
I've obtained copies of the hearing proceedings and the order denying the TRO. The order actually says that the hearing was conducted in open court--not behind closed doors as I had been informed--and I am kicking myself for not sitting in.
Expect more here at America's Right on where the proceedings go from here and what it all means -- just as soon as I go home and eat a nice dinner with my lovely wife and beautiful daughter.
I should bring flowers, as I expect to spend this evening as I did yesterday, sitting in my home office in front of the computer. Flowers work, right?
3:00pm
I just spoke with Philip Berg. The temporary restraining order was denied by the Hon. R. Barclay Surrick, but the exhibits have been taken into evidence and Judge Surrick has decided to leave the case open, allowing subject to once again be brought forth once all parties are served.
He mentioned that all related pleadings and documents can be found at ObamaCrimes.com, including the original complaint, the memorandum in support of the temporary restraining order, the press release, and more.
Furthermore, upon being pressed, he acknowledged that some issues in his background could serve to hinder his credibility, and promised to address those issues with me soon. He also acknowledged that Judge Surrick asked why, after months of eligibility-related information swirling around the Web, he waited until the week before the convention to file suit.
"I told him that somebody had to," he said.
When I asked, Berg also mentioned that he has had "no contact" with anyone in Hillary Clinton's camp, and if fact does not even know the political affiliations of those who worked with him on preparing materials for the case.
Developing as we speak ...
1:40pm
Listen, folks. I have no idea as to the veracity of the allegations found within Philip Berg's civil action. All I have is the civil action filed by Philip Berg yesterday afternoon. Here's some of what I've learned since then:
Philip Berg has an employment and service history which, on its face, insinuates credibility. He did serve as Deputy Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, held various positions in local Democratic party leadership, and ran for office on several occasions.
Personally, these 9/11 conspiracy theories make me queasy, as I feel we face a threat in fundamentalist Islam which has been documented since the very first days of our nation's history, and threatens Western civilization now more than ever. America, my friends, is not infallible, and bringing forth controversy about 9/11 where there is none only serves to distract us from the task at hand. Second, his ethics have previously been brought into question. Should this lawsuit go forward, those looking to protect Barack Obama will have no problem bringing forth these issues, all the while ignoring Obama's own questionable actions, associations and practices. All that being said, Mr. Berg and I have similar interests -- ensuring that the presidency goes to someone who, ideology aside, has a right to be there in the first place.
Factcheck.org posted a counter-argument yesterday to many of Berg's claims and claims of those who feel the same way that he does. I am not a forensic scientist, and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, so I have no means of knowing whether to lend credence to Factcheck's version of the birth certificate controversy, or to Berg's. What I do know is that Barack Obama's failure to be forthright with regard to this issue is sketchy at best, and that Factcheck.org is owned by The Annenberg Foundation, which has been accused of sweeping potentially damaging information about Obama under the proverbial rug.
As I wrote in today's commentary, Eligibility Goes Beyond Citizenship, the impact of this lawsuit does not depend solely upon the veracity of the charges leveled by Berg.
To me, This lawsuit is an indictment of the mainstream media for protecting their Chosen One by not bringing this issue up in the first place. Remember, of course, that in late February the New York Times had no problem playing turncoat and bringing up questions of John McCain's eligibility shortly after it appears that he had secured the GOP nomination.
(Now, this was nothing new for the Times, which in May also overtly disparaged McCain's military service in Vietnam, stating that he had spent five years "sealed away, both from the rice paddies of Indochina and from the outside world" and therefore "did not share the disillusioning and morally jarring experiences of soldiers like [John] Kerry, [Jim] Webb and [Chuck] Hagel, who found themselves unable to recognize their enemy in the confusion of the jungle" and never "underwent the conversion that caused Kerry, for one, to toss away some of his war decorations during a protest at the Capitol.")
Over and beyond citizenship, naturalization and Article II, Section 1, this issue is, to me, first and foremost a reminder that the person leading our great nation should be someone who understands what it means to be an American. Barack Obama, regardless of where he was born, has decided time and time again to surround himself with people who not only blame America for the world's ills but also seek to undermine Her security, government and mission. That, combined with his socialist roots, should be enough to make him constructively ineligible for the office of president of the United States of America.
11:45pm
I just learned that a hearing has been scheduled on the matter for 2:00pm today. I have no further details at this time, though I know that the hearing is not open to the public.
It should be noted, though, that the judge assigned to the case--the Hon. R. Barclay Surrick--was appointed to the federal bench by President William Jefferson Clinton.
RELATED ITEMS:
The America's Right story which started it all: Obama Sued in Philadelphia Federal Court on Grounds he is Constitutionally Ineligible for the Presidency
America's Right commentary: Eligibility Goes Beyond Citizenship
America's Right interview: A Conversation with Philip Berg, Esq.
See periodic updates at America's Right.com (Click HERE)
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