Lt Col Lakin Refuses to Deploy on Obama's Orders: 'Birther' Cause

by Karen Hatter | April 21, 2010 at 08:34 am

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Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin has refused to obey orders to deploy to Afghanistan claiming President Obama does not have the authority to order his deployment because he is not an American citizen.

Lakin's attorney, Paul Jensen, said on G. Gordon Liddy’s radio program that if Lakin is court martialed under Article 32 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, he may use the process of discovery to promote the notion that President Obama is not a US National.

"Every criminal defendant has to be allowed the benefit of the doubt to discover information that may be relevant to defend himself against charges that could land him in the penitentiary in years and years," said Jensen. WorldNetDaily, which has been promoting Lakin, has also raised the idea ….

[During] Senator Barack Hussein Obama Jr [‘s run] for the office of President of the United States, beginning in 2006, the claim that he was not an American citizen has been promoted by certain sectors of the American populous. Those adhering to this belief have come to be known as birthers.

History of US Birtherism

Since the beginning of then Senator Obama’s campaign for President of the United States in 2007, WorldNetDaily has provided coverage of concerns raised regarding his citizenship and eligibility to serve.

Several challenges regarding the authenticity of President Obama’s birth certificate and his U.S. citizenship have been dismissed within the U.S. judicial system on local, state and federal levels.

One case, originating in New Jersey and previously dismissed by a lower court, alleged President Obama to be a British national. The case was placed on the United States Supreme Court’s docket at the insistence of Justice Clarence Thomas as an emergency appeal.

The case was dismissed without comment in December 2008. President Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961.

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Karen Hatter

at 07:52 on April 22nd, 2010

The problem with the rationale laid out, Utilaeastwind, birthers do not represent a substantial percentage of the American population and are mainly found among those known as the Tea Partiers, Republicans and conservatives, less than 25% of the electorate.

Any and all rednecks/racists don't need any excuse for defiance of the Black president.

The 'America appears/is weak' talking point, meant to imply America is at the mercy of other nations and 'un-American' influences, is a key component of Right Wing extremists' recruiting rhetoric, used to justify their anti government activities and behavior.

Of course, since the Armed Forces relaxed their guidelines awhile back after September 11, 2001, called moral waivers, the Armed Forces has become a sort of haven for the criminal element as well as neo Nazi and White supremacist types yet, they STILL are a minority within the Armed Forces.

(U//FOUO) Lone Wolves and Small Terrorist Cells

(U//FOUO) DHS/I&A assesses that lone wolves and small terrorist cells embracing violent rightwing

extremist ideology are the most dangerous domestic terrorism threat in the United States. Information

from law enforcement and nongovernmental organizations indicates lone wolves and small terrorist

cells have shown intent—and, in some cases, the capability—to commit violent acts.

— (U//LES) DHS/I&A has concluded that white supremacist lone wolves pose the most

significant domestic terrorist threat because of their low profile and autonomy—separate from

any formalized group—which hampers warning efforts.

— (U//FOUO) Similarly, recent state and municipal law enforcement reporting has warned of the

dangers of rightwing extremists embracing the tactics of “leaderless resistance” and of lone

wolves carrying out acts of violence.

— (U//FOUO) Arrests in the past several years of radical militia members in Alabama, Arkansas,

and Pennsylvania on firearms, explosives, and other related violations indicates the emergence

of small, well-armed extremist groups in some rural areas.

The majority of the servicemen and women in the United States Armed Forces do not believe the birther nonsense nor would they be inclined to engage in treasonous actions against their government or their president.

As far as any of the above mentioned groups or individuals that are in opposition to the President and his administration and those that find comfort in and have an affinity with the birthers, they will never be convinced no matter the evidence presented to them.

Most rational, reasonable people in America have long since moved on.

Karen Hatter

at 09:44 on April 21st, 2010

Who in the h*** knows, Rory, and I've lost all patience with any PRETENSE that theirs is an issue worthy of any consideration.

The media has allowed this nonsense to take up way too much time, nearly 4 years, as they humored this goofiness, giving many of these folks a manufactured, pseudo LEGITIMATE excuse to despise the President, rather than stating the REAL reason for their displeasure, which I think has been made abundantly clear.

Karen Hatter

at 06:23 on April 22nd, 2010

Rory, the oath of enlistment also pledges to obey the President of the United States and commanding officers:

"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

Of course, those refusing to follow orders most likely are attempting to rally around the section of the oath that declares defense of the Constitution against " .... all enemies, foreign and domestic ...." , with birthers claiming the President is a foreigner on domestic soil.

Rory Cripps

at 16:21 on April 21st, 2010

Grace: You mean that military personnel don't swear to serve and protect the Constitution? I thought that they did but I'm really not sure now . . . .

Karen Hatter

at 10:02 on April 22nd, 2010

Excerpts from Oath Keepers and the Age of Treason

Meet the fast-growing "patriot" group that's recruiting soldiers to resist the Obama administration. (Description provided by Mother Jones)

A brief history on the founder of Oathkeepers, Stewart Rhodes, former aide to failed 2008 presidential candidate Ron Paul:

Rhodes, 44, is a constitutional lawyer—his 2004 Yale Law School paper, "Solving the Puzzle of Enemy Combatant Status," won the school's award for best paper on the Bill of Rights. He's now working on a book tentatively titled We the Enemy: How Applying the Laws of War to the American People in the War on Terror Threatens to Destroy Our Constitutional Republic. Raised in the Southwest, Rhodes enlisted in the Army after high school, receiving an honorable discharge after he injured his spine during a night parachute jump. He enrolled at the University of Nevada and in 1998, after graduating, landed a job supervising interns for Congressman Ron Paul. Rhodes has also worked as a firearms instructor and a sculptor—for Vegas' MGM Grand hotel, he produced a fiberglass Minuteman statue—and has practiced law in small-town Montana ("Ivy League quality without Ivy League expense"). He writes a gun-rights column for SWAT magazine. He's a libertarian, staunch constitutionalist, and devout Christian.

It was while volunteering for Ron Paul's doomed presidential bid that Rhodes decided to abandon electoral politics in favor of grassroots organizing. As an undergrad, he had been fascinated by the notion that if German soldiers and police had refused to follow orders, Hitler could have been stopped. Then, in early 2008, SWAT received a letter from a retired colonel declaring that "the Constitution and our Bill of Rights are gravely endangered" and that service members, veterans, and police "is where they will be saved, if they are to be saved at all!"

The author of the article met, traveled and interacted with members of the Oathkeepers:

THE .50 CALIBER Bushmaster bolt action rifle is a serious weapon. The model that Pvt. 1st Class Lee Pray is saving up for has a 2,500-yard range and comes with a Mark IV scope and an easy-load magazine. When the 25-year-old drove me to a mall in Watertown, New York, near the Fort Drum Army base, he brought me to see it in its glass case—he visits it periodically, like a kid coveting something at the toy store. It'll take plenty of military paychecks to cover the $5,600 price tag, but he considers the Bushmaster essential in his preparations to take on the US government when it declares martial law.

His belief that that day is imminent has led Pray to a group called Oath Keepers [1], one of the fastest-growing "patriot" organizations on the right. Founded last April by Yale-educated lawyer and ex-Ron Paul aide Stewart Rhodes, the group has established itself as a hub in the sprawling anti-Obama movement that includes Tea Partiers, Birthers, and 912ers. Glenn Beck, Lou Dobbs, and Pat Buchanan have all sung its praises, and in December, a grassroots summit [2] it helped organize drew such prominent guests as representatives Phil Gingrey [3] and Paul Broun [4], both Georgia Republicans.

Now Pray is both a Birther and a Truther. He believes he is following an illegitimate, foreign-born president in a war on terror launched by a government plot—9/11. He admires soldiers like Army reservist Major Stefan Frederick Cook, who volunteered for a deployment last May and then sued to avoid it—claiming that Obama is not a natural-born citizen and is thus unfit for command. Pray himself had been eager to go to Iraq when his own unit deployed last June, but he smashed both knees falling from a crane rig and the injuries kept him stateside. In September, he was demoted from specialist to private first class—he'd been written up for bullshit infractions, he claims, after seeking help for a drinking problem. His job on base involves operating and maintaining heavy machinery; the day before we met, he and his fellow "undeployables" had attached a snowplow to a Humvee, their biggest assignment in a while. He spends idle hours at the now-quiet base researching the New World Order and conspiracies about swine flu quarantine camps—and doing his best to "wake up" other soldiers.

Pray isn't sure how to do this and still cover his ass. He talks to me on the record and agrees to be photographed, even as he hints that the CIA may be listening in on his phone. Although I met him through contacts from the group's Facebook page, Pray, fearing retribution, keeps his Oath Keepers ties unofficial. (Rhodes encourages active-duty soldiers to remain anonymous, noting that a group with large numbers of anonymous members can instill in its adversaries the fear of the unknown—a "great force multiplier.") For a time, Pray insisted we communicate via Facebook (safer than regular email, he claims). Driving me from the mall back to my motel, he takes a new route. He says unmarked black cars sometimes trail him. It sounds paranoid. Then again, when you're an active-duty soldier contemplating treason, some level of paranoia is probably sensible.

The next afternoon we join Brandon, one of Pray's Army buddies, for steaks. Sitting in a pleather booth at Texas Roadhouse, the young men talk boastfully about their military capabilities and weapons caches. Role-playing the enemy in military exercises, Brandon says, has prepared him to evade and fight back against US troops. "I know their tactics," brags Pray. "I know how they do room sweeps, work their convoys—if we attack this vehicle, what the others will do."

A strapping Idahoan, Brandon (who doesn't want his full name used) enlisted as a teenager when he got his girlfriend pregnant and needed a stable job, stat. (She lost the baby and they split, but he's still glad he signed up.) Unlike his friend, he doesn't think the United Nations must be dismantled, although he does agree that it represents the New World Order, and he suspects that concentration camps are being readied in the off-limits section of Fort Drum. He sends 500 rounds of ammunition home to Idaho each month.

Karen Hatter

at 15:17 on April 22nd, 2010

59% of those called the Tea Party either believe President Obama is a foreign national or aren't sure with 58% of Republicans having the same uncertainty.

An overlapping of birthers, Tea Partiers and Republicans, at less than 25% of the electorate, means more than 75% are others not supporting the birther nonsense.

From The State of Hate:

After Obama's election victory in November, white supremacist online activity spiked, with people posting hundreds of messages to online forums. White supremacist groups and individuals claimed that the Obama presidency, the immigration issue, and tough economic times would serve as powerful catalysts for recruiting more people to the white supremacist movement. Jeff Schoep, head of the National Socialist Movement, the largest Neo-Nazi group in America, said interest in the NSM "has really spiked up," but would not reveal by how much.18 Don Black, a 55 year-old former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard, claimed more than 2,000 people joined his website on the day after Obama's election, up from 80 on an ordinary day. Started in 1995, Black's website is one of the oldest and largest hate group sites, now claiming 110,000 members. As David Duke, a former Klan leader who was once a member of the Louisiana legislature, has said, Obama is a "visual aid" that galvanizes the white supremacist movement.19
According to Schoep, extremists are also exploiting the economic crisis, spreading propaganda that blames minorities and immigrants for the subprime mortgage meltdown. "Historically, when times get tough in our nation, that's how movements like ours gain a foothold," he said. "When the economy suffers, people are looking for answers. … We are the answer for white people."20 Membership in the National Socialist Movement has grown by 40 percent in recent months, according to Schoep, the "most dramatic growth" since the mid-1990s, mostly because of the nation's dire economic circumstances. "You have an American work force facing massive unemployment. And you have presidents and politicians flinging open the borders telling them to take the few jobs left while our men are in soup kitchens."21

From In Their Words:

The election of Barack Obama as the first black American president left white supremacists and hate groups in an uproar. Many were apocalyptic. Others were melodramatic. A few saw a silver lining. At least one — Ray Larsen's Church of the National Knights of the Ku Klux Klan — called on followers to fly "yankee flags" upside down and wear black armbands on Jan. 20, Inauguration Day. A few samples:

"I believe tonight is a night of tragedy and sadness for our people… . [T]he country is not recognizable any more."
— Former Klan leader David Duke

"Someone will kill him! And I will celebrate!"
—Neo-Nazi activist Hal Turner

Karen Hatter

at 07:13 on April 23rd, 2010

My discussion point did not address willingness to vote against Democrats.

My discussion point discussed those that seem not to embrace the birther nonsense.

The polling statistics addressed findings that reveal more than the majority of those claiming to be Tea Partiers and Republicans either don't think the President was born in the United States or don't know.

The questions posed regarding citizenship were not framed to address supporting or identifying with birthers.

In a recent poll, 84% of those calling themselves Tea Partiers believe their views reflect the views of most Americans, while only 25% of overall Americans actually say the Tea Party reflects their views.

There is a large disconnect in the Tea Partiers' understanding of the majority of Americans' views and beliefs.

An overwhelming majority of Tea Party supporters, 84 percent, say the views of the Tea Party movement reflect the views of most Americans.

But Americans overall disagree: Just 25 percent say the Tea Party movement reflects their beliefs, while 36 percent say it does not.

utilaeastwind

at 12:48 on April 21st, 2010

Obama and his team have been unwilling to release the contents of his original birth certificate because, it appears "legally" they do not need to.

Could the contents of the original birth certificate have made it difficult for him to become president even if it confirmed his natural born status? Quite possibly.

Will, with the eventual release of the Birth Certificate, people of America feel as if they were deceived by the suppression of this information? Also possible.

The Military acts as the defender of the Constitution and the President is it's Commander in Chief. Obama and his lawyers have done the job in convincing the judicial branch of the United States that he is indeed eligible to be president but other branches seem more skeptical.

Now, plenty of red blooded and virtually all red necked Americans will circle this issue more and more as the "Change" initiated by Obama unfolds.

Do not be surprised if the day comes when top commanders turn their back on Obama and refuse his orders based on this issue. The rank and file under their command will most likely follow. You can imagine all the possibilities from there.

America, as an Empire, is being attacked on many fronts. North Korea, Iran, Venezuela and Russia are actively working to take America down a peg or two. A major part of their strategy is to plant the seeds of discontent within America by funding the right people in the right places. Stuff right out of the CIA play book.

The USA is looking very weak and her enemies are ready to pounce when the time is right. The last thing you need is a divided military.

This controversy will not go away without an original birth certificate being released. Even the majority of American people, who believe that Obama is American, need to realize this.

The President should also.

Karen Hatter

at 10:33 on April 22nd, 2010

Utilaeastwind, I stated in my comment the oath listed was the oath of enlistment.

Officers are not considered enlisted men/women.

As I stated above, with the same words appearing in the officer's oath:

"Of course, those refusing to follow orders most likely are attempting to rally around the section of the oath that declares defense of the Constitution against " .... all enemies, foreign and domestic ....", with birthers claiming the President is a foreigner on domestic soil."

Over the past several months, right-wing media have promoted the Oath Keepers, a group established in 2009 and identified by the Anti-Defamation League as "encourag[ing] members of the military and law enforcement to pledge not to follow certain hypothetical 'orders' from the federal government" that "echo longstanding conspiracy theories embraced by anti-government extremists."

I repeat:

"The majority of the servicemen and women in the United States Armed Forces (including officers that serve in the Armed Forces) do not believe the birther nonsense nor would they be inclined to engage in treasonous actions against their government or their president."

Karen Hatter

at 12:44 on April 22nd, 2010

Utilaeastwind, this current thread, regarding Lt. Co. Lakin, who is a birther, discusses those of similar minds, many being Right Wing, as are the Oathkeepers, and a report that was compiled by the Bush administration (2000-2008) and released in April 2009, identifying specific concerns due to the nature of current conditions in the United States.

Current conditions saw a rise in Right Wing extremism in the 1990s.

The report on the Left Wing, released in January 2009, also generated by the Bush administration, concerned itself with cyber threats.

tikun

at 09:47 on April 21st, 2010

What is the "abundantly clear" displeasure Karen?

Grace H

at 11:33 on April 21st, 2010

A coupling of bigotry and denial, which thrives ardently among the ignorant--and thus easily manipulted and paraded about-- masses.

Grace H

at 13:42 on April 21st, 2010

The vast majority of the American public it would seem. Those who allowed themselves to be swayed by hateful and spiteful rhetoric and inane ramblings that they would dismiss like swatting a fly if they would but merely engage their brains.

Karen Hatter

at 04:31 on April 22nd, 2010

You would think that, Barbara but, that was not the vision of those who are responsible for founding the nation.

Since Barack Obama first decided to run for President, all this has ever done is provide a quirky excuse for opposition to his candidacy and now his presidency.

Now, 2 years into the Obama administration, this is an unprecedented attempt to unseat a sitting United States president, duly elected by the majority of the American people.

The more loopy of those among the electorate that were not satisfied with the 2008 presidential election results have clung to this nonsense in hopes of 'getting their country back'.

utilaeastwind

at 10:48 on April 22nd, 2010

Karen,

To make it clear I am not a birther, oath keeper nor an American. I am simply observing the current movements within the USA.

I included the oath for officers in light of the fact that the subject of your article is indeed an officer and this would have been the oath that he would have taken.

Further, I am in no way implying that the any member of the Armed Forces would engage in treasonous acts.

I think that you have written an excellent article on this issue and the discussion is very enlightening.

Grace H

at 03:54 on April 23rd, 2010

They are protesting becasue theyve been stirres to (for the most part.) They are a mob. If you look at the rallies and the unacceptable behaviours occuring (they called a black Republican congressman the N-word for one), it is quite self-evident.

Karen Hatter

at 08:57 on April 21st, 2010

Hi, Rory.

A link to the birth certificate is found at this link:

Army to Court Martial Birther Army Officer For Refusing Orders

tikun

at 11:35 on April 21st, 2010

Grace, Who are the masses, the ignorant ?

Grace H

at 13:49 on April 21st, 2010

You are wrong there. America had no standing army until World War One. There was no conept of military or army, only Militia.

Even then, many military leaders notably Dwight Eisenhower (and Washington well before him) warned of the dangers of having one and thereby a military-industrial complex.

The Judicial Branch defends the Consitution in that it declares any laws or decrees as constitutional or unconstitutional. And, the Supreme Court has the final say therein.

And in absoulte and as nicely as possible to so express this: there is NO way Obama would be president right now if he is was not a natural-born American citizen. The media and others are too adept and technology too advanced that he would not have been caught in an alleged lie.

Grace H

at 13:54 on April 21st, 2010

Furthermore, the President alone swears to preserve the Constitution. The buck therefore stops there.

Grace H

at 04:05 on April 23rd, 2010

This would not be allowed to happen for the following reasons:

1. US practiced isolationism following the advice of George Washington for over one hundred years, only world war pulled down that barrier out of necesity.

2. Xenophobia stemming from the Great Depression and McCarthyism, an carried on by hypes over "the war on drugs," illegal immigration," and other things think tanks have made big issues to distract from much more worrisome ones.

3. The very idea is offensive to most Americans, its a cultural thing. Its the notion of endless opportunity and freedom for who so ever comes here. That Americans are a product of the fruits of their labors and the sweat of their backs per se.

4. Challenging the Constitution in that manner would be expensive and tedious, with a high liklihood of failure.

Rory Cripps

at 08:49 on April 21st, 2010

Karen: Is there a link to Obama's birth certificate? If there is, could you post it here? I know that you love asparagus If you post the link, I'll prepare the best asparagus dish that you've ever had! :)

Rory Cripps

at 09:07 on April 21st, 2010

Karen: OK! I saw the birth certificate. Raised seal and everything. What is it about the birth certificate that the birthers base their contentions upon?

Akhtar Malik (not verified)

at 11:09 on April 21st, 2010

Lt Col Lakin could have given some better reasons to refuse deployment in Afghanistan instead of this one..

Barbara McPherson

at 19:06 on April 21st, 2010

Looking at this from the outside, it is amazing that this is an issue at all. Has anyone ever questioned the clause that demands that a person be born in the US or one of its colonies in order to qualify for presidency? Seems to me that the US would want the best person for the job no matter where they were born.

utilaeastwind

at 08:11 on April 22nd, 2010

Karen,
What you are quoting is the oath for enlisted soldiers. Commissioned officers have a different oath...

“I, _____ (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God.

Further, there are many members of the Armed Forces who openly state they will refuse a variety of orders.

1. We will NOT obey orders to disarm the American people.

2. We will NOT obey orders to conduct warrantless searches of the American people

3. We will NOT obey orders to detain American citizens as “unlawful enemy combatants” or to subject them to military tribunal.

4. We will NOT obey orders to impose martial law or a “state of emergency” on a state.

5. We will NOT obey orders to invade and subjugate any state that asserts its sovereignty.

6. We will NOT obey any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps.

7. We will NOT obey any order to force American citizens into any form of detention camps under any pretext.

8. We will NOT obey orders to assist or support the use of any foreign troops on U.S. soil against the American people to “keep the peace” or to “maintain control."

9. We will NOT obey any orders to confiscate the property of the American people, including food and other essential supplies.

10.We will NOT obey any orders which infringe on the right of the people to free speech, to peaceably assemble, and to petition their government for a redress of grievances.

http://oathkeepers.org/oath/

I think that the Uniform Code of Military Justice would be very important to study to confirm the obligations of soldiers. Either way, it is evident that there are members of the Armed Forces who openly state that they will defy presidential orders under certain circumstances.

utilaeastwind

at 11:09 on April 22nd, 2010

The 'America appears/is weak' talking point, meant to imply America is at the mercy of other nations and 'un-American' influences, is a key component of Right Wing extremists' recruiting rhetoric, used to justify their anti government activities and behavior.
This may be true. However, many anti government movements in the 70's were from the Left. I do not think that you can honestly state that it is only okay to be actively anti government if you are from the Left Wing. This is two sides of the same coin.

Dexter Fox (not verified)

at 06:29 on May 18th, 2010

When someone refuses to deploy for such a reason, its an obvious FU to the President and nothing to do with what his job is. Or would he just refuse to deploy full stop. What an immature cockgobbler.

Rory Cripps

at 09:01 on April 21st, 2010

Thanks Karen! I really didn't give this birth certificate issue any thought until recently. And that's only because people are still making an issue of it. It's just one of those things that doesn't seem to go away. JEEZ!