Legitimizing the Illegitimate

Oh, birther movement, you march steadily forward, ignoring facts, logic and reason as you cling with clenched fingers to some vague concept of Obama not being a natural born citizen of the United States. But then again, where's the birth certificate?!

Oh... yeah, there it is. Well, at least no congresspeople are as insane about this stupid conspiracy theory as some of their constituents, right?

Link

Rep. Bill Posey’s (R-Fla.) bill that would change campaign law to demand proof of citizenship from presidential candidates is up to nine co-sponsors. Since June, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-Texas), and Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) have added their names to the list.

Burton is an ironic recruit to the cause. In the 1990s, he earned the nickname “Watermelon Dan” for his innumerable conspiracy theories about President Bill Clinton; he once ushered reporters into his backyard to watch him shoot a watermelon as a way of proving that Vince Foster’s death could not have been a suicide. And with the addition of the new Texas co-sponsors, a full quarter of the state’s 20-member Republican delegation to Congress is now backing the Posey bill.

Please stop this. It's not only stupid by now, but it's getting quite petulant. In fact, the second article of the constitution already implies that this is necessary. There are plenty of reasons to criticize Barack Obama, but please stop giving crazies a reason to think their conspiracy theories are valid. By legitimizing the birther movement, you're helping to stifle constructive thought and reason from the right wing and turning conservatives into shrill parrots.