In my post Monday, Kos Tampering with Obama Birth Certificate?, I showed the results of my application of edge-enhancing software to two images of Obama’s Certification of Live Birth (COLB) published at different times by Kos on Daily Kos.

I didn’t see a seal on the old image; others claim they have, including the blogger Cannonfire, who calls out Kos for switching images without informing his readers. The blogger Polarik, it should be noted, is sticking to his story that they are all fake.

So maybe there was an embossed seal there all along. Maybe not. It’s insane that Americans have to download fancy software and get out magnifying glasses to verify the legitimacy of a presidential candidate’s birth because of his unwillingness to be transparent, but unfortunately that fits the pattern of this candidate.

Seal or no seal, there are many unresolved questions about Obama’s birth, and I’ll list those below, in as much an attempt to organize my thoughts as to share information. And I will continue to post developments in this story, but will also target other serious issues that have received less attention, particularly those related to Obama’s eligibility and qualifications to be POTUS.

If the birth certificate mystery has been used as a diversion tactic by Camp Obama, it won’t work with me. I have not forgotten about the missing state senate records, the dual citizenship sticking-point, the selective service registration, Larry Sinclair’s allegations, the Rezko crimes, and more.

I was asked yesterday what “alternate theory” I was putting forth about the birth certificate and I replied that it was not my responsibility to have a theory, that I was just presenting information and analyzing it to the best of my ability.

But actually I do have a working theory about the birth mystery. My theory is that there is a COLB on file in Hawaii for Obama [Update: this does not necessarily mean he was born in Hawaii!], but that his file, which would contain ALL of the information on his original birth certificate, includes information that Obama prefers to hide. I don’t know what that is, but I do know that it otherwise would be easy and painless for Obama to release the entire content of his file and lay this matter to rest. He’s chosen, instead, to share an altered image of a recently issued summary certification. Notably, the certification form used by Hawaii prior to 2001 provided much more detailed information about a registrant’s birth.

What is Obama hiding? It could be any number of things for any number of reasons: place or date of birth; parents’ marital status; name changes; father’s profession; father’s presence or absence thereof at birth; indication of dual citizenship; etc. Who knows. If/when Obama finally produces for inspection a verifiable COLB with seal, stamp, and everything else required to make it legitimate, I’m sure he’ll demand an end to all this questioning. But I personally will not be satisfied until his original birth certificate (or the contents thereof) is shown by the State of Hawaii.

Here are the key outstanding questions/comments I have about the birth mystery, and I’m sure sharp readers will add to the list:

1. If there is a physical COLB from Hawaii with an embossed seal, registrar’s stamp, and all the other required elements of an official COLB, why be so coy about showing it? Why not photograph both sides, show it to a group of reporters, and be done with it? Are we being played by Obama, or is there something fishy about the document? Which is it?

2. If the COLB lacks any of the elements (e.g., the registrar’s stamp), the Hawaii AG should investigate.

3. Why is Kos so involved? Why is he taking on the primary responsibility of documenting Obama’s legitimate COLB? When Kos, who calls himself a “journalist,” published the COLB on June 12 (just before the Obama campaign did) he made no mention of how, or in what form, he acquired Obama’s COLB. On a related note…

4. What has been the chain of custody of the actual COLB that purportedly has a physical embossed seal? Who has handled it, and when, in recent months?

5. What is the origin of the COLB templates posted on Kos by Opendna and how do they relate, if at all, to the COLB presented by Obama and Kos?

6. Why has Obama’s COLB been Photoshopped to death by the Obama campaign, Kos, or others?

7. Why is the reference number on the COLB concealed? The number has no relevance or connection to other confidential information; it’s just a file number issued by the State of Hawaii, the first four digits of which indicate the year of birth.

8. Why does Obama’s COLB say “date filed” in the lower left section when all of the other COLBs from Hawaii that I’ve seen, on the same form, say “date accepted?”

NOTE: Janice Okubo, Communications Director of the Hawaii State Department of Health Vital Records division (otherwise known as OHSM for Office of Health Status Monitoring) told me that the State used to use these terms interchangeably, but now “date filed is always used.” I did follow up with the AG to confirm this explanation but have not yet received a reply.

9. What hospital was Obama born in, and why won’t he clarify this information? I have seen references to two: Kapioloni Medical Center and Queens Medical Center. Why not release the records?

10. Why was Obama’s mother in Mercer Island with a 3-week-old for a brief visit in August 1961?

NOTE: A high-school acquaintance of Stanley Ann Dunham told me that Stanley Ann and baby Barry came through town alone in August 1961 on their way to see Barack Sr. at Harvard in Boston, and that Barack Sr. was not present at his son’s birth.

This explanation surprised me because supposedly Barack Sr. did not go to Boston until 1963, two years later. If the account is true, however, it would indicate that time lines provided by Obama about his family history are inaccurate. On this note, I was told by a reporter who investigated Stanley Ann Dunham that she enrolled briefly at the Univ. of Washington in Spring, 1962, and lived in Seattle alone with baby Barack. Perhaps they never lived together as a family.

I still think it is possible that Obama was born near Mercer Island because the stories just have too many holes.

11. Obama’s grandmother (Stanley Ann Dunham’s mother), Madelyn Dunham, is reportedly alive, lucid, and living in Honolulu near his sister. She is the person best able to clarify many of these questions but the campaign has not made her “available.” Why not?

Again, Obama should make his complete birth certificate file available, not just a summary certification.

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In the final analysis, a presidential candidate should not be mysterious. Barack Obama has consistently been secretive about all aspects of his life. We are a society that demands transparency from public officials, especially at high levels. It’s unacceptable for a serious presidential contender to resist requests for information about his family, college records, state senate business, birth circumstances, drug use, and any other component of his life that is relevant to the public’s determination of his fitness to be POTUS.

When you apply to be President of the United States, you forfeit much of your right to privacy. This is especially true for a candidate like Obama, whose unique history introduces complex considerations such as dual citizenship. Obama has the duty to be as transparent as possible, to satisfy the public’s interest that he meets every eligibility test, that he has been fully vetted for the highest office in the country. There is no room for circumvention when you want to be President.

TexasDarlin, all rights reserved.