Officer's Oath: The Lt. Col. Terry Lakin Story

He went to jail for refusing to defile his oath to uphold the Constitution from enemies both foreign and domestic. All he asked was that President Obama do the same thing every military recruit is asked to do -- provide a birth certificate. Terry Lakin and Barack Obama: a man of honor vs. a man of lies.

I look forward to reading Dr. Lakin's story. He deserved better than the persecution he received from a military that has been hopelessly politicized.

There is No Obama Birth Certificate in Hawaii!

Does Barack Obama's eligibility really matter? Does the Constitution? If you don't go to Notre Dame, you aren't eligible to play on the football team no matter how good you are. If Obama is NOT a natural born citizen, he was ineligible to run for president and is serving unconstitutionally.

Does it matter? Lt. Col. and medical doctor Terrence Lakin thinks so. A decorated career officer with eighteen years in the army, Lakin refused his second deployment to Afghanistan last March until proof is provided that Obama is serving legally as president. Lakin is currently suspended and faces court martial. Is this a frivolous action? Hardly. If Lt. Col. Lakin loses he will be deprived of his pension and faces jail time.

So why did he take this step? Here's what he says:

Since Nuremberg, My Lai, and even Abu Ghraib more recently, the military has been taught the hard lessons of following illegal orders. Any reasonable person looking critically at the information and evidence currently in the public domain about Obama's birthplace would have questions about President Obama's claim to be a natural born citizen. I made the decision to disobey all military orders, including my deployment order to Afghanistan, in pursuit of the truth of whether President Obama can legally occupy the high post that he holds today and which entitles him to send servicemembers into harm's way.

The United States serves an example to the rest of the world of a stable, civilized, democratic government, where all men are equal under the law and the rule of law is cherished and obeyed. The U.S. military teaches and promotes the rule of law and civilian control of the military to many other nations and military forces around the world. Every soldier learns what constitutes a lawful order and is encouraged to stand up and object to unlawful orders. This is called the "duty to disobey."

My deployment orders for a second tour in Afghanistan included a requirement to bring copies of my birth certificate. I would be glad to obey this order and provide a certified copy of my original birth certificate with common, standard identifiers, including the name of an attending physician and a hospital. Every day in transactions across the country, American citizens are required to prove their identity; standards for identification have become stricter since the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
Since fall 2008, I have been troubled by reports that the president's original birth certificate remains concealed from public view along with other records which, if released, would quickly end questions surrounding his place of birth and "natural born" status. Many people mistook the online Certification of Live Birth for an original birth certificate. Until the summer of 2009, the Hawaiian Department of Homelands would not accept this Certification of Live Birth to determine native Hawaiian identity -- the Department insisted upon also reviewing an original birth certificate....

Until an original birth certificate is brought forward that will validate the Commander-in-Chief's constitutional eligibility and put to rest the reasonable questions surrounding it, I cannot in good conscience obey any of my military orders. Unless it is established (sufficient proof that should be easily within the president's power to provide) that he is constitutionally eligible to serve as president and Commander-in-Chief, I and all other military officers are at risk of following illegal orders.
There is no legitimate privacy right to information necessary to prove that President Obama is legally eligible to serve as Commander-in-Chief.

I remain at risk of arrest and court-martial, but am mindful always that my oath of office is to the Constitution. It fills me with great sadness that on 31 March, I declined a direct order from my Medical Brigade Commander. This is a man I honor and wished to meet in order to thank him for his unquestionable valor and courage, and yet I could not obey his order. Now, he could order my arrest at any time.
I hope that President Obama will demonstrate his respect for the U.S. Constitution and release his original birth certificate. My bags are packed, and I look forward to joining my fellow soldiers in Afghanistan, but I will deploy only with the knowledge that I am following legal orders under a lawful Commander-in-Chief.  (See the complete article here.... )

Pray for Lt. Col. Lakin. To keep up with his status visit Safeguard our Constitution.