[ed. Oh the Irony!]
Source: Daily Mail
By David Derbyshire
14th May 2009
Invading Asian bug could wipe out swathes of Britain's wisteria plants.
Its stunning displays of lavender and violet flowers are a welcome sign of the arrival of summer.
But Britain’s wisteria plants are under threat from a bug that is spreading across the country.
The wisteria scale pest was first found in the UK eight years ago, having been introduced on imported plants.
Under threat: The wisteria scale bug could destroy the beautiful crops found on cottages and historic properties across the country like the 100-year-old variety found on this home in Dorset
It was discovered in the South-East, but experts warn it is spreading into the North and West.
The shell-like wisteria scale can be up to 1cm long – bigger than other species of scale – with a distinctive brown lumpy body.
They damage the plants by sucking sap from leaves and stems. The bugs cannot fly but spread from plant to plant by becoming attached to birds’ feet and feathers.
The Royal Horticultural Society fears the bug has the potential to wipe out swathes of wisteria and is warning gardeners to watch out for infestations.
Andrew Salisbury, of the RHS, said: ‘Our records show it is spreading slowly but like all things it could suddenly mushroom.
'Heady infestations could cause die-back in wisteria so gardeners should definitely keep an eye out for it.’
Changes in weather and the increased global movement of plants are thought to be to blame for the influx of wisteria scale and other pests, such as the scarlet lily beetle, berberis sawfly and rosemary beetle.
Killer bug: The wisteria scale insect attaches itself to the plant and grows a grey sack full of thousands of eggs before they hatch and crawl up the plant to feed
This particular species of scale was originally found in Asia where it attacks fruit trees.
In Britain, however, it appears to be mostly confined to wisteria, which flower for around four weeks in May and June.
Andy Strachan, of Garden Organic, said: ‘They are like little shells and when they breed they erupt and turn fluffy and let out tens of thousands of little scales which then walk about the plant.
‘They are transferred from one plant to another by birds.
‘When the new nymphs settle on the next plant they pierce the stem and suck out the sap. It’s awful. Wisteria are stunning plants and this can really ruin them.’
So far the scale has been found only in London and the South-East on isolated plants but there is evidence that it is spreading – worrying news for many National Trust and other historic properties famed for their beautiful wisteria.
Mr Salisbury added: ‘We have already had reports of sightings this year. The scale does appear to be established and spreading slowly.
‘If anyone spots it they should get it diagnosed properly.’
14 May 2009
13 May 2009
Canterbury 'not gay enough'
Source: Daily Telegraph
By Aislinn Simpson
13 May 2009
The ancient city of Canterbury has found itself the subject of a complaint from homosexual rights activists for not having a gay bar.
Although it welcomes millions of tourists each year from across the globe, the cathedral city - famed for its association with 14th century Canterbury Tales author Geoffrey Chaucer - has also attracted ire for not having a homosexuals' community centre.
The complaint was lodged with the Local Government Ombudsman by the Pride in Canterbury pressure group which also complained about the "stereotypical" depiction of a gay character in a play staged at the city's Marlowe theatre.
Pride said the Conservative-run city council was not doing its best to attract "pink tourism" – drawing visitors who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
But the council insisted it had helped the gay community by offering money, help and use of its facilities.
Chief executive Colin Carmichael said it had provided Pride in Canterbury with more than £4,000 funding since 2005 to help identify the needs of the gay community and promote their concerns.
"The council strongly refutes any suggestion by Pride in Canterbury that we do not want to engage with the gay community and we are very disappointed that they have referred this to the ombudsman," he said.
"Last year we held a gay open day at the council offices which was widely advertised – including in the gay press – well attended by more than 40 people and received very good feedback from those present."
But Pride's Andrew Bretell insisted it had been left with no choice but to make a complaint because letters to the council had failed to get the required response.
Mr Bretell said: "They're more interested in ticking their equality boxes and engaging in back and forth 'who said what' games than they are in dealing with the real issues. We do not believe the council want a thriving LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender) community in our city."
News of the investigation has surprised some locals. Canterbury University student Chloe Breton, 21, added: "It sounds ridiculous to me, some of my male friends are gay and they've definitely got no problem with Canterbury. I really don't think this is the best way to promote the place. It just makes us sound unfriendly and not tolerant – when actually the opposite is true."
The ombudsman is due to rule on the complaint on May 20.
By Aislinn Simpson
13 May 2009
The ancient city of Canterbury has found itself the subject of a complaint from homosexual rights activists for not having a gay bar.
Although it welcomes millions of tourists each year from across the globe, the cathedral city - famed for its association with 14th century Canterbury Tales author Geoffrey Chaucer - has also attracted ire for not having a homosexuals' community centre.
The complaint was lodged with the Local Government Ombudsman by the Pride in Canterbury pressure group which also complained about the "stereotypical" depiction of a gay character in a play staged at the city's Marlowe theatre.
Pride said the Conservative-run city council was not doing its best to attract "pink tourism" – drawing visitors who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
But the council insisted it had helped the gay community by offering money, help and use of its facilities.
Chief executive Colin Carmichael said it had provided Pride in Canterbury with more than £4,000 funding since 2005 to help identify the needs of the gay community and promote their concerns.
"The council strongly refutes any suggestion by Pride in Canterbury that we do not want to engage with the gay community and we are very disappointed that they have referred this to the ombudsman," he said.
"Last year we held a gay open day at the council offices which was widely advertised – including in the gay press – well attended by more than 40 people and received very good feedback from those present."
But Pride's Andrew Bretell insisted it had been left with no choice but to make a complaint because letters to the council had failed to get the required response.
Mr Bretell said: "They're more interested in ticking their equality boxes and engaging in back and forth 'who said what' games than they are in dealing with the real issues. We do not believe the council want a thriving LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender) community in our city."
News of the investigation has surprised some locals. Canterbury University student Chloe Breton, 21, added: "It sounds ridiculous to me, some of my male friends are gay and they've definitely got no problem with Canterbury. I really don't think this is the best way to promote the place. It just makes us sound unfriendly and not tolerant – when actually the opposite is true."
The ombudsman is due to rule on the complaint on May 20.
12 May 2009
Socialism and Secularism Suck Vitality Out of Society
"A Communist is someone who has read Marx, a anti communist is someone who has UNDERSTOOD Marx..."
FrontPageMagazine.com
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
by Dennis Prager
Outside of politics, sports, and popular entertainment, how many living Germans, or French, or Austrians, or even Brits can you name?
Even well-informed people who love art and literature and who follow developments in science and medicine would be hard pressed to come up with many, more often any, names. In terms of greatness in literature, art, music, the sciences, philosophy, and medical breakthroughs, Europe has virtually fallen off the radar screen.
This is particularly meaningful given how different the answer would have been had you asked anyone the same question between just 80 and 120 years ago -- and certainly before that. A plethora of world-renowned names would have flowed.
Obvious examples would include (in alphabetical order): Brecht, Buber, Cezanne, Chekhov, Curie, Debussy, Eiffel, Einstein, Freud, Hesse, Kafka, Mahler, Mann, Marconi, Pasteur, Porsche, Proust, Somerset Maugham, Strauss, Stravinsky, Tolstoy, Zeppelin, Zola.
Not to mention the European immortals who lived within the century before them: Mozart, Beethoven, Dostoevsky, Darwin, Kierkegaard, Manet, Monet, Hugo and Van Gogh, to name only a few.
What has happened?
What has happened is that Europe, with a few exceptions, has lost its creativity, intellectual excitement, industrial innovation, and risk taking. Europe's creative energy has been sapped. There are many lovely Europeans; but there aren't many creative, dynamic, or entrepreneurial ones.
The issues that preoccupy most Europeans are overwhelmingly material ones: How many hours per week will I have to work? How much annual vacation time will I have? How many social benefits can I preserve (or increase)? How can my country avoid fighting against anyone or for anyone?
Why has this happened?
There are two reasons: secularism and socialism (aka the welfare state).
Either one alone sucks much of the life out of society. Together they are likely to be lethal.
Even if one holds that religion is false, only a dogmatic and irrational secularist can deny that it was religion in the Western world that provided the impetus or backdrop for nearly all the uniquely great art, literature, economic and even scientific advances of the West. Even the irreligious were forced to deal with religious themes -- if only in expressing rebellion against them.
Religion in the West raised all the great questions of life: Why are we here? Is there purpose to existence? Were we deliberately made? Is there something after death? Are morals objective or only a matter of personal preference? Do rights come from the state or from the Creator?
And religion gave positive responses: We are here because a benevolent God made us. There is, therefore, ultimate purpose to life. Good and evil are real. Death is not the end. Human rights are inherent since they come from God. And so on.
Secularism drains all this out of life. No one made us. Death is the end. We are no more significant than any other creatures. We are all the results of mere coincidence. Make up your own meaning (existentialism) because life has none. Good and evil are merely euphemisms for "I like" and "I dislike."
Thus, when religion dies in a country, creativity wanes. For example, while Christian Russia was backward in many ways, it still gave the world Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Tolstoy, and Tchaikovsky. Once Christianity was suppressed, if not killed, in Russia, that country became a cultural wasteland (with a few exceptions like Shostakovich and Solzhenitsyn, the latter a devout Christian). It is true that this was largely the result of Lenin, Stalin and Communism; but even where Communism did not take over, the decline of religion in Europe meant a decline in human creativity -- except for nihilistic and/or absurd isms, which have greatly increased. As G. K. Chesterton noted at the end of the 19th century, when people stop believing in God they don't believe in nothing, they believe in anything. One not only thinks of the violent isms: Marxism, Marxism-Leninism, Fascism, Maoism, and Nazism, but of all the non-violent isms that have become substitute religions - e.g., feminism, environmentalism, and socialism.
The state sucks out creativity and dynamism just as much as secularism does. Why do anything for yourself when the state will do it for you? Why take care of others when the state will do it for you? Why have ambition when the state is there to ensure that few or no individuals are rewarded more than others?
America has been the center of energy and creativity in almost every area of life because it has remained far more religious than any other industrialized Western democracy and because it has rejected the welfare state social model.
Which is why so many are so worried about President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party's desire to transform -- in their apt wording -- America into a secular welfare state. The greatest engine of moral, religious, economic, scientific, and industrial dynamism is being starved of its fuel. The bigger the state, the smaller its people.
FrontPageMagazine.com
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
by Dennis Prager
Outside of politics, sports, and popular entertainment, how many living Germans, or French, or Austrians, or even Brits can you name?
Even well-informed people who love art and literature and who follow developments in science and medicine would be hard pressed to come up with many, more often any, names. In terms of greatness in literature, art, music, the sciences, philosophy, and medical breakthroughs, Europe has virtually fallen off the radar screen.
This is particularly meaningful given how different the answer would have been had you asked anyone the same question between just 80 and 120 years ago -- and certainly before that. A plethora of world-renowned names would have flowed.
Obvious examples would include (in alphabetical order): Brecht, Buber, Cezanne, Chekhov, Curie, Debussy, Eiffel, Einstein, Freud, Hesse, Kafka, Mahler, Mann, Marconi, Pasteur, Porsche, Proust, Somerset Maugham, Strauss, Stravinsky, Tolstoy, Zeppelin, Zola.
Not to mention the European immortals who lived within the century before them: Mozart, Beethoven, Dostoevsky, Darwin, Kierkegaard, Manet, Monet, Hugo and Van Gogh, to name only a few.
What has happened?
What has happened is that Europe, with a few exceptions, has lost its creativity, intellectual excitement, industrial innovation, and risk taking. Europe's creative energy has been sapped. There are many lovely Europeans; but there aren't many creative, dynamic, or entrepreneurial ones.
The issues that preoccupy most Europeans are overwhelmingly material ones: How many hours per week will I have to work? How much annual vacation time will I have? How many social benefits can I preserve (or increase)? How can my country avoid fighting against anyone or for anyone?
Why has this happened?
There are two reasons: secularism and socialism (aka the welfare state).
Either one alone sucks much of the life out of society. Together they are likely to be lethal.
Even if one holds that religion is false, only a dogmatic and irrational secularist can deny that it was religion in the Western world that provided the impetus or backdrop for nearly all the uniquely great art, literature, economic and even scientific advances of the West. Even the irreligious were forced to deal with religious themes -- if only in expressing rebellion against them.
Religion in the West raised all the great questions of life: Why are we here? Is there purpose to existence? Were we deliberately made? Is there something after death? Are morals objective or only a matter of personal preference? Do rights come from the state or from the Creator?
And religion gave positive responses: We are here because a benevolent God made us. There is, therefore, ultimate purpose to life. Good and evil are real. Death is not the end. Human rights are inherent since they come from God. And so on.
Secularism drains all this out of life. No one made us. Death is the end. We are no more significant than any other creatures. We are all the results of mere coincidence. Make up your own meaning (existentialism) because life has none. Good and evil are merely euphemisms for "I like" and "I dislike."
Thus, when religion dies in a country, creativity wanes. For example, while Christian Russia was backward in many ways, it still gave the world Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Tolstoy, and Tchaikovsky. Once Christianity was suppressed, if not killed, in Russia, that country became a cultural wasteland (with a few exceptions like Shostakovich and Solzhenitsyn, the latter a devout Christian). It is true that this was largely the result of Lenin, Stalin and Communism; but even where Communism did not take over, the decline of religion in Europe meant a decline in human creativity -- except for nihilistic and/or absurd isms, which have greatly increased. As G. K. Chesterton noted at the end of the 19th century, when people stop believing in God they don't believe in nothing, they believe in anything. One not only thinks of the violent isms: Marxism, Marxism-Leninism, Fascism, Maoism, and Nazism, but of all the non-violent isms that have become substitute religions - e.g., feminism, environmentalism, and socialism.
The state sucks out creativity and dynamism just as much as secularism does. Why do anything for yourself when the state will do it for you? Why take care of others when the state will do it for you? Why have ambition when the state is there to ensure that few or no individuals are rewarded more than others?
America has been the center of energy and creativity in almost every area of life because it has remained far more religious than any other industrialized Western democracy and because it has rejected the welfare state social model.
Which is why so many are so worried about President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party's desire to transform -- in their apt wording -- America into a secular welfare state. The greatest engine of moral, religious, economic, scientific, and industrial dynamism is being starved of its fuel. The bigger the state, the smaller its people.
BBC appoints Muslim to top religious post in controversial first
By Steve Doughty
12th May 2009
Aaqil Ahmed has been appointed the Head of Religion and Ethics
The BBC yesterday appointed a Muslim as its head of religious programming in a radical departure from broadcasting tradition.
The post - considered one of the most influential religious roles in the country - has gone to Aaqil Ahmed, who has been working as an executive at Channel 4.
The appointment will cause dismay among the Christian churches.
Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams raised concerns over the prospect of a Muslim head of religious broadcasting during a meeting with the corporation's director general Mark Thompson in March.
It comes at a time of deepening worries among Christian leaders that their faith is being sidelined and downgraded by authorities.
Both Dr Williams and Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu have made repeated public complaints over the indifference and occasional hostility to Christianity shown in Whitehall and from other authorities.
Last year the BBC gave the job of producing its most popular and longrunning religious programme, Songs of Praise, to a Sikh, Tommy Nagra.
The Church of England points out that 70 per cent of the population of Britain professes to be Christian, but only 3 per cent are Muslims.
An official spokesman for the CofE said: 'We will judge the new man by his output rather than his label.'
Christina Rees, a member of the Church's 'Cabinet', the Archbishops' Council, said: 'Aaqil Ahmed is a respected professional who has an established record of producing programmes on religion and ethics.
'It is important that the Christian faith continues to receive coverage that accurately reflects its significance in the lives of most people who live in Britain, the overwhelming majority of whom regard themselves as Christian.'
The choice of Mr Ahmed was made by George Entwistle, who is in charge of factual programming.
A BBC spokesman declined to say whether Mr Thompson - a practising Roman Catholic - was consulted on the appointment.
But one corporation insider suggested the BBC would have been in breach of employment law if it had failed to give the job to Mr Ahmed.
He was the best-qualified for the post, they said, and a decision to turn him down would have amounted to discrimination.
Mr Ahmed is currently Channel 4's senior executive for religious programmes. He has commissioned series on the history of Christianity and the Koran.
His critics accuse him of dumbing down religion, for example in one programme by presenting an assessment of the state of Christianity by Cherie Blair.
Mr Ahmed is a trustee of the Runnymede Trust, a body that has championed the ideology of multiculturalism.
He has also taken part in campaigns for a greater Muslim presence in the media.
In the past the post of head of religion at the BBC has been considered a job for a senior and respected cleric or lay churchgoer.
The Church of England's place as the established Church has usually been influential in the choice of postholders.
There were deep reservations among church leaders eight years ago when for the first time the corporation appointed an atheist to the role.
Mr Ahmed's appointment follows a re- organisation of the BBC religious broadcasting department and his title will be Head of Religion and Ethics and Commissioning Editor for Religion TV.
The former head of religious programmes, Methodist preacher Michael Wakelin, failed to land the new post.
Church leaders have become increasing disillusioned with the BBC in recent years. There have been a number of complaints that the corporation has shifted religious broadcasting out of prime time and cut down on the amount of time it gets.
The BBC's TV religious programming is much reduced from the days when there were only terrestrial channels, which were required to set aside an hour on Sunday evening as a 'God Slot'.
The remaining religious flagship is Songs of Praise, which has been running since 1961 and which can still command audiences of four million. Last Sunday it ran at close to peak time, at 5.55pm.
Otherwise the only Sunday TV religious programme is The Big Question, broadcast at 10am and intended to represent different faiths and beliefs.
Last Sunday, BBC2, BBC3 and BBC4 offered no religious programmes. BBC3, however, did broadcast Kirsten's Topless Ambition, about a TV presenter considering going topless for a photo shoot, and two episodes of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.
The BBC has recently announced a six-part documentary on the history of Christianity, to be presented by the highly-respected historian Diarmaid McCulloch.
* The BBC has made a second senior religious appointment, making Christine Morgan, a longstanding producer who has been responsible for Radio 4's Thought for the Day, Head of Religion Radio.
12th May 2009
Aaqil Ahmed has been appointed the Head of Religion and Ethics
The BBC yesterday appointed a Muslim as its head of religious programming in a radical departure from broadcasting tradition.
The post - considered one of the most influential religious roles in the country - has gone to Aaqil Ahmed, who has been working as an executive at Channel 4.
The appointment will cause dismay among the Christian churches.
Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams raised concerns over the prospect of a Muslim head of religious broadcasting during a meeting with the corporation's director general Mark Thompson in March.
It comes at a time of deepening worries among Christian leaders that their faith is being sidelined and downgraded by authorities.
Both Dr Williams and Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu have made repeated public complaints over the indifference and occasional hostility to Christianity shown in Whitehall and from other authorities.
Last year the BBC gave the job of producing its most popular and longrunning religious programme, Songs of Praise, to a Sikh, Tommy Nagra.
The Church of England points out that 70 per cent of the population of Britain professes to be Christian, but only 3 per cent are Muslims.
An official spokesman for the CofE said: 'We will judge the new man by his output rather than his label.'
Christina Rees, a member of the Church's 'Cabinet', the Archbishops' Council, said: 'Aaqil Ahmed is a respected professional who has an established record of producing programmes on religion and ethics.
'It is important that the Christian faith continues to receive coverage that accurately reflects its significance in the lives of most people who live in Britain, the overwhelming majority of whom regard themselves as Christian.'
The choice of Mr Ahmed was made by George Entwistle, who is in charge of factual programming.
A BBC spokesman declined to say whether Mr Thompson - a practising Roman Catholic - was consulted on the appointment.
But one corporation insider suggested the BBC would have been in breach of employment law if it had failed to give the job to Mr Ahmed.
He was the best-qualified for the post, they said, and a decision to turn him down would have amounted to discrimination.
Mr Ahmed is currently Channel 4's senior executive for religious programmes. He has commissioned series on the history of Christianity and the Koran.
His critics accuse him of dumbing down religion, for example in one programme by presenting an assessment of the state of Christianity by Cherie Blair.
Mr Ahmed is a trustee of the Runnymede Trust, a body that has championed the ideology of multiculturalism.
He has also taken part in campaigns for a greater Muslim presence in the media.
In the past the post of head of religion at the BBC has been considered a job for a senior and respected cleric or lay churchgoer.
The Church of England's place as the established Church has usually been influential in the choice of postholders.
There were deep reservations among church leaders eight years ago when for the first time the corporation appointed an atheist to the role.
Mr Ahmed's appointment follows a re- organisation of the BBC religious broadcasting department and his title will be Head of Religion and Ethics and Commissioning Editor for Religion TV.
The former head of religious programmes, Methodist preacher Michael Wakelin, failed to land the new post.
Church leaders have become increasing disillusioned with the BBC in recent years. There have been a number of complaints that the corporation has shifted religious broadcasting out of prime time and cut down on the amount of time it gets.
The BBC's TV religious programming is much reduced from the days when there were only terrestrial channels, which were required to set aside an hour on Sunday evening as a 'God Slot'.
The remaining religious flagship is Songs of Praise, which has been running since 1961 and which can still command audiences of four million. Last Sunday it ran at close to peak time, at 5.55pm.
Otherwise the only Sunday TV religious programme is The Big Question, broadcast at 10am and intended to represent different faiths and beliefs.
Last Sunday, BBC2, BBC3 and BBC4 offered no religious programmes. BBC3, however, did broadcast Kirsten's Topless Ambition, about a TV presenter considering going topless for a photo shoot, and two episodes of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.
The BBC has recently announced a six-part documentary on the history of Christianity, to be presented by the highly-respected historian Diarmaid McCulloch.
* The BBC has made a second senior religious appointment, making Christine Morgan, a longstanding producer who has been responsible for Radio 4's Thought for the Day, Head of Religion Radio.
11 May 2009
U.S. Army Officer Calls Obama an "Impostor"
"You can fool some of the people, all the time and all the people some of the time; but you can't fool all the people all of the time..."
By Caitlin Millat
http://www.nbcnewyork.com
11th May, 2009
A United States soldier on active duty in Iraq called President Barack Obama an "impostor" Monday, saying he would not comply with the president's military commands until he saw irrefutable evidence Obama was born on American soil.
Take a look at the best photos of President Obama and his family captured during the first few months in office.
"As an active-duty Officer in the United States Army, I have grave concerns about the constitutional eligibility of Barack Hussein Obama to hold the Office of President of the United States," Lt. Scott Easterling wrote in a letter to attorney Orly Taitz.
Until the president - or "Mr." Obama, as Easterling writes - releases the original 'vault copy' to the public, Easterling said he would refuse to acknowledge Obama's military orders.
"I will consider him neither my Commander-in-Chief nor my President, but rather, a usurper to the Office - an imposter," he said.
Easterling said that Obama has "absolutely refused" to provide proof that he was indeed born in Honolulu - and not Kenya, as some detractors claim. Obama "has fought every attempt made by concerned citizens" to prove his eligibility for office,
Easterling wrote.
The lieutenant is currently in the middle of a 15-month tour of duty in Balad, Iraq. He joined the Army at age 40 after working in Iraq as a contractor with firm KBR.
Taitz is the legal counsel behind the "Defend Our Freedoms" campaign pushing for action to unseal Barack Obama's birth records. She worked with ex-Obama opponent Alan Keyes in 2008 as he filed suit against the state of California, attempting to prevent the state from granting electoral votes to the then president-elect until his birth records were verified.
Alabama Senator Richard Shelby questioned Obama's citizenship last week as he spoke to constituents, saying he had never seen a copy of Obama's birth certificate. Several other appeals are pending or have since been denied in New Jersey, Chicago and Hawaii, among other locations, to verify Obama's citizenship, World Net Daily reports.
By Caitlin Millat
http://www.nbcnewyork.com
11th May, 2009
A United States soldier on active duty in Iraq called President Barack Obama an "impostor" Monday, saying he would not comply with the president's military commands until he saw irrefutable evidence Obama was born on American soil.
Take a look at the best photos of President Obama and his family captured during the first few months in office.
"As an active-duty Officer in the United States Army, I have grave concerns about the constitutional eligibility of Barack Hussein Obama to hold the Office of President of the United States," Lt. Scott Easterling wrote in a letter to attorney Orly Taitz.
Until the president - or "Mr." Obama, as Easterling writes - releases the original 'vault copy' to the public, Easterling said he would refuse to acknowledge Obama's military orders.
"I will consider him neither my Commander-in-Chief nor my President, but rather, a usurper to the Office - an imposter," he said.
Easterling said that Obama has "absolutely refused" to provide proof that he was indeed born in Honolulu - and not Kenya, as some detractors claim. Obama "has fought every attempt made by concerned citizens" to prove his eligibility for office,
Easterling wrote.
The lieutenant is currently in the middle of a 15-month tour of duty in Balad, Iraq. He joined the Army at age 40 after working in Iraq as a contractor with firm KBR.
Taitz is the legal counsel behind the "Defend Our Freedoms" campaign pushing for action to unseal Barack Obama's birth records. She worked with ex-Obama opponent Alan Keyes in 2008 as he filed suit against the state of California, attempting to prevent the state from granting electoral votes to the then president-elect until his birth records were verified.
Alabama Senator Richard Shelby questioned Obama's citizenship last week as he spoke to constituents, saying he had never seen a copy of Obama's birth certificate. Several other appeals are pending or have since been denied in New Jersey, Chicago and Hawaii, among other locations, to verify Obama's citizenship, World Net Daily reports.
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