Court to Hear Case of “Birther” Who Won't Deploy

An Army doctor will be in a court martial hearing Tuesday for refusing to deploy to Afghanistan

Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin doubts President Barack Obama was born in the United States and questions his eligibility to be commander and chief.

In videos posted on YouTube, Lakin aligned himself with the so-called "birthers" who question whether President Obama is a “natural-born citizen” as required by the U.S. Constitution.

Earlier this year, the 18-year veteran disobeyed orders to report to a Kentucky Army base to prepare for deployment.

Lakin says in the videos that any reasonable person looking at available evidence would have questions about Obama's eligibility to be president and that he had "no choice" but to disobey
orders. Lakin, a native of Greeley, Colo., said he would "gladly deploy" if Obama's original birth certificate were released and proved authentic.

Officials in Hawaii say they have seen and verified Obama's original 1961 birth certificate, which is on record with that state. But birthers have not been satisfied with that assurance or the "Certification of Live Birth" Obama has released, a digital document that is a record of a person's birth in the state but that does not list the name of the hospital where his mother gave birth
or the physician who delivered him.

Hawaii law has long barred the release of a certified birth certificate to anyone who does not have a tangible interest.

In September, a military judge ruled the president's birth certificate is irrelevant in Lakin's case. His lawyer will therefore not be able to raise the issue as a defense for why Lakin, a flight surgeon, did not report for what would have been a second tour of duty in Afghanistan.

As a result, his civilian defense attorney, Neal Puckett, says he is not optimistic about Lakin's prospects of being acquitted. He is "probably going to be convicted of something," Puckett said.
If convicted of all the charges against him, Lakin faces dismissal from the Army and more than 3 1/2 years in prison.

Lakin's trial and a sentencing phase are expected to last two or three days.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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