For starters, I sure hope this adolescent poppycock does not get milked for the balance of the summer. And by adolescent, I do mean the content of the question, which will be settled soon, but the way it plays out in the media, and the cottage industry and frenzy it creates in the minds of already marginally sane ideologues.
With that as a preface, I say that if Obama is not a citizen of the USA, then we have to be gravely concerned about the skill set of the FBI, CIA, NSA, and INS, as all of these agencies are mandated to vet a United States Senator prior to their taking the Oath of Office. If he ain’t the real McCoy than he is bringing down four agencies in the process. Fat chance.
The indolence of the major media in not knowing or addressing this fact of process and protocol is a story in itself.
Media indolence, however, is abound. In the 2000 Presidential election there was story flying across America about how overseas ballots were not “postmarked,” and therefore invalid. Americans bought this poppycock too. As a one time contributor to the Stars and Stripes I can tell you with certainty that correspondence from men and women at war is not postmarked and never has been since WWl, It comes by way of the Armed Forces Postal System and is frequently not dated. No media outlet reported this simple truth and milked the story and lathered the people of this fine land for months.
If you take this country of origin issue to its extreme than George Washington’s Presidency should be annulled as we was not a citizen of the United States. He was born in a British Colony. Mitt Romney’ father was born in Mexico, John McCain in Panama, and Barry Goldwaters birth place was questioned. So what’s for breakfast?
And why in the world anyone thinks a Birth Certificate is sacrosanct is beyond reason. Have you ever been in to an OB.GYN ward when a child is born? They will write in the name of the parents you tell them to write. No one asks for ID! Doctors will pre-sign the Birth Certificate leaving the fathers name blank. And someone thinks that these un-notarized documents are some form of Divine Edict?
The newspaper announcements of a child’s birth are equally valid as they name time,and place. There are three announcements of Obama’s birth in local papers in Hawaii. I suppose those news outlets were part of some grand conspiracy that is tied into the predictions of Nostradamus! My word, lets bring back the Lacey Petersen Trial for the summer.
Get some professional genealogists on the evening news and close the case. Hard to do when you have to fill 24/ 7 cable news for Mr. Murdoch. I think I will hang with the Tucson Citizen bloggers myself. No one here is taking any “527″ money.

I received many calls today regarding this issue. I hope this helps answer some of the questions. If not feel free to call my hot line 520-540-7000 or VA line 1-800-827-1000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2008

VA Secretary Establishes ALS as a Presumptive Compensable Illness
Cites Association between Military Service and Later Development of ALS
WASHINGTON – Veterans with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may receive badly-needed support for themselves and their families after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that ALS will become a presumptively compensable illness for all veterans with 90 days or more of continuously active service in the military.
“Veterans are developing ALS in rates higher than the general population, and it was appropriate to take action,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake said.
Secretary Peake based his decision primarily on a November 2006 report by the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine (IOM) on the association between active-duty service and ALS.
“We are extremely grateful to Secretary Peake, Congressman Henry Brown and Senator Lindsey Graham for standing on the side of veterans with ALS across the country,” said Gary Leo, president and CEO of The ALS Association. “Thanks to their leadership, veterans with ALS will receive the benefits and care they need, when they need them. Thanks to their efforts, no veteran with ALS will ever be left behind.”
The report, titled Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Veterans: Review of the Scientific Literature, analyzed numerous previous studies on the issue and concluded that “there is limited and suggestive evidence of an association between military service and later development of ALS.”
“ALS is a disease that progresses rapidly, once it is diagnosed,” the Secretary explained. “There simply isn’t time to develop the evidence needed to support compensation claims before many veterans become seriously ill. My decision will make those claims much easier to process, and for them and their families to receive the compensation they have earned through their service to our nation.”
- More -
New Regulation on ALS Presumptive 2/2/2/2

ALS, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a neuromuscular disease that affects about 20,000 to 30,000 people of all races and ethnicities in the United States, is often relentlessly progressive, and is almost always fatal.
ALS causes degeneration of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that leads to muscle weakness, muscle atrophy, and spontaneous muscle activity. Currently, the cause of ALS is unknown, and there is no effective treatment.
The new interim final regulation applies to all applications for benefits received by VA on or after September 23, 2008, or that are pending before VA, the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, or the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on that date.
VA will work to identify and contact veterans with ALS, including those whose claims for ALS were previously denied, through direct mailings and other outreach programs.
To view the entire regulation published in the Federal Register today, go to: www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2008-21998_PI.pdf. For more information on VA’s disability compensation program, go to www.va.gov or contact 1-800-827-1000.

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