Lt. Scott Easterling has entered a novel fight while serving in Iraq: he is suing President Barack Obama. Easterling is calling the President an “impostor” and challenging his right to issue commands while his birth status is in question. It is one of a series of lawsuit challenging the right of the President to serve on the basis of his birth status. It appears that he could be joined by Senator Richard Shelby in the litigation. Shelby has refused to accept Obama citizenship until he sees a birth certificate.
Easterling is supporting challenges filed by California attorney Orly Taitz and her Defend Our Freedom Foundation. He issued a statement: “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,” wrote Scott Easterling in a “to-whom-it-may-concern” letter.
The statement will raise an interesting question for an active soldier. It appears that Lt. Easterling is still following orders and he does have a right to file a lawsuit. However, calling the Commander-in-Chief an “impostor” in an out-of-court statement could be the grounds for discipline under the military code. Here is the statement that he released to the public:
To Any and All Interested Parties,
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. He has absolutely refused to provide to the American public his original birth certificate, as well as other documents which may prove or disprove his eligibility. In fact, he has fought every attempt made by concerned citizens in their effort to force him to do so.
Until Mr. Obama releases a “vault copy” of his original birth certificate for public review, I will consider him neither my Commander in Chief nor my President, but rather, a usurper to the Office – an impostor.
My conviction is such that I am compelled to join Dr. Orly Taitz’s lawsuit, as a plaintiff, against Mr. Obama. As a citizen, it pains me to do this, but as an Offficer, my sworn oath to support and defend our Constitution requires this action.
I joined the Army at age 40, after working in Iraq as a contractor with KBR in ‘05/’06. I chose to work with KBR to support my troops and then left that lucrative position when the Army raised it’s maximum enlistment age to 40. Upon completion of Basic Training, I entered Officer Candidate School and commissioned as a 2LT in August 2007. After completing the subsequent Basic Officer Leadership courses, I was assigned to Ft. Knox and shortly therafter deployed to Balad, Iraq. I was promoted to 1LT on Feb. 2, 2009 and I have approximately five months remaining of our fifteen month deployment.
I implore all Service-members and citizens to contact their Senators and Representatives and demand that they require Mr. Obama prove his eligibility. Our Constitution and our great nation must not be allowed to be disgraced.
Very Respectfull,
Scott R. Easterling
1LT OD/LG
United States Army
[Update: Now a second soldier has reportedly joined Easterling in his challenge to the President’s legitimacy.
The case may follow the same course as the court martial of Lt. Ehren Watada for his public comments against the Iraq war. His case led to some novel appeals and a mistrial. 
Bar nuts…?
p.s. mespo, for future reference, jujubes pair well with Prosecco or ‘champagne’, as does curry-parmesan popcorn… 😛
http://www.tantemarie.com/recipes/horsdoeuvres/spicynuts.html
This recipe was inspired by several sweet/spicy nut recipes that I have tried over the years. This is my favorite because the combination of maple and brown sugar with the bite that comes from the ginger and cayenne makes them completely addictive.
Tante Marie’s Spicy Nuts
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 thin slices fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 pound shelled pecans, almonds or walnuts
Instructions
To make the pecans, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil or a Sil-Pat.
Combine the butter, syrup, brown sugar, ginger, ground ginger, cardamom, salt, Tabasco, and cayenne in a small saucepan and simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring often until sugar is completely dissolved. Place the nuts in a large bowl and pour the glaze through a strainer into the bowl. Toss the nuts well to coat them evenly with the glaze. Spread the nuts in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake 30-40 minutes, stirring at 15 minute intervals, until nuts are lightly browned and almost dry when you toss them. Slide the foil or Sil-Pat off the baking sheet and onto a rack to cool the nuts completely.
Nuts can be made ahead and stored in airtight containers at room temp. or in the freezer, for up to one month.
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http://www.chow.com/recipes/14260
Total: 25 mins /Active: 5 mins/ Makes: 8 to 10 servings (5 cups)
Roasted Rosemary Walnuts
INGREDIENTS
* 5 cups walnuts
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1/4 cup fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
* 4 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
* 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. Place nuts on a baking sheet. Add remaining ingredients and mix with your hands to evenly coat.
3. Bake until nuts are browned and toasted, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet, transfer to a bowl, and serve.
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http://www.recipezaar.com/Roasted-Rosemary-Walnuts-53121
Roasted Rosemary Walnuts
Recipe #53121 | 30 min | 15 min prep
Ingredients
* 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
* 3/4-1 teaspoon sea salt, to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 2 cups walnut halves
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Line baking sheet with foil.
Heat olive oil with rosemary, salt and cayenne, stirring until mixed.
Put nuts on foil-lined sheet, pour oil mixture over them, spreading evenly.
Roast, stirring once or twice, 10- 15 min, until fragrant.
Let cool and eat, or wrap in foil to store.
Buddha,
42 is good. The truth is life gets better with age if you keep your mind open which tells me you’ve got a lot of great things ahead of you. Your Grandfather had taste, which helps explain your class. Hoagy at one point had a half hour TV show
when I was a young’un. Of course he opened and closed with stardust. He seemed a cool guy to me.
I known what you mean about being born old because it took me awhile to finally realize people found me likable so I used to hang out with the adults, or was it really that I discovered that I liked myself? What can you expect from a therapist but heavy seeming crap like that? Anyway this thread has definitely turned more pleasant, if somewhat off topic of late.
Mike,
I’m 42. But I according to those knew me as a child, I was born that way. I don’t think I really had friends my age until girls became a consideration. My grandfather was a huge Hoagy and Hank, Sr. fan. Since I was his #1 fan, it rubbed off on me. I’ve seen a kinescope of Hoagy, I think it was at the Grand Old Opry, but only the one.
Gyges,
I’ve heard some of her stuff, she’s good. These days I get my Bluegrass from Pandora as I hang out on the laptop, so my musicology gets a bit dim unless its’ an artist I’m already familiar with. Imagine and old fart like me watching the Grammy’s, clueless. As for Heart and Soul that and Chopsticks are the only songs I can play on the piano, plus it was a great Doo Wop hit. It may be more information than you need but I can’t sing a lick either. My wife, Daughters and Son-In-Law all have great voices and I get weird looks when I sing with them at Passover Seders.
Vince,
Seldom Scene are simply great.
Buddha,
How old are you? Remembering Stardust. Are you old enough to have watched Hoagy on TV?
Gyges,
Come on! Surely “Stardust” makes up for “Heart and Soul”.
Mike, in the D.C. area we are partial to our own Seldom Scene.
Mike,
Have you heard of a singer by the name of Dawn Landes? She’s a younger bluegrass singer, but man does she have a great voice.
Buddha,
I can almost forgive Carmichael for “Heart and Soul.”
Hoagy Carmichael.
FFLEO,
As a son of the West tell me how a long-haired(once when I had it), New-Age, hippy-type pinko Jewboy from Brooklyn counts country/western/bluegrass as the type that moves him the most.For me it started with Tex, Gene and Roy, fueled by a love for Westerns that started with their “B” movies on the TV and then solidified by High Noon, Shane, Vera Cruz and The Searchers.
As I grew older I discovered Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, Del
McCoury, Ralph Stanley & Vassar Clements in bluegrass. In C&W it was Hank Sr., Johnny Cash, The Carters, Bob Wills, Jimmy Rodgers, Dolly etc., etc. I could listen to the Opry on NYC radio then. I of course can go on forever with my favorites. A good fiddle playing, or the twang of a pedal steel guitar raises wonderful emotions within me that no other music seems to match.
I traveled and camped extensively in the West in the 60’s and 70’s and first saw what the heavens at night really looked like camping in The Grand Tetons National Forest and watching a meteor shower on a hill outside of Rapid City, SD. The West met and exceeded my childhood expectations fostered in the movies. There is a part of me that will always be a cowboy at heart, even if I know the difference between myth and reality.
It is sad when for political reasons politicians and their sponsors try to carve up this country into competing regions and philosophy’s. Despite our different backgrounds we all share a common heritage and should glory in the differences that actually can unite us.
“Your words can’t sink me because I’ve done my research and everything I have stated is a fact.”
“What is my purpose? It has always been to show that it is possible that Mr. Obama was not born in the US. In fact, I have shown that it is more than likely. Why is it more likely?”
“Any honest man respects what I have done.”
“It is unreasonable in any sane man’s mind (political non partisan) to let the so called President get by without showing a real birth certificate that we know he has.”
“Whether he has done enough legally [to this point] has nothing to do with whether it is reasonable to assume that he may not be born in Hawaii. I think it’s reasonable to assume he was not there because
a) people can get birth certificates in Hawaii not being born there
b) He won’t show his original”
Shady,
The five of your quotes above explain why most of us see you as a troll, propagandist or fool, or any combination of same.
Everything you’ve stated is NOT fact, it is supposition on your part. When you say that “In fact, I have shown that it is more than likely,” it is no fact and you haven’t done anything of the kind. Your next misstatement is that Obama hasn’t shown his real birth certificate. That’s not a fact but a convenient lie based on the false/unproven premise that the certificate he’s shown is not his real one.
Finally, you may think it’s reasonable to assume that Obama wasn’t born in Hawaii, but not only is that also not fact, you base it on non-existent logic. Your evidence for people being able to get false birth certificates in Hawaii is based on Sun Yat Sen. He was born either November 12, 1866 or November 24 1870 and died March 12 1925. He died at a time 3.5 decades before Hawaii became a State and he was born when it was a backward (bureaucratically) Kingdom. That is your only evidence that you can get phony birth certificates in Hawaii. This is not a fact and not even is it a tangentially reasonable assumption.
You rest your other assumption on why he won’t show what you want him to show. I have answered you on that point three times and you have ignored, not refuted my answer. Just as you have either mis-characterized, misstated and/or ignored Vince’s complete demolishing of your case.
I hope for your sake that you are perceptive enough to understand the points I’ve just made, probably because you’re a paid troll or willing propagandist who cynically spouts this tripe, but I must say at this point I doubt it. Whatever your IQ, you have no sense of logic or rhetoric. I hope your folks have left you some money or good connections, because without them your only career hope is as a Limbaugh or Goebbels. If you are a liberal as you state, something I doubt, you only prove that liberals have some dumb people among them also.
Most ironically is the fact that you see yourself as flummoxing everyone with your rapier wit, where the truth is that we have all begun to either laugh at you, pity you, or both.
mespo,
Thanks for the link! That’s a quality site.
FFLEO,
Even though I love Paul Simon, I’m actually not a huge Simon and Garfunkle fan. That’s my favorite song on that Album, it’s the one that hints most strongly at the witty and clever song writer Paul Simon was going to become.
As far as Country goes, you’re talking to a longtime fan of the Tennessee Plowboy.
Gyges,
I never read or heard those Paul Simon lyrics before from that 1965/66 era and I just looked them up. I was listening to and playing country music then and that long-haired, New-Age, hippy-type pinko commie stuff did not play in my boots n’ saddle in-crowd clique. Neat song though. Thanks. (I must have mellowed…)
Mespo:
thank you.
buddha:
If I could suggest a Latin site, here’s my favorite:
http://www.wheelockslatin.com/chapters/introduction/introduction.html
mespo,
You task me to brush up on my Latin all the time and for that I must thank you. Would that I were as comfortable with it as you.
Gyges:
Damn I knew it sounded familiar. Couldn’t quite place it. Thanks.
Bron9:
I enjoy Latin too. It doesn’t bark at you like German, or try to seduce you like French. Latin seems the language for sturdy men in stern times. To the point but full of duty, honor, and respect for law and achievement, you can see its underpinnings in the syntax and even the verse. Since it dies eons ago, it has an almost mystical, ancient quality to it and since it serves as the backdrop for what I do and is the precursor of our legal system it is more than passing fancy for me. Good luck in you studies, and ask whenever you feel the urge. I can promise you only a genuine interest to help, but not the in depth knowledge to answer.
As to your comment about my impatience with fools, I’ll offer you the famous Latin proverb: “Aquila non capit muscam.”
Mespo,
If I ever say anything quotable be my guest, but that was (mostly) Paul Simon.
Gyges:
May I quote you (and Bob Dylan)– often?
*************
Bron98:
“Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it.”
–Sir (Frederick) Henry Royce British Engineer, 1863-1933
This reads like poetry to me. Remember Vonnegut knew his way around a blueprint.