Did Obama Register Draft With Someone Elses Social Security Number?

Q: Are Obama'south early records "sealed"?

A: No. Many records that presidential candidates don't ordinarily release practice remain confidential, but they are not "sealed" by a court. The 16 claims in a widely distributed graphic are by and large false or distorted.

Full QUESTION

Is this true?

Subj: What?

…and they want 12 years of Romney's tax returns? THIS should be on billboards all over our nation!

Forward this to others who are interested in re-challenge America and saving our future

Full ANSWER

This is an instance of mostly one-time distortion in a new casing. It mainly recycles years-old falsehoods and insinuations, most of which we covered long ago, in connection with an earlier viral email.

Merely with President Barack Obama's reelection campaign heating up, this new graphic has appeared on countless anti-Obama websites and in viral emails like the one we've reprinted hither. Very piddling that it contains is new, and the onetime falsehoods have not improved with age.

Nothing 'Sealed'

The thought that whatever Obama record is "sealed" is a falsehood, to get-go. The word "sealed" when applied to documents ordinarily refers to records that would normally be public, just that a approximate has ruled cannot be released without the court's permission. Common examples of truly "sealed" documents include records of crimes committed equally a juvenile or records of adoptions. None of the claims in this message refers to records actually "sealed" in that usual sense.

In some cases, the records this screed claims are "sealed" are actually public, and open up for anyone to meet. Other supposedly "sealed" records are unremarkably individual documents that Obama hasn't released — and that other presidential candidates haven't released either.

And so equally with earlier versions, this is fiddling more than an attempt to raise suspicions by asking for records that aren't ordinarily made public, without any testify that those records comprise annihilation derogatory. We'll take the claims and questions in the club they announced.

Claims #1, two and 4, college records. Obama'south college records are not "sealed" by a court order, as this graphic would have yous believe. It would be illegal nether federal law (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974) for Occidental, Columbia or Harvard Law School to requite whatsoever former student'due south records to reporters or members of the public without that person's specific, written permission. Obama hasn't released them, but neither have other presidential candidates released their higher records. George Due west. Bush's grades at Yale eventually became public, but only considering somebody leaked them to the New Yorker magazine. Bush himself refused to release them, according to a 1999 contour in the Washington Post.
Claim #3, thesis paper. Obama did write a paper on nuclear disarmament for an honors course in American strange policy during his senior year, merely it wasn't the sort of "thesis" that some colleges crave for graduation and go on on file in their libraries, like those that Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama released. During the 2008 campaign, reporters were told that Columbia had not retained a copy of Obama'southward 1983 paper, and that Obama didn't have a copy, either. NBC News contacted his old professor, Michael Baron, who said he looked for his copy simply couldn't find it, and thought he probably tossed it out eight years before in a move.
NBC quoted Businesswoman equally saying the paper probable would accept disappointed Obama's critics. "The course was not a polemical course, it was a grade in decision making and how decisions got made," Baron told NBC. "None of the papers in the class were controversial."
Claim #v, Selective Service registration. Obama's Selective Service registration is public. A re-create has been posted publicly, and the Selective Service confirmed that Obama registered for the draft on Sept. four, 1980, and was given registration number 61-1125539-i.
Worth noting is that nobody in the U.South. has been drafted for armed services service since 1972, the yr Obama turned 11. Obama, like other young men turning age xviii since then, was required to annals on a standby footing, in case Congress ever resumes an active military draft. Failure to register is technically a crime, and disqualifies a man for federal educatee help or from holding certain federal jobs.
Claim #6, medical records. During the 2008 campaign, Obama released summary medical information from his personal md, who pronounced him to exist in "splendid wellness" with routine examination results for such things equally cholesterol all within normal levels. (McCain, who is a cancer survivor and was 71 at the time, let reporters meet his records for three hours to testify he was cancer-complimentary.)
Since taking office, Obama has followed the practice of earlier presidents. He released results of his first "periodic" physical exam on February. 28, 2010. Results of his 2nd "periodic" test were released Oct. 31, 2011. His md described him equally being "in first-class health and 'fit for duty.'"
Claims #seven and 8, Illinois state Senate records. Obama's voting record in the Illinois state Senate is a matter of public record, and about as far from existence "sealed" as 1 can imagine. Reporters extensively went over his votes in 2008. Transcripts of Senate debates in which Obama took part while in office (1997 – 2004) can even be constitute online, at the website of the Illinois General Assembly.
Obama's personal date calendar every bit a state senator may even so be private — if it all the same exists — but nosotros've seen nil to suggest that would add much to what is already public. As president, Obama has released records of visitors to the White House (2.4 million and so far). There are some exceptions. Personal information about visitors, such as Social Security numbers are not released. And there'southward an exemption for "particularly sensitive" information, which might include a visit by a potential Supreme Court nominee, for example. But that's still more disclosure than any previous president has made, by far.
Claim #9, law firm clients. Information technology'southward true that Obama has non released a list of the 30 or so clients for whom he worked personally while he was a lawyer with the firm of Davis, Miner, Barnhill and Gallard in Illinois. He did routinely disclose the constabulary firm'due south entire customer list while he was in the state Senate, however. And his entrada confirmed in 2008 several specific clients that Obama represented personally, when reporters asked about them. For case, he once represented the liberal group ACORN in a 1995 lawsuit confronting the state of Illinois, to make voter registration easier.
Claims #10 and 11, nascency certificates. The claim that Obama'due south nascency certificate is "sealed" is pure nonsense. Copies of both the so-called "short" and "long" certificates accept been released, and state officials in Hawaii have said repeatedly that Obama was born there in 1961 and is a "natural born American citizen."
Merits #12, baptism record. If a paper record exists (and we've seen no evidence that it does), it would nearly likely show just what numerous, undisputed news accounts take stated: Obama was baptized in 1988 in Rev. Jeremiah Wright's Trinity United Church building of Christ in Chicago. Obama was frequently seen in attendance at Wright'due south church in the 20 years that followed. He was married there, and his two daughters were baptized there.
He remained a member even after some of Wright's controversial sermons were given national attending in early on 2008. When Obama reluctantly severed ties with Wright after weeks of controversy, information technology was a major news event. Obama and his family now attend St. John's Episcopal Church, about the White House, though not on a regular basis.
Claim #13: Michelle Obama's law license. It's just not true that the commencement lady "tin can no longer practice police force every bit an attorney." She could resume the practice of law whatsoever fourth dimension she chooses. Both the president and his wife have voluntarily inactivated their Illinois law licenses, thereby avoiding a requirement to take continuing education classes and pay hundreds of dollars in annual fees, which is common for lawyers no longer actively practicing.
Merits #14, outset ladies' administration. Information technology's true that the first lady has more than 20 on her staff, but that's roughly the same every bit other recent first ladies. The claim that "other first ladies had simply one" might conceivably be true of Martha Washington or Dolley Madison, just it's certainly not truthful of Laura Bush or Hillary Clinton. Bush had at least 18 that we could count, and probably more with job titles that didn't make the link articulate. The White House has said Michelle Obama'south staff is the same size as Laura Bush-league'south was.
Claim #15, foreign student aid. The claim that Obama got "foreign pupil aid" is untrue. That wild falsehood began as an cool April Fools' Day hoax in 2009, which we quickly exposed.
Claim #xvi, Obama'due south passport. There's no reason to think Obama used anything but the and so-current version of his U.Due south. passport when he traveled to Pakistan as a pupil in 1981. Some who questioned Obama'southward birthplace made baseless claims that Pakistan had banned U.S. citizens from visiting in 1981, and speculated that he must accept used an Indonesian passport. Only they were quite wrong. At that place was no such travel ban. In fact, the New York Times published a travel piece that year describing the author's own visit to Lahore, and the U.S. consul later wrote a alphabetic character to the Times proverb he would "welcome an influx of Americans" and giving communication on how to make the journey.

Other Claims

As well the numbered claims, the graphic also states that Obama has been endorsed by the Communist Party USA (CPUSA). It's true that the Communist Party USA supports Obama. It claims to have about 2,000 members. Obama didn't seek the CPUSA endorsement, nor has he endorsed that grouping.

The graphic too attributes iii quotes to Obama, all of which are commonly offered on conservative websites. All the quotes are authentic. Hither's the background:

Obama appeared at the Service Employees International Marriage Sept. 17, 2007, to seek the spousal relationship'south endorsement for the Democratic nomination, and he said, "your agenda has been my agenda in the United States Senate." (The words appear at about 3 minutes and 15 seconds into this video.) And the SEIU eventually endorsed Obama, just not until February 2008, helping him wrap up the nomination battle confronting Hillary Clinton. The union has endorsed him again for reelection.
At the 2008 National Council of La Raza annual meeting in San Diego, Calif., on July xiii, 2008, Obama ended his remarks past saying, "And together, we won't just win an election – we volition transform this nation. Thanks, and God bless you."
And speaking to the editorial board of the San Francisco Chronicle on Jan. 17, 2008, Obama said electricity costs would "necessarily skyrocket" equally a issue of capping carbon emissions. Still, the cap-and-trade legislation he endorsed provided allowances intended to protect consumers from college bills.

In summary, there are bits hither that are true. But most is wrong or misleading, and overall the graphic falls far brusk of getting our seal of blessing for accuracy. Call it "unsealed."

Update, May 14, 2016: This item was updated to include a "Share the Facts" widget.

— Brooks Jackson

https://world wide web.sharethefacts.co/share/45ae4938-2177-48cb-986b-e928eeb66404

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