Soldier Chooses "Birther" Politics Over Career

This is kind of a sad story. It's the story of a man who is throwing his career away because he has bought into the lies of the teabaggers' "birther" politics. Lt. Colonel Terry Lakin is a doctor in the United States Army, and evidently a competent doctor, because he has served in that capacity for the Army for 18 years. He only had two years to go before he could retire with some pretty nice benefits.

But Lakin is in the process of throwing his career and retirement benefits down the drain. He is doing this because he has accepted the specious arguments of teabaggers that President Obama is not a natural born citizen of the United States. None of the repeated assurances by the state of Hawaii that Obama was born there has convinced Lakin. It's like he's made up his mind and is not about to be confused by any inconvenient facts. Either that, or he's a racist and cannot accept that America actually has a duly elected African-American president.

Lakin (pictured) said he first became aware of Obama's "questionable" natural birth in October of 2008. He claimed that at that time he was considering volunteering for duty in Iraq, but after Obama's election that November he stopped those efforts to volunteer.

He says he talked many times with friends and family seeking their advice. Then around the end of March 2009, he submitted an Article 138 against President Obama with his company commander, claiming Obama was an illegitimate president and commander-in-chief and it would be illegal for him (Lakin) to follow any orders from the president. He received a reply from the Pentagon saying his Article 138 was out of order because the president was not Lakin's commanding officer.

But Lakin was not about to accept the decision of his superiors at the Pentagon. He then contacted the offices of Senators Alexander and Corker, and Congressman Wamp. When that did no good as far as he was concerned, he filed another Article 138 in November of 2009 -- this time against General Casey, Army Chief of Staff. The Pentagon gave him the same answer again -- General Casey was not his commanding officer.

Again, the Pentagon decision was not good enough for the soldier-doctor. He has now informed his commanding officers that he will refuse a posting to serve in Afghanistan. He says, "I am today compelled to make the distasteful choice to invite my own court martial, in pursuit of the truth about the president's eligibility under the Constitute to hold office."

The Army has tried to deal with Lakin in a civilized way, but he seems determined to become a martyr for the "birther" cause. I don't know if he really believes this silly idea, or if it's just a cover for his racism, but he's willing to throw his career and retirement away for it. I hope he doesn't think this will make him some kind of hero, because most Americans will just consider him to be a fool.

He has left the Army no choice. He must now be court-martialed, punished and probably dishonorably discharged. The Army cannot let its soldiers pick and choose which president they will obey and which they won't obey. That would invite anarchy within the ranks.

I guess the Ft. Leavenworth Military Prison will be getting a new doctor -- and inmate.