"Birther" Army Doctor Goes On Trial

The picture above is of Lt. Colonel Terrence Lakin, who has been an Army doctor for the last 18 years.   Last April I wrote a post about how he is throwing away his military career (just two years short of being able to retire on half-pay) because he is a right-winger who has fallen for the "birther" lie that President Obama was not born in the United States.

Col. Lakin decided he could not follow any orders issued by his superiors in the Army because he believed the president (the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Military) was in office illegally.   Somehow he figured this justified his refusal to follow orders -- either that or he was ready to dump his career and go to prison for his fringe right-wing views.   Lakin is one of those people who refuse to face reality, since the president's birth certificate has been released and is available online to anyone who wants to see it.

Lakin was charged with three offenses by the United States Army -- refusing to meet with a superior when ordered to do so, refusing to report for duty at Fort Campbell (Kentucky), and refusing to board a flight as ordered.   Last September a military judge ruled that the president's birth certificate was irrelevant to the charges against Lakin and could not be used as a defense against those charges.

Yesterday Lakin's military trial got underway.   Since he could not use the "birther" defense (which he told the court he still believes), he pled guilty to two of the charges -- refusing to report for duty at Fort Campbell and refusing to meet with a superior officer.   But he pled innocent to the charge of refusing to board a flight when ordered.  

Maybe he thought they would drop that charge if he pled to the other two, or maybe he still has his martyr complex and is willing to increase his possible sentence to please his "birther" brethren (thirty of which showed up for the trial carrying signs).   The charge was not dropped and his trial on that charge is proceeding.

Lakin faces about 18 months in prison for the two guilty pleas and dismissal from the Army -- likely a dishonorable discharge.   If found guilty on the third charge, and that is very likely, his sentence could be bumped up to three years.

It's still incredible to me that this man would throw away an 18 year career and his retirement, and go to prison for such a stupid reason.   It makes me wonder if he's a racist who just can't stand the thought of an African-American president.   But whatever his ulterior motive, the U.S. Army will be better off without him.