Reader: Barack Obama birth certificate is an obvious phony, and here's how you can tell

Yesterday, the Colorado Springs Gazette argued that birthers could help Barack Obama get re-elected if they continue to dispute the authenticity of the long-form birth certificate released yesterday. But judging by the comments on our post, plenty of people are willing to take that risk in pursuit of what they...

By Michael Roberts

April 28, 2011

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Yesterday, the Colorado Springs Gazette argued that birthers could help Barack Obama get re-elected if they continue to dispute the authenticity of the long-form birth certificate released yesterday. But judging by the comments on our post, plenty of people are willing to take that risk in pursuit of what they see as the truth. An example:

Stratads writes:

It is a fake and a very poor one. The most obvious is the pattern of the security background does not even change as it "curves" into the shadow. Once this pdf is opened in Illustrator there are 9 different layer of cut and paste artwork. Someone forgot to "flatten" the layers before saving. Opps... The number "1" in the top right is actually penciled in on the background layer with a pencil tool. Is this supposed to be a picture of it or a copy? There is a big difference. But it is not an original document.

For more memorable takes, visit our Comment of the Day archive.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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