Posted by: Dean C. Haskins
dean@birthersummit.org
202.241.3648
Posted: February 21, 2012
© 2012 The Birther Summit
dean@birthersummit.org
202.241.3648
Posted: February 21, 2012
© 2012 The Birther Summit
Based upon multiple factors, Vattelevision, LLC, the parent company of The Birther Summit, has postponed, indefinitely, its planned event in Washington, DC.
In early July 2011, the idea for a gathering of eligibility movement leaders, as well as a public rally and protest march, were borne of a letter written to S.C. Senator Lindsey Graham, and a subsequent article detailing it. The initial ideas were assembled into what became our website, and we set out to promote the event and enlist participants.
Also in July, an extensive analysis was done to determine what it would take, financially and logistically, for an event like this to have any chance at success; and, the overall capital required was estimated to be in the neighborhood of $800,000. Of course, that figure included all the expenses related to bringing in and putting up the participating leaders of the movement for the first-day working conference, producing a large rally the next day (at least 15,000 attendees), and also marketing the event to the general public.
As there was a commitment early on not to emulate the seedier side of movements like ours with a constant stream of appeals for financial donations, we set out attempting to finance the event using a behind-the-scenes approach. While we have always been aware that an event of this magnitude would require much money and many people, we simply didn't want to appear to the public to be like others who tend to make such donations the primary reason for their existence. We chose a simple “Donate” button on our website, but never resorted to sending out appeals for money.
We decided on a partial funding of the event through a registration fee, which would result in many of the event's costs being covered by several people pitching in small amounts financially. While there have been relatively few donations and registrations, we underwrote the expenses of market research, telemarketing, and presentations to targeted individuals to enlist their aid. So far, we have expended far more financial resources in those efforts than we have taken in. The present apparent support does not match the resources necessary to try to hold the event at this time.
Additionally, we have observed other calls for mass gatherings and demonstrations, and have had to accept the fact that, barring some major event occurring, levels of apathy about issues such as ours seem nearly impossible to overcome. It is far easier to air one's complaints via computer keyboard than it is to leave the comfort of one's home and actually make a physical effort. Past participation in such calls for mass gatherings have been highly embarrassing, and that is certainly not an indictment of the individuals who planned them. Our nation is likely on a crash-course toward extinction simply because of the apathy of our citizenry toward doing anything beyond “talking tough” on the Internet.
Moreover, our message is currently nowhere near cohesive, as disinformation and incompetence are still driving people to believe things that are simply not true, and the gullible few who swallow the spin don't even realize that it is unethically being used to elicit funding. Even though the truth has been explained at length, there are still folks who view themselves as being part of our team, and yet cling to demonstrably false notions about things like the laws that apply to birth certificates in general, and in Hawaii specifically.
That is largely due to a steady stream of incompetence that continues to flow from one who some still regard as possessing any knowledge of the law and legal procedure. Anytime we come across one who speaks of things like “access to the 'original' or 'vault copy' of Obama's birth certificate,” or such absurdities as a state court on the mainland having jurisdictional authority to force Hawaii to break its laws regarding vital statistics records, we must recognize such a person as being complacent in his ignorance of the law (much like the glory hound he likely supports).
We have concluded that providing a venue for those who still seem to support the one who is arguably the worst attorney ever, would not only be a disservice to our country, but it could be considered irresponsible, as a gathering of such people might actually constitute a public danger—for anyone who could still be supporting such an aberration cannot be believed to be mentally or emotionally stable.
As there will still be initiatives springing up across our movement, we believe that there could be an event, or series of events, that vitalizes people across the country to the point of providing the desire and support necessary to warrant a mass gathering in Washington, DC. We will continue to monitor that, and will put our plans to provide such a venue back into motion at such time.
As we continue to move forward, Vattelevision will remain active in the eligibility movement. Currently, Sunahara v. Dept. of Health is scheduled for hearing on March 8. The Opposition to the DOH's Motion to Dismiss is due on February 28, and will be filed that day. We will work to keep you abreast of the case.
Additionally, Vattelevision will continue to expand its operations, and will position itself as the media arm of Article2SuperPAC, providing live-streaming video as well as post-production services for important eligibility-related events. An announcement will be made soon regarding Vattelevision's involvement in providing live-streaming video of the upcoming press conference in Phoenix, AZ.
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If you would like more information about the Birther Summit, please visit our website often at www.birthersummit.org or contact Dean Haskins at dean@birthersummit.org.