More than a year after Barack Obama was elected president, his home state is finally trying to grow a pair.
The Hawaiian House Judiciary Committee saw a bill Tuesday that would allow officials to ignore people who harass them for proof Obama was born there.
But while we understand where they’re coming from, it’s a mistake for Hawaii to put on the giant Nicole Ritchie glasses and hide from this.
Sure, we’ve been sick of the birthers since 2008, and we’re glad the Hawaiian government is admitting its annoyance. It’s time to stop with the conspiracy theories and admit that Obama is our president.
And the fact is that whether the crazies like it or not, they have no right to see the president’s birth certificate.
Here’s the big however.
It might be a good idea to let them see. It would, at least a little bit, legitimize him in their eyes, and, for our sanity, shut them up.
Don’t get us wrong — we absolutely do not doubt Obama was born in Hawaii and is legitimately our president. We all saw the certificate online last year and read analyses that supported its legitimacy. Hawaii Department of Health director Chiyome Fukino has testified that she saw it in person.
But Obama should just release the documents already, and Hawaii should encourage him to do so. Stonewalling the public on the issue isn’t going to make anything easier for the president or his birth state.