The one thing that has been the most surprising to me since I started writing this column is that the positive responses I have received have far surpassed the number of negative ones.

I wasn't expecting that to be the case in this ultra-conservative county.  It has led me to believe that perhaps there are many "closet" Democrats out there who may be uneasy about voicing their opinions because they, too, felt that they were so outnumbered and were afraid of being ostracized.  

I am here to tell you to speak up and speak out!  There are more of us than you realize!  Now is the time, more than ever, to let our voices be heard.

We have heard over and over again lately that come the November elections, the Republicans are going to take back Congress by a landslide and return to the previous governing that got us in our current mess in the first place.  Even worse than that, if all of those radical, extremist, so-called tea-party candidates manage to get elected, God only knows what will become of life as we know it.  However,  I have every confidence that this will not happen, however, if the Democrat populace steps up to the plate and have has faith in those they put in office back in '08.

The messes we are now facing did not originate, nor manifest in the last two years and they cannot be fixed in a mere 21 months-especially with the "Party of No" blocking every single thing that the President and Democrats in Congress try to do.

In my August 21st column, "True or False,", I highlighted several ridiculous myths that are still promoted by the radical right regardless of how absurd their arguments are or how many times they are shown to be outright lies.  These myths and lies are believed by those who simply don't want to be bothered with the truth.  Recently, Ms. Patricia McGlone of Jamestown wrote in a letter to the editor reviving yet again the "birther" argument that President Obama was not born in America by asking "…Why did 'this man' (emphasis added) sign an Executive Order on 1/21/09 sealing all of his records if he has nothing to hide?"

If Ms. McGlone had cared to check out what this Executive Order 13489 was really about, she could have easily done so by simply looking it up (http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-1712.pdf) and reading it herself.  

The only thing she got right about it was the date-President Obama did, indeed, sign it on January 21, 2009.  Instead of sealing away his birth certificate, school records or any other "evidence" that he was not born in the United States, this Executive Order is virtually identical to Executive Order 123283, which President George W. Bush signed early in his Presidency.  Bush's Executive Order 123283 is also nearly identical to Executive Order 12667 signed by President Reagan.  

All of these Executive Orders deal specifically with the National Archive and its role in preserving presidential papers and records.  Additionally, the Orders ONLY refer to records generated by the office of the President during his administration.   

It has been the practice of every president since Ronald Reagan to keep their operating records secret until a later date when they are made public as a comprehensive record of their presidency.

What Executive Order 13489 or any of the other Executive Orders mentioned above does NOT do is seal any state records like birth certificates or private records like school transcripts.  

Not only does it not do this or even attempt to do this, a President could NOT do this even if he tried,tried which of course, President Obama did not.  

It's odd that while Ms. McGlone took the time to research who funds factcheck.org (and I have not verified her information and her conclusions about the funders being "left-wing progressives,", which are is highly suspect considering her other mis-information), but she just mistakenly assumed that the Executive Order she mentioned supported her preconceived conclusion that President Obama is not a natural-born American, without actually checking her facts.  

Again, I will go back to my last line in my August 21st column, people like Ms. McGlone believe these things because they want to-not because they care about the truth.

My friends, in the next month before the elections, I urge all like-minded individuals to have the courage to stand up and speak out against all the lies and hypocrisy of the radical right.  Let's not let them get away with it-let's call them on it and let's get out the vote in November!  

Let's not be apathetic and give our government away to these hate and fear-mongers.  Don't be afraid to let your voices be heard-speak to your friends, your family, and your neighbors.  

There are more of us out there than you know!