'Where's the Birth Certificate?' hits breadbasket

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When Johnny Cash covered the original "I've Been Everywhere" song years ago he boasted of being in Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota, Buffalo, Toronto, Winslow, Sarasota, Wichita, Tulsa, Ottawa, Oklahoma, Tampa, Panama, Mattawa, La Paloma, Bangor, Baltimore, Salvador, Amarillo, Tocapillo, Baranquilla and Perdilla – and that was in just the first verse.

While the campaign to post "Where's the Birth Certificate?" billboards isn't quite as far along as that song, which lists cities and states in three more verses, it's making inroads all across the nation, now appearing in the nation's breadbasket: Kansas.

The newest sign:

Billboard along I-35 near the Highway 59 exit near Ottawa, Kan

It's along I-35 for northbound traffic near the Highway 59 exit near Ottawa.

And if President Obama continues to withhold key information about himself from the American public and donations from concerned citizens continue to arrive, the list of cities where the billboard appears ultimately could even add a verse or two to the Cash hit, which has been posted online.

"If it seems like we are posting more billboards than ever, the perception is correct," said Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officers of WND, and the mastermind behind the campaign.

"With a new Congress coming to power and more Americans realizing every day that lingering questions about Barack Obama's constitutional eligibility have not been answered, we are making a concerted effort to step up the pressure. Of course, we need continued financial support for this campaign from the American people to keep it up," he said.

Surveys a little more than a year ago revealed barely half of those in America were aware of the questions over Obama's eligibility. But polls as recent as a few weeks ago now show that 6 in 10 Americans doubt Obama's constitutional eligibility to occupy the Oval Office.

Dozens of signs already have been posted, including some to coincide with the Obamas' vacation along the Gulf Coast, and a long list of sites are being tracked down and developed.

The campaign was started a little more than a year ago after a poll showed barely half of Americans were even aware of questions about Obama's eligibility.

The result of the sign campaign has been reflected in the poll showing 6 in 10 Americans doubt Obama's eligibility to be president. The campaign also is credited with helping change America's mind about the president.

Polling revealed at the outset of the effort that few Americans knew of the near total lack of historical documentation for the president, from his original long-form birth certificate to his school and college records, health records and even documents from his tenure in public office.

However, it was a CNN poll that showed now a majority of Americans have doubts about Obama's authority to direct America's foreign policy, military and domestic agenda. Further, a recent CBS–New York Times poll showed only 58 percent of Americans even think Obama was born in the USA.

In the CNN poll, asked, "Do you think Barack Obama was definitely born in the United States, probably born in the United States, probably born in another country, or definitely born in another country?" the responses surprised many.

"Definitely in the U.S." was the choice of 42 percent, and "probably in the U.S." 29 percent. But 11 percent said definitely in another country and 16 percent probably in another country.

Previously the sign has appeared in Houston, Dallas, LA, Kingman, Hamburg, Nashville, San Antonio, Alabama, Florida and others. The question also has been asked in state and federal courts across the land, even in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Copycat signs also have appeared in locations ranging from Oregon to Denver.

The "Where's The Birth Certificate" question directly challenges Obama's authority to direct programs such as the government takeover of health care, Wall Street and automobile companies.

The question pertains to the core issue raised in all of the legal and other challenges to Obama: Was he qualified under the requirements of the U.S. Constitution that the president be a "natural born citizen," a requirement not imposed on other federal officeholders.

The campaign was launched in 2009, and Farah attributes widespread interest in the great "birth-certificate controversy" to the billboard campaign that, he believes, rekindled the debate about Obama's constitutional eligibility for office. The campaign asks the simple but unanswered question, "Where's the birth certificate?"

Billboard near Cabela's in Hamburg, Pennsylvania

Billboard on Highway 93 near Kingman, Ariz

Billboard on Long Beach Freeway near Firestone Blvd.

San Antonio billboard

Billboard in Nashville, Tenn.

Billboard near Panama City, Fla.

The campaign has been sustained by contributions from WND visitors and others who have discovered it from simply driving past a billboard.

Farah is convinced that it's working and promises to sustain it if he can continue to get financial help.

"No matter how hard my colleagues try to make the public forget about this issue, no matter how hard they attempt to ridicule anyone who wants to see the proof, no matter how much they demean even decorated military officers who take their own oaths seriously, this issue will not go away. It's going to be around in 2012. It may even be the defining issue in 2012," he said.

Billboard near Navarre, Fla.

Farah says he could not have pulled off the campaign without the support of WND's readers. The cost of the billboards has been offset by donations – and Farah says he wants to step up the campaign because it's winning.

Billboard near Talledega, Ala.

"I'm quite sure based on our own polls that if those people were asked whether they would like to see Obama release his birth certificate, more than half the country would say 'yes' – and all the other personal papers he has refused to disclose," Farah said.

Farah says the billboards have had a lot to do with changing popular opinion – even if the media don't get it.

"People simply shouldn't have to conjecture about where they think their president was born," he says. "It ought to be a matter of public record – and it clearly is not."

Aside from the billboard campaign, WND has devoted more investigative reporting to the issue of eligibility than "all other media outlets combined," says Farah.

In addition, the billboard campaign was rejected by three major billboard companies, all owned by major media outlets – CBS, Clear Channel and Lamar.

Billboard near Bethel, Pa.

In addition to the billboard campaign, Farah has:

produced a video-documentary primer on the issue called "A Question of Eligibility";

produced a 40-page special report on the subject;

manufactured yard and rally signs to bring attention to the topic;

pledged to donate at least $15,000 to any hospital in Hawaii or anywhere else that provides proof Obama was born there and given you an opportunity to raise the amount;

created a line of T-shirts you can wear to appearances by the president to raise visibility of the issue;

created a fund to which you can donate to further the kind of investigative reporting into this matter only this company has performed over the last two years;

launched a line of postcards you can use to keep the issue alive;

distributed thousands of bumper stickers asking, "Where's the birth certificate?";

perhaps most notably, gathered more than 500,000 names on a petition demanding any and all controlling legal authorities in this matter take appropriate action to see the requirements of the Constitution of the United States are followed;

gathered another 25,000 names on a second petition attempting to rally state officials to make presidential candidates prove their eligibility before getting on ballots.

"There are all kinds of things we need to do right now to get our country back on track, but I can think of nothing more important than for us to see that our Constitution is observed, followed, adhered to and honored, especially when it comes to such simple, straightforward matters as the eligibility of the president of the United States," says Farah. "Please help me bring this matter to a head right now."