My "Obama releases birth certificate" post was deleted - apparently others' were too. ?!

April 27, 2011 8:55 AM

Please don't say that there already is a thread for it - that other thread was about a handwritten note. The President releasing this stuff, to finally end the debate, is news - it is ongoing, it politically matters, and it is a mistake to not have a thread for it.
posted by andreaazure to Etiquette/Policy at 8:55 AM (118 comments total)

Let me try this again. My thread about President Obama releasing his birth certificate was deleted, and apparently others' were too. ?! That was intended to be my first sentence and I failed. =/
posted by andreaazure at 8:56 AM on April 27, 2011

But there's already a thread about it and that's where the discussion is happening.
posted by kate blank at 9:00 AM on April 27, 2011 [3 favorites]

I have found that sending the mods a brief email asking why a thread was deleted ( usually not my threads but ones I was curious about) results in a lightening quick, clear and polite response. I suggest that route and not the "opening the discussion to the floor" approach taken in threads like this, which is usually just a way of continuing the original topic the poster wanted to post about.
posted by sweetkid at 9:00 AM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

People who are interested in this are reading the other thread. People who don't care about it don't need two threads on the same day.
posted by smackfu at 9:01 AM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

But there was already a....

Oh, snap!
posted by Bummus at 9:01 AM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

The President releasing this stuff, to finally end the debate, is news - it is ongoing, it politically matters

But is a one-link post to a news article the best of the Web?

Especially when clicking on the link now gives me a 404 error?
posted by infinitywaltz at 9:01 AM on April 27, 2011 [3 favorites]

This is like if Lady Gaga released a new CD and then later that day, released it on vinyl.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 9:02 AM on April 27, 2011 [12 favorites]

This is like if Roger Ebert does something. Anything.
posted by OmieWise at 9:03 AM on April 27, 2011 [15 favorites]

Actually, I take it back; it's the current thread (the one that hasn't been deleted) that's giving me a 404 error.
posted by infinitywaltz at 9:03 AM on April 27, 2011

Was your post born on US soil? Can you prove it? That is why it was deleted.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:05 AM on April 27, 2011 [6 favorites]

The other thread was already closely related topically, and became very much about the birth certificate announcement this morning before any other posts on the subject were made. I've added a number of tags to the post to make it that much easier to search for and hopefully help prevent further echoes.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:05 AM on April 27, 2011

There is already a thread about Obama's birth certificate. It wasn't the lead link for the thread but that thread is actively discussing it. We don't need two "let's talk about the birth certificate" threads today.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:06 AM on April 27, 2011

It would probably be more newsworthy if it actually did end the debate.

He's still black and therefore not an American. You can't disprove that.
posted by DU at 9:06 AM on April 27, 2011 [3 favorites]

Not my site, get your own blue, etc... but seriously when I went to metafilter I saw nothing about it. The tags stuff is relevant for us who post to metafilter, but is not really relevant to the rest of its users (both current and future).

I think this is a mistake. /rant
posted by andreaazure at 9:07 AM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Fixed the 404. Apparently the Independent redated the article from the 26th to 27th and that broke the URL.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:07 AM on April 27, 2011

There seems to be a thread alread concerning this matter.
birthers rejoice. carry-on
posted by clavdivs at 9:07 AM on April 27, 2011

DU, but is a Muslimist? That are the REAL questions!
posted by infinitywaltz at 9:08 AM on April 27, 2011

Is this the place where I get to be dismissive of US politics because 9/10th of the planet doesn't give a shit and already acknowledges him as President regardless of where he was born?

No?

OK, fine.
posted by GuyZero at 9:09 AM on April 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

when I went to metafilter I saw nothing about it

Over and above any discussion about MeFi being a news site, it's certainly not a headline site.
posted by DU at 9:13 AM on April 27, 2011 [8 favorites]

There should be a new thread about Obama buying Jamon Iberico ham.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 9:16 AM on April 27, 2011 [6 favorites]

The President releasing this stuff, to finally end the debate, is news

If it ends the debate (BWAHAHAHAHA...cough cough...sniffle...ahem), then what is there to talk about?
posted by Gator at 9:20 AM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

More importantly:

1) Where is Chell's birth certificate?

2) Was she born in the Aperture Science Enrichment Testing Center?

3) To whom?

4) Who is up for some Portal 2 XBL co-op?
posted by Admiral Haddock at 9:29 AM on April 27, 2011 [6 favorites]

andreaazure: “The President releasing this stuff, to finally end the debate, is news - it is ongoing, it politically matters, and it is a mistake to not have a thread for it.”

The fact that it's news is not a reason to have a thread about it.
posted by koeselitz at 9:30 AM on April 27, 2011 [6 favorites]

There should be a new thread about Obama buying Jamon Iberico ham.

I can't believe cortex keeps banning Obama for posting about ham.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:31 AM on April 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

There have been some really bad posts the last few days. Rumors, fake stories, unresearched sensational material. I flag what I can but I am but one man.

Please, everyone, let's all try a little harder to make quality posts about interesting & amusing things. If you're in a rush to post something, ask yourself why. Take the time to slow down for a moment, breathe. Think to yourself, "Is this actually a good post to put on MeFi? Is this going to make someone's day or is this going to piss a bunch of people off?"

Every post doesn't have to be beedogs and comedy, but please consider MetaFilter as a whole when you go to post your thing.
posted by BeerFilter at 9:32 AM on April 27, 2011 [12 favorites]

Explain to me your tag issue, I am not understanding it
posted by wheelieman at 9:32 AM on April 27, 2011

OP can't inb4.
posted by penduluum at 9:34 AM on April 27, 2011 [4 favorites]

andreaazure, your deleted FPP contained a link to a local newscast and a link to whitehouse.gov. It was the thinnest of thin posts on a topic that already had a thread open on the front page.

If you're trying to make an argument that your topic deserves its own post, that was not it.
posted by auto-correct at 9:35 AM on April 27, 2011

METAFILTER: The fact that it's news is not a reason to have a thread about it.

Yeah, kind of boring, not really funny at all. But it's key to my understanding of what makes this site what it is (particularly the Blue). Maybe we should include this sentence on the NEW POST page. Perhaps - the very first thing you see. IN BLOCK LETTERS. IN BOLD. IN FLASHING BOLD (which I'd emulate here if I knew how; I am over 50 after all; HTML does not come naturally but I do know most of the lyrics to Thick As A Brick ...)
posted by philip-random at 9:38 AM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

If you're in a rush to post something, ask yourself why.

Yeah boyee. We should have an involuntary month-long experiment in which posters' names aren't linked in any way to their posts so there's no way to get favorites or any sort of credit for making an FPP just to see how that fucks with posting habits.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:41 AM on April 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

We should have an involuntary month-long experiment

noooo.
posted by sweetkid at 9:44 AM on April 27, 2011

We should have an involuntary month-long Alan Parsons Project.
posted by box at 9:47 AM on April 27, 2011 [10 favorites]

There should be a new thread about Obama buying Jamon Iberico ham.

At DiBruno Brothers, in Philly! Really, there should just be a thread about how great DiBruno Brothers is.
posted by Greg Nog at 9:58 AM on April 27, 2011 [3 favorites]

METAFILTER: The fact that it's news is not a reason to have a thread about it.

This, this, a thousand times this!
posted by nickmark at 10:01 AM on April 27, 2011

ZABAR / DIBRUNO 2012
CHEESE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN
posted by RogerB at 10:05 AM on April 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

> We should have an involuntary month-long Alan Parsons Project.

You want to build a "Death Star?" In a MONTH?!?!! Someone page noted Cambridge physicist Dr. Parsons!
posted by m@f at 10:06 AM on April 27, 2011

I really think the first thread should have been. It was a really thin and basically just and excuse for people to rant about birthers. And then, hey! an actual event happened! And then there would have been two thread for people to rant about birthers. So your thread ended up being a double, even though your post added significant content, and the other post was a lot weaker. It kind of sucks, but sometimes doubles work out like that. There were two of them, and the other thread was already going.
posted by nangar at 10:13 AM on April 27, 2011

I think it is news whenever the president releases his stuff and shit. I mean, c'mon! That junk is a Trump Tower of power, you feelin me? Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way to say Merry Christmas to you.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:18 AM on April 27, 2011

If only someone had started a rumor that Obama publishing his birth certificate was somehow an Easter egg in a video game that was two years past its promised release date, then we could talk about it on its own.
posted by jamjam at 10:23 AM on April 27, 2011

Is this the place where I get to be dismissive of US politics because 9/10th of the planet doesn't give a shit and already acknowledges him as President regardless of where he was born?

Yes!

A lot of American feel exactly the same way.
posted by nangar at 10:23 AM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

andreaazure: "it is a mistake to not have a thread for it. "

I believe we would tend to differ on this point.
posted by boo_radley at 10:24 AM on April 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

It's not just a mistake. It may actually be terrorism.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:25 AM on April 27, 2011 [3 favorites]

To be fair, almost anything is terrorism these days, such as not taking off your shoes.
posted by shakespeherian at 10:30 AM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Or, in my son's case, taking off your shoes.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:31 AM on April 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

Or in my son's case, taking off with your shoes.
posted by longbaugh at 10:46 AM on April 27, 2011

Or when they offed my son because he was on the take.
posted by box at 10:49 AM on April 27, 2011

Give the man his shoes back son.
posted by clavdivs at 10:50 AM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

BUT WAIT. The deleted post's ID # began with 102 ... which means the post came from Connecticut. Explain THAT!
posted by jbickers at 11:03 AM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Has Obama ever claimed to be a genius?
posted by cjorgensen at 11:11 AM on April 27, 2011

Omigod the post is coming from inside Connecticut! Get out! Get out now!
posted by shakespeherian at 11:13 AM on April 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

Wait - Obama is Scott Adams? Omigod! Get out! Get out now!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:20 AM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Omigod Obama is Henry Rollins!? Get in the van motherfucker!
posted by longbaugh at 11:25 AM on April 27, 2011

I haven't farted since 9/11.
posted by Burhanistan at 11:41 AM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

I haven't farted since...yesterday, I think maybe. Or...no, wait...this morning.
posted by infinitywaltz at 11:55 AM on April 27, 2011

"Not my site, get your own blue, etc... but seriously when I went to metafilter I saw nothing about it. The tags stuff is relevant for us who post to metafilter, but is not really relevant to the rest of its users (both current and future)."

I search by tags all the time.

While I am a great and mighty MeFite, I miss stuff that's really cool pretty regularly.

Generally because the front page is all spammed up with a bunch of newsfilter bullshit that I already saw in six different places before coffee.

Just think — all the energy you put into posting that and posting this MeTa could have been put into finding new photography, painting, writing, music, games, science or even youtube videos of pets on things.
posted by klangklangston at 12:06 PM on April 27, 2011 [7 favorites]

And frankly, the only thing I really care about Obama releasing is Bradley Manning.
posted by klangklangston at 12:08 PM on April 27, 2011 [16 favorites]

So now that the birth certificate is out, that means the price of gas will go down, the economy will rebound, there will be jobs galore, and we won't have any more tornadoes this year? Right? Right?!!!!!?


(in other words, so. stinking.what.)
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 12:17 PM on April 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

I just wish this circus had better bread.
posted by Mister_A at 12:18 PM on April 27, 2011 [9 favorites]

Oh no. The bread's ok, but the circus sucks.
posted by boo_radley at 12:19 PM on April 27, 2011

I wish this circus had more videos of pets on things.
posted by found missing at 12:22 PM on April 27, 2011

Yeah, like pets on bread.
posted by Mister_A at 12:25 PM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

So now that the birth certificate is out, that means the price of gas will go down, the economy will rebound, there will be jobs galore, and we won't have any more tornadoes this year? Right? Right?!!!!!?

Not yet. OPEC is waiting, fingers paused on the 'lower gas prices' button, to find out if Obama got a B in social studies.
posted by shakespeherian at 12:31 PM on April 27, 2011 [10 favorites]

That birth certificate is totally fake. I don't see the Trump Seal on it anywhere!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:35 PM on April 27, 2011

I was just going to post this but it turns out it was a double. You can still ooh and ahhh if you choose to, however.
posted by Burhanistan at 12:36 PM on April 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

Ooh.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:37 PM on April 27, 2011

Conservatives remarking that release of the long-form certificate isn't a big deal, or that they personally find it all a waste of time in light of the more serious problems currently facing the US: please, seriously, kiss my ass.
posted by Ipsifendus at 12:51 PM on April 27, 2011 [9 favorites]

Yeah, like pets on bread.
posted by wildcrdj at 1:03 PM on April 27, 2011

But liberals remarking that they all find it a waste of time in light of the more serious problems currently facing the US can totally get ice cream, right?
posted by crush-onastick at 1:05 PM on April 27, 2011

The most prominent liberal that I'm aware of who's identified this as a colossal waste of everyone's time is the President. I'm pretty sure he can get his own ice cream.
posted by Ipsifendus at 1:07 PM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

American news. And news lite at that. The more of these posts that ate deleted, the better.
posted by seanyboy at 1:09 PM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Ahhh.
posted by rtha at 1:11 PM on April 27, 2011

Is this now the thread I was looking to make?

We can move on. I've made my point, I've been told repeatedly that I am incorrect (though the "original thread" in question now has more tags). If I had my own blue, it would be an FPP.

So - when will the metafilter codebase be available for license / download / sale? =)
posted by andreaazure at 1:12 PM on April 27, 2011

The existing thread provides more than enough proof that both sides of this issue are equally stupid.
posted by Ardiril at 1:19 PM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Really? The side that was right is equally stupid as the side that made up a shitstorm about nothing? Nice magic act you have there. For your next trick, can you levitate the national debt?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:23 PM on April 27, 2011 [8 favorites]

I could totally go for a kitten on a kaiser right now.
posted by Mister_A at 1:28 PM on April 27, 2011

kitten on a kaiser
posted by The Whelk at 1:30 PM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

I totally saw the mods delete a kitten one time.
posted by ardgedee at 1:31 PM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

chicka chicka boom boom
posted by archivist at 1:32 PM on April 27, 2011

If I had my own blue, I would put it in my pants.
posted by Burhanistan at 1:34 PM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

I think that picture's fake - those medals on the cat's chest look like reproductions.
posted by Mister_A at 1:44 PM on April 27, 2011

The existing thread provides more than enough proof that both sides of this issue are equally stupid.

You tried, and failed, to stir the pot in that thread, but I admire your gutsiness and stick-to-it attitude.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:47 PM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

That Obama birth-certificate discussion is almost as ridiculous as the hot debate in the Canadian election about whether or not to raise healthcare funding by 6% per annum.
posted by KokuRyu at 1:53 PM on April 27, 2011

That's really mean. That's just... really mean, man.
posted by shakespeherian at 1:58 PM on April 27, 2011

Why would anyone try to stir up a pot that already has 400+ comments? That is an exercise in futility. I am surprised you even took notice of my comment.
posted by Ardiril at 2:28 PM on April 27, 2011

I looked at your post, there were no puppies... you're lucky they didn't ban-hammer your ass!
posted by tomswift at 2:31 PM on April 27, 2011

from ardiril: I love reading these arguments substituting "atheist" for "anti-birther" and "christian" for the other side.

I've never heard of an "anti-birther", and nobody had used the term in that thread, so your formula doesn't even map to any arguments or posts that were actually made. Even on close reading I genuinely don't know who is supposed to correspond to what in this particular substitution scheme, or what conclusions or epiphanies might be had from performing such an action. As an idea, it doesn't scan at all, to say the least.
posted by anazgnos at 2:54 PM on April 27, 2011

anazgnos: "I've never heard of an "anti-birther", and nobody had used the term in that thread,"

I was really curious about that, too. What was that supposed to even mean? There was no context, and what the heck is an anti-birther? Someone with facts?
posted by tzikeh at 3:00 PM on April 27, 2011

I consider myself to be anti-birther, but only in the sense that I kind of wish the human race would quit reproducing.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:04 PM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Having made the choice to not have children, I've decided to reproduce by way of clonal fragmentation.

Soon I will be Legion.

But sadly, I will never be able to be president, because they don't give out any kind of certificate for that particular form of mitosis. So I'll have to just take over the old fashioned way; by devouring everything that isn't me.
posted by quin at 3:25 PM on April 27, 2011 [5 favorites]

Please, everyone, let's all try a little harder to make quality posts about interesting & amusing things. If you're in a rush to post something, ask yourself why.

I was going to make an awesome post about you, but never mind.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:48 PM on April 27, 2011

Sokay, Real Madrid lost.
posted by BeerFilter at 4:49 PM on April 27, 2011

It's all a question of faith, baby.
posted by Ardiril at 5:02 PM on April 27, 2011

(though the "original thread" in question now has more tags).

Hold your nose up high in pride, then.
posted by rhizome at 5:09 PM on April 27, 2011

Sokay, Real Madrid lost.


and deservedly so, Messi's 2nd was sublime.
posted by sgt.serenity at 5:21 PM on April 27, 2011

I was born in a crossfire hurricane...

I was born by the river...

I was born to love you...

I was born this way...

I was born a unicorn...

(I was) born on the bayou...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:59 PM on April 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

Every country has their own weirdness and bullshit. America's is just more visible.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 6:05 PM on April 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

I was born on a train

I was born four thousand years ago

I was born a cancer

I was born to be hated

I was born to love you
posted by koeselitz at 6:42 PM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Jimmy played harmonica in the pub where I was born.
posted by kaibutsu at 6:52 PM on April 27, 2011

Born under a bad sign

Born under punches
posted by maudlin at 7:08 PM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Obama was born to run
Trump was born to lose

We've got those last call bar band really big decision blues
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 7:23 PM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

I was born to love you, I was born to lick your face
posted by George Clooney at 7:30 PM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Born In The 80s.
Born Secular.
Born In The USA.
posted by maryr at 7:48 PM on April 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

The existing thread provides more than enough proof that both sides of this issue are equally stupid.

Indeed. And the round-earthers and flat-earthers—equally absurd!
posted by octobersurprise at 7:48 PM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Cryptic
posted by Sailormom at 8:04 PM on April 27, 2011

lol birthers
posted by Jacqueline at 8:33 PM on April 27, 2011

Born Sandy Devotional
Born Slippy
I wasn't born to lose you
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 9:29 PM on April 27, 2011

Or maybe you prefer Hawaii? Muka Laka Hiki, come on ya wanna lei me, pass the poi mahalo...
posted by drjimmy11 at 10:09 PM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Born in the middle of the afternoon
In a horsedrawn wagon on the old A5
posted by Abiezer at 10:45 PM on April 27, 2011

He was Born, Born, Born to be Alive _{(BORN TO BE ALIVE)}
posted by not_on_display at 10:45 PM on April 27, 2011

I'm real gratified to see that I started a little thing here with these "born" song links. But I'm shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you, that no one has yet linked to...

BORN TO BE WILD, MUHFUGGAS!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:48 AM on April 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

I was born with a tail

WHERE IS THE LONG TAIL BIRTH CERTIFICATE!
posted by stet at 8:54 AM on April 28, 2011

Conservatives on Tuesday: WHY WON'T YOU RELEASE THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE, OBAMA?!?!?!

Conservatives on Thursday: WHY ARE YOU WASTING OUR TIME WITH THIS BIRTH CERTIFICATE, OBAMA?!?!?!
posted by EarBucket at 11:10 AM on April 28, 2011 [2 favorites]

As long as it keeps the wikileaks, wars, and the economy off the front page, it's all good.
posted by rhizome at 12:06 PM on April 28, 2011

Yes, thank goodness we're talking about this crap instead of the gutting of public education in Pennsylvania, for instance.
posted by Mister_A at 1:26 PM on April 28, 2011

If I had my own blue, I would put it in my shoe (and pull my sock on up over it)
posted by a humble nudibranch at 4:13 PM on April 28, 2011

Born a Unicorn

birthers are why all the other unicorns are dead
posted by NoraReed at 7:56 PM on April 29, 2011

Born a Unicorn

Double.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:13 PM on April 29, 2011

Oh man about a third of that video is from the Fireside Lounge in Chicago and that was the best show I've ever been to.
posted by shakespeherian at 8:42 PM on April 29, 2011