Media monkeys violate Bachmann's HIPAA rights but leave Obama's academic records hidden

I don't know who first violated Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-MN) HIPAA rights but the mainstream media has jumped in with both feet. HIPAA provides for the privacy of individual's health records but, apparently, not in the case of a conservative presidential candidate.

That makes sense, I suppose, not that I agree migraine headaches are a legitimate cause for suggesting someone is unfit for office, especially after that person has already, and successfully, held state and federal office for more than a decade. While I agree that there are physical concerns we'd want to know about before electing someone president, such as a psychological condition related to class-based resentments inspiring a anti-constitutional desire to redistribute wealth, the reality is that HIPAA still protects the individual's right to privacy.

If I were applying for a job and the prospective employer demanded my financial records, that employer would be in a world of hurt. I could sue the bajeebas out of the employer for merely asking the question. If, however, that employer managed to somehow sneak a peak at my medical records, we're talking hurt squared.

Of course, while the late Chappaquiddick Kennedy introduced the HIPAA legislation back in the '90s, he failed to introduce similar ARPAA (no, not a derivative of the back-stabbing seniors organization, the Academic Records Portability Accountability Act). If he had, there would be some legitimacy to the idea of hiding Obama's academic records. But, hidden they are and hidden, apparently, they will remain.

Does it also strike you as odd that the mainstream media would so willingly violate Bachmann's protected medical records while, like Three 'Wise' Monkeys, the media covers its ears, eyes and mouth whenever someone suggests a more thorough vetting of Obama.

It's funny, the monkeys in the media are like stone-cold statues in the face of journalistic ethics when dealing with their liberal cronies in office, but they come to life any time a conservative is at hand. Maybe someone should point out to them that journalistic ethics aren't so easily half applied.

Prepare yourself for a wave of birth certificates in 2012

Whether you're a birther, you laugh at birthers or, like me, you think Obama should put the whole matter to rest already by releasing his birth certificate, prepare to hear about birth certificates in the next election. I believe Donald Trump, the iconic billionaire who is rumored to be considering a run for the presidency, has hit on something that will become a trend; Trump has disclosed his birth certificate.

To be sure, it will start with TEA Party conservative candidates who will eagerly disclose their birth certificates, and probably their academic records, but it will build into pressure on other Republican candidates to do the same, which they will. Any independents will quickly join the wave of 'Certified Presidential Candidates.'

Of course, a wall of resistance will appear at the edge of the Democratic Party. However, as primary candidates for that party's ticket recognize the potential mileage of divulging their records, a few of them will eventually fall in line. And, I suspect, like a Tsunami washing ashore, the wave will eventually surround one spot in the political landscape - the current holder of that seat and the one who created the albeit modest seismic activity surrounding this issue.

As for me, I'm glad to see it. For all those apologists on the Left who, in the face of professions of transparency, stand in defense of Obama's intentional obscurity, this will put to rest the argument of "No other president was required to show their birth certificate. This is only because Obama is black." Of course, while the latter part of the argument is a clear red herring, I understand the prior isn't necessarily true either, though it has clearly not been a frequent requirement.

Personally, I think we should require all presidents to prove their eligibility for the office. As I've stated before, the lowliest federal clerk is expected to dot all the 'i's and cross all the 'T's before taking a position in the government. That no one has questioned the validity of someone's eligibility before only suggests a glaring mistake of the past, and one we should rectify now.

So, in  a sense, I'm thankful to Obama for pushing this issue onto the public's radar. And, whether he was born in a hospital in Hawaii, a hut in Kenya or in a crater on the moon, I'm looking forward to how he handles the pressure during the coming presidential cycle. Donald Trump, whether you take him seriously as a candidate or not, has hit on something here and this issue is about to take on a life of its own.