Let me start by saying I am a conservative and always have been. I did not vote for President Barack Obama and I do not particularly like many of his policies. That said, let’s talk about the "patriots," or "birthers," or whatever you want to call them.

" ‘Birthers’ are patriots" (letter, Aug. 5) talked quite a bit about the Constitution and the law. According to the law, Congress certifies that the elected president of the United States meets the criteria to hold that office — not the letter writer (unless he’s a member of Congress). The president answers to citizens every four years at election time, not every time someone decides he wants to bring up something.

The State of Hawaii says Obama was born there. It has released the certificate. If they released the [long-form] birth certificate from Hawaii today, and an independent agency verified it, most of these "patriots" would not be satisfied.

The "patriots" who speak so strongly about this are like the folks who complained about President George W. Bush "stealing" the election in 2000. Both elections were legal, both elections stood; all should get over it and get behind the president. Those who don’t like it can vote for someone else in 2012.

Standing behind the president and voting is a great way to show patriotism. Refusing to do your duty because he hasn’t proven to you that he’s an American is not patriotic, it’s immature.

Steven McWhorterBagram, Afghanistan

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