Birther Rep. Tim Jones is still trying to play dumb and pretend that he's the victim of some sort of "left wing lunatic fringe" conspiracy when asked to explain his role as a plaintiff in one of the birther lawsuits Orly Taitz filed in U.S. District Court last year. When contacted by a Fired Up! reader yesterday, Jones again tried to suggest that all those court records and documents published by Taitz were make-believe. He wrote:
Do not believe everything you read on the old Internets.
I am not an active part of any ongoing lawsuit that I am aware of.
Got that? The interwebs are full of lies, and Jones is "not an active part of any ongoing lawsuit." Except that one of the places "on the old Internets" that has very reliable information in the U.S. Courts' PACER database. There, a person finds Jones name clearly displayed as a plaintiff in Taitz' suit, and finds Jones name on all of the filings in the case after July 15, 2009.
Jones' latest suggestion that he's just a victim of unspecified internet lies is very similar to correspondence published over at Busplunge in March. Then, he wrote:
First of all...I see you have taken to scouring the Internet for the sake of personal character assassination...a typical ploy of the left wing fringe of which you both must be a part of. Don't believe eveything [sic] you read on the Internet...I know Al Gore invented it and all but you know...I have no idea what you are talking about relating to the Birther stuff.
Don't believe it! Please, don't believe it.
But facts are stubborn things. Pressed on the issue yesterday, Jones responded with the following:
From: Tim Jones
To: William Linn
Subject: Let Freedom Ring!
Date: Monday, June 21, 2010, 11:13 AMWe live in a country that prides itself on its legal system and the ability to bring actions for redress of grievances.
We also live in a country where freedom of speech is still a prized commodity.
I am more ashamed of what has been going on in Washington DC over the past 18 months than of anything related to any "birthers".
[...]
Emphasis added. Jones again tries to dance around the facts, but reaffirms his right "to bring actions for redress of grievances." How nice. Pressed again, Jones finally acknowledged that he was involved in the lawsuit with Taitz, but says it was no big deal.
From: Tim Jones
To: William Linn
Subject: RE: Let Freedom Ring!
Date: Monday, June 21, 2010, 2:53 PMBill,
The extent of my involvement was that one of my constituents...one of OUR neighbors (who happens to be a very normal young woman who lives in Wildwood)...strenuously argued THE OTHER SIDE of the issue to me and convinced me I needed to sign a petition form which I did. That was the extent of my involvement. It ended after that. I participated in no litigation, attended no events, etc. Nothing. And my understanding is the same as yours, the case was dismissed.
Where have you ever seen me quoted on anything about it? When have I ever written anything about the issue or subject? When have I given any speeches or sent out any literature about it? I have not.
The only thing that has been reported is from that companion left wing lunatic fringe.
Thank you for reading my reports and discussing this issue with me but as far as I am concerned...and I'll agree with you on this...we have much more important things to deal with in the country.
Thanks again.
Tim.
By "participated in no litigation," Jones means "was a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit." And when he says, "I needed to sign a petition form which I did," Jones means "I sure did attach my name to this insanity."
The "left wing lunatic fringe" presumably includes yours truly. I guess Jones would prefer that the public look the other way when elected leaders file manifestly stupid lawsuits with forged documents accusing the President of "fraud, perjury, forgery, identity theft and social security fraud."
That Jones refused to speak to the press or clarify his involvement is part of the problem. At any point before or after he was added to Taitz' lawsuit in July 2009, Jones could have disavowed and distanced himself from the lawsuit. His name appeared as a plaintiff on Taitz' lawsuit by May 2009, if not sooner. Lord knows he read about it once or twice on this site. But Jones sat silently, happy to earn some lunatic street cred, and happy that the Missouri press corps mostly ignored the lawsuit and the prevalence of birtherism in the Missouri Republican Party.
Jones' subsequent dissembling indicates some level of regret for his involvement. But he's never explained to his constituents how or why the lawsuit was a mistake, or affirmed his belief that Barry Soetoro isn't an illegal Kenyan immigrant who illegally usurped the presidency.
Ed. note -- the original version of this post redacted the recipient's name, at his request. After further discussion, the post was updated to include his name in the To: fields.
