A Bow Tie Does Not Make A Man An Intellectual: An Ongoing Series

As Roy notes, wjts has immediately entered the inner circle of the internet commenter Hall of Fame.  Before we get to that, however, I must note this classic Roger Kimball moment:

At the beginning of the Metaphysics, Aristotle observes than human beings are by nature curious animals: they ask questions and want to know the truth about the world around them.

Kimball’s place in the universe seems to be to illustrate the difference between the intellectual and the pseudo-intellectual, in a way that’s particularly amusing because of his tendency to pat himself on the back for his high intellectual standards.   Today’s lesson is that the pseudo-intellectual thinks that name-dropping Aristotle makes space-filling cliches profound.   The special Kimball touch, of course, is to follow this fake erudition with a bunch of birther-curious horseshit that cites Stanley Kurtz as an authority.   Admittedly, this is probably an effective strategy in trying to impress Kimball’s presumed audience, Glenn Beck fans who are considered slow by other Glenn Beck fans.

Which brings us to the great wjts, who takes the time to answer the questions that Kimball considers Very Important:

Kimball: “There are a lot of questions to be asked about Barack Obama.”

Why are his college records sealed?

Because of the The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.

Why can’t we see a certified copy of his birth certificate?

Because there’s a problem with your wireless connection.

Why are his medical records sealed?

Because of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.

I’ve been told that his Social Security registration was issued by Connecticut, which would be odd, but cannot check because that too is sealed.

That’s not a question, so I don’t have an answer.  But, yes, it is troubling that the President’s Social Security number is not available to the public.

Obama worked as a lawyer, but we don’t know who he worked for because his client list is sealed.

That’s not a question, so I don’t have an answer.  From my paralegal days, I dimly remember the existence of things called “attorney-client privilege” and “non-disclosure agreements,” which may provide a partial explanation.

Why is it that Michelle Obama can no longer practice as an attorney?

This is not a question about BARACK Obama, but MICHELLE Obama who is, so far as I have been able to determine, a different person entirely.  But since you asked so nicely: she requested that her license be placed on inactive status in 1993 when she began work at a series of jobs that did not require her to appear before the court or provide legal counsel to clients.

I hope this has been helpful, and I am all too aware of the fact that none of this information answers Kimball’s most fundamental question: “How the fuck did a black man get into the fucking White House?”

Now that’s smart.