On Seinfeld, it was “the vault,” that spoken of and clearly understood safe harbor where all secrets were sworn to be kept from the world.  Everything was sacred, nothing revealed.

Well, except when pressure was brought to bear on the bearer of a vault secret.  Like George divulging to his “fiancee,” Susan, that Jerry changed the size label on his jeans to 31 out of vanity.  Such was the sanctity of the vault among the Seinfeld foursome.

Imagine, then, the size of crowd necessary to maintain vault allegiance and keep secret the “truth” about NASA’s placing men on the moon.  And not just once, either, but multiple times.

And imagine the number of people necessary to maintain absolute vault loyalty to the “truth” about President Barack Obama’s birth certificate.  Just staggering.

And yet that is what’s claimed.  It’s not new, but it remains news – - President Obama is not a natural citizen, not constitutionally qualified to be President, and his birth certificate is a fake.

The musical group Red Rider, a Canadian rock band, released “Lunatic Fringe” on their 1981 album.  Tom Cochrane, its guitarist, had been inspired by a book he’d read on anti-Semitism in the 1970s, and that was the origin of the song.  Maybe we can blame the NASA and birth certificate conspiracies on Canadians, although I doubt it.

“I want my country back,” the lady shouted, as she waved her American flag and flashed her own birth certificate for all to see.  Somehow, I didn’t get the impression she was holding Canadians responsible for the whole birth certificate thing.  A Jewish conspiracy, though?  Perhaps.  An African-American thing?  Perhaps that, too.  In cahoots, are they?

It is difficult, at best, to understand the sense of disenfranchisement people must feel as they cling so tightly to outrageous and moronic theories of conspiracy.  Life does present challenges, to be sure. Holding unnamed string-pullers responsible, however, abrogates all responsibility for our own lives.

To be so profoundly displaced and lost and untethered as to blame unseen forces playing with our lives does make for great theater, and certainly makes news.  Some professionals might call that a form of mental ill health, though.

“My grandfather fought in WWII,” she shouted.  And so did President Obama’s grandfather.  The point?

What’s worse, though, are the politicians in Washington who take advantage of the shrillness and irrationality of such behavior, of such beliefs.  Introducing legislation to require future presidential candidates to prove eligibility of birth plays to that extreme in our society and stoops lowly.  Those same cretins probably enjoy pulling the wings off flies, and would do so on television if it would get them votes.

When George Costanza was pressed ever so lightly by his fiancee, he caved and gave up the vault.  Jerry’s secret wasn’t safe for five minutes.

Do you think hundreds and thousands, all of whom have been pressed a lot harder and for decades, could keep the vault intact over a fake moon walk or a falsified birth certificate?  Really, now.