CrusaderFrank
Diamond Member
- May 20, 2009
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You agree that Guam will tip over.Rep. Hank Johnson (d-ga) was afraid that Guam would capsize if too many people were standing on one side of it.... Stupid knows no political party.
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From Snopes.com
Johnson: This is a[n] island that at its widest level is what ā¦ twelve miles from shore to shore? And at its smallest level ā¦ uh, smallest location ā¦ itās seven miles between one shore and the other? Is that correct?
Willard: I donāt have the exact dimensions, but to your point, sir, I think Guam is a small island.
Johnson: Very small island, about twenty-four miles, if I recall, long, twenty-four miles long, about seven miles wide at the least widest place on the island and about twelve miles wide on the widest part of the island, and I donāt know how many square miles that is. Do you happen to know?
Willard: I donāt have that figure with me, sir, I can certainly supply it to you if you like.
Johnson: Yeah, my fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize.
Willard: We donāt anticipate that ā¦ the Guam population I think currently about 175,000 and again with 8,000 Marines and their families itās an addition of about 25,000 more into the population.
Johnson: And also things like the environment, the sensitive areas of the environment, coral reefs and those kinds of things, and I know that lots of people donāt like to think about that but ā¦ you know, we donāt think about global warming either, and now we do have to think about it, and so Iām concerned from an environmental standpoint whether or not Guam is the best place to do this relocation. but itās actually the only place, is that correct?
Willard: This is the best place, this is the farthest west U.S. territory that we own and this is part of our nation, and in readdressing the forward presence and posture importance to Pacific Command, Guam is vital to this decision.
This exchange was the subject of much ridicule and speculation: Was Rep. Johnson really expressing concern that the addition of 8,000 Marines and their families to Guam would literally cause the island to become āso overly populated that it will tip over and capsize,ā or was he engaging in a metaphor about concerns over the level of environmental degradation that might result from a sudden 14% increase in Guamās population?
The latter viewpoint is bolstered by the fact that immediately after his ātip over and capsizeā statement, Johnson did explicitly say he was concerned about āthe sensitive areas of the environment, coral reefs and those kinds of things.ā On the other hand, Johnsonās prefacing that statement with the words āAnd also things like the environment ā¦ā (and his curious fixation on Guamās exact dimensions) could be taken to mean that his previously expressed fear āthat the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsizeā was a different subject and was therefore not a metaphor for environmental issues.
Or perhaps Johnson was clumsily trying to express the notion that adding another 25,000 people to Guam would create an unsustainably large population (and thus the island would reach its ātipping pointā).
Only Johnson knows for sure what he was thinking as he questioned Admiral Willard, and he later claimed he was āspeaking metaphoricallyā and ākiddingā (although critics noted no trace of humor was apparent in his words, tone, or body language, nor did he react or offer correction when Admiral Willard addressed his concerns about the islandās ātipping overā as if they were meant literally):
4th District Congressman Hank Johnson is now backing away from an outlandish suggestion he made to a United States Navy admiral that the Pacific island of Guam could ātip over and capsizeā if too many U.S. Marines are stationed there.
Johnson said āmy fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize.ā
In an interview, the Decatur Democrat said he was kidding and simply speaking metaphorically to make a point during the committee hearing.
Johnson said, āI can say things that are quite humorous and not smile about it and it leads people to think about what I said.ā
āOften, Iāve been known to use humor as I deliver a message. Thatās just one of the gifts that I think that I have,ā Johnson deadpanned.
āIāve been around long enough in this district for voters to know that if Hank said Guam is in danger of capsizing, they would know precisely that I have a sense of humor.ā
As of this writing, Hank Johnson Jr. is still the U.S. Representative for Georgiaās 4th congressional district.
So, no, as far as this (global warming) goes, stupidity seems to have relegated itself entirely to the GOP/
FeedbackSources
Fact Checker:David Mikkelson
Published:3 April 2010
Updated:9 August 2017
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Good data point there