Summary via the
LA Times Blog:
First, before you watch this short but remarkable video, a little background on Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson.
He's from Georgia's Fourth District. A Washington, D.C. native, he's the fellow who took office in 2007 after knocking off former five-term Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney.
A former county judge, the 55-year-old is an attorney, a standard liberal Democrat, receiving 100 ratings from the ADA and ACLU.
In this House Armed Services Committee hearing last Friday (no, it wasn't April Fool's Day), Johnson was questioning Admiral Robert Willard, head of the U.S. Pacific fleet, about the stationing of 5,000 additional U.S. Marines and their families on the western Pacific island of Guam, a 212-square-mile American territory that is 30 miles long and from four to 12 miles wide.
President Obama will visit there this summer.
Of course, since Johnson is one of 535 members of the United States Congress, everything he says is important. But pay particular attention to the congressman's comments starting at the 1:16 mark and the pregnant pause after his stated concern and hand gestures.
Followed by the admiral's admirably measured military response.
Also, remember you are paying Congressman Johnson's salary this year -- $174,000.
32 Comments
burdturglerOn the other hand, if you don't have enough people on the island, it might just float away!
Tough call.
Djevelsays...gg Politics. As long as you got a nice smile and the willingness to be a talking point whore for whomever pays you the most, they'll let/keep anyone in.
Capsize?! Really?!
gwiz665Is he high? I think he's high!
kulpimsWTF?!?
DraxO_O
Holy hell. This is an April fools...... RIGHT??
40_Minus_1says...ISLANDS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY! GOODNIGHT!
PsychologicI look forward to his next speech about how deep sea drilling could lead to an accidental draining of the oceans.
razzylsays...Waiiiit for iiiiit.... BOOM!
Man, this guy is from my district. I shook this man's hand on the campaign trail, thinking ANYONE is better than McKinney. Why couldn't I have had a "Dead Zone" moment and then went all Walken on his ass...
ShepppardNot even kidding.
I started watching, and my eyes literally did one of these.
T_T
O_O
o_o
blankfistKeep voting them in. They're worth every penny.
GeeSussFreeKI got to 1:30 and I had to pause to start laughing.
EDDIt's about time Democrats found someone who could fully engage Sarah Palin in a debate.
kceaton1Ahahahaa... ROFWTLOLF!?
GeeSussFreeK"The subtle humor of this obviously metaphorical reference to a ship capsizing illustrated my concern about the impact of the planned military buildup on this small tropical island." Is that latest word. I am going to watch again and see if that is some poor attempt a humor or what...brb!
NO e'ff way. He was totally bought into that and then transitioned into the environment as an additional concern. In short... LOLZ!
GeeSussFreeKO crap guys....
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran an exclusive in which Johnson admitted to having hepatitis C. Reporter Bob Keefe writes:
The Lithonia Democrat's already-thin frame has shed 30 pounds in the past year. His speech is slower than ever, and he regularly gets lost in thought in the middle of a discussion. He is easily fatigued and often impatient and irritable . . . To keep the disease in remission, Johnson is going through an experimental treatment that he said has been the worst part so far.
(that is about a 50% chance of living or dying depending on many factors)
DrewNumberTwosays...What.
The.
Fuck.
BreaksTheEarthResponse from Hank Johnson via wikipedia:
“I wasn’t suggesting that the island of Guam would literally tip over. I was using a metaphor to say that with the addition of 8,000 Marines and their dependents – an additional 80,000 people during peak construction to the port on the tiny island with a population of 180,000 – could be a tipping point which would adversely affect the island’s fragile ecosystem and over burden its already overstressed infrastructure."
“Having traveled to Guam last year, I saw firsthand how this beautiful – but vulnerable - island is already overburdened, and I was simply voicing my concerns that the addition of that many people could tip the delicate balance and do harm to Guam.”
deathcowLaugh at your own risk. If only the people of Atlantis had enjoyed such prescient counsel.
bobknight33This dude makes George Bush look Presidential. WE have only ourselves to blame for electing such dolts..
Dolt-
One who is incapable of rational thought, an organized logic, or reasonable social interaction. Know to those around them as an idiot or stupid. Usually, a dolt will not have the capacity to understand just how stupid they really are and will likely blame others for their failures and inabilities.
ponceleonThis cannot be real. Seriously, this makes Palin look informed... hell, she's a fucking elitist intellectual next to this guy...
handmethekeysyousays..."So, uh, admiral, what I want to ask is, uh, what plan do you have in place to keep an equal number of marines on either side of the island at all times?"
chilaxePay attention. This is what society is like. It's normally just slightly hidden.
On the plus side, politics is like one of those freebie careers, where anybody with 1/2 a brain can easily out-compete the normal 1/4 brain participants. And if you have a 1/1 brain.. well, that sounds dangerous...
Porksandwichsays...I don't think I could answer that man without being insulting. This kind of question is something that should come from very small children and the very mentally handicapped. The idea that an elected official asked this question should call his ability to cross the street without holding someone's hand into question as he's quickly replaced.
budzosDownvote for being intentionally fatuous. Pretending not to recognize sarcasm or figurative speech just makes you look dumb/socially retarded.
Kevlar>> ^budzos:
Downvote for being intentionally fatuous. Pretending not to recognize sarcasm or figurative speech just makes you look dumb/socially retarded.
Considering the congressman's 'metaphor' regarding Guam's ecosystem was completely mis-read by a Navy Admiral, the people in the gallery and a great many on the Interweb to be a literal concern, and it required a formal statement to clarify, I'd say he has some work to do on his delivery. Otherwise his intended point might capsize (waves hands at random).
dystopianfuturetodayuh..wha?
Matthusays...I call bullshit on his official statement.
The first minute is spent by him trying to incoherently describe the dimensions of the island and then when he refers to the island tipping over he actually makes tipping over motions. Then he reiterates his point by gleefully locating and proudly employing the term capsize.
Fuck I feel smart now.
entr0pyI think that was just some dry humor. Good delivery actually, but doesn't always work if the person you're talking to is expecting you to be super cereal. I'm kind of shocked people on videosift aren't more attuned to sarcasm.
And yeah, it is amazing that that island can sustain that many people. Bringing up the burden that they are placing on the locals is valid. Locals that live in a place considered "part of our Nation", but who cannot vote in our elections. I guess "no taxation without representation" was mostly just meant to apply to whites.
Upvote for Rep. Johnson's joke (and point). And not for the crazy bullshit in the description.
jwrayHow does a moron like that get elected?
KrupoYep, I can see what he claims he was getting at. Doesn't make it sound any less crazy though.
wraithsays...Once again proves that there are (at least) two professions that you don't need a brain for: politics and the law.
VoliattaThey are not worth a single penny (
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