Headline of the Day
“Democrat Rep. Hank Johnson worries loading too many people onto Guam could capsize the island.”
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I don’t even know how to respond to this.Report
Do you want everyone in Guam to die?
It’s a simple question.Report
What if we just relocated everyone in Haiti to the other side of the island?Report
The rep from the military deserves a pay raise for managing to keep a straight face, let alone responding in a polite respectful and accurate manner.Report
Johnson clarifies:
“I wasn’t suggesting that the island of Guam would literally tip over,” said Johnson. “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.”
Stay thirsty, my friend.Report
Actually, this sounds pretty plausible when you look at the full transcript:
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NDkyMTkzMGNkNTYwMzE3ZWI0Nzg0MWZkNTBjMmY4YmU=Report
This part concerns (though does not surprise) me
REP. JOHNSON: Very small island and about 24 miles, if I recall, long, 24 miles long, about seven miles wide at the least widest place on the island and about 12 miles wide on the widest part of the island. And I don’t know how many square miles that is. Do you happen to know?
Apparently no one at the meeting knew enough geometry to say “What the hell, call it 230.” (Actually 209, sez Wikipedia.)Report
What do you expect of the people of GA’s 4th district? These are the same people that sent Cynthia McKinney to Congress.Report