Hank Johnson Thinks Guam Is Going To 'Tip Over' (VIDEO)

Unfortunately, this is not an April Fools Day prank, just a member of Congress acting hilariously aloof. After debating the exact size of Guam for a full minute with a military commander before concluding that it is "a small island," U.S. Representative Hank Johnson reveals his fear: that more U.S. troops will cause Guam to "tip over" and sink into the ocean.

The best part of hearing Johnson say, "My fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize," is hearing the commander try to explain why it's probably -- no, definitely -- not going to happen.

[UPDATE: "I wasn't suggesting that the island of Guam would literally tip over," Johnson says via a spokesman. "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 overburden 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."]

WATCH:

Comments

[boognish]

12:58 PM on 04/14/2010

The obesity epidemic found in America just ensures that many more islands will be capsized before our reign of terror is over.

[hibeam]

03:23 PM on 04/06/2010

Thank God we have men like this in Washington looking after the taxpayer money. With this fine man on the job Guam will not be capsized by those f00ls at the pentagon anytime soon.

[Eldiaoctavo]

08:26 AM on 04/06/2010

I will bet $500 that Hank did not write...or even know about...that blurbette from his office about "using a metaphor". Guaranteed, he does not understand the concept of metaphor, nor does the staffer that wrote that line. This illuminates something about Hank's ability to hire, ahhh, talent.

Jeff Foxworthy will use this one...."You might be an idiot if..."

[Harmony1812]

02:39 AM on 04/05/2010

Recent update: Too many People in California has caused a 7.2 earthquake threatening to make LA slide into the ocean. San Francisco Bay Bridge is the only thing holding it upright.

[gerryRS]

01:57 PM on 04/04/2010

This guy is a joke. He has an IQ of something slightly more than plant life. The only people that could have a lower IQ than this US Representative are the people who elected him.

[m a x]

12:07 AM on 04/04/2010

crazy talk

[SkyTalker]

10:32 PM on 04/03/2010

Should there be a breathalyzer test administered to some of our legislators when they enter the room?

[euthman]

07:38 PM on 04/03/2010

From the video, it is clear to me that the Congressman has an altered sensorium. Whether this is the result of medication, a substance abuse problem, or developing dementia, his friends and family need to take him out of the game until such time as he gets this problem straightened out. If they will not act, then the House leadership needs to intervene. This is sad and embarrassing.

[hunter10]

09:52 PM on 04/03/2010

Can you imagine the lefts reaction if Palin had said something this stupid? I doubt they would be making excuses for her. Lets call a nit wit a nit wit ok?

[Maezeppa]

10:35 PM on 04/03/2010

I have a close friend who, like Johnson, is both a lawyer and a Hep-C sufferer.

She also underwent the same experimental treatment of heavy-duty interferon and anti-viral meds. She occasionally exhibited the same neurological symptoms Johnson did. Fortunately, within a few months of the end of treatment, clarity returns.

[Eldiaoctavo]

08:13 AM on 04/06/2010

Let's call it the way it is: The man is not simply ignorant, he is stupid. Maybe that is from a lifetime of substance abuse but what difference does it make - he is not going to become less stupid tomorrow. He reminds me of Ted Kennedy...never sober enough to think...just blurt.

We would all do well to remember that there are scores of these guys in Congress. Go ahead...let these people make life decisions for you, let them take over government of your life. We get what we pay for: law at the lowest common denominator. And if you do not believe that you might be dipped from the same gene pool as ole' Hank.

[LonosCurse]

06:24 PM on 04/03/2010

Stupidity has no political affiliation.

[zjin]

05:42 PM on 04/03/2010

I don't think you can spin his "capsize" comment as simply being a poor metaphor. He was also struggling with other common concepts like "length" and "width". It would appear his health problems are beginning to overwhelm his cognitive health as well.

[digoweli]

05:28 PM on 04/03/2010

Obviously the man is either drunk or on medication. But that does excuse the people who invented Bush or Bachman. Nor does it excuse the people who compare the first year of a President to eight years of disaster by an inept re-elected President who stole the first election and impugned a war hero who served with distinction when that President was AWOL himself for the second.

America is going to have to get a lot worse off before it hurts enough to value education over celebrity and to search for real solutions to problematic situations. Meanwhile we are becoming a third world provincial population that no longer values education or accomplishment. It's all money and the worship of such.

[Kmetz]

01:58 PM on 04/04/2010

Obviously you didn't get Dan Rather's memo about that forged document. But I'm sure you don't bother with the fact that proof of Bush being AWOL was debunked on national TV by a then-respected journalist who throws his worth-nothing jabs from Chris Matthews Sunday Show now. Get over it. These are the nit wits that passed health care and the reason you will look back at this and say "I didn't see it coming, I thought we could afford it, but it must be the Republicans fault because they they um, they have Bush and Bachman, and Palin and they are mean and racist. We have a celebrity as President, not a leader, and guys that think islands float on the ocean and can capsize if too many US Marines land there, are his most powerful supporters. Question: Wouldn't the boat they arrive on have to be bigger than Guam so it too doesn't capsize? Now correct my spelling or grammer.

[digoweli]

09:49 PM on 04/04/2010

Are you saying Bush was NOT AWOL? That's a rewrite. I suppose he wasn't a coke head with DUIs as well. Just because you yell about healthcare doesn't make it right either. My wife has Insurance and I have the VA. Guess who has the better plan? The health insurance isn't even close. You must be very wealthy if you believe that health care is great in America because it isn't. This country is broken and it was done by 35 years of religionists worshiping an invisible hand. I would call that idolatry.

[MrPatriot]

03:46 PM on 04/03/2010

The scary thing is that he is probably one of the smarter Democrats.

[MadeandBakedintheUSA]

03:33 PM on 04/03/2010

Obvious from many posts - you have not been to an island that has fragile infrastructure

Americans taks so much for granted

really pathetic

[hibeam]

03:27 PM on 04/06/2010

Great post. America has capsized more Islands than any other country with our overweight aid workers.

[MayaBeach]

03:08 PM on 04/03/2010

He makes sense to me, because the weight of all those people COULD make Guam or any other island floating around "tip over" and even sink, just like pushing down on a bathtub toy, or leaning too much in a canoe.

[climastrology101]

08:53 PM on 04/03/2010

Uh...OK.

Maybe they could attach a big motor to one side of the island and just drive it around the ocean.

Say, what's your take on this global warming thing?

[Eldiaoctavo]

08:33 AM on 04/06/2010

Well said.

[Eldiaoctavo]

08:38 AM on 04/06/2010

Wait a minute - check this out...he has 13 fans and you have 6. What's that say...

If we motored Guam over to China and tied-off they could all get free health care. Cool, eh?

[herewegoagain69x]

02:18 PM on 04/05/2010

Get off your parents computer, it's time for school.

[Maezeppa]

02:55 PM on 04/05/2010

The plural of parent is parents. The possessive case, the one you should have used, is parent's.

[Maezeppa]

02:15 PM on 04/03/2010

I have a close friend, who like Johnson has a law degree and, also like Johnson, underwent the experimental protocols for treating Hep-C. I was startled from time to time by her lapses in mental acuity but a a few months after the end of the course of interferon and drugs, she is sharp as ever. Here's hoping Johnson similarly regains his health.