Perhaps I have an unfair advantage over this Congressman, in that I do actually have a degree in the subject.
That said - notice how the Admiral doesn't just get up and walk away, nor does he let what I suspect is his true reaction get anywhere close to the surface. I would *love* to hear the Admiral's internal dialogue..
An admirable (heh) display of restraint. And simply another reason I would not have done well as a general officer. In that regard, the selection boards were absolutely correct.
Bear in mind - this gentleman votes on the laws of the land. I'm thinking, at least in this instance, on this subject, his District would be better served by snatching a random resident off the street. You can be a crappy public speaker when the words aren't on a page in front of you. You can have trouble marshalling your thoughts or even expressing them in an ad hoc manner (hell, there's some blood pressure/heart meds that can cause otherwise articulate people to get mush-mouthed, I know, from personal experience) and still be otherwise functional. But if you think islands can capsize, I've got questions about what you were doing in school, and what other gaping holes do you have in your knowledge base.
But I'm mean that way.
That said, Congressman Johnson replaced Cynthia McKinney representing the 4th District in Georgia, so I guess it was a trade up....
H/t, SWWBO
Update: there is a "out of context" defense being mounted at National Review. While I stll think it's funny as hell, and that the Admiral was admirable - I'd rather the defense be the more correct version than not.
That said - notice how the Admiral doesn't just get up and walk away, nor does he let what I suspect is his true reaction get anywhere close to the surface. I would *love* to hear the Admiral's internal dialogue..
An admirable (heh) display of restraint. And simply another reason I would not have done well as a general officer. In that regard, the selection boards were absolutely correct.
Bear in mind - this gentleman votes on the laws of the land. I'm thinking, at least in this instance, on this subject, his District would be better served by snatching a random resident off the street. You can be a crappy public speaker when the words aren't on a page in front of you. You can have trouble marshalling your thoughts or even expressing them in an ad hoc manner (hell, there's some blood pressure/heart meds that can cause otherwise articulate people to get mush-mouthed, I know, from personal experience) and still be otherwise functional. But if you think islands can capsize, I've got questions about what you were doing in school, and what other gaping holes do you have in your knowledge base.
But I'm mean that way.
That said, Congressman Johnson replaced Cynthia McKinney representing the 4th District in Georgia, so I guess it was a trade up....
H/t, SWWBO
Update: there is a "out of context" defense being mounted at National Review. While I stll think it's funny as hell, and that the Admiral was admirable - I'd rather the defense be the more correct version than not.
Heh. If I was the Congressman, I would have called the Admiral and personally apologized for having wasted those moments of his life.
I think the lady sitting behind the Admiral though cracked a smile.
I'm surprised he didn't ask how much had been budgeted to provide lifeboats and PFDs for the inhabitants.
The Admiral's response was AMAZINGLY calm.
The scary part is reading the Congressmans web page and seeing what he is involved in, health care reform is one of them. I really feel for you guys, we have some stunned ...... types up here but I think they would be smart enough not to say an island is going to capsize.
See what I coulda been via the Georgia Public School system? ;)
The Admiral should prepare a Powerpoint slide headed "Islands that have tipped over and sunk" followed by "Sinking Island Disaster Preparedness Plan" because if it is in Powerpoint it is as good as done. Plus he could catch a nap while the assembled solons deconstruct a blank page.
This little episode gave me a flashback to my Psychology studying days in the last '70s. Back then, there was a bit of humor in the department about asking people to draw a sketch of an island above and below the waterline. The results tended to be in two large categories, the lily pad or the mountain top. Obviously, the good Congressman is a lily (livered?) padder. As was my first wife. Good Luck.
Don't be so hard on the guy.
When I first landed on Guam I wondered what its displacement was and if the sea anchor would hold us in place if a good typhoon hit.
And admit it, after a few weeks on an LST or an LHA ship you did feel the island list a bit to port once in a while ......
In fact, I can't picture him as being all that familiar with the provisions of the *legislation* he and his fellows just foisted on us. He even had trouble parroting the EPA-mandated Talking Points, when the background brief sitting in front of him undoubtedly contained bullet points from the EPA-mandated Environmental Impact Statement the Navy had to submit.
Jack M. follows up at Ace of Spades with the journalistic inquiry that is fit unto the day:
I contacted Rep. Hank (D-Goin' down for the third time) Johnson's office and asked them if the good Representative had any other fears he wished to share. I was told that Rep. Johnson also fears:
-Future missions to the moon will cause Earth's satellite to "go all crazy and spin out of orbit"
-Drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge will mean "heavy drilling equipment will cause the poles to shift and Kansas City will end up as the new North Pole"
-Excessive use of the office microwave will cause "the oxygen in the oven to interact with the atmosphere, making it overheat and burn away."
Which still begs the question: Why is this guy still in office??!
John, you seem to be the smart one around. Last I heard was this, "An island is a small piece of land, surrounded by water, but this place," the coastline is only 7 miles at its narrowest point." Is Guam still an inland?"
Well...given the option of this guy or his predecessor Cynthia "I can beat up cops" McKinney, also known as "I can Spend Tax Payer money how I want." I think some folks would rather have this guy
I am happy to say I am not from the 4th District of Georgia however heh
Now that we've snarked Grumpy's typing...
Guam, still an island after all these years. Not even balanced on the back of a turtle or anything!
DO NOT play Poker with this Admiral.
DO NOT play Poker with this Admiral.
Sage advice, Attila!
Hep C causes cirrhosis of the liver in the end stages -- mental confusion is one of the symptoms, but Johnson didn't exhibit any of the pain associated with it. I'll bet you're thinking what I'm thinking, Dusty -- early onset SD.
Hard to admire the voters if they picked this guy and Cynthia. I mean this man has real power.
It also suggests this little meeting was a waste of taxpaters money and Admiral time. There is no out of context here. There is only the unbearbale weight of dunder on his head.
Especially since it seems Wilson was correct.
I've read folks trying to excuse his behavior due to the Hepatitus C, but I'm not buyin' it. If he's doing that poorly he should take time off until he's 100%.
@Armorer, *Sir*, Y'all shoot snarks real well, but is that all you can shoot?
Question already answered, but begged to be asked.
That was from his "office spokesperson" FuzzBee -- who also declared Johnson didn't say he was afraid Guam would capsize, he said he was afraid it would reach a "population tipping point."
The spinnmeister either didn't see the video -- which is *highly* unlikely -- or is just another lying
Democratcrapweasel.And, echoing Casey, if his meds have him *that* messed up, why is he even *attending* a Congressional hearing on a matter of national defense, never mind asking questions?
http://neoneocon.com/2010/04/01/in-defense-of-hank-johnson/
Bringing us back to my original question.......why is this guy still in office? Isn't there any mechanism that provides for removing someone who is so very obviously unfit (both mentally and physically) for office?
BTW, Bloodspite, I know *how* he came into office, and whom he replaced, but that didn't answer my question.
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Kidding! Kidding!
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