April 1, 2010 12:39 PM

Hank Johnson Worries Guam Could "Capsize" After Marine Buildup

By
Stephanie Condon
Topics
Congress

Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) is raising some eyebrows with a comment he made about the U.S. territory of Guam during a House Armed Services Committee hearing last Thursday.

In a discussion regarding a planned military buildup on the Pacific island, Johnson expressed some concerns about the plans to Adm. Robert Willard, head of the U.S. Pacific fleet.

"My fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize," Johnson said. Willard paused and replied, "We don't anticipate that."

Online pundits have wasted no time lampooning the congressman for his remarks.

"Presumably, when you're the head guy of a major fleet for a big-time navy, you've got plenty of other ways of filling your time other than reassuring congressmen on whether miscellaneous land masses are likely to tip over and sink," Mark Steyn wrote at the National Review Online. "But it's business as usual in Congress."

The blog Left Coast Rebel said, "Call it a new low, a new 'tipping point' - even in the halls of Congress, if you will."

According to the Hill, a spokesman for Johnson responded to the incident by saying the congressman is concerned the influx of military personnel will overwhelm the island's infrastructure and ecosystem.

If Johnson's remarks were meant figuratively, he had a legitimate point.

The United States plans to move thousands of Marines and their families, about 8,000 people in all, to the small island of Guam, which has a current population of about 180,000. To prepare for the military buildup, the government is constructing new facilities on the island like an additional Marine base and a new airfield.

At the peak of construction, Guam's population would increase by 79,000 people, or about 45 percent, the Washington Post reported. The Environmental Protection Agency has reportedly said the military buildup could trigger island-wide water shortages and overload sewage systems and other public utilities.

Update 6:30 p.m. ET: Johnson released a statement on Thursday saying he was joking, according to CNN.

"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," the statement said.


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by goodridehd May 28, 2011 2:09 PM EDT
Oh by the way for the first time in the history of the USA,our resident and his wife can attend the black caucus, now is that not wonderful.So there is an advantage to being a Negro PRESIDENT.We have an insider now.We all will know what is going on inside these exsclusive black meetings behind closed doors.Oh yea
the goodridehd said that
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by goodridehd May 28, 2011 2:02 PM EDT
I think he got some bad ass sh*t, and it make him very smart.
Meet your next smart president folks.Could this Idiot be worst than what we have now.Islam in the White House has to be our worst possible fear.
the goodridehd said that
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by goodridehd May 28, 2011 1:55 PM EDT
I think he got some bad ass sh*T AND IT MAKE EM HIM VERY SMART
He may be our next president,you know what they say,If you first don't succeed try and try again until we get a good one or die trying .
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by nancruz January 16, 2011 3:52 PM EST
Johnson was not joking. I viewed the video: I am aghast at the man's ignorance. He even had trouble finding the right adjective to describe lenghth and width to express his concept of the island. Who got this man elected to represent them? Incredible!

I am a Guamanian (native of Guam), The island is about 144 square miles. Furthermore, it is mountainous. Johnson must be imagining Guam to be flat like Manhattan Island (NYC,NY) where I have lived for the past 53 years. --Now. with all that "concrete jungle" in Manhattan,it has not tipped over,Mr. Jonhson. I would not worry about military buildup sinking the Island--
(I wonder if Mr. Johnson had ever seen military buildings.) Definitely, the military will not erect skyscrapers on Guam.
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by foryou907 October 15, 2010 2:03 PM EDT
>>>>> READ <<<<<<< I get it now!!!!
So after seeing this I forwarded it around, later I found out that my Grandfather was stationed on Guam in the Navy long ago. He was in the SeaBees, which are Construction hands like the Army Corps of Engineers. He said that Guam was like a three legged stool made of coral. Drillers would hole through in the middle of the island and not be able to touch rock again. Submarines could actually go under the island. When they leveled out a place they dumped the rock (coral) into the ocean and it never built up to the surface. From what I've read Guam consists of coral and limestone (Karst). My grandfather made it sound precarious. Johnson does sound like an idiot here, don't get me wrong - and I'm still laughing - but now I understand where at least he was coming from.

No it won't capsize as it's been a major base during World Wars and it didn't tip over then...it's still rediculous statement - but now a little background worth researching ya'll!

(((((((((((( I wanted to share!))))))))))))))

()()()()() it's not as funny
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by Fentman34 April 8, 2010 3:49 AM EDT
It's so obvious he was joking. It was a bad, corny, poorly delivered joke, but let's get real. He made the statement then goes on and on about the environment, etc. Had he truly believed the island could tip over (because it's happened so many times - lol), the environment wouldn't matter. I truly believe people simply want things like this to be true to have something to attack.
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by kfor777 April 12, 2010 9:55 PM EDT
And if this statement was made by a Republican CBS News would have a field day with it for 2 weeks and call for his resignation. Right???
by iguru128 April 14, 2010 1:03 AM EDT
Hes not joking. These are the idiots that are elected. I for Congressional drug testing.
See all 6 Replies
by LawrenceMuna April 6, 2010 7:33 PM EDT
Guam's Northern Water Lenses are contaminated with Toxic Waste leftover from the BRAC Closures of the 1990s. These Toxic Wastes are the same as those identified in the CAMP LEJEUNE INQUIRIES. GUAM is DOOM.
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by fredipuppy April 6, 2010 7:41 PM EDT
No problem, Guam's only legitimate purposes are to serve as a US military base and a fuel and transfer point for commercial airlines.
by LawrenceMuna April 6, 2010 7:31 PM EDT
GUAM tipping over is the least of our fears. The U.S. E.P.A. declared that the Military Buildup will destroy our Island's fragile Ecosystem. GUAM IS DOOM.
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by fredipuppy April 6, 2010 7:31 PM EDT
Everyone who voted for him is equally as stupid.
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by LawrenceMuna April 6, 2010 7:28 PM EDT
Congressman Hank Johnson of Georgia is CORRECT. The Cousteau, Jr. exploration of the Marianas found Guam to be grounded by Two Pillars instead of a single, flat mass. This means that the Island CAN tip over. The Marianas Trench is 7-miles deep; deepest sinkhole in the world; Merizo at the southern tip of Guam is at the edge of the Trench. Another 8.2 quake like the one in 1993 can technically Tip the Island Over, sending it to the bottom of the Trench. CONGRESSMAN JOHNSON is RIGHT.
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by iguru128 April 14, 2010 1:10 AM EDT
lol. Guam hasn't moved an inch in 1000 years.
by rhollyer August 13, 2010 3:45 PM EDT
Hunh? But he released a statement claiming that he was joking. And you think he wasn't. I assume then that you are calling him a liar? Or perhaps you think he was joking but was actually correct without knowing it?

Or are you perhaps joking?
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