Censure Rep. Johnson

I urge members of DU to contact their Representatives and urge them to support/sponsor a vote of censure against Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Tx), for remarks made first at the Suncreek United Methodist Church in Allen and later to President Bush and Rep. Kay Granger (R-Tx) concerning his plan to personally nuke Syria.

The following is my letter to Rep. Meehan (D-MA5).

Rep. Meehan,

As a veteran, I am appalled at the words of Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Tx). He is quoted by the Dallas Monring News as telling members of the Suncreek United Methodist Church in Allen, Tx, and later to President Bush and Rep. Kay Granger (R-Tx) "Syria is the problem" ... "Syria is where those weapons of mass destruction are, in my view. You know, I can fly an F-15, put two nukes on 'em, and I'll make one pass. We won't have to worry about Syria anymore."

Today he is justifying this faux pas because he was "clubbing" with a group of veterans. Given the tensions in the middle east, I believe Rep. Johnson is either senile, and needs to resign, or is serious, and his constituents need to remove this provocateur of international annihilation.

This "good ol' boys" mentality was responsible for women being assaulted and raped at the Navy's TAIL HOOK conventions.

Do not accept this lame excuse from a member of Congress. I request you take five actions:

1. Write a "Dear Collegue" letter to Rep. Sam Johnson, asking him to explain his remarks.
2. Write a "Dear Collegue" letter to Rep. Kay Granger, asking her position on the matter.
3. Write a letter to President Bush, asking his position on the matter.
4. Write a letter to the Syrian Ambassador, apologizing on behalf of the citizens of the Massachusetts 5th CD.
5. Sponsor a House motion of censure against Rep. Johnson.

Sincerely,

(me)

==================================================================

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/nation/stories/030405dnnatjohnson.191a9.html

Johnson: Nuke Syria? Just a joke
Despite quip, country remains serious issue, congressman says


10:48 PM CST on Thursday, March 3, 2005

By TODD J. GILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News


WASHINGTON – U.S.-Syrian relations are often tense. U.S. officials are demanding that Syria withdraw its troops from Lebanon, and suspicion lingers that Damascus helped Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein hide illicit weapons. Still, some of Rep. Sam Johnson's constituents apparently were surprised when the Plano Republican said he'd like to take care of the problem – by personally dropping a couple of nuclear bombs.

"Syria is the problem," the former fighter pilot said at a pancake breakfast at Suncreek United Methodist Church in Allen. "Syria is where those weapons of mass destruction are, in my view. You know, I can fly an F-15, put two nukes on 'em, and I'll make one pass. We won't have to worry about Syria anymore."

Someone was offended enough to play a recording of the Feb. 19 remarks for Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper that first reported them this week. Mr. Johnson said he's "absolutely" surprised that anyone took it seriously, adding that he's never advocated a nuclear attack on Syria.

"I was kind of joking. You know. We were talking between veterans," said Mr. Johnson, an Air Force fighter pilot in Korea and Vietnam, where he spent 7 ½ years as a prisoner of war. "We were swapping sea stories – things that we'd done in the military." He told the folks in Allen that he had shared his plan with President Bush and Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, during a recent White House visit. "President Bush knew I was joking," he said Thursday. But, he added, "Syria actively opposes our allies' efforts on terrorism, and they finance and harbor terrorists in Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon. We're sure of that. They even fought against us on the border during the Iraq incursion. So I don't think they're a friend of the United States at all."

more........

Begin with rumor and innuendo, then move on to claiming there is "Hard Evidence." Stupid people will believe because they've been hearing about it for several months now.

The newspaper account failed to provide the detail that this was the 2005 Veterans Breakfast, sponsored by the church's Suncreek United Methodist Men (UMM). The Suncreek United Methodist Church website clearly indicates that Rep. Johnson was the invited guest of honor.

http://www.suncreekumc.org/umm/2005Veterans_Breakfast.htm





The Senior Pastor, Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball, was in attendance and gave the closing prayer:

The following is an excerpt from the closing remarks made by Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball, Senior Pastor:



If you would care to express your thoughts, the senior pastor can be reached at:

Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball
Senior Pastor
Suncreek United Methodist Church
1517 W. McDermott Drive
Allen, Texas 75013

email: kathleen.baskin@suncreekumc.org
Phone: (972) 390-1695 x14

The parent organization, The United Methodist Church, can be contacted at http://www.umc.org/interior.asp?mid=457