Another reason for voters to pay more attention

Updated explanation by neo-neocon:

I would like to offer a spirited defense of the unjustly-maligned Representative Johnson. First of all, although this is a little-known fact, he and Admiral Willard, the man he is questioning in the video, are old friends. They met in 1986 on the set of the film “Top Gun.” Willard was a consultant and actor in the film (you can look it up), but the telegenic Johnson also played a bit role in the film as one of the other pilots.

Willard and Johnson struck up an acquaintance on the set, finding that they shared a remarkable gift for deadpan humor. They developed a number of routines that had the other “Top Gun” actors and extras in stitches, and were both known for keeping a straight face throughout the silliest exchanges, a skill that served them remarkably well during their recent encounter in Congress.

One of their old routines involved a bit about landing an airplane on the island of Guam. The joke was about how small and narrow the island was, so thin it couldn’t even hold a runway, and so any landing might cause the whole island to tip over. It may not sound so funny in print. But it was Johnson and Willard’s delivery that made it so special.

The exchange you see in the video has been much criticized. But it has actually been widely misunderstood. That portion of the question-and-answer merely represents an updating of their old routine, with both Johnson and Willard playing their familiar roles. Note how deftly Johnson sets Willard up with classic comic timing, drawing it all out with lengthy emphasis on just how tiny the island is. Then, after Johnson expresses his concern that Guam just might tip over and capsize (this time because of added people, rather than an airplane), Willard responds with perfect composure and the straightest of faces, “We don’t anticipate that.”

Some have wrongly suspected the two of staging an April Fools’ prank. But that cannot be true, since it happened last Friday, well in advance of that date. No, it was just a bit of welcome levity from two old buddies, designed to lend a certain amount of lightness to these heavy and troubled times. How sad that such well-intentioned efforts have been so universally misconstrued.

Initial explanation:

Democrat Hank Johnson (D-GA) is a sick man. He contracted Hepatitis C 12 years ago and often has periods of confusion and can lose his train of thought - as this video shows.

But really, postulating that overpopulation will cause the island of Guam to tip over? The witness he was questioning, an Admiral, seemed a little bemused by the question, answering "We don't anticipate that happening..."