Dallas/Collin County, we have a problem...our Rep wants to go nuke Syria

[rainbow4321]

I don't know what other area this dude reps but he chose a Collin County CHURCH to spew his hate..and I'm thinking we need to let him know how we feel about it.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/03/01/1520234

In Washington, Republican Congressman Sam Johnson of Texas has recommended to President Bush that the U.S. consider attacking Syria with nuclear weapons. Johnson recently told a church gathering, "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."


http://www.offthekuff.com/mt/archives/005024.html


Apparently, the gentleman from the third Congressional District thinks we should nuke Syria, and that he himself is the man for the job.

Now we know where Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas) thinks the weapons of mass destruction are buried: in Syria, which he said he’d like to nuke to smithereens.

Speaking at a veterans’ celebration at Suncreek United Methodist Church in Allen, Texas, on Feb. 19, Johnson told the crowd that he explained his theory to President Bush and Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) on the porch of the White House one night.

Johnson said he told the president that night, “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.”



edited to include that he also reps Dallas County

[PunkPop]

1. You're surprised?

As Republicans go, his biggest crime was just being honest.

I'm in Dallas county by the way. Figured that was close enough to comment. Carry on.

[rainbow4321]

2. I corrected the subject head..

Sorry, I should have googled what all area he reps first...he also has part of Dallas County.

[DesEtoiles]

3. Here's his contact info - call his office:

DISTRICT OFFICE:
2929 North Central Expressway
Suite 240
Richardson, Texas 75080
tel-[phone]
fax-[phone]

WASHINGTON OFFICE:
1211 Longworth House Office Bldg
Washington, D.C. 20515
[phone]


http://www.samjohnson.house.gov/Contact/


They were really rude to me when I called.

[ChickMagic]

11. The girl was pretty nice to me

but when I continued, she got a bit snippy. My dad knows Johnson - they were both POW's. Dad looovvves him. I think he's insane.

[chaumont58]

4. Back in the early days of the Clinton Administration,

Good Sam used to join B-1 Bob Dornan in blasting draft dodging Bill Clinton, in speeches to an empty House. I haven't heard his take on ole AWOL. Johnson was a POW in Vietnam. I also haven't heard his take on all the chickenhawks that run the repuke congress.

[tanyev]

5. Just received a reply from the church on my email:

My email:

I just read this account of Sam Johnson's appearance at your church to speak to a veteran's group and it disturbs me greatly.

Speaking at a veterans' celebration at Suncreek United Methodist Church in Allen, Texas, on Feb. 19, Johnson told the crowd that he explained his theory to President Bush and Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) on the porch of the White House one night.

Johnson said he told the president that night, "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."

The crowd roared with applause.
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/003628.html

I completely agree with the person who wrote this commentary. It's hard to say what's more disturbing: that Rep. Johnson said such a thing, that he said it in a church, or that the crowd roared with applause.

I live just down the street from your church. I watched with interest as you built your lovely new building. I very nearly applied for the part time music position you posted on the Chorister's Guild website, but I hesitated because I have been a lifelong Lutheran and I really want to find a music job at a Lutheran church. Now I'm glad I did not, because I don't think I could be a part of a congregation that has such a cavalier attitude toward dropping nuclear bombs.

What Would Jesus Do? I don't think he would drop a nuclear bomb on any country. And I think he is very saddened by this kind of cowboy rhetoric that does nothing to help us solve the problems of hatred and prejudice in this world.

Sincerely,
tanyev


Rev. Baskin-Ball's response:

In response to the article that appeared in Roll Call concerning the Veteran's Celebration that was held at Suncreek UMC: the event occurred on a Saturday morning and not during worship hours; the event was a community wide ceremony that was attended predominantly by veterans from the area; the Senior Pastor, Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball did have an opportunity for closing remarks, a portion which is printed below.

"It is the Apostle Paul who says that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope -- hope in the Lord. And so as I listen to these stories of suffering, in particular, I know that in the midst of it all is the hope that God gives us that one day we're going to know peace. It was Ms. Charlotte (the oldest veteran present at the event) who said to me this morning, "just pray, Kathleen, that some day we'll stop killing each other." I believe that that is God's will, and that some day the killing will stop -- and so as all of us work for peace in military service, and in our church life, and in our faithful lives, may we hold out on the knowledge that one day peace will reign."

It is the prayer of Suncreek UMC that we will learn to live together in peace and that unity will bless our global life in shared love.

It appears to be a blanket response. I wonder if they've gotten a lot of complaints?

[rainbow4321]

9. DMN now has an article about his comment: "constituents surprised"

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/030405dnnatjohnson.191a9.html


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.

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."

[johncoby2]

6. Syria DOES have WMDs

But it wasnt saddams. It was theirs.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/syria/cw.htm

These RW christians are scary. Anyone have the email address for the church?

[tanyev]

7. Here's their website.

http://www.suncreekumc.org/

[carpetbagger]

8. This is why my investments are mostly in Europe and Asia.

I read a rather frightening essay in an Air Force training course syllabus today. It basically lays out the ruin of America, based on the simple assumption that the world would be prepared to believe that we dropped the bomb.

The scenario: American war on some Muslim entity...mock biowarfare plant complete with stuff that sets off sensors...US airstrike...self-detonation of a pre-planned nuclear bomb...US denial...nonbelief throughout the world that we're actually telling the truth...trade embargo, massive American protests, Japan and China stop buying US debt...

Nifty.

[nj2tx]

10. I stopped being surprised by what Sam says

several years ago (three maybe?), when he said "The problem with Democrats, is they just don't think like Americans." 47% of the American population doesn't think like Ameicans????? This guy is so self centered, so myopic in his world view, he almost isn't worth expending energy on. There is absolutely no reaching him. He is a partisan's partisan and does nothing but rubber stamp and toe the party line. I had the displeasure of being in the same room with him in 2002. It was in Republican Headquarters in Plano in 2002. They were holding an elections worker's training there and the Collin County Elections Department asked them to allow Democrats to attend. For some reason they accomodated us. They had Johnson there and Jerry Madden and all of their ilk. They were planning to do a 'rally the troops' thing, but darn it, WE were there. They (Johnson, Madden, etc.) looked kind of impotent, having to tailor their remarks to a mixed crowd.