Talk:Hank Johnson

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Buddhism[edit]

I'm going to assume that a Black man from Georgia was not raised as a Buddhist, which suggests there's a story there. Some information about his conversion to Buddhism would be useful, I think. john k (talk) 20:47, 22 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is an international Nichiren Buddhist organization founded in 1975 by Daisaku Ikeda.[1] The SGI is the world's largest Buddhist lay organization, with approximately 12 million Nichiren Buddhist practitioners in 192 countries and regions.[2][3] It characterizes itself as a support network for practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism and a global Buddhist movement for "peace, education, and cultural exchange. Copied from article as to Congressman's religion. Pawyilee (talk) 06:43, 30 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

You don't convert to Buddhism. It's not religion it's a philosophy, a way of life. Sokka Gakkai is an organization that profits on the philosophy. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Naturalthing (talk • contribs) 19:52, 20 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Congressman Wilson incident[edit]

someone should post a section about this: [1] . i would, but i dont know how —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.192.237.185 (talk) 21:49, 16 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Guam comment?[edit]

This was not an April fools joke. This guy represents us? Scary. An Island is not a raft floating in the middle of the ocean.

The video looks genuine to me, but it could be a good fake. Also, there haven't been many sources reporting this and they all seem to be from April the 1st. I'm going to remove this as a BLP violation/April Fool's joke until there more evidence from reliable sources. TheGoodLocust (talk) 19:25, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It's not a joke. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20001567-503544.html. Mainstream media doesn't play April Fools jokes; do not remove the Guam comment. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Adamrmoss (talk • contribs) 19:50, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

That is a blog - not a news article. For something of this magnitude we need something more than blogs and video where the choice words are covered by his hand. TheGoodLocust (talk) 19:59, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
LOL, they're "covered by his hand" because he's gesturing that the island will tip over! Plus, you can see enough of his mouth when he says "capsize" that he is clearly speaking the words. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Schleuderman (talk • contribs) 21:04, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

This is a record of history. Not a place for TheGoodLocust to hide his shame. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.109.55.72 (talk) 21:06, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

He couldn't think of the word "width" for awhile, and then worried about it tipping over. Clearly an April Fool's day joke. Ann arbor street (talk) 21:09, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]


An April Fool's Joke on March 25th, right? You left-wing lunatics are shameless. This man is borderline retarded and you're saying he's playing a joke on all of us. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.34.11.3 (talk) 21:33, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Look at my history - people have called me a extreme right wing. I'm just following wikipedia policy here. TheGoodLocust (talk) 21:53, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

This is definatly not an April Fools Joke. It happened 3/25/2010. There is a video, its on every news site possible. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/03/hank-johnson-guam-.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.245.246.6 (talk) 21:37, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

If it happened on 3/25/10 then find a source that came out then - not a source that came out today and claims it happened on the 25th. I happen to think this is probably real, but try to be a little skeptical. TheGoodLocust (talk) 21:53, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
If you need a source go directly to the House Armed Services committee. http://armedservices.house.gov/hearing_information.shtml ---Go down to "Thursday, March 25, 2010 – 10:00am – 2118 Rayburn – Open" and click on "video webcast". Skip ahead to the 1hr and 32min mark for the full remark. The really funny stuff begins at 1hr and 36min. Much better then relying on the media and straight from the government.--Hunnydaisy (talk) 20:40, 2 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks a bunch, that clinches it for me. TheGoodLocust (talk) 02:40, 3 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Good luck getting that posted on this liberal blog, otherwise known as Wikipedia.71.48.135.174 (talk) 03:38, 5 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9R-cQ_A_6w I think we can add a "Controversies and/or Criticisms" segment and put this in there 98.192.71.198 (talk) 17:21, 5 April 2010 (UTC) !Here's another clip for the skeptics: http://washingtonscene.thehill.com/in-the-know/36-news/3169-rep-hank-johnson-guam-could-tip-over-and-capsize. I agree: this should go up. Voters need to be able to easily find out about their representatives' intellectual shortcomings. 98.192.71.198 (talk) 17:23, 5 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Well, he's no Dan Quayle! I think that admiral deserves a medal for not responding that the Navy has a plan in place to redistribute the Marines so the island doesn't tip over. Reminds me of Mark Russell's comment about a viewer asking him if he's ever worried about running out of material: "Not as long as Congress is in session." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 151.207.240.4 (talk) 15:44, 7 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Credible sources[edit]

The event in question HAPPENED, according to mainstream media: CBS news: [2] Johnson says it was a wry joke, per CNN: [3] NOT an April Fool's joke, then.Cromulant (talk) 00:02, 2 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Both of those sources are blogs. The best evidence for this is a brief statement on his own website (today), likely written by a staffer, which is either truthful, damage control without knowing the facts, or part of an April Fools joke initiated by the congressman. As I said before, I think this is probably true, but considering what day it is, and that all the sources have come out on this today, we shouldn't include it for at least a day. TheGoodLocust (talk) 00:46, 2 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

This is a minor event at best. If we are going to include something, it should be a single sentence and it should not be in a separate section. I'm going to trim it down. Such an extensive statement for such a minor event violates WP:WEIGHT. ATren (talk) 01:29, 2 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Disagree. The Guam comment is what he's (now) famous for. It's why Hank Johnson was the 11th "hottest" google search yesterday. Until the Guam comment, he was a relative unknown.Cromulant (talk) 22:53, 2 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I tend to agree with Cromulant - this is an important, from a cultural perspective, part of his biography and I'm sure it'll soon appear on the Daily Show (well, not terribly sure, but it should). TheGoodLocust (talk) 02:42, 3 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The statement is obviously real, since Johnson's website confirms it. He is claiming it was a joke, though it doesn't look as though he was joking. Comments on YouTube suggest he was either drunk or high, though that is (obviously) only opinion. Removing it when it is confirmed by Johnson't own website seems obviously absurd. As to whether it is a minor issue, if Johnson thought that was in any way a credible threat then he is obviously a moron. That is surely a significant issue. Qlangley (talk) 09:22, 2 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Looking at the video he is either drunk, high, very sick or a moron, I have no idea which it is but in either case it's a serious issue. Anyone who thinks it's a joke needs to check out the video, the man is dead serious. Sergiacid (talk) 11:32, 2 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Minor event? There is an entire paragraph on the Dan Quayle wikipedia page about his misspelling of "potato". So why is a congressman's complete lack of geologic knowledge any more minor than a spelling mistake? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.215.96.61 (talk) 13:56, 2 April 2010 (UTC) I agree, there needs to at least be a mention of this somewhere. If it's worth mentioning famous goofs of other politicians, it should be allowed to comment on this one. Rekutyn (talk) 22:07, 3 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

We judge significance by its level of media coverage, and so far this has received little coverage. It does not merit a separate section. ATren (talk) 22:43, 4 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

CBS says "Johnson caused a commotion" here: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20001686-503544.html Go Google "Hank Johnson" and watch what comes up. This is going up now - obviously there are some cranks trying to prevent the Democratic Party from looking stupid. I don't care if we need to get into an edit war to get admins to look at this.98.192.71.198 (talk) 17:43, 5 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Are there specific details that you think should be in there that are currently omitted?--Cube lurker (talk) 17:50, 5 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
His office has released a statement addressing the remark. I'm sure someone can find it (it's on his House of Reps home page). Note that the level of controversy is unchanged, as all politicians/pundits/etc release statements after making a controversial claim. Anyone want to pull it up? 98.192.71.198 (talk) 18:23, 5 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
His statement is mentioned. Unsure what's missing?--Cube lurker (talk) 18:26, 5 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
If health problems of an elected official affect his speech and mental clarity, it is an important part of the information that would be expected in a biography in an encyclopedia, and might deserve a separate section. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution in December 2009 reported that because of Johnson's hepatitis C and its treatments, "His speech is slower than ever, and he regularly gets lost in thought in the middle of a discussion." That should at least be added to the mention early in the article that he has hepatitis. Newsweek in its newsblog, along with many other media sites, discussed the bizarre performance of Johnson at the hearing. Edison (talk) 20:27, 6 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I concur with Edison. With prior news coverage of Johnson getting lost in thought, slower speech, etc, in major news media (therfore meeting WP:RS), the article ought definitely to reflect that. This 2009 source would then ostensibly provide context for the more recent media brouhaha over his question/assertion to the general in the hearing. N2e (talk) 21:09, 7 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Island[edit]

Hey guys, this may be a stupid question, but here goes: isn't it possible for an island to be too populated that it tips over?

Underneath, there could be so little actual landmass (like a mushroom shape), that it could tip over. Conceptually, it makes sense. Is this really possible? 129.120.176.206 (talk) 21:21, 14 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Guam comment and hepatitis in the intro[edit]

I don't think we need either of these recent news items in the introduction of the article. They are both explored later and putting them into the introduction gives them undue weight. The Guam comment did go viral, but it was an isolated event, and its inclusion in the intro is disproportionate. The hepatitis C also does not need to be mentioned in the intro. It's covered in the personal life section as is the norm. Gobonobo T C 22:46, 31 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

(I added the material to the lead) because the Hep C was reported in the news to strongly influence his ability to perform his job. I thought the viral nature of the video also warranted a mention because I tied the two events together in my mind, as have editors above. I can understand how this may be seen as undue, however, as they are recent. Also, I don't see why segregating personal info should be a norm if it influences their ability to perform their notable job. I don't have a strong opinion that the Hep C & video be mentioned in the lead, I just think the possibility of should be given a bit of consideration. Thanks. -Shootbamboo (talk) 23:06, 31 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Hepatitis C symptoms[edit]

As the section entitled "Credible Sources" concludes, editors (as do I) want the speech and thought effects of his medical condition described, as the source does, because it helps excuse his Guam contents, which is far from being negative (as alleged in an edit summary). It exonerates him from plain stupidity. -Shootbamboo (talk) 23:36, 31 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I thought it would be good to mention who was claiming to describe his medical condition, since it's a journalist and not a doctor. I haven't seen a source that links his Guam comments to the hepatitis. While it seems plausible that the two are related, it might violate WP:SYN to claim that they are. Gobonobo T C 04:01, 1 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I don't think attribution to the journalist is necessary regarding slow speech and train of thought issues. The source reads "For months, speculation has swirled in both Atlanta and Washington about U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson's health... Monday, he revealed why. In an exclusive interview with the AJC, Johnson disclosed he has been battling hepatitis C." This clearly establishes that 1) it was widely known/speculated something bad was going on with his health status (presumably because people could perceive differences!) and 2) Lewis decided to go to the source to publish details. Journalists report on all sorts of things they don't have specialist knowledge of, so I don't see why we need to attribute to the journalist (it's not an op-ed) and newspaper (a RS trusted by Lewis to publish this). Furthermore, why not provide attribution to Johnson's increased weight gain and energy? -Shootbamboo (talk) 20:27, 1 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

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Guam and Jews[edit]

What about his statement about Guam and his calling Jews "termites"? http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2016/07/25/georgia-congressman-on-jewish-west-bank-settlers-like-termites/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.112.128.15 (talk) 22:30, 25 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

The comment about Guam is in the article. And feel free to add the "termites" comment. Just keep it NPOV. --ChiveFungi (talk) 23:08, 25 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Israel[edit]

One metaphor in one talk got 24 hours news coverage and then a week long echo, and this was spun out into a full section on Israel, as if Johnson's whole political approach to Israel was one of defamation, and retraction. That itself, was a gross WP:BLP violation. I think the whole story should be whittled down to what he said in context, and the blip of controversy, and his clarification. Most of the sources say the same thing, in any case. Nishidani (talk) 22:10, 1 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Mark the date and time. I believe that this is the first time that I agree with Nishidani. KamelTebaast 22:25, 1 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Please explain why you reverted part of my edit by referring to WP:ARBPIA3#500/30. I've been here 10 years and have 48,000 edits.Nishidani (talk) 18:40, 2 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]
That was a mistake. I self-reverted. I thought it was reverting from the other editor who had something like five edits. KamelTebaast 19:14, 2 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Comments on Guam tipping over[edit]

Guam article gives ample reason for the Congressman's concern about the island (metaphorically) tipping over. I (improperly) copied text giving some context, and would appreciate help in getting it right. Also would appreciate help in reformatting Guam's article to give the relevant text it's own section, given not only the U.S. military's intention to make Guam an anchor in the Pacific. As it so happens, the Congressman's (Japanese based) Buddhist organization held an international conference on Guam, for much the same reason. —Pawyilee (talk) 06:34, 30 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Ref [33] is 404 not found. Consider replacing with http://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/603091

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Bankruptcy[edit]

There's no mention of his personal bankruptcy here. http://pajoyner.blogspot.com/2006/07/cynthia-mckinney-hank-johnson-sputter.html BillVol (talk) 14:36, 27 December 2017 (UTC)[reply]

@BillVol: The blog you cited was the only place online where I saw Johnson's supposed financial problems mentioned. Do you have anything more credible by way of references?
Billmckern (talk) 18:11, 27 December 2017 (UTC)[reply]
I'll dig around. I can't find anything easily. I was living in Atlanta when he ran against McKinney the first time and it was mentioned in the news a lot. Now I can't find anything. I'll keep digging.BillVol (talk) 22:38, 27 December 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Guam comments in lede[edit]

I added Rep. Johnson's comments on Guam to the lede, which I believe is WP:DUE. If this talk page is any indication, it's a major reason why people are visiting the page in the first place. It was covered by a wide range of reliable sources, both at the time it happened and more recently, with frequent references back to his statement. I strongly believe it should be added back to the lede. ModerateMike729 (talk) 17:36, 7 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The talk page appears to contain discussions about how to discuss the Guam gaffe, but I don't see any indication that there was ever significant support for including those comments in the lead paragraph. Gaffes usually don't make the lead paragraph unless they have some lasting significance, and I don't really see it here. Wikipedia isn't the news and the mere fact that several news outlets covered a trivial comment doesn't make it due for the lead paragraph. Nblund talk 18:06, 7 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]
The point is not that people have raised the issue over the lede before, but rather to demonstrate that in terms of notability, the gaffe is arguably what he's best known for, or certainly among the things he's best known for. Per WP:BLPPUBLIC, I think it is fitting for the lede. And i'd say "several news outlets covered a trivial comment" understates the case, both in terms of the wide amount of coverage from RS it got, and the significance of the comment itself. ModerateMike729 (talk) 20:18, 7 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not sure this page has many watchers, so I posted a notice at the BLP noticeboard instead. Here's the discussion. Nblund talk 20:45, 7 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Good call, thanks! ModerateMike729 (talk) 20:56, 7 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Struck comments from confirmed sockpuppet ModerateMikayla555/ModerateMike729. See Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Darryl.jensen/Archive § 07 July 2019. — Newslinger talk 13:15, 28 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

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