The Pentagon wants to move about 8,000 Marines and their families to Guam, America’s westernmost territory, as part of its forward presence strategy. With their families, that would add about 25,000 to the population, which is already about 175,000.

Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA4), an attorney and former county judge with ratings of 100 from the ADA and ACLU, raises a possible tragic unforeseen consequence (1:16):

You can’t make up something quite like that.

In case you want to know, here’s a full transcript:

Johnson: This is a island that at its widest level is, what, twelve miles from shore to shore, and at its smallest level, or smallest location, it’s seven miles between one shore and the other. Is that correct?

Admiral Robert Willard: I don’t have the exact dimensions, but to your point, sir, I think Guam is a small island.

Johnson: Very small island, and about 24 miles, if I recall, about 24 miles long and about seven miles wide at the least widest place on the island and about 12 miles wide on the widest part of the island, and, I don’t know how many square miles that is, do you happen to know?

Willard: I don’t have that figure with me, sir, I can certainly supply it to you if you’d like.

Johnson: My fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize.

Willard: We don’t anticipate that. The Guam population I think currently about 175,000 and again with 8,000 Marines and their families, that’s an addition of about 25,000 more into the population.

Johnson: And, and also, things like the environment, the sensitive areas of the environment, coral reefs and those kinds of things, and I know that, you know, lots of people don’t like to think about that, but, you know, we didn’t think about global warming either, and now we do have to think about it, and so I’m concerned from an environmental standpoint whether or not Guam is the best place to do this relocation, but it’s actually the only place, is that correct?

Willard: This is the best place. This is the farthest west US territory that we own, and this is part of our nation, and in readdressing the forward presence and posture and importance to the Pacific command, Guam is vital to this decision.

Global warming, Guam capsizing. Yes, Congressman. And when it does, Godzilla will come out and wreak havoc on the U.S. military for putting those Marines there.

But look at the bright side. If islands can capsize, it’s because they float, so they should respond well to climate-change-induced sea level rise.

Johnson ran unopposed in 2008 after beating Cynthia McKinney in 2006. He has opponents this time around. If any of them can spell their own names, he’s in trouble.

Admiral Willard, by the way, deserves a Congressional Medal of Honor for maintaining his composure.