by Lannie Walker

Guam - Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson has issued a statement in response to his gaffe about Guam, expressing his concerns about how the massive increase in population as result of the military buildup might impact the territory. He said during last week's House Armed Services public hearing on the Department of Defense's budget, "My fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize."

In the wake of making that statement, Johnson has been getting ribbed by media across the country, including CBS and CNN. In response the delegate issued a statement in which he wrote, "The subtle humor of this obviously metaphorical reference to a ship capsizing illustrated my concern about the impact of the planned military buildup on this small tropical island."

In interviews with media in the mainland, Johnson said he wasn't suggesting Guam would literally tip over; rather a tipping point, which could adversely affect the island's fragile ecosystem and could overburden its stressed infrastructure.