The State Senator Is a Troofer

Since Jesse Ventura hasn't been a governor for several years, I'm going to guess that Karen S. Johnson, a State Senator from Mesa, Arizona, is the highest-ranking elected Troofer. And no, she's not a Democrat, a Green or a Libertarian; she's a Republican.

This one requires a little background. A few years ago, Arizona decided to have a little memorial built to 9-11. It's a circular steel monument with holes cut in it to reveal phrases on the concrete below when the light hits it. Most of the phrases are non-controversial, but some are a little annoying, such as "You don't win battles of terrorism with more battles." Another claims to tie 9-11 to the Gulf of Tonkin incident. So the memorial has been something of a cause celebre in Arizona for the last several years. But it hasn't been changed, so far, which is fine with Karen Johnson:

But legislators who voted against altering the memorial said they believe it needs to represent various viewpoints and feelings about the events leading up to and following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. And that, according to Sen. Karen Johnson, R-Mesa, includes the still-open possibility that Americans have yet to learn the full story.

"There's many of us," she said, "that believe there's been a cover-up," ranging from who was really behind the attacks to questions about whether what flew into the World Trade Center towers were pilotless drones and the passengers had been taken off beforehand.

"And there's a lot of statements on that 9/11 memorial that reflect a lot of our views that we have about it," Johnson said. "And I think all of those need to be represented."

What a maroon! Johnson's what I would call a paleo-conservative of the Pat Buchanan ilk; in fact, she chaired Buchanan's campaign in Arizona in 1996. She's also a North American Union fruitcake, and is very concerned that gays are ruining marriage. And she's a big believer in the sanctity of marriage, having exchanged eternal vows with five different men so far. And yes, she supported Ron Paul this year.

It's been a while for the old Nutbar-O-Meter, but if Karen Johnson doesn't deserve it, who does?



Hat Tip: Mr Right and National Review Online.