Rep. Linder: Airliner Deaths Not Catastrophe

[OnBackground]

Rollcall has a <a href="http://www.rollcall.com/issues/50_108/hoh/9090-1.html">humdinger</a> from Rep. John Linder of Georgia on how many dead people it takes to be a catastrophe:

<blockquote>“If an airline is blown up in the air, that is a very bad circumstance for 200 or 300 people. But it is not a catastrophe,” Linder said during a hearing last week in the House Homeland Security Committee. </blockquote>

[BlueEyedSon]

1. Right. 9/11 was only a catastrophe because of its effect on the markets.

But actually it was a gift to the neocons.

[punpirate]

2. There's definitely a joke...

... in there somewhere, along the lines of the old joke about Bush explaining the difference between tragedy and accident. I guess the only catastrophe this guy recognizes is losing an election....

But, Linder got Bob Barr's seat, so I think the joke is sort of what Molly Ivins meant by repeating a comment about the Texas Legislature: "If you think these guys are nuts, you should see some of their constituents."

Same principle. :)

[tanyev]

3. OMG!!!!

Is he saying that the murder of Laci Peterson and her unborn baby was not a national catastrophe? Or the death of Terri Schiavo? Because the news coverage sure made it seem that way to me. Somebody call a fundie talking head to reframe this right away!