For a long time – 1995 to 2013 – Congress was plagued by Sue Myrick, representing North Carolina’s 9th congressional district. Myrick was the kind of representative who was concerned that Muslim terrorists – Hezbollah, in particular – may be learning Spanish and disguising themselves as illegal immigrants in order to get into the US. Her main piece of evidence for the claim was that some imprisoned gang members in the Southwest have tattoos in Farsi, since terrorists are best poised to achieve their goals if they tattoo their intent on their bodies and then join criminal gangs. You may be excused for speculating about what she really thought was the evidence (if terrorists with Middle Eastern bacground were stopped at the border they may just say “Well, I’m Mexican or Spanish,” Myrick pointed out, and no one would ostensibly be able to tell). She also sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security demanding it investigate the extent of Hezbollah’s presence along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Myrick has also claimed (with e.g. Paul Broun and Trent Franks) that the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), tried to plant terrorist “spies” within key national security committees to shape legislative policy in its favor, citing the book Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld that’s Conspiring to Islamize Americaby insane green-ink conspiracy theorists Dave Gaubatz & Paul Sperry (with a foreword by Myrick, no less). Myrick has also, with regard to domestic security threats, remarked: “Look at who runs all the convenience stores across the country.”
She is also a climate change denialist, which is par for the course among solid wingnuts like Myrick, we guess, but no less lunatic for that.
On the positive side, Myrick did introduce a resolution in Congress encouraging states to outlaw rebirthing therapy.
Diagnosis: Wingnut idiot. Hopefully neutralized, but we have little hope that those who replace her are much better. Worth mentioning nonetheless.
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