# Howard Coble is another Trent Lott

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-coble-is-another-trent-lott/153191>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [February 6, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-coble-is-another-trent-lott/153191 "2003-02-06T14:10:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-coble-is-another-trent-lott/153191/1 "2003-02-06T14:10:02Z")

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Republican Congressman Howard Coble of North Carolina said that the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II was appropriate, because [it was for their own protection](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030205/ap_wo_en_po/na_gen_us_congressman_prison_camps_1) :rolleyes:

This joker is the Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. His subcommittee’s oversight is supposed to see to it that civil liberties aren’t violated by the Department of Homeland Security. I hope he gets replaced as chairman PDQ.

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**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-coble-is-another-trent-lott/153191/2 "2003-02-06T14:49:07Z")

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Egad. :eek:

> [@](#):
>
> “We were at war. They (Japanese-Americans) were an endangered species,” Coble said. “For many of these Japanese-Americans, it wasn’t safe for them to be on the street.”
> 
> Like most Arab-Americans today, Coble said, most Japanese-Americans during World War II were not America’s enemies.
> 
> Still, Coble said, Roosevelt had to consider the nation’s security.
> 
> “Some probably were intent on doing harm to us,” he said, “just as some of these Arab-Americans are probably intent on doing harm to us.”

So, Howard, we locked them up for their own protection, because it wasn’t safe for them to be on the street, and also just in case some of them might have wanted to take out the Golden Gate bridge as a show of solidarity with Hirohito?

And so we also ought to lock up all Arab-Americans, for their own protection, because they’re not safe on the street, and also just in case some of _them_ might want to take out the Golden Gate Bridge as a show of solidarity with Al Qaeda?

Yes, Howard. Right, Howard.

The mind boggles.

And he’s a _Republican._ Makes a nice change for a December OP. 😃

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**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-coble-is-another-trent-lott/153191/3 "2003-02-06T15:11:45Z")

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Endangered species? Awwww, you gotta love that Coble. Just making sure the Japanese don’t go the way of the dinosaur, the dodo, and the three footed jumbo striped calimari. (The government’s been suppressing that one…)

And you have to love the “us” part. Some of these [insert ethnicity here]- Americans might harm “us.” Us meaning the Caucasian, or should I say “normal,” Americans.