Introducing: "Turning Points"

Whenever I ask people what they want to see more of on this e-blog, they invariably give the same answer: thematic continuity in the form of reoccuring features and segments.  Earlier in the week, I addressed this issue by introducing the "Ask an Expert" segment.  I now offer a second segment for your e-blog pleasure: "Turning Points"

This series of posts will essentially consist of me looking at the week's news and identifying the "turning points" where nations, individuals, or institutions go from bad...to worse.  In other words, this segment is an analysis of the decisions which make the difference between an honest mistake and downright slap-in-the-face stupidity.

The inagural "Turning Point" comes to us courtesy of Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia.  Now, a bit of history to put this in context: during a campaign stop in Colorado, Barack Obama mentioned that he felt the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps needed to grow.  He then made the following comment:

"We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."

This statement is rather strange, and Rep. Broun was probably right to bring it up and even object to it.

But wait, there's a "turning point" and boy is it good!  Rep. Broun said: 

“It may sound a bit crazy and off base, but the thing is, he’s the one who proposed this national security force. I’m just trying to bring attention to the fact that we may — may not, I hope not — but we may have a problem with that type of philosophy of radical socialism or Marxism. That’s exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it’s exactly what the Soviet Union did. When he’s proposing to have a national security force that’s answering to him, that is as strong as the U.S. military, he’s showing me signs of being Marxist.”

Here's what we can conclude:

1. Paul Broun does not really know what a "Marxist" is.  The word he was thinking of was "totalitarian".  Dictionary, homeboy.
2. It is a bad idea to make a press statement that begins with the words, "It may sound a bit crazy..."
   
3. The distinguished representative does not know what "comparing" means.  "I'm not comparing him to Adolf Hitler. What I'm saying is there is the potential of going down that road."  I'm no expert but that sounds like a comparison I am an expert and that is a comparison.
4. The whole thing is a tad crazy.

Rep. Paul Broun faced a "turning point", and I think it's safe to say he took the least expected turn.

If you have any good examples of "turning points" that you would like to see discussed, feel free to share a link to the news story.