OTD, nineteen years ago, I was in law school in San Francisco, back where I am right now, when I woke up to a phone call from a high school friend.
“Turn on the TV.” “A plane just hit the World Trade Center.”
In the early morning light, as news anchors tried to make sense of the smoking gash where a plane went into the tower, wondering if it was an accident, I watched, incredulous, as a second plane crashed into the towers.
The world exploded.
I rushed to campus, hearing the news that a third plane had hit the Pentagon, and that a fourth plane was missing.
They were putting up blue barricades around the buildings in the Civic Center and evacuating the area.
As now, @UCHastingsLaw has the tallest building in the civic center, an area filled with federal court houses and government buildings. The Art Deco tower, houses students and the city wanted to evacuate the area.
The school did not want to cancel classes, despite my urging.
@UCHastingsLaw Before law school, I had worked for @HASCDemocrats, so had worked closely with people in the Pentagon. I knew that the day would fundamentally alter what happened next.
@UCHastingsLaw@HASCDemocrats Instead of taking the job I’d been offered at a private law firm, I returned to DC after graduation to take a position as Senator Kennedy’s Defense Policy Advisor.
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Pat repealed the restrictions against women in combat aviation & surface combatants, leading to leadership opportunities for an entire generation of women in the military.
She fought to ensure service academies, basic training were available to women.
She sponsored and passed legislation to make military pensions community property to protect spouses.
Hello from Denver where we are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the election of Pat Schroeder!
Pat was an amazing politician and the staff are relating anecdotes of her quotable legacy:
She called Reagan “the Teflon President.”
She referred to SDI as “Star Wars”
When asked if she was running as a woman, she said, “I have a brain and a uterus and both work.”
Today's my last day at @ThirdWayTweet and after nearly a decade at the organization, I just wanted to take some time to say some thank yous to people whose support and encouragement has meant so much to me along the way.
First to @ThirdWayKessler and @LVicary for a chance reunion at a wonderful dinner party and a long conversation that turned into an amazing job. Without that evening, I never would have been here.
After that @ThirdWayMattB & Jon Cowan, for trusting me to run the team, initially focused on Congress' role in national security policy making. Matt and I co-wrote this article about the Congress' evolving role: politico.com/magazine/story…
I have many differences of opinion w/@DavidAFrench but this point abt the lessons of counter-terrorism and separating the insurgents from the population is important.
@DavidAFrench We have this same dynamic in CT. Overbroad language that "muslims are terrorists" radicalized some, made others see authorities oppositionally.
Also during the pandemic, when some accused "China" of the virus, allowing CCP to unite the population & distract from own failures.
@DavidAFrench The US did not do CT well post-9/11, created more insurgents through a heavy security presence & poorly handled occupation.
That we should absolutely avoid. But enlisting communities to identify the ringleaders? Acknowledging grievances, while condemning violence? Yes.