It was early April, 1991. The Gulf War had just ended. Then-President George Herbert Walker Bush was visiting the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX in order to attend the funeral of former Senator John Tower, who had been defeated as Bush's choice for Secretary of Defense. I was a student at the university, and as part of a "candid portrait" assignment in photography class I decided that getting a miracle shot of President Bush would be an easy A.
The hard part would be hiding, avoiding the Secret Service, and getting a good, clear angle on the President.
Senator John Tower (R-Texas) and President Lyndon B. Johnson would later become great friends - with Tower a chief Senate supporter of the Vietnam War - but they first faced each other in a tough campaign. Tower first ran against Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, the Senate Majority Leader and the VP-nominee on the ticket with Senator John F. Kennedy. His slogan was, "Double your pleasure, double your fun — vote against Johnson two times, not one." Obviously that fun slogan didn't win the day and LBJ was elected as VP as well as re-elected to the Senate. It was the resulting special election that Tower won. In fact, by being elected, Tower had become the first Texas Republican to be elected to the Senate since Reconstruction. As an ex-pat Texan I fill compelled to point out fun facts like that.
As a Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, Tower was no stranger on campus, nor, frankly, was his death really that unexpected. On numerous occasions I would see him walking up 3 flights of stairs at Storey Hall, the main Political Science building. He would hack, cough, wheeze, and red-faced and near heart attack he would stumble into the classroom. He came in late and class would start even later while he caught his breath.
A year earlier Tower had been defeated in the Senate confirmation process as Bush's choice for Secretary of Defense. It was a pretty startling outcome, given the Senate's reputation for congeniality bestowed upon its own.
But, Democrats wanted to punish President H.W. Bush for the Willie Horton ads, and the Christian Conservatives opposed Tower for being "Pro-Life" and so a portrait was painted of Tower as a hard-drinking womanizer. True or not, I think that the effects of a hard-drinking lifestyle were visible on those walks up to the third story.
But, everyone expected a heart attack or something similar. Instead Tower, his daughter, and astronaut Manley "Sonny" Carter died in the crash of Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 in Brunswick, GA on April 5, 1991.
The Gulf War had just ended and I was still addicted to CNN. I had alot of projects and papers due, and I was generally a walking shell of a person due to serious sleep deprivation. At least that is my excuse.
The funeral was held on the SMU campus, at the big, anchoring church that is the "M" of SMU. It was a big event and commanded an audience of the biggest political players, including President George Herbert Walker Bush.
One of my big projects was "candid portrait" portfolio in a photography class. Despite going into nearly falling asleep while even walking, I decided that if I could base my portrait assignment on getting shots of Bush and other dignitaries then that would be an easy A.
It was too late to go to the campus newspaper and see if I couldn't get a press pass. I walked over to the church. Since it was on campus, I knew the layout and I knew how a Presidential motorcade would likely show up; where they would pull in, park, etc.
And so I knew the perfect place to hide.
The sleep deprivation was kicking in hard core, so I grabbed a handful of chocolate-covered espresso beans and munched them on my way. Friends who saw me said to me "Yoodontlooksogud" -- in a very garbled, talking under-water sort-of way as my senses were shutting down while I marched, determined, across campus camera in hand, to the hiding spot.
I showed up an hour or two before the festivities were to begin. I was very small and so I crawled into a hollow of some bushes / shrubs. I made myself as invisible as possible though the very long telephoto lens poked out, just a bit.
Where I promptly fell asleep.
Until the helicopters arrived.
Dallas, as you may suspect, is a little jittery Presidential security. I awoke to helicopters flying above, all the streets blocked off, a line of motorcycle cops, Secret Service agents, and passerby being held to an area about 30 yards from where I was hidden. I was hidden, behind the security lines. Where I suddenly felt very stupid, and exposed, with the long telephoto lens pointed, unobstructed at where the President would soon be.
I then heard over a loud speaker, or someone yelling -- still a little fuzzy -- "In the Bushes!"
I fired off a few snapshots of a motorcycle cop and some cops / agents as they ran towards me.
I never got a good shot at the President. I was detained, questioned, and released by the Secret Service. They did not see the humor in the event. They were very, very serious.
But my shots of a startled Dallas Motorcycle Cop -- startled, shocked, and staring right at me - potential assassin, terrorist, who knows what - betraying some fear in his eyes -- got me an A.
My point is that I did something dumb, and even though it was only a camera I was shooting, I recognize the inherent danger of the situation that I put myself and others in.
And yet, yesterday 12 people brought guns and automatic weapons and assault weapons to an Obama event. And it wasn't the first incident.
Explain to me where the Secret Service was and is. I know firsthand that they can find a small, sleep-deprived, "A" craving kid hiding in some bushes.
What are they doing about those that are openly flaunting their assault weapons, daring someone to do something about it?