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This is a scalable context timeline. It contains events related to the event (1:30 p.m.) September 11, 2001: First Lady Told to Prepare to Leave Washington; Staffers Collect Her Clothes and Pets from the White House. You can narrow or broaden the context of this timeline by adjusting the zoom level. The lower the scale, the more relevant the items on average will be, while the higher the scale, the less relevant the items, on average, will be.
A truck bomb destroys the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people in America's worst domestic terrorist attack. Timothy McVeigh, later convicted in the bombing, has ideological roots both in the Patriot world and among neo-Nazis like William Pierce, whose novel, The Turner Diaries (see 1978), served as a blueprint for the attack. (Pressley 4/20/1995; Southern Poverty Law Center 6/2001; Clarke 2004, pp. 127) Initially, many believe that no American set off the bomb, and suspect Islamist terrorists of actually carrying out the bombing (see 10:00 a.m. April 19, 1995 and After). Their suspicions prove groundless. Investigators will find that the bomb is constructed of some 5,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, carried in 20 or so blue plastic 55-gallon barrels arranged inside a rented Ryder truck (see April 15, 1995). The bomb is detonated by a slow-burning safety fuse, most likely lit by hand. The fuse is attached to a much faster-burning detonation cord ("det cord") which ignites the fertilizer and fuel-oil mixture. (Bernstein 4/27/1995) The Murrah Federal Building houses a number of federal agencies, including offices for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF); the Social Security Administration; the Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Veterans Affairs, and Agriculture departments; and the Secret Service. (Pressley 4/20/1995) It encompasses an entire city block, between 5th and 4th Streets and Harvey and Robinson Streets, and features a U-shaped, indented drive on 5th that allows for quick pickup and delivery parking. The entire building's facade on this side is made of glass, allowing passersby to see into the offices in the building, as well as into the America's Kids day care center on the second floor, which by this time is filling with children. It is in this driveway that McVeigh parks his truck. (Serrano 1998, pp. 99-102)
Entering the City - McVeigh drives into Oklahoma City, entering around 8:30 a.m. from his overnight stop in Ponca City, Oklahoma; the details reported of his entrance into the city vary (see 7:00 a.m. - 8:35 a.m., April 19, 1995). At 8:55 a.m., a security camera captures the Ryder truck as it heads towards downtown Oklahoma City (Douglas O. Linder 2006) , a sighting bolstered by three people leaving the building who later say they saw the truck parked in front of the Murrah Building around this time. At 8:57, a security camera captures an image of McVeigh's Ryder truck being parked outside the Murrah Building in a handicapped zone. One survivor of the blast, Marine recruiter Michael Norfleet, later recalls seeing the Ryder truck parked just outside the building next to the little circle drive on 5th Street leading up to the main entrance of the building. Norfleet had parked his black Ford Ranger in front of the Ryder.
McVeigh Lights Fuses - McVeigh drives the Ryder truck west past the Murrah Building on NW Fourth Street, turns north on a one-way street, and turns right on Fifth Street. He pulls the truck over and parks near the Firestone store, next to a chain-link fence. He then lights the five-minute fuses from inside the cab (see 8:15 a.m. and After, April 18, 1995), sets the parking brake, drops the key behind the seat, opens the door, locks the truck, exits, and shuts the door behind him. A man later claims to have hit his brakes to avoid someone matching McVeigh's description as he crossed Fifth Street around 9:00 a.m. McVeigh walks quickly toward a nearby YMCA building where he has hidden his getaway car, a battered yellow Mercury Marquis (see April 13, 1995), in the adjoining alleyway, crossing Robinson Street and crossing another street to get to the alleyway. He begins to jog as he approaches his car. He later says he remembers a woman looking at him as she is walking down the steps to enter the building; he will describe her as white, in her mid-30s, with dirty blonde hair. According to McVeigh's own recollection, he is about 20 feet into the alley when the bomb goes off. (Stickney 1996, pp. 184-185; PBS Frontline 1/22/1996; Serrano 1998, pp. 158; Douglas O. Linder 2006; The Oklahoman 4/2009)
Truck Explodes - At 9:02 a.m., the truck explodes, destroying most of the Murrah Building and seriously damaging many nearby buildings. Eventually, it will be determined that 168 people die in the blast, including 19 children. Over 500 are injured. The children are in the second-story day care center just above the parking space where McVeigh leaves the Ryder truck. McVeigh will later tell his biographers that he is lifted off his feet by the power of the blast.
Devastation and Death - When the bomb detonates, the day care center and the children plummet into the basement. The building, constructed with large glass windows, collapses, sending a wave of flying glass shards and debris into the building and the surrounding area. The oldest victim is 73-year-old Charles Hurlbert, who has come to the Social Security office on the first floor. Hurlbert's wife Jean, 67, also dies in the blast. The youngest victim is four-month-old Gabeon Bruce, whose mother is also in the Social Security office. One victim, Rebecca Anderson, is a nurse who runs towards the building to render assistance. She never makes it to the building; she is struck in the head by a piece of falling debris and will die in a hospital four days after the blast. Her heart and kidneys will be transplanted into survivors of the bombing. (Eddy et al. 6/3/1997; Thomas 6/3/1997; Serrano 1998, pp. 153-154; Oklahoma City Journal Record 3/29/2001) Sherri Sparks, who has friends still unaccounted for in the building, tells a reporter in the hours after the blast, "Oh, I can't stand the thought of… those innocent children, sitting there playing, thinking they're safe, and then this happens." The explosion leaves a 30-foot-wide, 8-foot-deep crater in the street that is covered by the wreckage of the building's upper floors. The north face of the nine-story building collapses entirely. (Pressley 4/20/1995; Walsh 4/22/1995) Mary Heath, a psychologist who works about 20 blocks from the Murrah Building, says the blast "shook the daylights out of things—it scared us to death. We felt the windows shake before we heard the noise." In a neighboring building, a Water Resources Board meeting is just commencing; the audiotape of the meeting captures the sound of the blast (see 9:02 a.m. and After, April 19, 1995). (Pressley 4/20/1995; The Oklahoman 4/2009) Norfleet, trapped in the Marine Corps office, is thrown into a wall by the explosion. His skull is fractured, and a shard of glass punctures his right eye. Three separate arteries are pierced, and Norfleet begins bleeding heavily. Two supply sergeants in the office are far less injured; Norfleet asks one, "How bad am I hurt?" and one replies, "Sir, you look really bad." One of the two begins giving Norfleet first aid; Norfleet later recalls: "He immediately went into combat mode and started taking care of me. He laid me on a table and he started looking for bandages to administer first aid. And while I was laying on that table, I just knew that I was losing strength and that if I stayed in the building, I would die." Norfleet wraps a shirt around his head and face to slow the bleeding, and the two sergeants help him to the stairs, through the fallen rubble, and eventually out. Norfleet will later say that he follows "a blood trail of somebody that had gone down the steps before me" to get outside, where he is quickly put into an ambulance. He loses almost half his body's blood supply and his right eye. He will never fly again, and will soon be discharged for medical incapacity. (Serrano 1998, pp. 161-162) Eighteen-month-old Phillip Allen, called "P.J." by his parents, miraculously survives the blast. The floor gives way beneath him and he plunges 18 feet to land on the stomach of an adult worker on the floor below, Calvin Johnson. Landing on Johnson's stomach saves P.J.'s life. Johnson is knocked unconscious by the blast and by the impact of the little boy falling on him, but when he awakes, he carries the toddler to safety. P.J.'s grandfather calls the child "Oklahoma's miracle kid," and media reports use the label when retelling the story of the miraculous rescue. P.J. is one of six children in the day care center to survive the blast. (Stickney 1996, pp. 275-277) Some people later report their belief that the Murrah Building was rocked by a second explosion just moments after the first one, the second coming from a secure area managed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) that illegally stored explosives. Law professor Douglas O. Linder will later write, "Both seismic evidence and witness testimony supports the 'two blast theory.'" (Douglas O. Linder 2006) That theory is later disputed (see After 9:02 a.m. April 19, 1995).
Explosion's Effects Felt Miles Away - Buildings near the Murrah are also damaged, seven severely, including the Journal Record newspaper building, the offices of Southwestern Bell, the Water Resources Board, an Athenian restaurant, the YMCA, a post office building, and the Regency Tower Hotel. Two Water Resources Board employees and a restaurant worker are killed in the blast. The Journal Record building loses its roof. Assistant Fire Chief Jon Hansen later recalls, "The entire block looked like something out of war-torn Bosnia." Every building within four blocks of the Murrah suffers some effects. A United Parcel Service truck 10 miles away has its windows shattered by the blast. Cars in parking lots around the area catch fire and burn. Millions of sheets of paper, and an innumerable number of glass shards, shower down for hundreds of feet around the building. (Stickney 1996, pp. 28-30)
Truck Axle Crushes Nearby Car - Richard Nichols (no relation to bomber Timothy McVeigh's co-conspirator Terry Nichols), a maintenance worker standing with his wife a block and a half away from the Murrah Building, is spun around by the force of the blast. They throw open the back door of their car and begin taking their young nephew Chad Nichols out of the back seat, when Richard sees a large shaft of metal hurtling towards them. The "humongous object… spinning like a boomerang," as Richard later describes it, hits the front of their Ford Festiva, smashing the windshield, crushing the front end, driving the rear end high into the air, and sending the entire car spinning backwards about 10 feet. Chad is not seriously injured. The metal shaft is the rear axle of the Ryder truck. Later, investigators determine that it weighs 250 pounds and was blown 575 feet from where the truck was parked. Governor Frank Keating (R-OK) points out the axle to reporters when he walks the scene a day or so later, causing some media outlets to incorrectly report that Keating "discovered" the axle. The scene will take investigators days to process for evidence. (Stickney 1996, pp. 32; Thomas 6/3/1997; Serrano 1998, pp. 187-189)
First Responders Begin Arriving - Within minutes, survivors begin evacuating the building, and first responders appear on the scene (see 9:02 a.m. - 10:35 a.m. April 19, 1995).
McVeigh's Getaway - McVeigh flees the bomb site in his Mercury getaway car (see 9:02 a.m. and After, April 19, 1995), but is captured less than 90 minutes later (see 9:03 a.m. -- 10:17 a.m. April 19, 1995).
Laura Bush, the president's wife, leaves the White House in her limousine, on her way to Capitol Hill where she is scheduled to testify before a Congressional committee, but she is unaware that a second plane has crashed into the World Trade Center. (Burleigh 10/15/2001; National Journal 8/31/2002; Bush 2010, pp. 198) Bush is set to appear before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, where she will talk about early childhood education. (McCaleb 9/12/2001; CNN 9/11/2002) She was informed of the first crash at the WTC by her lead Secret Service agent as she was getting into her limousine (see (8:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001).
First Lady Unaware of Second Crash - The limousine leaves the White House at 9:07 a.m., according to Noelia Rodriguez, the first lady's press secretary. (National Journal 8/31/2002) The second aircraft, Flight 175, hit the WTC four minutes earlier (see 9:03 a.m. September 11, 2001). (9/11 Commission 7/24/2004, pp. 8) However, Bush and those with her in the limousine are unaware of this. (Bush 2010, pp. 197-198)
First Lady Thinks about Canceling Hearing - Nevertheless, Bush already thinks the Senate hearing she is on her way to should perhaps be canceled, because New York Senator Hillary Clinton is on the education committee and is therefore supposed to attend. Bush will comment, "Even after the first [crash], when I thought it was just an accident, I thought we probably should cancel, because Mrs. Clinton was on the committee and she's from New York, and she'd probably want to rush home at that time." (McQuillan 9/10/2001; Gerhart 2004, pp. 162) All the same, Bush continues with the two-mile journey from the White House to Capitol Hill. She will learn of the second crash, and realize this is a terrorist attack, shortly before arriving at the Russell Senate Office Building, where the hearing is set to take place (see (9:14 a.m.) September 11, 2001).
Secret Service Allows Bush to Head to Event - Members of Bush's Secret Service detail apparently raise no objection to Bush going ahead with her trip to Capitol Hill. (CNN 9/11/2002; Gerhart 2004, pp. 162; Bush 2010, pp. 198) The Secret Service is responsible for protecting the first lady, and she is considered to be one of the nation's "most visible targets." (US Department of the Treasury 5/8/2001; Office of Management and Budget 7/2001, pp. 82 ) The agency's mission includes keeping her "in sight and out of harm's way," according to a book about the Secret Service by author Philip Melanson. (Melanson 2002, pp. 273) And, as one of the Secret Service's "permanent protectees," the first lady, like the president, has a detail of special agents assigned to her. (United States Secret Service 2002) Bush currently travels with four Secret Service agents and two Secret Service cars. (Kessler 2006, pp. 136; Kessler 2009, pp. 181) However, the Secret Service will only take her away from Capitol Hill to a "secure location"—actually the agency's headquarters—after the terrorist attacks have ended (see (10:10 a.m.-10:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (Associated Press 9/11/2001; National Journal 8/31/2002; Kessler 2006, pp. 136)
There is apparently no increase in the level of security at the Capitol building in Washington, DC, even though First Lady Laura Bush has arrived at the nearby Russell Senate Office Building and more than 10 minutes have passed since a second plane hit the World Trade Center. (Gilbert et al. 2002, pp. 64; 9/11 Commission 7/24/2004, pp. 8; Bush 2010, pp. 198) At 9:16 a.m., Bush arrived at the Russell Senate Office Building, located just north of the Capitol building, where she was scheduled to testify before a Senate committee at 10:00 a.m. (McQuillan 9/10/2001; McCaleb 9/12/2001; Bush 2010, pp. 198)
Reporter Sees No Signs of Increased Security - The first lady is considered one of the nation's "most visible targets," and, as one of the Secret Service's "permanent protectees," like the president, she has a detail of special agents assigned to her. (US Department of the Treasury 5/8/2001; Office of Management and Budget 7/2001, pp. 82 ; United States Secret Service 2002) And yet, even though Bush has arrived on Capitol Hill, and over 10 minutes have passed since the second aircraft hit the WTC (see 9:03 a.m. September 11, 2001), there is apparently no increase in the level of security at the Capitol building. Fox News correspondent Brian Wilson will later recall that when reporting from the Capitol building around this time, he is "talking about the first lady being in the Capitol and saying that I had not seen any signs of tighter security in the building."
Reporter Surprised at Plan to Hold a Photo Op - Wilson is also surprised that, although the Senate hearing Bush was scheduled to attend has been canceled, the first lady is still going to make a public appearance. He will comment that "they were (incredibly) trying to set up a brief photo opportunity." (Gilbert et al. 2002, pp. 64; 9/11 Commission 7/24/2004, pp. 8) (Wilson is presumably referring to Laura Bush's appearance before reporters and cameras alongside Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Judd Gregg (R-NH), which takes place at 9:41 a.m. (see 9:41 a.m. September 11, 2001). (Associated Press 9/11/2001; CNN 9/11/2001; Bush 2010, pp. 199) )
Capitol Evacuated Later On - The Capitol building will only be evacuated at 9:48 a.m., apparently in response to reports of a plane heading toward it (see 9:48 a.m. September 11, 2001). (Associated Press 9/11/2001; Associated Press 8/21/2002; CNN 9/11/2006) The first lady will only be taken away from the Russell Office Building to a "secure location" by members of the Secret Service at 10:10 a.m. (see (10:10 a.m.-10:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (Associated Press 9/11/2001; National Journal 8/31/2002; Bush 2010, pp. 200)
Before crashing into the Pentagon, Flight 77 performs a rapid downward spiral, flying almost a complete circle and descending 7,000 feet in two and a half minutes. (CBS News 9/21/2001)
330-Degree Turn - At 9:34 a.m., Flight 77 is about 3.5 miles west-southwest of the Pentagon. But, at an altitude of around 7,000 feet, it is flying too high to hit its target. (CBS News 9/21/2001; Wald and Sack 10/16/2001; National Transportation Safety Board 2/19/2002 ) Based on an analysis of radar data and information from the plane's flight data recorder, a 2002 National Transportation Safety Board report will describe the maneuver the aircraft then performs: "[Flight 77] started a right 330-degree descending turn to the right. At the end of the turn, the aircraft was at about 2,000 feet altitude and four miles southwest of the Pentagon. Over the next 30 seconds, power was increased to near maximum and the nose was pitched down in response to control column movements." The aircraft accelerates to about 530 miles per hour as it closes in on the Pentagon. (National Transportation Safety Board 2/19/2002 )
Controllers Watch on Radar - Air Traffic Controllers at Washington Dulles International Airport follow Flight 77 on their radar screens as it performs this maneuver. Danielle O'Brien will later recall: "John, our supervisor, relayed verbatim, 'OK, he's 12 miles west, he's moving very fast eastbound.… Eleven miles west.' And it was just a countdown. Ten miles west, nine miles west.… And it went six, five, four, and I had it in my mouth to say three, and all of a sudden the plane turned away. In the room it was almost a sense of relief." (ABC 10/24/2001; News 10/24/2001) Todd Lewis will recall that the aircraft "was heading right towards a prohibited area in downtown Washington.… Then it turned south and away from the prohibited area, which seemed like a momentary sigh of relief, and it disappeared. But it was going away from Washington, which seemed to be the right thing." (MSNBC 9/11/2002) However, O'Brien will continue: "[T]he plane turned back. He continued in the right-hand turn, made a 360-degree maneuver.… We lost radar contact with that aircraft. And we waited. And we waited." (ABC 10/24/2001; News 10/24/2001)
Maneuver Indicates Advanced Flying Skills - According to CBS News, "The steep turn" made by Flight 77 "was so smooth… sources say, it's clear there was no fight for control going on." The "complex maneuver suggests the hijackers had better flying skills than many investigators first believed." (CBS News 9/21/2001) Aviation experts will conclude that this maneuver was the work of "a great talent… virtually a textbook turn and landing." (Fainaru and Ibrahim 9/10/2002) Due to the aircraft's high speed and the way it is being flown, Dulles Airport controllers mistake it for a military fighter jet (see (9:25 a.m.-9:37 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (Fisher and Phillips 9/12/2001; News 10/24/2001; MSNBC 9/11/2002) Yet the hijacker allegedly at the controls, Hani Hanjour, was considered to be a very poor pilot at numerous flight schools he attended (see October 1996-December 1997, 1998, January-February 2001, February 8-March 12, 2001, (April-July 2001), and Mid-August 2001). (Fainaru and Ibrahim 9/10/2002)
A number of White House staffers who are visiting New York make their way back to Washington, DC, following the attack on the Pentagon. About 15 members of the White House staff, including Joseph Hagin, the deputy chief of staff for operations, and Captain Michael Miller, the deputy director of the White House Military Office, are in New York conducting the "survey trip" for President Bush's appearance at the United Nations General Assembly later in the month (see September 10, 2001).
Staffers Learn of Crashes while Visiting US Mission to the UN - Earlier this morning, they went to the US Mission to the United Nations for some preliminary meetings with the mission staff about the president's forthcoming visit. In a conference room there, shortly after Flight 11 hit the World Trade Center (see 8:46 a.m. September 11, 2001), Miller informed Hagin of the crash. After seeing the early coverage of the incident on television, Hagin called the military aide who is with the president in Sarasota, Florida, to check if he was aware of what had happened. The military aide told him, "We're on it."
Staffers Taken to Police Station - After the White House staffers watched the second plane hitting the WTC live on TV, a State Department security officer told Hagin: "Sir, you need to get out of here as quickly as possible. There are reports of other planes inbound into the city." The White House staffers were then taken by the Secret Service to a police station in Midtown Manhattan, where it was thought they would be safe. From there, Hagin called Josh Bolten, the deputy White House chief of staff for policy, who is at the White House. As the attacks were considered to be "just a New York incident" at that time, Hagin will later recall, Bolten and his colleagues decided that Hagin "should go down and be with the mayor, and… be the federal face in New York for the time being."
Some Staffers Fly toward Nebraska to Meet President - The New York City police and the Secret Service had been trying to work out how to get Hagin to Ground Zero. But when the Pentagon is attacked at 9:37 a.m. (see 9:37 a.m. September 11, 2001), they decide that the White House staffers should return to Washington. The staffers are driven to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. There, they are split up. Eight of them, including Hagin, get on a military plane and head toward Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska to meet the president, who has been taken to the base (see 2:50 p.m. September 11, 2001). However, as they are flying over Missouri, they learn that Bush has decided to come back to Washington (see (4:00 p.m.) September 11, 2001 and (4:33 p.m.) September 11, 2001). Therefore, their plane turns around and heads to the capital.
Hagin and Other Staffers Return to White House - After they land at Andrews Air Force Base, just outside Washington, the staffers are driven to the White House. The time when they arrive there is unstated, but it is presumably around late afternoon or early evening. At the White House, Hagin goes to work immediately. (National Journal 8/31/2002; Wilkinson 1/20/2003) As the deputy chief of staff for operations, he is a key member of the White House staff. He is responsible for the management and administrative functions of the White House, plans all of the president's travel, and oversees the president's schedule. (Korte 10/10/2002; Abramowitz 7/4/2008) Hagin will recall that, after reaching the White House, he is "very involved in the continuity of government and just how, operationally, we were going to deal with this." He will remain at the White House for the next two days. (National Journal 8/31/2002; Wilkinson 1/20/2003)
Ann Gerhart, a Washington Post reporter, is warned by a Capitol Police officer to stay away from a window of the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, because, the officer says, a suspicious plane is heading their way, and yet the first lady is allowed to remain in the building at this time and is only evacuated later on. (National Journal 8/31/2002; Gerhart 2004, pp. 163) Gerhart is in the Russell Senate Office Building, just north of the Capitol building, where she has been watching Laura Bush, the president's wife, appearing before reporters and cameras alongside Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Judd Gregg (R-NH) (see 9:41 a.m. September 11, 2001). (Associated Press 9/11/2001; Gerhart 2004, pp. 160-163; Bush 2010, pp. 199)
Officer Says, 'We're under Attack' - After Bush's appearance has ended, Gerhart hurries to phone her newspaper and file the quotes. But, Gerhart will later recall, "As I moved closer to one of the building's tall, beautiful leaded glass windows to get better cell phone reception, a Capitol Police officer practically tackled me." The officer yells at her, "Get away from the window!" Gerhart asks, "Why?" and the officer replies: "Because we're under attack! There's still one plane up there and it's headed right for us!" Gerhart then glances through the window and sees "huge clouds of thick smoke billowing up from the south." She asks the officer what this is and is told, "A plane's gone into the Pentagon." (Gerhart 2004, pp. 163-164)
First Lady Not Evacuated, despite Concerns - The Capitol building will be evacuated at 9:48 a.m., apparently because of the concern that a plane is heading toward it (see 9:48 a.m. September 11, 2001). (Associated Press 9/11/2001; Associated Press 8/21/2002; CNN 9/11/2006) The Russell Senate Office Building will also be evacuated. (Associated Press 9/11/2001) However, despite the fear that a plane is heading toward Capitol Hill, the first lady remains in the Russell Office Building at this time. She goes to Gregg's office (see (9:45 a.m.-9:50 a.m.) September 11, 2001 and (9:50 a.m.-10:00 a.m.) September 11, 2001) and will only be taken from the building to a "secure location" at 10:10 a.m. (see (10:10 a.m.-10:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (National Journal 8/31/2002; Kessler 2006, pp. 136; Bush 2010, pp. 200)
Laura Bush, the president's wife, and her entourage stay in the office of Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) as they wait for the Secret Service emergency response team to arrive and take them away from Capitol Hill. Bush and those with her in the Russell Senate Office Building headed to Gregg's office after they learned of the attack on the Pentagon and Bush's Secret Service agents told them to go to the basement (see (9:45 a.m.-9:50 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (Gregg's office is on a lower floor of the building, though whether it is in the basement is unclear.)
First Lady Unable to Contact Daughters - From Gregg's office, Bush tries calling her daughters, Barbara and Jenna, who are both at university. (Bush 2010, pp. 200) She is unable to reach them at this time. According to journalist and author Christopher Andersen, she is told that "they had both already been hustled off to what the Secret Service called 'secure locations.'" (Fineman and Brant 12/3/2001; Andersen 2002, pp. 6)
First Lady and Senator Talk about Families - The first lady then sits with Gregg, who is a longtime Bush family friend, and, she will later recall, they talk "quietly about our families and our worries for them, and the overwhelming shock we both felt." (Bumiller 10/4/2004; Bush 2010, pp. 200) Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), who is also in Gregg's office at this time, will recall, "We kept the television set off and simply talked for a while." (Kennedy 2009, pp. 492)
Reporters Cannot Travel with First Lady - Noelia Rodriguez, the first lady's press secretary, is worried about the pool reporters who are with them. She will describe, "We put them all in a room," but Bush's Secret Service agents tell her, "We have to leave here and we can't take [the pool reporters] with us." Laurence McQuillan, of USA Today, reassures Rodriguez, telling her, "Don't worry about us." (National Journal 8/31/2002) Bush remains in Gregg's office until members of the Secret Service, including the emergency response team, collect her from there (see (Shortly After 10:00 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (Bush 2010, pp. 200) She and her staff leave the Russell Senate Office Building at around 10:10 a.m., and are then driven to a "secure location" (see (10:10 a.m.-10:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (National Journal 8/31/2002)
Laura Bush, the president's wife, is escorted out of the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, by members of the Secret Service with their guns drawn, to be driven away to a secure location. (National Journal 8/31/2002; Bush 2010, pp. 200) People began evacuating from the Russell Senate Office Building and the nearby Capitol building at 9:48 a.m., apparently due to concerns that a plane was heading toward Capitol Hill (see 9:48 a.m. September 11, 2001). (Associated Press 9/11/2001; Associated Press 8/21/2002; CNN 9/11/2006) While Bush and her staff were waiting for the Secret Service emergency response team to arrive and take them away from the Russell Office Building, they stayed in the office of Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) (see (9:50 a.m.-10:00 a.m.) September 11, 2001).
Emergency Response Team Arrives with Guns Drawn - Secret Service agents collect the first lady from Gregg's office at "[s]ometime after 10:00 a.m.," Bush will later recall. (Bush 2010, pp. 200) Bush usually travels with four Secret Service agents. (Kessler 2006, pp. 136; Kessler 2009, pp. 181) But her usual agents are now joined by "an additional Secret Service detail and an emergency response team, dressed in black tactical clothing like a SWAT force and moving with guns drawn." As Bush is being hurried through the hallways, past panicked staffers leaving their offices, members of the emergency response team escorting her shout, "Get back!" and cover her every move with their guns. (Bush 2010, pp. 200)
First Lady Escorted to Her Limousine - Noelia Rodriguez, the first lady's press secretary, will recall that she and several other members of Bush's staff reach Bush's limousine before the first lady does. While they are waiting there, they chat excitedly, asking each other: "What could this be? Where are we going? What's next?" But the driver instructs them to be quiet, saying, "Ladies, this is a time to pay attention." "Just then," Rodriguez will say, "what seemed like two dozen of these ninja guys surrounded the car—Secret Service agents all dressed in black. Mrs. Bush then got in the car." (National Journal 8/31/2002) Bush will describe, "We reached the underground entrance; the doors on the motorcade slammed shut, and we sped off." (Bush 2010, pp. 200)
Motorcade Delayed before Leaving Capitol Hill - However, Bush and those accompanying her reportedly face a delay as they are about to drive off. Ashleigh Adams, the first lady's deputy press secretary, will describe, "At one point, we were all going to leave, and then Mrs. Bush got out of the motorcade and they [presumably members of the Secret Service] told us to stay in the staff van." At this point, Adams will say, "Everyone was distraught" and they "didn't know what was going on." She will add: "We knew something was going on in DC, because we could see people running around. A lot of us were under the impression that there were car bombs going off throughout the city." Bush and those accompanying her leave Capitol Hill at 10:10 a.m., according to Rodriguez. (National Journal 8/31/2002) Bush's Secret Service agents say they are going to take everyone to a secure location. This turns out to be the Secret Service headquarters in Washington (see (10:10 a.m.-10:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (Kessler 2006, pp. 136)
Laura Bush, the president's wife, and her entourage are driven from Capitol Hill to the Secret Service headquarters in Washington, DC, for their own security, but their journey is slowed by the heavy traffic. (Woodward 2002, pp. 17; National Journal 8/31/2002; Kessler 2006, pp. 136; Bush 2010, pp. 200-201) Bush has been at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, where she was originally scheduled to testify before a Senate committee. (McCaleb 9/12/2001; Woodward 2002, pp. 16-17) Her Secret Service agents have said they are going to take the first lady and her staff to a secure location. (Kessler 2006, pp. 136) After the Secret Service emergency response team arrived for her, Bush was escorted out of the Russell Senate Office Building and to her limousine (see (Shortly After 10:00 a.m.) September 11, 2001). Bush and those accompanying her leave Capitol Hill at 10:10 a.m., according to Noelia Rodriguez, the first lady's press secretary.
Agents with Guns Drawn Protect Motorcade - Secret Service agents protect Bush's motorcade with their guns as it heads to the secure location. Ashleigh Adams, the first lady's deputy press secretary, will later recall, "It felt like we were in a war, because the Secret Service was driving next to the motorcade and they were hanging out of the windows with their machine guns out." She will add that she has "been around the agents" before, but has "never seen them with their guns."
Motorcade Delayed by Traffic - However, the motorcade is slowed by the heavy traffic. Bush will describe, "Outside our convoy windows, the city streets were clogged with people evacuating their workplaces and trying to reach their own homes." Rodriguez will say, "In the car, we seemed to be going in slow motion." (National Journal 8/31/2002; Bush 2010, pp. 200) "The traffic was so bad that everything was stopped," Andi Ball, Bush's chief of staff, will recall. One of the Secret Service agents escorting Bush and her staff will later say a car sideswiped them during the journey.
Secure Location Is Secret Service Headquarters - The "secure location" that Bush and her staff are being taken to turns out to be the Secret Service headquarters. (Kessler 2006, pp. 136) The Secret Service headquarters, according to journalist and author Ronald Kessler, is "an anonymous nine-story tan brick building on H Street at Ninth Street NW in Washington." (Kessler 2009, pp. 23) It is located a few blocks from the White House. After the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 (see 8:35 a.m. - 9:02 a.m. April 19, 1995) it was reinforced to survive a large-scale blast. Bush and her entourage arrive there through an underground entrance. (Bamford 8/23/2009; Bush 2010, pp. 200-201)
Journey Reportedly Takes 45 Minutes - The exact time they arrive at is unclear. According to Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, "In the traffic jam from the Capitol, it took 45 minutes to get [Bush] to Secret Service headquarters." This would mean the first lady arrives there at around 10:55 a.m. (Woodward 2002, pp. 17) However, Bush will write that she watches the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsing "live in front of my eyes," on a screen at the headquarters. (Bush 2010, pp. 201) If this is correct, she must arrive at the headquarters sometime before 10:28 a.m., when the North Tower comes down (see 10:28 a.m. September 11, 2001). (9/11 Commission 7/24/2004, pp. 311) White House spokespeople will refuse to disclose where the first lady has been taken to, only saying she is at a "secure location." (Associated Press 9/11/2001; McCaleb 9/12/2001; CNN 9/11/2002)
The North Tower of the World Trade Center tilts to the south and then collapses. Its north side was hit by Flight 11 at 8:46, 102 minutes earlier. (CNN 9/12/2001; New York Times 9/12/2001; MSNBC 9/22/2001; Kim and Baum 2002 ; Associated Press 8/21/2002; National Institute of Standards and Technology 9/2005, pp. 33) After the antenna starts to move (see (10:28 a.m. September 11, 2001)), the next sign that the top section of the building is moving downward is on floor 98, at the top of the impact zone. (National Institute of Standards and Technology 9/2005, pp. 22, 87) The angle of the tilt will be disputed after 9/11 (see September-November 2005), as will the time it takes the towers to fall to the ground (see September 12, 2001-September 2005). (Ashley 10/9/2001; Eagar and Musso 12/2001; PBS Nova 5/2002; National Institute of Standards and Technology 8/30/2006) The death toll could have been much worse—an estimated 15,000 people made it out of the WTC to safety after 8:46 a.m. (St. Petersburg Times 9/8/2002)
President Bush, who is on Air Force One, is informed that his wife, Laura Bush, and his daughters, Jenna and Barbara, have been moved to safe locations. When he got on Air Force One in Sarasota, Florida, Bush was concerned about the safety of his wife and daughters, and requested additional protection for them (see (9:44 a.m.) September 11, 2001). At that time, the first lady was on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC (see 9:16 a.m.-9:40 a.m. September 11, 2001 and 9:41 a.m. September 11, 2001). Barbara and Jenna Bush are students at Yale and the University of Texas, respectively. (Lemann 9/25/2001; Sammon 2002, pp. 100, 108)
President Told Wife and Daughters Are Safe - Edward Marinzel, the head of Bush's Secret Service detail, who is with the president on Air Force One, has been contacted by Secret Service Director Brian Stafford, and told that the first lady and the president's daughters have all been safely relocated. (United States Secret Service 2001) This news is now passed on to the president by Andrew Card, Bush's chief of staff. Card tells Bush that the first lady is "in a secure location with the Secret Service and that his daughters had been removed to safer locations," Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward will later write. (Woodward 2002, pp. 18) The first lady is taken to the Secret Service headquarters, in Washington (see (10:10 a.m.-10:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001 and (10:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (Bush 2010, pp. 200-201) Barbara and Jenna Bush are taken to the Secret Service office in New Haven, Connecticut, and the Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas, respectively (see 10:51 a.m.-10:57 a.m. September 11, 2001). (Woodward 2002, pp. 17)
President Given Phone Number for First Lady - Bush then asks Card, jokingly, about Barney, his Scottish terrier. Card replies, "He's nipping at the heels of Osama bin Laden now." (Lemann 9/25/2001; Sammon 2002, pp. 108) Bush also requests, and is provided with, a direct contact telephone number for the first lady. (United States Secret Service 2001) But according to the president's senior adviser, Karl Rove, who is on Air Force One at this time, the news that his wife and daughters have been secured "reassured the president and allowed him to put off calling Laura until later in the morning, when events provided a brief window to do so." (Rove 2010, pp. 258) It will be nearly 11:45 a.m. before Bush is able to talk to the first lady (see (Shortly Before 11:45 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (Bush 2010, pp. 132)
Laura Bush, the president's wife, and her entourage arrive at the Secret Service headquarters in Washington, DC, where they will remain for much of the rest of the day, and where they make phone calls to their relatives and watch television coverage of the terrorist attacks. (Woodward 2002, pp. 17; National Journal 8/31/2002; Bush 2010, pp. 201-203) Bush and her staff have been brought to the headquarters for their own security by members of the Secret Service. The building, located a few blocks from the White House, is strengthened to survive a large-scale blast. Bush and those accompanying her were driven there from the Russell Senate Office Building, on Capitol Hill (see (10:10 a.m.-10:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (Associated Press 9/11/2001; Kessler 2006, pp. 136; Bush 2010, pp. 200-201) They are initially taken to the office of Brian Stafford, the Secret Service director, which is on an upper floor of the building. (Draper 2007, pp. 143; Bush 2010, pp. 201)
First Lady and Staff Call Their Families - Bush tells her staffers to call their families. Noelia Rodriguez, the first lady's press secretary, will later recall, "Mrs. Bush told us, 'Find phones, get hold of your families, and let them know you are okay.'" Bush calls her daughters, Jenna and Barbara, and her mother (see (Between 11:00 a.m. and 11:40 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (National Journal 8/31/2002; Bush 2010, pp. 202) She will also talk with President Bush while at the headquarters (see (Shortly Before 11:45 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (Bush 2010, pp. 132; Bush 2010, pp. 202-203)
First Lady Moved to Basement - After a time, the first lady and her staff are moved from the director's office to the basement of the headquarters, apparently after they have made their phone calls. Ashleigh Adams, the first lady's deputy press secretary, will recall, "[W]e took turns using the telephone and then we went to another floor where there was a large-screen TV." Journalist and author Robert Draper will note that Bush's Secret Service agents move the first lady after realizing that, in light of the day's attacks, having her on an upper floor is "perhaps not such a hot idea." (National Journal 8/31/2002; Draper 2007, pp. 143; Bush 2010, pp. 201) In the basement, Bush and her staff go to the William Wood Conference Room. (Woodward 2002, pp. 17) The windowless room has a large display screen across one wall, showing a constant TV feed. "For a while," she will recall, Bush sits "in a small area off the conference room, silently watching the images on television." According to Adams, "Mrs. Bush didn't want the volume up, so we just sat there watching the TV like a silent movie."
First Lady and Staff Lack a 'True Sense' of What Is Happening - Bush will describe the "chaos" regarding the attacks that she and those with her experience, writing: "It got so that we were living in five-minute increments, wondering if a new plane would emerge from the sky and hit a target. All of us in that basement conference room and many more in the Secret Service building were relying on rumors and on whatever news came from the announcers on television. When there were reports of more errant planes or other targets, it was almost impossible not to believe them." According to Adams, "Because the TV was on, but we didn't have volume, it was hard to have a true sense of what was going on." Bush and her staff will remain in the conference room for several hours. (National Journal 8/31/2002; Bush 2010, pp. 201-203)
Laura Bush, the president's wife, talks over the phone to her daughters, Jenna and Barbara, and then to her mother, after arriving at the Secret Service headquarters in Washington, DC. (ABC 9/18/2001 ; Bush 2010, pp. 202) Bush and her entourage were brought to the Secret Service headquarters for their own security (see (10:10 a.m.-10:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001). Upon arriving, they were taken to the director's office (see (10:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (Kessler 2006, pp. 136; Bush 2010, pp. 200-201) There, Bush told her staffers to call their families and let them know they were alright. (National Journal 8/31/2002)
First Lady Calls Daughters at 'Secure Locations' - Bush now makes her own calls. First, she calls her twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna, who are both at university. (Burleigh 10/15/2001; Bush 2010, pp. 202) She tried to call them earlier this morning, but was told they had been taken to "secure locations" (see (9:50 a.m.-10:00 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (Fineman and Brant 12/3/2001; Andersen 2002, pp. 6) Barbara and Jenna Bush have now reached these "secure locations" (see 10:51 a.m.-10:57 a.m. September 11, 2001). (Sammon 2002, pp. 108; Woodward 2002, pp. 17) The first lady will later recall that she calls her daughters now "to make sure they were fine and to tell them I was fine." (Burleigh 10/15/2001) She tells them they are "going to be safe and that… I loved them and… that things were going to be alright," she will say. (ABC 9/18/2001 )
First Lady Calls Mother for Reassurance - Bush then calls her mother, Jenna Welch, at her home in Midland, Texas. (Andersen 2002, pp. 7; Bush 2010, pp. 202) Bush will describe: "I called my mother to tell her I was fine. But the fact is I was calling her to hear her voice, to be reassured myself." (Burleigh 10/15/2001) However, when she tries phoning President Bush at this time, her calls cannot get through. She will eventually talk to him at around 11:45 a.m. (see (Shortly Before 11:45 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (Bush 2010, pp. 132; Bush 2010, pp. 202-203)
President Bush and his wife, Laura Bush, finally talk over the phone after their previous attempts at calling each other this morning have been unsuccessful. Bush is on Air Force One, which is descending toward Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, while the first lady is at the Secret Service headquarters in Washington, DC, where she has been taken for her own safety. (Kessler 2006, pp. 136; Bush 2010, pp. 132; Bush 2010, pp. 202-203)
First Lady Reassures President, Says Daughters Are Fine - Bush and the first lady talk over a secure phone line. (McCaleb 9/12/2001) After she hears her husband's voice, the first lady says to the president, referring to the day's catastrophic events: "How horrible. How terrible." She then reassures him that she is okay. (Burleigh 10/15/2001; Andersen 2002, pp. 6) She says she has been taken by the Secret Service to a safe location. Bush is "very relieved," he will later recall, when the first lady then tells him she has spoken to their daughters, Barbara and Jenna, and says both of them are fine (see (Between 11:00 a.m. and 11:40 a.m.) September 11, 2001). The first lady asks the president when he is coming back to Washington. He tells her "that everyone was urging me not to return, but that I would be there soon," he will recall. "I had no idea whether that was true, but I sure hoped so," he will comment. (Bush 2010, pp. 132) (Bush will in fact arrive back at the White House many hours later, at 6:54 p.m. (see (6:54 p.m.) September 11, 2001). (CNN 9/12/2001; Sammon 2002, pp. 128) ) Later reflecting on this call, the president will say his wife "couldn't have been more calm, resolved, almost placid" during it, which, he will say, "was a very reassuring thing." (Fineman and Brant 12/3/2001) The first lady will describe the call, saying, "From the way [Bush] spoke, I could hear how starkly his presidency had been transformed."
Previous Call Attempts Have Been Unsuccessful - Bush and the first lady have been trying to call each other throughout the morning, but until now have been unsuccessful in their attempts. (Bush 2010, pp. 202-203) Bush was provided with a direct contact phone number for the first lady earlier in the morning (see (10:37 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (United States Secret Service 2001) But before they made contact, he had "placed several calls," he will recall, but "the line kept dropping." Bush will comment, "I couldn't believe that the president of the United States couldn't reach his wife." (Bush 2010, pp. 132) The first lady had similarly been trying to call the president, but also without success. After she arrived at the Secret Service headquarters (see (10:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001), she "tried to reach [the president], but my calls could not get through," she will write. John Meyers, her advance man, promised he would keep trying to contact the president for her. The first lady will comment, "It is stunning now to think that our 'state-of-the-art' communications would not allow him to complete a phone call to Secret Service headquarters, or me to reach him on Air Force One." (Bush 2010, pp. 202-203)
An Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) plane takes off from Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma and subsequently accompanies Air Force One as it makes its way back to Washington, DC, after leaving Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. (Air Force Print News 9/9/2011; Kennedy et al. 2012, pp. 61) An AWACS, also called the E-3 Sentry, is a modified Boeing 707 that provides surveillance, command, control, and communications to military commanders. (Schmitt 9/23/1995; GlobalSecurity (.org) 4/16/2006; US Air Force 9/22/2015) The AWACS that scrambles from Tinker Air Force Base is apparently piloted by Air Force reservists Major Doug Lomheim and Captain Greg Miller. The two men had been preparing for a student training sortie on their E-3 early this morning but then learned of the crashes at the World Trade Center during a delay due to one of the plane's engines failing to start. After being told they would be assigned to do something in response to the terrorist attacks, they sent their students back to the training squadron and gathered their "NORAD material." Lomheim and Miller take off from Tinker Air Force Base at around midday and check in with NORAD's Southeast Air Defense Sector (SEADS). SEADS instructs them to head to Barksdale Air Force Base, where Air Force One, with President Bush on board, recently landed (see 11:45 a.m. September 11, 2001). "We want you to escort [Bush] wherever he goes," they are told. Their plane goes into an orbit over western Louisiana while Bush is at Barksdale. They then accompany Air Force One after it leaves the base (see 1:37 p.m. September 11, 2001) and orbit overhead after it lands at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska (see 2:50 p.m. September 11, 2001). They continue following the president's plane after it takes off from Offutt and heads toward Washington (see (4:33 p.m.) September 11, 2001). (Air Force Print News 9/9/2011; Kennedy et al. 2012, pp. 61) An AWACS plane that had been flying a training mission was instructed to accompany Air Force One earlier on, after it took off from Sarasota, Florida (see Before 9:55 a.m. September 11, 2001). Whether that plane is escorting Air Force One while Lomheim and Miller's plane follows it is unclear. (Filson 2003, pp. 86-87)
Laura Bush, the president's wife, is told by her Secret Service agents to be prepared to leave Washington, DC, for several days, and members of her staff then go to the White House to fetch some of her belongings. (National Journal 8/31/2002; Bush 2010, pp. 203) Bush is at the Secret Service headquarters in Washington, where she was brought for her own safety (see (10:10 a.m.-10:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001 and (10:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (Kessler 2006, pp. 136) At the headquarters, there is "a debate over what to do with [President Bush] and what to do with me," the first lady will later recall. Her Secret Service agents tell her "to be prepared to leave Washington for several days at least." To help her prepare, several members of her staff briefly return to the White House and collect some of her belongings. They are escorted there at about 1:30 p.m., according to Noelia Rodriguez, Bush's press secretary. Sarah Moss, Bush's assistant, collects some of the first lady's clothes. John Meyers, Bush's advance man, collects the Bush family dogs, Spot and Barney, and the family cat, India. While they are at the White House, the first lady's staffers also collect their own purses and keys. The Secret Service agent with them instructs them: "Be fast. Run. Get your things." The staffers then return to the Secret Service headquarters. However, Bush and those with her at the headquarters subsequently learn that the president will be returning to Washington today (see (4:00 p.m.) September 11, 2001 and (4:33 p.m.) September 11, 2001). It will therefore be decided that the first lady can stay in the capital. She will be taken to the White House at 6:30 p.m. (see 6:30 p.m. September 11, 2001). (National Journal 8/31/2002; Bush 2010, pp. 203)
At Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, President Bush convenes the first meeting of the National Security Council since the attacks occurred. (Woodward 2002, pp. 26) He begins the video conference call from a bunker beneath the base. He and Chief of Staff Andrew Card visually communicate directly with Vice President Cheney, National Security Adviser Rice, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, CIA Director Tenet, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, counterterrorism "tsar" Richard Clarke, and others. (Langley 12/16/2001; ABC News 9/11/2002; Sammon 10/8/2002) According to Clarke, Bush begins the meeting by saying, "I'm coming back to the White House as soon as the plane is fueled. No discussion." But according to Condoleezza Rice, he begins with the words, "We're at war." Clarke leads a quick review of what has already occurred, and issues that need to be quickly addressed. Bush asks CIA Director Tenet who he thinks is responsible for the day's attacks. Tenet later recalls, "I told him the same thing I had told the vice president several hours earlier: al-Qaeda. The whole operation looked, smelled, and tasted like bin Laden." Tenet tells Bush that passenger manifests show that three known al-Qaeda operatives had been on Flight 77. According to Tenet, when he tells the president in particular about Nawaf Alhazmi and Khalid Almihdhar (two of the alleged Flight 77 hijackers), Bush gives Mike Morell, his CIA briefer, "one of those 'I thought I was supposed to be the first to know' looks." (Other evidence indicates the third al-Qaeda operative whose name is on the passenger manifest would be Salem Alhazmi (see 9:53 p.m. September 11, 2001).) Tenet tells the meeting that al-Qaeda is "the only terrorist organization capable of such spectacular, well-coordinated attacks," and that "Intelligence monitoring had overheard a number of known bin Laden operatives congratulating each other after the attacks. Information collected days earlier but only now being translated indicated that various known operatives around the world anticipated a big event. None specified the day, time, place or method of attack." Richard Clarke later corroborates that Tenet had at this time told the president he was certain that al-Qaeda was to blame. Yet only six weeks later, in an October 24, 2001 interview, Rice will claim differently. She will say, "In the first video conference, the assumption that everybody kind of shared was that it was global terrorists.… I don't believe anybody said this is likely al-Qaeda. I don't think so." Tenet also relays a warning the CIA has received from French intelligence, saying another group of terrorists is within US borders and is preparing a second wave of attacks. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld briefs on the status of US forces, and states that about 120 fighters are now above US cities. (Woodward 2002, pp. 26-27; Clarke 2004, pp. 21-22; 9/11 Commission 7/24/2004, pp. 326 and 554; Tenet 2007, pp. 169) The meeting reportedly ends around 4:00-4:15 p.m. (Langley 12/16/2001; Sammon 10/8/2002)
A US Airways plane that is flying to the United States from Madrid, Spain, is incorrectly suspected of being hijacked. (Federal Aviation Administration 9/11/2001; Rice 10/24/2001) It is stated over an FAA teleconference that the White House has reported this suspicious aircraft, which is heading to Philadelphia International Airport, and the military is scrambling fighter jets in response to it. (Federal Aviation Administration 1/2/2002) NORAD's Northeast Air Defense Sector (NEADS) was alerted to the plane by US Customs and the FBI, according to a NORAD representative on the Pentagon's air threat conference call (see 9:37 a.m.-9:39 a.m. September 11, 2001). NORAD has been unable to locate the aircraft on radar, according to the NORAD representative. (US Department of Defense 9/11/2001) Accounts conflict over whether the plane is US Airways Flight 930 or Flight 937. (Federal Aviation Administration 9/2001; Federal Aviation Administration 9/11/2001; Federal Aviation Administration 1/2/2002)
Plane Is Reportedly Transmitting the Hijack Signal - Lewis Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, who is in the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) below the White House, will later recall that when those in the PEOC learn of the suspect flight, "we got word that it was only 30 minutes or so outside of US airspace." According to Libby, the plane's transponder is transmitting the code for a hijacking: He will say it is reported that the flight has been "showing hijacking through some electronic signal." (Libby 11/14/2001) However, according to the NORAD representative on the air threat conference call, the plane's transponder has not been "squawking" the code for a hijacking. "We do not have squawk indication at this point," he has said.
Plane Is Reportedly Diverted to Pittsburgh - An FAA representative on the air threat conference call apparently says an e-mail has been sent from the suspicious aircraft, stating that the plane is being diverted to Pittsburgh, although the FAA representative's communications are distorted and therefore unclear. (US Department of Defense 9/11/2001)
President Says Fighters Can Shoot Down the Plane - President Bush discusses the suspicious US Airways flight with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld over the air threat conference call after landing at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska (see 2:50 p.m. September 11, 2001) and Major General Larry Arnold, the commander of the Continental United States NORAD Region (CONR), listens in. (Filson 2003, pp. 87-88) Rumsfeld wants Bush to confirm that fighters are authorized to shoot down the plane if it is considered a threat to a city in the US. "The reason I called… was just to verify that your authorization for the use of force would apply as well in this situation," he says. Bush replies, "It does, but let us make sure that the fighters and you on the ground get all the facts." (US Department of Defense 9/11/2001)
Plane Is on the Ground in Spain - After a time, it will be found that the plane is not a threat and is on the ground in Spain. Arnold will be called by Colonel Robert Marr, the battle commander at NEADS, and told, "We just talked to the airline and that aircraft is back on the ground in Madrid." (Filson 2003, pp. 88) According to Libby, "It turned out that, I think, it was only 35 minutes out of Spanish airspace, not out of our airspace." (Libby 11/14/2001) Reggie Settles, the FAA representative at NORAD's Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center in Colorado, will be informed by US Airways that Flight 937 in fact never existed. However, he will be told, there is a US Airways Flight 911, which "took off from Madrid," but "has turned back and returned to Madrid," and "is not en route to the United States." (US Department of Defense 9/11/2001)
President Decides to Leave Offutt after the Concerns Are Resolved - After he learns that the suspicious plane is back in Spain, Arnold will pick up the hot line and tell Bush: "Mr. President, this is the CONR commander.… No problem with Madrid." According to Arnold, Bush will reply, "Okay, then I'm getting airborne." (Filson 2003, pp. 88) Bush will take off from Offutt aboard Air Force One at around 4:30 p.m. (see (4:33 p.m.) September 11, 2001). (CNN 9/12/2001) Numerous aircraft are incorrectly suspected of being hijacked on this day (see (9:09 a.m. and After) September 11, 2001). (9/11 Commission 7/24/2004, pp. 28; Baker 3/31/2005) The US Airways flight from Madrid is the last of these, according to Arnold. (Code One Magazine 1/2002)
President Bush reportedly had begun his video conference call with the National Security Council (see (3:15 p.m.) September 11, 2001) by announcing, "I'm coming back to the White House as soon as the plane is fueled. No discussion." (Clarke 2004, pp. 21) Toward the end of this meeting, around 4 p.m., Secret Service Director Brian Stafford tells Bush, "Our position is stay where you are. It's not safe." The Secret Service reportedly wants to keep the president where he is, at Offutt Air Force Base, overnight, and—according to some later accounts—indefinitely. To Stafford's surprise, Bush ignores his advice and tells him, "I'm coming back." Leaving the meeting, Bush tells his staff, "We're going home." (Langley 12/16/2001; Sammon 2002, pp. 123; Woodward 2002, pp. 28) Bush adviser Karl Rove later claims that, around this time, there are concerns that several planes still remain unaccounted for (see (4:00 p.m.) September 11, 2001).
Members of Laura Bush's staff who are with the first lady at the Secret Service headquarters in Washington, DC, go to the White House and then head home. (National Journal 8/31/2002) Most of Bush's staffers are with the first lady at the Secret Service headquarters, having been with Bush for her scheduled appearance on Capitol Hill this morning. (Bush's other staffers stayed behind at the White House.) (ABC 9/18/2001 ) They were brought to the headquarters for their own safety (see (10:10 a.m.-10:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001 and (10:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (Kessler 2006, pp. 136) Some of them briefly returned to the White House earlier in the afternoon, to collect some of Bush's belongings (see (1:30 p.m.) September 11, 2001). Members of Bush's staff now leave the Secret Service headquarters and go to the White House a final time. There, they have to show a Secret Service agent their IDs. "Then," according to Noelia Rodriguez, the first lady's press secretary, "it was time to go home." The first lady will head back to the White House at 6:30 p.m. (see 6:30 p.m. September 11, 2001). (National Journal 8/31/2002; Bush 2010, pp. 203)
Air Force One, with President Bush on board, takes off from Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska and heads for Washington, DC. (CNN 9/12/2001; Sammon 2002, pp. 123; Draper 2007, pp. 143) The president's plane landed at Offutt at 2:50 p.m. While he was at the base, Bush conducted a meeting of the National Security Council in a secure video teleconference (see (3:15 p.m.) September 11, 2001). (Bamford 2004, pp. 89, 91; 9/11 Commission 7/24/2004, pp. 326) Against objections from the Secret Service, he has announced that he will be returning to Washington (see (4:00 p.m.) September 11, 2001). (Woodward 2002, pp. 28; Sammon 10/8/2002; Bush 2010, pp. 135)
Bush Thanks Personnel at Offutt - Bush waved to personnel at the base as he was making his way out to his plane. "We were working at our desks and all of a sudden, there was the president striding down the hallway," Julie Ziegenhorn, a public affairs officer, will later describe, adding, "He walked right out the front door, waving to us." He shouted to the personnel, "Thanks for all you're doing!"
Pilot Was Surprised that Bush Is Leaving - Colonel Mark Tillman, the pilot of Air Force One, was incredulous when he was told the president was getting ready to leave, since he'd expected Bush to stay at Offutt for a much longer time. He had been in an office at the base when a young airman ran up to him and said, "It looks like the president is heading back to the plane." He dismissed the airman, saying, "It probably wasn't the guy," but the airman replied, "No, I'm pretty sure I just saw him drive by." Tillman then raced back to Air Force One and found the president waiting for him at the top of the stairs by the cockpit. Bush told him: "Tillman, we got to get back home. Let's get back home."
Reporters Are Allowed to Say What Bush Is Doing - Reporters who have been traveling with Bush are finally permitted to describe the president's movements on the record. "I called my bureau and told them that the president was heading back to Washington and would address the nation from the Oval Office," Ann Compton of ABC Radio will recall. (Tillman 2/29/2012 ; Graff 9/9/2016)
Bush Tells His Wife, 'See You at the White House' - As Air Force One is taking off, Bush calls his wife, Laura, who is at the Secret Service headquarters in Washington (see (10:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001), to let her know he is returning to the capital. He tells her: "I'm coming home. See you at the White House. I love you. Go on home." After talking to her, he feels comfortable enough to make a joke. "If I'm in the White House and there's a plane coming my way, all I can say is I hope I read my Bible that day," he says to his aides. (Sammon 2002, pp. 123; Woodward 2002, pp. 17, 28; Sammon 10/8/2002)
Dr. Richard Tubb, the White House physician, gives everyone on Air Force One a week's worth of Cipro, a drug used to treat anthrax. (Graff 9/9/2016) Air Force One, with President Bush on board, took off from Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska at around 4:33 p.m. (see (4:33 p.m.) September 11, 2001). (CNN 9/12/2001; Draper 2007, pp. 143)
Doctor Is Concerned about a Possible Biological Attack - Tubb will later recall that as the plane is then flying toward Washington, DC, "The thing at that moment I was most worried about was a biologic [attack]." In order to protect the White House staffers on the plane in the "unlikely but high-risk scenario" of such an attack occurring, he decides there is "little harm" in giving them antibiotics. He therefore gives everyone on the plane—presumably including the president—a week's worth of Cipro. (Graff 9/9/2016) Cipro is an antibiotic that is commonly used to treat anthrax. (Herper 10/17/2001)
Passengers Are Given an Envelope Containing Cipro - Brian Montgomery, the White House's director of advance, notices Tubb giving the drug to the passengers on Air Force One. He sees the doctor leaning over each person, whispering to them, patting them on the shoulder, and giving them a small envelope containing Cipro. When Tubb reaches Montgomery, he asks him, "How do you feel?" Montgomery says he feels fine. "You don't feel disoriented?" Tubb asks and Montgomery says no. Tubb asks, "Have you ever heard of Cipro?" and comments, "We don't know what might've been in that school"—referring to the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, which Bush visited this morning (see (8:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001)—"so we're just being careful." Montgomery asks what the drug is used for and Tubb replies, "In case it's anthrax." (Graff 9/9/2016)
Doctor Will Later Be Pleased at His Actions - Letters containing anthrax spores will be sent to media organizations and US government offices later this month and in October, leading to five people dying and a further 17 people becoming ill but surviving (see October 5-November 21, 2001). (South Florida Sun-Sentinel 12/8/2001; BBC 9/25/2006; CNN 2/19/2010; National Public Radio 2/15/2011) Commenting on this, Tubb will reflect, "It was scary later realizing later that fall [that] anthrax wasn't as unimaginable as we'd thought." "I was suddenly real pleased with how we'd reacted on the plane," he will say. (Graff 9/9/2016) Tubb is director of the White House Medical Unit and physician to the White House. He oversees all healthcare services within the White House and Camp David, and aboard executive aircraft. (US Air Force 7/2006) Later today, staffers accompanying Vice President Dick Cheney to Camp David (see Shortly After 10:00 p.m. September 11, 2001) will also be given Cipro, supposedly as "a precaution" (see Evening, September 11, 2001). (Sobieraj 10/23/2001)
Mike Morell, President Bush's CIA briefer, passes on to Bush all the information the CIA currently has relating to today's terrorist attacks, which includes a warning the agency received about the possibility that a group of al-Qaeda terrorists is in the United States, preparing for a second wave of attacks. (Tenet 2007, pp. 169; Bush 2010, pp. 136; Graff 9/9/2016) While he was at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, Bush conducted a meeting of the National Security Council in a secure video teleconference (see (3:15 p.m.) September 11, 2001). During the meeting, CIA Director George Tenet said the CIA had information linking al-Qaeda to today's attacks. (Woodward 2002, pp. 26-27; 9/11 Commission 7/24/2004, pp. 326; Priess 2016, pp. 243) Before the meeting ended, Morell slipped out to phone Ted Gistaro, Tenet's executive assistant, at the CIA's operations center and asked to have the information Tenet provided to Bush sent to Air Force One. (Tenet 2007, pp. 169; Morell and Harlow 2015, pp. 57)
Fax Includes All of the CIA's Information on the Attacks - A few minutes after Air Force One took off from Offutt, heading for Washington, DC (see (4:33 p.m.) September 11, 2001), Morell received a six-page fax that included all the intelligence the CIA had relating to the attacks. It included the talking points Tenet used to brief Bush during the teleconference, along with a lot of information Tenet was unable to cover in the meeting. Morell read through the material several times and highlighted several passages.
Briefer Goes Over the CIA's Information with Bush - Now, about 30 minutes later, Andrew Card, Bush's chief of staff, comes to the staff cabin and tells Morell that Bush will see him to go through the information. Morell therefore accompanies Card to the conference room on the plane and the two men meet with Bush there. Morell goes over the material he has been sent with the president, allowing Bush to read as much of it as he wants. (Morell 9/2006 ; Morell and Harlow 2015, pp. 57; Graff 9/9/2016)
Briefer Reports the Possibility of a Second Wave of Attacks - The material includes information provided by French intelligence, explaining that it has detected signs that al-Qaeda has "sleeper cells" in the US that are planning a second wave of attacks. Bush is concerned when he learns this. He will later describe receiving the information as "one of the darkest moments of the day." "I believed America could overcome the September 11 attacks without further panic," he will write. "But," he will add, "a follow-on strike would be very difficult to bear." (Tenet 2007, pp. 169; Bush 2010, pp. 136; Graff 9/9/2016) After Morell has finished briefing the president, Bush thanks him and he returns to his seat in the staff cabin. This meeting apparently takes place at around 5:20 p.m., since Morell will comment that Building 7 of the World Trade Center collapses while he is briefing the president and this incident occurs at 5:20 p.m. (see (5:20 p.m.) September 11, 2001). (Morell 9/2006 ; National Institute of Standards and Technology 11/2008, pp. 15)
An unidentified fast-moving aircraft is noticed flying toward Air Force One as it is bringing President Bush back to Washington, DC, but the aircraft turns out to be just a Learjet, reportedly "in the wrong place at the wrong time." (Scott 9/9/2002; Filson 2003, pp. 88) Bush announced he would be returning to Washington while he was at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska (see (4:00 p.m.) September 11, 2001), and his plane left the base and headed for the capital shortly after 4:30 p.m. (see (4:33 p.m.) September 11, 2001). (Sammon 2002, pp. 123; Bush 2010, pp. 135) As Air Force One is approaching Andrews Air Force Base, just outside Washington, fighter jets belonging to the District of Columbia Air National Guard (DCANG) and the 119th Fighter Wing are flying combat air patrols over the capital. They have been joined by a number of other fighters from across the northeast US.
Pilots Told They Will Be Escorting Air Force One - Among the pilots flying over Washington are Lieutenant Colonel Marc Sasseville and Lieutenant Heather Penney of the DCANG, who are flying their second mission of the day. Sasseville and Penney are instructed to contact an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) plane in their area and "expect special tasking." When they make contact with the AWACS plane, its controller directs them to fly about 160 miles to the west and says they are going to "escort Air Force One." Two of the 119th Fighter Wing's jets offer to accompany Sasseville and Penney, and Sasseville accepts.
Unidentified Aircraft Seen Flying toward Air Force One - A short time later, an AWACS controller reports that a fast-moving unidentified aircraft is flying toward Air Force One. The aircraft is currently about 70 miles southwest of the president's plane, but is on a "cutoff vector" to Air Force One. The controller reports that the suspicious plane is flying above 40,000 feet, whereas Air Force One is "in the 20,000 feet range." All the same, Sasseville directs the 119th Fighter Wing's jets to intercept the aircraft and they quickly do so.
Aircraft Is Not a Threat - The suspicious aircraft turns out to be just a Learjet "that hadn't yet landed after aircraft nationwide had been ordered out of the air," according to Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine. (Scott 9/9/2002; Filson 2003, pp. 88) However, the FAA ordered that all airborne aircraft must land at the nearest airport many hours earlier, at around 9:45 a.m. (see (9:45 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (US Congress. House. Committee On Transportation And Infrastructure 9/21/2001; 9/11 Commission 7/24/2004, pp. 25) The plane is simply "in the wrong place at the wrong time," according to author Leslie Filson. (Filson 2003, pp. 88) "There was a Learjet vectored on Air Force One," Sasseville will tell the 9/11 Commission, "but it was nothing." (9/11 Commission 3/11/2004 ) The two DCANG fighters and the two 119th Fighter Wing jets will subsequently accompany Air Force One as it flies into Andrews Air Force Base. (Scott 9/9/2002)
Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England will later claim that President Bush makes an unpublicized visit to the Pentagon at this time. In 2007, England will recall in a speech, "Then that night, on 9/11, we had a meeting in the Pentagon—and I remember this well, because the president came to the Pentagon that evening, at 6:15 in the evening… And the president came and met in the conference room right next to Secretary Rumsfeld's office. And he came and he said, 'Get ready.' He said,'Get ready.' He said, 'This is going to be a long war.'" (England 1/22/2007) If this account is true, then Air Force One must have flown very quickly from Nebraska (if reports are true Bush left at 4:33 (see (4:33 p.m.) September 11, 2001), the plane would have travelled at about 700 mph, faster than its official top speed of 600 mph), and Bush must have stayed at the Pentagon briefly before arriving live on camera at the White House around 6:45 (see (6:54 p.m.) September 11, 2001). If Bush did go to the Pentagon, is it not exactly clear why or why no account would mention it until 2007.
Laura Bush, the president's wife, is driven, by members of the Secret Service, to the White House from the Secret Service headquarters in Washington, DC, and is then escorted down to the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) below the White House. (Bush 2010, pp. 203-204) Bush was brought to the Secret Service headquarters this morning for her own safety (see (10:10 a.m.-10:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001 and (10:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001). (Woodward 2002, pp. 17; Kessler 2006, pp. 136)
First Lady Reassured that No More Attacks Will Occur - There, she spent much of the afternoon "like most other Americans, glued to the television," according to Us Weekly magazine. Bush was, however, "perhaps more at ease than the average American because her [Secret Service] agents were receiving news before it was reported on television." Bush will later recall: "[A]fter some time, we started hearing from our agents that most of the planes [in US airspace] had been accounted for, fairly early in the day, I think, before they really started announcing it on television. So at some point we started feeling reassured that [a terrorist attack] wasn't going to happen again that day." After Bush and those with her learned that the president would be returning to Washington today (see (4:00 p.m.) September 11, 2001 and (4:33 p.m.) September 11, 2001), Bush's Secret Service agents decided that the first lady could go back to the White House.
First Lady Arrives at White House - At 6.30 p.m., she will recall, Bush gets into a Secret Service motorcade and is driven to the White House by Dave Saunders, one of her agents. (CNN 9/11/2001; Burleigh 10/15/2001; Kessler 2006, pp. 136; Bush 2010, pp. 203) It is a short journey, as the Secret Service headquarters is just a few blocks from the White House. (Bamford 8/23/2009) Bush is driven along the deserted streets and then her vehicle goes at full throttle through the gate of the White House. She notices "[h]eavily armed men in black" swarming over the White House grounds. She then gets out of the vehicle, preceded by her Secret Service agents.
First Lady Taken to Underground Conference Room - Bush is "hustled inside" the White House, she will recall, and taken "downstairs through a pair of big steel doors that closed behind me with a loud hiss, forming an airtight seal." She then walks along the hallway below the White House to the PEOC, and is taken into the conference room adjacent to the PEOC's "nerve center." Those already in the room include National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, White House counselor Karen Hughes, and deputy White House chief of staff Josh Bolten. Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne Cheney, are also there. Lynne Cheney comes over and hugs the first lady. She then whispers into the first lady's ear, "The plane that hit the Pentagon circled the White House first" (see 9:34 a.m.- 9:37 a.m. September 11, 2001). This information, Bush will comment, causes a "shiver" to "vibrate down [her] spine." (Bush 2010, pp. 203-204) President Bush will join the first lady in the PEOC at 7:10 p.m., after he arrives at the White House (see 7:10 p.m. September 11, 2001). (Bush 2010, pp. 137-138; Bush 2010, pp. 204-205) Staffers who were with the first lady at the Secret Service headquarters went to the White House and then headed home at around 4:30 p.m. (see (4:30 p.m.) September 11, 2001). (National Journal 8/31/2002)
President Bush is reunited with his wife, Laura Bush, in the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) below the White House, shortly after arriving back at the White House. (Bush 2010, pp. 137-138; Bush 2010, pp. 204-205) Bush arrived at the White House at 6:54 p.m. (see (6:54 p.m.) September 11, 2001). (CNN 9/12/2001) He headed to the Oval Office, where he read through a draft of the speech he is going to deliver to the nation later in the evening and modified a few lines. He then headed down to the PEOC, where the first lady was waiting for him. (Bush 2010, pp. 137-138) The first lady was taken to the PEOC after she was driven to the White House from the Secret Service headquarters, at around 6:30 p.m. (see 6:30 p.m. September 11, 2001). Bush walks into the PEOC at 7:10 p.m. and hugs his wife. (Bush 2010, pp. 203-205) The first lady will later recall, "We were really glad to see each other, but also the enormity of what had happened in our country had really sunk in by then, and so we just comforted each other." (Burleigh 10/15/2001) The president will describe: "We didn't have a lot of time to talk, but we didn't need to. Her hug was more powerful than any words." Other senior government officials are in the PEOC, including Vice President Dick Cheney, who is there with his wife, Lynne Cheney. After their reunion, the president and the first lady "talked with the Cheneys a bit," Laura Bush will recall. The president will subsequently head upstairs, practice his speech, and then go to the Oval Office to deliver it (see 8:30 p.m. September 11, 2001). The first lady will go to the White House residence (the first family's living quarters). (Bush 2010, pp. 138; Bush 2010, pp. 204-205)
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text:
My family is being very crafty again this Christmas.
My mother made a beatuiful A3 drawing of this building
which they look at from their front windows and made it
smaller on the computer to use on this year's christmas
My sister has made this sweet card with glass paint,
very nice with real christmassy colours. It looks really
gorgeous standing in front of the window.
And last but not least my aunt. She made a pretty aquarel
painting of a christmas rose and had smaller copies made
to use on their christmas cards. The colours are nicer
on the original, i did not manage to show them in
this photograph.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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text:
I am writing this post on my new Asus Eee PC (2GB Surf), received for FREE (thank you Royal Bank!). It's the most base model, but is meant to give me a (FREE) preview of the general category of devices from Asus, and let me knock about with the Linux operating system, and generally see if this type of device is worthy of pack-space on my big trip. So far I like it, though I haven't been able to connect to the wireless network in the office (I'm connected to the LAN right now).
If I do take an Eee PC with me, it will most likely be this one. It has the same diminutive form factor (a mere 9" wide x 6-1/2" deep x 1-1/2" thick), but has a bigger screen, 20GB of memory, and (supposedly) better battery life. They seem to be worth about $600 on eBay right now, but I hope that as more newer models are introduced, that price may come down. I won't be buying anything until the new year.
The other big thing I need to decide is whether to go with the Linux, or with the Windows XP version. Part of the reason for getting the (FREE) 2GB model was to have a chance to test-drive the operating system. If all goes well, Linux may be the smarter choice.
Oh, and did I mention it was FREE?!
The Tiniest Computer!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Posted by Pam at 12:02 PM |
Labels: gear, technology


text:
IMG_1523.JPG, originally uploaded by BreakDecks.
Posted by AgentRusco on June 23rd, 2010 at 10:00 am
IMG_1523.JPG, originally uploaded by BreakDecks.
You can call me… whenever you like, but expect to get my voicemail.
I identify as… a Cancer. a man. a woman. a girl. a boy. but mostly, a goddess.
As far as third-person pronouns go, … call me Madam.
I'm attracted to… chests (boob-free, please). brown eyes. pushy hands. smiles.
When people talk about me, I want them to… remark on my fabulous do, drag, or derrière. I don't care what people say, as long as it isn't true.
I want people to understand… themselves.
About Sheman Marcus
Sheman Marcus is a Southern Belle from Dallas, Texas. She enjoys music, needle craft, and making bad decisions. He is currently a full time procrastinator at the University of Texas. She spends most of his time smoking, learning the piano, and deciphering the myriad of sexuality references in Family Guy.
» Define yourself. «
20090709_bradley_080-Edit, originally uploaded by brandon.norris.
Hey Everyone,
This is a special PSA to let everyone know that the Gender Spectrum Family Conference is a very important, special conference developed for families of gender variant children and teens (including the kids themselves). It will be held September 3-6th in the SF Bay Area this year.
I attended last year, and was very moved — especially by the strength and commitment of the parents to learn about and support their children. This year I'll be assisting with the kids camp. (We have some really fun stuff planned.)
The conference is held by the same org that put out The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families and Professionals. They're also the conference that was featured on NPR (This American Life) last year — you know, the bring-you-to-tears story of two trans young girls that we ran on our site.
So if you or someone you know belongs at this conference (trans and genderqueer teens — this is for you and your parents!), please do the registration thing now. Like, now now. Right now.
Please. This conference is life-changing.
Sarah Dopp
founder of Genderfork
20100428TRD041003, originally uploaded by reverendkomissar.
Someone wrote…
I want a woman who looks like James Dean, and a man who looks like Joan Jett.
What's your experience?
, originally uploaded by GoosieGoose.
25 Hours to go (ii), originally uploaded by Rhiannon Adam.
You can call me… Ian
I identify as… an omnigendered, autonosexual faggot.
As far as third-person pronouns go, … I won't bite your head off over it, but do stick to the masculine.
I'm attracted to… brilliant, damaged people with male genitalia.
When people talk about me, I want them to… do it to my face, and in depth.
I want people to understand… that I'm not a defective version of someone else, I'm a pretty fucking fabulous version of myself.
About Ian
I'm an aspiring writer/actor/director/singer/poet/porn star, currently devoting at least a fraction of my attention to my queercore/autrock/punkcabaret band, pencil!Trick, publishing Lessons from a Slow Learner, my anthology of poetry, finishing two screenplays and a novel, and starting an independent website for fully-clothed porn.
» Define yourself. «
smoking kill baby, originally uploaded by Purdey 2000.
Jesse asks…
I live in Alabama, and I feel isolated because I'm not like everyone else and no one wants to talk about gender. "Girls are girls and boys are boys." What can I do about this?
Please post your response in the comments below.
» Ask Genderfork «
Someone wrote…
Being called "sir" feels like a mistake, being called "ma'am" feels like a lie.
What's your experience?
Plano americano Isaac, originally uploaded by Lorena, lets me see.
21wkT April 8, 2010, originally uploaded by RZO909.
You can call me… Narcissa
I identify as… an innately butch person who is stuck in a femme body.
As far as third-person pronouns go, … lesbian, softbutch, dyke, genderqueer. But who needs labels? "I am I and you are you."
Oh, and my all time FAVORITE… "Lesbionic dog handler"!!!! I just love it!
I'm attracted to… the drag-queen in anyone. Beautiful women. I don't mean women who are just pretty, women with a strong will and a golden heart. A rockin' personality and caring heart are the biggest turn-ons.
When people talk about me, I want them to… gossip about who I really am and not gossip about who I'm not. There really is a difference.
I want people to understand… that no matter how much pink and lace you put on me I will always be the same inside. Just because my body is wanted by men doesn't mean that I'm femme at heart. No matter how much makeup I put on, I'm still butch underneath.
About Narcissa I really do love people, despite my anti-social nature, and will do just about anything to help out. If you're my friend I've got your back no matter what.
I've always known I was different. When I was a kid I was mistaken for a boy quite a bit. It always made me feel nice to be identified that way. Unfortunally little tomboys have to grow up to be young ladies in the Midwest and are supposed to take on that role. Ptsh! That didn't work out too well…
» Define yourself. «
Phil dances through a Toronto mall. (Pointed out on the blog femme guy!)
DJ, glamrock baby, originally uploaded by ultrafinepoint.
Someone wrote…
When I shake the Magic 8 Ball in my soul and ask it whether I am fundamentally a boy or a girl, the answer I get is "Ask again later."
What's your experience?
someone get hank on the horn, originally uploaded by librarylindy.


text:
WBUR News
Support the news
Gov. Creates Ethics Reforms After Wilkerson Scandal
Gov. Deval Patrick has announced a series of ethics and lobbying reforms, hours after state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson ended her write-in campaign for re-election.
Patrick said Friday he would create an ethics and lobbying reform panel headed by his chief legal counsel, Ben Clements.
The commission will report back to the governor in 60 days with a list of ideas to reform Beacon Hill.
The governor also called on members of the public to take on incumbents and volunteer for public service.
But he said he was justified in supporting Wilkerson despite her prior federal tax conviction and numerous other problems, because she was the first to support his campaign for governor.
Wilkerson is accused of accepting $23,500 in bribes from undercover agents she believed were businessmen.
This program aired on October 31, 2008. The audio for this program is not available.
Support the news