I can't be in a place such as this, at the entrance to a House chambers, without remembering an incident in Washington back in the 1980's. One day I was standing near the closed door of the House chambers in the capitol building, just looking around, when suddenly I heard a flurry of activity. Turning to look I saw a herd of important people in suits headed my way, but I just stood there and gawked, not know who it was or what the excitement was about. When in a few seconds they got to where I was - right in front of the doorway - one of the suits frantically gestured for me to move out of the way, saying that another suit needed to get in there NOW to vote on a bill.
I don't remember seeing cameras around, but heard on the national news later that day that some representative was almost late to vote, but because he got there on time a bill passed regarding amnesty for illegal aliens. Thus, I was an unwitting witness to - and almost got in the way of - history.
On another trip visiting Washington, also in the '80's, I remember being across the street from the White House in front of the Treasury Department just walking around looking at things. Then suddenly out of nowhere a guy walks along and stops right next to me, not five feet away from where I was standing. That wouldn't have been anything remarkable were it not for the fact that he was surrounded by a phalanx of cameras and reporters with microphones. Turns out it was none other than Brian Mulroney, Prime Minister of Canada, who had just visited Reagan and was on his way to wherever he was going next. Still not knowing who he was and what the fuss was about, I moved over for a better look and ended up just behind him, no more than three feet away, looking into the lenses of all those cameras. Had to have ended up on TV that night, but like I said I didn't learn until later who the guy was or why he had reporters following him everywhere...
No comments:
Post a Comment