Raz Shafer

Saved by Grace. Proud to be Stoney & Cannon’s Dad + Jennie’s husband. Jack of a few trades. #hillsdalecollege
#Muster001

[Raz Shafer @razshafer]

One of my favorite Stonewall quotes. But the last part is missing, “That is the way all men should live, and then all men would be equally brave.

[History With Jacob @HistoryWJacob]

"My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death.

I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me."

Stonewall Jackson

[Raz Shafer @razshafer]

@JudgeDillard The scene re Moore/his SIL arguing about law and attacking the devil is perpetually important.

[Raz Shafer @razshafer]

@JudgeDillard Great list. Inclusion of A man for all seasons is the coup de grace.

[Raz Shafer @razshafer]

Many thanks to @MichaelDell and his bride for their commitment to helping young people get a strong financial foundation! My boys and so many other children are being blessed by them!

[Raz Shafer @razshafer]

@Heminator Congrats!! Sorry we didn't celebrate that milestone at the Hillsdale event today. Great to have y'all there!

[Hillsdale College @Hillsdale]

LIVESTREAM | TODAY, 9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. ET
Hillsdale's Sixteenth Annual Constitution Day Celebration at https://t.co/fSr3I5ddpC.

Scheduled today:
Bradley C.S. Watson, Hillsdale College
@RandyEBarnett, @GeorgetownLaw
Ronald J. Pestritto, Hillsdale College
R.R. Reno, @firstthingsmag
David Azerrad, Hillsdale College
Christopher Caldwell, @ClaremontInst
Mark Hemingway (@Heminator), @RCInvestigates
Batya Ungar-Sargon (@bungarsargon), @NewsNation
@MZHemingway, @FEDRLST

[Raz Shafer @razshafer]

Not the kind of records we like to break…

[Dallas Texas TV @DallasTexasTV]

DFW officially breaks record for most 100-degree days ever recorded in September

[Hillsdale College @Hillsdale]

LIVESTREAM | TODAY, 8:00 p.m. ET | Watch @SenMikeLee, “America at 250 and the Coming Election.”

Hillsdale's Seventeenth Annual Constitution Day Celebration at https://t.co/fSr3I5ddpC.

Our coverage continues tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. and concludes at 1:30 p.m. Tune in for in-depth and intellectually engaging discussions on the United States Constitution and its broader significance.

[Raz Shafer @razshafer]

I've had the honor to know Brian and his bride for nearly 20 years now and been richly blessed by them. Very excited by what he's doing at the pentagon but miss them in TX!

[The Real Mike Rowe @mikeroweworks]

On September 11, 2001, Lieutenant Colonel Brian Birdwell was working on the second floor of the Pentagon's E-Ring (the outermost ring) when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the building. He was just 15 to 20 yards away from the exact point where the nose of the plane penetrated the structure, making him one of the closest people to the impact to survive.

Moments before the crash, Birdwell had stepped out of the restroom. When the aircraft hit at 9:37 a.m., he heard a sound louder than anything he had ever experienced. The explosion tossed him "like a rag doll" down the corridor and instantly set him ablaze. The intense heat and fuel vapor melted his polyester military uniform directly onto his skin. Trapped in pitch-black, toxic smoke, and unable to breathe due to searing air and jet fuel vapor, Birdwell collapsed. Believing he was about to die, he prayed, said a silent goodbye to his family, and "accepted his death". Suddenly, the Pentagon’s ceiling sprinkler system activated right above him, extinguishing the flames on his body. This gave him just enough strength to crawl and find help.

A group of colleagues found him in the smoke, pulling him to safety. Because the burns were so extensive across his body, a medical team at a makeshift triage station inside the Pentagon had to administer an IV and morphine directly through his feet, which were the only parts of his body left unburned. Birdwell suffered burns over 60% of his body, with nearly half of them being third-degree. His most critical injury was an intensive internal inhalation injury. The scorching air and toxic fumes had severely seared his lungs, requiring him to be placed on a respirator for several weeks.

Doctors initially gave Birdwell less than a 1% chance of survival, prompting him to say what he thought were his final goodbyes to his 12-year-old son from his hospital bed. Against all odds, he survived. He spent 92 days at the MedStar Washington Hospital Center Burn Unit and underwent 39 reconstructive surgeries over four years of agonizing rehabilitation to regain his mobility. He was awarded the Purple Heart for the wounds he received that day.”
--
Almost 25 years later, I met Brian at the Pentagon, not far from where he cheated death. That’s him, all the way on to my right, barely in the frame. The guy in the green tie with a big smile. We met in The Hall of Heroes, where I had just accepted a check for The mikeroweWORKS Foundation, on behalf of everyone at Build Freedom - including The Honorable Brian Birdwell.

“My name is Brian Birdwell,” he said. “And I just wanted to say hello and thank you for all those dirty jobs! And for what you’re doing with your foundation. I think it’s terrific!”

“Thanks,” I said. “I appreciate your support and I promise to spend the money wisely. Oh, and thank you for your service.”

It was a rather assumptive thing to say, since I didn’t know at the time that Brian Birdwell had been a Lt. Colonel in the Army, much less what he’d endured 25 years ago. But there was something about his bearing. His posture. The flag on the lapel. The scars on his hands. He seemed like a man who understood sacrifice.
“This is the greatest country in the world,” he said, “and it’s my privilege to serve it. Now keep on doing what you do, Mr. Rowe!"

There were many other hands to shake that day, and lots of other people to meet, including the fine Americans standing with Brian, all of whom have stories worth sharing. But on this day, I’ll focus on Brian Birdwell. Partly because I really appreciate what Build Freedom is doing for our country, and partly because I really am grateful for the service and the sacrifice he made for you and me. But mostly, because 25 years after those murderous swine tried their best to kill him, Brian Birdwell is still standing. Still smiling. Still serving the country he loves.

I realized all of this several minutes ago, after I boarded a United flight from LAX to San Francisco. As we waited on the tarmac, I saw a link in my newsfeed to the article I quoted above, and learned about the man who somehow survived the attack on the Pentagon 25 years ago. A man I last saw in The Hall of Heroes, wearing a green tie and a big smile. A man called Brian Birdwell, who didn’t bother to tell me about himself the day we met. Hopefully, he won’t mind too much if I tell you about him today, before wising all of you safe travels, in friendly skies.

[Raz Shafer @razshafer]

@JonahDispatch You’re more optimistic than I, but I hope you’re right. Long hoped that the other books would get a film adaptation.

[Raz Shafer @razshafer]

@IVMiles I've wanted to see the other books adapted but remaking Lonesome Dove is heresy. If Taylor Sheridan was running point, I would consider witholding judgement for a bit...but still...

[Raz Shafer @razshafer]

@jpodhoretz …what could go wrong…
I like the idea of the other books being adapted but have no faith in modern show runners to be faithful.

[Michael Knowles @michaeljknowles]

Honored to announce that I'll be joining the Hillsdale Class of 2027 for commencement exercises next spring!

[Raz Shafer @razshafer]

@chrisfaulkner 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Hillsdale College @Hillsdale]

Hillsdale appears on Princeton Review’s lists for both “students study the most” and “happiest students.” We like to think these things are related.

“Strength Rejoices in the Challenge.”

[Raz Shafer @razshafer]

@barstoolsports That’s how every fly-over pilot wants to do them! Go ask any USAF pilot that has done them how they’d like to: “Low and on burner” is how every one will answer.

[Raz Shafer @razshafer]

@emzanotti 🤣 I was homeschooled until college (slight exception being dual credit college courses and a few online courses) and I always found these accusations rich. The fact that my entire career has revolved around relationships makes it doubly so.

[Raz Shafer @razshafer]

@bdomenech Cruel and unusual seems only a starting point. Full punishment for such crimes cannot be meted out this side of eternity…but a proper attempt seems reasonable.

[Raz Shafer @razshafer]

@IVMiles Much can be said about Jackson and his decision to fight for the wrong side. His record of going against prevailing wisdom and law in the South m, regarding blacks, counters much of the common narrative. There are many reasons I named my son after him.

[Raz Shafer @razshafer]

@IVMiles 😳😳😳

[Brian Wesbury @wesbury]

Yesterday, when the Treasury announced buybacks, and the bond market rallied…I got sick to my stomach. It’s rearranging the chairs on the decks of the Titanic. The real problem - Deficits (all over the world). Governments have lost their minds. No amount of financial engineering will fix this. The only thing that will fix it is to stop spending. If governments actually raise taxes to levels needed to fund their current drunken largesse, they will kill all growth and make problems even worse. The other problem with all this spending, is that we are borrowing from savers and giving it to consumers. We are eating our seed corn. In addition to all this, we are not hearing about the losses in pension funds, insurance companies, banks, and central banks in Europe or Japan or the US. They are huge. Pension funds bought debt at negative interest rates and now face huge losses. To repeat: The only way to fix this is to stop spending. Or, somehow miraculously to lift growth rates. But, governments are larger as a share of GDP and this has reduced growth rates. Keynesianism works in the reverse way people are taught in school. It’s crushes growth in the long-term even though it feels good in the short-term. The US’s $40 trillion in debt is a long-term problem…issuing 3-month T-bills doesn’t make it a short-term problem. Buying back long-term bonds doesn’t make it a short-term problem. Governments have to start facing reality and stop pursuing short-term, feel-good, nonsense solutions. Again: Cut the size of government…it’s the only real solution.