The Lens:
I got a text this morning about 6:30am from a gal pal with the news Senator Diane Feinstein had died. To native San Franciscans, this is more than news. It is personal.
Many of us remember the shocking events that made Feinstein mayor of San Francisco, and the White Night riots that took place when former Supervisor Dan White, who killed Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, received a slap on the wrist for his crime through the now infamous “Twinkie Defense.” A dark time for San Francisco.
Her tragic ascension to become the first female mayor of San Francisco would propel her to go on to great things. She was a phenomenal mayor. She would become a gifted Senator as well as the longest serving female Senator in history. The San Francisco Chronicle headline to follow Feinstein’s passing called her a “Political Titan.”
With her firsthand experience with gun violence, she became a champion of banning assault weapons. She spearheaded the Assault Weapons Ban Amendment that passed in 1994.
Whether or not you agree with the amendment, her ability to win votes on both sides of the aisle is a testament to one of her greatest strengths – being a builder of consensus.
To be an effective consensus builder, you have to listen, and not just to those on your side. Our local broadcast this morning noted Feinstein was not afraid to listen to the “other” side, something that seems almost unheard of in today’s politics.
No wonder nothing can get done anymore.
I always admired Feinstein’s calm yet forceful presence. As the President of the Board of Supervisors when Moscone and Milk were killed, it was her responsibility (“duty” as she put it) to announce the killings.
Having just attended to her shot colleague – her fingers going into a bullet hole as she tried to take Milk’s pulse, having learned of the killing of the mayor, and the perpetrator of both killings was her former colleague, Supervisor Dan White, she had to stand in front of a crowd of people and news cameras, and break the news.
You can see the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yjVnjWPPDU&t=196s.
You can hear the gasps as the announcement is made. Feinstein’s composure under such extraordinary circumstances was a preview of her steel and grit.
The Refraction:
Harvey Milk. He was a controversial figure, even back in the day. He was an openly gay supervisor and activist who championed gay rights. Even in San Francisco, many people weren’t ready to accept the tide of homosexuals moving to the City and the power they were exerting.
Milk, along with Mayor George Moscone, would end up being assassinated by former Supervisor Dan White.
Nearly 45 years after his death, Milk continues to be controversial. Recently, the School Board in Temecula, California rejected textbooks that included references to Milk because he was gay. The district relented only when threatened with a significant monetary fine.
I believe we are all put here on this earth for a reason. I may have even said that in previous posts.
Harvey Milk was elevated to martyr status upon his death. It would seem Milk’s purpose was to spur a movement for gay rights. But, I think there is more to his purpose than that.
Looking at Diane Feinstein, it would seem she was made for the Senate, her purpose in life. But, without Harvey Milk, there is no Diane Feinstein.
If you know Feinstein’s background, she ran twice for mayor of San Francisco and lost. She was ready to give up on politics when the assassinations thrust her into the mayor’s seat.
She sought bigger things from there, losing in her bid for the governorship of California but succeeding in becoming the state’s first female senator. She was re-elected time-and-time again and went on to server 31 years.
Dan White’s motive for killing Milk and Moscone has never been definitively answered but leans toward Mayor Moscone not reappointing White to the board, at Milk’s behest, after he resigned. If the narrative of White’s motive is correct, he was angry with Milk for opposing his reappointment, and then, in turn, with Moscone, who had initially told White he would reappoint him but changed his mind. It stands to reason, then, without Milk, there is no assassination of Moscone, and there is no Mayor Feinstein.
So much of what happens in our lives is left to chance. At the drop of a hat, our trajectories change. Fate, as they call it.
We like to think we are in charge of our lives. To a degree we are. But, we should never underestimate fate. We are no match for it.