Bill Thompson

I remember getting told in an equal opportunity briefing we were getting, it doesn't matter what you meant when you said what you were saying.

It only matters what the person felt when you said it.

It was a military equal opportunity briefing.

And the example they gave was if a woman walks into the, like we worked with a lot of civilians at this military organization where we're developing these offensive cyber capabilities, a lot of civilians in there.

And so if, you know, woman X walks in today and she's got a dress on and the thought in your head is, I'd like to get my wife that dress or something like it or find out where she bought it.

And you just say, that's a nice dress.

Anyway, here's the TPS reports.

If she heard something sexual or didn't like the connotation or whatever, there's going to be an investigation.

You're going to be pulled out of that office.

This is all gonna happen despite what you meant.

So the idea probably was good.

We want to prevent sexual harassment inside of the office.

But it was weaponized.

But it was weaponized and it was carried out in a way where it's only about how people feel and not what a reasonable person standard would be in a particular situation.

And from the time I joined the military until that time, we had been at war.

My entire time in the military, we were at war.

I deployed throughout my career.

And I wouldn't say that I was a war horse.

I was not a long tabber.

I was not a cool guy kicking in doors.