1/ Some quick thoughts on masks, being vaccinated and not being a terrible person.

As of today, I'm two weeks clear of my second vaccine shot. FULLY VAXXED. Thank you, science. And thank you, beyond words, to all the front-line workers who have confronted this damn pandemic...
2/ ...bravely in the face of immeasurable selfishness and stupidity from people unwilling to take the simple steps needed to keep everyone safe.

Today the CDC said fully vaccinated people can go maskless outdoors unless they're in large crowds. That's great news.
3/ I still plan on keeping a mask with me at all times when I'm outside. I'll put it on anytime I'm around other people, whether they're masked or not. They may be vaccinated, they may not. They may be immunocompromised, or simply uncomfortable around maskless people.
4/ It's a very simple thing to do to make sure others feel safe and comfortable. And I still have a child too young to be vaccinated, so I'm interested in protecting my own family as well. This isn't difficult, nor is it onerous. It's how a community is supposed to function.
5/ We're slowly making our way out of this nightmare, but it's far from over. And even as things improve, it's going to take many people a minute to regain a sense of comfort and confidence. So why not consider how others might feel?
6/ Why is it such a big deal to do one small thing that might make people's lives easier? That isn't tyranny. It's not performative wokeness. It's just not being a selfish ass. Period.

The steps we needed to take to control the pandemic were never difficult.
7/ But it became politically fashionable to be an anti-science doink. It became "cool," in certain eddies of stupidity, to go against the flow.

My heart aches for those who lost friends and loved ones not just to a virus, but to a profoundly selfish swath of humanity.
8/ So I'm grateful for the vaccine. I welcome feeling safer.

And I'll keep respecting those who aren't yet safe, as well as those who need some time to feel safe.

This isn't a boast. This doesn't make me special.

It's quite literally the simplest thing any of us can do. END

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More from @RexHuppke

5 Apr
1/ People who care about newspapers might come together and buy the Chicago Tribune and our sister papers. Not definite. It could still fall through, I know. But for the first time in ages, it's a glimmer of hope.

Here's why this makes me so happy.

chicagotribune.com/business/ct-bi…
2/ I work with amazing people. I work with people who change lives, people who, particularly over the past year, put themselves at risk to tell stories people need to hear. I work with people who give a damn about their community and their country and the world.
3/ For as long as I can remember, the people I work with have been kicking ass and doing things right and, for my money, doing things as well as any newsroom in the country, without an ounce of job security. We've seen buyouts and layoffs, people leaving because of low pay.
Read 9 tweets
28 Mar
1/ So I wrote a column off Biden's news conference last week, making fun of the Fox News narrative that he's a senile puppet being controlled by nefarious "others."

You won't believe what happened! My email inbox has been flooded by people who...and you'll never guess this...
2/ ...are 110% convinced Biden is a senile puppet being controlled by nefarious "others." There is no hesitation or modulation. It's like Hannity sent an email template out to every Fox News viewer and instructed them to send it to any journalist who claims Biden isn't infirm.
3/ "So you don’t have a problem with a news conference that is preset up with written questions and answers. President Biden read his answers off a note card. He still managed to lose his train of thought 4 times. Our enemies are licking their chops."
Read 6 tweets
19 Mar
1/ A thread on Putin calling to debate Biden and Fox News and some in the GOP cheering for the Russian dictator:

Look, I've never been a super rah-rah "America is the BEST!" type, but I love this country. I get to do what I do because I live in this country.
2/ And I appreciate that every day. I've also spent time reporting on the military, and I've been around women and men willing to die for this country, and for my right to be a goofy dingbat who makes fun of politicians and other stuff. That’s humbling beyond measure.
3/ So when I see right-wing pundits and politicians cheering on a tyrant and true enemy of America like Putin, it makes me sick. It’s disreputable, selfish and insulting. It’s patently un-American, and a kick in the nuts to supposed conservative icons like Ronald Reagan, who...
Read 10 tweets
14 Jan
Oh, lord help me. IF YOU DO OR SAY SOMETHING HORRIBLE AND THEN YOUR COMPANY OR YOUR UNIVERSITY OR YOUR FRIENDS SUDDENLY WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU, IT'S NOT "CANCEL CULTURE," YOU SELF-RIGHTEOUS FART-NIBBLING NINCOMPOOPS!! IT'S YOU BEING A HORRIBLE PERSON AND NOBODY WANTING TO...
...BE ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR MISERABLE ASS! IT'S NOT A CONSPIRACY, IT'S A FUCKING CONSEQUENCE. IF I GO OUT AND FILM MYSELF PUNCHING A DONKEY, I'M GONNA GET FIRED AND MY FRIENDS ARE GOING TO BACK AWAY SLOWLY SAYING, "DUDE, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, WHY WOULD YOU PUNCH...
...A DONKEY, THAT'S SOME MESSED UP SHIT, MAN." AND GUESS WHAT? THEY'D BE REALLY, REALLY RIGHT TO FEEL THAT WAY.

SO IF YOU GO AND RAID THE FREAKING U.S. CAPITOL AND KILL A COP AND PARROT A BUNCH OF CONSPIRATORIAL NONSENSE ABOUT A STOLEN ELECTION, GUESS WHAT?? YOU'RE GONNA GET...
Read 8 tweets
25 Nov 20
1/ Here's a thing we'll have to reckon with in the weeks and months to come, as Trump fades from the spotlight that comes with holding the highest office in the land: The noise.

The noise is what you heard today at Giuliani's Gettysburg Disgrace and what you're hearing...
2/ ...tonight from the Flynn Truthers and pardon-enthusiasts who exist, wholly and completely, in a world of paranoid fiction.

Trump has been a primary focus, not because he is in any way exceptional or worthy of attention but because he is the president, and he has been...
3/ ...a destroyer of norms. As much as people have cried "Just ignore him!" the truth is you can't just ignore the president of the United States.

But now that he lost, it already feels different. He's still president, but he's a lame duck and, as such, his wailings seem more...
Read 11 tweets
4 Nov 20
1/ In the days before the election, I wrote two columns. The first said Trumpism is a cult and cult members show up. The second said we must count every vote - period.

It seems those two things are playing out. His followers turned out in huge numbers. And we're still counting.
2/ What surprises me a bit is the widespread shock at the tightness of the race. Many seem truly surprised that such a large portion of the populace would still support Trump.

I'm not. Throughout his presidency we've heard repeated calls of, "This is not who we are!"
3/ I respect those calls, and truly wish they were true. But they're not. If this - **waves hands wildly in all directions** - was not who we are, it wouldn't be happening. There wouldn't be GOP lawmakers too chickenshit to stand up to Trump because voters back home would...
Read 11 tweets

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