Thread by @FreedomFriesInc

RIP Colin Powell

More than 6 decades of service to the USA.

A Vietnam War veteran (2 tours).

Only gained full civil rights age 31.

When Colin Powell was dating his future wife Alma, he had to travel from NYC to Alabama, during the Jim Crow era. Almost everyone reading this has no idea what that was like for a black guy and girl.

84 years old, so can remember the end of WWII.

Worked for 5 US Presidents.

NB I haven't fact checked that - Powell worked for Nixon, then Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, Bush 43 and, I assume, Obama. Whether it was 4, or 6 presidents, his experience at the top levels of the federal government was almost unmatched in our time.

Now, about the facts of his final illnesses and death...

Colin Powell had multiple myeloma, & underwent chemotherapy. Cancer is a known risk factor if you contract Covid. Still, those who can be vaccinated, should be. He gave himself the best odds by being fully vaccinated.

Willfully ignorant anti-vaxxers will claim that vaccination doesn't work whenever a vaccinated person dies of Covid complications.

Always pause to find out if there was an additional illness.

We must #GetVaccinated to help the immunocompromised, if nothing else.

If sufficient Americans had been fully vaccinated before the Delta variant arrived in the country, people like Colin Powell might have been able to avoid contracting less-transmissible Covid until their cancer was in remission. (Think of those under 65 with cancer, especially.)

Even if you didn't like Colin Powell due to misunderstanding the WMDs issue and willfully ignoring his incredible service over 6 decades, more people who are household names are gonna die from Covid, directly or indirectly. This ain't over yet. Learn and do more to help fight it.

If Colin Powell could speak to us today he'd encourage us to get vaccinated, #MaskUp in public out of compassion for others (esp. indoors or when you can't avoid being within 6' / 2m of others, get informed, & serve our communities by helping vulnerable folk & essential workers.

A word about seniors. My parents are close in age to Colin Powell & have medical issues that increase their Covid complications risk.

They deserve to live out their remaining years, and to be as healthy as possible.

They're vaccinated & are now experts at social distancing...

When people say things about seniors & Covid that are clearly ignorant, thoughtless, & discriminatory, I go into Mad Momma Bear mode.

Most swing voters are (broadly) in my demographic, at least in terms of being 30s-50s.

Many RW politicians are STILL saying these things.

Right now in the US, people of all ages are dying of Covid, mostly because they're unvaccinated. Infants have died of it. Otherwise healthy 25 year olds, too.

Prior to the 2020 election a large number were seniors. Enough "suburban women" switched from R to D for that reason.

I just think it's important to point out how the accurate or inaccurate beliefs about this pandemic influenced the election outcome.

Many will remember Colin Powell for the unfortunate cause of his death, instead of the outstanding dad, husband, soldier & public servant he was.

RIP, soldier. Colin Luther Powell, we will remember you.

🇺🇸

Erratum. (Sigh):

In tweet (1) I said he gained full civil rights age 31, bc I thought he was born in 1935 not 1937,& I counted back from the Voting Rights Act 1965. The correct age was 28.

My goal was to remind folk how recently some citizens were denied basic rights...

There's much more I could say on the subject of public servants who gave so much to the country, and came from a modest, or even a disadvantaged background.

People can still do this, you know. Remembering the life of Colin Powell today has brought my attention to that.