My Week in Tweets (April 23-29)

Dan Rather

• 4 min read
My Week in Tweets (April 23-29)

If it’s Friday, it’s time for “My Week in Tweets”… Hope you enjoy another walk through my personal feed, annotated with a fair amount of “shade.”

- Friday, April 23rd-

One of the great joys of Twitter is being able to highlight the work of important journalism. I kicked the week off by sharing an article written by my friend Dahlia Lithwick. It really seemed to hit a nerve as more than 17 thousand of you clicked to read it. I can understand why. It’s a thought-provoking framing of the current Supreme Court.

- Saturday, April 24th -

First of all, thanks for not being the grammar police and noticing that every day should have been two words instead of one. I love promoting these vital local businesses. Many of you did indeed use the hashtag #WhatUnitesUs and shared your beloved booksellers, big and small, across the country. However, keeping these businesses up and running has to be a year-long exercise.

Here are steps to support your local bookstore:

Use the website IndieBound.org to find an independent bookstore in your area

Pre-order a book

Make a donation and/or support their fundraising campaign

Buy a gift card

Share on social media how much you love them

In the rush of life, you can always count on nature to provide a reason to stop everything and pursue a moment of observation and awe, whether it’s the fluttering of a wing or a dramatic squall. To be honest, this is some of my favorite kind of content. Isn’t #NatureTwitter great?

- Sunday, April 25th -

First of all, a typo. Oops, embarrassing but no edit on Twitter. Sadly, there’s nothing new about this phenomenon. As I’ve said before, “There’s a certain irony of those who broadcast to millions of followers their plight of being silenced. If a tree falls in the forest but it was #cancelled, does it still make a sound?”

- Monday, April 26th -

A simple yet powerful reminder. Wherever you are reading this, in whatever place and whatever space, I hope that you are celebrated. And if you find a lack, know that with these words I am thinking of you and giving you a cheer as you go on your way.

What a difference a day makes. The change on January 20 was much more than a new leader-in-chief. In the battle against the coronavirus, the Biden administration has proven to be a return to effective governance, belief in science, and action towards the public good. Although we have made mistakes and we have a long way to go, at least we have seen improvement and what could prove to be a light at the end of this long pandemic tunnel.

- Tuesday, April 27th -

This ridiculous notion that the Biden administration would ban hamburgers because of climate change was based on a lie that ricocheted around right-wing media for a day and I decided to type out this tweet. Simply put, Biden’s not coming to take your buns. I knew the use of a pun would bring a lot of calls for dad (Dan?) jokes but a lot of you jumped into the mood. Some of my favorites were:

  • Lettuce face the facts
  • They should sauce better information
  • They got themselves in a pickle
  • No bun intended

For those who are shaking their heads, while I relish your feedback I must admit that I mayo may not cut down on puns in the future.

- Wednesday, April 28th -

My apologies for butchering the works of Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green, but injecting a little sense of Gotham into the tragedy that is Rudy Giuliani was fitting.

- Thursday, April 29th -

The junior senator from Texas is no stranger to fleeing situations he dislikes. But whether he was actually sleeping or feigning a Congressional nap makes little difference. He would rather read the back of his eyelids (or an inflight magazine) than read the room.

- In Case You Missed It -

Here are some articles from this week of stories underreported or just plain interesting:

How Brick & Mortar Books has become a pillar of the Redmond community [Seattle Times]

In the Eastside suburb that tech companies like Microsoft made famous, the independent bookstore Brick & Mortar has become an invaluable part of the community.

Republicans Target Voter Access in Texas Cities, but Not Rural Areas [New York Times]

In Houston, election officials found creative ways to help a struggling and diverse work force vote in a pandemic. Record turnout resulted. Now the G.O.P. is targeting those very measures.

Statements on Passing of Astronaut Michael Collins [NASA]

"This trip of ours to the Moon may have looked, to you, simple or easy… All you see is the 3 of us, but beneath the surface are thousands and thousands of others, and to all those I would like to say, thank you very much." - Michael Collins, Apollo 11

Pope Francis Issues Law to Combat Corruption in the Vatican [New York Times]

Cardinals and other church officials will be required to make detailed financial disclosures and decline most gifts.

Well, that’s a walk through my Twitter week. I hope you enjoyed it.

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