We lost a true patriot this week, Colin Powell, and I had the fortunate opportunity to meet him at my brother’s swearing in ceremony at the State Department. I think I committed a faux pas, however, as I brought his autobiography with me and asked him to sign it. I guess you just don’t do that with a sitting Secretary of State, in his office. But I did, and he obliged.
What bothered me about the announcement of his death was that the family stated it was from complications from COVID-19. The reality is he was 84 years old, had Parkinson’s Disease and multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells that suppresses the body’s immune system. The bottom line is that he was in bad health and was old, and COVID was just one of several problems he was facing. They all led to his death. He died with COVID, not from it.
But what burns my buns is that he will be added to the statistics of COVID deaths, now approaching 750,000 with 45 million positive cases, and not to the cancer stats. And, because he was vaccinated, the anti-vaxxers will use him to convince themselves it doesn’t work. He was supposed to get his booster last week.
Well, the good news is that not only did I get my Pfizer booster last week, I also got my flu shot. So, when I see you in two weeks at the NIC Conference I will be the most protected person you talk to, so don’t be afraid of a big hug.
