A high school girl in Vermont became an instant social media hero after she flipped anti-mask protesters off and a photo of her reaction spread like wildfire on social media.
The protesters have been outside the girl’s school — Champlain Valley Union High School — each morning recently, so Meagan Downey texted a message to her mother, Fiona, that read:
“I FLIPPED OFF THE ANTI-MASKERS AND SHE FLIPPED ME OFF BACK.”
That uplifted middle finger was captured by Glenn Russell of the VT Digger:
Philip Lewis of HuffPost then tweeted out a screen capture of the photo, and it went viral in no time:
If we’re being completely honest, we’ve all thought at one time or another that Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) isn’t quite right.
Now, however, we have confirmation that Paul is indeed off-kilter, and it comes to us courtesy of a colleague of his in the U.S. Senate, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH).
AlterNet reports that during a mass vaccination event in Columbus, Ohio, Brown remarked:
“He’s kind of a lunatic. He thinks he wants to be different, but it doesn’t serve the public interest.”
Just a couple of months ago, Paul clashed with Dr. Anthony Fauci during a Senate hearing on COVID-19. He insisted that it was “theater” for those who were already fully vaccinated to still wear a protective mask. Fauci disagreed and let the senator know just how ignorant he sounded saying such a thing. He also explained why it’s a good idea to wear a mask even after one has been vaccinated:
“The expert immunologist has warned that although the COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer and others offer major protection, it is still possible for someone who has been fully vaccinated to be infected and spread COVID-19 to others โ and for that reason, Fauci recommends wearing masks as an added precaution.”
There was also this confrontation between Paul and Fauci back in June of last year:
Sen. Rand Paul accused Dr. Anthony Fauci and others of focusing too much on the risks at a Senate hearing on COVID-19.
Paul: "All I hear, Dr. Fauci, is, 'We can't do this, we can't do that. We can't play baseball.'" Fauci: "The only thing I can do is … give you the facts." pic.twitter.com/AfwwCWgwYz
Did you wonder why there were fewer cases of the flu last year, especially during peak flu season? Because so many of us were wearing masks! Maybe we need to do that every year when it’s flu season if only to save lives. Why does this have to be controversial? We should all be willing to do what’s best for others and not just what makes us feel good. That’s what it means to be a member of a civilized society.
But there’s something more at play here: Rand Paul is a dick. Plain and simple. He knows he is, and he plays it up because he thinks that’s what his constituents want to hear. Maybe he’s right, but he’s still a lunatic and a douchebag.
