I was watching the news last night. I know I shouldn't torture myself but sometimes I do. The lead-in story was, of course, about the Coronavirus, but with a twist. The video was showing a line of people, not practicing social distancing, standing in a queue to buy guns and ammo. WHAT? WTF is this? Guns? Guns!! Are we now preparing for a Zombie Apocalypse? People! Those are just TV shows. Not real. Apparently, fear of this illness has reached another level. Crazy stupid. The U.S deaths from Coronavirus is up to 100. Add firearms to the mix and it's going to double in no time at all. Statistics show that more gun owners usually get shot by their own gun than used to protect themselves or it's stolen and used in a violent crime somewhere else. The 2nd amendment gives you the right, but you don't necessarily need to exercise that right. I don't. I own no gun. I have a Louisville Slugger for protection.
I understand fear. Everyone fears the virus, because for some people, it's a death sentence. But for the young in good health, this is a mild hiccup in your routine for a few weeks. I have concerns every winter. I have gotten a flu shot for 20+ years and have not gotten it. Knock on wood. Every winter, I catch at least one cold. The last three years running I've caught three bouts of the common cold. Back to back to back. My fears long before this virus thing struck were of people sneezing and coughing.
I believe the motivation for gun purchase is people, who are hoarding all the toilet paper and cleaning supplies, want to arm up to protect their home as if it's Fort Knox holding the gold bullion supply. The other motivation is because they didn't get to the stores in time. They intend to rob a neighbor at gunpoint for a roll of TP. I don't know if any of that is true. I could be thinking way outside the box here. Crazy. I think people are still frightened of the unknown. Everyone alive today has never faced something like the Coronavirus. We, as humans, have a tendency to overact in a crisis. Where 9/11 brought us together, the virus has made us look at our fellow Americans as threats.
Yesterday, I took a break from working, reading and writing a BLOG. Punching the keys, I found myself on Amazon. Well, it was no surprise that all sorts of household necessities were out of stock and backlogged for delivery two to three weeks. If you have to poo, you're just going to have to hold it. The kicker was the price on a 5.5 ounce bottle of hand soap being sold by a third party.
Nothing fancy just plain old Softsoap is going for $10 a bottle, easily marked up threes times more than you would purchase in a grocery or big box discount store. The seller is Thunder General. Don't buy from this company. They obviously are trying to cash in on a crisis. We don't need those kind of retailers in our country. Crooks! Now, some people blame Amazon. Not to jump to their defense, these price gougers are not Amazon. They're private marketers selling through Amazon. Anyone can sell new or used items on Amazon. I used to list myself on Amazon years ago when I was selling my gently used books. The thing that raised my eyebrows was it wouldn't ship for a week. Overcharge me and make me wait. Sign me up!
Some guidelines:
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| A gun shop yesterday (3/17/20) in Culver City, CA REUTERS/Patrick T. Fallon |
I believe the motivation for gun purchase is people, who are hoarding all the toilet paper and cleaning supplies, want to arm up to protect their home as if it's Fort Knox holding the gold bullion supply. The other motivation is because they didn't get to the stores in time. They intend to rob a neighbor at gunpoint for a roll of TP. I don't know if any of that is true. I could be thinking way outside the box here. Crazy. I think people are still frightened of the unknown. Everyone alive today has never faced something like the Coronavirus. We, as humans, have a tendency to overact in a crisis. Where 9/11 brought us together, the virus has made us look at our fellow Americans as threats.
Yesterday, I took a break from working, reading and writing a BLOG. Punching the keys, I found myself on Amazon. Well, it was no surprise that all sorts of household necessities were out of stock and backlogged for delivery two to three weeks. If you have to poo, you're just going to have to hold it. The kicker was the price on a 5.5 ounce bottle of hand soap being sold by a third party.
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| Being sold by Thunder General. Don't buy! |
Nothing fancy just plain old Softsoap is going for $10 a bottle, easily marked up threes times more than you would purchase in a grocery or big box discount store. The seller is Thunder General. Don't buy from this company. They obviously are trying to cash in on a crisis. We don't need those kind of retailers in our country. Crooks! Now, some people blame Amazon. Not to jump to their defense, these price gougers are not Amazon. They're private marketers selling through Amazon. Anyone can sell new or used items on Amazon. I used to list myself on Amazon years ago when I was selling my gently used books. The thing that raised my eyebrows was it wouldn't ship for a week. Overcharge me and make me wait. Sign me up!
Some guidelines:
- Don't shop desperate. You'll make bad choices and will regret it.
- Read everything on the web page. If it says Alcohol free, it means alcohol free. Don't just assume when it states Coronavirus protection, that it's what you're looking for, especially if you are looking for a product with greater than 60% alcohol. Don't leave negative feedback if you were not thorough in your research. It's not their fault; it's yours.
- Don't purchase a product that you're not familiar with. It could be inferior and being shipped from China. And I think we've had enough of what China has shipped us this year.
- And for fux sake, don't hoard. Don't buy everything that is being offered, be it a store or an internet presence. We are not going to be quarantined for months. Some of us shop weekly and only buy what we need that week. You are leaving me no choice but to go to Costco and buy a 30 roll package of 2-ply Kirkland TP. My ass will be so unappreciative when I have to use it.
On another personal note, why are you people hoarding water? Even Distilled Water was gone. I use Distilled Water in my Keurig for my morning coffee. I'm running low. DON'T MESS WITH MY MORNING COFFEE!!! You bastards!!! If the stores don't get stock in soon, I'll be forced to use tap water. TAP WATER!!! With all its minerals and what-not! My coffee experience is going to be abysmal. Stop taking my water! Don't make me use my Louisville Slugger on your ass. Our water supply is not going to be contaminated, you Jackholes. It's not like you're not going to be able to go to the store. They haven't closed. And for fux sake, I hope our water is not coming from China.
We don't know how long this will last, but panicking is not going to save anyone. Be smart. Stay home. Lock your doors. Watch TV. Play board games. Life is a good one. Well, maybe not. Monopoly is another choice. Okay. These may be too apropos to the sitch. Put together puzzles, if you got 'em. Read a book. Libraries may still be closed but the ebook libraries through your local libraries are still open. You can read a book on your laptop, desktop, e-reader or like I do, my Kindle purchased through Amazon. (I sound like an Amazon spokesperson.) I'm trying to get sponsorship so I can work from home...FOREVER!!!
We don't know how long this will last, but panicking is not going to save anyone. Be smart. Stay home. Lock your doors. Watch TV. Play board games. Life is a good one. Well, maybe not. Monopoly is another choice. Okay. These may be too apropos to the sitch. Put together puzzles, if you got 'em. Read a book. Libraries may still be closed but the ebook libraries through your local libraries are still open. You can read a book on your laptop, desktop, e-reader or like I do, my Kindle purchased through Amazon. (I sound like an Amazon spokesperson.) I'm trying to get sponsorship so I can work from home...FOREVER!!!
However, I am working from home again today...and I'm still in my jammies. Woo-hoo!
As I sign off today, stupid people are out stocking up on guns and ammo and taking the last drop of Distilled Water. Don't be stupid like them. Be like Snarky Tom. Stay inside and be smart and constructive. Educate yourself. Read. Stay safe and keep your hands, body and mind washed and clean. We'll talk money next time and the idiocy of the stock market and their buffoon investors.
Until next time, TTFN.
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