Thoughts On The Kung Flu Panic

I went to church services yesterday. The county order to shelter in place starts today, so I was fairly safe in doing so. Despite that, our congregation, that usually sports 150 or so souls at each of two services, was down to perhaps 20 or so. I didn't count. I am not telling you where this church is, or who the pastor is for his and their safety. But I wanted to make the point that he himself made about the virus: that Satan is laughing right now.  Satan loves chaos, and loves to stir up controversy and trouble for us.  I raised my hand and when called on, said an Amen.  Being Lutheran, that is not usual behavior, but then, these are not usual times.

The Catholic Diocese has shut down in person services, and is only doing services on line.  That is too bad.  The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America here has also gone to online services.  Not sure how they are distributing communion.  Again, too bad.  Or pastor has said that he is committed to maintaining services even if he has to schedule many services for 10 people at a time, or, and this was just making fun of the Governor, but since he can hold funerals of up to 50 attendees, have a memorial service for each of the saints of the church.  There are a lot of saints of the church:-)  Again, this was not to be taken seriously, but to point out the illogic of the Governor's statewide order.

People want to blame Trump for the virus.  But Trump has been doing exactly what a leader should be doing, so I don't blame him.  And while Democrats' reaction both to Trump and the virus have been despicable, I don't blame them for it either.  Viruses are an inherent risk of living in a fallen world.  Between you and me, I think it makes more sense to pray "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."  I can not change the virus.  I can modify, but not eliminate the risk.  And only the Living God knows everything, I only have my best judgement.

My daughter was quick to criticize me for endangering her, her children and her husband.  Of course, I do not think I am, but she is clearly in a panic, having listened to nonstop coverage of the Kung Flu on television.  She notes that hand sanitizer is largely sold out.  However, what is not sold out is isopropyl alcohol. which is the actual sanitizer in hand sanitizer.  Maybe you can't find Purell, but you can make your own with isopropyl alcohol.  Or, for that matter, use rum, or vodka.  Personally, I just use soap and water.  Part of your protection against invading viruses and bacteria is your own microbiome.  To stay healthy, you want to keep your microbiome as diverse and healthy as possible, which means using things like hand sanitizer lightly, but wash with water frequently. Note also that you can make a solution of 10% Clorox bleach in water as a sanitizer for surfaces such as kitchen counters and table tops. Clorox bleach is not sold out either.  Put it in a spray bottle and use it frequently to sanitize surfaces.  It will however, corrode door knobs and other metal surfaces, so use the isopropyl alcohol on these places.

My own personal take, and its just a gut feeling, is that the Wuhan Flu will turn out to be more deadly than the regular seasonal flu, but less deadly than SARS (remember that pandemic?)  SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) is also a coronavirus, and also jumped from an animal to humans.  But I think it is best expressed here by Stacey Myers at the American Thinker today in a blog post entitled Is This Real Life, Or Just A Bad Dream:

I don't think anyone denies that the coronavirus is a particularly ugly bug. Everyone I know wants to minimize its impact as best we can.

...snip...

It seems that the collective "we" have lost our minds. Power-hungry local governments are competing to see who "cares more" by coming up with more restrictive laws than the next one over. Many of the edicts don't make common sense. Some are unenforceable because they are too vague or unconstitutional. But that doesn't help the business-owners or their employees now. Or the parent who hasn't been able to see his child because the other parent has unilaterally decided it is "best" to wait until this health crisis is over to exchange the child. Or the many other unanticipated consequences. Many businesses will never re-open their doors. You can't recapture time with your child. Americans must be trusted to do what is right for themselves and their families. If you don't trust others to do what you think is right, you are free to stay at home! Quarantine yourself, wear a mask, wash your hands. Do whatever you think is necessary to protect yourself and your family. That's what personal freedom and responsibility are about. Those who are at higher risk have the right and responsibility to protect and insulate themselves.

Indeed, most of these "shelter in place" orders are likely to be found Unconstitutional...later. What those who issue them are counting on is that by the time appeals work their way through the courts, they will be moot. But as Myers notes, Americans should be free to make their own decisions. My Pastor made the same point by pointing out that he makes no judgement about peoples decisions based on their own situations. Stay at home, or go to church, he will be there to minister to people.

In the time of the Chinese Flu, however, I would also note that It's Not Unreasonable To Want A Gun Right Now. As Cam Edwards notes at Bearing Arms:

Gun control advocates are losing the argument right now, and for a simple reason. They’re wrong. It’s not unreasonable to want a firearm to protect yourself and your family, and I’m not saying that because I’m part of the gun lobby, or I’m trying to stoke fear and panic in order to buy guns. The coronavirus is already having an impact on some police departments, and officers themselves are growing increasingly concerned about what the next few weeks could look like.

...snip...

Departments across the nation are already telling people that they aren’t responding in person to most non-violent crimes, and some non-violent criminals are being released early from their jail or prison stays. This has been done in an attempt to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the institutions, where social distancing is practically impossible, but we’re already starting to see outbreaks in county jails, state prisons, and federal penitentiaries. We’re not going to get to the point of releasing convicted killers and other violent criminals, but the corrections system is going to be just as stressed as law enforcement, and we could see more inmates in jail for non-violent crimes let out early, even if they have violent criminal histories in their past.

Remember that YOU are your own first responder, and you have always been that. The police are there to draw the chalk outlines and investigate the crime after it has occurred. Despite what TV and movies show, the police do not usually save individual lives. None of this is meant to disparage these brave men and women, who put their lives on the line for us. The presence of police no doubt helps to tamp down criminal activity. But they are not there to be your personal body guards. So, yes, it is not unreasonable to want a gun. But if it is your first gun, follow the advice here, and for heavens sake, stay safe.