THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE CRAZY

Crises always seem to bring out the extremes in society and this COVID-19 pandemic is no exception.

Right now we can see numerous examples of how this health crisis is bringing out the good, the bad, and the crazy in people. And the scare in America is really only just beginning. All of this will be magnified in the next few weeks.

THE GOOD.

First of all, let us trust our best, most reliable sources for leadership. Unfortunately, President Trump has shown himself to be incapable of leading the country in this moment of crisis. In reality, he has done more harm than good. However, he has some outstanding experts around him who have stepped up to lead the nation. First and foremost is Dr. Anthony Fauci. He should be our go-to guy on what to do now and in the near future. He is filling the vacuum left by the president. We should all thank God for him and the others around him, such as Dr. Deborah Birx. We can have confidence that they will see us through this dark hour. Dr. Fauci was just on TV this morning, on NBC's "Meet the Press.". Find him here . I, for one, listen to every word he says. He is the expert.

Two of the hardest hit countries in Europe are Italy and Spain. They are in lock down for the duration of the crisis. Yet, even as people huddle in fear in their homes, they rise to cheer for the health care professionals among them who risk their very lives to tend the sick and dying. Look at this video from Italy. In Spain, too, people took to their windows and balconies to applaud the health workers. Find that video here . In Italy, Spain, and elsewhere people know we are all in this together. What affects one of us affects all of us.

THE BAD.

In Alabama, there is a stampede on gun shops to stock up on ammunition and guns. Find the report of this here . Now, this one baffles me. The virus does not care if a person has a gun or not. No bullet is going to stop the virus. The only explanation that makes any sense to me is fear of social breakdown. Perhaps some people believe the police/military will be incapacitated by the virus and there will be a collapse of civil order, therefore people will have to defend themselves against the lawless. If you come up with a better explanation for the run on gun shops, please let me know. Stripping the shelves at Walmart of toilet paper is crazy too, but it actually makes more sense to me than stocking up on ammunition (even though, from what I gather, the coronavirus is upper respiratory, not lower GI track).

THE CRAZY.

Believe it or not, some people are drinking bleach in the crazy idea that they can disinfect themselves against the virus. I know, I was incredulous at this too. Find an NBC report on this madness here . This fits into the "What were they thinking?" category. It is not just toilet paper that has disappeared from the shelves, it is also all disinfectant products such as household bleach. In fact, there was a fist fight at a local Walmart here over the last jug of Clorox. A tiny amount of household bleach in a lot of water can be used as a disinfectant, but not to drink! It is toxic!


This pandemic will not last forever. It will end. The best way to get through this crisis is by bringing out the best in ourselves. As the people in Europe know, we are all in this together. Let's follow the leadership of the experts of the Center for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health as the situation worsens. South Carolina is reporting 19 cases today and Alabama, 12. We can expect that the worst is yet to come in these states, indeed, in the whole U.S.