Abandoned Streets

By Douglas V. Gibbs
Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host

As I drove the abandoned streets of my home town, I learned on the radio that in major cities around the country (and around the world) places where people gather are shutting down for a while.  All sporting events have gone into hiatus.  Restaurants are pretty much closed, but one can still order take-out.  When I went by my grocery store the line went out the door and along the building.  Interestingly enough, the line at the gun and ammo store was long, too.  I changed my mind about picking up a couple things at any of the grocery stores after seeing what was going on.  I went across the street from my main usual shopping zone to a discount store, and it too was packed with people, and the only empty parking spaces in the whole lot were the ones in front of a Chinese food restaurant.  Everybody is huddled at home, probably huddling close to each other as the temperature drops, and nobody wants to turn on their heaters for fear that they may not have the money to pay the heating bill since many of the places of employment will be reducing hours, or sending people home, during this moment of coronavirus hysteria.

My dentist cancelled our appointment.  They are shutting down for the next few weeks, as well.

The stock market is in a free fall.

Even the President is warning that because of the coronavirus, we might descend into a recession.

All because of a virus, and a media that has hyped and over-sold the deadliness of the virus in the hopes of damaging the political standing of our President, and in the hopes of damaging the economy since, when it comes to elections, "it's the economy, stupid."

They are excited that a recession may be on the horizon as a result of Covid-19.

They are cheering our suffering, which has been largely caused by political aims and desires.

I get it.  People don't like to get sick, and the more we learn about this virus the more folks don't want to get it ... especially if you are not in tip-top healthy shape.  I understand being cautious.  I agree we should be reasonable and error on the side of caution.  It is better to be over-prepared than to be caught with our pants down.  Italy gave us a great example of how quickly this virus can race through a population.  Whole countries are shutting down.  But, is it possible that we might be overreacting just a little bit?  Is it possible that our herd-mentality has been herded exactly where the authoritarians of the liberal left want us to be herded?  Should we, for fear of the sniffles, abandon our right to assembly and shed a little liberty with the promise that the government will give us a little security?

If this is how we panic in the face of the coronavirus, just imagine our panic in the face of a real emergency?

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary