Priorities
Having been bombarded with information about what trainers and can and can’t do in the last few days, as part of what can only be described as an excellent effort by the HRNZ staff working from home, I thought it might be nice to have a look at another situation that is evolving in another part of the World and (thankfully) totally divorced from harness racing. Personally, it makes me very glad we live in this Country.
So, from the ‘Only in America’ file comes’ this little gem, courtesy of Stuff:
US gun advocates are expressing outrage over the coronavirus-related closures of gun retailers in Los Angeles County, with the leading gun rights organisation filing a lawsuit against the state of California.
"The circumstances posed by the novel coronavirus ('Covid-19') outbreak are noteworthy, but do not excuse unlawful government infringements upon freedom," the National Rifle Association said in a lawsuit filed against California and other officials.
Yes, you are reading that right, the gun lobby in the good ol’ US of A are so concerned about the virus that’s killing of tens of thousands of their countrymen, that they are jumping up and down because gun shops are not being designated as ‘essential services’!!!! Utterly ridiculous, you quite rightly say.
But wait, there’s more. A few days later, the President of their Country, with obviously little else to worry about, and who of course, the gun lobby have firmly tucked in their pocket after a $30 million contribution to his last campaign, and probably a similar amount pledged to his upcoming attempt at re-election, came out with a decree that (also thanks to Stuff):
The Trump administration has ruled that gun shops in the United States are considered "essential" businesses that should remain open as other businesses are closed to try to stop the spread of coronavirus.
One can only sit and marvel at the logic behind this move, presumably the citizens of America think that they can either shoot the virus when it comes near them, or maybe take out anybody with the virus to stop it spreading.
This must be all part of making America great again, or at least the parts of it that are still alive.
Pete Cook