Reactionary

Not being able to sleep at all Saturday night let me think of all sorts of ways to curse the reactionary idiots who now require certain over-the-counter medicines to be kept behind the counter. That in itself isn't an issue until you find out that pharmacists keep bankers' hours, and when the pharmacy is closed you can't get the medicines behind the counter. Ingenious. This means I was denied some allergy medicine that may have helped me sleep better. Sue me for coming down with cold symptoms after closing time!

Human nature is often reactionary. For example, instead of preparing for hurricane season, a lot of people just sit around waiting for the government to help them (you can tell I'm still bitter about the medicine thing, can't you?). Because one nut carried explosives onto an airplane in his shoes, a percentage of airline passengers must remove their shoes at the security checkpoints. Never mind that explosives could be hidden in other places! To react without common sense is ridiculous! All the shoe thing does is foster a perception of safety rather than actual safety.

Same thing with laws that restrict gun ownership. A law isn't going to stop a criminal from having one. I don't own a gun because I don't think I need one, but if it comes down to defending my family against the lawless, I want that right preserved. Feel-good weapons bans are merely a perception of safety and serve only one purpose (albeit worthwile): it reduces the number of legal firearms that could be stolen by criminals and used for evil.

But I guess America has reacted successfully sometimes, like when England taxed colonists here without representation. Those were fighting words, and the country's founders reacted with grit and muskets to give subsequent citizens the right to react in silly ways. So odd that when our country tries to set up democracy in some other country – and some people react naturally in not wanting it – we brand the "bad guys" as insurgents. Hey, why should we be surprised? We're in places oftentimes without being asked by the local population. A sort of taxation without representation, if you ask me.

Just because some people cook up illicit drugs using cold medicines, I was punished for getting sick by not being able to get the stuff that would have relieved some of my symptoms. Wouldn't it be nice if existing laws were enforced rather than ridiculous ones were heaped onto honest citizens?

(End rant). This post was brought to you by DayQuil® and taking the first half of the day off to relax after being sick all weekend before heading back to the grind. Have a nice day.