Pulling together during crisis

No American was prepared for World War II. But then, Japan made a sudden, swift, strike on Pearl Harbor in the early hours of December 7, 1941, killing over 2,000 servicemen. 

Under President Roosevelt’s sterling leadership, Americans rallied round the flag and came together as a nation, like never before. Young men, boys really, flooded enlistment centers out of a sense of sacrifice and patriotism, eager to get back at a hated enemy.

It took six months for America to convert from a peacetime economy to massive military industrial production, with round-the-clock manufacturing. Industry retooled auto plants so as to make tanks and planes. Millions of women stepped in to produce war ships ahead of schedule.

In record time, a strong, united and determined America was able to turn out the best science, technology, industry, men and machinery in the world, to defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

Once again, we have a leader in President Trump, who is able to harness the best science, medicine, technology, and industry to defeat a dangerous enemy; this time, coronavirus.

The nation is quickly coming together to roll out new, promising vaccines, medicines, masks, ventilators, and COVID-19 test kits, and yes, toilet paper.

Together, we will beat COVID-19.  After all, this is America. Let’s roll.

Paul Hoylen, Deming, NM

Shopping during pandemic

Interesting how a little thing like shopping changes during the pandemic. First the panic buying and you wonder what is so enticing about toilet paper.

The first two weeks you literally could not find a way to buy it. While going to the bank which will not let me inside, the drive-through portion only was open, you note some women going inside with toilet paper. So you learn where they got it, at some dollar store, and get to buy you first toilet paper in two weeks.

Our local super market did 300% sales for two weeks. Great for profits, but resupply becomes tricky, because so has every other supermarket in the country.

Not so great for the employees, who either had to restock, or man the cash registers during the insanity. Remember like doctors, they are literally on the front lines, and this is for minimum wages, along with the fear of being exposed to the virus.

Success in shopping is literally if you can buy most of what you went to shop for, or if there were at least substitutes for what you normally bought. Excitement was for when you found something that had not been available for two weeks, such as carrots in my case.

Frustration is when one of your popular foods is apparently everybody else’s favorite food as well. In my case canned ranch style beans, which my supermarket has not been able to reorder nearly a month.

Pride is when you have not done any of the panic buying yourself. My normal buying allows me to stock up the two canned items that I buy by three case loads each. The store gives me ten percent off by doing so. So even if I miss week of shopping I’m not likely to run out of food, but just have my diet rather limited for a bit until my next shopping trip.

So enjoy the new strategies of shopping, the surprises, the excitement, the disappointments, but don’t get too offended by the extra effort. Instead remember those who cannot buy at all for having lost a job, or just being too poor.

If you still can shop at the supermarket, then you are one of the lucky ones. Some do not have that option at all, literally many millions of them.

Christopher Blackwell, Luna County, NM

County makes a move

Two week's ago, Luna County government told their front man to declare a state of emergency, so the county could apply for a fair amount of federal and state money. Better late than ever, I say.

There is one thing that silpped their minds was oversight. Who will see that this money is spent in the right place? There should be a group of maybe five people not attached to any political party or family ties. No political payoffs. At least the people will get a fair shake. It is not a matter of trust but a matter of fair play.

Ray Krejci, Deming, NM

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