Returning the Favor and other Slices of Life

Returning the Favor
Returning the Favor
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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Nanny State

I have allergies. They're not crippling, and it's not that there's any one thing that I'm allergic to. It's just a standard way of life that if I'm not medicated, and regularly, I'm a bit stuffy and sniffly. And since snot is no fun in a meeting, I take allergy drugs. I figured out that Claritin-D is the best thing for me, mostly because I'm a little clueless about most things and can't be trusted to remember to take anything more than once a day. Plus I don't want to be bothered.

Enter the nanny state. Because Claritin-D contains psuedoephedrine, and some folks can use psuedoephedrine to cook up a nice batch of methamphetamine, it's a regulated substance. So every two weeks when I buy my allergy drugs I get to go to the back of the pharmacy and ask for my drugs like I'm buying cigarettes at the grocery store. Then I get my driver's license scanned, sign the little box that says I understand that you can only buy so much cold medicine in a week, and go on my merry way.

Except this weekend. As I was packing for Atlanta, I noticed that I only had three pills left. Now I've run into issues buying my allergy meds in states that don't match my driver's license before, so I figured I'd pick some up on my way out of town. WRONG!

I go to my local drug store, and as the pharmacist scans my license, the machine beeps unpleasantly at him and refuses to sell me my drugs. Seems that since I had only bought these drugs a week or so ago (I had pills left, and had shared my allergy meds at a poker game where other folks were suffering) I couldn't purchase my cold medicine again because I was obviously going to cook up some meth. Fortunately for me the pharmacist wasn't a complete douchebag and he overrode the system, telling me to bring my wife's license in next time. So now I know that I'll have to alternate drug store chains where I buy my medicine so that I can actually continue to breathe easily. Fuckers.

The nanny-state mentality makes me sick. Wouldn't it make sense to just ask the checkout folks at the drug stores to think a moment before they sell someone a case of cold medicine instead of making it difficult for normal people to get their drugs? I mean damn, next thing you know they're going to legislate seat belt use for my own good, and make people wear helmets when they ride motorcycles. Oh wait...

On another front, I'm thinking of acquiring a handgun for the house. Any suggestions on preferred home defense handguns. I'm not looking for something to carry around concealed, I'm not that paranoid. But I think that it's probably time to have a pistol floating around somewhere in case of emergencies.

7 comments:

Astin said...

Just come on up to Canada and get your pseudoephedrine off the shelf for less.

As for the gun - a large, loud, dog works well. Unless you put "gun on premises" in your window, I fail to see how it would be a deterrent to anything, and not just result in another unfortunate statistic.

Then again, I'm Canadian, we don't know from guns.

Anonymous said...

If you just want to put it in a drawer and forget about it until something goes thump in the night, by an old double barrel shotgun or a pump like cops buy. It takes less to hit a target.

If you want a hand gun, it depends a lot on what you are willing to spend. On the low side is a fixed sights .38. On the high would be a .40 auto. If you ever have to use one, start squeezing the trigger and don't stop or go to a gun range and get familiar and confident you can hit what you're pointing at. That isn't as easy as some might guess.

P.S. Be sure to kill the guy or he'll sue you. And, if he falls outside, drag him back inside.

Wolfshead said...

I'm with you on the whole regulation of cold medicine thing. Almost any ingredient that works on your sinuses can be used to cook up a batch of crank. If it can't then it probably don't work well. Some companies have reformulated rather than have their product subjected to the hassles (but of course noone wa informed of this). So, because the nanny state feels we have to protect fools from themselves because they don't have enough sense to reralize the pitfalls of recreational drugs millions of people with legitimate use for them have to suffer because they can't get what they need in a simple manner. Hell, they want to stop crank, post pictures of a tweaker smiling. If that doesn't discourage someone nothing wiil. (For the uninformed crank rots your teeth faster than sugar)

As for the gun, unless you are going to go thru the time and expense of practicing with it regularly, go with the dog. With a handgun one needs to be used to the feel of it for it to be of any use, otherwise it's an accident waiting to happen. If you feel a gun is necessary, the shotgun idea is probably better, it's a lot easier to load, shoot and hit something with.

DrChako said...

Imagine how I feel. I'm a physician and I still have to sign my name and get finger-printed at Walgreens in order to get Sudafed. Sheesh.

Despite being in the Army my entire life (and being a damned good shot), I have never owned a gun. Too many stories about kids, plus a few tragedies in my ER, led me away. That said, I do own one weapon which has all the fear factor of a shotgun...

Have you ever thought of a crossbow?

-DrC

APOSEC72 said...

Nothing wrong with a shotgun.

If you'd rather go more compact, the Glock 17 is also decent, generally widely used by law enforcement. 37 has a bit more firepower.

Stay away from Taurus models, they are very unreliable.

There are several decent shops to visit here in Atlanta next time you sojourn down - though there should eb a whole bunch in the carolinas to pick from anyway!

SirFWALGMan said...

I say Magnum 45 baby... Dirty Harry that mofo up. Seriously though most people who have guns for home defense end up shot dead with their own gun. I hear it is a bad idea. Other than that I have no opinion. Stun gas trap the bedroom? Now that is something I could go for.

Anonymous said...

Meth and Guns don't mix. With all that sudafed strewn about your place by adding weapons you'll only get the rep of being drug dealer. C-