One Hand Sanitizes The Other
October 21, 2006 at 9:19 pm
Glenn Reynolds has been on this great and prescient kick at Instapundit regarding a political sleeper issue which just might change the course of America’s history. That’s right, hand sanitizing.
Well, the timing could not have been more perfect for Washington’s Metro transit system to issue this press release:
Metro officials, alongside local public health department volunteers, will be distributing free bottles of waterless hand sanitizer to Metrorail and Metrobus riders next week to raise awareness of easy ways to reduce the chances of passing germs as the fall flu season begins.
The release says Metro officials will provide free hand sanitizer to riders at a handful (a sanitized handful, hopefully) of Metrorail stations, including Rosslyn, Huntington, Federal Triangle, and the Smithsonian.
Now before you start thinking that one flu over the cuckoo’s nest, consider: these stations are among the most popular for subway-riding government officials and America’s top political strategists. Anti-virus viral marketing at its best — let the politicians know we mean hand sanitizing business!
Clearly, hand sanitizer will be for this century what fluoridation of water was for the last. And Dr. Strangelove fans surely should see the similarity between purity of essence and Purell. 
Eric Anondson said,
October 21, 2006 @ 11:02 pm
How about this. I was at Fort Sill for Army basic training from January to the end of March. The Army made pocket-zied hand sanitizer available to all soldiers. Our drill sergeants even made it a required part of our uniform… they didn’t check often though. When there was an outbreak of some illness in our battery or platoon we were all reminded to use our hand sanitizer.
g said,
October 21, 2006 @ 11:48 pm
How about running a spellcheck?
daleb7 said,
October 22, 2006 @ 2:00 am
What did he misspell, other than fluoridation? I’ve seen posts with worse spelling about, oh, ten trillion times. Lighten up.
brentocracy said,
October 22, 2006 @ 3:09 am
I got prescient, including and fluoridation. And yeah, lighten up.
Is this supposed to change history because it’ll allow more politicians to miss less days of campaigning and stuff? Something like that?
daleb7 said,
October 22, 2006 @ 3:27 am
Because some on the left are making a big deal over the fact that W used hand sanitizer shortly after shaking Barack Obama’s hand. Common practice among political candidates and officials who shake the hands of hundreds or thousands of people while on the campaign trail, or so I have read.
And you’re right — I missed those two.
Ron Hardin said,
October 22, 2006 @ 5:23 am
In the rest of the country, the most important single thing you can do is use the self-scans at stores, so you don’t get high school students bagging your food.
Assuming you don’t have children at home doing you in already.
Ted said,
October 22, 2006 @ 8:17 am
You do know, that plain water is far superior to hand sanitizers in sanitizing one’s hand.
TQuila said,
October 22, 2006 @ 8:37 am
Yeah, kill all of the weak germs with hand sanitizer. Then the strongest ones won’t have any competition. Sheesh! Isn’t that how TB became nearly untreatable…
PC said,
October 22, 2006 @ 9:04 am
It’s inhumane. Germs have a right to exist just like we do. It’s genocide! Or germocide, whatever.
grace said,
October 22, 2006 @ 11:47 am
Please tell me what to do when I am at the supermarket checkout line, food not yet bagged. The cashier gives off a big sneeze over the unbaggd food. I always ask if he or she has a cold and the answer is always “I have allergies’
Jon said,
October 22, 2006 @ 5:48 pm
Just a helpful reminder that alcohol-based hand sanitizers like Purell *do not* add to the problem of antibiotic resisitance, as they do not contain any antibiotics.
Kev said,
October 22, 2006 @ 7:23 pm
Re the supposedly disease-laden high school kids at the grocery store: I teach music lessons to middle- and high-schoolers for most of the school day in cramped, often poorly-ventilated practice rooms; some of those kids should probably be at home and not at school during the cold and flu season. So how do I keep from getting sick every year?
1) I’m pretty sure I’ve developed a rather stout immune system from being in this atmosphere for so long.
2) I try really hard to keep the kids from coughing into the air during lessons; it’s surprising/disappointing that there are times where I seem to be the first person to have taught them to cover their mouths when they cough. (I’m good-humored about it, usually saying something like “Please–don’t share. You’re too kind!”)
3) I have kept those little moist towelette things around in the past, especially if I’m at a school that I’m pretty sure won’t have soap in its restrooms on a regular basis (eww). Perhaps having a little bottle of sanitizer with me is not such a bad idea…
Mr. Germ said,
October 23, 2006 @ 12:38 pm
Mr. Germ is for the overuse of “anti-bacteral” oinments, cremes, soaps, sprays, etc: what makes me weaker only makes me stronger — once I come through!
http://www.childsdoc.org/99Spring/antibioticresistance.asp