Letter: What Trump really meant by ‘disinfectant’
(Joshua L. Jones | Athens Banner-Herald | AP) The last package of Lysol disinfectant wipes sits on a shelf at the Piggly Wiggly on North Avenue in Athens, Ga., Friday, March 13, 2020. The public has been buying up hand sanitizer, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and even food in reaction to the spread of coronavirus but the management of Piggly Wiggly says items will be restocked every Sunday and Wednesday.
I think it can safely be said that Donald Trump doesn’t always express himself well. In his defense, however, when he spoke about the possibility of “injecting” ourselves with disinfectants, it now seems clear that the disinfectant he meant to specify wasn’t Lysol, but simply ethanol, which is the “safe” form of alcohol contained in certain beverages.
Also, he was using the word “inject” as a kind of metaphor. He really meant to say only that we should be drinking more of the stuff as a means of purifying our systems.
This is good advice and, given the present circumstances, I do think we should all be taking him at his word. Thus, even though it is barely 1 p.m., I believe it is not too soon to make myself a martini. Where our health is involved, it now appears we must not stint on the consumption of this important disinfectant.
Thomas N. Thompson, Salt Lake City
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