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More kids die from other causes than COVID-19

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Glendale Star Columnist

If you go back to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, January of last year, you discover that in this state so far, we have lost 36 young people to this stinking virus. Three dozen in 20 months. Every loss like this is tragic, but such losses also demand perspective.

Meaning: As serial killers go, COVID-19 has a deeply ingrained taste for older adults. In all, 90% of Arizonans killed by the virus so far are age 55 or older.

I make this comparison because of late we are hearing about what headline writers and TV news types love to call “a spike” in COVID-19 among Arizona children. These stories teem with fear, because when it comes to kids, the news adores the specter of the Grim Reaper.

My point: Maybe dig a little before you believe the hype. Maybe don’t rush to Amazon quite yet and purchase that kid-sized plastic bubble for your youngest family members. Maybe it’s even safe to send the kids off to school, though in-person learning would create more risk for older principals, teachers and school staffers. Arizona’s Department of Health Services has publicly made available the full range of pandemic: cases, hospitalizations, deaths and vaccination levels down to the ZIP code.

For me, the numbers produce perspective, food for thought, and a sense of calm. I like to know what we’re up against so I can apportion my concern appropriately.

How risky is COVID-19 for anyone under the age of 20? Not very, according to the numbers.

Our state is home to 1.84 million girls and boys under age 20, according to ADHS. So far, 1 in 10 have tested positive for COVID-19. Of the 182,351 positive cases in that demographic, about 1.4% have required hospitalization.

That’s 2,633 young heads in hospital beds — compared to more than 31,000 people hospitalized age 65 or older.

I’ll say it again: COVID-19 preys on the old and the infi rm, especially when they’re unvaccinated.

Keep in mind, vaccines have not yet been administered to those under the age of 12, and to only 19% of kids under age 20. They’re doing just fi ne without it, at least so far, thank you very much.

And while we’re on the subject of developing perspective, let me add this. Every year, the state does an extensive review of fatalities among minors. It’s sad reading, but edifying. In 2019, pre-pandemic, 777 children died in Arizona, down from 843 deaths the year before.

What kills our kids with the greatest frequency? Car crashes. Murder. Suffocation. Parents high on drugs. Prematurity. Cancer.

Each of these causes kills more Arizona children in a given year than has COVID-19.

The state divides child deaths into two groups — preventable and natural. Among deaths deemed accidental, reckless driving took 61 kids in 2019. Substance abuse by parents contributed to 54 deaths, while unsafe sleep environments killed 52 kids. There were 59 homicides that year among minors, with blunt force claiming 29 lives and guns taking 24 more.

When an Arizona child dies a natural death, it’s almost always one of three causes: Prematurity took 170 infants in 2019, birth defects took 99 children, and cancer took 54 kids from their parents that year.

My hope is not to sound hard-boiled, indifferent to the suffering of children and their loved ones. Rather, my goal is to offer some context. COVID-19 may indeed be spiking among the young, but that surge is mostly numerical, nothing worse than your average case of the fl u.

There are spikes, is what I’m saying, and then there’s a deadly spike through the heart. For kids, COVID-19 is absolutely not that.

David Leibowitz has called the Valley home since 1995. Contact david@leibowitzsolo.com.

Recent events show President Biden’s time is up

BY J.D. HAYWORTH Glendale Star Columnist

When President George H.W. Bush looked at his watch during the second debate of the 1992 campaign, it probably ensured his “second-place fi nish” on Election Day. No other gesture expresses disinterest or disdain more effectively — even if that is not the intent.

And it is the reason political consultants of every stripe — Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, vegetarian — advise candidates and offi ceholders to avoid that action in public or in front of cameras. It is drummed into their collective memory. Joe Biden’s memory has deteriorated before our eyes. The most graphic evidence came on the fi nal Sunday of August at Dover Air Force Base. The commander-in-chief checked his watch during the solemn return of the remains of 13 fallen Americans. Even worse, Biden looked at his watch repeatedly — diminishing the dignity of the ceremony known as the “dignifi ed transfer.”

The father of one of the fallen — Darin Hoover, whose son, Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, was killed along with a dozen others during the terror bombing of Kabul Airport — said Biden checked his watch 13 times.

“That didn’t just happen once; that happened on every single one that came out of that airplane,” Hoover said. “It happened on every single one of them. They would release the salute, and he’d look down at this watch. On every last one. All 13 — he looked down at his watch,”

Mr. Hoover recalled during a TV interview.

Things did not improve when Mr. Biden subsequently met with the new Gold Star families. In an apparent attempt to empathize with the parents of the fallen, the president recalled the passing of his older son, Beau. While Beau Biden served in Iraq, he did so as part of the administrative and legal team in the Army’s judge advocate general’s corps — not as part of a combat unit.

Moreover, he served his tour of duty during portions of 2008 and 2009. The younger Biden was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013 and passed away in 2015. While certainly tragic, Beau’s death at age 46 occurred under very different circumstances than the 13 warriors who were killed in the Kabul

SMITH’S OPINION – Las Vegas Sun

HAYWORTH FROM PAGE 12 Airport bombing. The aforementioned Taylor Hoover was the eldest at 31; the others were in their early 20s.

Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui died at age 20; his mother’s grief turned to anger during her encounter with Joe Biden. Shana Chappell later posted this on Facebook: “(Y)ou tried to interrupt me and give me your own sob story and (I) had to tell you, ‘This isn’t about you so don’t make it about you!!!’”

Ms. Chappell’s post subsequently became more passionate, pointed and profane.

“You do not have the right to tell me how I feel! U then rolled your (expletive) eyes in your head like you were annoyed with me…”

Facebook offi cials were certainly annoyed with Shana; they censored that post and others on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook. Subsequent press inquiries prompted the social media sites to restore Ms. Chappell’s accounts to full functionality.

The full functionality of the Biden administration is AWOL and has been since inauguration day. The chief executive is cognitively impaired; the vice president laughs often and at inopportune times. But the incompetence has been brought into sharp focus by the debacle in Afghanistan.

The secretary of defense is all for diversity and inclusion — except for Caucasian conservatives. The chairman of the joint chiefs fancies himself an intellectual warrior — but in reality is neither; and Secretary of State Blinken is at least well named, as he often blinks at the fi rst sign of confrontation.

It would be comic were it not so tragic.

A departure so disorderly that Americans are left stranded, while unvetted Afghans will soon be coming to a neighborhood near you.

A plan so poorly formulated that it leaves billions of dollars of sophisticated weaponry and aircraft in the hands of savage warriors who will couple their 6th century sensibilities with 21st century lethality.

A strategy so senseless that it introduces a protective force — not to fi nd and protect American citizens — but to spend its time in force protection in a place so indefensible that it attracts a terror attack in which 13 Americans are killed.

The communist Chinese “president” doesn’t have to worry about debates… or elections. When he checks his watch, he may say about the USA, “Time’s up!”

J.D. Hayworth worked as a sportscaster at Channel 10, Phoenix, from 1987 until 1994 and represented Arizona in Congress from 19952007.

COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS - REDISTRICTING HELP DRAW THE NEW COUNCIL DISTRICTS

The City of Glendale is seeking public input on proposed district maps, both online and through a series of community workshops and City Council meetings. All voices matter in this process and greater participation can lead to a more transparent and representative experience for all Glendale residents.

September 20

2:00 p.m.

September 22

10:00 a.m.

September 27

6:30 p.m.

MEETING DATES

Glendale City Council Chambers

5850 W. Glendale Avenue

Glendale Main Library Auditorium

5959 W. Brown Street

Foothills Recreation & Aquatics Center

5600 W. Union Hills Drive

Community workshops can be attended in person or viewed live on the City’s YouTube and Facebook channels where viewers can provide feedback and ask questions of the redistricting consultant. A recorded workshop presentation will be available on the City’s Glendale 11 cable channel and the redistricting webpage at www.glendaleaz.com/redistricting.

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God bless the fallen troops

BY JUDY BLUHM Glendale Star Columnist

Are you there, God? Just checking. We have troubles from the Afghanistan war. It’s hard to read about, much less comprehend what just happened.

If you are an immediate family member of a soldier or sailor who dies in combat, war knocks at your door. When the two military offi cers and chaplain in full dress uniform come to your house and ring the doorbell, that is the moment your life changes. War enters your home. And the grief begins.

Our country has lost too many men and women who stood for our fl ag and stood up to our enemies. One of the most important military duties is to provide death notifi cation to the deceased’s next of kin. The goal is that the family is notifi ed within eight hours of the casualty incident. Upon arrival at the home of the next of kin, the notifi cation offi cer will ask for permission to enter.

“I am an American fi ghting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.” Article I of the code of conduct for members of the armed forces of the United States.

The solemn duty to inform loved ones that their son, daughter, wife or husband is not returning home is heart-wrenching and handled with the utmost respect and dignity. Once in front of the next of kin, an offi cer will articulate, the following: “The commandant of the Marines Corps (or other service branch) has entrusted me to express his deep regret that your son (or daughter) was killed in action in (place of incident) on (date and time). The commandant extends his deepest sympathy to you and your family in your loss.” The notifi cation team must be prepared for any type of response. When my friend’s son was killed in Iraq, she opened her door, screamed at the offi cers standing in front of her and slammed the door in their faces. They stood for several hours in her courtyard until she was able to collect herself and let them inside.

The sorrow that our child, parent or spouse died in some faraway place, in a violent manner, is simply too much to grasp. Did he or she die instantly? When will I receive the remains? How did this happen? Who did this? Was there suffering? The questions come fast and furious, while the answers may lag far behind. The offi cers may stay with the next of kin, until other family members can arrive. They do not like to leave the grieving person alone.

More than 2,400 Americans died in Afghanistan. Many of the last 13 soldiers were not even born when the war started. Over 20,000 soldiers were seriously wounded in the war. Estimates suggest almost $1 trillion was spent on this “confl ict.” Let the fi nger pointing begin; there is plenty of blame to go around and, perhaps, there will be lessons learned. A war has ended; the pain endures. Now, we honor the fallen and support their families. Their sacrifi ces were not in vain. Those who died did so on the altar of democracy, in service of our country. God bless them eternally.

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local Realtor. Have a comment or a story? Email her at judy@judybluhm.com.

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