Other items in today’s column include:
*Political bytes
* Recommended reading
SAN DIEGO — Today, television news reported that there were three more deaths in San Diego County from COVID-19, and that all three victims were in their 80s “with underlying conditions.”
This phrase, “with underlying conditions,” apparently is meant to make some people feel better about the death toll. It sends the message that if you are young and healthy, without any underlying conditions, you’re safe from the disease. But it sends a different message to those of us who are older and have thus far survived our battles with “underlying conditions.” It tells us that if we die from COVID-19, it won’t be so important; it’s less of a tragedy. After all, we had underlying conditions.
And what are “underlying conditions?” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), they include a wide range of ailments:
- People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma
- People who have serious heart conditions
- People who are immunocompromised
- Many conditions can cause a person to be immunocompromised, including cancer treatment, smoking, bone marrow or organ transplantation, immune deficiencies, poorly controlled HIV or AIDS, and prolonged use of corticosteroids and other immune weakening medications
- People with severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥40)
- People with diabetes
- People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
- People with liver disease
Ask yourself how many people do you know — indeed, how many members of your family — have at least one of these underlying conditions? If the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps them away, will you feel any better that they had an “underlying condition”? Will it minimize your loss? Is their death less important than that of someone who had no known underlying condition?
Any death from COVID-19 is a tragedy, no matter what that person’s medical condition may have been! And to the extent that such a death was preventable, either by social distancing, mask wearing, or proper medical care, it is a loss that cannot be excused because that person had an “underlying condition.”
In one form or another, all of us have underlying conditions — many of which are not listed above, or perhaps not even recognized yet. We may have genetic makeups that leave us particularly vulnerable to this virus. We may be suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease, and therefore unable to understand the need to maintain social distance.
Or, to my mind, worst of all, we may be infected by a political virus that equates mask wearing and other common-sense safety measures as the surrender of our freedom.
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Political bytes
53rd CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT — San Diego City Councilwoman Georgette Gomez, campaigning to succeed retiring Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) says in a fundraising appeal: “Voices like mine are needed in Congress now more than ever — as we face a climate crisis, record unemployment rates, and unrest around the country because of the death of our Black brothers and sisters at the hands of the police. We need people with progressive values and lived experiences that will lift people through their troubles and force Congress to care more about progressive change, not legislative bandaids.” Sara Jacobs, meanwhile, has picked up the endorsement of the San Diego Lifeguards Union of Teamsters Local 911. “We believe she is the clear choice to represent San Diego and is ready and able to take on the hard work of protecting our jobs, our environment, and our community,” said Chris Vanos, chief steward of the San Diego Lifeguards.
3rd COUNTY SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT — Terra Lawson-Remer says a poll by the FM3 research firm shows her with 33 percent of the vote vs. 31 percent for incumbent Supervisor Kristin Gaspar. However, when voters are told that Lawson-Remer is Democrat and Gaspar a Republican (although the position is technically non-partisan), Lawson-Remer’s lead over Gaspar jumps to 14 percentage points. A more detailed report from the polling firm may be accessed by clicking here.
SAN DIEGO MAYORAL RACE — San Diego City Councilwoman Barbara Bry messages that “neighborhood advocates from all over the state are uniting in opposition to SB1120, which could be voted on by the state legislature at any minute. This bill, which includes language from Todd Gloria’s original AB3234, would destroy single family zoning, hands control of our neighborhoods to Sacramento politicians and corporate speculators, and will lead to gentrification and traffic congestion. Meanwhile, Colleen O’Connor has written a strong endorsement of Bry in Times of San Diego.
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Recommended reading
*Brooke Goldstein, in a Newsweek column, calls for a Jewish civil rights movement, #EndJewHatred
*The Anti-Defamation League and the Urban League will partner in a voting rights project in Philadelphia which organizers say they hope will be a step toward an ongoing alliance between the Black and Jewish communities.
*Jewish National Fund is again taking sign-ups for free “Birthright Israel” trips for Jewish adults between the ages of 18 and 32.
*Americans for Peace Now says it cannot take pleasure in the peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates because it believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump will “will pocket the Israel-UAE normalization agreement to further normalize, entrench and perpetuate the occupation.”
*Hillel International says it has Zoomed in on a way for college students, whether on campus or at home during the pandemic, can celebrate “higher Holidays.”
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com