Here vs. There
As a long-time reader of your fine newspaper, I was surprised at your lack of simple fact-checking before publishing the column by Rabbi Daniel Coleman titled “The Death of (Gun) Death” (July 21).
The author’s entire hit piece is based on one hugely fraudulent premise; namely that the countries of Central America are safer and have lower levels of homicides than the United States of America.
A quick internet search reveals that both countries whose safety he extolls – as do all the other countries of Central America – have orders of magnitude higher homicide rates than the U.S.’s range of 5.32 to 6.52 per 100,000. From 2017 to 2020, the latest years for which I could find the rates for all the countries involved, Guatemala’s homicide rate per 100,000 ranged from 24 to 26, while El Salvador, the other Central American country whose homicide rate he covets, ranges from 20 to 60. Both countries’ rates dwarf the American rates of 5 to 6, as do Central America’s other countries, with the exception of Nicaragua whose rates are roughly equivalent to that of the U.S.
It is no surprise that the author’s leftist Democrat politics seep through his writing as he references Hillary Clinton’s “it takes a village” quote and engages in not-so-subtle attacks on U.S. gun ownership. I am reminded of the old and very true adage: “Only a fool would choose to be defenseless rather than to be armed.” Since I can only surmise that the good rabbi does not own any firearms, I would ask where does that leave him?
Favi Walfish
Surfside, Fla.
Editor’s note:
While the author did not detail any specific homicide statistics and simply alluded to the relative feelings of safety he had in El Salvador, Guatemala and the United States, we would like to point to the latest available figures for both South American countries: Guatemala is recorded as 17.3 homicides per 100,000 and El Salvador – in a dramatic turnaround since 2020 – is now just 7.3.
This is according to:
www.insightcrime.org/news/insight-crime-2022-homicide-round-up/ and www.statista.com/statistics/947781/homicide-rates-latin-america-caribbean-country/
Smartphones Dumbing Down Our Kids
Ariela Davis’s piece on cell phones, social media, and parenting was spot on (“Parenting, Smartphone Addiction And The Courage To Say ‘No,’” Sept. 1).
I originally thought that yeshivas were overbearing and unreasonable when it came to the confiscation and treatment of smartphones and their users. As time passed, their wisdom became clearer to me. Mobile devices and social media have become a bane unto society.
They have facilitated a never-ending and accelerating devolution of ethos and interaction between individuals, businesses and governments. A formidable disconnect has been created due to the dearth of face-to-face interaction, resulting in deficient social skills and sociopathic personas.
The quest for instant gratification, as noted by Ms. Davis, has marred the psychological development of our children and young adults. Many do not have the wherewithal to enter into long-term relationships and have difficulty learning both Judaic and secular subjects.
Parents do indeed have to step up supervision of our children or face the consequences of the lack thereof.
Of course, none of us are perfect and I acknowledge the difficulties and pitfalls of parenthood. May Hashem grant us all the wisdom and strength to parent as we should.
George Weiss
Brooklyn, N.Y.
News to Appreciate
Thank you for publishing Faigie Heiman’s article (“The Agricultural Settlement On The Sand Dunes Near Tel Aviv,” Sept 1). I have greatly enjoyed her writings and personal experiences about Eretz Yisrael over the years. It’s always a joy and a treat.
Sam Ben-Zev
Via Email
