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    A blast from the past, Winchester’s newest incarnation of the Model 92

    Robert Kay
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    A blast from the past, Winchester’s newest incarnation of the Model 92

    To say the Model 1892 was an instant hit when it was introduced would be an understatement. Luminaries ranging from Annie Oakley to Arctic explorer Admiral Robert Peary (who carried a Model 1892 on his trek to the North Pole) employed the new rifle. The firearm also became hugely popular in both South and Central America, as the nascent nation states developed. In the US, the ’92 found a home with hunters, campers, law enforcement officers and ranchers.

    In popular culture this lever action Winchester became synonymous with the old West.

    Throughout the 1950s and well into the 1960s it took on a role in prime time TV shows such as “Rawhide,” “Wagon Train,” “Have Gun. Will Travel,” “The Wild, Wild West”, “Gunsmoke” and other Westerns.

    If we fast forward to the third decade of the 21st century the latest incarnation is alive and well.

    It’s now made in Japan, by Browning/Winchester’s venerable partner Miroku which has been manufacturing firearms since 1893. Japanese workmanship is first class and the Miroku folks have done an exquisite job on this rifle which sports a deep finish and a rich walnut stock.

    The high level of machining and hand finishing is evident. The wood/fit interface where the stock and buttstock meet the receiver are perfectly mated. 

    Made in Japan, by Browning/Winchester’s partner Miroku, which has been manufacturing firearms since 1893.

    A 21st Century Winchester

    With modern manufacturing processes, I would venture to say this has to be the most refined Model 92 ever produced. (Obviously, Winchester is not going to lend their name to anything remotely substandard).

    Right out of the box, one throw of the lever and you can feel how silky smooth the action is. Of course, this is not a replica of the original 1892. Nearly 130 years after the original design it looks identical but with modern CNC machines and all the technology available today it’s a slightly different animal.

    There are new features engineered with safety in mind. 

    First off there’s a top tang mounted safety that acts as a hammer block. Purists may recoil at the sight of this but so what? If you don’t like it, ignore it. The other addition is a rebounding hammer. When you fire the gun and discharge the cartridge, the rifle will automatically be put into a half cock position which will prevent an accidental discharge.

    Fit and finish are first rate. (Note tang-mounted safety on the right hand edge of the photo).

    Other than those two items, it functions just like any model 92. If you cycle the lever action resolutely, up comes the carrier, a round is placed in the chamber and you’re ready to fire. Note that because it’s a top-eject gun the case may fly just about anywhere, sometimes plinking you in the head. (Compared to an AR-15 or for that matter a semi-auto pistol, the brass is not going to fly too far away).

    Shooting Lever Guns is Fun

    Shooting the ’92 is downright fun.

    These sentiments were echoed by my FFL, Mae Shiroma who operates X-Ring Security here on Oahu. Says Mae, “My father gave me a lever action in 22LR when I first started shooting. I learned to shoot from small caliber to larger calibers like .38 special, 357 magnum, and .44magnum. I still love to shoot them.”

    Normally I post targets on reviews but as one writer aptly stated, with semi buckhorn sights, this is not going to be confused with a bench rest rifle. Nor should it. If you wanted to add an aperture sight, there’s a plethora of aftermarket products available but that’s probably the subject of another story. At least for now, I’m quite happy with the current set up.

    Everything on the gun is hand-fitted. The bluing is splendid.

    At under 100 yards, which is what this rifle is meant for, the gun is plenty accurate for my purposes, which is whacking the gong. (Not a lot of recoil with the 38 Special or .357 rounds which is also quite nice).

    In Hawaii it’s also perfect for pigs or Axis deer.

    Finally, what about shooting the rifle, in particular, the trigger?

    It breaks nicely/cleanly but it’s on the heavy side–in the neighborhood of about 5 1/4 lbs. As I alluded to earlier, it’s not a bench rest rifle. The “traditionally” standard trigger comes with the territory. A gunsmith or a talented enthusiast could lighten it up. (See this link). That said, I’m okay with it.

    I will appreciate the rifle for what it is. A blast from the past…expect to pay in the neighborhood of $940 for this modern, piece of history.

    The semi-buckhorn sights do take a bit of getting used to. I practice with my gong at 100+ yards.

    Reloading

    One of the joys of owning a rifle chambered in .357 is that you don’t have to load rifle cartridges, which is for me is a loathsome task. You can use either jacketed, hard cast gas-checked or polymer coated bullets for this rifle.

    That said, lever guns such as the ’92 can be finicky when it comes to cartridge length and bullet shape. You need to figure out what OAL the rifle is comfortable with as well as the shape of the projectile. Otherwise, there will be issues in feeding, particularly when it comes to putting a larger than 158 gr bullet in a 357 magnum case.

    I started with 158 gr bullets (from Zero) which is what I’d ordinarily use with Model 27 Smith & Wesson. They fed perfectly.

    This 158 gr jacketed projectile from Zero over a Starline case will feed perfectly.

    However, I wanted to experiment with larger bullets. I wanted to jack up the kinetic energy and obtained some 180 gr bullets from Missouri Bullet Company. I’d been ordering bullets from these guys for years and was not only impressed with the product but the integrity of management.

    I’ll explain. There was an instance years ago where I overpaid and got an email to the effect from them, explaining that I’d overpaid and credit would be added to the card. You might say, “Of course, they were honest and did the right thing”. That’s true, I’d answer, but unfortunately you can’t always count on that.

    They also happen to make excellent bullets. In fact you can use their 158 cast bullets for the 357, with no feeding problems.

    Missouri Bullet Co offers both Polymer coated (left) and standard cast 180 gr (right) bullets. The Polymer bullets run cleaner and are becoming quite popular.

    In addition to standard cast bullets for the last few years they have offered projectiles with the “Hi-Tek” polymer coating from J&M Specialty Products in Australia. 

    There are several advantages to using bullets with a polymer coating. First off, instead of waxy lubes, the bullet no longer needs a lube groove. That means no waxy gas check gunk fouling up your gun or, your seating and crimping dies.

    The coating also reduces or eliminates exposure to lead during handloading. You don’t have to wear surgical gloves when handling the bullets, which is what I always do with standard cast bullets. The Hi-Tek coating reduces exposure to airborne lead particles when shooting as well as smoke, which is diminished or eliminated. 

    I loaded 180 gr bullets (in background) with Starline 38 Special cases. (The 180 gr bullets loaded on a 357 case would not feed).

    There’s really no downside to this coating but you do have to be careful over crimping (as you would a plated bullet) to prevent scraping the surface which exposes the lead and leads to (no surprise) leading.

    Is there a difference in accuracy? According to an article in NRA Shooting Sports which actually compared wax lube and polymer coated 9mm Missouri Bullets, the polymer bullets grouped significantly tighter that the wax lubed bullets at 25 yards.

    Suffice to say, I’m sold on polymer bullets.

    I tested a bunch of 357 loads, primarily with Western Powders and both Accurate #7 and #9, worked perfectly for the 158 gr bullet.

    Unfortunately the 180 gr Missouri bullets atop a 357 case didn’t feed properly.

    Accurate #7 is my go-to powder for 158 gr bullet in the 357.

    The way around this was to load them on 38 Special cases. I made up some dummy rounds and the bullets fed perfectly.

    Naturally I had to adjust for the load.

    There are no published loads for the powders I was using for 180 gr bullets but thanks to Don, the Ballistician, at Western Powders, I was able to locate data for 173 gr SWCs (for 38 Special) for Accurate #2 and #5. I was conservative with the recipe and lengthened the OAL slightly for the 180 gr bullet.

    Soon the gong rang with the sound of 180 gr Missouri bullets. The larger bullet is also effective at knocking down silhouette plates.

    My go to brass is always Starline. In this T&E I used both 38 Special and .357 cases. The main thing is to use good quality brass to maintain uniform quality rounds. Don’t use range brass or your accuracy will suffer.

    Redding’s Premium die sets are excellent, especially if your loading brand new brass with cast or coated bullets.

    One last tip. When loading new brass I find that using Redding’s Premium dies to be critical.

    Using Redding’s expander die will create a properly sized bell on the rim. This is important, especially with new brass. Their (carbide) expander die creates a smooth entry radius followed by the precise expanding diameter to accommodate the bullets. This also makes a perfect bearing surface in order to seat the bullet.

    This helps correctly align the bullet with the center line of the cartridge case which positions the projectile for proper contact with the seating micrometer. The last step creates a flare to further open the case mouth. This is key for cast and coated bullets which can easily be damaged during the seating process.

    Note that the above links for dies, brass, powder, etc point to Brownells. (That’s where I do my one-stop shopping).

    The harness is clean and secure on the end of the buttstock. The hardware such as the swivel is first class. A “Chicago” screw is used to adjust the strap’s length.

    Adding a sling

    I would suggest you get a sling for your Model 92 especially if the rifle is destined for range duty. (Obviously it wouldn’t be a bad idea of you were a hunter as well). It’s simply easier to manage that way and you’re not going to get as easily fatigued. 

    I’ve become a big fan of  RLO Custom Leather which has pioneered a “no-drill” design for it’s slings.  Instead of adulterating the stock with screws and the like, RLO uses a harness on the buttstock. To mount the sling you get hardware such as swivels, a magazine tube clamp and a hex wrench. 

    Adding the harness is literally a snap.

    Essentially, all you need to do is place the harness over the butt stock and snap it on. (There are two snaps which secure the harness). Likewise, the tube clamp is easily attached with a screw. (They provide the Allen Wrench). The next step is to attach the swivel by means of a spring-loaded pin. 

    Finally, adjust the (1 inch wide) strap length by means of a “Chicago” screw. There are three adjustment holes approximately 1-1/4″ apart.  I needed to add an extra hole, which was not a big deal. The whole thing will take you all of 20 minutes to assemble/attach on a bad day. The sling is available in Chocolate Brown, lighter Saddle Tan and Charcoal Black. All are made from quality 5/6 ounce veg-tan leather hides.

    Conclusion

    I don’t think you can go wrong with this Model ‘92. It’s fun to shoot, aesthetically pleasing and with the RLO sling it’s easy to manage.

    It’s easy to mount the sling. RLO provides all the parts. Even I can do it.

    What’s not to like?

    Well, Winchesters are more expensive compared to brands such as Rossi which can be less than half the price. There’s a reason for this. The Winchester is hand-fitted and labor in Japan ain’t cheap. Thus this rifle is not to be confused with some mass-produced firearm assembled in the tercer mundo. If you want first rate quality, you have to pay a bit more.

    I think it’s worth it to have the real McCoy or in this case, a genuine Winchester.

    Mahalo to X-Ring Security

    A final note is a shout out to my friends at X-Ring Security in Waipahu for handling the FFL duties. X-Ring has a wonderful selection of items, a modern, indoor range and full complement of services including a gunsmith. They are easy to work with.

    The author is not responsible for mishaps of any kind, which might occur from the use of this data in developing your handloads. It is the user’s responsibility to follow safe handloading guidelines to develop safe ammunition. You use this data at your own risk. No responsibility for the use or safety in use of this data is assumed or implied. (Note that Winchester would prefer that you use factory bullets in the Model ’92).

    Robert F. Kay is a columnist for the Honolulu Star Advertiser, a health nut, a firearms enthusiast and the author of two Lonely Planet guidebooks (and Fijiguide.com). 

    State/Federal Changes in Income Tax Coming

    Tom Yamachika
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    State/Federal Changes in Income Tax Coming

    Income tax is a complicated enough subject already. Certain things are income and certain things are not income. Some expenses can be written off and others can’t.  Under House Bill 1041, which isn’t law yet but is expected to become law, Hawaii income tax is going to be mirroring certain federal tax law changes and going its own way on some others. 

    No tax on second round recovery rebates:  The CARES Act provided the first round of recovery rebates, or economic impact payments, of up to $2,400.  In the 2020 session, our lawmakers passed legislation saying that, just like federal treatment, those payments would not be taxable income for state income tax purposes.  This year’s bill considered the second round, namely the $600 payments, and provides that those are not taxable either.  The third round of payments, the $1,400 payments provided under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), was enacted early in 2021 and will be considered in the 2022 legislative session.

    Tax on unemployment benefits:  ARPA says that individuals can exclude up to $10,200 in employment benefits received in 2020.  Hawaii is not going to copy the exclusion.  It costs too much.  If you received unemployment benefits in 2020, and you didn’t elect to have Hawaii tax withheld, you should look very seriously at paying estimated Hawaii tax.

    PPP, EIDL, and other federal grants and forgivable loans are exempt, but associated expenses aren’t deductible:  There has been a lot of news about the Payment Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loans, and new specialized grants to help restaurants.  Hawaii went on record as saying that when the federal government forgives these loans or issues grants under the PPP, the money will not be taxable income.  The tax treatment of EIDL grants was not settled by the CARES Act, and the Consolidated Appropriations Act included a provision saying that those grants also would not be taxable income.  Hawaii’s bill does mirror that treatment.

    In the Consolidated Appropriations Act and ARPA, however, the Feds went one step further, and Hawaii won’t take that extra step.  Here’s what happened.

    When the CARES Act first gave us the forgivable PPP loans, the Internal Revenue Service issued a Notice, and later a Revenue Ruling, telling us that under the normal rules in the Internal Revenue Code, payment of expenses that give rise to loan forgiveness can’t be deducted for tax purposes.  This is because expenses associated with taxable income are deductible, but expenses associated with tax-exempt income are not because that would result in a double benefit.  There would be no advantage in deducting the expenses against the tax-exempt income, so the expenses would be deducted against other taxable income, which didn’t seem to be what Congress had intended at the time.

    In the Consolidated Appropriations Act and ARPA, however, Congress included provisions saying that they would indeed give a double benefit to taxpayers.  The issue for Hawaii lawmakers was whether they would conform to that benefit as well.  Lawmakers found that copying that benefit would cost even more than providing the unemployment benefits exemption, so their decision was to decouple from that benefit as well.

    No GET on loan forgiveness:  Separately from the legislative process, the Department of Taxation concluded that PPP or EIDL grants or loan forgiveness would not be subject to GET and don’t need to be reported on GET returns.  The ruling sounds like the Department is doing everyone a favor, but the conclusion does follow other precedent, called the “general welfare exclusion,” concluding that government payments made on the basis of need aren’t considered gross income, and thus wouldn’t be subject to GET.

    Precision Measuring Upgrade with Hornady’s M2 Digital Bench Scale & Digital Caliper

    Robert Kay
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    Precision Measuring Upgrade with Hornady’s M2 Digital Bench Scale & Digital Caliper

    As everybody knows it’s almost impossible to get ammo these days. What’s a firearms enthusiast to do?  The answer is obvious. Roll your own.

    Not surprisingly; concomitant with Covid has been a rising interest in reloading. Sales of components and reloading gear has also risen appreciably.

    Which brings us to the subject of this piece.

    The linchpin of any loading bench is a powder scale.

    Obviously, the amount of powder that you’re filling a case with had better be accurate. It also comes in handy if you’ve got bullet heads that are of indeterminate weight. For example, is that a 115 or a 124 projectile I’ve found in a jumbled pile?   

    One way to get your loads in order is with the M2 Digital Bench Scale from Hornady.

    Hornady is a class act. 

    They are well known for manufacturing bullets, cases, ammo and other components but also make dies, presses and other reloading gear. One of their newest products is the M2 Digital Bench Scale.

    Priced at $165, it occupies a sort of sweet spot on the continuum for a decent scale. (You’ll have to pay at least in the neighborhood of $150 for a good quality scale).

    Anything less expensive is probably going to be battery operated and not as robust as what a serious reloader needs. Another reason to get something of better quality is that you don’t want to have to buy something now only to have to replace it in two or three years–or less.

    Not sure about what projectile you’re loading? Give it a weigh. (Note the round level bubble on the right hand corner of the scale).

    I had a chance to test the M2 in my private laboratory and really liked it. For over a decade I’ve used another product but it’s showing it’s age. A scale is too important not to update at least once in a decade!  

    The M2 is also ideal for the neophyte.

    With a capacity of 1500 grains, as alluded to above, it also has the capacity to weigh cases, cartridges and perhaps the sterling silver spoon from Grandma.

    It’s easy to set up but you will have to wait about 15 minutes until it’s completely warmed up before using it.

    During my test there was zero drift.

    There is also a round level bubble for extra precision, which is an improvement over the earlier version of the scale. Simply adjust the feet on the scale and you’re in business.

    The Takeaway on the M2

    The primary reason to get this scale is that it instills confidence. It sounds a bit corny but the minute I switched it on, I just felt more secure about whole reloading process.

    I knew that I was using a tool that is brand new, hence more accurate and more consistent than my aging scale. Using it inspired me to actually tidy up my bench, wipe it down, lube the press, etc.

    I don’t know what got into me but I suspect other folks will feel the same way.

    If you’re going to upgrade your scale, not a bad idea to upgrade the caliper while you’re at it. Hornady’s Digital Caliper is a winner.

    While you’re at it consider a caliper upgrade

    After I unpacked the scale and set it up, I got my trusty press ready for action. I added the tool head and tweaked the adjustment on the dies, etc. I opened up the loading manual, checked the specs on the diagram and took out the caliper with the intention of making certain that the case mouth (in this instance 45 caliber) had the correct dimensions.

    In doing so I started noticing that my old caliper was not consistent. Was my measurement accurate or was the caliper playing up? I really didn’t know. It seemed to be off 3 or 4 thousandth and I was starting to get squeamish.

    Time to replace it.

    Sure, there are innumerable models available on Amazon or Brownells for that matter, but I decided to go with Hornady once again and get a new tool. They sell a good quality Digital Caliper for about $38.

    Hornady also offers a traditional dial caliper. No electronics on this to go haywire.

    It comes with a hard plastic case and a spare battery. The 6″ caliper is constructed from heavy duty stainless steel, it’s easy to zero out, and has a crisp digital display.

    They also offer a more “traditional” stainless steel, shock-resistant dial caliper accurate to +/- 0.001″. With the Dial Caliper you don’t have electronics can go haywire. There’s very little that can go wrong with it. It features four-way measurement capability: inside, outside, depth and step. The slide may be locked in any position for precise measurements. The thumb wheel aids in easy opening and closing.

    In addition to the calipers Hornady also has a Micro-Meter that measures from 0-1″ in 0.0001″ increments. This is for applications that need extreme accuracy. It’s a go-to tool for machinists and gunsmiths.

    For accuracy up to 0.0001″ increments Hornady also offers a Micro-Meter.

    Between the new caliper and the scale I’ll be ready for the next ammo shortage or who knows, the Night of the Living Dead. Let’s hope it doesn’t get to that!

    Tech Support

    One last comment. Hornady, like others in the reloading space has excellent tech support. I called for a quick question about reloading one of their bullets and had an answer asap. Even in the Covid-19 era, knowledgeable people were available without waiting for more than a few minutes.

    Hornady gets kudos for that.

    Robert F. Kay is a columnist for the Honolulu Star Advertiser, a health nut, a sharpshooter, the author of two Lonely Planet guidebooks and creator of Fijiguide.com. 

    Mother’s Day at Waikiki–Vicky Durand Reminisces about the Golden Age of Surfing with her Mom

    Guest Contributor
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    Mother’s Day at Waikiki–Vicky Durand Reminisces about the Golden Age of Surfing with her Mom

    by Vicky Durand

    Vicky Heldreich Durand has had a life-long love affair with surfing. She recently launched a memoir, Wave Woman: The Life and Struggles of a Surfing Pioneer, which chronicles the life of her mother, Betty Pembroke Heldreich Winstedt, a legendary surfer in the days when woman surfers were a rarity. 

    Vicky first fell in love with Hawaii at age twelve, when she spent a summer with relatives on the island of Molokai. Returning home from Chino, California she talked her mother Betty into a Hawaiian trip the following summer. By the following winter, the adventurous Betty had moved her two young daughters to Honolulu.

    Vicky spent her teenage years surfing with her mother. They competed in the annual Makaha International Surfing Championships. Together, they were invited to Lima, Peru, to promote women’s surfing.

    Looking back at Vicky and Betty’s evolving relationship, Betty always told Vicky that every day was an adventure. Never afraid of the difficult challenges ahead, Betty inspired Vicky to take new challenges and share her mother’s story. Wave Woman is her first book.

    Betty Winstedt at Kuhio Beach with her Joe Quigg board, 1955. She began her career as a surfer at 41. “It’s never too late to get out of your comfort zone and work for what you want,” said her daughter Vicky Heldreich Durand.

    From the moment we met Charlie Amalu at Waikiki Beach in 1954, I knew I was in for something special. It wasn’t just the thrill of my first wave, when I plunged my arms into the water, took a few strokes, felt Charlie push my board, stood up for a minute, and fell off into the clear warm water. It wasn’t just the attention from Amalu, a gallant beach boy in a yellow tank top, navy shorts, and a white baseball hat with the red Outrigger Canoe Club emblem. It was the fact that my mother was learning to surf, too. And that she, at 40, was even more excited than I was at 14.

    We soon outgrew Charlie’s tutelage and the beaches at Waikiki, moving on to the big waves of Makaha. My mother made a name for herself as a pioneering female surfer on O‘ahu’s West Side while I attended high school. But I kept up on weekends and, three years later, even won the Makaha International Surfing Contest. We were 27 years apart, but we were equally seduced by the challenge of the waves, the power of the ocean, and a never-ending quest for adventure.

    There was no shortage of publicity swirling around Betty and the other Hawaii surfers preparing for the Lima competition.

    We surfed together during what became known as the golden age of Hawaiian surfing. My mother died ten years ago, at 98, and she never lost her love of the sea. I think of her every time I swim at Ala Moana Beach, near my home.

    One moment always comes back to me when I enter the Pacific. It was a spring morning in 1959, shortly before I was to graduate from high school. My mother and I rose at dawn and went out to the lawn to check the Makaha surf. We could see that there was a six-to-eight-foot swell running, with glassy waves. Both of us were born tall—she was five feet, eight inches; I was five ten. An eight-foot wave would tower above us. We couldn’t resist.

    We waxed our boards—on waves like these, we couldn’t afford to slip—then hoisted them under our arms and headed down the beach. We walked a quarter mile along the bay, side by side, our bare feet crunching on the cool morning sand. During my childhood, I had longed to spend time with my mother, but she was always busy working. Here I was, about to step into adulthood and a life of many unknowns. There was comfort in walking with her, in sharing the anticipation of the surf—which, of course, contained its own unknowns.

    Duke Kahanamoku, center, posing with the first Hawaiian surfing team that competed in an international surfing competition in Lima, Peru. At the competition, Betty Winstedt, standing next to Kahanamoku, took first place in the women’s division.

    We arrived and sat upright, our bare legs straddling the boards and our feet plunging into the morning sea. What better way to start a day than being immersed in clean, blue-green salt water, looking up to the emerald Mākaha Valley, and feeling the ocean’s liberating powers? We waited, looking out to sea, watching for new mounds of water forming on the horizon.

    A golden disk was just coming up over the mountain, a delicate breeze was flowing down the valley. The air was filled with the pungent, musty smell of kukui nuts that had washed ashore. We paddled out, dodging incoming waves, to a spot we knew well, just past the underwater coral heads. One of my high school teachers was there, with a manager of a Waikiki men’s store, both waiting.

    An accomplished surfer herself, Vicky Durand was inspired by her mother’s life and resilience in the face of many challenges.

    A set approached. We let the men take the first wave—after all, they’d gotten there first. We claimed the next one, heading our boards toward shore with a few little paddles and turns of the feet. As the wave approached, we lay flat, readying ourselves. I paddled like mad to catch the wave and felt my board rise in the water. My mother did the same.

    In a few seconds, the power of the wave propelled us. We popped up to a standing position and angled to the right, heading down a wall of water that was feathering with ocean spray. It felt like flying. I was gliding down the face, keeping close yet just ahead of the breaking wave as it crested with white water. My mother was doing the same, standing on my right side, closer to the outer edge. Several times throughout the ride we both slowed down, stalling before turning and cutting back toward the breaking wave, shooting down the wall of water closer to the curl for added acceleration.

    The ride went like that, both of us slowing down, cutting back, speeding up, always in tandem. It was one long, unforgettable moment. Not one of symbiosis, exactly, because we had parity as we rode that wave. It was more simpatico, or deep sympathy—a kind of knowing each other and each other’s moves. It was an elemental connecting with the waves, with the ocean, and with each other.

    In six months, my view toward surfing would change. I lived through a heart-wrenching and harrowing day of surfing in Hale‘iwa. In a few more months, my mother and I would travel internationally as a mother–daughter surfing duo. A few months after that, I would leave Makaha again for life in San Jose, California, as an awkward young bride. My life and my mother’s would soon flow in their own directions, sometimes diverging, sometimes converging, sometimes just running in parallel. But that morning, as we sped across the wave together, I couldn’t help thinking how lucky we were.

    For more information on the book and the author visit www.wavewomanbook.com.

    Top Photo: Betty Pembroke Heldreich Winstedt photographed surfing at Waikiki in 1956. She charted a new path, for herself and for other female surfers, as a champion athlete.

    Why Is The Black Community So Accepting of Violence As the New Normal?

    Frank Salvato
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    Why Is The Black Community So Accepting of Violence As the New Normal?

    If there is systemic malady affecting the Black community in the United States is certainly isn’t systemic racism, be it in law enforcement or otherwise. It is the acceptance of violence as the new normal within the Black community by the Black community, and the free pass the rest of the nation is giving to the Black community in that regard.

    It seems as though every day there is a news item or social media post showing members of the Black community violently interacting with each other. The musical culture that permeates the Black community harbors a large selection of lyrics that espouse not only violence but violent misogyny as well. And many ‟Black-centric” movies are centered on acts of violence, although to that extent the total of the movie industry profiteers of the violence they propose to abhor.

    A recent spate of attacks on Asian Americans has taken place in several urban areas around the United States and in every case, without exception, the perpetrators were from the Black community.

    One case was particularly brutal. Brandon Elliot, 38, a parolee who was convicted of killing his mother two decades earlier, was arrested on assault and hate crime charges in an attack on a 65-year-old Asian American woman in New York City that was caught on video.

    The surveillance video showed Elliot kicking and stomping the woman, who suffered serious injuries including a fractured pelvis. She was on her way to church when she was attacked by Elliot who was heard saying, ‟You don’t belong here.”

    In another part of New York City, 29-year-old Jordan Burnette was charged with burglary as a hate crime and ‟numerous charges related to the acts of vandalism as hate crimes that have taken place in this community.” His acts of vandalism targeted four synagogues in the Bronx where windows and doors had been shattered in repeated attacks.

    But this penchant for violence is not exclusive to individuals in the Black community. The truth of the matter is this. Violence appears to be the first choice in any conflict resolution between Black people, or at least an overwhelming amount of evidence proves this to be true. Mind you, this mindset is outside the parameters of gang violence which takes hundreds of lives a year in our inner cities.

    Recently, a public brawl at the Miami International Airport was the centerpiece of almost every news program. The brawl at one point counted 20 people with one person being arrested in the end.

    The catalyst for this melee? Well, 20-year-old Jameel Tremain Decquir was upset about seating on an airline flight. Video footage shows two separate groups of Black people punching and kicking each other at gate D-14 in the American Airlines terminal.

    Punches, chairs, napkin dispensers, and even knives were thrown in a Mississippi restaurant in April. Video of that confrontation counts close to a dozen people taking part in the fight, each of them Black. Witnesses said the fight escalated from a disagreement between two groups of patrons. Bystander parents are seen actively protecting their children from the violence.

    And to bring another facet to the interface of Black violence, increasingly we are witness to Black athletes – high school and college, and even intramural – resorting to violence because they simply don’t like the calls sporting officials make on the courts and fields.

    Players on a – shock of shocks – Chicago-based travel basketball team beat referees during an Amateur Athletic Union basketball game in an Atlanta suburb because they objected to a call on the court and the official’s demeanor toward the protestation.

    The attack was captured on video with one of the coaches insisting that the catalyst for the fighting was that one of the Chicago players had shoulder bumped the referee. Disturbingly, the Chicago coach blamed what can only be described as ‟unsportsmanlike conduct” – an idea whose time is well in the past – on the referee instigating the confrontation with a push.

    The game ended with a violent brawl on the court with the entirety of the Chicago team punching, kicking, and stomping the referees.

    All of these examples are but a small sampling of the violence that has become second nature to the Black community. As we watched the many Black Lives Matter protests that took place throughout last summer – and which have stretched into an almost daily occurrence somewhere in the country, we see that they almost always devolved with the sun into violence and destruction, many times with death as a companion.

    Then we also have to consider the legacy of death that the Black community has embraced as urban culture.

    Over the July 4th weekend in 2020, 80 people were shot and 14 were killed in Chicago, 44 were shot with six dead in New York, 28 were shot with four dead in Atlanta, and 20 were shot with three dead in Cleveland, almost all the result of Black on Black violence. 172 people were shot with 27 killed in just four locations over one weekend.

    Yet, the Black activists – along with their self-deprecating sycophantic toadies of the ‟White guilt-trip crowd” and the opportunistic liberal political class, insist that the biggest threat to the Black community comes from law enforcement and White supremacy.

    I’m sorry, but the evidence that is continuously presented to the public and the statistical numbers prove the exact opposite. The most potent threat to the Black community is the violence that exists within the Black community; the threshold for violence that they, themselves, have set as a new normal for the Black community.

    The charlatans’ embrace of the Marxist crafted Critical Race Theory only exasperates the situation, tantamount to running interference for affecting a true and real; a permanent solution to the rampant violence in the Black community.

    Where enlightened people have, throughout time, quested to embrace non-violent conflict resolution (as useless as the United Nations is, non-violent conflict resolution was its original mission), it seems that the contemporary Black culture has chosen violence as its go-to conflict resolution tool.

    Until true leaders in the Black community emerge who initiate a self-examination of the Black culture in an effort to purge the violence that permeates that culture, it is impossible to entertain the idea that any other segment of our society is a ‟threat.”

    As they say about excuses…they are like…well, everyone’s got one.

    Read “Critical Race Theory: What It Is and How to Fight It” by Christopher F. Rufo as published in Hillsdale College’s Imprimis

    Counties, the TAT Is Now Your Problem Too!

    Tom Yamachika
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    Counties, the TAT Is Now Your Problem Too!

    For many years, the counties and the State have been bickering about how much support from the State’s transient accommodations tax (TAT) they should get to help fund county infrastructure.  County systems like fire, police, and parks maintenance undeniably help tourists too, and the argument was that the tourist tax should help the counties out. 

    In 2009, for example, the law provided that 44.8% of the tax, after satisfying earmarks, would be distributed to the counties using specific percentages.  That was when the TAT rate was 7.25%.  The rate crept up to 9.25% in 2013, but the percentage was changed to a fixed dollar amount.

    The counties complained about their allocations, and in the following year the Legislature had a state-county functions working group recommend an appropriate allocation of TAT revenues.  The working group recommended to the 2015 legislature that the percentage allocation of the TAT be restored, but the legislature balked.  The fixed amount allocated to the counties went up and down slightly over the years and is now at $103 million while the TAT rate is 10.25%.

    When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Governor Ige, in a questionable use of his emergency powers, completely shut off distribution of TAT money to the counties.  But it’s not like that much money was being saved by that move, because TAT collections had fallen through the floor.  According to a “Preliminary Comparative Statement of State General Fund Tax Revenues” for March 2021, TAT revenues for fiscal 2021 (July 2020 to March 2021) are down more than 80% compared to the comparable period for fiscal 2020.

    In the conference draft of House Bill 862, the allocation of TAT funds to the counties will be eliminated entirely and permanently, but the counties will be given authority to adopt by ordinance a TAT surcharge, up to 3%.  House Finance Chair Sylvia Luke said that would “incentivize counties to hold B&Bs accountable, and enforce B&B” ordinances, and it “also provides the counties another taxing authority other than just property tax and some of the motor vehicle fees.”

    This is a tax increase.  The State is proposing to scoop up the $103 million it previously shared with the counties and keep it all.  The counties, just to keep up, would need to enact additional taxes, perhaps on visitor accommodations or on real property. 

    In either case, a tax increase on the visitor industry may amount to kicking that industry when it’s down.  As mentioned earlier, TAT revenues are down 80%.  Businesses in that industry weren’t simply toying with the idea of furloughs; they already have experienced layoffs and business closures.  State unemployment reached almost 24% just one year ago.  As stated by HLTA President Mufi Hannemann in testimony on House Bill 321 which contains provisions that would move to House Bill 862, “now is not the time to place additional cost burdens on local businesses.  Everybody is desperately working to recover an economy that has been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we should be looking to support these businesses rather than saddling them with additional costs.”

    The counties, not surprisingly, don’t want to be a part of this increase either.  The Hawaii State Association of Counties, and some individual counties, testified against House Bill 321.  Maui Mayor Victorino wrote:  “Since the State and the counties serve the same constituents, it is important that we continue to work as partners in meeting the needs of our communities. As demand for services is ever increasing (and so is the cost of those services), it is equally important that revenue be appropriately shared so that the needs of our residents and visitors can be met to the best of our combined abilities.”  That seems to be another way of saying, “Don’t make us do this.  Both of us will get hurt.”

    Now we wait to see if Governor Ige will go along with this.

    The Whackee Strikes Back!

    Tom Yamachika
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    The Whackee Strikes Back!

    Last week we wrote about an unflattering report on the State Auditor released by a working group convened by the House Speaker’s Office.  The Speaker’s memo seemingly asked his working group to help the Auditor’s Office optimize its job prioritization and scope of work, but the final product released by the working group looked more and more like a “whack job” meant to justify firing the Auditor.

    On April 7, 2021, the Auditor posted, and sent to all members of the Legislature, his rebuttal.  In it, he raises serious questions about the objectivity of the report, and he pulls no punches in doing so.

    One of the points the Auditor makes early on is that the working group’s report made findings or conclusions about the Office’s work environment and productivity but didn’t take the time to interview either the Auditor himself or anyone currently working in his office.  Certainly, there could be good reasons for the working group not to speak to current employees.  If, for example, all current employees feared some kind of retribution for speaking with the working group, then maybe there would be a reason not to speak to them.  But the working group report presented no such reason and no evidence supporting any such reason.

    The Auditor also took issue with the working group’s conclusions that several of the audit reports requested by the Legislature were either untimely or not done at all.  In addition to providing a clear explanation for the actual delivery dates, he brought out somewhat of a bombshell:  an email chain, apparently sent to the Auditor by mistake, showing that one of the Speaker’s senior aides, former Interim Director of Taxation Rona Suzuki, was heavily involved in the process:  she compiled a list of the 25 resolutions from 2016 through 2020 that requested an audit, she compiled or found a table showing when the corresponding report was received, concluded that three of them were on time, and wrote, “The rest were late or not done.”  We in the public now have to wonder whether the working group’s findings on timeliness were independent, as opposed to influenced or controlled by the House Speaker’s Office.

    The rebuttal goes on to point out House-introduced legislation that would have crippled the Auditor’s Office:

    Five days after announcing that he had formed the Working Group, Speaker Saiki introduced House Bill No. 1, which proposed cutting the Office of the Auditor’s budget by more than 50 percent.  Five days later, he and House Majority Leader Della Au Belatti introduced House Bill No. 354, which would give lawmakers control over the Auditor’s salary (which currently is set by the Salary Commission).  And, two days after that, Representative Au Belatti introduced House Bill No. 1341, which would establish an office of public accountability to assume oversight and administrative responsibility for (i.e., control over) all of the State’s watchdog agencies, including the Office of the Auditor.

    The next logical step in the process is for the House leadership to figure out whether there are enough Senate votes to support an ouster.  If there are, a joint session of the Legislature will be called to take the vote.

    The State Auditor’s job is not enviable, but necessary.  The Auditor is supposed to help drain the proverbial swamp by bringing to the public light objective evidence and information, where the creators of that evidence and information have reasons for not wanting the public to see that information.  It’s a pity that the Auditor lacks the power to take further action.  A 2019 audit of the HI-5 Deposit Beverage Container Program comes to mind.  The audit explained, and showed the paper trail, of more than one example of how one of the recycling companies submitted fraudulent paperwork to milk the system of taxpayer money.  We wrote about it two years ago and have yet to hear of anyone getting charged or thrown in the slammer for it.

    We as taxpayers should be glad to have an auditor who is willing to stand up to the flak.  We taxpayers should also pay more attention to the Auditor’s reports and should ask tough questions when important information gets ignored or where the Auditor’s independence is getting attacked.

    Why you Shouldn’t Sleep on Your Breasts and Other Important Points

    Sydney Ross Singer
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    Why you Shouldn’t Sleep on Your Breasts and Other Important Points

    There’s one big problem with sleeping that most people never think about. This is an important issue, since we spend on average one third of our lives in bed. It has to do with gravity, and the pull it has on your body when it is lying flat in bed.

    Let’s say you weight 150 pounds. When you are standing, gravity pulls your 150-pound body weight down towards your feet, which must support that weight. When standing, gravity also pulls your blood down towards your feet, and resisted the return of blood from your feet back to your heart. As a result, some people feel extra fluid pressure in their lower legs and feet by the end of the day from this pull of gravity. But the feet are designed to withstand this pressure and weight, especially since we take breaks from this pressure and weight when we lie down to rest.

    What happens then? Does the effect of gravity disappear when we lie down? Of course, not. Instead, when you lie your 150-pound body down, the first thing that happens is that gravity pulls your body into the mattress. This means that the weight of your body presses on the lower edge of your body that is touching the mattress. Essentially, you are compressing your body into the bed. 

    This means that it is very important to consider your body position while sleeping. Depending on how you sleep, there will be compression of parts of your body from the weight of your body pressing you into the mattress. This can lead to compression injuries, which involve reduced blood and lymph circulation, nerve injuries, joint injuries, and problems with your brain, eyes, ears, face, and sinuses, depending on your sleep position.

    This is one reason why people toss and turn while sleeping. Circulation is impaired from the pressure of sleeping on your body, so you unconsciously move to restore circulation. Leaning on anything for 8-hours straight, day after day, can cause compression injuries. But there are certain sleep positions which are worse than others when it comes to these injuries.

    The Worst Sleep Position

    Sleeping on your belly is the worst sleep position. 

    1. When lying flat on your belly, there is pressure on the stomach and abdomen, and this can force stomach contents up into your esophagus and throat, essentially causing acid reflux and Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease, or GERD. 
    2. Lying on your chest inhibits breathing by preventing the ribs from properly expanding. It also prevents the abdomen from expanding during breathing. 
    3. The face is also compressed into the pillow, requiring that you turn your head to the side to breathe. However, one nostril is still leaning into the pillow, reducing air intake.  And you are leaning on one ear and one eye, causing pressure injuries to these organs, which can result in ear infections, vertigo, and hearing loss in the “down” ear, and eye shape changes, or astigmatism, and poor vision in the “down” eye. The nose will also be pushing into the pillow, and over time this changes the shape of your nose and its symmetry, leading the nose to point away from the pillow. 
    4. Turning the head to the side, which is essential to breathe when on your belly, increases brain pressure, as muscles in the neck compress on veins which drain blood from the head.   Many health problems are caused by excessive brain pressure and low brain circulation.
    5. For men, belly sleeping will also cause compression of the penis and testicles. This can cause the penis to turn to the side, and essentially cause a crimp in the “hose”. See my report, Why You Shouldn’t Sleep on Your Penis and Other Important Points. 
    6. The breasts are also smashed into the mattress, causing lymphatic and blood circulation impairment, pressure on the nipples, and distortion of the breast tissue. This is a reason why many women have asymmetric breasts, with one breast larger than the other. Pressure of the body onto the breasts stretches the tissue and distorts the breast. Depending on how you are leaning, one breast will be stretched and compressed more than the other, leading to the asymmetry. 

    Side sleeping is the second worst position.

    1. If you are a side sleeper, then you will be leaning the weight of your body on your arm, including and shoulder, wrist and hand. This can impair circulation to the shoulder, arm, and hand. If you wake up in the middle of the night with a numb arm and hand, this is why. Of course, over time this compression will cause joint, nerve, and blood vessel injuries.
    2. As with belly sleeping, side sleeping results in facial compression on the nose, eye and ear.
    3. Side sleeping makes you lean on your hip and one leg, too, and this can cause compression injuries to your legs, knees, hip, and pelvis. 
    4. Breathing is less efficient when on your side, since the chest cannot expand symmetrically.
    5. Men who side sleep are apt to compress their testicles between their legs, and put pressure on their prostate gland. 
    6. Women who side sleep may be putting pressure on one breast more than the other, resulting in asymmetry and increased fluid congestion in the breast that is being leaned on. 
    7. Internal organs are shifted when you side sleep, and for some people this can be a good thing. Some people with acid reflux and bloating, for example, may feel better sleeping on their left side, since this allows belching and reduces reflux. Right side sleeping increases reflux. But for people without these issues, there is no benefit to side sleeping.

    Sleeping on your back is the best position.

    1. There are no organs or appendages to compress when you are on your back. Note that the breasts, penis, eyes, ears, and nose are all on the front of your body, not the back. 
    2. The chest can open properly to breathe deeply.
    3. The abdomen does not have the pressure of the body leaning on it, so this reduces acid reflux and improves digestion. And you are not leaning on your bladder, improving comfort and reducing the need to get up to urinate as frequently.

    So clearly, all other things being equal, back sleeping is the best position to prevent compression injuries from sleeping. However, many people feel uncomfortable on their backs, and for one reason: They are sleeping with their bed too flat. 

    To understand this, we need to return to the issue of gravity and how it affects circulation, especially circulation to the head and brain.

    As mentioned above, when you are standing, gravity pulls blood down towards your feet. Well, it also pulls blood down from the head and brain. While gravity works with the heart to deliver blood to your feet while standing, gravity works against your heart when it comes to delivering blood to your brain. The heart is pumping the blood up from the heart to the head, while gravity is pulling blood down from the head and brain to the heart. 

    Now, when you lie down, gravity no longer resists blood flow to the head and brain, and no longer assists the drainage of blood from the head and brain. This means that pressure builds in the head and brain when you lie down, due to the lack of gravity. 

    In space, where astronauts are having to deal with zero-gravity, fluid shifts to the head and brain, causing increased pressure and lots of health problems. Space medicine researchers know this, and simulate zero-gravity on Earth by having people essentially lie flat, or with a slight downward slope. 

    Note that it is not only the brain that gets congested, but also other parts of the head, including the eyes (causing glaucoma), and the ears (causing disturbances to the inner ear which can cause vertigo and dizziness), and the nasal sinuses (causing stuffiness in the morning). It also causes puffy eyes, migraines, sleep apnea, strokes, Attention Deficit Disorder and Alzheimer’s Disease, as described in my book, Get It Up!, and my article, Rest In Peace: How the Way You Are Sleeping can be Killing You. 

    The secret to avoiding these problems is to raise the head-of-the-bed from 10-30 degrees, depending on your level of comfort. This incline of the top part of your body provides a gravity gradient that improves circulation to and from the brain and head. 

    This is the best way to sleep on your back, too. If you are uncomfortable sleeping on your back, it is usually because you are too flat. Elevating the head of your bed will make back sleeping more comfortable. 

    Back sleeping also reduces GERD and acid reflux symptoms, enabling gravity to keep stomach contents from entering your esophagus. Doctors prescribe head-of-bed elevation for this reason. 

    If you would like to try sleeping more elevated, you can:

    1. Put blocks beneath the legs at the head of the bed, creating a slight incline plane. To minimize sliding down the incline, place a pillow beneath your knees, slightly bending your legs. This will also improve lower back issues.
    2. Get a foam wedge that elevates the top-half of your body. 
    3. Get an adjustable bed.
    4. Sleep in a hammock.

    Most people who try this experience immediate results. They feel less groggy in the morning since their brains are not as congested with fluid. They have less sinus congestion. And they may also feel they need less sleep, as their brains are more alert upon waking.

    There is also another wonderful benefit from sleeping elevated. It can eliminate migraines. 

    We conducted a Migraine Relief Project, described in our book, Get It Up!, where we had lifetime migraine-suffers sleep with their heads elevated, and over 70% stopped having migraines within a few nights of this new sleep position. We believe the reason this works is because a congested brain from flat sleeping is lacking oxygen and sugar necessary for brain function. In order to get oxygen and sugar to the brain once it is too congested, the body responds with a defense mechanism whereby the blood vessels in the head and neck open and pressurize new fluid throughout the brain. This is a migraine. So in our opinion, migraines are a defense mechanism to restore the congested and stagnant brain with essential oxygen and nutrients. Once these migraine-sufferers raised their beds, they no longer needed a migraine “brain flush”, since their brains were not too congested. For more on this, see our book and article cited above. 

    Bottom Line: The ideal sleep position is on your back with the head of your bed elevated from 10-30 degrees. While it is normal to shift around throughout the night, try staying on or returning to your back when you can. Retraining your sleep position can be challenging, but you will feel the difference in your head and body very quickly, often after one night. Of course, if you feel worse sleeping this way, then sleep however makes you feel best. Let your body be your guide. But give this sleep position a chance. It may save you from a myriad of health issues associated with brain pressure and congestion and other compression issues.

    It should be added that tight clothing is a further threat to circulation, adding to the harms caused by sleep-related compression of the body. The problem caused by compression is really a circulation problem. Compressed tissues become stagnant and toxic over time. This also happens from clothing-related compression of the body, as with tight bras, belts, and shapewear. So when you sleep, try to be in loose clothing, or ideally, try being naked. 

    Tight bras, for example, cause lymph fluid to collect in the breast, resulting in chronic breast lymphedema. See my article, How Tight Bras Cause Lymph Stasis and Breast Cancer, and my book, Dressed to Kill. When women add to this problem by sleeping on their chest or side, the breasts are not given the opportunity to decongest. Depending on her sleep position, a woman may exacerbate breast congestion by leaning on her breasts, and if one is leaned on more than the other this may cause breast cancer in one breast more than the other. This may explain why some women have unilateral breast disease. 

    Clearly, the cause of many of our health problems is linked to the way we spend a third of our lives in bed. It all has to do with the ways we interfere with healthy circulation, either with tight clothing or the way we sleep. Circulate or deteriorate. Fortunately, the choice is yours!

    The Destructive & Arrogant Ignorance of the Black Lives Matter Movement

    Frank Salvato
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    The Destructive & Arrogant Ignorance of the Black Lives Matter Movement

    The country continues to be plagued by violence and unrest facilitated by the false narrative of ‟systemic racism,” this lie advanced by the charlatan Marxists behind Critical Race Theory. And if the majority of Americans who now recognize CRT as a lie don’t start standing up for true anti-racism, our cities will continue to burn.

    Thursday, a violent and destructive mob of BLM protesters executed an assault on Columbus Circle in Manhattan’s Central Park where they defaced the circle’s monument to the USS Maine with graffiti promoting their special kind of totalitarian anti-law enforcement racism. Six people were arrested and charged with assault and damage to public property, among other charges.

    The New York Police Department released video afterward showing Black Lives Matter- and Antifa-affiliated slogans such as “ACAB” spray-painted on the monument. The acronym stands for, ‟All Cops Are Bastards.”

    In Oklahoma on Wednesday, another group of ignorant, malcontent BLM activists stormed Oklahoma’s House of Representatives to protest Republican-backed bills that protect innocents from the criminal actions of protesters during unlawful assemblies. The measures included protections for motorists who inadvertently cause harm to rioters or protesters who – by their illegal blocking of roadways – put motorists’ lives at risk.

    Another bill the protesters cited was a measure that aimed to protect law enforcement officers and their families from “doxxing.”

    The Oklahoma House was momentarily forced to come to a halt after more than two dozen BLM activists occupied the fifth-floor gallery while it was in session, chanting, “We will use our voices to stand against corruption,” “No justice, no peace,” and “Stand united against all hate.”

    In Minneapolis, the epicenter of the genesis for the current round of race-based action, protesters have occupied the George Floyd “autonomous zone” for nearly a year, refusing to leave unless a list of 24 demands is met, among them:

    • The recall of the Hennepin County Attorney
    • The termination of several high-ranking officials in the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
    • The ipso facto absolution of crimes by ten people currently convicted on various crimes (the list of ‟victims” is left open-ended)
    • The establishment of an office of independent investigation and prosecution for Minneapolis law enforcement, appointed by the governor
    • Require that law enforcement officers maintain private, professional liability insurance;
    • An end to the indemnification of and qualified immunity for law enforcement officers
    • That the trial of the four former officers charged in the murder of George Floyd take place in Minneapolis
    • A $400,000 investment for the George Floyd Square Zone to create new jobs for young people
    • An additional $300,000 for the George Floyd Square Zone to provide Undoing Racism training for the black community
    • A temporary suspension of property tax increases for residents of the George Floyd Square Zone for 2 years
    • Allocate funds for ornamental art for George Floyd Square to improve the aesthetics of the
      business corridor
    • Establish and distribute a contingency fund for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
      (BIPOC) businesses located in the George Floyd Square according to the needs of each
      business owner
    • Drop the charges against ‟non-violent protesters” from 2016-2017

    These demands among several others.

    Meanwhile, Black business owners in ‟The Square” say they are in desperate need of help from police as businesses operating on the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue are struggling to stay open due to rampant crime which has spiked since the occupation of the intersection.

    Local governments – some opportunistically and others through ineptitude – have ceded the upper hand to these violent and seemingly empowered protesters; they have facilitated and unaccountable lawlessness in their streets and lawlessness they cannot quell.

    And because the media has fallen for the false narrative of ‟systemic racism” and is all-in on Critical Race Theory, many people who have recognized the lie of it all are pressured to either abandon what they know to be true, or remain silent.

    As I wrote in Why the Chauvin Verdict Won’t Stop the Urban Insurrection,

    ‟The false narrative of ‛systemic racism’ in law enforcement where the Black demographic is concerned is a falsehood that preys on emotion to achieve a continual divide among the races.

    ‟According to the Washington Post’s Fatal Force database (hardly a conservative-friendly publication), in 2019, police shot and killed 1,003 people in the United States. Of those, 250 were Black people and 405 were White people. Police officers shot and killed 55 unarmed suspects, including 25 White people and 14 Black people.

    ‟Of the 14 incidents in 2019 where unarmed Black men were shot and killed by police, several involved high-speed car chases, fights with officers, or had weapons recovered at the scene.

    ‟As a matter of establishing a baseline for these numbers, Black people make up 13 percent of the US population as of June 2020. But Black people committed 36 percent of the violent crime in the United States even though they are only 13 percent of the population.

    ‟Additionally, crime victimization statistics compiled by the Bureau of Justice in 2019 revealed that those who commit violent acts tend to commit them against members of the same race as the offender. Black violent crime offenders targeted Black victims in 70 percent of incidents.”

    Yet BLM activists are playing the part of ‟useful idiots” perfectly for the transformative Progressives and Oligarchs, who need a deep division to fester in the American people if their attempt to transform the United States away from the Constitution and Bill of Rights is to succeed to their desired end game: a country ruled exclusively by oligarchs and kowtowed to the agenda of the global elite.

    The single biggest threat to the Black community – whether city dwellers or rural residents – is not law enforcement. The lethal threat comes from within. If there is a ‟systemic” problem where the deaths of Black Americans are concerned, it is systemic to the Black community as a whole, exclusively.

    We who are awake – not ‟woke” – need to take a stand against the lie that is ‟systemic racism.” We must push back – in concert and individually – against the advancement of Critical Race Theory, which in and of itself is simply a 21st Century version of classic Marxism disingenuously pitting the minority races against the majority White demographic when, in reality, we are all Americans; all one race, the Human Race.

    Edmund Burke said it best when he said, ‟The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Don’t do nothing.

    ‟I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
    – Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28, 1963

    State Auditor Facing a Whack Job?

    Tom Yamachika
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    State Auditor Facing a Whack Job?

    The House Speaker’s office recently released an unflattering report on the State Auditor. It faulted the Auditor’s Office for appointing executives without proper experience and said the move contributed to “delays and untimely reports,” and other actions that were “not in complete compliance” with the provisions of the Hawai’i Constitution governing that office. 

    The House Speaker created the three-person working group that produced the report in a January 14, 2021, memo saying, “As you know, limited resources make it problematic for the State Auditor to address all outstanding issues and matters. Therefore, the findings of this group will assist the State Auditor in prioritizing its work and the scope of its work.”

    But the findings of the working group didn’t seem to address prioritization and scope of work. Part of the report recounted interviews of disgruntled former employees, however, and apparently was calculated to give the impression that the current state auditor was personally argumentative and combative, was creating a toxic work environment, and was responsible for a sky-high personnel turnover rate.  Another part of the report gives the impression that the Auditor was less interested in finding out the truth and complying with generally accepted government accounting standards than he was interested in sensationalism, using his reports to create public spectacles.

    Another part of the report spends lots of time reviewing the Auditor’s recent actions involving the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA).  After some recent and less than rosy revelations about OHA’s internal workings, the Legislature’s 2019 budget made $3 million of state funding contingent upon the State Auditor completing a “financial and management audit” of OHA. When the Auditor’s staff began field work, they requested access to minutes of trustee meetings containing the details of legal advice sought and received by the trustees in those meetings. OHA said that these parts of the minutes were protected by attorney-client privilege. The Auditor replied by saying he couldn’t finish his report without them and stopped work. That put the brakes on the $3 million, and understandably generated some hard feelings. The report then slams the Auditor for not being impartial, for violating various auditing standards, and failing to comply with the law calling for the report.   (Some of these criticisms are very much debatable.)

    The conclusion and recommendation section of the report then fault the Auditor for being non-productive for various reasons including those outlined above, and recommended that the Legislature should require the State Auditor to have at least five years of governmental audit experience (which the incumbent apparently lacks), that the same should be required of the office’s executive level managers and leaders, that the Legislature should take steps to “preclude the State Auditor from diverting from the specific issue and concerns of the Legislature,” that the Legislature should require the Auditor to terminate its litigation with OHA, and more.

    It’s hard to see how these findings and recommendations lead to better prioritization and scope of work.  Rather, the report looks more like a “whack job” — a collection of facts and arguments to justify someone’s dismissal or discharge from their position.  Apparently, the Auditor did something to get under the Speaker’s skin, and it’s time to exact retribution.  Our state constitution provides that the Auditor may be fired for cause by a two-thirds vote of the members of the House and Senate in joint session.  Are these findings enough?  Will they be sufficient to persuade the Senate to go along?

    Over the years, I haven’t agreed with everything the Auditor has said and done.  Far from it.  But at least his office’s work has led to the discovery and exposure of many facts that the public needed to know and had a right to know.  It’s understandable that those exposures would lead some to press legislative leadership to deliver a whack job.  We would hope that cooler heads ultimately prevail, and that any decision on the State Auditor is made after due consideration of his service to the people of Hawaii.

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