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    An Excerpt from Wave Woman, a new memoir from Hawaii author, Vicky Heldreich Durand

    Robert Kay
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    An Excerpt from Wave Woman, a new memoir from Hawaii author, Vicky Heldreich 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. ( For more information on the book and the author visit www.wavewomanbook.com.

    Vicky Heldreich Durand

    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.

    Below is an excerpt published with permission of the author.

    THE MAKAHA BREAK

    Betty surfing Makaha 1956 ( photo credit Don James Archives)

    Waikiki offered visitors and islanders alike a variety of waves, and the tourist mecca was dotted with breaks popular for their summer swell: Castles, Publics, Cunhas, Queens, Canoes, and Populars. But it was the big winter-swell surf of Makaha that enticed those of us who were up for a more bracing experience. From October to March, the waves at Makaha were at their best. They could be mild in the morning and turn into twenty-five-to-thirty-foot behemoths by afternoon.

    Generally, Makaha has four main breaks. Three are right slides, and one starts out as a left but continues halfway in as a right. Each break depends on the size of the swell and varies slightly. At Kepuhi Point, on the Ka‘ena Point side of the bay, eighteen-to-twenty-foot-high waves break; in the bowl, farther inside, the swell starts as a left and midway in the bowl turns into a right with fifteen-to-twenty-foot waves; there’s a midsection with ten-to-twenty-foot waves, and farther in is the blowhole with six-to-ten-foot waves—the hole in the coral bottom provides a lift and steepness that make it easier to catch the wave. Finally, there’s the inside break, with smaller waves. We were never quite up to the point or the bowl-size surf. It was just too big for us.

    My mother and I surfed Waikiki and Makaha together for about seven years. Surfing was not just a sport; it was our lifestyle, something that brought us together during a precious time in our lives. Surfing dominated our thoughts and conversations: When could we get away to go surfing; where should we surf; and, afterward, how had each ride played out? Some of the people who shared our obsession became lifelong friends. We were all enthralled with the physical thrill, the chance to flirt with danger, and the self-satisfaction that grew from mastery. Surfing gave us strength, physical stamina, and mental toughness as we continually challenged ourselves. The ocean’s beauty and the feeling of being one with nature gave us a sense of well-being. Just as important, it released us from our quotidian lives.

     Betty surfing Waikiki 1956

    Despite our enthusiasm, we were spooked by the unsettling stories of the monster waves on the North Shore at Waimea Bay in 1943, when Dickie Cross lost his life and when Woody Brown barely survived being washed up onshore with his swim trunks ripped off. Both Betty and I aspired to bigger, better waves, though not quite as big as what we witnessed Buzzy Trent, Peter Cole, George Downing, and others ride. The contemporary big-wave surfer Andrea Moller describes the feeling at the start of riding a big wave: “It’s almost a moment of silence because it’s just you and this huge volume of water and this pat-pat-pat of your board on the surface.” Moller rides much larger waves than we ever dared, but she puts into words what we experienced. Once you make the drop and turn up into the wave’s wall, she adds, “you’re in this silent glass world of water, and you’re in so much risk, and yet you’re so driven that it almost feels like there’s a pause.”

    Betty1957 with 1st place trophy from Lima

    One spring morning in 1959, shortly before I was to graduate from Punahou high school, my mother and I got up at dawn. 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 with extra fervor—on waves like these, we couldn’t afford to slip—then hoisted them up under our arms and headed out the front lawn and down the beach. We walked a quarter mile along the bay, side by side, our bare feet crunching on the cool morning sand. I recalled how, during my childhood, I had longed to spend time with my mother, but she was always busy working. I had plenty of diversions (a horse, a swimming pool, and ten acres of space), but there was always something missing—Mother. Finally, in my late adolescence, I found that time with her through surfing. Now I was walking into adulthood and a life of many unknowns. There was a comfort in walking with her that morning, of sharing the anticipation of the surf—which contained its own unknowns.

    Duke Kahanamoku stands with members of the Hawai’i surfing team before their international competition in Lima, Peru. The surfing team included, from left, Rabbit Kekai, Conrad Canha, Ethel Kukea, Betty Heldreich and Anne Lamont.
    Advertiser library photo • 1957

    A golden disk was just coming up over the mountain, and a delicate breeze was flowing down the valley. The air was filled with the pungent, musty smell of kukui nuts that had washed onshore. We paddled out, dodging a set of incoming waves, to a spot we knew well, the break area. We arrived at our spot and sat upright, our bare legs straddling the boards and plunging into the cool morning sea. Then we waited, looking out to sea, watching for new mounds of water forming on the horizon—the first sign of a set of incoming waves.

    Betty was not one to conform to societal norms (or her mother’s norms) of her time. She instead dreamed of a career and concentrated on her studies to be successful and “have a profession.” And of course in true Betty fashion that’s exactly what she did! Betty graduated from University of Southern California in 1932 — the second class to graduate in the university’s history.

    A set approached. Adrenaline flowed. We jockeyed for position with a few little paddles and the foot motion needed to turn our boards toward shore. As the wave approached, we each 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 replaced our paddling and propelled our boards. Putting both hands on our boards, we both popped up to a standing position and angled to the right, heading down a wall of water that was starting to crest and feather with ocean spray. It almost felt like flying. I was gliding down the face, keeping as close as possible to, 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 styles and moves. It was an experience of elemental connecting with the waves, with the ocean, and with each other.

    Betty with new Joe Quigg board Waikiki 1955

    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 leave Makaha to travel internationally as a mother–daughter surfing duo. A few more 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 start to 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.

    COVID-19 Survival Tips: What Doctors Should be Telling You

    Sydney Ross Singer
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    COVID-19 Survival Tips: What Doctors Should be Telling You

    Sydney Ross Singer

    Medical Anthropologist

    Director, Institute for the Study of Culturogenic Disease

    March 20, 2020

    Most of the advice from medicine regarding the COVID-19 pandemic is to avoid contact with others, wash your hands frequently, and cough/sneeze into your arm, not your hands. Good advice, but there is more people should know to help them prevent, or recover, from COVID-19.

    One of the big problems with COVID-19 is that it can lead to breathing problems, which can ultimately lead to pneumonia and possibly death. So anything you can do to improve your ability to breathe will be helpful. Keeping yourself well oxygenated is also essential for immune system function to prevent and fight disease.

    So a key to keeping healthy, besides avoiding exposure, is to be well ventilated, and stay that way, even if you get sick. 

    Many people have poor breathing habits, and being conscious of your posture and how you are breathing can help you take deeper breaths. But in addition to these issues, which are addressed in activities like yoga, there are some cultural things we do that impair breathing without our realizing it, and which can easily be changed.

    Here are three things you can do at home to help you breathe easier and help you deal with COVID-19 prevention and recovery.

    1. Sleep with the head of your bed elevated about 20-30 degrees. 

    There is a reason why hospital beds are adjustable. It’s not just for watching TV.  Head-of-bed elevation of 30-degrees is optimal for heart, lung, and brain circulation. 

    Lying too flat causes high brain and head pressure, which can lead to sleep apnea, migraines, stroke, glaucoma, sinus congestion, a foggy brain, and more. See my article, Rest in Peace: How the Way You Sleep Could Be Killing You. 

    Elevating the bed is also recommended for hiatal hernias and acid reflux. It’s a simple matter of gravity. When you lie down, your stomach is on the same level as your head, allowing stomach contents to spill into the esophagus and give you heartburn. 

    This also affects breathing. When you inhale, your diaphragm needs to push into your abdomen. When you are standing, this is no problem, since gravity pulls your stomach, liver and intestines downward, the same direction that the diaphragm needs to expand for inhaling. But when you lie down, the belly flattens out and pushes into the diaphragm, making it harder to inhale. You can feel this effect when you lie flat, especially if you have a large belly. 

    If you were on an adjustable bed and raised your head of the bed slowly, you would feel a steady reduction of pressure on your diaphragm, as it becomes easier to breathe. You will also feel less pressure in your head as you elevate your bed. 

    How to Raise Your Bed

    There are several ways to elevate the head of your bed. The goal is to have your head slightly elevated, as well as your feet, the way you would be in a reclining chair. There is a reason why those chairs are so comfortable and why people fall asleep in them. 

    Method 1

    Put wooden blocks or books beneath the legs at the head of the bed, essentially creating an incline plane. Raise the head about 12 inches or so.

    The problem with this method, however, is that it only elevates around 5 degrees, since anything more than that on an incline plane makes you slide down the bed, and can congest your feet. It is ideal to sleep with your legs elevated slightly, too, helping your legs and feet decongest from the day. So with this method, place some pillows beneath your buttocks and extend with more pillows so your feet are resting on pillows, too. 

    Method 2

    Use an adjustable bed frame and elevate your head and feet when you sleep.

    Method 3

    Use a hammock. This elevates both the head and feet.

    Method 4

    Sleep on your recliner. But be aware that most recliners have poor back support, so you may need an extra pillow.

    Caution about Pillows:

    Do not merely elevate your head by sleeping with more pillows. This will harm your neck and will reduce brain circulation. 

    Tuck your chin to your chest and try to breathe, and you will see that you compress your throat  when you tuck your chin, closing off your throat and making breathing more difficult. You also compress the veins draining the head, increasing brain pressure and reducing brain circulation. 

    So you want to elevate the entire top half of your body, not just your head. You can still use a pillow, but preferably a thin one. The elevation should be from the bed angle, not from pillows. 

    The next lifestyle advice is for women. 

    2. Don’t wear a bra.

    Bras are tight and having a tight brand around the chest is medically known to reduce breathing efficiency. When women stop wearing bras, they universally report that they can breathe easier, according to new research from the International Bra-Free Study. This confirms other research that shows wearing tight bras reduces breathing. See the article, Bras Cause More Than Breast Cancer: Preliminary Results of the International Bra-Free Study.

    Being at home with family is a great time to relax and wear loose clothing, which is essential for proper circulation. This includes eliminating the tight jeans and underwear, in addition to bras. Nothing should be tight, since this results in compression of delicate lymphatic vessels which are the circulatory pathway of the immune system. When you are sick, you need all the circulation you can get, to allow your immune system to function properly. 

    If any clothing leaves marks in your skin, then it is too tight. 

    Note: 

    Women who stop wearing bras also report elimination of breast pain and cysts, and improved digestion, as described in the reference above. 

    3.  Limit your exposure to news.

    Keeping informed does not require constant monitoring of the news. Keeping a positive attitude is healthy for your mind and immune system. Don’t poison your body with the hormones released during stress and panic. Stress kills more than this virus will. And stress hampers your immune system, and makes it more difficult to breathe. So take a break from the news, and only allow yourself short time to review the news. You will breathe easier.

    I hope this information helps. If you try the above lifestyle changes, you will see a difference in how you feel right away. This is true even if you think you feel great right now. These lifestyle tips should be part of your normal way of living, and could keep you healthy. 

    They will also help your body fight an infection and recover more quickly if you get one. 

    So raise your bed and take off your bra!  We may be told right now to isolate, but your body really needs to circulate.

    Green Fees – But Not the Golfing Kind

    Tom Yamachika
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    Green Fees – But Not the Golfing Kind

    Senate Bill 2696, which the Senate has just given to the House for consideration, is a bill “Relating to Green Fees.”  These green fees have nothing to do with playing golf, however; they are per visitor, per stay charges the money from which goes to protect and preserve the environment.  Some national governments already charge them, including the Republic of Palau, New Zealand, and the Maldives.  So, SB 2696 is calling for a feasibility study and implementation plan, assuming that the fee will be charged beginning in 2022.

    The State Office of Planning is budgeting the cost of such a study at $450,000.

    Let’s save our money, folks.  No other state in the United States charges such a fee.  Not because they don’t want to, but because it’s unconstitutional.

    A very long time ago, in 1865 to be exact, Nevada passed a law imposing a tax of one dollar upon every person leaving the state by any railroad, stagecoach, or other common carrier.  (I said this was a long time ago.  Motor buses with internal combustion engines hadn’t been invented yet.)

    Mr. Crandall, who was employed by a stagecoach company, challenged the tax.  The Nevada Supreme Court sustained it, and an appeal brought the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.  That case, Crandall v. Nevada, 73 U.S. 35 (1867), established the constitutional right to travel and struck the tax down.

    “We are all citizens of the United States,” the opinion says, “and as members of the same community must have the right to pass and repass through every part of it without interruption, as freely as in our own states.  And a tax imposed by a state for entering its territories or harbors is inconsistent with the rights which belong to citizens of other states as members of the Union and with the objects which that Union was intended to attain.  Such a power in the states could produce nothing but discord and mutual irritation, and they very clearly do not possess it.”

    A green fee imposed on a per passenger, per stay basis is very similar to the Nevada departure tax that the Court voided.  First, let’s call it what it is:  it’s a tax.  Court cases, including some from the Hawaii Supreme Court, have worked on drawing a line between user fees and taxes, and the imposition envisioned by SB 2696 supports the operations of government, and a taxpayer gets no particular benefit for paying it.  That makes the imposition fall on the “tax” side of the line.

    Does the proposed tax have any features that justify treating it differently from the Nevada departure tax?  Both burden the right of any American to travel freely between the states, so the answer appears to be no.

    Well then, what about if the tax were imposed only on international departures?  Constitutional problems pop up here, too, because only the federal government may discriminate between citizens and foreigners in applying taxes.  According to a more recent Supreme Court case, Kraft General Foods v. Iowa, 505 U.S. 71 (1992), the Foreign Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution creates this prohibition.  Why?  Discriminatory treatment of foreign commerce may create problems, such as the potential for international retaliation, that concern the nation as a whole.  So, the Feds can impose cases discriminating against foreign visitors, but the States can’t.

    Maybe we should just limit our green fees in Hawaii to charges for playing golf.

    Just a Technical Change

    Tom Yamachika
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    Just a Technical Change

    Some of the bills making their way through our Legislature are sponsored by executive departments.  One such department, the Department of Taxation, is behind a few of them.  One of them worth mentioning, introduced as SB 2922 and HB 2366, proposes to change some criminal penalties in our Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT) law to civil fines … and “to make various technical amendments,” as the bill summary states.

    One of the amendments imposes personal liability on responsible officials of any company that is delinquent in its TAT payments.

    Whoa!  That’s a technical change?

    Business taxes are normally imposed on business entities, at both the federal and state levels.  If taxes aren’t paid, the tax agencies collect from the business assets, but generally don’t shake down the individuals associated with the businesses.

    One significant exception to the rule is what we call “trust fund taxes.”  That’s where one person collects another person’s money that is due to the government.  The classic example is payroll withholding taxes.  An employer has agreed to pay an employee a certain amount of money, but the law says part of it must be withheld and turned over to the government.  The part turned over is the employee’s money, but the employee never gets to touch it.  Now, if it so happens that the employer needs to pay some other bills and uses employee money to do that, the government essentially views that act as theft, and will go after individuals who misappropriated that money to make the government whole.  (Note that under current law, the employee, who has done nothing wrong, is still credited with the tax withheld even though the government hasn’t received its money.)

    Trust fund tax theory also applies to conventional sales taxes (different from our General Excise Tax).  States where sales tax is imposed on the customer, but the seller is required to collect and remit the tax, present the same fact pattern.  If the seller uses someone else’s money to pay its own bills, those states have no problem going after responsible officials of the seller for the unpaid tax.

    In Hawaii, we adopted this principle and imposed “trust fund liability” with respect to the General Excise Tax (GET).  But under the GET law, there is no trust fund.  The tax is imposed on the seller.  So, it’s not possible for the seller to pay other creditors with someone else’s money.  Indeed, if Tomco, Inc. sells something for $100 and charges its customer $4 tax for a total price of $104, the whole $104 is considered Tomco’s money and Tomco is assessed tax on all of it.  If Tomco fails to remit the $4 to the government, responsible officials of Tomco are personally liable.  Also, whether Tomco passed on the $4 to the consumer has no legal significance.  Personal liability applies even if no tax is passed on.

    It is this principle that the Department now wants to apply to the TAT as a “technical change.”  When asked why, the Department representatives said it was “for consistency [with the GET]” and “to be just another arrow in our quiver.”  Lawmakers of course want people and companies to pay their taxes, so they are moving the bill.  Both the House bill and the Senate bill are now being considered by the opposite chambers.  Unless something very unusual happens, the bill will pass.  The Governor can’t be expected to veto legislation that his own agency sponsored, so this bill will probably make it into law.

    Although we at the Foundation think that blurring the lines between business liability and personal liability isn’t always a good idea, we don’t support or oppose bills.  We just let people know how the bills work so they can make the value judgments and take the action they deem necessary.  Even if the bills are simply making “technical changes.”

    Proposed State Improvement Surcharge

    Tom Yamachika
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    Proposed State Improvement Surcharge

    In the past few legislative sessions, there always had been one or two proposals to raise taxes in a big way.  Some of them got pretty far along the road to becoming law, and some of them actually became law.  You might recall that in 2017, Act 107 permanently reinstated the “temporary” 9%, 10%, and 11% income tax brackets that we thought we got rid of in 2016.  In 2018, a proposed constitutional amendment to allow the State to surcharge the counties’ real property tax made it to the general election ballot, only to be voided by the Hawaii Supreme Court in the eleventh hour.  In 2019, Act 3 hoisted the top rate of our estate tax to 20%, tying Washington state for the highest estate tax rate in the country.

    So what’s in store for 2020?  House Bill 1990 starts off by saying this:  “The legislature finds that the department of education faces educational infrastructural issues caused by overcapacity and underfunding, while the highways division of the department of transportation faces a threat of inundation and damage to the state highway system caused by climate change as well as transportation infrastructural issues related to overcapacity and underfunding.  The legislature also finds that certain state funds will need an additional, temporary source of moneys in the future.”

    The bill then goes on to establish a “State improvement surcharge” in the General Excise Tax Law.  It’ll be half a percent, and it’ll be for five years.  The bill now says the surcharge will be imposed between 2031 and 2035…but I have a sneaking suspicion that the overall grand plan is for those numbers to change.  Maybe from 2021 to 2025, at least to start.

    And, lest we forget, “temporary” tax increases have a way of making themselves anything but temporary.  Those who remember 1986 might remember the birth of the Transient Accommodations Tax.  It was supposed to be only 5%, and only to fund construction of the Hawaii Convention Center.  It’s now 34 years later, the rate is 10-1/4%, and the fund distribution section of the tax (section 237D-6.5, HRS) has more ornaments than a Christmas tree, funding tourism marketing, payments to the counties, the Turtle Bay easement purchase, and scads of other things. 

    That isn’t the only example; the 9%, 10%, and 11% income tax brackets I spoke of earlier were enacted in 2009.  Those also were supposed to last five years, starting in 2010 and ending in 2015.  The rates did indeed sunset, and we were free of them in 2016, but that is where the holiday ended.

    The State improvement surcharge also has a Christmas tree feel to it, because the money from the tax is supposed to fix our aging school buildings, repair our washed-out highways and byways, pay down interest on our state’s borrowings on the bond market, pay pensions and benefits for state retirees, and fatten our reserve fund for hurricanes so we’ll be ready just in case one hits.

    Sound like a tall order?  A half percent increase in the GET, which is what this is, can be expected to produce 250-300 million dollars each year it is in effect.  Those are some serious dollars!  And then, five years down the road, people will have gotten used to paying the tax and legislators will have gotten used to spending the money – and if that’s what happens, the likelihood of the “temporary” tax increase becoming a permanent tax increase ticks up, higher and higher.

    Is this what we want?  Is this how we count on our lawmakers to spend the people’s money wisely?  Already we see lots of folks throw up their hands, pack their bags, and leave.  What fate is to befall the rest of us who stay here and now have to make up for the taxes that otherwise would have been paid by former Hawaii residents taking up residence in Nevada? California? Washington? Colorado?  If this is not what you want, now is a good time to let your voice be heard.

    Putting It Into Perspective: Is the Coronavirus Panic Politically Motivated?

    Frank Salvato
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    Putting It Into Perspective: Is the Coronavirus Panic Politically Motivated?

    LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

    “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”
    – Sun-Tzu

    The coronavirus – or SARS-CoV-2 – is indeed real and it is causing deaths around the world. But while the stock markets are reacting in typical kneejerk fashion, we would be wise to truly understand the threat posed by the virus. When put into context, this outbreak is less panic-worthy than the media is depicting.

    Hospitalization for SARS-CoV-2 is reported at approximately 75,000 worldwide. There have been approximately 2,000 deaths attributed to the virus, and it has a mortality rate ranging from 2.9 percent to just 0.4 percent, depending on the age of the person afflicted; the mortality rate for geriatric individuals being higher and younger victims lower. People ages 10 to 39 had a reported mortality rate of 0.2 percent and nobody 9 and under has died of the virus to date.

    Juxtaposed to the mortality rate for the influenza A and influenza B viruses we begin to see things more clearly.

    In the United States alone, influenza A and influenza B – “the flu” – has already been the cause of an estimated 26 million illnesses, 250,000 hospitalizations, and 14,000 deaths this season, these statistics reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This flu season, so far, about 1 percent of people in the United States have developed symptoms deemed severe enough for hospitalization. This is similar to the rate last season and considered normal. The mortality rate for influenza A and influenza B is roughly 0.05 percent.

    Additionally, when we compare SARS-CoV-2 to other outbreaks that have been covered in contemporary news coverage we gather more context and move further away from panic:

    • Ebola Virus Disease (specifically EBOV): 83%-90%
    • AIDS/HIV Infection: 80%-90% (not actually lethal but patients usually develop fatal respiratory diseases because of immunodeficiency caused by the virus)
    • Anthrax: 85%
    • Bubonic Plague: 60%
    • Tuberculosis: 43%
    • Smallpox: 30%
    • Typhoid fever: 20%

    To put even more context to the issue, according to FBI statistics in 2018:

    • 1,515 people (0.00045% of the US population) were killed by knives or other cutting instruments
    • 692 (0.00020%) by fists, feet and other “personal weapons”
    • 443 (0.00013%) people were killed by hammers, clubs and other blunt objects
    • 297 (0.00008%) people killed by rifles including assault rifles

    Deaths on our highways reached approximately 38,800 (0.0116423022%) in 2019. In 2017, 47,600 (0.0141027888%) people died from an overdose of opioids.

    And it’s no mystery how the virus spreads. Just like the common flu that comes around every year, SARS-CoV-2 is spread from human to human via expelled droplets. The World Health Organization explains it thusly:

    “The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with SARS-CoV-2 coughs or exhales. These droplets land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch SARS-CoV-2 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. People can also catch SARS-CoV-2 if they breathe in droplets from a person with SARS-CoV-2 who coughs out or exhales droplets.”

    Per the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), prevention is a boat-load of common sense:

    “Prevention is the best approach. General preventative measures include handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, avoiding contact with people who are sick, staying at home when you are sick, covering your face when coughing or sneezing, throwing any used facial tissues in the trash and frequently disinfecting surfaces you may touch.”

    So, why the unbridled panic? Yes, we know less about the virus than the other diseases mentioned, but given the context of its lethality, it doesn’t warrant the mass panic that is being fomented by the mainstream media.

    Tuesday, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC issued a statement saying that Americans should prepare “for significant disruption of our lives,” intimating that a great disruption in our daily lives was imminent. This caused the fickle stock market to plummet. Messonnier is the sister of former deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, by the by.

    The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

    “…[the] S&P 500 is now 12% below the all-time high it set just a week ago. This is now the stock market’s worst week since October 2008, when Wall Street was mired in the financial crisis.”

    Aside from the fact that the stock market is an antiquated measure for our economy (it has been obsolete in the immediate for decades), why the panic? Given the established mortality rates for SARS-CoV-2 in context, does an outbreak of this virus warrant the damage it is doing to the US and world economies?

    Something stinks here and this is what I believe it is.

    The Progressive usual suspects who lord of the narratives the mainstream media feeds to the masses had no way of making the economy an issue going into the November General Elections. The stock market was at an all-time high, unemployment is at an all-time low across the board, homeownership – and especially minority homeownership – is at the highest levels in a long time; the US economy is in great shape and only getting better. So, the question facing the usual suspect political ideologues in the media was this. How do we create chaos and panic to put the economy back into play politically?

    People are motivated to the polls when they are touched either emotionally or financially. If a candidate is lucky enough to have an issue that touches both it is a gift, politically speaking. Creating chaotic insecurity about the US economy touches voters in the wallet (financially), and especially those who do not take the time to educate themselves on the issues and/or put the provocation into context. The panic introduced by the media over SARS-CoV-2 is the perfect chaotic mechanism to put the economy back into play for Progressives and Democrats going into November.

    The President and his team need to capture the narrative on SARS-CoV-2 immediately; before any further damage is done to both the economy and his significant chance for a landslide victory in the Fall. He’s done it before in the fashion of Ronald Reagan (taking the message directly to the people).

    Let’s see if he can do it again.

    Do You Buy Fuel? Then Be Very Afraid!

    Tom Yamachika
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    Do You Buy Fuel? Then Be Very Afraid!

    We have occasionally written about a “carbon tax,” something environmentalists appear to be supporting enthusiastically.  The basic idea behind one is that a tax is placed upon the purchase of all fuels that result in carbon emissions when the fuel is burned to release energy.  The amount of the tax is based on the type of fuel and is priced to be a certain dollar amount per metric ton of carbon emitted into our atmosphere.

    Hawaii already imposes a state tax on liquid fuels and allows the counties to impose a county fuel tax on top of it.  These taxes go to the state and county highway funds.  They are meant to raise funds from those who use the highways and byways.  Currently, the state tax on gasoline is 16 cents per gallon.  The county tax is 16.5 cents per gallon in Honolulu, 17 cents in Kauai, and 23 cents in Maui and on the Big Island.

    Then, of course, we have our general excise tax, which is imposed on just about everything.  That tax feeds our general fund.  That tax, including county surcharge, is 4.5% anywhere except Maui, where it is now 4% but with Maui legislators asking the State for permission to impose a county surcharge as well.

    Finally, we have the barrel tax, currently $1.05 per barrel of petroleum product imported.  That works out to 2.5 cents a gallon.

    Senate Bill 3150 and House Bill 2654 are companion bills that would replace our barrel tax (currently $1.05 per barrel of petroleum product imported) with a carbon tax.  The Senate bill was just heard and advanced by two Senate committees after strong and impassioned testimony in support from the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, Hawaii State Energy Office, Americans for Democratic Action, Blue Planet Foundation, Imua Alliance, and others.  The bill contained these tax rates:

    Product 2021 2024 2027 2030
    Propane; Butane $10.47 $13.96 $17.45 $20.94
    Gasoline $8.22 $13.20 $18.18 $23.16
    Diesel $10.35 $15.08 $21.01 $26.34
    Kerosene $16.38 $21.84 $27.30 $32.76
    Aviation gas $14.03 $18.71 $23.39 $28.07
    Jet fuel $16.07 $21.43 $26.79 $32.15
    No. 6 Fuel oil $19.81 $26.41 $33.01 $39.62
    Other $16.00 $21.33 $26.66 $32.00

    The gasoline rate works out to an additional 17 cents per gallon when the bill is signed, an additional 29 cents per gallon in 2024 (over the current tax rate), an additional 41 cents per gallon in 2027, and an additional 53 cents per gallon in 2030.  And that’s just the carbon tax.  Fuel cost, and GET on the whole thing, are additional.

    At the same time, the Department of Transportation is trying to make us accept a “road usage charge,” which would be an annual fee based on miles traveled in the State.  The charge being modeled now would be revenue neutral – but we wonder if it will stay that way once our legislators get their hands on it.

    Finally, don’t think you’ll be spared if you drive an electric car!  Most of our electric utilities make electricity by burning bunker fuel, and this tax contains no exemption for utilities.  So, if this bill passes, guess what is going to happen to your electric bill.

    How Social Media Echo Chambers Dupe the Public

    Frank Salvato
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    How Social Media Echo Chambers Dupe the Public

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    Social media has become a staple in our society. Through these platforms we stay connected with family and friends, create “cyber friends”, glean information, and take action on events and issues that are important to us. As the social media spheres become more politicized they also become more compartmentalized. This leads to the danger of producing large member echo chambers that increasingly become ineffective in their goals.

    We’ve all seen the posts on platforms like Facebook. Something outrageous is rightly exposed and hundreds or thousands of people have “liked” (or indicated anger) at the post. Some reply to the post with comments and some, albeit less often, share the post with likeminded friends, family, and groups. But outside of an individual’s sphere of influence – and since likeminded people tend to belong to the same groups and circles – the “outrage” has a shelf life and usually ends with the perpetrators of the outrage not feeling any heat for their bad actions.

    A 2018 Pew Research Center report identified that two-thirds (68 percent) of Americans get their news and information from social media. And while 57 percent of that group “expect” the bulk of any information gleaned from social media to be “inaccurate” – not false, but inaccurate, an alarming 42 percent believe the information is accurate. That means roughly one-third (28.56 percent) of American believe that the information floated on social media is “accurate”.

    The largest group in that percentage is Facebook, weighing in at 43 percent. This is the social media vehicle that pushed “groups”; intra-social media circles that compartmentalize people into likeminded pods, i.e. “groups.” While this structure allows for likeminded people to commiserate amongst themselves, most often it facilitates the illusion of successful activism in the face of outrage by way of creating “echo chambers”.

    A perfect example comes in a story about an AP history class at Loch Raven High School in Towson, Maryland. During a lesson, the teacher displayed a slide that equated President Trump and his administration to the Nazis of Germany and the Communist Party under Stalin.

    “A slide used in an Advanced Placement history class at Loch Raven High School in Towson shows a picture of Trump above pictures of a Nazi swastika and a flag of the Soviet Union. Two captions read ‘wants to round up a group of people and build a giant wall’ and ‘oh, THAT is why it sounds so familiar!’”

    To be sure, this type of political indoctrination propaganda should never be displayed in a classroom. It is blatantly biased and promotes a political agenda. Our education system should be charged – exclusively – with teaching our children how to think, not what to think. Sadly, we do not teach critical thinking skills today, but I digress.

    I posted this story to the One America News Network Facebook group (among many others) stating: “Everyone should contact Principal Janine Holmes (jholmes@bcps.org) and demand this teacher be fired. #Politics #StopTheIndoctrination”. To which one member replied, “What, you don’t think the principal knows about it?”

    To his credit, I do understand what he was saying. Yes, I am certain that Principal Holmes knew about it. I suspect that she even agreed with it. But this comment illustrates my point.

    If Principal Holmes’ email address wasn’t included in that post how many people would have simply “liked” (or selected the angry emoji) and commented on the post without actually doing something about it? How many would have taken the time to search out the contact information for this principal in an effort to express outrage? To that end, I wonder how many actually did email the principal. The outrage of the overwhelming number of group members, regarding this teacher’s action, will, sadly, remain ineffective; it will remain in the echo chamber of that group and the groups that exist within the spheres of its members having no effect on the situation whatsoever.

    Additionally, many members of one conservative group are members of the many other conservative groups, constituting a larger but still compartmentalized circular echo chamber. This further isolates any social outrage rendering it ineffective in achieving meaningful change. While a person may feel they have done something to create a loud voice to push back against an outrage; feel they have done their part to combat cultural erosion, they have, in fact, done very little.

    Without including the information necessary to take action (i.e. an email address, phone number, or website link) – and without each and every one of us taking the time to act on that call to action, the outrage and effort needed to affect real change remains compartmentalized and ineffective.

    Social media echo chambers are where great intentions go to die. This is especially true for conservative-minded group echo chambers. Progressives and Justice Democrats understand this and that’s why they can routinely – and for the most inane of reasons – produce large-member pressure vehicles (emails, phone calls, letters and protests) at a moment’s notice. Until conservatives and constitutionalists understand that meaningful action takes more than a “like” and a comment, the Leftists amongst us will continue to win incrementally.

    Until conservatives and constitutionalists come to grips with the reality that – for now – Leftists organize to action better than we do, the country will continue on its path to becoming a socialist democracy.

    Product Review: Vortex Razor makes the cut

    Robert Kay
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    Product Review: Vortex Razor makes the cut

    First introduced a few years ago, the Razor is Vortex’s top of the line red dot optic.

    The Razor occupies the same place on the red dot continuum as the C-More and the DeltaPoint from Leupold. (Let’s call it the high mid-range). All of the above are exceptionally light and qualitatively better than what you’ll find on the next tier down, occupied by products in the $200 range such as the Bushnell Fastfire.

    Of course you can get military grade optics by dropping more money. However for most people, unless you have a special application (or are making some kind of statement), spending the extra dollars may not be worth it.

    My reason for acquiring the Razor was very specific.

    I was building a high-end 1911 target gun and needed an optic of commensurate quality to mount on it.

    I had the option of putting a Picatinny rail on this gun but for aesthetic and weight reasons, I didn’t want to go there. Instead I found a proprietary mount from EGW a quality manufacturer of 1911 parts, designed specifically for the Razor and the C-More RTS2.

    Why the Razor?

    I wanted something light that would stand up to the rigors of sitting atop a 1911 slide. The Razor is a rugged piece of equipment reminiscent of the much more expensive, RMR and only weighs about 1.4 oz.

    It comes with a 1913 mount, which comes in handy, although in my case this wasn’t an issue.

    Razor is placed on my 1911 with a proprietary mount from EGW that was precise and secure. 

    The Razor fit atop the EGW mount perfectly (see top photo).

    The sight is easy to set up.

    To make adjustments to windage and elevation you’ll need a small hex key which is provided by the manufacturer. I actually prefer this to using the blade of a screwdriver or coin to make the adjustments because I feel like I have more control. The movements on the left/right, up/down tweaking are discernible clicks, rather than the mushy feeling you get with less expensive optics.

    There’s a lock on the back that secures your adjustments. You’ll have to loosen it up with the hex key before making them and conversely, tighten it down when completed.

    The on/off and brightness controls reside right behind the lens. You can bring the optic to life by depressing either button and shut it off depressing the “down” button for three seconds. Vortex says the sight will run up to 30,000 hours and should you forget to shut it off, there’s a 6-hour automatic shutdown.

    The Razor mounted on a Caspian slide, has a clean look and weighs in at a whopping 1.4 oz.

    Changing batteries is easy. There’s a tray that slides out with the battery so when you need to swap it out, just pop it out with a screw driver or knife. (There’s a tiny slot on the exterior of the tray that you can get a purchase on). This method is preferable to having to remove the entire optic from the mount to change the (CR 2032) battery. The battery is protected with an “O” ring to keep the elements out.

    The optic comes with its own 1913 mount, which comes in handy, although in my case this wasn’t an issue. (With other products you would have to pay extra for the pic mount so this is a nice “plus”).

    The size of the dot is 3 MOA but it also comes in 6 MOA. For precision shooting or whacking a gong at long distances, 3 MOA is ideal. If the dot is much bigger it covers the target.

    Batteries can be changed with tray type arrangement that eliminates need to remove entire optic.

    The lens provides a wide field of view and works well for my purposes. The quality of the dot is excellent, as I’ve alluded to but not as crisp as a full sized Ultradot tube style sight. Of course it weighs a fraction of the Ultradot so as in everything in life, there’s a trade off.

    Street price is $400 including shipping. So far it has been able to handle the recoil and the folks I’ve spoken to own them say they are durable. (If there are any future issues I’ll report them in this column).

    Conclusion

    I really like the Razor red dot reflex sight. You can use it for everything from self defense to long-range shooting. I use it to whack a 10″ gong at 100 yards with my 9mm 1911.

    It’s that versatile.

    You’re getting quality features on this optic at a fair price and the warranty on Vortex products is outstanding. I have several Vortex optics and have yet to have any problems with any of them. If you’re looking for a competition quality red dot for your handgun or rifle, I’d give the Razor a serious look.

    Loading Plated bullets–The basics you need to know

    Robert Kay
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    Loading Plated bullets–The basics you need to know

    Techniques for loading plated bullets

    Loading plated bullets entails a slightly different technique than jacketed bullets. Given that they are softer (without the copper jacket) they must be handled with more TLC.

    For starters, the best loading manual I’ve encountered when loading for plated bullets is from Western Powders. In fact they are the only loading guide that specifically addresses plated bullets.

    On a progressive loader, after you’ve primed and sized the bullet you’ll need to make sure that the bell is large enough to securely seat the bullet. Thus, you’ll need to over-flare the case mouth a teeny bit more than you would with jacketed bullet. You’ll need to apply the “Goldilocks” principle. Don’t over-bell or you’ll weaken the brass but don’t under-do it either or you risk damaging the bullet.

    With enough flare the bullet can be set up vertically on the seating die so that the bullet doesn’t tilt.

    Once you’ve seated the bullet you’ll need to add a slight crimp. Overcrimping plated bullets is the biggest mistake a beginner can make.

    I recommend very little crimp on the bullet, just enough to put pressure against the bullet without denting or deforming the plating. If you were to pull the bullet out of a case with the proper crimp you would find no more than a scratch on the surface of the plating. Using thin blade on calipers, any crimp indentation over .003 is too much, especially in revolvers where you have a throat that allows more obturation and then ‘resizing’ in the forcing cone. This becomes more critical in the higher pressure/velocity cartridges.

    In other words, take it easy when crimping because it’s easy to put a dent in a plated bullet vs. the jacketed variety.

    For accuracy’s sake, stick with a good brand of brass like Starline

    For accuracy standardize with one type of brass

    Plated bullets, if loaded properly, are extremely accurate.

    If you’re serious about accuracy and “standardizing” your loads, one tip when reloading plated bullets (or any bullets for that matter) is to use one brand of brass. When I started reloading, I used to collect range brass. Nothing wrong with that if you’re on a budget and you’re just banging away on a Glock where accuracy is not an issue. The problem with scrounged range brass that you is that you’re collecting items from different manufacturers with slightly different dimensions and varying quality.

    Ergo, every round you crank out could be slightly different in size and it becomes a nightmare if you want to make uniformly, consistently made ammo. If you want good groups forget about the range brass. I’ve used Starline over the years with great success.

    A chamfer/deburr tool from Brownells is crucial for loading new brass

    If you’re using brand new brass, managing the belling/crimping process is critical. Loading new necessitates sizing and chamfer the case. A new case will have a jagged mouth which can create problems when you seat the bullet, so you’ll need to smooth out the sharp edges.

    That can be done with a chamfer/deburr tool which you can pick up from Brownells or other reloading outlets. Once the brass is fired you won’t have to go through this process again.

    Titanium Carbide Dies from Redding are tools you need

    Another option is to use dies with a Titanium Carbide dies which in my experience, glide over the jagged edges of new brass and make loading plated bullets less problematic. I’ve had good success with the new Premium series die set for handgun cartridges from Redding, which makes high end reloading equipment. They make a three (3) die set which includes a Titanium Carbide Sizing Die, a Special Expander Die and a Seating Die with that includes a Bullet Seating Micrometer.

    Redding’s Premium Die Sets work wonders when it comes to lubricity

    Of interest is their expander die, which unlike the Dillon system, which creates a smooth entry radius for the bullet and a tiny shelf that allows for more stable placement of the projectile to keep it aligned properly before it’s seated.

    The Dillon system, on the other hand, combines the expander function with a powder drop. Generally, this works quite well, except when you’re using new brass. In this case the powder drop funnel can “stick” to the mouth of the brass. This means instead of a smooth operation, you’ll have to add extra pressure on the up stroke of the handle to pry the funnel from the case mouth. This causes the whole platform to abruptly pop up, usually resulting in powder from the shell being expelled all over the shell plate.

    In addition to this issue, as mentioned earlier, there’s also a chance that the jagged edge of new brass will cause the bullet to adhere to the side of the case in the seating process. That can mean uneven entry caused the bullet to get dinged a crushed shell casing.

    To avoid this hassle, I’ve found that Redding’s Titanium Carbide dies work very well. They seem to have much more lubricity. The nice thing is that you don’t have to hassle with the chamfer/deburring process if you use them. Just use the new brass as is.

    Yikes! Use titanium dies or suffer the consequences.

    Conclusion

    Using jacketed data in any loading manual is a good bet when loading for plated bullets at subsonic speeds. As mentioned previously, the Western reloading guide has a lot of data for plated bullets.

    Proper case flare and avoiding over crimping are critical. Once you get your loads dialed in you’ll find the plated bullets, particularly the 9mm and 10mm HP projectiles, can be incredibly accurate.

    One last note.

    Plated hollow point bullets are ideal for those interested in practicing their self-defense shooting skills. However it’s better to purchase factory rounds for use in home defense weapons rather than reloaded ammo. Reloaded ammunition can be used against you in court.

    Off the bench with a Rainier 115 HP over 5.4 gr of Silhouette from Western Powders at 25 yds

    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.

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