Al Peffley

Tom,

There was a lot of growth and perceived work expansion going on in the top cities on your SSRN graph between 1914 and 1919. The Boeing Airplane Company was established in 1917. The ports of Portland and Seattle were busy with large lumber mills producing forest products. The two ports transfered larger amounts of agricultural goods to the east coast. The Northwest produced "tall trees", douglas fir and cedar products unique to the area (and in high demand.) The railroads (NP, GP, SP, UP) began to peak in effeciency and new short lines were created to take products from the forests and farms to distribution points in Seattle and Portland. Key industrial infrastructure buildup projects provided many jobs. Offutt Field was built near Omaha (also a major railiroad hub) in 1918 for the Army's new air force. Omaha meat processing yards and plants were expanded to serve the growing West Coast consumer market. You could homestead in Washington, Oregon, and California. The Los Angeles basin manufacturing and entertainment industries blossomed and were established after the Great War. GM built a big auto assembly plant in Oakland in 1919 and established an oak body parts plant in Seattle (where the Kenworth plant was established and operated by PACAR.)

Many new NW homesteads were claimed during that time (1900-1919), and owning a home was possible for the common young man and woman. It drew my grandfather here from Richmond Virginia to log, build homes in Lebam WA, and become a Pacific County Constable in the day (a township police officer reporting to the county sheriff.) Apprenticeship programs in unions were in abundance out "West". Large lumber mills were everywhere. Towns quickly expanded into small cities with over a thousand residents. The Great Depression would change everything, but all of those cities at the top of the chart recovered because of the WWII build-up and Pacific Rim theater and trade. None of this was available on the more-established, densely-populated East Coast regions, and the Deep South was still trying to recover from the Civil War.

The average lifetime age for males plummeted 12 years in one year because of WWI deaths and the Spanish Flu Pandemic. Men dropped to 36 years and women 42 average lifetime length in the United States. (The current average world male and female lifetime estimate is 70.2 years! The average US life expectancy is in the mid-70's (that be us). Reference.: https://www.worlddata.info/life-expectancy.php)

It was funny to read about the same social restrictions complaints (that you hear and read about today) by Portland and Vancouver citizens and doctors concerning masks and complicated quarantine issues in 1918. Doctors did not understand about viruses and how they used living cell receptors to attack healthy lung cells back then, just that living lung cells were destroyed and patients turned blue from lack of oxygen transfer and then suffocated to death. Morticians became ill and died from processing the bodies of deceased victims. Today we cremate the bodies or mass bury the infected dead corpses when appropriate. Cremation was less accepted in 1918 (unlike today).

Even though scientists and doctors know more about viruses now, the development and certification of targeted and effective antiviral therapy drugs is still too lengthy and complicated to be of practical use at the onset of a very infectious, novel viral strain whose typical infection cycle lasts about two years before it mutates. The United States has literally spent billions of taxpayer dollars for a very marginal return on investment.

The national laboratories talk to each other, but they are still "stove-piped" due to evolved business practices, bureaucratic red tape, and commercial medicine opportunity protections (read: potentially lucrative patents.) Follow the money. The EPA labs complex at Chapel Hill is reported to be the largest EPA epidemiology research facility built since the agency was created.

https://www.epa.gov/greeningepa/chapel-hill-laboratory

The EPA has NIH, Wuhan Virology Lab, Duke University, U Cal Berkley et. al., and University of North Carolina Medical School connections concerning bat-hosted coronavirus and HIV/AIDS research. In turn, they consult with military R&D virologists and epidemiologists at DoD's Fort Deitrich and Edgewood Laboratory facilities in Maryland. There are a lot of government agency and commercial funding "stovepipes" in the epidemiology R&D community. Dr. Fauci is a non-elected official authority with a lot of clout. Right now the science "kitchen" is hot with controversy about how slow science is moving in the war against novel cronavirus enemies of humanity. Infection of people by vaccine is not the long term defense against the next mutation version, denying virus attachment, entry and replication is the real "cure". Hopefully, we will identify the right combination of elements and compounds to abort virus entry into healthy human cells and defeat its life cycle process within animal kingdom hosts. One day vaccines will probably be considered like blood-letting and draining is today -- very primative and risky for defense against contagious virus pathogens.

As a Follow-up: Here is an interesting article on COVID-19 written by a MD:

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/05/medicine_will_not_look_back_kindly_on_covid19_response.html

Tom Chavez

Other Perspectives

I could complain about pandemic restrictions and damage to the economy. I could cast blame at Obama, Trump, Dr. Fauci, WHO, China or some other scapegoat. But that’s not the real problem.

Coronavirus, which is 100 times as infective as ordinary flu, is nature’s reaction to human activity. Humans invaded the ecosystem of the virus, traded in animals which carried the virus, and created a society in which the virus could quickly spread worldwide.

The real problem is us, homo sapiens. We have selfishly and ruthlessly exploited the environment, upset ecological balances, killed and injured countless species of plants, insects, and animals, and become our own greatest enemy. If we don’t sober up, we might just self-destruct.

Whether we think life goes on under impersonal laws of nature, or that an omniscient personal divinity is in control, we should carefully consider our place in nature. From other species’ perspective, homo sapiens is the pandemic destroying their lives and bringing suffering and destruction.

The world is perfectly lawful and just, controlled by natural laws under supervision of the Divine. We are responsible for our own individual actions which have brought this reaction of the coronavirus. If life must change because of the pandemic, let us change it for the better. 

Let’s pray for enlightenment and the welfare and happiness of all living entities.

Gregg Wilson

Tom,

So no one is guilty because all of humanity is guilty? Not so.

The CCP and WHO are guilty of spreading this virus.

Period.

Al Peffley

Tom,

You flatter us! I did not know that humans could be so united in destroying God's creation. I thought that just a few days ago you were at peace doing your own thing with yoga and such. Time to get the mantra meditation  poster out, dim the lights, light an incense candle, chant a few bars, and mellow out.

If everyone is responsible then no one or group needs to take responsibility for their actions or avoidance of action -- how convenient.😏

Gregg is correct, the CCP is extorting the free world nations who were its customers. It's time for them to reap what they have sown -- economic death by ego, deceit, greed, and Communist style power lust. Evil always dresses itself up to look soooo good! 🙈🙉🙊

None of us are perfect, Tom, but all of us don't perceive life in such a dark way. Take the log out of your own eye before criticizing the splinter in your neighbors'. Care enough to confront evil when you realize it's presence in our lives. Loving your neighbor also means helping to protect the most vulnerable souls, both physically and spiritually. Help dispel fear and subjugation of the poor in spirit, as it is the opposite of eternal love of the creator. Your last post comes across as condemning even the innocent and victims of tyrannical injustice. Social justice warrior guilt trips won't solve anything and only divide our culture. Those who want division want to subjugate and conquer. So far, that strategy has brought war and misery. Totalitarian religions and ideologies don't tolerate what does not comply with their demands --- loving their neighbor is contingent upon subjugation and converting them to the "Common Good" as they define it, not how the Creator defines it. If there is no  Creator then there is just human structures that make the same mistakes over and over again with the same erogant attitude and misperceptions. Playing God is always so complicated and disappointing because we all die sooner or later.

Tom Chavez

Karma means action and reaction. Everything in the universe operates under laws of cause and effect. What we experience in our lives now is the result of past actions. Our actions now determine our future.

Everyone is fully responsible for their own sufferings and enjoyments in this world. We can also share responsibility and karma with others. Wars are mass karmic reactions. We may blame others for our suffering, but actually we are ourselves responsible. As you sow, shall you reap.

Pregnancy of Diti in the Evening

One evening, Diti, being afflicted with sex desire, begged her husband, the sage Kaśyap, for intercourse in order to beget a child. The sun was setting, and the sage was sitting in trance after offering oblations to the sacrificial fire.

Beautiful Diti said, “O learned one, Cupid is forcibly distressing me with his arrows, as a mad elephant troubles a banana tree. I desire to have sons, kindly bless me by fulfilling my desire. When someone in distress approaches a great person, their plea should never go in vain.”

Kaśyap replied to Diti, “O afflicted one, I shall soon gratify your desire. As one can cross over the ocean with seagoing vessels, one can cross the dangerous material ocean by living with a wife. O respectable one, a wife is the better half of a man’s body. A man can move without anxiety entrusting all responsibilities to his wife. As a fort commander very easily conquers invading plunderers, by taking shelter of a wife one can conquer the senses, which give trouble in the other social orders.”

Kaśyap meant that householders living with wives enjoy the heavenly blessings of sense enjoyment without fear of repercussion. A man in the renounced order has no wife and may be driven by sex desire to seek another woman or another’s wife and thus go to hell. In other words, a man of the renounced order is condemned if he again desires sexual pleasure. In that way married householders are on the safer side.

Husbands as a class cannot repay their debt to their wives either in this life or in the next.

Kaśyap continued, “Although it is not possible to repay you, I shall satisfy your sex desire for the sake of begetting children. But please wait a short while because the time now is inauspicious.”

Despite her husband’s request, Diti was pressed by Cupid for sexual satisfaction. She pulled the clothing of the brāhmaṇa, just like a shameless public prostitute. Although enlightened, Kaśyap, the great sage, gave in to his wife. Such is the strong force of material energy. Understanding his wife’s purpose, he offered his obeisances unto inexorable destiny, and lay with her in a secluded place.

Vedic society taught a science for begetting good children. The soul which enters the womb depends upon the consciousness of the parents and the situation at the moment of conception. Mass murderers, brutal dictators, criminals and the like are conceived due to poor consciousness and inauspicious circumstances. One should sanctify one’s consciousness and select an auspicious time in order to beget the best children. 

Girls and boys can be trained in elevated spiritual culture so that both will benefit. The training of the boy is celibacy, and the training of the girl is chastity. A faithful wife and a self controlled husband are a good combination for advancement of society and elevation of human consciousness.

Diti later approached her husband to apologize, afraid that her husband was offended. She had dissuaded him from his daily duty of offering evening prayers, and she was concerned about the future welfare of her children.

The learned Kaśyap said: Because of your mind’s pollution, the incorrect time, and your neglect of my request, our act was inauspicious. O proud woman, you will have two contemptuous sons born of your womb. They will kill faultless living entities, torment women and enrage the great souls. In due course an incarnation of Viṣṇu, well-wisher of all living entities, will descend to kill them.”

“However, because of your penitence, proper deliberation, and unflinching faith in Divinity, one of your grandsons will be a great devotee of the Lord, and his fame will be widespread. He will be a virtuous reservoir of all good qualities; he will be happy in others’ happiness, distressed in others’ distress, and will have no enemies.”

Hearing that her grandson would be a great devotee and that her sons would be killed by Viṣṇu, Diti was highly pleased in mind. Yet she retained her embryos and postponed giving birth as long as she could, knowing that her sons would unleash chaos on the world.

Tom Chavez

Story of Narasimha: The Two Sons of Diti

This section resembles the Biblical story of Lucifer, an angel who fell from heaven to become Satan. The sons of Diti were previously in the spiritual world but became puffed up. They were cursed to be born in physical bodies in the material world. Pride precedes a fall.

The sons of Diti were not limited by karma from previous material lives. Like an invasive species, they exploited and enjoyed the material resources of the universe with abandon. Raising hell on many planets, one brother created so much chaos that Vishnu incarnated as Varaha and killed him. Then there was one.

His name was Hiranya Kasipu. Hiranya means ‘golden’ and Kasipu means ‘soft bed.’ He was a connoisseur of women and wealth. After the death of his brother, he became the sworn enemy of Vishnu, utterly determined to destroy Vishnu and all those who followed religious principles or brahminical culture.

Hiraṇya Kaśipu wanted to be unconquerable, free from old age, deathless, and the only ruler of the entire universe. He began performing austerity by standing with his toes on the ground, holding his arms upward and looking toward the sky. This position was extremely difficult, but he accepted it as a means to attain perfection.

Due to the power of his severe austerities, the rivers and oceans became agitated, the surface of the globe, with its mountains and continents, began trembling, and even the stars and planets deviated from their orbits. All directions were ablaze.

Extremely disturbed by Hiraṇya Kaśipu’s penances, the demigods left their planets and went to the planet of Brahmā. They said, “O master of the universe, due to Hiraṇya Kaśipu’s severe austerities, we could not stay on our planets but have come to you. If you think it proper, please stop him, before we are all annihilated!”

Powerful Brahmā immediately went to where Hiraṇya Kaśipu was performing his austerities. At first Brahmā could not see him, for Hiraṇya Kaśipu’s body was covered by an anthill. Because he had been there for a long time, the ants had devoured his skin, fat, flesh and blood. He was maintaining his consciousness and life air simply within his skeleton.

When Lord Brahmā spotted him, he said: “O son of Kaśyapa Muni, please get up. All good fortune unto you. You are now perfect in the performance of your austerities, and therefore I may give you a benediction. Please ask from me whatever you desire, and I shall try to fulfill your wish.”

Lord Brahmā, the original being in this universe, sprinkled transcendental water from his kamaṇḍalu upon Hiraṇya Kaśipu’s skeleton. Revived by this water, Hiraṇya Kaśipu arose with a rejuvenated body strong enough to bear the strike of a thunderbolt. He emerged from the anthill with full youthful vigor, like fire springing from dry wood.

Seeing Lord Brahmā present before him in the sky, Hiraṇya Kaśipu was extremely pleased. He said, “O greatest of benefactors, kindly grant me that I will not meet death from any living entity in the universe, by any weapon, neither indoors nor outdoors, during the day or night, nor on the ground, in the water or in the sky. Grant me that I may have sole unrivaled lordship over all living entities and demigods. Furthermore, give me all the mystic powers attained by long austerities and yoga practice.”

Lord Brahmā said: “O Hiraṇya Kaśipu, the benedictions you request are difficult to obtain. Nonetheless, I am pleased with your austerities my son, and I grant you all your desires.”

Hiraṇya Kaśipu, being blessed by Lord Brahmā, became the conqueror of the entire universe, including the planets of the humans, the Gandharvas, the Garuḍas, the great serpents, the Siddhas, Cāraṇas and Vidyādharas, the great sages, Yamarāja, the Manus, the Yakṣas, the Rākṣasas, and the Piśācas. He brought all these planets under his control and seized their power and influence.

Hiraṇya Kaśipu began residing in heaven, with its famous Nandana garden, which was formerly enjoyed by the demigods. In fact, he resided in the most opulent palace of Indra, the King of heaven. The palace, constructed by the demigod architect Viśvakarmā, was as beautifully made as if the goddess of fortune herself resided there.

Thus, Hiraṇya Kaśipu deposed the demigods and began ruling the universe according to his own whim.

Tom Chavez

Narasimha Story: Hiraṇya Kaśipu’s Son, Prahlād

Hiraṇya Kaśipu, occupying the throne of King Indra, lived in the heavenly palace and severely ruled everyone. The demigods, very much oppressed, had to bow down and offer obeisances at the feet of Hiraṇyakaśipu, who chastised them harshly for no reason. 

Hiraṇya Kaśipu was always drunk on wines and liquors, and his coppery eyes were always rolling. Nonetheless, because he had powerfully executed great austerities, the demigods were compelled to please him by bringing him various presentations with their own hands.

As if in fear of Hiraṇyakaśipu, the land delivered grains, fruits and vegetables without being cultivated, the cows supplied abundant milk, and outer space was decorated with wonderful phenomena. The various oceans in the universe, along with the rivers, supplied gems and jewels for Hiraṇya Kaśipu’s pleasure.

In spite of achieving the power to control all directions and to enjoy unrestricted sense gratification, Hiraṇya Kaśipu was dissatisfied because instead of controlling his senses he remained their servant, catering to the urges for pleasure and enjoyment.

Hiraṇya Kaśipu had four wonderful, well-qualified sons, of whom Prahlād was the best. Prahlād was kind to every living entity. To respectable persons Prahlād acted like a menial servant, to his equals he was a sympathetic brother, and he considered his teachers and elders to be worshipable.

Although Prahlād was born in a family of demons, he himself was a devotee of Lord Viṣṇu. He was not envious of others nor agitated by anger. He controlled his senses and mind. With steady intelligence and determination he subdued all material desires.

The demons, headed by Hiraṇya Kaśipu, accepted the sons of Śukrācārya as teachers for their children. They sent Prahlād and the other boys to their school. Prahlād heard and recited the lessons, but he did not like the political philosophy which considers someone a friend and someone else an enemy.

One day Hiraṇya Kaśipu took his son Prahlād on his lap and affectionately inquired, “My dear son, please tell me, what is the best thing you have learned from your teachers?”

Prahlād replied: “O best of the demons, any person who accepts a temporary body and temporary household life is certainly embarrassed by anxiety. One should give up this position and go to the forest to take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

When Prahlād spoke about the path of self-realization, as taught by his father’s enemies, the King of the demons laughingly said, “This is the intelligence of a child spoiled by words of the enemy.” Hiraṇya Kaśipu told the teachers, “Protect this boy, so that he will not be influenced by enemies who come in disguise.” 

The teachers inquired from Prahlād, “The other boys do not speak in any deviant way. How has your intelligence been spoiled? Has this pollution come from you or from enemies? Please tell us the truth.”

Prahlād replied, “The intelligence of persons deluded by material energy thinks in terms of ‘my friend’ and ‘my enemy’. One who is enlightened does not distinguish between enemies, friends and himself. Every one of us is an eternal servant of God, and therefore we are not different from one another.”

Because they were servants of Hiraṇya Kaśipu, the sons of Śukrācārya were very angry. In politics, when a person defies the government, four principles are used to control him—legal orders, diplomacy, the offer of a post or, finally, weapons and punishment.

The teachers punished and threatened Prahlād in various ways and continued teaching him about politics, economics and sense gratification. In this way they tried to educate him.

Tom Chavez

Why is this pandemic going around the world? Something to think about.

Al Peffley

Resist any Bill Gates-promoted vaccine that has an micro RFID or other implant device of the beast in it. The testing should be voluntary, not dictated by governors or unelected health authorities. We have flattened the death curve (real proven COVID-19 caused deaths, not inflated numbers.)

I am a life-long member of PETA - People [who] Eat Tasty Animals - LOL. My father was a butcher much of his adult life. There are no oxalates in animal protein or alcoholic beverages, but moderation is always prudent for other toxic and artery plaque producing reasons.

Most cholesterol doesn't just come directly from injested foods (liver meat is very high in cholesterol.) Your body produces it to make your brain function. Indescriminate use of anticholesterol medicines can rob your brain of the needed levels for proper brain function, and some people have noted memory losses while taking some popular anticholesterol drugs called statins. My wife and I are both statin-intolerant. We use niacin in place of statins and try to reduce our carbohydrates in the foods we eat (another plant product ingestion issue.) Carbohydrates are used by your body to produce cholesterol. The metabolic rate drops as we get older, and we can't burn off the carbs as well as when we were younger. Some carbs are needed to perform proper body functions, but not the quanity that the multi-billion dollar food industry wants us to consume. Natural foods are better than high chemical content, "diet" foods. Read the labels.

Oxalates derived from many ingested plant foods can kill or cause bad internal malfunctions if they cause a nasty kidney and lower tract intestinal infection. Your kidneys collect oxalic acid (C2O2-4 or other C2O2 derivatives) acid compounds from your blood. This is another case where plant carbon byproducts are not our friends, healthwise. This acid imbalance can also cause fatal liver problems (Steve Jobs' excessive veagan diet is a case study example.) A balanced diet includes all of the food groups in small portions. Those portions can change over time as a person's individual body chemistry and processes change with age.

Once you have kidney stones you will be suseptable to get them for the rest of your life. Some plants do not have excessive oxalates. Unfortunately for me (because I loved to eat all of these foods) potatoes, raspberries, spinach, beets, wild brown rice, tea (not green tea), oranges (not lemons or limes), mixed nuts, milk chocolate, and peanuts are chock full of oxalates (oxcalic acid). Oxalic acid combines with calcium to form very dense, sharp-edged crystaline "kidney stones". Drink milk with your meal and most of the oxalates consumed will pass down your intestinal tract. Keep your oxalate consumption to less than 400 mg per day if your body produces calcium oxalate stones in your kidneys. Drink 2 liters of water per day, when possible, to reduce all stone types.

Best reference I've found so far: https://kidneystones.uchicago.edu/how-to-eat-a-low-oxalate-diet/

Happy eating a balanced and small portions diet!

Unfortunately, most affluent western cultures like ours use eating for entertainment. This food entertainment habit is being altered by the COVID-19 response. The alteration may be of some benefit to our obese society composed of fat, non-working "poor people" who are on federal and state government "freebees" assistance programs. However, it does cause frictional unemployment and loss of tax/fee revenues for entertainment-oriented mega-cities like New York. I wonder if the tourism and airlines industry will ever recover from this way of handling the latest pandemic?

There are not enough deaths world-wide and in the US to sanction the implementation of Marshall Law with CCP-type operations using hired health contract field workers and State National Guard assistance for testing compliance and enforcement. Governor Inslee needs to be reined-in by the WA Legislature soon. We are a Free Republic State, not like Communist China, Russia, or even the socialist-run EU. This is being used to control people and is in violation of both state and US constitutions. These constitutions are the laws of the land, and shall not be infringed by totalitarian acts of excessive and unreasonable control and individual tracking technologies commonly used today for tracking released criminal locations and lost pets. The testing can be done by random sample in healthcare clinics, not forced state house-to-house testing operations.

Gregg Wilson

A little fun. Not to change the subject, butt:

                                 BABOON BUTT!

Al Peffley

Weird color combination (very Halloween colors), "Butt" might work for long distance rides to reduce chaffing of the groin. I am past the long, iron butt bike trips stage...peddling or motorized crotch rocket. These were obviously not a hot seller from the butt "blowout" price reduction quote shown.

Tom Chavez

It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple.

The facts are many, but the truth is one.

Tom Chavez

The Story of Narasimha: Prahlād Confounds Hiraṇya Kaśipu

Hiraṇya Kaśipu requested the teachers to instruct Prahlād in the duties to be followed by royal families. Although he was a good student, Prahlād did not care for learning about worldly affairs in a materialistic life marked by birth, death, old age and disease.

When the teachers went home, the students and Prahlād would associate in leisure. Prahlād and his classmates discussed the value of education designed for a life of worldly enjoyment and success.

Prahlād told his friends that happiness is obtained even by animals. They eat, sleep and have families. Worldly happiness comes automatically by karma, just as we automatically obtain distress without seeking it. Better to aspire for spiritual advancement and self-realization.

The sons of the demons began to consider these ideas. They questioned the materialistic instructions given by their teachers. Observing that the students, the sons of the demons, were being influenced by Prahlād, the teachers became concerned. 

They took Prahlād to Hiraṇya Kaśipu. When Hiraṇya Kaśipu saw his child bowing at his feet to offer obeisances, he affectionately embraced him and sat him on his lap. He said, “My dear Prahlād, my dear son, you have heard many things from your teachers. Now please tell to me what is the best of that knowledge.”

Prahlād said, “Hearing and chanting about Lord Viṣṇu, remembering Him, serving Him, worshiping Him, praying, considering the Lord one’s best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him—these are pure devotional service. One who dedicates his life this way is the most learned person, and has the best knowledge.”

Hearing these words Hiraṇya Kaśipu became extremely angry. Lips trembling, he accused the teachers, “You have betrayed me! You have taught this poor boy about devotional service! What is this nonsense?!”

The teachers replied, “O enemy of Indra, O King! Certainly it was not taught by us! Spontaneous devotional service has developed naturally in him.”

Hiraṇya Kaśipu asked his son Prahlād, “You rascal, if you have not heard this from your teachers, where have you gotten it?”

Prahlād replied, “Due to uncontrolled senses, persons addicted to enjoying material life can’t understand that the goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead. As blind men guided by another blind man fall into a ditch, materialistic men led by another materialistic man repeatedly cycle through birth and death, suffering miseries.”

Hearing Prahlād’s words, Hiraṇya Kaśipu, blinded by anger, threw him off his lap and onto the ground. Feeling highly insulted, he began hissing like a snake trampled by someone’s foot. He decided there and then to kill his son Prahlād.

Gregg Wilson

Hi Al,

I haven't commented on your posts because I am in 99% agreement with them.

The government response to this virus has been highly overblown. Had they simply isolated nursing homes and elderly people, we would not have to shut the country down. Time to reopen, immediately.

Al Peffley

Hi Gregg,

I had a face to face meeting with my State House Representative, Jim Walsh, this morning for about 15 minutes. Our discussion was over Inslee's edicts about COVID-19 restrictions and enforcement. Conveniently, the State Legislature passed HR 8200, and Inslee quickly signed it into law. It is an Ammendment to the State Constitution giving the Governor more authority over the state residents during critical incident events before the pandemic was announced in December, 2019. It gives the Governor more leeway and authority during major state and national emergency incidents like this pandemic. Jim voted "nay" on HR 8200 with only six other Legislators (all Republicans) in the State House of Representatives. Many ignorant or apathetic RINO's in the House voted yes. They are now seeing the spoiled fruits of their vote last fall.

Inslee's most recent pandemic-related proclamations have drawn major blowback from numerous State Legislators along with class action groups and individuals filing at least six formal lawsuits against the State's lockdown response to COVID-19. These negative feedback actions are causing Inslee to reconsider his continued lockdown, definitions of "non-essential" activities, restaurant customer ID sign-in, and his house-to-house COVID-19 identification testing (with population quarantining and tracking) projects. We will see if these negative inputs influence him to back off, or not. He likes the power and has a bad case of TDS.

Here is an interesting article posted yesterday on the US economy's and loss of individual rights' collateral damage across America (with a lot of hyperlinked references):

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/05/police_state_dry_run_a_huge_success.html

Cheers,

Al

Gregg Wilson

We have had pandemics before without the politicians going insane. Shutting people in their homes is prolonging the virus. A great many persons have contracted the virus with little effect. Opening everyone up, aside from elderly and sick - or both, would create a vast reservoir of people would now be immune to the virus. That would kill the spread.

Some governors have opened up their states without an uprising of hospital cases and deaths. Other governors are facing uprisings and loss of confidence in their continued shutdowns. I think that reality will force them to open - with the exception of totally crazy California.

Persons have been arrested for going to a park, playing golf, going to the beach, going on the water. When will this insanity end?

I have met quite a number of persons up close with no effect. We have had quite a number of persons to our house - no effect.

Tom Chavez

The Sudden Appearance of Narasimha

Hiraṇya Kaśipu angrily told Prahlād, “You obstinate idiot, Prahlād, you have defied my authority. You are trying to minimize my value, as if you were better than me at controlling the senses. By whose power have you become so impudent that you fearlessly challenge me?”

Prahlād said, “My dear King, the source of my strength is also the source of yours. The original source of all strength is one. Everyone, including Lord Brahmā, is controlled by the strength of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

Hiraṇyakaśipu replied, "O most unfortunate Prahlāda, you always talk about a supreme being other than me, who controls everyone. In our family you are like a cancer which must be cut out. Today you will die. Where is this so-called supreme being?”

“O best of the demons, he is everywhere,” replied Prahlād.

“If He is everywhere, then why is he not present before me in this pillar? Because you are speaking such nonsense, I shall now sever your head from your body! Let your so-called God protect you, I want to see it!”

Obsessed with anger, Hiraṇya Kaśipu, cursing again and again, took up his sword, got up from his royal throne, and with great anger struck his fist against the pillar.

Then from within the pillar came a fearful sound, like the rumbling thunder of a lion’s roar. Upon hearing the sound, the other leaders of the demons were afraid. 

Hiraṇya Kaśipu barely paused, remembering his benediction from Lord Brahma, that he would not meet death from any living entity in the universe, by any weapon, neither indoors nor outdoors, during the day or night, nor on the ground, in the water or in the sky.

Suddenly a wonderful form, which was neither man nor lion, emerged from the pillar of that assembly hall. In amazement, Hiraṇya Kaśipu wondered, “What is this creature that is half man and half lion?”

Al Peffley

Maybe Governor Jay Inslee or the first openly bisexual Oregon Governor Kate Brown was Hiraṇya Kaśipu in a prior life? Totalitarian, ego-centric leaders tend to reinvent themselves...

Gregg, I will see the California situation first hand at the end of this month and I will report my road trip experience and observations after returning here on the HHS Message Forum blog site. I intend on staying as far away as possible from the Bay Area's and LA County's social cesspools and homeless "kingdoms". Our daughter and son-in-law now live in a mostly conservative rural county in southern California. We will travel east of the I-5 Corridor once we get north of Sacremento, CA. I must admit that I am not looking forward to this trip, but grandma needs her grandkids visit "fix" and it is our youngest, disabled grandson's birthday celebration at their new home (they moved from Oregon to California because of Dad's promotion at work.)

Gregg Wilson

Hi Al,

Your and Bonnie's trip to see grand children, etc, is a damn sight more important than the "BIG PICTURE".

All the best

Bill Engelhardt

When air travel returns to normal....

Tom Chavez

It wasn’t much of a fight.

Hiraṇya Kaśipu told himself, “Lord Viṣṇu, with his mystic power, has made this plan to kill me, but what is the use of such an attempt? Who can fight with me?” Thinking like this and taking up his weapon, Hiraṇya Kaśipu attacked, like a fool taking a knife to a gun fight.

Narasiṁha toyed with the demon like a cat playing with a mouse, awaiting the proper time in order to keep Brahmā’s benedictions intact.

Gregg Wilson

Bill,

Looks like a DC-7, 1954. I rode on them.

Al Peffley

Bill,

That looks like a PR photo op for selling Douglas aircraft. I was a passenger several times on a military version of those DAC aircraft. Service was never that fancy, even on commersial airline flights when you could fly First Class in the day. LOL! A day when people would debate with each other respectfully and the majority of Americans were competitive in a positive way. WWII and the Korean conflict were over and we had not experienced the expanded drug culture events that became the downfall of our moral culture in America (with the loss of personal respect and honor among new age politicians.)

I did have one "champaine" flight - it was the last flight of the Eastern Airlines company in 1991. The stewardesses cried as we landed and they walked away from their aircrew jobs for the last time. Frank Lorenzo gutted Eastern and then moved on to destroy other hostile buyout conquests. Frank the investor hatchet man was something else...

My parents did not have the money or social status to fly in such luxury in the 1950's. We are lucky nowadays to get snacks on flights across country in the cabin seats. However, the price per seat has dropped greatly (until the pandemic) considering inflation and online auction sales. I've had my fill of flying, Naval Air and commercial travel with Boeing. I am satisfied just staying around our place and having brats & brew (or a good glass of scotch on the rocks) at home with my honey. An occasional air trip to visit with family is OK.

Bill Engelhardt

Back To The Future 

Tom Chavez

Just as a small insect rushes into a fire, Hiraṇya Kaśipu attacked Narasiṁha. Sri Narasiṁha easily captured the great demon, who could not be pierced even by a thunderbolt of Indra, just as Garuḍa might capture a great snake.

Garuda is the avian carrier of Lord Viṣṇu. He is very big in Thailand, Indonesia and other Asian countries. But I digress.