BHM instead of flowers

My husband gave me my new subscription to your wonderful magazines in lieu of flowers after my major surgery. I have trained him to be so practical after 36 years of marriage. He did bring in some of our beautiful flowers from the garden, but the magazine will live on as a wonderful resource in our library of survival skills.

It is so thoughtful of your magazine to think of our troops. This free offer is being sent to my nephew Tracy Gray. He is a career Marine and we are all so proud of him. I do thank God for his sacrifice and determination.

Diane Wallace
Albany, Ohio

The cat and I read BHM

Still hovering memories of the last few years of the Great Depression, small items like the local bank closing and my granddad losing six flat land farms, followed by the dust bowl days, but somehow we/dad, mom, sis, me and my skinny little bro did. It’s hard to believe I have passed 80 years of age. I’ve been thru three wars and yes I’m still bent out of shape from them—But—I made it. Lost my wife of 60 years last year, my sis and dad are gone as is my mother, little bro is retired in Florida after 33 years in the air force. Life has been one hellova show, so what’s another $24.95. Maybe life could have been different, but now I pick up my 13 pound cat called das Köt and read to it and say, “See, we did that!” The check is enclosed. Das Köt and I read a lot, so shoot the magazine down this way. We can always read another story, true or not.

Ted Golka
Lyons, Nebraska

Storing water in fruit jars

I have a suggestion for the Ask Jackie column. Several people have written in asking about water storage. It takes no more room to store your “empty” fruit jars full of water than to store them empty. Jar caps are very cheap compared to not having drinkable water. If you have half gallon jars (could use quarts) heat your drinking water to right at boiling, put into warm jars, put on caps and they will seal. Much better than off-tasting water from chlorine or whatever. Use your barrels of water for dishes and washing your hands.

Wilma Angellford
Sheridan, Oregon

Cloth diapers

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! My husband showed me the article about making cloth diapers and I immediately read through it as we were currently using prefolds and vinyl pants. The article was extremely well written and easy to follow. I completed a few diapers before I even noticed there were photos with steps. My diapers came out perfect every time thanks to such great and easy instructions. I also tried sewing the fleece inside the diaper for an all-in-one diaper. LOVE IT! My only regret is that I didn’t have this pattern three years ago when my first son was born. Now my second son, Nicky, is making a fashion statement! My husband loves them so much, he wants the onesies to go away so we can see them all the time! Thanks for this article!

Brenda Massei
Stockton, Illinois

Getting us ready for what lies ahead

I’ve missed your magazine! But with “illness” and the expenses that go with it I’ve not renewed for a while (tough times!)

I knew we were gonna “need” you folks, more than ever, so “thank you” for not leaving us out! We need all the help—we all can get—getting ready for what lies ahead of us all!

I’ve been preaching to and warning my kids and grandkids (but they laugh at Moma)!

It’s not gonna be a laughing matter—they’re gonna see! I’m gonna be getting them to sit a spell and “read” your guide! If I could afford it, I’d get each one of ’em one of your guides! But, they all know Moma is full of good advice when they’re ready to “listen!”

Keep up the good deeds folks! We’ll all just have to stick together and do our best!

Mrs. Wayne Jennings
Telferner, Texas

Glad you won’t compromise on 2nd amendment

Just read “My View.” I’m glad to hear that you would never compromise on the Second Amendment. Too bad more people don’t feel this way. I’d like to know how people who want to help the environment come to the conclusion that guns hurt it unless they are the vegetarian type who believe it is wrong to hunt or eat any type of meat. Anyway I’m glad you support the Second Amendment and I’m the type who will never compromise my beliefs on anything. (That’s why we call them beliefs, isn’t it.) If they really wanted to help the environment they should realize most hunters and a large portion of gun owners want to help the environment also. No one wants to destroy the earth. Not like there’s anywhere else to move to.

James Dowis
Palco, Kansas

Thanks from a “lifer”

I want to say thanks for the latest anthology “Starting Over.” It was another great surprise! Jackie is wonderful!

Since becoming a lifetime subscriber, I wish all the readers knew the full benefits as lifetime subscribers! You truly take care of us! Thanks so much for the wonderful read!

Cameron Rogers
Salisbury, North Carolina

We affectionately refer to our lifetime subscribers as “lifers.” I am glad you enjoy the benefits of getting all future anthologies and books free; and all current lifers will continue to enjoy them into the future. However, we will not be offering any more lifetime subscriptions to readers until the economy settles back down. We’re a bit afraid of inflation getting out of control and we don’t want to have too many lifers to service when it does. So congratulations on being a grandfathered-in BHM lifer. — Dave

Best water and air tight container to store food

I read your every issue from cover to cover. In your Nov/Dec 2008 issue “Ask Jackie” section she talks about storing food, but don’t use ammo cans. Her answer was so-so to OK. The BEST water and air tight container is a 1-gallon paint can. These can be had at any bulk paint store; I buy them by the case and store food, etc. in them. They have lids that are water and air tight, and have a handle on each can; plus with a marker pen you can identify what’s in each can. They can be opened and resealed many times; the lids are metal also. They don’t break like glass jars.

Major E. A. Kelly (USAF, Ret.)
Twin Falls, Idaho

The second amendment is a doomsday provision

I snipped the enclosed piece from a 1993 Paladin Press catalog. I can agree with what the judge is saying but my question is—Is that the Silveira we all know and love? That’s not a very common name and this sounds like something he might get involved in. HA! HA!

Well it does! This should get some fat chewed around the pot belly.

Cindy Weathers
Front Royal, Virginia

It is not our John Silveira, but I think the clipping you sent merits reprinting. — Dave

“The simple truth is that tyranny thrives best where government need not fear the wrath of an armed people…The Second Amendment is a doomsday provision, one designed for those exceptionally rare circumstances where all other rights have failed—where the government refuses to stand for reelection and silences those who protest; where courts have lost the courage to oppose, or can find no one to enforce their decrees. However improbable these contingencies may seem today, facing them unprepared is a mistake a free people get to make only once.”

— US Circuit Court Judge Alex Kozinski, US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, from the dissenting opinion in Silveira v. Lockyer.

Self-reliance triumphs State of Absurdity

We are recent subscribers and now ardent fans! The advice in BHM has literally saved our lives as we had a major shock hit us this week.

We received a letter from the State of Absurdity (names changed to protect the guilty) that they had placed liens on all of our accounts because we had not paid enough in taxes to the tune of $81,000. Problem is—we have not lived in that state for four years and their information was flat dead wrong!

Correcting faulty information would be simple enough…if a ‘police’ state followed due process and had actually NOTIFIED us prior to these illegal seizures. We had NEVER heard a peep from these bureaucrats before in our lives!

I am a disabled vet and have days where I can barely get out of bed. We have four children, one a son with down syndrome who requires plenty of extra care. We have enough on our plate without this brand of BS dropping out of the sky!

Now comes the good part.

After our initial shock, after our calling these nut-cases in the State of Absurdity with no success at all in explaining their irrationality, well…after all that my wife and myself looked at each other and began to laugh!

That is because we have built a heck of a pantry to feed our family. We have chickens laying near a dozen eggs a day. I am pretty handy with a rifle and have put down a deer and in the next few weeks expect to harvest a buffalo and two elk. We have gallons of homemade wine. And, finally and most importantly, we have cash, not in the bank…cash in hand!

We’ll straighten out the nut-cases. And yes, we’ll probably have to pay some lawyer to prove our innocence and never get an apology or that fee refunded when we prove them wrong.

But because we have read and followed the great advice from all of you at BHM we have the best sleep-at-night insurance one can buy—self reliance.

This illegal seizure of property is a sign of the times, Dave. The Federal government created this mess and is now taxing the bejesus out of us all to try and bail out a sinking ship. State Governments are feeling the trickle down choke and are deciding to take it out on the citizenry. And this is just the beginning of this g## damn mess.

Thank you for showing the way Dave…thank you and all your writers and staff for helping all of us build our ‘ark’ so we can survive and thrive these coming bad times.

God bless you and all the staff of BHM, Dave.

L. D. Shannon
Peyton, Colorado

Who ran the country from 1776 to 1787?

I was speaking with my 12 year old grandson about the early years of America and I told him of Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, etc., but I could not answer his question as to who “ran the government” between 1776 and 1787. I would appreciate it if you could help me out with this.

Roger Young
Mora, Minnesota

In 1774, 12 of the 13 colonies (Georgia was the one that didn’t send a delegation) met in Philadelphia as the first Continental Congress to protest the Coercive Acts and seek redress from the King. By the time the Second Continental Congress met in 1775, the battles of Lexington and Concord had already been fought. It was the Second Continental Congress that drafted the Declaration of Independence (1776) and formed the Continental Army (1775). It was also this Congress that conducted the Revolutionary War and eventually drafted the Articles of Confederation which were in 1781 ratified, just before the end of the War in 1783. The Congress then became Congress of the Confederation.

In this time, the country wasn’t really run by Congress. The new states were more independent than not. In fact, the Congress wasn’t really that important and the Congress had trouble even raising quorums. So, there was no one really running the country the way it is now. The Congress of the Confederation then met from time to time from 1781 to 1789. The central government was very weak and most of what the Congress of Confederation did was try to work out trade among themselves and present a more or less united front to the governments of Europe. But in 1787 the Congress of Confederation drafted the United States Constitution which was submitted to the states. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it, and it was going to come into effect (for those nine states). The Congress of Confederation then became the United States Congress. The Constitution went into effect on March 4, 1789 and by May 29, 1790 all of the thirteen original colonies had ratified the Constitution and now all 13 were part of this new country under the Constitution.

So until March 4, 1789, the country was really like 13 independent states that first met under the Second Continental Congress, then under the Congress of Confederation, but with the Constitution it became the country run by the United States Congress, the President, and what have you. — John Silveira

BHM required reading for homeschooled kids

We love your magazine and have read it for years from our public library. We recently decided to subscribe. BHM has been required reading for all of our homeschooled kids, especially the “Coming American Dictatorship” series, which we bought!

Cynthia Walthour
Enfield, New Hampshire

Post office mistake leads to new subscriber

Your magazine was left in my mail box by mistake, how about that. My daughter lives across the street and her magazine was left in my box, I thought it was a sample until I saw there was a note to renew subscription. So now you have two new subscribers because the postal carrier made a mistake, how about that!

Sue Brown
Cheboygan, Michigan

A post office error working to our benefit? I’m stunned! — Dave

I hope I don’t get flagged as subversive

For a number of years I bought “American Survival Guide” off the shelf at a local grocery store, but when they quit carrying it, I subscribed for a short while. Shortly before that magazine went out of print I had found Backwoods Home at a bookstore, and I felt it was a better all around publication. That bookstore quit carrying your magazine a while back, and I kept up with the magazine over the net. Now, with the way things are going, both politically and economically, I feel it’s time to subscribe.

I hope this doesn’t get me flagged as a subversive. (written half-jokingly LOL)

Rocky Lynch
Linton, Indiana