Letters To The EditorFrom Issue #147 |
Militarization of policeI read with great interest your article on the militarization of our police forces and I think you hit the nail squarely on the head. Often wondered why there were federal agents attending state level disturbances. You see them on the news all the time especially that most egregious perpetrator — the BATFE. They have a long history of abuses including straw man set-ups, female agent stomping kittens to death on a raid, dumping elderly persons’ medications on the floor, shooting Mrs. Weaver at Ruby Ridge whilst she was holding her baby, shooting a mentally handicapped person in the head, Fast and Furious, Waco — where they never would allow the ‘illegal’ weapons to be examined by independent experts, and hundreds of more incidents like trashing of houses and leaving notes saying “nothing found — ATF.” It is way past the time for these agencies to rein in and weed out the thugs and let the true professionals among them do legitimate tasks. Power corrupts all but the best people and makes the less than stellar agents into the terrorists that they are supposed to protect us from. Name withheld by request Keep up the articles on big and small homesteads… Thank you for such an informative magazine. I was in financial distress for 2 years, so I was very glad last year when I took the chance to subscribe to your magazine. I am 69 years of age and have been a widow since I was 42. I still had 5 children at home and worked 2 jobs … I have a grown daughter that helps me around here and a son close by that purchased himself 7 acres with a big new barn and a small barn & stable that are my age or older. He drives a tractor trailer but between helping me he does his work on the weekends at his place. He borrowed 2 of my books and really likes them. So to thank him for helping me I am renewing my subscription and getting one for him. He deserves it … Jackie Clay’s book and all the back issues are for me! … Please keep up the articles on how people live on their big and small homesteads. Thank you again for such a great magazine. I let some people borrow my magazines but they have to bring them right back. They need to order their own! Billie D. Oxendine Everfree FarmI love the magazine. The article on Annie & her family’s Everfree Farm hit home. My wife & I did just the same over 10 years ago. Each rehab has a story to tell. We could write a book on what we encountered. Keep up the great work! R. Crawford BHM inspires happy danceThis is one of only two magazines for which we pay. The rest are freebies I request because they often have coupons. But only Backwoods Home elicits a happy dance when it’s in the mail box. Because, as I’m sure you all know, your fine publication more than pays for itself. Tiara L. Peterson Great homesteading ideas After requesting a free copy of BHM I’m sold! Reading the article “Tips for the older Homesteader”(Jan/Feb 2014, Issue 145) it could have been our family. We are also retired, seventy-ish and with the exception of livestock, have so many similar ideas. Eight years ago we bought 35 acres and built an earth contact home with solid concrete walls on all sides. It has brick exterior and sports a metal roof. Hosting a free-standing wood stove, ceramic tile floors, and 16½-inch walk equals low maintenance and easy cooling in the summer. Yes, the roof can “go” in case of a tornado so we had a big walk-in closet in the master bedroom installed with concrete walls around including the ceiling for a safe room. A raised bed organic garden made out of concrete block seconds surrounded by cattle panels for ease on the back. Several assorted fruit trees, grapes, thornless blackberries complete the back yard. Waiting for a pond to be dug this summer close to the garden and house to round out our future water needs. We look forward to our new subscription to BHM for these great extra ideas for homesteading. Larry & Sandy Hoffman Remove yellow jackets with Sevin-5 dustYour March/April 2014, Issue #146 just got here. In Annie’s article on fencing, mention is made regarding yellow jackets. Yellow jackets look almost identical to a honey bee. The big difference being that yellow jackets have no barb on their stinger where honey bees do. As a result, yellow jackets are a lot more aggressive and temperamental since they can sting repeatedly while a honey bee dies with the first sting. Yellow jackets are actually quite easy and fast to eradicate. Just go to your farm supply or hardware store and get some SEVIN-5 dust. SEVIN-10 is better, but seems to no longer be made. Just dump a cup or so of the dust into the hive opening, or at least so they have to wade through it to enter the hole. Then stand back! They are gonna get MAD! There will be a soccer ball sized swarm of angry bees around the hole for a while. The dust gets into the seams of their exoskeleton and irritates them. After about 2 hours the entire hive is dead. The article on herbicides was a real education. Explains why my garden has had the reverse Midas touch. Too many times getting happy with the weed killer. Food plants are getting murdered along with the Creeping Charlie. It’s getting real close to just plow the whole thing under and concede defeat for a few years. Well, it’s snowing hard here, so I’ll wrap up in the electric blanket and read more of your great magazine. Frank McGreevy More yellow jacket adviceAnnie, your article in Issue #146 took me back in time. I’ll tell you how I handled a nest of yellow jackets on my dad’s farm about 70 years ago. They were in the ground under a piece of farm machinery. On the advice of an old-timer, I took an old one-gallon crock jug, put in a little gas. I laid the jug on the ground facing the hole about one foot back, more or less. Then I started rapping on the jug with a stick. The bees came up out of their hole one right after the other. Every one of them flew up and went right in the jug. Them bees must have thought they were in meth heaven because none of them came back out. Ha! Ralph Phelps Preparedness pays offI have been a subscriber for many years now. Our shared beliefs about independence and preparedness have served me and my family well many times through the years. Our recent weather event here in Alabama was a very good example. The 2 plus inches of snow and ice that fell totally paralyzed our area of the state. I know that a lot of northerners chuckle about that amount of snow and ice being a paralyzing event. But, here in the south, these events very seldom happen. We do not have the equipment to remove the snow or ice, add to that hilly terrain, numerous bridges, the fact that temperature had been far below normal for days, everything that fell stuck. Add to that this was not predicted for our area when it was time to go to work. Everyone goes to work, the storm hits mid-morning. A fast moving storm that lasted only a few hours. All of the businesses quickly closed and released their employees to go home on the icy roads at the same time. Very icy roads, kids at school,, everyone trying to get home at the same time, needless to say, TOTAL CHAOS. Times like these are the times that preparedness really pays off. It allows you to sit back and wait it out. Alternate heat sources, alternate means of electricity, and a well-stocked pantry made life a breeze for us. In this case, for about 3 days. Be prepared! You never know what strange event will come around, but there are 2 things that are certain: 1. It will come around. 2. When it does you will be thankful that you were ready! Art Bunn Surviving France’s socialismGreetings from France where we try to survive its socialism & it’s no picnic, let me tell you! Great magazine, great advice, great political views!! Keep up the good work! Benoit Rouy, DC Great customer supportJust wanted you guys to know that I enjoy your publication, your business style, and your customer support. Keep up the good work. David Molony |