Thanks to Vernon Lewis for “The Under-Appreciated Sweet Potato” article in the May/June issue – I learned quite a bit from it about one of my favorite foods.  I’m delighted and amazed to know that they’re actually low-glycemic, even though sweet! – and to have that much more reason to indulge.  (BTW, I tried to grow them – slips of 6 different types – in clayey soil, and they were very unhappy.  Maybe I’ll try planting them in compost-and-straw, as one can do with nightshade potatoes… perhaps after growing my own slips.)

I wanted to mention another use for them that I discovered this past year:  dried slices make wonderful, healthy, teeth-cleaning dog treats – expensive to buy (if you can find them), easy to make.  Precook the tubers (to “al dente” stage, before mushy), slice 1/4 – 1/3″ thick.  (And like beets, dehydrated sweet potatoes are gorgeous in color and rehydrate very well – for humans!)

Sherry Gordon
Idaho

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I picked some dandelion greens from my yard a short time ago. I wanted to prepare them but didn’t know the best way. So I searched the Internet and found a website with the name John Kallas mentioned. I knew that the name had to be Greek. Having lived in Greece and visited there many times, this had to be the right source, remembering how the Greeks love dandelion greens. I found Dr. Kallas’s article very interesting, informative, and well written. His explanation of the bitterness of the greens and how to reduce it was most helpful. Thanks for a great article.

Ellen O’Neill
Virginia

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Hi there,

I just read the article written by John Silveira called Why I’m nice to telemarketers and I had to write you a quick message to thank you. I work as a outbound call centre agent (which is what we telemarketers like to call ourselves haha) almost a year ago, and unless you’ve worked as one yourself I’m not sure you understand how much we appreciate people like you. We talk to a lot of unhappy people every day, and we truly do appreciate those who let us finish our little speech and politely decline. My coworkers and I actually brag to each other about the nice people we talk to.

So thank you for being nice to telemarketers and for writing an article about it.

Sincerely,

Rebecca

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I really enjoyed this article, short and good. I never really knew how to shoot and it helped a lot.

Aubrey E. Ritchie
Texas

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Editor;

I have recently discovered your excellent magazine and will subscribe as soon as finances allow. I have two comments about your March/April 2011 Issue.

First as a long time handyman I couldn’t help but notice an error in the article by Len McDougall [Drive your own freshwater well]. The author refers to joining two pipes with a nipple when in fact you would join them with a coupler. The nipple is any length of pipe shorter than one foot with external or male threads on both ends. The coupler is a length of larger pipe with internal or female threads. I know this is nit-picking but if a novice would go to his local hardware store and ask for a 4-inch nipple he would not get home with the required parts.

My second comment is on the editorial concerning local government to which I say “hooray” You were right on the mark. I have visited your community and thankfully had a wonderful experience, but I am very familiar with similar situations.

The answer you seek is to get involved in politics at some level. You believe that the Chief of Police works for you as a citizen but in truth he answers to the local elected body of government, they are after all the people that can and will fire him.  They in turn answer to the voters. But only every two or four years or whatever your election cycle is. This has the effect of the Chief acting in the manner that he believes will keep him employed as long as possible.

An unfortunate scenario that often occurs is that a well-meaning new comer runs for office, is elected and promptly begins to try to change things to the way it worked where he came from. Or someone with a particular axe to grind attains office to get his way on an issue. The only way to affect the actions of your Chief is to become active in politics at some level.  You may run for office or actively support someone running that has a like mind as you. Write letters to the editor of your local paper and attend meetings of public interest. Never let someone run unopposed, even for positions such as school board or water commission, it gives them the attitude that they are untouchable. In Short political apathy is the tool that politicians use to run over the common citizen.

Sincerely;

Neal J. Ward (ex-Chief of Police)
Wyoming

Mr. ward is correct about the misnamed pipe connector. It is generally called a coupler or coupling.

I’ve updated the online version with the correct part name.

~Oliver

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I just wanted to say that this was EXACTLY what my husband and I were looking for on how to utilize old tires!

We have a piece of land that has been vacant for about 10 years. People have been throwing their old tires there for years and we were perplexed on how to properly dispose of them and really wanted to recycle them. This is saving us hundreds of dollars and offering us some peace of mind in being environmentally sound and organic with our gardening.

Thank you!

Lindsey McClure

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Great commentary.

Here in the Arizona Outback, my county is broke, too. Only problem, with 1 out of 10 voters now a trough feeder in one form or another, there’s no one left to do anything about it.  It’s just a sickening mess, government employees doing little more than time for pensions.

Ron

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Sir,

I will start with the statement that I have read your magazine since its inception many years ago. Our lives have been tested in similar manners, divorce, child rearing, attempting to start over again ect. This is why I find it shocking that you advocate the throw the baby out with the bathwater solution so many have… I expected better..or at least  a fair chance, you see Dave, I AM ONE OF THEM a good for nothing fat cat rich public employee.

I would love to make 30+ dollars an hour and all those FREE MONEY BENEFITS I would sure like some body to show them to me.

I did get a raise this year Dave, a whole .25 cents an hour  didn’t get a raise the last 3 years though.

My” golden parachute “retirement from the state I work for after 30 years of loyal service will be about 785 a month.And that is it, if our Governor doesn’t decide to give it to the teachers union, which means you guessed it… screwed again.

Yes… the joys of working for “the people”. I guess I could be bitter about it, but hey with all the millions in free benefits who could complain?

What do I do you ask?  I am a nurses aide on a Maximum Security Ward of a Mental Institution. And we all know how well DEFUNDING mental health has been working on that problem don’t we Dave?

My whole point is there are services that are necessary if not popular and the people who step up to do these jobs don’t really need to be demonized by an editorial that may be true in Oregon is not necessarily true every where else.

A one size fits all approach is one that rarely fits any. And while I have enjoyed your publication for many years and do agree with you on most things I have to draw a line Dave….. Sorry you have been defunded.

Yours,

Bruce E. Blankenship

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AWESOME!!!!!!

Thank you for the articles on the Morels and Propagating Plants. The scope and details (including pictures) in these articles is exactly what was on my “to do” search list.

Please consider an article on how to find ginseng? Other people, who have since moved on, have had our permission to harvest morels and ginseng on our property. With full retirement around the corner, we are interested in both activities.

Again, thanks.

Alice Riffle
A subscriber for many years

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I liked your article. I would only add that marriage confers many rights to couples, which is why the “gay marriage” and “poly marriage” debate matters. There are state and Federal estate laws, laws about who can make decisions for someone who is incapacitated, laws governing retirement plans, etc. that grant special privileges to married couples. The state does have an interest in these matters, as you mentioned, in the role of arbiter. Poly marriage presents unique problems in that several spouses of the deceased/incapacitated would make the arbiter’s role more difficult, especially if they didn’t agree unanimously on a course of action. That does not mean that the government has the right to decide who can and cannot marry, just that they have an interest in the union.

Regards,

Jeff Yamada

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I agree with this article whole-heartily. Boohoo that they have to return to a sheriff, judge, etc. Lets force them to return to the government established by our Constitution. The majority of the County was not run by paid officials, but volunteers, right down to the Grand Juries where you were truly tried by a jury of your peers. Not people randomly selected, but your local townspeople, the people that knew you, knew your circumstances and basic character. When true justice prevailed. If the local citizens thought a law imposed by the City/County government was unjust, the defendant walked. That is how we kept Government at bay. Not many people are aware that Grand Juries is the 4th branch of government. Our fearless leaders have kept that from public education. They even went as far as to impose State Constitutions that state only a Superior Judge can order a Grand Jury. This disgusts me because our founding fathers gave us this branch of government to avoid corruption.

Our local police and courts have become a revenue generating corporation. I would like to know why the police are stationed along the roadsides just waiting to pull someone over, yet when you call them, they take over an hour to show up to help you.

My old City pulled something similar a few years back. They did their “Wetlands study” in our neighborhood which resulted in a local farmer losing their land. Two years after forcing this family off their farm and land, they built an 8 bay Metro Bus Transit Station on the property.(What happened to the protected Wetlands?) On a humerous note, their plans were delayed for two years because city workers didn’t know what to do when they discovered an underground bomb shelter on the land while excavating. Not more than 3 months after this big grand bus terminal was built, the City put a gas tax hike before the voters. When the voters voted against it, the City punished us by stating, “Because we did not win the gas tax hike, we can no longer afford to run all of our buses” So to this day (6 years later), A family lost their homestead, but in it’s place is 4 acres of paved asphalt where only one bus runs two times a day.

Revulsed yet? I am…Government at it’s finest.

I am so happy to finally be in a small community where they watch over their officials. If they try to pull the wool over our eyes, you can rest assured, they will not survive the next vote. We have people sitting in on every County Commissioner meeting, every City Council meeting, and the like. Our only problem? The other side of our state is so citified, they pay no attention, and unfortunately, they have many more people who carelessly vote for the Legislators.

Misty Foster
Colville, WA

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Hello,

I only rarely have the opportunity to “Surf the web”, despite the fact that I’m employed in the computer industry. I happened upon Mr. Duffy’s article quite by accident.

I must say that even though I live across the country in New Hampshire, I find his sentiments, as well as his reasoning and experience, to be quite common. Things are handled here in New Hampshire much differently than they are in Wisconsin, but even their woes seem to be touching all.

I truly believe that Mr. Duffy has touched upon the fundamental issue; the “People” vs. “government”. There seems to be an attitude of superiority among “government employees”. This attitude permeates every area of public service, from the governors, to the cops, to the fire-fighters, to the administrators, to the clerks, to the folks that collect the garbage in town (in those towns where such collection is part of the tax-payer funded services). Thankfully, here in New Hampshire, things are not as outwardly contentious as in other parts of the Country, (at least not in my locale), but we have our issues.

The economy has cost the private citizens our jobs, our homes, our retirements (which for many of us means we no longer have _ANY_ retirement funds left), and in some cases, our very families. While the private sector has been burdened more and more to support the top-heavy structure of our government at all levels, the government employees have remained (until now) arrogantly secure in their futures. Well, the economy has finally reached them.

While certain emergency and safety employees are certainly worth more than they are paid, they can only be paid what we can afford. Even then, they must occasionally be reminded that “Public Servant” does _NOT_ mean that the “Public” is their “Servant”.  Regardless of the particular position of any government employee, whether law-enforcement, fire-fighter, or clerk, it is the job of the government employee to preserve and protect _OUR_ way of life, not the other way around.

I know, this email is far longer than it should be… It’s far longer than I initially intended… Please accept my apologies for that. I just felt compelled to express my sentiments to Mr. Duffy and let him know that, while different parts of the country may outwardly express the sentiment differently, I believe he has rather eloquently expressed, and defined, the primary issue of this Nation’s discontent.

Well done, Mr. Duffy.

All the best.

Al Hitchmoth
New Hampshire

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Just wanted to say thanks on the great article. Just what I was looking for and what more people should be aware of.

Scott Barrett

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Dear BHM,

As much as I look forward to all the articles in each new issue, I wanted to let you know that Thomas M. Buckley’s article “A Guide to Buying Silver and Gold” (issue 126) was especially helpful to me.  I had bought a little bit of bullion years ago at a coin shop, but didn’t really know what I was doing.  I’m sure I paid a good premium.  Mr. Buckley’s descriptions of the different forms of the metals helped me decide what I was looking for, and how to make sure I was getting a good deal.

I was able to put this knowledge to good use within a couple of weekends when I went to a flea market.  The two dealers I remember were from both extremes of what the article described.  The first table was flashy with lots of jewelry and coins and brightly lit, the dealer really hustling to work several customers at his table.  I figured this guy must really move a lot of product, and that there was some good reason.  When I got his attention, I asked “What do you get on a dollar face of U.S. ‘junk’ coins?”  He said, “I don’t have any junk.  Mine’s all American.”  So I pointed to the shoe box brimming with pre-’64 quarters and dimes in the last corner of his display case and made further inquiry, and he turned and walked away.  After a few more minutes of being ignored, I moved on.

The next dealer I noticed was an older gentleman with a much smaller display with no jewelry, only coins, bullion, and collectible paper currency of an amazing variety given the space.  His answer- “I get 20 times face.”  Melt value was $21.09!  Knowing what I wanted and what to expect made all the difference that day, as I am sure it will again in the future.

Just sign me,

“M”

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Hello John,

I am another long time believer in removing marriage licenses. However, I see the compromise, as the states are highly unlikely to change tax code, would be to offer a state “civil union” status that would accept any interested adults who meet criteria (same address, shared expenses, etc) and offer the same tax breaks and status as married couples have currently. I am married, but I feel that the union is a matter of religion, as marriage has always been a religious custom around the world that has stepped into popular use in secular custom. As we see a move in our culture away from traditional marriage, separating the state from that union is increasingly important. My Christian brethren will probably accuse me of wanting a world where marriage has been defiled, but if we let our governments define a God-defined entity, then we already have done so. I’m not sure if there are a lot of others who believe in removing marriage licensing (I know most state comptrollers would argue against losing the revenue stream) and most of my friendly debates on the issue result in the similar “But we need the government to control marriage for no explainable reason” rebuttal.

It’s gladdening to know that there are at least a few others out there that agree with this viewpoint, hopefully with both conversation and articles like yours, we’ll see a few more join the ranks.

Sincerely,

Justin LaFee

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John,

Just read your editorial Getting the state out of marriage and you are dead on.  In fact this is something I have been known to pontificate myself.  So there are at least two smart guys left in this country.

I think marriage actually started as a legal thing, not religious.  It was more about keeping track of who owned  what land and such.  I believe it became associated with the church because those were the guys who could read and keep records.  But then, as things go now, something that gets started as a practical matter gets blown out of proportion and taken over.  So, yes, for a long time it has been in the realm of religion.

Thanks,

Howard Peer

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Hello Ms. Wolfe,

I know you are incredibly busy, but I do hope that this somehow crosses your path and you can find a spare minute for me.

My name is Sarah, I am 26, and have never had a SSN.  I just read an old article of yours entitled Yes, You Can Work without a Social Security Number and found it tremendously interesting.

All my life it’s been a struggle to get by and earn a decent living outside the system, and recently I’ve been at my wit’s end, and almost considered getting one.  Which goes totally against my beliefs and stance on government, and not to mention would just crush my dad who has devoted his life to standing up for truth and freedom.  So, decided to do a little research and realized I’d never actually just googled “how to work without…” in hopes of finding some online support and/or advice.  My main question for you, is, do you have any idea of some of the alternatives (specifically the private contracting) are still viable options?

Also, do you have any ideas as far as drivers licenses and car registration without providing a number?  I have had a home base in TN (where they offer a form for those with a religious objection)  for several years, but for various complicated reasons, am most likely going to have to establish some sort of residency in Colorado, where I just moved, and where I’m quite sure they don’t accommodate those with true freedom tastes.

I’d really appreciate any info/advice you could offer.

Thank you SO much, I’ve really enjoyed reading your writings.

Best wishes to you and yours.

Sincerely,

Sarah Klingler

Sarah,

Sorry not to be more helpful. I hope you succeed in your effort to live free.

CW

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Great article on canned bacon.  Very informative and worthwhile to us avid canners.

Would appreciate follow-up articles on canned cheese and butter.

Thanks.

Jerry Mangen

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Mr. Duffy,

I enjoy your magazine. I didn’t enjoy your article about legalizing drugs.

I am a police officer and used to work in a local jail. You made it sound like “cops” kick in doors and personally line their pockets.

First let me say that to have legalized alcoholic beverages and not marijuana is absolute hypocrisy. At least in my experience the negative impact of liquor on society is far more devastating than pot. Most of my calls for service involve booze.

Second, I do agree that constitutionally, a person has a right to put what every they want in their body. The problem comes when I start picking up the tab for their self destruction.

If we had a society that was pragmatic enough to leave OD victims to die, problem solved, but instead Medics are called to the same address, week after week, taking these self destructive folks to the hospital at a huge financial toll.

While you were in jail did you ask any of those innocent 19 and 20 year olds, that were there with you if they were on disability for their drug dependence. I have, when I worked in jail, more than could be numbered! 20 and disabled, drawing social security. Who is picking up the tab for that? Society is going to pay for it one way or another.

By the way, here in Ohio, possession of small amounts, and I mean an ounce (a lot) is a ticket, you can’t go to jail for that. No one is in jail for having a joint in their pocket. Since 1990,I have been involved in maybe 3 seizure cases! All were big time dealers. Meth and crack and heroin are all very destructive. If no one has to pick up the tab, let em have it, but we will end up with the tab, and raising their illegitimate kids too.

Again, I love the magazine.

Regards,

Garry Lawson

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Oh, thank you for saying exactly what is in my mind. All I can add is that I hope you reach many, many more people.

I asked a neighbor once,”How many laws are enough? When do the elected ones finally throw up their hands and declare the job done? How heavy a burden of legislation must we carry in our lives ’til they’re satisfied that we’re protected from our own follies sufficiently?” The neighbor had no answer.

Thank you for speaking out, I applaud you Oliver.

Christina
Blackpool, BC
Canada

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