Thank you for your article.

I’m afraid that we are in for some hard times.  We have to be prepared to protect our families and homes.

Randolph
North Carolina

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Hola Claire,

Excellent article. Although I can’t imagine living on Mars or anyother similiar planet, I will cut to the chase.

I have been one of the social outcasts since kindergarden. Did the drug thing in the sixties, lived for three years in a Christian commune, was a prision guard for 18 years etc.

Because I don’t buy into the Christian political right and all that that entails I don’t fit in with my “brothers”. I now know that there is NO political or human solution for mankind. For me, as a Christian, there is only ONE thing, “Love God with all your heart, mind, and soul. And love your neighbor as yourself”.

I now live to share this simple message with any who will listen. I plan to go to Colombia with my wonderful Colombian wife and do whatever I can to help the most vulnerable and helpless of all Gods people, children.

We wil leave in a few months and I can’t wait to go. God will open the doors that need to be opened to minister to the poorest of the poor.

There is no hope or solution for mankind. Only falling at the feet of Jesus and living only for Him by serving the widows and orphans who have No One to help them.

Institutional Christianity leaves me empty. I leave it for the reality of caring for those who can’t care for themselves. May you rest in His arms and love Him by loving the unlovely.

Hasta luego,

Don

PS: I’m sixty one and ready to goooooo!!!

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[RE: The Importance of Escape -Ed]

Dear Claire,

I wonder what nomenclature you use for the current folks who are entering our country outside our established legal parameters. Probably not “Illegal aliens” which they are, but this modern politically incorrect term does not apply to any Texian colonists.

William B. Travis left South Carolina to avoid a murder indictment. He suspected his wife of infidelity and doubted the child she was carrying was his and killed a man because of it. They were divorced in 1834.

Jim Bowie lawfully entered Texas and became a Mexican citizen for it was worth. He married into a wealthy and established Tejano family in San Antonio.

Davy Crockett arrived during yearly months of the Texas War for Independence.

Texas in 1836 was largely an empty territory without established borders and was claimed, yet not controlled by Mexico, which did not exist as country before 1824. There were large contingents of Native Americans who moved in and out of Texas and held sway over large segments of Texas. The former Spaniards now called Mexicans could do little to stop it.

Do not fall to the disinformation of State historians who denigrate bold men with modern terms they deem inappropriate in today’s fight over illegal immigration.

Bryan Fox
Houston, Texas

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Hello Ms Wolfe

Thanks very much for this article.

I have been saying the same thing for years to anyone who would listen.

That includes several local (Houston, TX) science fiction discussion groups
and local political groups.

I got grudgingly semi-favorable comments, but that’s about all.

You’ve given me a little more ammunition.

I’d like to see some website(s) dedicated to this idea.

Thanks again,

John Westerlage

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Claire,

I just wanted to THANK YOU for your wonderfully concise article about Preparing for Civil Unrest. I posted and sent the link onto my Facebook page and have already received KUDOS about how well your article was written.

I THANK YOU for the thousands of others that will read it and will be able to better prepare for what is coming.

God bless you and keep you safe!

Cindy Lou in Texas

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I normally don’t do this but, in this instance, am willing to make an exception! This repeating mouse trap is simply genius.

My thanks to the author for sharing it!

Regards,

Steve

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I’m sorta speechless Claire, these are things I have been seeing slowly taking shape over the last few years and I have to agree with you one hundred percent.

Suffice it to say, I intend to survive THAT problem if it arises…I have NO intention of going and looking for trouble, I abhor violence, however, if trouble comes here, to my doorstep, my family and I will survive.  I did NOT spend twenty plus years as a combat instructor in the Marine Corps for nothing.

I hope and pray that we never see it happen, and I mean that with all sincerity, but with the same sincerity, there will be hell to pay if unrest comes out our road.  We live fairly isolated, by mutual choice in East Tennessee, so that helps, and we grow our own food crops and our own meat, and that helps, so I’m HOPING we’re fairly well prepared if the excrement impacts the air flow moving device…

Have a GREAT Day!

John Campbell

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Dear Editor(s)

After listening to a local radio morning show discussion involving the indoctrination of public school children by our latest president I was left feeling drained and disillusioned with the state of our nation. For many years I’ve known something was wrong in America. I was raised as many of us were. Watching the glorious feats of the one off free nation that never was before and always would be.

I was positive of the greatness of a nation. As I have grown older, learned, read, thought and seen; There is something wrong with our system. I grew up extremely poor, impoverished even. Many nights we went without food, in these United States. Even so, I had faith in the natural rights granted to Americans. Slowly though, it waned as the youthful imaginings were jolted by the brutal realities of our situation.

Needless to say, it is an illusion. So many times in my life I have been presented the opportunity to “Do the right thing,” And, have. I have been honest johnny, I have been even Stephen. I have worked and paid and fought to be a good person. Literally from the depths of homelessness, I have rebuilt my life. I have worked any honest job a man can work and I have not tasted that forbidden fruit. Yet, I am at best lower-middle class. I manage paycheck to paycheck and work like that simpleton on a treadmill chasing the pot of gold that never comes.

Now, beyond those physical labor and minimum wage pains, I am still in the cogs of a giant machine turning with absolute [intent] to enslave. I am angry and irrational, often blaming politicians and the idiocy of my fellow citizens. Sure, I’ve learned to play within the rules. I’ve managed to color within the lines and “Yes’sa,” “No’sa” through a corporate society. For a kid who grew up in Los Angeles dirt poor and never finished High School, I am through pain and persistence struggling upward.

But, it still lingers, that knowing, that understanding of the absolute obscured nature of my goals. The distaste of the sweet fruit of life in the eyes of the greater picture. When I see a man on television proclaiming he will be different, crested by his brilliant star spangled button, I taste that concoction of poison drenched in sugar. And still, I blame politicians, shadow masters with unlimited power, time, influence and money. I am apathetic in the hopelessness. That is, until I searched Google for the only thing I could think to call this situation: “The American Dictatorship.”

On this search I came across your article: The coming American dictatorship – Article by John Silveira from Issue #66. [Editor's Note: See also The Coming American Dictatorship, Part XI and The Coming American Dictatorship Parts I - XI]

How apt, succinct, honest and sad I found it. The eloquence of the piece was quite frankly refreshing, disheartening and alarming. I know that is a rather odd compliment, but, I assure you it is true. This article struck a nerve of unwavering truth. And so, I have written you to thank you for stating it as such. Also, to let you know, despite my apathy in regards to our system and the extreme disbelief in any real, meaningful change in our country. I will try, honestly try to be “The people” again. I will not let the feeling of utter helplessness against the idiocy of my peers and the massive size of the machine prevent me from getting started. If you can write, I can write and call and sing and kick and scream and no longer be a bystander to the rape of the inherent rights of humans.

I would also like to point out that I have loathed the loud mouthed opinionated political persons and as such, it will be difficult for me to begin on this path, however, it must be done. I thank you.

Sincerely,

Isaac N. Acuna

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Dave,

I think your magazine is very nearly perfect.

We will store our print copies forever!  An online version would make poor toilet paper in a disaster situation!  So, don’t waste your time and effort on an online version!

And this comment is from a “buy nearly everything off of the Internet” high tech geek guy with a degree in electronics!

Oh, as an aside, some of us are vegetarians and are NOT left wing whacko’s!   So an occasional vegetarian recipe is always welcome at our house .

Thanks for such a great magazine!  This will be the last subscription to go as we go softly (or not) into the Greatest Depression….

Another Libertarian abandoned by the R[epublican] party!

Joe Olson

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Just a suggestion – eggs can be frozen in their shells. You just place them in a ziploc bag and freeze.

When you are ready to use, take out what you want and let thaw for about an hour on the counter in a bowl. You can run the egg under warm water, crack it and slip the shell off easily. Place in refrigerator covered with plastic wrap to thaw.

These are best for baking. The yolk will be a little tough but when beaten will return to normal.

Sheila Darden

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I just read online: Start a self-sufficiency garden even in a cramped apartment By Nancy Wolcott

I want to thank you for the article, especially because it contained very specific plants and sources.

So often articles speak in generalities and leave one with more questions than answers.

I’ll be subscribing to your paper magazine soon.

[Name withheld by request]

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I subscribe to your magazine and look forward to each issue. I especially enjoyed the most recent article on the Coming Dictatorship. I agree with you, and that is why I am deeply concerned about the future of our country.

There is a huge machine (U.S. Government) that is out of control. This machine is consuming everything in its path, but mostly it is consuming and wasting our hard earned tax dollars, and borrowed money (T-Bills, etc.). I fear for my children and grand children. They most definitely will not spend their lives in the same country you and I grew up in.

I’ve been thinking about how to bring this machine to a halt, non-violently, before it is too late. The machine runs on a lot of tax dollars. Without those tax dollars it would be slowed down, and maybe stopped. Would it work to organize as many people and companies as possible to quit sending tax dollars to D.C.? This might be a really bad idea, but something along these lines must be  done.

People in other countries hold worker layouts and strikes to cripple a country for a short period of time. Sometimes it works. Do you think it would work here?

What if truckers shut down their rigs for 24, 48 or 72 hours? Think what that would do, especially if the trucks going into Washington D..C. did this. We the People have the power to bring this machine down if we organize. My guess is that would be the problem. Getting enough Americans to agree to stay home would be very difficult.

I hope I don’t sound desperate. I want the best for our country and all of those that will have to live in it. I don’t really think of myself, only my family. I do not want to exclude anyone, harm anyone or discriminate against anyone either. I realize not everyone will agree with what I have said here. All I know is that those who were elected to represent me are not representing me. They are completely disconnected. I can only imagine who really controls this country now.

By the way, I am a military veteran, and I took an oath to uphold the Constitution and defend it from enemies both foreign and domestic, and I will do so. I am afraid there are those Americans who also took similar oaths who will not do what they swore to do. I just wanted to share with you that I recently found an organization called OATHKEEPERS.org. I think this is a step in the right direction, if this is a legitimate organization.

Thank you for listening to me, and thank you for your magazine.

Thomas Wilson

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Good job [with the article],

I’ve read about and have ‘adopted’ a strategy in regards to a “Level 4′ type scenario.

Dig In.

Our food/gas/electricity/medicines deliveries are so just-in-time these days, that any lengthy scenario (over a month or two) massive amounts of the general population will die. An on-your-own scenario of six months encompassing the winter months may trim the population by 50%. If this ever happens it will be Mad Max time.

Dig In and be invisible.

After the unprepared population is weeded out, sadly, that may be the reason that calm and reason reappear.
I do disagree with your (and others’) philosophy of massive military and police control in a very bad scenario.

Here is why:

They are us.

In China and other countries we have seen the military and police seem to have a ball beating down their own people. I do not believe that will happen here. I feel this mainly because in other countries the military and police enjoy a certain better standard of living than a majority of the population. In the USA our cops and military are just like you and I. In fact, a great many will probably be in the Dig In mode protecting their own families.

On the other side, I live smack in the middle of Iowa; lol, yep, I can only imagine the coastal populations flocking here……

Dave

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Claire,

Loved your article about homeschooling. My son and daughter were homeschooled, and are now continuing the tradition with eight grandchildren. The grandchildren are so far beyond the “normal” level of education that many people feel they must make excuses “well, your children are obviously geniuses.”

One scene from Alexis de Toqueville’s Democracy in America stood out in my mind: a high school class engaged in debate in the town square, in classical Latin and Greek.

If the event was held in the public square, does this not suggest that the public could appreciate classical Latin and Greek? This was not the geeks speaking to the geeks; this was a set of bright students speaking to the public of which they were a part. Elsewhere, Alexis de Toqueville remarked on how widespread was the understanding of the Constitution.

We greatly underestimate the desire and capacity among children for learning. I taught my 6 year old grandson how to add a series of consecutive integers, starting with an explanation of that old formula n(n+1)/2, which was taught in high school.

I wanted to know how well he could generalize, so I asked the sum of the even numbers from 2 to 50. He had the answer while I was still putting my mind in gear. In the future, I shall have to pre-compute answers to my little test questions, lol.

Thank you for your articles, which I always enjoy.

Regards,

Terry McIntyre

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Are there phone numbers to use to let “them” know we do not want federal health care?

I want to help fight this thing.

Cliff

Cliff,

Good luck!

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Thank you for making the “How to Butcher a Chicken in 20 minutes or Less” article available to the general public.

I am raising layer chickens for the first time and I have 4 roosters that need to come to the dinner table.

Skinning is a much better option for me than plucking.

Thank you!

Rev. Jeff Zell, Pastor
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
South Bend, IN

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Dave,

Just curious…I just got through reading a book that scared the crap out of me.  It’s called “One Second After.”  The book’s story is that civilization in the US collapses due to an EMP attack.  It got me thinking….How prepared am I if everything melted down? Sure, I have some things set aside for 1-2 months.  However, if I had to rely only on myself, I’d be lost.

I heard about the Foxfire book series.  However, from what I have heard from others, some of the information in the books is either incorrect or needs to be updated.  Is this correct?

Now I come to the reason I am writing to you:  Could you recommend an updated, modern version of the Foxfire books?

Thanks and ya’ll keep up the good work!

Rich Brown
Chesnee, SC

The Backwoods Home Magazine Anthologies contain far more accurate information than the Foxfire books, and they cover most subjects.

Dave Duffy, Publisher
BHM

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First let me thank you so much for your articles and archives online. My wife and I are on a limited income and online and your special edition on “Gearing up for an Economic Squeeze” have been our guidelines and encouragement!!! THANKS! My how Jackie has helped, too!!!!!

We started, way back when, your plan on starting our emergency food pantry on $10.00/week and man, has it worked good. Big Lots and other stores that have canned goods, sometimes for as low as $ .25 a can, toilet paper overstocks, toothbrushes at 2 for a buck, etc., have now expanded out pantry to near a years supply. We watch expiration dates religiously and rotate things weekly!

We have also paid off every credit card except one, and paid off all other bills. Our one remaining card has a balance of $150. Our only bills are a car, our home, and insurance premiums.

Thanks for the encouragement, advice, and articles to guide us!!!!!!!!

Now a quick question. We have a basement in our house in northern Ohio. We have a small natural gas heater in the basement and a fireplace gas log in the fireplace upstairs. But, if we loose power or are in a real bad emergency situation where gas would not be affordable or available, I want to put in a wood fired cook stove in the basement. It SHOULD provide some heat as well as cooking ability. Do they require the same vent/flu as a wood fired heating stove? Do they give off as much heat as I think? (I am also putting in a (down spout fed) water holding tank in the basement, a Bison hand pump on our well, and working on a pumping system to keep water in a tank in the attic where it can gravity feed our bathroom and a sink in the basement.)

Thanks for your advice!

Richard & Marlene Lodwick

Yes, they do. Wood-fired stoves, whether for heat or heat/cooking, come in a variety of sizes and shapes. You’ll have to shop around. Venting, both for air intake if you have a fairly closed up space, and for smoke exhaust, is essential for safety. A damper will allow you to control the amount of heat they give. Search our website for helpful articles, and go onto our website’s Forum to discuss your needs with others.

Editor, BHM

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Before I get into the meat of my letter, I just wanted to say that I got the July/Aug ’09 issue today. When I was going through it, I saw a picture of Mr. Ayoob and the target he shot with his 9mm.

He’s a pro, an expert, a first-rate marksman but I still have to say- WELL DONE!

I own a Glock and I’d love to practice with it more except that ammo prices [which was VERY well covered in the current issue!] are really damned expensive. Especially when one’s been unemployed for months like me. The funds simply are too tight to expend on fun at the shooting range.

Anyway, the meat of my letter:

This may have been already covered [or may not have been] but I’d like to ask anyway.

I’m a person who lives in a relatively small, two-bedroom apartment and I’m wondering if there’s anything out there to say to folks like me who live in apartments or condos [usually in urban- UGH!- areas] about self-sufficiency. It almost sounds like an oxymoron as the ideal ‘self sufficient’ life is out in the country, on your own land, and living off of whatever gets produced on it.

Some of us just aren’t that lucky, but we try [and usually hear snickers in the background]. At least, I do.

I have my own small pantry of emergency food supplies, a Red Cross radio, medical supplies, and my own protection. It still makes me wonder if there are any tweaks that folks like me should consider given the space we’re living in. I know its a dicey thing to stock-up when you’re paying the rent to somebody else [who has the power to throw you out with your stuff, if they want to] but that’s why I’m asking.

Thanks so much for your excellent stuff every month. By the way, Backwoods Home is the only magazine subscription I intend to always renew on. I’ve let go of all the rest. Even the Unemployed have their priorities, you know!

Cheers!

R.M. Burchardt
Denver, CO

There are different degrees of self-reliance. You can be as self-reliant as Jackie Clay, growing and canning nearly everything and building all your structures, or you can live in the city and be as self-reliant as you can be, especially in terms of being prepared with an adequate pantry, a few guns and ammo, and knowledge of how to take care of yourself in various circumstances, including if the political climate in America changes for the worse.

Self-reliance is not a religion where you have to adhere to certain rules; you do what you can given your own circumstances. The ideal IS to own your own piece of land so you can control it the way you want, grow some of your food, raise some chickens, etc.. If you can practice the principles of self-reliance regarding preparedness and arming yourself with knowledge, and adapt those principles to your own situation, even if it’s in a city apartment for the time being, I think you’re doing fine. But always plan to move forward to an even more self-reliant lviing.

Dave Duffy
Publisher, BHM

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I wandered to your site somehow, and find it absolutely amazing.

I have two cast iron fry pans, which I love. I plan to try the 200 degree seasoning method. I do clean them with salt and a nylon scrubbie and they are wonderful!

That was a pleasant article, but the one about civil unrest I found quite disturbing, mostly because it put into words things I have been thinking about for some time.  I also have read something about how the United States is currently divided into five districts with special military units and directives for each area, should the citizenry get out of line.  Pretty frightening stuff.  We personally are sure not prepared to deal with something like this, but have started to work toward putting in a wood stove, and stocking up on emergency supplies.

Again, thanks for addressing issues that most people don’t want to think about—but should.

I will visit your site often.

Brenda Halverson

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