Concealed carry laws reduce crime

By John Silveira Issue #143 • September/October, 2013 This year, Illinois became the 50th state to allow the carrying of concealed weapons by law-abiding citizens. That's a milestone that heralds a lot of good news for...

Libertarian and Conservative

By John Silveira Issue #133 • January/February, 2012 I cringe when I hear libertarians lumped with conservatives — or at least today's conservatives. Liberals want you to view us as conservatives so you won't look any...

The chances of global disaster

By John Silveira Issue #57 • May/June, 1999 We were preparing the current issue and the office hummed as it always does during deadline. Dave Duffy, the fellow who publishes this magazine, explained to our new...

Every group needs a black sheep

By John Silveira Issue #74 • March/April, 2002 I used to play a lot of poker and I learned things about people that surprised me. They were things other than the "Know when to hold 'em,...

Gun control, race, and rotten politicians

By John Silveira Issue #83 • September/October, 2003 Is gun control really about guns? Sounds like an odd question on the surface, but it's really right on target. In fact, the answer is: No, gun control...

Fixing a broken jury system

By John Silveira Issue #78 • November/December, 2002 "I blame every juror who let him go, every juror who sat on that trial and believed this man over those little girls. I will never understand. And...

Why we have no “constitutional” rights

By John Silveira Issue #92 • March/April, 2005 The other day I read an article concerning a suit brought against the government by some of the 550 or so detainees at the naval station at Guantanamo...

The Coming American Dictatorship Part XI — The Tenth Amendement Movement

By John Silveira Issue #119 • September/October, 2009 O.E. MacDougal, Dave Duffy's poker-playing buddy from Southern California, had come to town to fish the Rogue, a river that runs 215 miles from the heels of Crater...

The Coming American Dictatorship revisited

By John Silveira Issue #77 • September/October, 2002 Mac's back. After a long absence our poker-playing friend from southern California, O.E. MacDougal, walked into the Oregon offices of Backwoods Home Magazine. Poof, and there he was. No...

When “good” laws are bad

By John Silveira Issue #134 • March/April, 2012 I recently read an opinion piece on CNN's website titled, Edison would've loved the new light bulb law. It's supposed to be about the new law to force...

Next time you see me, don’t be afraid to say, ‘Hello.’

By John Silveira January 29, 2000 Mom and Dad were divorced before I even turned four, so it didn't dawn on me they'd even been married until I was a lot older. But, as I grew...

Skillet Spanish rice

Recipe of the Week  Skillet Spanish rice  Courtesy of John Silveira   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1 lb. lean ground beef 8 oz. sweet Italian sausage 2 small red or green bell peppers,...

Beautiful Women

By John Silveira August 10, 2001 Who are the 50 most beautiful women in the world? Askmen.com recently came up with a readers' list. At the bottom and rounding out the list is Sandra Bullock (50th). They...

Egg thingies

Recipe of the Week  Egg thingies  Courtesy of John Silveira   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients For each egg: 1 Tbsp. or so of olive oil 1 green onion, diced 1 Tbsp. diced red...

Why I’m nice to telemarketers

By John Silveira July 22, 2000 We complain because they bug us during supper. Of course, it wouldn't make sense for them to call us at 1:00 in the afternoon because we're not usually home then....

Dealing with Liberals and History

By John Silveira February 6, 2000 Years ago I hated talking politics with liberals. I have a good memory and a good sense of history, but whenever I mentioned any historical "fact" that countered their arguments,...