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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
The unheralded roots of America’s freedoms
By John Silveira
Issue #108 • November/December, 2007
I've just finished reading a fascinating book by Charles C. Mann. It's titled, 1491, and subtitled New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus. The book has turned what...
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...
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,...
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,...
