Athol Road Agrarian

Religious Minorities in Clarke County, Nevada

2012-02-05T06:52:00.001-08:00

A number of weeks ago, I met Jon Huntsman in New Hampshire a couple of days before the NH Primary. I asked him about his take on religious liberty in America. I told him that I was a Seventh-day Adventist and that as a religious minority I was concerned about the direction of some recent laws curtailing our civil liberties, like the recent NDAA (please google NDAA if you don't know what I am talking about).

Mr. Huntsman, while stating to me that he was for religious liberty both here and abroad, supports NDAA (which permits indefinite detention of American citizens without constitutional due process). So, I could not give him my vote.

In Nevada, I saw a bright sign yesterday - a special late caucus after sundown on the sabbath for Seventh-day Adventists and Orthodox Jews. That really makes me like Nevada. And just guess who they like...

Feel the love...

The vote count...

The envelope, please...

Where I'm Going

2012-01-29T14:52:00.000-08:00

I first learned this song in bits and snatches in the early 90s rolling around in my yellow 1980 Ford van that I bought from my Uncle Harry. It had a wonderful 302 motor in in and lots of space for a vagabond bachelor.

Then one day, driving along Sligo Creek in Maryland, I heard it start up. I was able to quickly pull into one of the small parking lots along the creek and get out my pen and pad to get down a lot of the words, probably about 75% of them.

That was before the internet! Just a few minutes ago, I pulled down the lyrics and listened to the original version I used to hear on Family Radio.

The lyrics are down below. I hope you enjoy it. It is taking on new meaning for me in these days...

Where I'm Going - Marijohn Wilkin
I know not what my future holds,
Lord, I have no way of knowing,
But I know the One,
Who holds my future;
And I have no fear of where I'm going.

Sometimes it seems like I'm standing still,
Until I look back and see,
How deep my valleys,
How high the hills;
And each step nearer to Eternity.

Sometimes my friends misunderstand,
Cause I hear the sound of a different drummer,
But I know my life,
Is in His hands;
Just as sure as Autumn follows Summer.

I know not what my future holds,
Lord, I have no way of knowing,
But I know the One,
Who holds my future;
And I have no fear of where I'm going.

The Manning Report on RP

2012-01-15T08:08:00.000-08:00

An old friend... Absolutely hilarious!

South Carolina, Here We Come!

2012-01-12T07:25:00.001-08:00

"A 76-year old dude treated like a rock star!"

2012-01-12T06:42:00.000-08:00

Here is an excellent video by Neil Cavuto, a fair journalist, speaking about...

"The Most Ideologically Consistent Guy In The History Of American Politics, Bar None!" (Jack Burkman, Republican Strategist, on Ron Paul)

Jon Stewart on Ron Paul NH Results... Hilarious, but poor sound...

Ron Paul versus a Chickenhawk

2012-01-09T15:34:00.000-08:00

What is a chickenhawk?

Have you ever seen that stare on the good doctor's face before? Look out, Newt!

NDAA - U.S. Citizens Can Be Detained Indefinitely

2012-01-09T06:26:00.001-08:00

I have long watched Jonathan Turley on TV. He has always been very tempered and balanced, as he is here. The U.S. media just hasn't told us about this. Thank goodness for BBC and Turley.

That's a Wrap...

2011-12-30T21:00:00.000-08:00

Wow... My weakest blogging year ever! I knew I was behind my recent averages, but I have to admit that this has been a record year of non-blogging. But honestly, it doesn't matter too much. I have been busy with real life. Check out the last 6 months...

1. Laid off after 12 years at the same college.
2. Sold our little homestead within a few weeks.
3. Moved just up the road to a "farm" rental (how traumatic...moving, I mean!)
4. Taught at a local community college 3 nights a week.
5. Attended a 4-day agricultural training series in West Virginia.
6. Drove and camped in my FEV for 2 weeks (over 2000 miles) over Thanksgiving.
7. Got hired on a short-term contract at a local private college.
8. Started up our family band! (violin, mandolin, banjo, and guitar)

I have to say that 2011 was a difficult year in that we spent a lot of it with some serious cashflow issues (buy silver!). There have also been a lot of changes for us. However, we have recovered, and 2012 is looking to be a whole new deal. As the Chinese character shows, change means danger AND opportunity... I can't wait!

In 2012 I need to get back to where this blog originally began a few years back, which is "reach out, not hide out" country living and getting back to the land - the simple agrarian life. I am getting my first market garden going this year to sell at the local farmer's market, by the way.

What I can say today is that we are free... and headed in the right direction for the future, looking to God to lead us forward, as did Abraham. I am happy, and so is my family.

One of my favorite texts that I leave you with is this...

"Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." Psalm 37:4,5

May you experience a newness in God's love and care in 2012, and may you follow the desires of your heart. Make it count! Jesus is coming again soon!

EAR

p.s. Some photos of the new place...

p.s.s. God help us if we don't elect Ron Paul! :)

Our Truck Camper FEV Rig

2011-08-10T14:30:00.001-07:00

What can I say, but finally! Almost a year ago, I read this article and it got me thinking about some things. I don't know how many hours I poured over craigslist and ebay looking for a truck and camper, but the Lord provided. I found both within a few minutes of my house. Getting it all together and on the road is another story. After spending about 4-5 months looking, all the prep took about 6 months! i'll get into that perhaps later...

This photo is of last weekend at Miracle Meadows Farm in Glover, Vermont for their Family Bible Camp Weekend. It was our 3rd time there, and the weather was perfect. The entire experience there was a blessing.

I still have a few bugs to work out on the rig, but it is now in service. I plan to tow my sailboat and perhaps eventually a utility trailer with all the essentials in case of complete and total societal collapse (like what is happening around the world right now). In the meantime, we will continue to work for the Lord and enjoy nature, his second book.

Did I mention how many times the kids asked when were going to go camping and why did we buy it if we were not going to use it? LOL... They had a blast in the Northeast Kingdom, and we are planning more trips.

Jesus is coming! Carpe diem!

Familyman Testimony

2011-06-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

This is fellow I met and heard in Connecticut a couple of years ago. Although very chatty, he is good at getting back to the essentials. Enjoy!

The Revolution Continues...

2011-06-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

Seems like only yesterday when I first heard about Ron Paul... He's back!

The Greenhorns & Ciclovida (Brazil)

2011-05-10T20:20:00.000-07:00

Call me crazy, but this is my future! Also, see this link for Brazilian film, Ciclovida!

Changing Education Paradigms

2011-04-17T06:38:00.000-07:00

Sir Ken Robinson... A phenomenal presentation... I wish I had learned about all of this long ago. I can see how my education is so lacking! May we learn and improve for the benefit of our children.

Rutter Requiem - I am the Resurrection and the Life

2011-04-12T15:39:00.001-07:00

One of my all-time favorite pieces of music... I sang this in Israel at the home of the then U.S. Ambassador near Tel Aviv in the mid-nineties. Find your part and sing along! I was a second tenor.

"I fixed a transmission...once."

2011-03-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

AAMCO use to run a hilarious commercial with an old hillbilly (AAMCO's competitor) recounting his experience with transmissions. That is how I feel today.

Driving up to Mount Snow, Vermont last Friday, we had a little problem... We couldn't get up the hill to the main entrance because our 2002 Honda Odyssey's transmission went. That will probably cost me about $4000, and I don't have $4000. So, what can I do? That is what I am surfing the internet about now, to see what options I have, if any.

This the first time I have lost a transmission. I have replaced a clutch and even motor in the long past, but never a transmission. I can't stomach putting $4K into the car, when apparently the new or rebuilt transmission could go as well.

If you have any ideas... Let me know. Meanwhile, we are getting along with my VW and my Ford Crew Cab. We will have to see what the future holds.

"Be content in all things..."

A Generation of Homeless Children

2011-03-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

Prophecies Decoded

2011-03-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

Am I missing something, or should we be considering Bible Prophecy for answers to today's world situation?

Prophecies Decoded from Prophecies Decoded on Vimeo.

Christian, Libertarian, Environmentalist, Capitalist

2011-03-02T07:44:00.000-08:00

Here is one of my mentors... Joel Salatin

The American Dream

2011-01-04T13:48:00.000-08:00

Pardon some of the language, but this is the most succinct treatment of the American situation I have ever seen. Bears repeated viewing. Please take the time to get this critical information.

"An Era of Self Reliance and Human Awakening"

2011-01-04T13:43:00.000-08:00

Excellent article on Predictions for 2011

Health Ranger's Predictions for 2011 - 2012

(NaturalNews) What's ahead for 2011 - 2012? This time in human history promises to bring forth more changes than any other similar duration of time known to our civilization. I believe the changes that will occur in the next two years will rock the foundations of our economies, governments and belief systems. In the end, after considerable turmoil, I see a great expansion of human consciousness and a maturing of the human race. Here are the details...

More people growing their own food
Beginning in 2011 and continuing for many years beyond, we will see an explosion in the number of people growing their own food. People see the big trends in the food supply fast approaching: GMO contamination of crops, the loss of local food production due to FDA interference, the crackdown on small farmers, and even disruptions in the global food supply.

As people realize the importance of having their own home-grown source of food, we will see a surge in backyard gardens, food storage and in-home production methods such as sprouting and food dehydrating.

We will see a strong "back to basics" interest surge leading up to 2012, with many people choosing to move out of high-density cities (or even high-density nations) and seek self-reliance in more rural areas.

This will also reveal renewed interest in home-grown meat production with more people growing (and eating) their own chickens and cows rather than relying on processed, factory-farmed meats.

Increased awareness of natural remedies and health freedom
The natural health community will achieve significant victories over the next two years in awakening people to natural remedies, medicinal herbs and the core ideas of health freedom. The monopolistic pushers of pharmaceuticals are fighting a desperate, losing battle to try to keep people ignorant, but they will lose that fight and natural medicine will ultimately emerge as the healing method of choice for an increasing number of people.

Natural childbirth will continue to gain recognition around the world, and more parents will begin to question the ADHD drugging of their children. The industry of psychiatry as we know it today will continue crumbling under the burden of fraud and criminal behavior, finally collapsing well before 2020 thanks to the efforts of a few groups, notably CCHR.

The global shift away from pharmaceuticals and toward disease prevention and nutrition will accelerate in 2011 - 2012, with vitamin D leading the charge. An increasing number of people will learn about top nutrients such as resveratrol, astaxanthin and omega-3s. Nutrition education will become increasingly evident in public schools, and many school lunch programs will be reworked to remove more processed dead foods and increase real nutrition.

Significant victories will be achieved over water fluoridation, mercury fillings and GMOs (see below). The vaccine issue, however, will remain highly contentious. Victory over seasonal flu vaccines will take many more years...

More people waking up to reality
Today, most people are sleepwalking through their lives, functioning as cogs in a giant machine of which they have no knowledge and no control. Over the next two years, that will significantly change. More and more people will be awakened into a state of awareness. They will realize that living out their lives working mundane jobs, watching television, eating junk food and taking pharmaceuticals is not fulfilling their true purpose in life, and many will seek a higher purpose.

An increasing number of people will come to understand that their lives are mere illusion -- that they've been following programming set out for them by others, and that if they wish to truly achieve freedom (of mind), they must break out of the patterns that have been constructed for them.

As a result, we're going to see more people rebelling against the status quo while simultaneously expanding their own awareness of the bigger picture -- how things work in our world and what their role might be in uplifting our shared reality.

In the short term, this might result in a tremendous amount of strife, but in the end, it will give rise to a true uplifting of consciousness among the people in our world.

Specific upcoming victories in the world of natural health
• The People will achieve significant victories over GMOs. I believe that We the People will ultimately win this battle against GMOs in America. As information about the dangers of GMOs continues to spread, people will increasingly demand that GMO foods be labeled. With enough support (perhaps in 2012, but probably later), a law will be passed requiring that GMO foods be labeled as such, and that will spell the beginning of the end of the GMO era in America.

• The FDA will, one way or another, be forced to admit that mercury fillings ("silver fillings") are dangerous for human health. At the very least, the agency will warn that children and expectant mothers should not be exposed to silver fillings. If this does not happen, you can expect a popular revolt against the FDA and a loud cry for the dissolution of the entire agency.

• The next big public health battle will be over water fluoridation, and you can expect NaturalNews, the Fluoride Action Network and many other organizations to turn up the heat on the dangers of water fluoridation. Expect to see the fluoride pushers eventually forced to back down and admit that the fluoride dripped into the municipal water supplies is actually collected as a toxic waste byproduct of the phosphate mining industry. (We are releasing a significant mini-documentary on this topic in the next 30 days.) The reputation of the ADA -- which has backed mercury fillings for decades -- is headed into the dumpsters.

• On the issue of freedom and liberty, I predict a surge of interest in Libertarian political philosophy from both former Democrats and former Republicans who realize that the path to prosperity and freedom is found in individual liberty and personal responsibility. I see the Tea Party suffering from disillusionment as its own elected members betray its supporters with more taxes and Big Government spending. Expect to see Ron Paul and Rand Paul do extraordinarily well in the coming years (as long as they stay on principle), and watch for a groundswell of popular support for the once-again-new idea of sensibly limited government.

• Watch for a rise in the Tenth Amendment movement in America as an increasing number of Americans fight back against what they see as a dangerous expansion of the power of the federal government. With the TSA in your pants and the FDA in your greenhouse, there's no telling what part of your life Big Brother wants to control next. America was founded on the idea of limited government, and I believe we'll see a powerful, passionate movement that seeks to bring the federal government back down to its Constitutionally-mandated size (which is a fraction of its current size and scope). The Tenth Amendment, by the way, specifically reserves all rights not specifically granted to the federal government to be held by the States or the People. The Constitution, for the record, never granted the federal government the right to run a health care system, nor to give away the power to coin money to a private banking cartel, nor to inspect your backyard food production operation that you use to produce jams and jellies for the local farmers' market.

Specific short-term predictions
• Expect a new Big Government war on internet freedom. Mostly due to the Wikileaks releases, governments around the world are going to desperately attempt to police the internet and clamp down on web-based free speech. This will likely result in an online war between the "empire" (the USA and the UN) and the "rebel alliance" (the internet hackers such as 'anonymous').

• By the end of 2012, I predict significant food supply disruptions in North America, brought about either by radical weather affecting crop yields or perhaps the invasion of disease indirectly caused by the over-use of pesticides or GMOs. The number of people in America struggling to feed themselves and their families will rise along with food prices (see next). This will inevitably result in a huge increase in crime (burglaries, thefts) at precisely the same time that cities are laying off local law enforcement officers due to budgetary restrictions.

• Expect to see food prices climb with alarming speed over the next two years. Wheat is already on the rise, and even meat prices will surge up sharply before the end of 2012. While food won't disappear, it will become significantly more expensive, causing more people to shift to subsidized foods (corn, sugar, etc.) which also happen to be some of the worst foods for your health. GMOs are cheap in the short run... until you get your hospital bill.

• Oil prices will also trend sharply upwards over the next two years. We will almost certainly see oil at $150 per barrel and possibly even at $200 for a brief time. This will of course impact food prices, the transportation industry and virtually the entire economy.

• By late 2012, the economic downfall of the United States will have accelerated, and the inevitable collapse of the U.S. dollar will by that time have become apparent to virtually everyone. The ability of the U.S. Treasury to auction its debt will drop sharply as ratings institutions either downgrade U.S. debt or publicly threaten to.

Long-term predictions
• Over the next decade, I predict a disappearing "health middle class" and a great divide between the healthy and the sick. The healthy, you see, are consuming superfoods, getting sunshine on their skin and taking nutritional supplements on a daily basis. The unhealthy are eating processed foods, taking prescription medications and following the advice of their ignorant doctors even if it kills them. There will be fewer people of "average" health in America in the coming years. The masses will gravitate toward disease and sickness while the informed few (such as NaturalNews readers, raw food vegans, superfood fans and so on) will get healthier and more productive.

• By 2025, the FDA as we know it today will be ancient history, and a new era of food freedom and health freedom will have swept across the former United States of America. Marijuana will become a key crop for raising revenue for the states (or the equivalent governing entity), the pharmaceutical industry will have severely downsized, and the scientific censorship of the FDA will have been abandoned to a chapter of the dark history of America. Millions of doctors, oncologists and useless government bureaucrats will find themselves out of work or, in the most extreme cases, subjected to court trials for their crimes against humanity.

• By 2030, it will become obvious that all those people treated with vaccines, chemotherapy, pharmaceuticals and conventional medical procedures are largely infertile and dying from degenerative disease. Also by this time, those individuals who ate diets largely made of GMOs, processed foods and artificial chemical additives will discover they, too, are infertile and diseased. The dying, diseased people of the western world will look back upon the "age of medical science" with hatred and disbelief, and the vaccines, chemotherapy, mercury fillings, water fluoridation and other poisons that are common in our world today will, by 2030, be written up in the history books as examples of humanity's incredible capacity for self-deception and faulty thinking, even in the realm of so-called "science."

Health Ranger predictions are already coming true
Many of the predictions I made a year ago have already come true, by the way. These include:

• China unleashes armies of corporate espionage hackers onto western nations (now verified as true through Wikileaks cables)

• A worldwide shortage of rare earth metals (already under way)

• Food supply disruptions (disruptions have been widely reported throughout 2010)

• Honeybee population collapse spreads to other species (bats are now threatened, too)

• Weather patterns become increasingly radicalized (also widely reported in 2010)

• Medical imaging scandal unfolds as older patients begin to show serious health damage from radiation via mammograms, CT scans and more (widely reported in medical journals in 2010)

• War on health freedom ramps up, targeting raw milk, homeopathy, herbs and supplements (major raids have been conducted this year on food co-ops and raw milk producers)

• New attempts are made to destroy internet freedom (the UN is now planning to roll out internet police, and the U.S. customs department has been seizing websites for the last several months)

These are just some of the many predictions I made one year ago. Many more will yet come true in the years ahead. Overall, by the way, I remain optimistic about our future, if only because it is evident that by living through suffering, oppression and slavery, enough members of the human race will finally see the importance of health freedom and take the necessary action to regain it and defend it for generations to come.

In the grand experiment of nations and civilizations now playing out across our tiny planet, those nations which forget the importance of health and freedom are doomed to eventually destroy themselves. Only those nations which recognize freedom and invest in the health of their citizens have any sustainable future. And one day, such a nation of truly free people will undoubtedly rise from the ashes of whatever is left after the current global miscalculations run their course.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030903_predictions_2011.html#ixzz1A6bb0KBy

Falling Short and Starting Anew

2010-12-31T09:38:00.001-08:00

My blogging goal for 2010 was twofold: 1) I wanted to post a record (52) entries for the year. This post puts me at only 48, which will be my 2nd highest total for a year. I failed in quantitative goal. 2) I wanted to write more than simply embed videos or text from another source. I have improved slightly in this area, but due to my extremely heavy work schedule, I kind of fell off the wagon in this respect, which is more qualitative.

Looking ahead to 2011, I will only say that I want to remember and post things that are important to me in the gradual change of lifestyle I am trying to undertake. To be more agrarian in my lifestyle will be my goal for 2011. I hope to take up cross-country skiing this winter, as well as improve our garden crop for the coming season.

To my friends and others who happen upon this blog, I wish you God's richest blessings of discernment, understanding, and wisdom as we all face an uncertain future. One thing is sure, we are one year closer to the Lord's return. May we all make our spiritual, mental, and physical preparations for that day.

Farmer-Scientists

2010-12-30T17:13:00.000-08:00

The following comes from this link.

One of the most frequent criticisms leveled against the sustainable agriculture movement is that its proponents want to send farmers back to 19th-century hard labor, with hand weeding and harvesting. Here's an incredibly cool group of eco-minded "farmer-scientists" who aren't in the least afraid of technology -- and in fact believe in "creating industrial processes that are fully in harmony with ecologically responsible living."

Open Source Ecology members live most of the year on Factory e Farm, a 30-acre former soybean farm in Missouri, "where we put the theory of Open Source Ecology into practice ... We paid our last electricity bill three years ago. We are getting our power from waste vegetable oil and the sun. We drink pure free rain water. We grow most of our food. We are free. Welcome to our life. We want to help others do the same. Decentralization. Regain control of your life."

Global Village Construction Set in 2 Minutes from Marcin Jakubowski on Vimeo.

The Meeting School

2010-12-18T02:18:00.000-08:00

As I continue to learn more about education, I come across some fascinating alternative approaches. Here is one located just a few miles away in New Hampshire. The Meeting School is a high school with a working farm and live in community organized around Quaker principles. Really gets me thinking...

Here is a wonderful video.

p.s. I am trying to break my former blogging record (51 in a year), but I am way behind schedule!

Many Moods of Christmas

2010-12-18T02:08:00.001-08:00

I spent last weekend in Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. This is where I grew up and first started singing in choirs. We went down to sing a couple of concerts of Robert Shaw's Many Moods of Christmas, which has to be one of the funnest pieces to sing.

Here is a bad photo of me in my tux just before the concert in Frederick, MD. I was trying out a new handheld digital camcorder I recently picked up called "Small Wonder". So far it is working pretty well, but I won't get rid of my Insignia yet.

America - The Grim Truth

2010-11-28T22:22:00.000-08:00

This blogpost comes from one of my favorite blogs called, Club Orlov, run by the Russian fellow living on a sailboat in Boston I often write about. What follows is like hearing a doctor give you the bottom line - not pleasant, but necessary. You might want to sit down before reading...

Americans, I have some bad news for you:

You have the worst quality of life in the developed world—by a wide margin.

If you had any idea of how people really lived in Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and many parts of Asia, you’d be rioting in the streets calling for a better life. In fact, the average Australian or Singaporean taxi driver has a much better standard of living than the typical American white-collar worker.

I know this because I am an American, and I escaped from the prison you call home.

I have lived all around the world, in wealthy countries and poor ones, and there is only one country I would never consider living in again: The United States of America. The mere thought of it fills me with dread.

Consider this: you are the only people in the developed world without a single-payer health system. Everyone in Western Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia, Singapore and New Zealand has a single-payer system. If they get sick, they can devote all their energies to getting well. If you get sick, you have to battle two things at once: your illness and the fear of financial ruin. Millions of Americans go bankrupt every year due to medical bills, and tens of thousands die each year because they have no insurance or insufficient insurance. And don’t believe for a second that rot about America having the world’s best medical care or the shortest waiting lists: I’ve been to hospitals in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Singapore, and Thailand, and every one was better than the “good” hospital I used to go to back home. The waits were shorter, the facilities more comfortable, and the doctors just as good.

This is ironic, because you need a good health system more than anyone else in the world. Why? Because your lifestyle is almost designed to make you sick.

Let’s start with your diet: Much of the beef you eat has been exposed to fecal matter in processing. Your chicken is contaminated with salmonella. Your stock animals and poultry are pumped full of growth hormones and antibiotics. In most other countries, the government would act to protect consumers from this sort of thing; in the United States, the government is bought off by industry to prevent any effective regulations or inspections. In a few years, the majority of all the produce for sale in the United States will be from genetically modified crops, thanks to the cozy relationship between Monsanto Corporation and the United States government. Worse still, due to the vast quantities of high-fructose corn syrup Americans consume, fully one-third of children born in the United States today will be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes at some point in their lives.

Of course, it’s not just the food that’s killing you, it’s the drugs. If you show any sign of life when you’re young, they’ll put you on Ritalin. Then, when you get old enough to take a good look around, you’ll get depressed, so they’ll give you Prozac. If you’re a man, this will render you chemically impotent, so you’ll need Viagra to get it up. Meanwhile, your steady diet of trans-fat-laden food is guaranteed to give you high cholesterol, so you’ll get a prescription for Lipitor. Finally, at the end of the day, you’ll lay awake at night worrying about losing your health plan, so you’ll need Lunesta to go to sleep.

With a diet guaranteed to make you sick and a health system designed to make sure you stay that way, what you really need is a long vacation somewhere. Unfortunately, you probably can’t take one. I’ll let you in on little secret: if you go to the beaches of Thailand, the mountains of Nepal, or the coral reefs of Australia, you’ll probably be the only American in sight. And you’ll be surrounded crowds of happy Germans, French, Italians, Israelis, Scandinavians and wealthy Asians. Why? Because they’re paid well enough to afford to visit these places AND they can take vacations long enough to do so. Even if you could scrape together enough money to go to one of these incredible places, by the time you recovered from your jetlag, it would time to get on a plane and rush back to your job.

If you think I’m making this up, check the stats on average annual vacation days by country:

Finland: 44
Italy: 42
France: 39
Germany: 35
UK: 25
Japan: 18
USA: 12

The fact is, they work you like dogs in the United States. This should come as no surprise: the United States never got away from the plantation/sweat shop labor model and any real labor movement was brutally suppressed. Unless you happen to be a member of the ownership class, your options are pretty much limited to barely surviving on service-sector wages or playing musical chairs for a spot in a cubicle (a spot that will be outsourced to India next week anyway). The very best you can hope for is to get a professional degree and then milk the system for a slice of the middle-class pie. And even those who claw their way into the middle class are but one illness or job loss away from poverty. Your jobs aren’t secure. Your company has no loyalty to you. They’ll play you off against your coworkers for as long as it suits them, then they’ll get rid of you.

Of course, you don’t have any choice in the matter: the system is designed this way. In most countries in the developed world, higher education is either free or heavily subsidized; in the United States, a university degree can set you back over US$100,000. Thus, you enter the working world with a crushing debt. Forget about taking a year off to travel the world and find yourself – you’ve got to start working or watch your credit rating plummet.

If you’re “lucky,” you might even land a job good enough to qualify you for a home loan. And then you’ll spend half your working life just paying the interest on the loan – welcome to the world of American debt slavery. America has the illusion of great wealth because there’s a lot of “stuff” around, but who really owns it? In real terms, the average American is poorer than the poorest ghetto dweller in Manila, because at least they have no debts. If they want to pack up and leave, they can; if you want to leave, you can’t, because you’ve got debts to pay.

All this begs the question: Why would anyone put up with this? Ask any American and you’ll get the same answer: because America is the freest country on earth. If you believe this, I’ve got some more bad news for you: America is actually among the least free countries on earth. Your piss is tested, your emails and phone calls are monitored, your medical records are gathered, and you are never more than one stray comment away from writhing on the ground with two Taser prongs in your ass.

And that’s just physical freedom. Mentally, you are truly imprisoned. You don’t even know the degree to which you are tormented by fears of medical bankruptcy, job loss, homelessness and violent crime because you’ve never lived in a country where there is no need to worry about such things.

But it goes much deeper than mere surveillance and anxiety. The fact is, you are not free because your country has been taken over and occupied by another government. Fully 70% of your tax dollars go to the Pentagon, and the Pentagon is the real government of the United States. You are required under pain of death to pay taxes to this occupying government. If you’re from the less fortunate classes, you are also required to serve and die in their endless wars, or send your sons and daughters to do so. You have no choice in the matter: there is a socioeconomic draft system in the United States that provides a steady stream of cannon fodder for the military.

If you call a life of surveillance, anxiety and ceaseless toil in the service of a government you didn’t elect “freedom,” then you and I have a very different idea of what that word means.

If there was some chance that the country could be changed, there might be reason for hope. But can you honestly look around and conclude that anything is going to change? Where would the change come from? The people? Take a good look at your compatriots: the working class in the United States has been brutally propagandized by jackals like Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity. Members of the working class have been taught to lick the boots of their masters and then bend over for another kick in the ass. They’ve got these people so well trained that they’ll take up arms against the other half of the working class as soon as their masters give the word.

If the people cannot make a change, how about the media? Not a chance. From Fox News to the New York Times, the mass media in the United States is nothing but the public relations wing of the corporatocracy, primarily the military industrial complex. At least the citizens of the former Soviet Union knew that their news was bullshit. In America, you grow up thinking you’ve got a free media, which makes the propaganda doubly effective. If you don’t think American media is mere corporate propaganda, ask yourself the following question: have you ever heard a major American news outlet suggest that the country could fund a single-payer health system by cutting military spending?

If change can’t come from the people or the media, the only other potential source of change would be the politicians. Unfortunately, the American political process is among the most corrupt in the world. In every country on earth, one expects politicians to take bribes from the rich. But this generally happens in secret, behind the closed doors of their elite clubs. In the United States, this sort of political corruption is done in broad daylight, as part of legal, accepted, standard operating procedure. In the United States, they merely call these bribes campaign donations, political action committees and lobbyists. One can no more expect the politicians to change this system than one can expect a man to take an axe and chop his own legs out from underneath him.

No, the United States of America is not going to change for the better. The only change will be for the worse. And when I say worse, I mean much worse. As we speak, the economic system that sustained the country during the post-war years is collapsing. The United States maxed out its “credit card” sometime in 2008 and now its lenders, starting with China, are in the process of laying the foundations for a new monetary system to replace the Anglo-American “petro-dollar” system. As soon as there is a viable alternative to the US dollar, the greenback will sink like a stone.

While the United States was running up crushing levels of debt, it was also busy shipping its manufacturing jobs and white-collar jobs overseas, and letting its infrastructure fall to pieces. Meanwhile, Asian and European countries were investing in education, infrastructure and raw materials. Even if the United States tried to rebuild a real economy (as opposed to a service/financial economy) do think American workers would ever be able to compete with the workers of China or Europe? Have you ever seen a Japanese or German factory? Have you ever met a Singaporean or Chinese worker?

There are only two possible futures facing the United States, and neither one is pretty. The best case is a slow but orderly decline – essentially a continuation of what’s been happening for the last two decades. Wages will drop, unemployment will rise, Medicare and Social Security benefits will be slashed, the currency will decline in value, and the disparity of wealth will spiral out of control until the United States starts to resemble Mexico or the Philippines – tiny islands of wealth surrounded by great poverty (the country is already halfway there).

Equally likely is a sudden collapse, perhaps brought about by a rapid flight from the US dollar by creditor nations like China, Japan, Korea and the OPEC nations. A related possibility would be a default by the United States government on its vast debt. One look at the financial balance sheet of the US government should convince you how likely this is: governmental spending is skyrocketing and tax receipts are plummeting – something has to give. If either of these scenarios plays out, the resulting depression will make the present recession look like a walk in the park.

Whether the collapse is gradual or gut-wrenchingly sudden, the results will be chaos, civil strife and fascism. Let’s face it: the United States is like the former Yugoslavia – a collection of mutually antagonistic cultures united in name only. You’ve got your own version of the Taliban: right-wing Christian fundamentalists who actively loathe the idea of secular Constitutional government. You’ve got a vast intellectual underclass that has spent the last few decades soaking up Fox News and talk radio propaganda, eager to blame the collapse on Democrats, gays and immigrants. You’ve got a ruthless ownership class that will use all the means at its disposal to protect its wealth from the starving masses.

On top of all that you’ve got vast factory farms, sprawling suburbs and a truck-based shipping system, all of it entirely dependent on oil that is about to become completely unaffordable. And you’ve got guns. Lots of guns. In short: the United States is about to become a very unwholesome place to be.

Right now, the government is building fences and walls along its northern and southern borders. Right now, the government is working on a national ID system (soon to be fitted with biometric features). Right now, the government is building a surveillance state so extensive that they will be able to follow your every move, online, in the street and across borders. If you think this is just to protect you from “terrorists,” then you’re sadly mistaken. Once the shit really hits the fan, do you really think you’ll just be able to jump into the old station wagon, drive across the Canadian border and spend the rest of your days fishing and drinking Molson? No, the government is going to lock the place down. They don’t want their tax base escaping. They don’t want their “recruits” escaping. They don’t want YOU escaping.

I am not writing this to scare you. I write this to you as a friend. If you are able to read and understand what I’ve written here, then you are a member of a small minority in the United States. You are a minority in a country that has no place for you.

So what should you do?

You should leave the United States of America.

If you’re young, you’ve got plenty of choices: you can teach English in the Middle East, Asia or Europe. Or you can go to university or graduate school abroad and start building skills that will qualify you for a work visa. If you’ve already got some real work skills, you can apply to emigrate to any number of countries as a skilled immigrant. If you are older and you’ve got some savings, you can retire to a place like Costa Rica or the Philippines. If you can’t qualify for a work, student or retirement visa, don’t let that stop you – travel on a tourist visa to a country that appeals to you and talk to the expats you meet there. Whatever you do, go speak to an immigration lawyer as soon as you can. Find out exactly how to get on a path that will lead to permanent residence and eventually citizenship in the country of your choice.

You will not be alone. There are millions of Americans just like me living outside the United States. Living lives much more fulfilling, peaceful, free and abundant than we ever could have attained back home. Some of us happened upon these lives by accident – we tried a year abroad and found that we liked it – others made a conscious decision to pack up and leave for good. You’ll find us in Canada, all over Europe, in many parts of Asia, in Australia and New Zealand, and in most other countries of the globe. Do we miss our friends and family? Yes. Do we occasionally miss aspects of our former country? Yes. Do we plan on ever living again in the United States? Never. And those of us with permanent residence or citizenship can sponsor family members from back home for long-term visas in our adopted countries.

In closing, I want to remind you of something: unless you are an American Indian or a descendant of slaves, at some point your ancestors chose to leave their homeland in search of a better life. They weren’t traitors and they weren’t bad people, they just wanted a better life for themselves and their families. Isn’t it time that you continue their journey?

My Playing Buddies

2010-11-28T22:18:00.000-08:00

Since I have been in New England, I have played more with Sulo and Paul than anyone else. Here they are doing a nice hymn at church. These guys made me feel at home here, and I miss playing every week like we used to.

2010 True Education/Agriculture Seminar at Berea Gardens Agriculture Center

2010-11-27T02:39:00.000-08:00

Now, this is my kind of seminar! i just wish I had known about it before it actually took place... I have a houseful of Thanksgiving visitors and have to work next week. If I had known about this a few months ago, I would have made it happen.

How I long to study this stuff more. This is really going to be a powerful conference. I hope a lot of people attend. You will not regret it.

Two of the presenters, Jerry Travers and Brad Neeley have been up to our area to speak and present on agricultural issues. I just wish I could go... (end of pity party)

True Education Conference
November 26 - 28 (Free)

Agriculture Training Seminar ($100 per household)
November 29 - December 2

Agriculture Conference
December 3 - 5 (Free)

“E.G. White on Education
Now, as never before, we need to understand the true science of education. If we fail to understand this, we shall never have a place in the kingdom of God.” - Christian Educator, Aug, 1897

E.G. White on Agriculture
“No line of manual training is of more value than agriculture. A greater effort should be made to create and to encourage an interest in agricultural pursuits. Let the teacher call attention to what the Bible says about agriculture: that it was God's plan for man to till the earth; that the first man, the ruler of the whole world, was given a garden to cultivate; and that many of the world's greatest men, its real nobility, have been tillers of the soil.” -Education, p. 219

Biological Agriculture and a Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T20:45:00.000-08:00

"The aim of biological agriculture is to cultivate ease and order rather than battle futilely against disease and disorder."

Eliot Coleman Paper at Yale University Agrarian Studies Colloquium, November 19, 2010

The above paper makes the case that the pre-industrial agriculture system was superior to our current industrial chemically-based system. I have included some excerpts below.

Last April, we had an expert on Nutrient Dense Crop Production speak at our church. His name is Jerry Travers. I once visited his home and toured his lush gardens.

Being that today is Thanksgiving, I thought about the first growing experiences our pilgrim fathers must have had here in New England back some almost 400 years ago. They were saved by the local knowledge that the Indians had.

This evening, we will watch my favorite Thanksgiving film, "Squanto, A Warrior's Tale" with our holiday house guests from Bulgaria.

I am trying to live up to my blog name, Athol Road Agrarian. God bless and have a wonderful Thanksgiving. All good things come from God!

"The best biological farmers follow a pattern at odds with the pattern of chemical agriculture. The chemical/industrial mindset focuses on the symptom of a problem and devises expensive products in order to palliate that symptom. The biological/agrarian mindset focuses on the cause of the problem and looks to manage natural processes in such a way as to correct the cause." p. 17

"...Frank Egler’s statement, “Nature is not more complicated than we think – Nature is more complicated than we can think.” p. 21

"There seems to be great difficulty in comprehending what I call a plant-positive approach (strengthening the plant through optimum growing conditions) as opposed to the conventional pest-negative approach (killing the pest)." p. 22

“But though part of Nature, man’s unique function . . . lies in controlling and transforming the natural world, not piously seeking its guidance. How profoundly we believe this today. How could we help but believe it; the entire edifice of our civilization is built upon it. The Baconian conception of science as control over nature is not only an intellectual presupposition of ours, it is a deeply implanted emotional attitude as well.” p. 24 (Thomas Colwell)

"The third explanation goes back to the beginning of the industrial revolution when the money world began to replace the non-money world. At that point what would have been seen as the great benefit of a biological production system, minimal need for purchased inputs, suddenly would come to be seen as its defect. In an industrially dominated money economy the processes by which biological agriculture produces food are inherently subversive because they are self-resourced through that partnership with the natural world noted above. By self-resourced I mean that for those participating in biological agriculture, the majority of the inputs are coming from within the farm. Thus, biological farmers who take full advantage of the earth’s contributions do not need to purchase industry’s products. The aforementioned Cyril Hopkins was fully aware of that reality in 1912 when he wrote in a University of Illinois agricultural circular; “The real question is, shall the farmer pay ten times as much as he ought to pay for food to enrich his soil? Shall he buy nitrogen at 45 to 50 cents a pound when theair above every acre contains 70 million pounds of free nitrogen?” p. 24 (Cyril G. Hopkins)

"Could it be that we the people have been conned into ignoring a whole other way of farming by a limited worldview that has never allowed us to consider non-commodifiable options?" p. 26

"Biological agriculture has dared to “disturb the universe” in its search for a better way to farm. Its success has created a solid foundation for the superiority of agriculture over industry and a secure future for the agrarian dream." p. 28

"Nature is a series of biological rhythms, interactions and interdependencies, which are essentially non-mechanical because the stage on which they operate, is that of life." p. 30

"If men can be forced and regimented to sacrifice their spiritual inheritance in order to serve the machine, nature and the earth cannot and will not any more than the winds of heaven can be controlled by pistons and levers. The earth demands the labor of a true man, not the gyrations of a senseless machine, in order to give of her best, and thus quality in farming, as malnutrition has shown us to our bitter cost, must forever take precedence of quantity. Farming as a craft can never be old-fashioned or superseded since it is dependent upon doing things in the right way and at the right time and not in the wrong way and the fastest time as a passing economic fashion based on predatory relations with nature demands. Where fertility is the master of production and quality of quantity as subsistence farming fosters, there need be no fears as to the health of man or the bounty of earth.”" p. 31 (H.J. Massingham)

2010 Elections

2010-11-04T06:19:00.000-07:00

"Overdose"

2010-10-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, this is our future. For our families' sakes, we need to know now. Faith and prayer will guide us through the waters ahead.

A Warning from the Good Doctor

2010-10-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

Dr. Paul seems more serious than normal in this video. Pay particular attention to his solutions. God bless!

Guitars and Amps

2010-08-31T22:21:00.001-07:00

Last Friday, I met my fellow guitar aficionado, Greg, for a bit of window shopping at Maple Leaf Music in Brattleboro, Vermont. What I fell in love with, but didn't get, was this Santa Cruz OM/PW - which means a Pre-War Orchestra Model (WWII by the way. Thank goodness we're getting out of Iraq!)

Actually picked up an acoustic/electric guitar last week also. I have been needing a 6-string for a while. I got a good deal. Anyway, Greg loaned me his amp, so here I am debuting on my own blog!

A Tea Party Foreign Policy by Ron Paul

2010-08-29T21:33:00.001-07:00

A Tea Party Foreign Policy

As one who is opposed to centralization, I am wary of attempts to turn a grassroots movement against big government like the Tea Party into an adjunct of the Republican Party. I find it even more worrisome when I see those who willingly participated in the most egregious excesses of the most recent Republican Congress push their way into leadership roles of this movement without batting an eye -- or changing their policies!

As many frustrated Americans who have joined the Tea Party realize, we cannot stand against big government at home while supporting it abroad. We cannot talk about fiscal responsibility while spending trillions on occupying and bullying the rest of the world. We cannot talk about the budget deficit and spiraling domestic spending without looking at the costs of maintaining an American empire of more than 700 military bases in more than 120 foreign countries. We cannot pat ourselves on the back for cutting a few thousand dollars from a nature preserve or an inner-city swimming pool at home while turning a blind eye to a Pentagon budget that nearly equals those of the rest of the world combined.

Our foreign policy is based on an illusion: that we are actually paying for it. What we are doing is borrowing and printing money to maintain our presence overseas. Americans are seeing the cost of this irresponsible approach as their own communities crumble and our economic decline continues.

I see tremendous opportunities for movements like the Tea Party to prosper by capitalizing on the Democrats' broken promises to overturn the George W. Bush administration's civil liberties abuses and end the disastrous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A return to the traditional U.S. foreign policy of active private engagement but government noninterventionism is the only alternative that can restore our moral and fiscal health. I am optimistic, and our numbers are increasing!

Dmitri Orlov Interview

2010-08-16T22:49:00.000-07:00

Dmitri is a Russian American who lives with his wife on a sailboat in Charlestown, Massachusetts. His blog is Club Orlov. Here he is interviewed by KMO of the C-Realm Podcast. He will challenge your thinking. His deadpan delivery on the rather serious topic of collapse (He witnessed it at the end of the Soviet Union) is abolutely hilarious. His nickname is Kollapsnik.

Tiny Home Movement? Sign Me Up!

2010-07-23T19:03:00.000-07:00

New President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Addresses the World Church

2010-07-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged for over a month! This was one Sabbath that I enjoyed in front of my computer watching this inspiring sermon.

A Polyglot's Daily Routine

2010-06-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

I have been doing some research on language learning over the last few weeks for a project I am working on. I found this video on an incredible person and his method of learning languages, which I agree with. It is really something else!

The Silent Majority

2010-06-13T08:34:00.001-07:00

Looking for a Friend

2010-05-27T23:23:00.000-07:00

Back in February, my friend Greg took me to see Tommy Emmanuel, one of the world's best guitarists, in concert up in Vermont. What an experience that was. What a beautiful instrument the guitar is! Greg has been such a great encouragement to me musically. He really loves my playing, and wants to see me grow more.

Of course, he ain't no slouch either. He is a good player, too. Anyway, Greg knows so much more about guitar than I do. He knows all the players, the makers, the camps and all.

Last Friday, a week ago, we spent a couple of hours together at the Music Emporium in Lexington, Mass. just playing every guitar they had practically. What an amazing experience. I walked in and just began learning. Then they handed me a $5300 Goodall and I was hooked. The first guitar was the one! I played several more, but none had that tone that kept calling my name. It was a small body guitar, better for fingerpicking and more expressive playing.

So, thanks Greg. Since then, I have found every high end guitar shop within an hour of my house and all the way down to New York City! I tried out a neat Larrivee Parlor Guitar a friend of mine is selling (handmade, of course) on Tuesday. Next week, I am going to a luthier not far from school to see what his creations play like. His name is Greg Nelson of Berlin, Massachusetts.

It's like falling in love all over again. And I am looking for a friend, a new guitar. I have never bought or owned a new guitar. In fact, the most I have ever paid for a guitar was $100 a few years back. I gave the thing away because it couldn't stay in tune. But I have always had good sounding but cheap guitars. Anyway, things change when you hold a masterpiece in your hands. It makes you want to play more. I am going to get one.

Going back to my first love of the guitar means getting back to my early musical influences. The greatest, as you might guess, was JT - James Taylor. His sound was always, well, simply the best. And 30 years later, I don't stray far. I just spent 2 hours listening to his best stuff on youtube.

His musical sense of when to stand out and slip in playing with others is something that I find in my own sensibility. Complimenting another player can give as much or greater pleasure than simply being the center of the music. I suppose the same happens in basketball when a point guard dishes off assist after assist. You enjoy helping others look and sound good...

Which leads me to this clip. Here is JT on a pastel green Fender electric laying down the rhythm on one of my favorites, "Shower the People". Notice how he opens with his singular artistry building to a plateau and handing it off to some other talented folk. Then, having enjoyed the a unique collaboration moment, he takes charge at the end and brings it on home. An American Master. Enjoy!

One day soon, I am going to find my friend, and I am going to fall in love with the guitar all over again. I can't wait! Thanks, Greg!

Olson SJ

Goodall Small Body TR-000 (similar to the one I played)

Sweet Baby James

The Southern Avenger - Rand Paul Revolution

2010-05-23T03:56:00.000-07:00

Gore Vidal Unplugged

2010-05-22T00:12:00.000-07:00

I have always loved Gore Vidal's use of the English language. His sarcasm is simply side-splitting when you understand his politics. This clip is about 5 years old. It is a shame he is getting old and deteriorating quickly now. But if you want to understand how America really works, you need to read this guy's stuff.

By the way, his cousin Al (whom he also lambasts) once won a Nobel Prize...

Warning - Cell Phone Radiation

2010-05-19T22:08:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading this GQ article on cell phones and the studies done regarding their causing cancer. It turns out that 75% of the studies that are independently funded reveal a problem, while the 25% of industry-funded studies say there is no problem. Apparently, wi-fi is even worse!

I think we need to start slowing down on our technology use. We are soon returning to an agrarian existence where electronics will prove useless anyway.

Country Wisdom for a Modern Disaster

2010-05-09T00:13:00.000-07:00

This oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is really bothering me. How could this be allowed to happen? I don't know, but this little video makes me think that God's creation has the inherent capability to deal with man's abuse.

A Rather Exciting Time To Be Alive, Wouldn't You Say?

2010-05-01T02:01:00.000-07:00

Dmitry Orlov, of Club Orlov, is a Russian-born American liveaboard living in Charlestown, Massachusetts.

The Love Police

2010-04-30T15:24:00.000-07:00

War Strategy in Afghanistan?

2010-04-29T03:19:00.000-07:00

Mail Online
'When we understand that slide, we'll have won the war:' US generals given baffling PowerPoint presentation to try to explain Afghanistan mess

Weekend Watching - Invisible Empire

2010-04-25T09:56:00.001-07:00

This is the best so far. Jason Bermas is incredible.

Amplifiers

2010-04-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

In doing research for a music project I am working on, I stumbled upon some gold...

Line 6 Vetta II
This amp makes some incredible sounds. I played on one last summer in Vermont. I was in heaven. You can click to hear the variations.

Rivera Amplification
I just have to get one of these!

Angst on the Plantation

2010-04-21T02:08:00.000-07:00

Prepare! Los Angeles

2010-04-15T12:42:00.001-07:00

Sunday, April 18, 10 AM - 5:30 PM

I wish I were in Los Angeles this weekend. This seminar would be excellent for everyone to attend.

The Skills You Need for What's Coming

1. The future of America’s cities
2. Grow your own food in small spaces
3. Long term food storage
4. Back-up energy systems
5. Natural home remedies
6. Finding country property
7. Country living income opportunities

NYT - Baffled by Healthcare

2010-04-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

As this article points out, no one really understood this bill. It is almost comical to read until you feel like crying.

God save America...

Organic Agriculture Seminar Podcast

2010-04-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

The title of this blog is important to me because I believe that God has created us to til the field. Of course, I have no background in farming or agriculture, so I have been reading and experimenting for years.

This seminar that we put together at our church was a milestone along my path to fully living out my agrarian calling. I hope you enjoy the one and only Jerry Travers as he discusses service gardening and doing agriculture God's way!

Part 1 Lecture

Part 2 Lecture

Part 3 Lecture, Questions and Answers

Part 4 Questions and Answers

Video Clip

I'm Gonna Be a Farmer!

2010-04-03T01:07:00.000-07:00

Berea Gardens Agricultural Center in Minnora, West Virginia is great place to go back to school to learning about agriculture. They have three and five-day training sessions scheduled for this growing season.

I know the fellow who runs it. I can't wait. I am going to sign up! Why don't you?

Webinar - Growing Your Own Food - April 4

2010-04-02T23:56:00.000-07:00

One ministry that has been real blessing to me has been Back to Enoch Ministry. They focus on helping folk understand the spiritual, mental, and physical benefits of natural living.

Tomorrow, they will harness the power of the internet and offer a great web seminar (webinar) on growing you own food. The presenter will be from Grow Ministries. They say, "Agriculture; God's Farmacy".

This is a great follow-up to our seminar in Athol at 3 p.m. today. Here is the link to
register for the webinar.

It will be held Sunday, April 4, 2010 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM PDT (9-11 p.m. Eastern Time)

Living Up to the Name... Agrarian

2010-03-29T21:43:00.001-07:00

Something besides politics... and back to my agrarian heart...

Jerry Travers - Master Agrarian - Seminar Presenter this Sabbath at Church

Author, Teacher, Researcher, Scientist, Naturalist, Soil Analyst, Farm Manager, Organic Gardener, and Back to the Lander, Jerry Travers spends a Saturday afternoon at the Athol Seventh-day Adventist Church teaching nutrient-dense crop production through service gardening.

Most backyard gardens fail for the want of service. Weeds and a lack of water eventually put an end to spring dreams of harvest laden tables, and so we resign ourselves, "there's always next year."

Come and get inspired for the new growing season by learning principles and techniques that improve the soil's nutrient content, protect the environment, and encourage self-sufficiency.

Weather pemitting, the seminar will be followed by a nature walk and sing-a-long on the church's 108-acre property.

Teaching will include:

Agricultural Foundations
Genetics
The Future of Food
Redeeming the Soil

Recommended pre-seminar viewing – “The Future of Food” documentary
(widely available on DVD or the Internet at youtube.com and hulu.com)

Jerry Travers has taught and managed farms at Country Life Vocational Academy in Wisconsin and Ouachita Hills Academy in Arkansas. He is the author of the book, Agriculture: The ABC of Education. Jerry lives in Connecticut with his wife Susie where they caretake for his aging mother and manage an organic farm.

It should be a lot of fun. The weather is supposed to be nice, too! Come on down if you are in the area.

John Taylor Gatto on Education

2010-03-01T22:25:00.000-08:00

I may have posted this before, but coming across it as I just did, I had to share it once again. It is so poignant, and this man explains it so clearly.

It is an amazing soliloquy on public education's history, function, and design by a New York State Teacher of the Year. He taught in NYC for decades before retiring and writing about the system. He has a lot to say on this topic, and everything he says is fascinating!

I preached last Sabbath on Education myself in Haverstraw, New York, but I don't have the same gift to explain concepts so clearly. I did my best, however.

This documentary is coming out soon...

Demographic Winter

2010-02-23T21:20:00.000-08:00

What the world needs now is the return of Jesus Christ. I really don't see another answer to the crises that lie ahead. Here is an unbelievable scenario that is playing out around the world right now...

What would you say if we told you that the financial meltdown of 2008 was just a birth pang... the first sign of a major social and economic upheaval not seen in the Western World since the Dark Ages?

What would you say if we told you that some of the world's most respected scientists, academicians, economists, scholars and public policy experts have been sounding the alarm for years... only to have their warnings fall on deaf ears?

Find out more here.

Tommy Emmanuel in Burlington, Vermont

2010-02-22T21:59:00.000-08:00

An incredible musician and a wonderful man played a great concert last night in Vermont. A good friend and I were in attendance. As we were getting autographs later, I told Tommy Emmanuel how I appreciated his positive uplifting spirit. He told me, "That's Christ's message!" You could sense the joy of the Lord in this man and his own missionary spirit.

You can watch the videos below to see what I am talking about with this Aussie virtuoso...

Tommy played this song last night, and it was the one that touched me the most, especially when he sang, "He (daddy) always had some precious time for me..." Now that hit me hard.

This is my friend, fellow guitarist, and big guitar fan, Greg. He was the one that told me about Tommy Emmanuel, only about 9 days ago. Youtube took care of the rest! Thanks Greg for the concert and your friendship!

TE's Stage Set up with his Maxon Guitars (Aussie made of course)

Here is some more TE. This one he wrote in a deserted airport. While he was still composing a little girl appeared humming along. Soon her mother joined in. Later, as he was about to board, TE asked the mother what her daughter's name was. She said it was Ruby. So, TE gets down on a knee and says, "Ruby, I just wrote a song for you!"

One day at the University of Oregon, TE was taking a break from teaching. He saw people marching down the road in period costume. When he asked what was going on, he was told that they were going to walk the Lewis & Clark trail. He, being Australian, asked who Lewis and Clark were. He was referred to a book in the library, which he promptly read and was inspired to compose this melodious gem.

Tall Fiddler is just straight hoe down at 90 mph!

End Time Preparation Events in March

2010-02-21T07:37:00.000-08:00

Friends,

Are we in the last days? If you are wondering about that, you might find the following information helpful...

As part of our preparation for Christ's imminent coming, we need to understand what God is telling us through his word and the prophets.

Two ways to do this are coming up in March, and both will be unbelievably power-packed learning opportunities for Christians who want to follow the Biblical injunction in 1 Thessalonians 5:6 - not to sleep, but to watch and be sober...

1. COMING TO BOSTON!
Mountain Media Ministries - Spring 2010 Seminar Trip
March 20 & 21 - Roxbury, MA (Boston area) - Salem Hispanic SDA Church, 4446 Forest Street (corner of Dudley & Vine), Roxbury, MA 02119. MMM will be conducting Country Living Seminars at the Salem Hispanic SDA Church in Roxbury, MA on the weekend of March 20 and 21. Seminars are scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM on the 20th and to resume at 10:00 AM on the 21st.

Other Locations...

* March 13 & 14 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn SDA Church
* March 20 & 21 - Roxbury, MA (Boston area) - Salem Hispanic SDA Church
* March 27 & 28 - Olney, MD (DC area) - Olney SDA Church
* April 10 & 11 - Huntsville, AL - Oakwood University Campus
* April 12 - Marrero, LA (New Orleans area) - Marrero SDA Church
* April 17 - Fontana, CA (L.A. area) - Fontana SDA Church
* April 20 - Palm Desert, CA - Palm Desert Oasis SDA Church
* April 24 & 25 - Santa Cruz, CA - Santa Cruz SDA Church
* April 26-29 - Leoni Meadows Camp, CA - Country Living/Gardening Seminars & Workshops
* May 1 & 2 - San Francisco, CA - San Francisco Japanese SDA Church
* June 12 & 13 - Gladstone, OR (Portland area) - Gladstone Park SDA Church

2. WATCH FROM HOME
Back to Enoch Ministries Webinar - March 6

Both of these ministries have been a blessing to me in learning more about the times in which we live and how to prepare in all aspects for Jesus' return. I strongly encourage you to prayerfully check these events out.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
1But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

4But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

8But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 9For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 11Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

NYT on Tea Party Movement

2010-02-16T09:45:00.000-08:00

Now the mainline press is getting into the act. Read this. Thanks to Amigo Dave for the find!

Revelation 14 is becoming more relevant each day.

TEA-O-CONNED?

2010-02-12T02:28:00.000-08:00

The TEA-O-CONS - Neo cons who co-opted Ron's Tea Party (term coined at dailypaul.com)

Ron Paul talks about the Tea Party on Rachel Maddow...

Huffington Post talks about Ron Paul vs. Sarah Palin

I wonder where my new senator, Scott Brown, stands? And what about the Global Debt Timebomb?

"Never underestimate the power of a handful of rural rednecks, duty-bound, born again to the Constitution and hell-bent on a free vision of starting the world again. ’Twas ever thus."

Super Bowl Green Police

2010-02-09T01:39:00.000-08:00

OK. I watched the game. I wanted the Saints to win. It's over, thank goodness. So, what...

Here is my vote for best Super Bowl commercial. I watched it live and just laughed. Thought it was a VW at first, though...

Great and Solemn Events

2010-02-09T01:28:00.000-08:00

Today the signs of the times declare that we are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Everything in our world is in agitation. Before our eyes is fulfilling the Savior’s prophecy of the events to precede His coming: "Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. . . . Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places."

The present is a time of overwhelming interest to all living. Rulers and statesmen, men who occupy positions of trust and authority, thinking men and women of all classes, have their attention fixed upon the events taking place about us. They are watching the relations that exist among the nations. They observe the intensity that is taking possession of every earthly element, and they recognize that something great and decisive is about to take place--that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis.

The Bible, and the Bible only, gives a correct view of these things. Here are revealed the great final scenes in the history of our world, . . . the sound of their approach causing the earth to tremble and men's hearts to fail them for fear. Today men and nations are being tested by the plummet in the hand of Him who makes no mistake. All are by their own choice deciding their destiny, and God is overruling all for the accomplishment of His purposes.

Christians should be preparing for what is soon to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise, and this preparation they should make by diligently studying the word of God and striving to conform their lives to its precepts.

Ellen G. White, Maranatha, p. 69 and Education, p. 179-180

Time to Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

2010-02-03T22:16:00.000-08:00

No sky is falling. Just simple logic. I give you, Dr. Ron Paul.

Germany Persecutes Homeschoolers

2010-01-26T17:21:00.000-08:00

Homeschooling Family Granted Political Asylum

Immigration Judge Says Germany Violating Basic Human Rights

In a case with international ramifications, Immigration Judge Lawrence O. Burman granted the political asylum application of a German homeschooling family. The Romeikes are Christians from Bissinggen, Germany, who fled persecution in August 2008 to seek political asylum in the United States. The request was granted January 26 after a hearing was held in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 21.

“We can’t expect every country to follow our constitution,” said Judge Burman. “The world might be a better place if it did. However, the rights being violated here are basic human rights that no country has a right to violate.”

Burman added, “Homeschoolers are a particular social group that the German government is trying to suppress. This family has a well-founded fear of persecution…therefore, they are eligible for asylum…and the court will grant asylum.”

In his ruling, Burman said that the scariest thing about this case was the motivation of the government. He noted it appeared that rather than being concerned about the welfare of the children, the government was trying to stamp out parallel societies—something the judge called “odd” and just plain “silly.” In his order the judge expressed concern that while Germany is a democratic country and is an ally, he noted that this particular policy of persecuting homeschoolers is “repellent to everything we believe as Americans.”
‘Embarrassing for Germany’

“This decision finally recognizes that German homeschoolers are a specific social group that is being persecuted by a Western democracy,” said Mike Donnelly, staff attorney and director of international relations for Home School Legal Defense Associaton. “It is embarrassing for Germany, since a Western nation should uphold basic human rights, which include allowing parents to raise and educate their own children. This judge understood the case perfectly, and he called Germany out. We hope this decision will cause Germany to stop persecuting homeschoolers,” he added.

The persecution of homeschoolers in Germany has been intensifying over the past several years. They are regularly fined thousands of dollars, threatened with imprisonment, or have the custody of their children taken away simply because they choose to home educate.

The Romeikes expressed relief when they heard the decision.

“We are so grateful to the judge for his ruling,” said Uwe Romeike. “We know many people, especially other German homeschoolers, have been praying for us. Their prayers and ours have been answered. We greatly appreciate the freedom to homeschool we now have in America and will be building our new life here,” he added.

Donnelly testified at the hearing on January 21, telling the immigration Judge that homeschoolers are persecuted all over Germany.
‘Ignoring the Truth’

“There is no safety for homeschoolers in Germany,” Donnelly said. “The two highest courts in Germany have ruled that it is acceptable for the German government to ‘stamp out’ homeschoolers as some kind of ‘parallel society.’ The reasoning is flawed. The fact is that homeschoolers are not a parallel society. Valid research shows that homeschoolers excel academically and socially. German courts are simply ignoring the truth that exists all over the world where homeschooling is practiced. They need to look beyond their own borders.”

In 2003 the highest administrative court in Germany, which interprets its federal Constitution, ruled in the Konrad case that it was permissable for parents who have jobs that require them to travel—such as circus performers and musicians—to homeschool, but homeschooling was prohibited for parents who wanted to for reasons of conscience. The highest criminal court said in the Paul-Plett case in 2006 that the government was allowed to take custody of children whose parents want to homeschool for reasons of conscience.

Donnelly challenged the reasoning of the German courts.

“It is ridiculous for German courts to say that homeschooling is allowed if you have practical reasons but disallowed if you have conscientious reasons,” Donnelly said. “This is simply about the German state trying to coerce ideological uniformity in a way that is frighteningly reminiscent of past history. Homeschooling is a growing social movement all over the world, and the Germans want to stamp it out based on a fabricated notion that homeschoolers are a ‘parallel society.’ Germany’s treatment of homeschooling families is worthy of condemnation from the international community. I am proud that a United States immigration judge recognized the truth of what is happening in Germany and has rendered this favorable decision for the Romeike family.”

German homeschoolers have been organizing and trying to draw the attention of German politicians. It has been difficult. Juergen Dudek is a homeschooling father who had been sentenced to 90 days in jail for homeschooling, but whose sentence was reduced to a $300 fine. He noted that officials in Germany have no appreciation for homeschoolers who think differently than the state.
‘Send a Loud Message’

“It is incredible to me that these officials give absolutely no weight to our faith or other conscientious objection to attendance at the public schools,” said Dudek. “We have had a number of families who are not homeschoolers, but who know that the German school system is failing, who called us to encourage us. In our re-hearing the judge issued a decision reducing our sentence from jail to a fine but was totally dismissive of our reasons for wanting to homeschool. We have always been encouraged by the support of American homeschoolers, and we hope that this decision will send a loud message to the German people that what our country is doing is wrong.”

A board member of the Netzwerk Bildungsfreiheit, an organization working for freedom for homeschoolers, said that the ruling would be helpful to homeschoolers in Germany.

“This decision reveals to the rest of the world that the German state acts outside the mainstream of Western democracies. Germany is in the company of countries like China, North Korea and others where fundamental human rights are not respected. Germany’s behavior exposes the totalitarian character of the German school law that takes away a parent’s right to educate their children. A decision on behalf of the Romeikes puts blame on the German government and is a serious warning to Germans officials to change their policies and further accept the rights of the parents. We hope that the decision will send a clear message to authorities in Germany to make changes right away!”

Mike Smith, president of HSLDA, also applauded the decision.

“It’s recognition that the German state is persecuting homeschoolers,” he said. “We are pleased to have been able to support this courageous family, and we hope and pray that this decision will have a decisive effect on German policy makers who should change their laws to recognize parents’ rights to educate their own children.”

Massachusetts Miracle

2010-01-18T21:02:00.000-08:00

Well, friends...

I have been so excited about the Scott Brown campaign for Massachusetts Senator. I really got mad though when David Gergen referred to Ted Kennedy's seat in a debate. To that, Brown let the Gergler know that the seat doesn't belong to Kennedy or the Democrats, but the people of Massachusetts.

Well, anyway, I have gotten carried away with the sweet irony of the impending Massachusetts Miracle that can stop the Obama/Pelosi/Reid Democrat juggernaut.

After reading a little yesterday, I realized I have been a bit off track for the following reason:

Scott Brown has all the hallmarks of a neo-con, and neo-cons are more deadly than Democrats...

So, I will most likely vote for Joe Kennedy, independent. I believe that although Brown can help stop Obamacare, he can just as easily help attack Iran, or sic the Police state on American citizens...

Having said that, you have to see this great video. It makes you proud to be from Massachusetts (after the years of shame).

"Brother Paul?"

2010-01-14T17:49:00.001-08:00

A Poem for a New Year and Every Day

2010-01-12T18:21:00.000-08:00

If
by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Kennedy for Senate!

2009-12-19T01:13:00.000-08:00

This guy is the real deal. No, he isn't from Hyannis, either.

D.C. Homeboy - Harvey Reid

2009-12-18T23:15:00.000-08:00

A tremendous guitarist that I just discovered. He taught at the University of Maryland in the early 80s and lived off the corner of Adelphi and Riggs!

Wearin' the Britches

2009-12-14T21:31:00.000-08:00

I was looking for some acoustic guitar videos on youtube and came across this wonderful Irish musician. He has a lot of great music.

This one is one of the best...

My Favorite Democrat Speaks Truth

2009-12-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

Dennis Kucinich is a real hero. I disagree totally on economics, but the man tells it like it is. God bless him...

Iraq War Hero Sours on "AfPak"

2009-10-28T05:34:00.000-07:00

I wish I had more time to blog, but all I have time to do is share interesting articles and videos. My life is just too busy at this point. However, I am trying to break my yearly blogging record, and I am on course to do so this year. Enjoy this enlightening article...

An American military hero loses faith in U.S. foreign militarism in "AfPak"

Reality

2009-10-15T03:10:00.000-07:00

Rest in Peace, John

2009-10-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

My friend and colleague, John Williams, has passed away. He was an art professor, married to a beautiful wife, the mother of their three children. He was too young.

It is every husband and father's worst nightmare, to leave behind a wife and young children. God knows all, and when he returns we shall understand all.

"I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."

John 11:25,26

Ron Paul on NPR

2009-09-22T21:47:00.000-07:00

8.5 minutes of flawless constitutional logic by my main man, Dr. No.

Award-Winning Teacher - John Taylor Gatto

2009-09-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love to talk about is education. I suppose the fact that I have been teaching for a few years naturally pushes me in that direction. This man speaks with authority on the subject, having taught in New York City for 30 years and won several state and city teacher of the year awards.

Here is a short historical article on American education by a friend of mine, the illustrious Samuel L. Blumenfeld. He wrote the Reading by Phonics book we teach our children with.

Mass. Forced Vaccinations

2009-09-22T18:54:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this is happening in Massachusetts! I need to find a place to go...

You Can Take That to the Bank!

2009-09-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

Another jewel discovered...the one and only Angel of Harlem, Pastor James David Manning of Atlah World Ministries. Preach it, brother!

HealthCare 101

2009-09-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

Watch this video to understand how it works...

A Heavenly Weekend

2009-08-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend was special. Many moments are. This one was really special. I guess the reason why is because it combined so many things I love. It was all about God, family, and friends... not to mention Vermont, farms, camping, guitars, and spiritual growth.

Let me start with God. What a blessing to know Him as my Savior. I learned this weekend that He is also my high priest in the heavenly sanctuary. I have known this for a while, but this weekend we spent visiting a replica of the earthly sanctuary that God commanded Moses to build. It was such a well done visual representation. Its impact was also made on my kids. They learned all about the sanctuary service and symbolism.

Some friends of mine organized this along with their church members and held the whole event at Morningstar Meadows Farm in Glover, Vermont, the home of the Johnsons.

Seth Johnson, son of the late Herlof Johnson, runs an organic farm and as his father before him loves to share the beauty of their Vermont homestead with others in service to the Lord. It was great.

Having my wife and children there was so special because we all learned together. We camped in our new tent again, and we sang so much. I grabbed a guitar and hooked it up to amp and played all weekend for the people. They really appreciated it, too.

The kids made friends and played with them all weekend long. We also made new friends there. In fact, they are begging us to join their church... in Vermont or New Hampshire.

One of the people who really made an impression on me was an older man who used to be a top national R&B singer back in the day. Now he sings for God, and has an incredible rendition of Michael W. Smith's "Above All". What a gift of singing this man has.

I fooled around with an electric, my 12-string, and a nice 6-string over the course of the weekend. I was amplified by a great machine that had dozens of pre-set sounds that I tried out. I played hymn after hymn that way I like too, and the effects on the guitar were awesome.

I tell you, the guitar made me a bunch of friends this weekend.

We did all kinds of children's song services, and they enjoyed being up front with the mikes. We would just sing and play until the program would begin. Afterwards, I would just hang around playing my little hymns for a while. Good times, for sure!

Now the landscape was breathtaking. In the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, we were tucked away out of cell range and without the use of a computer for 3 days. I loved being disconnected like that...

Our tent took good care of us again, and the kids slept well inside it at night. We really didn't want to leave, but we were invited to come and visit a new friend's mountain chalet in Barton. It was really nice. They have about 80 acres on a mountain!

I thoroughly enjoyed the ride home. I took Route 5A around Lake Willoughby and found some great shots. Here is my favorite.

Later, we stopped in Hanover, N.H. and saw Dartmouth College. Eventually, we got to Massachusetts and our home. It was good to be back of course...

Joel Salatin and Chipotle - Two of My Favorites

2009-07-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

Seizing the Mid-Collapse Moment

2009-07-21T13:49:00.001-07:00

Boston's own Dmitri Orlov

Dmitry Orlov – Seizing the Mid-Collapse Moment from Feasta on Vimeo.

July - Julio - Juillet - Juli

2009-07-13T01:59:00.000-07:00

Some of the things I love about July are:

Wimbledon Final - First Sunday

1. July 4th - America's Declaration of Independence
2. July 7th - The Running of the Bulls - Spain
3. July 14th - Bastille Day - France
4. July 18th - My brother's birthday
5. July 19th - My daughter's birthday (my July favorite)

Sailing
Tour de France
The last strawberries
Slower grass growth
Tomatoes on the vine
Air-conditioned German automobiles
New England Summer
Camp Meetings
Red Sox leading Yankees
Annual Family Visit
Quebed

I am sure you love July, too!

A Tragedy

2009-07-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Our little town is not one that usually appears all over the news. However, last Sunday, the day after the 4th of July, the town was thrust into the spotlight by a tragedy. An 11-year old girl drowned in Miller's River in Orange, Massachusetts. Her name was Devon Wright.

To think of such a young life so tragically lost is difficult for any parent, and the empathy one feels for the family of this young one is something that cannot be explained in most cases.

What makes this story hit even closer to home is that Devon's aunt and uncle are my friends. We went to church together for many years in Gardner, Massachusetts. They are so distraught and exhausted as a result of this horrible occurrence. We are praying for their family each day.

The family has asked me to accompany a trio of Devon's cousin, a church friend, and a family friend on guitar. They will sing "Angel" by Sarah McLaughlin. It may turn out to be the largest audience I have ever performed for.

The entire situation has created a "media circus" for the family in trying to maintain their privacy through this event. A lot of media is expected today at the funeral service at the Orange Central Congregational Church.

Here are some links to some local and regional news reports.
Link 1
Link 2

I pray that I as well as all parents can embed a knowledge of Jesus Christ in the hearts of our children from a young age, so that they may be able to withstand the storms of life, and that through the terrifying, unforgiving, and tragic scenes that will inevitably come, they can believe and know that their final resting place will be in Glory at the feet of the Saviour, Jesus Christ our Lord and King.

"And thou shalt love the Lord your God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thy heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shall talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." Deuteronomy 6:5-7

Apple's New Line

2009-07-09T05:02:00.000-07:00

This a bit old, but I have just discovered it through a friend. It is hilarious! Go Apple!

Charity in Truth

2009-07-09T04:48:00.000-07:00

This is something to think about. Is the Papacy is angling to restore her temporal power? Read more below...

Pope calls for a "global authority" on economy

July 7, 2009

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict called on Tuesday for a "world political authority" to manage the global economy and for more government regulation of national economies to pull the world out of the current crisis and avoid a repeat.

The pope made his call for a re-think of the way the world economy was run in a new encyclical which touched on a number of social issues but whose main connecting thread was how the current crisis has affected both rich and poor nations.

Parts of the encyclical, titled "Charity in Truth," seemed bound to upset free marketers because of its underlying rejection of unbridled capitalism and unregulated market forces, which he said had led to "thoroughly destructive" abuse of the system and "grave deviations and failures."

An encyclical is the highest form of papal writing and gives the clearest indication to the world's 1.1 billion Catholics -- and to non-Catholics -- of what the pope and the Vatican think about specific social and moral issues.

The pope said every economic decision had a moral consequence and called for "forms of redistribution" of wealth overseen by governments to help those most affected by crises.

Benedict said "there is an urgent need of a true world political authority" whose task would be "to manage the global economy; to revive economies hit by the crisis; to avoid any deterioration of the present crisis and the greater imbalances that would result."

Such an authority would have to be "regulated by law" and "would need to be universally recognized and to be vested with the effective power to ensure security for all, regard for justice, and respect for rights."

"Obviously it would have to have the authority to ensure compliance with its decisions from all parties, and also with the coordinated measures adopted in various international forums," he said.

The United Nations, economic institutions and international finance all had to be reformed "even in the midst of a global recession," he said in the encyclical, a booklet of 141 pages.

The pope's call for a supranational body to tackle global economic woes disturbed some Catholic capitalists.

"There is a difference between coordination and mandate ... a reckless loan in the United States can and did impoverish people in Latvia. So obviously coordination is important as long as it is not mandates," said Frank Keating, CEO of the American Council of Life Insurers and former Governor of Oklahoma.

LOFTY MESSAGE

The encyclical was addressed to all Catholics and "all people of good will" and was released on the eve of the start of the G8 summit in Italy and three days before the pope is due to discuss the global downturn with U.S. President Barack Obama.

In several sections of the encyclical, Benedict made it clear he had great reservations about a totally free market.

"The conviction that the economy must be autonomous, that it must be shielded from 'influences' of a moral character, has led man to abuse the economic process in a thoroughly destructive way," he said.

"In the long term, these convictions have led to economic, social and political systems that trample upon personal and social freedom and are therefore unable to deliver the justice that they promise," he added.

Profit was useful only if it served as a means to a brighter future for all humanity.

"Once profit becomes the exclusive goal, if it is produced by improper means and without the common good as its ultimate end, it risks destroying wealth and creating poverty," he said.

He said the current economic crisis was "clear proof" of "pernicious effects of sin" in the economy.

"Financiers must rediscover the genuinely ethical foundation of their activity ...," he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had rebuked the pope earlier this year at the height of the row over a Holocaust-denying bishop, welcomed the encyclical as important encouragement for world leaders ahead of a G8 meeting in Italy.

"Pope Benedict has encouraged the state leaders to create rules so that this sort of worldwide economic crisis isn't repeated," Merkel told reporters. "I also saw this as an order to work toward a social market economy in the world."

The pope appeared to back government intervention "in correcting errors and malfunctions" in the economy, saying "one could foresee an increase in the new forms of political participation, nationally and internationally."

(Additional reporting by Daniel Bases in New York and Sabine Siebold in Berlin; Editing by Matthew Jones)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

Pastor Anderson

2009-07-05T20:51:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite new preachers...

No more tears

2009-07-03T05:54:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, one of my students handed me a CD of os Arautos do Rei. That means, The Kings Herald's in Portuguese. The name comes from a famous Christian quartet from America, but the Brazilians have perfected the sound in my opinion.

Listen to the arrangements and harmonies in this song and I think you will agree that this is a phenomenal work. It is called Nunca mais as lagrimas or No More Tears. And for those who can pick up the lyrics, they are celestial.

Not so fast, Mrs. Napolitano!

2009-06-30T20:06:00.001-07:00

Thank God for the United States Constitution, once referred to by Ellen G. White as a document of truth.

Watch this video and see what it is like to stand up for your rights in spite of authoritarian airport security officers. I covered this story a little while back.

Now the injured party is taking it right to the DHS Secretary! Good on ya, Steve!

The Ron Paul Revolution is alive and well!

My Father's Day Gift...

2009-06-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

...to my wife!

My 1984 VW Convertible is now another car memory for me. I have so many - my 1966 VW Beetle, the 1969 Buick Skylark Convertible, my VW Bug Convertibles, and all my vans!

This convertible was great because I bought it 7 years ago for $550. I ran it and ran it, stored it almost every winter, and eventually overheated it. The headgasket blew, and well... That was it. I sold it to a local Englishman who will replace the engine and tow it behind his RV. How cool! I got $400, so not a bad deal at all.

I have great memories of running around North Orange with the top down looking at the farms and forests. Earlier in Ashbburnham, I used to fly up Route 12 and literally feel the temperature drop as I climbed higher and higher.

I would never have sold it (I learned from selling my '66 at my mom's behest), but I have a Golf, a Chevy van, and a diesel MB to deal with now! I take after my dad. He always had cars all over. In fact, one of my absolute favorite things to do is to spend quality time in a junk yard! In fact, since today is father's day, I may just do that. There is one close, too!

I am sure you can empathize with me as you watch this video. But isn't today supposed to be Father's Day? Yes, it is; however, every day is Mother's Day!

Southern New England Campmeeting

2009-06-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

This Campmeeting has always been special to me. It has the old time feel. The setting really conjures up the days of old when American evangelists used to travel from place to place with a tent in tow and people would camp out to hear the Word of God.

It is a bit weird in a way because every other person you see, you know. So, you end up just walking by all kinds of friends, otherwise you would spend hours and hours just running into people. But, hey, I guess that is one reason we have Campmeeting.

My daughter is really enjoying Campmeeting, too. They have a wonderful primary class that we all attend. Pastor Mark and Pastor John do book readings, Bible stories, songs, kid interviews, Bible films, and a whole lot more. I believe it is aiding in my children's spiritual formation. That is why we go.

Pastor John telling the story of Moses

"I Am The Resurrection and the Life"

2009-06-17T21:42:00.001-07:00

Mrs. Rao and I... Friends

As a boy growing up in Lewisdale in the 70s, I had the opportunity to meet one of the finest families I have ever known, The Rao Family. Sam, and by extention Julia and Alice, became my best friend. I have only a few memories of the little house on Chapman Road. I remember the first time I entered that hallowed abode. I immediately sensed respect and things proper. Later, there were teenage antics in the family's second car, the Nova. Although our beginnings were humble back in Hyattsville, warm memories flood back back as I contemplate the innocence of childhood and the passage of time. Those are my roots, and the Raos are like my family.

Sam and I actually met at John Nevins Andrews Elementary School in Takoma Park in the 1st grade in what must have been about 1971. He is my dearest friend of 38 years. I remember finding out in school that he lived just down the street from me. Or was it down the street that I found out he went to the same school as me? Our first grade teacher was Mrs. Dart, and as the years rolled on, we became buddies and would share a lot of laughs. However, unlike some of us nameless wunderkinds, Samuel Rao always got his work done, and I observed the reverence he had toward his mother, Mrs. Rao. His father, Mr. Rao, worked in the hotel industry in Washington, and usually worked 2 full-time jobs as I remember. What respect I had for that man. He just put his shoulder to the wheel and pushed... for decades.

Soon, we moved to Carroll Avenue in Takoma Park, just a few blocks from my grandparents and their tailor shop on Flower Avenue. It was a great time to live in Takoma Park. Meanwhile, my sister and Sam's sister (Denise and Julia, respectively) became very good friends. Alice was a bit younger in those days, so she usually watched us all and took notes. Once we got to high school, things revved up a bit. Sam had the Nova while I was waiting until age 17 to drive. My dad had his reasons I am sure. But when the Raos moved up New Hampshire Avenue to Lear Lane, the fun really began.

My high school memories are of spending the weekends at Sam's. We would play tennis, get Big Gulps at 7-11, eat cheeseburgers at McDonald's, watch Saturday Night Live, videos, The French Open, Wimbledon, and The U.S. Open religiously. Sometimes we would just sit and watch Sam's parents' 20th century Bollywood stuff! I wish I had studied the language back then.

Then we would play tennis again! Every Sabbath our default was Sam's. Now when I say we, I mean Sam, Ray, Abe, Eric, and myself. These days there would have to be some sort of surcharge for the amount of food Mrs. Rao prepared for us. Plate after plate after plate, she always loved to do it for us. And we always loved her. Besides all sorts of doll (spelling?) and rice, curries, chipatis, and veggies, my favorite was her egg omelettes with hot pepper!

Whenever there was a family function or event, we were automatically invited. There were all kinds of weddings, aunties and uncles arriving from India, grandparents, birthdays, graduations, baby showers, and massive Indian get togethers. It turned out to be a tremendous cultural education that I dearly appreciate to this day, and I now miss. I feel like I am at home in any Indian household, and I owe it all to Mrs. Rao and her family. There is an Indian restaurant that I frequent from time to time here, but I just find myself walking out with a nice taste on my tongue muttering to my wife, "It just can't compare to Mrs. Rao." In those days, we would actually go to Eric's house from time to time to give Mrs. Rao a break, and of course the Barnabas family and food was also phenomenal.

Those years of my youth were so rich in this way. So, I can truly say that I have missed it over the last many years in my self-imposed New England exile!

Now, when I think of the Rao household and the genuine matriarch that Mrs. Rao was, I remember her absolute devotion to her children, particularly Sam. He was the apple of her eye, and he had to be. After all, he was her first-born son! She revered him, and he revered her. It was absolutely amazing to see. Sam modeled the kind of respect a child ought to render their mother. Her commitment to the education of her children was absolute, but her desire to see all her children in the Kingdom of Heaven was always foremost in her thoughts.

As one of her "adopted" sons, I can say that Mrs. Rao had perhaps the highest expectations for her children and their friends of anyone I knew. You were always prepared for her interested questionings on things. I think the fact that we were even permitted in their home showed that she trusted her son and that she loved us very much. Every time I entered the home on Lear Lane, I would begin my visit with a conversation/interview/laughing session with Mrs. Rao. I knew I was loved and wanted in that home. That is something that I will never forget. She was strong as steel, but you always, always felt the love.

As I moved into adulthood, my less frequent visits to the home would regularly cause me to examine myself and see if I was living up to the standard. I mostly wasn't, of course. However, never once did my own struggles and doubts diminish the love I felt from her, nor the respect I had for her. She was always happy to see me, and we always shared together. That was a relationship that I never had with another friend's mother. I don't know why, but I know I could not have been in a better place growing up. I remember that after I gave my heart to the Lord, Mrs. Rao began to somehow regard me a bit differently. She would often ask me to pray for her and her family. It was almost as if I had entered a place where we could meet on the same spiritual plane. We would encourage each other and speak about the joy of the Lord. She was a spiritual warrior!

Then we all started going our own ways and having families. I saw her less and less. But everytime I came back to D.C., I knew the Rao home was a mandatory stop. And it was always like old times, even if Sam wasn't around. It was such a privilege to bring my own wife and children into the Rao home and let them experience the love. The family always loved me, and I always loved them.

I will never forget when she first got sick, she specifically asked me to pray for her. There were several times over the last 15 years when she would call me or send word through Sam that she specifically wanted me to pray for her or something she was concerned about. I cannot express what an honor it was when she would make such requests. There was one day, probably about 3 years ago, when I received an urgent message from Sam that Mrs. Rao had requested me to lift her up in prayer. It was summer time, and I was hammering some 2x4s on my mother-in-law's apartment that day. I remember hanging up the phone with Sam and going right to my knees on the concrete floor in the middle of the mess. It was a privilege to pray for Mrs. Rao.

The last time we visited her, none of her kids were around. It was just Mr. and Mrs. Rao, Valentina, the kids, and I. We had a nice visit. She gave the children some Christmas gifts, and whipped up some Indian food for us to enjoy. I surprised even myself when I was unable to put away more than a plate, because in the old days there was a minimum of three...

Having had such a close relationship with this Godly woman for so many years, it really hurts that I was not able to pay my last respects in person in Maryland as I should have. Circumstances did not permit it. God only knows why. However, I have spent the last few days remembering, ruminating, and enjoying her memory. It has been good for me, so I wanted to share.

I want to thank all the Rao family for allowing me to be a small part of their home legacy for so many years. I know that the experiences I had there in my youth and early adulthood were critical to my own formation as an adult and as a Christian husband and father. So in tribute to her today, I wish to hold up that high standard while living out the love of God in my life toward my family, friends, students, and community, just as Mrs. Rao did.

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."
John 11:25

Family Camp - Awesome!

2009-05-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

I cannot describe how great Family Camp was. It was our first time camping as a family. We learned a lot about sleeping bags and heaters...

The messages were so helpful and practical about family life and preparing for the final crisis on the earth just prior to Jesus' return. (Do you believe he could come this year?)

There was beautiful music, fellowship, and a lot of involvement by the children. We met families from New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, and West Virginia. They all homeschool, too!

This is a photo of my favorite camper there. Although it isn't a Class A Motorhome, I gave it the award for best camper for the weekend. It is called a Heimer Putz!

This is what our tent looked like after taking off the fly. It withstood several strong rain storms. In fact, of all the tent campers that we spoke to, none survived Saturday night's massive storm dry but us!

I am glad we got a good tent! Thanks, Ron. You gotta come next year

Summer 2009 Begins!

2009-05-12T23:23:00.000-07:00

We will be getting around a bit this year. The schedule is pretty much full at this point. Our first stop will be Family Camp in New Jersey.

We have even purchased a new tent. Here is a photo.

It is called the Cabela's Family Outfitter Convertible Tent. Not a bad name...

The kids are excited, and the weather and life is good! I am sure we have no idea what we are in for... And it might even rain! But as our friend told us, you should always get a tent that is good enough to keep you dry for 3 straight days of rain. I think this one will do it, but I am praying for sun!

Taking a Different Tack

2009-05-08T00:49:00.000-07:00

While 2008 basically stunk..., 2007 was a great year!

2007 was the year that I believed in America and all that she promised. It was the year I really awoke out of my apathy (I have always cared, but...) and got involved in trying to change this country and the world. My cause was the Ron Paul Revolution.

The wisdom, persona, and demeanor of this old schooler won me over quickly. It just made sense. The truth of things was so refreshing as compared with the sort of pablem I was getting everywhere else, often including church!

Dr. Paul's ways smack authentic in a culture of industrialized homogeneity. All the pols sound alike in the same way that if someone blindfolded you and dropped you off in a typical American town, you wouldn't know where you were because it would be lined with the identical Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Applebee's, Staples, Best Buy, and on and on...

The people I met in the movement restored my belief in the difference between Americans and many people of the world. They had this optimistic "can do" spirit, were incredibly, generous, and trusting. I learned a lot from them. I remain in touch with some as well.

As a family man, I didn't get out in the streets much like I wanted (there WAS NH Primary Night January of 2008, the night I met Dr. Ron Paul in person. See previous blog entry). The internet, youtube, and the dailypaul.com kept me in the game.

My children were fed a steady diet of RP songs and videos. Some were so cute, particularly a Christian homeschooler group of kids. My oldest even turned an older friend on to the good doctor at a birthday party.

For some reason, I usually got the scoop before everyone else. How many late night hours I spent believing and blogging in bleary-eyed youtubedom catching every last debate that RP spoke truth to power.

I got signs, posters, fliers, and downloaded dozens of great Ron Paul songs. I painted my house with Google Ron Paul and decorated all my vehicles with bumper stickers of the same ilk. I shared the Freedom Message with practically everyone I knew (ask my family and friends!), and I can say that it was all love just like the RON PAUL R3VOLUTION.

Today, after all the excitement and hope has waned, I look back. I see my own idealism and romanticism wrapped up in that political once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon. Funny how he is all over TV now that he is not a threat. Or is he? His movement is alive and well in the hearts of those who value liberty above all else. It was so effective that the movement has been targeted.

And as much as I love Dr. Paul, I have to say that the real movement I want to be a part of is the Adventist movement, announcing the soon return of God's Son, Jesus Christ. This is the only message for today. Politics doesn't work anymore in this country. As Noam Chomsky said, in America we have a culture "Manufactured Consent".

Banking, industrialization, public education, and the loss of the family farm are the causes for our moral, mental, and physical decay in my opinion.

The Gospel seeks to restore man mentally, spiritually, and physically to the image of God in order to rescue him back from the ultimate conspiracy of sin and death.

This is what men seek today in their innermost souls, but they don't recognize its roots in God. So, they seek it out in sex, drugs, rock n roll, wealth, ease, comfort, influence, and display. I know I have myself...

So, I load my car up now with truth-filled literature to change lives regardless of our political reality. I write my name and number in a book and intentionally "forget" it as I go from place to place. I am uploading sermons at my local church to the internet to share with others.

Below, is my first effort. (The message begins about the 27:00 mark) More to come in the future.

But don't hold it against me if I bring up Dr. Ron Paul from time to time. He is like a sort of grandfather to me! Given the opportunity, I would vote for him again... in a heartbeat!

May Day in Paris

2009-05-05T19:08:00.001-07:00

Max Keiser, as unorthodox as he is, knows what he is talking about. We need to understand and prepare. America is very, very sick. So sick that she cannot even act.

One of the reasons I like Monsieur Keiser is that he lives in Paris!

Ye Men of Athol!

2009-05-05T03:36:00.000-07:00

It has been a while. I have been incredibly overloaded recently, but thank God this is finals week! Things slow down a lot from here out. I hope to blog more this month!

Here is a sermon that I gave at my church over a year ago. I have been studying about the difference between the Hebrew and Greek models of education as written about in E.A. Sutherland's book, Living Waters or Broken Cisterns.

This subject fascinates me, and in this sermon I just got into it before I had to stop. Perhaps next time I will be able to review and compare both approaches side by side.

(Sermon begins at about the 27:00 mark. It lasts about 40 minutes.)

My First Look at Hogfish

2009-04-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

My friend from Boston, the one I haven't met yet, Dmitry Orlov, does an interview here with VOA Russian on his sailboat, Hogfish. I can only get a few phrases here and there of the Russian, but it is neat to see what one of those wintered boats looks like inside.

Did I mention D.O. is a sailor?

I DID MEET RON PAUL!!!!!!!

2009-04-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!

On January 8, 2008, my friend and I went up to work for Ron Paul in Keene, New Hampshire. I have so many memories of that evening, from posting RP signs in massive snowbanks along Massachusetts Routes 119 and 12 to a confrontation with some "imported" Hillary helpers, pow-wowing with other RP volunteers, and finishing it all off at the big Holiday Inn in Concord to meet the Congressman himself in person.

I will never forget the excitement of that night.

Anyway, after a really charged atmosphere with music and some "END THE FED" chants, we all headed for a handshake and autograph with our hero, the good doctor. I actually got in close and shook his hand twice, the second time I got a cool fellow to snap a picture. I gave him my email address to send the photo, but I haven't heard from him to this day, so I never had proof that I had met Ron Paul....

...Until now!

THE SET UP...

I can't stand this woman, Ann Coulter. She is rude and extremely ignorant in my opinion. So, guess what... Now she wants to get behind Ron Paul! Yeah, right. These neo-cons want to hijack the RP Liberty movement in this country in order to squash it. It is so disgusting...

But back to me and RP. The video actually talks about Coulter, so you are spared from listening to the creature. I enter the picture at about the 2:00 mark. You will also see the fellow snapping the photo of me and the doctor. I hope the fellow is alright. Anyway, I am so happy that I can share that special moment with you. I never dreamed that I would stumble upon it on youtube!