Fear and Liberty

I am hesitant to write and record this post. With events in recent days that occurred in  California I considered postponing this post. After lengthy consideration I decided to go on and release this post with some edits to make it more applicable. You can listen and subscribe on Stitcher or iTunes.


In this episode we talk about how organizations use fear as a control mechanism and how fear is an enemy of liberty. In order to do this well we will have to look at the definition of fear.

fear

ˈfir/

noun

1. 1.

   an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

   
   

   • archaic

     a mixed feeling of dread and reverence.

     
     

     "the love and fear of God"
   • a feeling of anxiety concerning the outcome of something or the safety and well-being of someone.

     
     

     "police launched a search for the family amid fears for their safety"
   • the likelihood of something unwelcome happening.

     
     

     "she could observe the other guests without too much fear of attracting attention"

     
     

verb

1.

be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening.

What is Fear

Now that we have the definition we can with full knowledge look at the emotion of fear. First of all short term fear is a natural reaction to something that is or is perceived to be dangerous. Fear is the emotion that causes the fight or flight instincts to kick in. Fear causes the pulse to quicken, the senses to become sharper, and strength and speed to increase temporarily. Perception is narrowed to pay closer attention to anything that could signal fear. These are the result of the body releasing adrenaline. Adrenaline is what has enabled parents to lift cars off of their children and men and women to do truly heroic, almost superhuman things in battle.

Fear can be internal or external. Internal fears are things like fear of heights, fear of loss of a loved one, or fear of a job loss. Internal fears tend to be more insistent and many times irrational. External fears are normally short-term unless they are manipulated by an individual or organization. External fears are things like almost being in an accident, a robbery taking place in your community, or being assaulted.  Most of the time once the danger has passed, the fear subsides.

When true emotional trauma takes place there can be residual fear. Residual fear can be triggered by a sight, smell, or sound that our brain recorded when we were in danger. Many survivors of horrible events must undergo counseling to learn to deal with these fears.

Fear as a Control

Long-term fear is a major problem and can cause health problems. The immune system is weakened, and heart disease can be common. Persistent fear is never good. So how do people use fear to control others?

Fear In The Family

There are some that as soon as I say this will automatically think spanking. Sorry spanking doesn't qualify. Spanking is a way to teach a child what is not acceptable and that doing things that are wrong comes with ramifications. When a child is properly spanked it is never done out of anger, it is always appropriate to the behavior, and it is always in conjunction with a conversation about what the child has done wrong. After a few minutes the pain is gone and the fear is as well.

When I talk about fear being used as a control in the family it normally is in conjunction with abuse. This abuse can be physical, mental, or emotional. It is most commonly seen used to control a spouse, though there are examples of it being used on every family member.

A controlling spouse will convince their husband or wife that they are worthless, that the situation is the best they could ever hope to attain, that the person actually deserves the way they are being treated. Let me state plainly, a person that will use fear to control someone they claim they love, no matter the method is scum.

Fear of the Judicial System

There is a percentage of the population that are just flat out criminals. They do what they want, to whom they want, and when/if they are caught show no sign of remorse or even concern for not only what they have done, but for their own fate. There is another group of people that are opportunistic criminals. They will do something when there is very little chance that they will be caught. There are others that would really like to rape, kill, and steal, but the fear of the justice system, the fear or jail or prison is the only thing that stops them.

You are probably thinking that this is good and in the above example it is, but laws have gone beyond just the protection of individual's rights and property and have moved into the removal and restriction of people's rights. What do I mean? We will take an example that many will consider silly. The motorcycle helmet law.

Fred loves to ride motorcycles, he loves the wind blowing through his hair, so he hates helmets, he lives in a state that requires helmets be worn. On a particularly beautiful day he decides that he is going for a ride and will not wear his helmet. An officer sees him and writes him a ticket. The officer is simply doing his job.

Before we go any further. Was Fred hunting anyone? Nope. Was he endangering anyone other than himself? Nope.

Fred decides that the law isn't fair and he isn't going to pay the fine of say $300. On the ticket there is a court date on a certain date.  If Fred goes to court he is going to lose and still have to pay the $300. He decides that the state shouldn't have a helmet law and he isn't going to court. An arrest warrant is issued for failure to appear. A man or woman with a gun and the right to use force shows up at Fred's home. If Fred will not go willingly force will be used up to the point of deadly force to bring a person in for refusal to wear a helmet. A law that was supposedly passed to help protect him.

What is the worst thing that can happen if there was no helmet law? Fred could be killed in  a wreck that he could have survived if he had worn one or he could wind up in a vegetative state. His actions while considered reckless by many, do not jeopardize anyone other than himself. It shouldn't be a law.

I am think the same way about seat belt laws. It should be a person's choice. Do I wear a seat belt? Yes. I do so because of my wife.

Fear of Financial Ruin

This one can be internal or external. I know someone that their greatest fear is to have to live in poverty. Everything they do is in an attempt to amass more money. It dominates their lives. Companies will use this fear on employees to get them to do things they wouldn't ordinarily.

Even corporations can be driven by this fear. Monsanto has started an advertising campaign and have hired people to make comments on social media and blogs that stand against their practices. You can see an article about it HERE. For anyone who thinks Monsanto cares about anything other than profits I have only one thing to say Anniston, Alabama.

The Governments Use of Fear

The government takes advantage of fear on a regular basis and it doesn't matter which side of the political spectrum you are on, it is still true of your side. After the 9/11 attacks something called the Patriot Act was passed. We were told that it was necessary to protect us from the evils of terrorists. Only one problem. It didn't do much about people outside this country. What the Patriot act did was allow our government to spy on us. It has come to light that our government has access to every phone call and text message we send or receive. They have access to all of our online records.

I have heard people say "well, I don't do anything wrong so I don't care." This is a pitiful excuse for apathy. I don't do anything wrong either. I obey even the laws that I think are stupid. I work, I pay my bills, and my taxes. Anything I do unless it is illegal should be none of their business.

Terrorists

Terrorists rely on fear. If you can convince an opponent that they are going to lose a fight, they have lost before the battle has even started. If you will notice terrorists are very different from guerrilla fighters. Guerrilla fighters use unconventional tactics to attack and if possible defeat a military opponent. They don't wish to harm non combatants. Terrorists target civilian populations not military targets. If a terrorist can convince you that you are in danger in your own home they have achieved their desired result.

Fear is the Enemy of Liberty

Fear is normally what drives people to take the freedoms of others away. This is true of the gun debate, marijuana,  and many, many others. Those who support gun confiscation are afraid of firearms. I don't know anyone who owns a firearm that supports a gun ban, there may be a few, but very few. The thing you have to realize is that when you act on your fear and take away someone else's rights, it will not be long before the political environment swings. They will most likely not get their rights back, but they will use the same power of the state to take away one of your rights.

Fear Not

It bugs me really bad when I see and hear Christians acting out of fear. One of the primary messages in the Bible is fear not, be not afraid, have no fear, be strong and very courageous. Even if you aren't a Christian this is still good advise. We should be working for the rights of each person, even if we don't agree with those rights. Here is another silly example.

I don't like to see people who wear pajamas in public. I think it portrays them as lazy and having no personal pride, but if I were given complete power tomorrow I wouldn't pass a law that makes wearing pajamas in public illegal. I should have no right to force my opinion on anyone and no one should be able to do that to me either.

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Why Homestead?

I have found that we have reached a point that we are truly seeing divulging cultures in our country and I have heard that this is true is several areas around the world. There are those of us who wish to be as self sustainable as possible and there are those that think we are nuts. We have recently talked about how in several areas that trying to be self reliant is at a minimum frowned upon and in some areas even illegal. We have talked about why groups would want to discourage an individual or group from trying to become more self sufficient. Today we are going to talk about some of the things I have heard these people say and our response, we are also going to talk about reasons we should be as self sustainable as possible and some answers we can give the naysayers.

What the people say that do not understand

Homesteading is so much work

You know what? Homesteading is a lot of work, but I can say at least for me it is worth it. It doesn't matter if I am gardening, foraging, hunting, or fishing, just being out there and experiencing the soil is almost spiritual. I can think of no better way to get to know the creator than spending time in his creation. You can watch nature shows on television all day every day, but it will never be the same as if you experience it yourself.

Homesteading costs more that buying at the grocery

To this one I give a very soft maybe. Can gardening be more expensive that purchasing all of your produce at the store? Yup sure can, especially if you are doing everything the way the "experts" are telling you to. Think about it. You have to have a tiller. You have to have raised beds. You have to use chemical fertilizer. You have to use pesticides. You have to use organic fertilizer. You have to use insecticidal soaps. If I were just starting out, my head would quickly start hurting from all of the opposing ideas. Find someone you like, who lives either close to you or in an area similar to where you live. Emulate them, start small.

I know there are people that cannot do anything without jumping in with both feet. That is great if you are that kind of person. Most people however, are not. It is easy to get overwhelmed. Starting small is my best advice for anyone on just about any subject.

You mean you kill your own animals for food?

This is one that both confuses and bugs me. I have had people ask me this while eating something they picked up at the local burger joint. We as a society have become so far removed from what reality is that we have a warped perception of the world. If we are going to eat meat, someone has to kill an animal. I will tell you straight up that I eat meat. I have not qualms with those who choose not to eat meat. 

When I harvest an animal, I know how that animal lived. I know how it was kept and how it was fed. Plus, all food tastes better when you know how it was raised.

Homesteading takes so much time

Again, this one is actually a fair observation, but with a wrong perspective. The time spent, can have a therapeutic effect. This is especially true if you work in an office. Our bodies were designed to be placed under stress through physical exertion. Getting out there and having a good honest sweat is good not only for the body but also for the soul. If this were not true gyms would not be a multi million dollar industry. Sorry, I just do not see a lot of homesteaders needing to go to the gym.

Why I homestead

The Food Tastes Better

For those of us who grow any of our own food, we know the difference instantly between home grown and commercial grown vegetables. Commercial growers do not select varieties based on flavor. They select them based on shelf life, appearance and trans-portability. That means they will select a tomato that has little to no flavor because, once picked it will not go bad for a couple of weeks. 

I still run into people who question the sanity of homesteading. Some will come up will any and every reason they can to discourage you from homesteading. But one taste of fresh vegetables most are shocked.

Greater Independence

We do not grow all of our own food. We just can't on the amount of land we have, not to mention there are lots of foods we like that just will not grow here, but if we had to we could get by on what we can produce. There is just something liberating about being able to provide at least some of your own food, really being able to provide some of your own anything. 

Let's look at an Idaho potato. That potato starts somewhere where they grow seed potatoes. The seed potato is then sold to the farmer. The farmer grows the potatoes then sells them to a wholesaler or distributor. The distributor then ships the potatoes on trucks to warehouses all around the country. The warehouses then sells them to the grocery stores warehouses, then it goes out to the individual grocery stores, before finally being available for you to purchase. Just in the example above a sack of potatoes goes through at least 7 people's or companies hands before you can even look at them. I know some of you are saying that is good for the economy (oh don't get me started on that). The truth is that the flavor and nutritional value of that potato is going down for the entire trip. Did you know the average vegetable that is purchased at the grocery store travels over 1500 miles before it reaches you home. Yum Yum.

Greater control

I know there are a few out there that think genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are the greatest things since sliced bread, but you are in the minority and are probably working for one of the big pharmaculture companies. Why do I call the pharmaculture? Because they are selling chemicals as food. I don't want glyphosphate soaked food. I don't want fish genetics in my tomatoes. Sorry, I just don't. I want real food.

The control factor goes even further for me. There can be a more nefarious reason for companies wanting to patent life. I want as much control over my family's lives as possible. 

“Who controls the food supply controls the people; who controls the energy can control whole continents; who controls money can control the world.”-Henry Kissinger

Health and Teaching

I have touched on this a little, but I want to delve a little deeper.  The entire lifestyle when done correctly is a healthy lifestyle. Working hard, being out in the sunlight, drinking plenty of water, and getting plenty of exercise. But there is another component, responsibility. If you don't get it done, it won't get done.

There are lots of parents that will get their children a pet to teach responsibility. Many times the child will grow tired of the pet and the parents will have to take over its care. On a homestead the animals and plants are there for more than just enjoyment. They produce a surplus. Homesteading can be used to teach lessons about life, birth, death, sickness, investing and so much more. I honestly believe that there is no better life in which to raise children. This is going to sound strange, but I have fond memories of hog killing and chicken harvests. I hope my children will look back and say that they were glad that dad made them help produce their own food. 

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Are Farmer's Markets Under Attack?

The farmer's market today only resembles the markets I remember as a child. Pickup trucks lined up what whatever they had for sale. It actually looked more like a yard sale with veggies. I remember hoe handles, chickens, piglets, fruit, veggies, jams, jellies, bread, pies, salsa, pickles, and even bacon. Yup the old style bacon that after it was cured you could hang up somewhere and just cut off what you needed. Those were real farmer's markets. Seems like I even remember them having outhouses.

Sadly those are long since gone. Now they are much nicer. Covered places with electricity at each booth. Fans blowing, music playing and an authorized food vendor. Just because they are nicer doesn't mean they are better.

The first thing to go was of course  the outhouses. I understand completely, but they went to port- o- potties which in my opinion is the same thing. Then finally they moved to site built restrooms. Some of these are as nasty as the outhouses, some are really nice.

The next thing to go was the animals. They smell bad and you have to clean up after them. Oh and you know people cannot stand to hear crowing all the time. Having animals there will force parents to tell their children where supper comes from. Oh we can't have that!

Next was the meat. It didn't matter that it was salt cured or smoked in a smoke house. It didn't come from an inspected slaughterhouse. It doesn't matter that that was the way people had been preserving meat for hundreds if not thousands of years. We have evolved beyond that and don't want it around. By the way, I love salt cure ham and plan on building a smoke house of my own soon.

Okay, all of the undesirables are gone. Veggies, great. Fruits, great. Baked goods, fine. Jams, jellies, all good. Pickles, salsa, pepper sauce, no problem. Canned veggies....Wait just a minute! Are we sure these were processed properly? I know old Joe is here every week, and has been for years but what if? Okay so what if has been asked. Canned corn, potatoes, vegetable soup, peas, and beans gone. Pickles are still okay. High acid foods like salsa and canned tomatoes, they are okay too. Homemade jellies and jams, really anything with fruit is fine. 

Baked goods........well now. These people don't have commercial kitchens! How can we guarantee the public's safety? Yup that's right, baked goods are going away. In fact in a lot of areas even bake sales are becoming illegal. That's right! Churches and civic organizations that have used bake sales as a fund raiser are finding out they can no longer do so. These are just examples of what is happening locally. But it is not just happening here, this is occurring all over the country. Don't believe me, try buying some fresh milk. Milk that has not been pasteurized. In our state any raw milk sold must be labeled "Not for Human Consumption". 

If you are on social media at all you have heard about how the Michigan Department of Agriculture forced a Co-Op to dump hundreds of gallons of milk and break 100 dozen eggs. I have done as much independent research into this event as I have time for. I have been in contact with the dairy that sold the milk to the co-op and can confirm that this actually happened. As for the reason why I have been unable to ascertain. I have tried to contact the co-op, but I am sure they have been inundated with requests for information. The fact stands that this did occur and according to the dairy involved, the following article had the most contact with the coop owner. Michigan Farmer Forced to Dump 248 gallons of Milk and 1200 Eggs.

Why Is This Happening

If you will look closely at the places that are most strict you will find one of two types of places. First is the place that is fairly affluent. Places don't like "country people" being in their area. They want to go to Whole Foods. They don't want to know who grows their food. If it were up to them farmer's markets wouldn't exist close to them. It should be an adventure. They want to go "out there" if they want something special. A trip to the country is an adventure. There is an exception in this area. Sections that are considered artsy a lot of times will welcome farmer's markets. These people want homemade- especially cheeses and breads.

The second reason I believe, pressure is being applied to farmer's markets is also the biggest reason the changes are happening. Money. In order to sell at a farmer's market here you have to take a class, which you have to pay for. You have to rent a space. You have to declare sales tax. Remember I said baked goods were going away. Well, that is not technically true. You can still sell baked goods if you are willing to take another class. A more expensive class. Who holds these classes? The state. Now if you go through all of this stuff you will be certified. That state has protected the public. Add on top of that the local fees. Some counties charge a fee for being a seller at the farmer's market and all cities I know of do as well. 

So let's review. You grow something in your garden. You grow more than you need and want to sell the surplus to someone who wants it. Great. One thing first; you have to pay money you haven't earned yet to be able to sell what you haven't grown yet. After you have gotten the okay from the state the hands start showing up. County and city all want their piece of the pie you cannot sell unless you spend more money you haven't earned yet. If you don't do these things this way and we find out you are selling stuff on your own,the county or city will put you out of business because you do not have a business license. Remember the little girls and the lemonade stand? The link I provided was to Forbes, hardly alternative media.

What I Think

I don't want to sound like a conspiracy theorist. If you will think about this objectively I think you will agree with me at least on some level. I think it is all about control. Now I do not think Tropicana is worried about little kids having a lemonade stand. Heck the kids may have even been selling Tropicana lemonade. The initial desire for control is local, HOA, city, county, then state. Tax revenues are going down, I do not care what the media says. Look at it, you will see the truth. 

I do believe that big agriculture does not like farmer's markets. Every person that buys from a local producer, does not buy that item from big agriculture. GMO seeds are not available to the backyard gardener so companies like Monsanto who are starting to feel the backlash of public opinion. Since labeling of GMOs is not required, big agriculture wants people to buy at the grocery stores. Everyone wants your money and they don't want anyone else to get any. If you can only get your food in one place or from one source, they have the control.

A truck farmer used to be able to go to the farmer's market and sell all day. Anything they didn't sell they would just go to the local grocery store and sell their remaining produce to the local grocery store at a reduced price. The grocery store was then able to market locally grown produce. This is increasingly going away. Grocery stores have contracts with big agriculture producers. A lot of these contracts now include an exclusive supplier clause. That means the store cannot buy from anyone else. Truck farmers are finding they have fewer and fewer outlets for what they grow.

Why Be a Part of a Farmer's Market

There are still good reasons to put up with all of the garbage and be a part of a farmer's market. 

1. The public knows where you are going to be and when.
2. Networking (get to know the other growers)
3. Learning (gardeners are very willing to share their knowledge, unless of course they are trying to grow the largest pumpkin or watermelon, that is top secret.)
4. Advertising (advertising costs are shared by several farmers not just one family)
5. People do not know where you live. (I have a friend who had a stand in their front yard and people would knock on his door to be able to buy things and would get angry if he told them he was eating dinner and to come back tomorrow.)

There will always be trouble makers. My aunt had canned some salsa and one of the big grower walked up and asked in a bad tone if she had the salsa tested at the health department. My family told her no. She said "You can't sell it then" turned on her heels and went to tell on them (Like a 5 year old) only to find out that salsa due to acid content did not have to be tested.....yet. Score one for the good guys for now.

I Want to Hear From You

Are farmer's markets and local producers being mistreated where you are? I would really like to know.

What I Want From A Politician

I would like just one politician to stand up and declare that it was their goal to make their city, county, or even state the freest place around. I actually want them to mean it. If one would do that, they would have my support.

Every time we grow our own food or buy food from the person that produces it we cut out several middle men. Big agriculture and government are the ones who are left out of that loop. Shouldn't we want to know who produced our food? I have the poster below on my refrigerator. I look at it every day to help me remember that growing your own food or knowing who does has become an act of rebellion.

TO BE CONTINUED!

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I wish you

Rural Dreams and Homestead Wishes

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