A Few Good Thoughts at this Election Time

Here are some quotes someone put together that were circulating via email:

BRUCE R. McCONKIE

�It is our firm conviction as a people that the stars and stripes will be waving triumphantly in the breeze, as a symbol of the greatness and stability of the United States of America, when the Lord comes. This nation was established to be the Lord�s base of operations in this final gospel dispensation. From it the gospel is to go to every other nation and people. The greater its influence among the nations of the world, the more rapidly the gospel spreads. But the Lord has told us that all nations, the United States included, shall cease to be when he comes� (The Millennial Messiah, 491).

 

JOSEPH SMITH

                �We are fast approaching that moment prophesied by Joseph Smith when he said: �Even this nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin, this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction� (Church Historian�s Office, Salt Lake City, July 19, 1840) (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 623 - 624).

 

JOSEPH SMITH

                Words of James Burgess: �In the month of May 1843, several miles east of Nauvoo, the Nauvoo Legion was on parade and review, at the close of which Joseph Smith made some remarks upon our condition as a people and upon our future prospects, contrasting our present condition with our past trials and persecutions by the hands of our enemies; also upon the Constitution and government of the United States, stating that the time would come when the Constitution and government would hang by a brittle thread and would be ready to fall into other hands, but this people, the Latter-day Saints, will step forth and save it. . . .I, James Burgess, was present and testify to the above� (The Words of Joseph Smith, 279).

 

EZRA TAFT BENSON

          �The Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith there would be an attempt to overthrow the country by destroying the Constitution. Joseph Smith predicted that the time would come when the Constitution would hang, as it were, by a thread, and at that time �this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction� (Journal of Discourses, 7:15). It is my conviction that the elders of Israel, widely spread over the nation, will at that crucial time successfully rally the righteous of our country and provide the necessary balance of strength to save the institutions of constitutional government�  (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 618 - 619).

On Thu, Mar 25, 2010, Daniel Kelly Ogden wrote:

There are some extraordinary and very timely thoughts from President Harold B. Lee (speaking in October 1973) circulating on the Internet.  I looked into the quotation carefully and have confirmed that the words below are accurate; at the end I list the sources.  Latter-day Saints and all Americans need this right now.

President Lee: 

"Men may fail in this country, earthquakes may come, seas may heave beyond their bounds, there may be great drought, disaster, and hardship, but this nation, founded on principles laid down by men whom God raised up, will never fail.

This is the cradle of humanity, where life on this earth began in the Garden of Eden.  This is the place of the New Jerusalem. . . . This is the place where the Savior will come to His temple.

We are living in a time of great crisis.  The Country is torn with scandal and with criticism, with fault finding and condemnation.  There are those who have downgraded the image of this nation as probably never before in the history of the country.

I plead with you not to preach pessimism.  Preach that this is the greatest country in all the world. . . . It is the nation that will stand despite whatever trials or crises it may yet have to pass through.      

We must be on the optimistic side.  This is a great nation; this is a great country; this is the most favored of all lands.  While it is true that there are dangers and difficulties that lie ahead of us, we must not assume that we are going to stand by and watch the country go to ruin.  We should not be heard to predict ills and calamities for the nation.  On the contrary, we should be providing optimistic support for the nation.      

You must remember . . . that this church is one of the most powerful agencies for the progress of the world, and we should . . . all sound with one voice.  We must tell the world how we feel about this land and this nation and should bear our testimonies about the great mission and destiny that it has. 

If we do this, we will help turn the tide of this great country and lessen the influence of the pessimists.  We must be careful that we do not say or do anything that will further weaken the country.  It is the negative, pessimistic comments about the nation that do as much harm as anything to the country today.  We who carry these sacred responsibilities must preach the gospel of peace, and peace can only come by overcoming the things of the world.  Now, we must be the dynamic force that will help turn the tide of fear and pessimism."

(Excerpts from a talk given at Ricks College Devotional Assembly, �Have Faith in America,� October 26, 1973, and printed in two sources: Ye Are the Light of the World: Selected Sermons and Writings of Harold B. Lee, 340, 350-351, and The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, edited by Clyde J. Williams, 36

1000 Years of European History

Here is a very interesting time lapse that shows political boundaries in Europe over the past 1000 years.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/greek-election-aftermath-1000-years-context

How to Catch Wild Pigs

"Do you know how to catch wild pigs?"

"You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming.

"When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side.

 

"The pigs, which are used to the free corn, begin to come through the gate to eat the free corn.

"You then slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd. Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught.

"Soon they go back to eating the free corn . They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity."

Think about it... 

Love,

Ben

Farming

Summary:
Keep as many Buff Orpington chickens, including at least one rooster, as is prudent given local laws and circumstances. Store a years supply of food for them in the form of human food.

Post:
In normal times, most of us city dwellers probably don't even think about farming. I would like to suggest that, in times of need, we may wish we had. After looking into it, I have discovered that, per ordinance 22-6-10 (c), Orem allows me to keep rabbits, pigeons, ducks, and household pets. If push came to shove, I would probably be happy to eat any of these animals. In addition, per sub article 7 of the same ordinance:


The keeping of hen chickens (no roosters) shall be permitted in a residential zone on a single  

family lot less than one (1) acre provided the following are met:  

a.  

Lot Size:    Maximum number of chickens: 

5000 square feet   2 

7000 square feet   3 

8000 square feet   4 

9000 square feet   5 

10,000 square feet   6 

20,000 square feet   10 

30,000 square feet   12 

b. Chickens must be kept in a predator resistant coop or chicken tractor at night which shall be set  

back at least 10 feet from all property lines. The enclosure shall provide sufficient light, air, and  

space for the chickens. The enclosure shall not be located in a front yard.  

c. The enclosure shall be cleaned regularly to prevent offensive odors from becoming a nuisance.  

d. Chickens shall not be permitted to roam free unless in an enclosed rear yard.  

e. Chickens shall not be considered household pets.  

f. Slaughtering of chickens is prohibited.

Now, just why my friendly city legislators see the need to provide such detail as to what I can and can't do on my own property, I do not fully understand, but this much I do understand, I can keep 6 laying hens in my back yard! 

I believe chickens to be the best form of farming for those of us with limited land and excessive legislature. I like chickens because:

1. They lay eggs. I don't even have to 'slaughter' them to get food from them. In addition, many of the recipes I am used to eating utilize eggs. 
2. They eat kitchen scraps, both vegetative and meaty.
3. They can forage for their own food (to an extent) during much of the year. 
4. They can eat the same food I have stored to feed my family. In other words, I can store a years supply of human food for my chickens and either feed it to them, or eat it myself and also eat the chickens since they will starve if I don't. 
5. They  can reproduce themselves en mass, if you get the right breed. I like Buff Orpingtons since they reportedly don't have all of the natural mothering bred out of them (they still get broody), they are good egg layers, they are a friendly pet, and they are mid sized so the extra roosters you grow actually give you some meat. 

Love,

Ben

Gardening

Ok, so gardening is obviously going to be of utmost importance when the crash comes. So how do we do it? I am only on my second year (2012) of any sort of serious gardening and certainly do not consider myself an expert. However, I have learned something from my efforts thus far.

1. I believe square foot gardening to be the best approach for general gardening. Mel Bartholomew is the founder of it. I suspect he is LDS. The gist of it is:
1. Lay down a weed blocking landscape fabric.
2. Build a 4'x4' box at least 8" tall. Use wood or whatever you want.
3. Fill it at least 6" high with Mel's Mix (by volume: 1/3 Peat Moss, 1/3 Vermiculite, 1/3 compost [preferably from 5 different materials]) Cook's greenhouse on 16th North just West of I-15 in Orem had the best price on Vermiculite, it is a bit pricey. Consider it an investment, that few hundred bucks spent now just may provide you with life-sustaining food later at an extremely high personal value. I also got the peat moss there, although Home Depot has it at the same price. For compost I used the bio waste 'black gold' from the old dump in Provo. It has at least two sources, bio waste and green waste.
4. Plant it! You can get fancy here and put in 1'x1' grids-they are used for planning and aesthetics, but the seeds will grow without them. for self-reliance use only non-hybrid seeds. That way you can produce your own seeds in the future. Many plants require two growing seasons to produce seeds. An easy way to get a variety of non-hybrid seeds is to buy an emergency seed kit that includes only non-hybrid seeds. I opened one of my kits this year (2012) that was packaged in 2002. The germination test showed very good results, 100% in many cases. I have stored it mostly in a cool and dry location. USU also has some recommendations.
5. Water it regularly. Almost no weeding is necessary. 
6. Harvest it and/or start figuring out how to store/preserve it. 
2. Plant as many fruit trees and perennial edible plants as you can. My favorite fruit trees are peaches and nectarines. We have had excellent results with no insecticides, although they do have to be pruned and thinned-they grow like a weed. As I recall, our six dwarf and one semi-dwarf trees started producing fruit within only a couple of years, and after three or four years were producing enough fruit to bottle. Other perennials we have had success with include: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, rhubarb, horseradish, chives, oregano, tarragon, parsley, elderberries (although we have yet to actually use the fruit), and mint (haven't actually tried in our yard yet, but have experience as a kid). Other fruit trees we have enjoyed include apricots, plums, and apples. We also have pears, but they have yet to produce. Get planting!
3. Knowing how I operate, automatic sprinklers are a must. I like the 1/2" drip lines for the berries, trees etc. with emitters every 12" (as opposed to 18"), closer would be even better. I have my trees on a different valve than the berries as they need less frequent watering. For the square food gardens, I am trying the 1/4" drip line soaker hose. So far so good, although there are a few spots that squirt out a bit much. The 1/4" drip line with holes every so often may also work. 

Love,

Ben