study notes 10/4-8/2010

Although I have studied quite a bit in the last few weeks, I have not recorded notes. Because of travel, my computer time has been limited. We listened to a couple books on tape. I read and read books about gardening, economics, history, and of course the scriptures. Never in my wildest dreams, did I imagine that I would become a bibliophile. While I have loved the novel since age 12, I never realized how fulfilling it can be to pick up a book to learn about a non-fiction topic until I had children. Eventually, I homeschooled my children, which expanded this fulfilling hobby to a full blown addiction. Hopefully, in all my getting of knowledge, I'll develop a bit of wisdom to go along with it.

A History of the American People-I love reading about the time period, where American common man worked so hard that their comfort and wealth eclipsed that of the English gentry.

The Roots of American Order-After showing how we are not like the Greeks, Russel Kirk moved into new territory. "And yet these Greeks of ancient times contributed more to the American understanding of order than at first meets the mind's eye. Although the Greeks never achieved enduring justice for themselves, that was not for want of trying. Some of them, statesmen and philosophers, indirectly shaped American institutions. The Greek architect of order most impressive to Americans of their country's formative years was Solon."

I love this book. Quite possibly it is the best yellow brick road through classical writings ever written. Plato, Plutarch, Aristotle, Solon, Polybius, and Cicero are referred to in the last two pages I read. This book and The Making of America are the reason I decided to read the classics in the first place.

Bluestocking Economics-Whatever Happened to Penny Candy-Economics in One Lesson- What You Should Know About Inflation- Economics: A Free Market Reader
Double Digit Inflation-Price increases rising at 10-99 percent a year due to and increase in the amount of money in circulation. This is caused by governmental counterfeiting, which in turn causes money to lose its value. This causes prices to rise.
Welfare Program-a government program for giving tax money or goods bought with tax money to certain people. Subsidies for the poor.
Subsidy-a government program for giving tax money to large companies. Welfare for corporations.
Law of Economics-a fact of life which deals with production and distribution of wealth. You cannot change it, and it applies all over the world.
Tanstaafl-There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. A popular expression during the Great Depression. Means that almost nothing is free, someone must pay for it. It is a low of economics.
Counterfeiting-making fake money
Clipping Coins-shaving the edges of a coin in order to get some of the precious metal from it.
Reeding-notches on the edge of a coin.
Debasing-reducing the value of a coin by reducing the amount of precious metal in it. 
Gresham's Law-a law of economics that says bad money drives good money out of circulation. People hoard good money (m\precious metal coins) and trade with legally overvalued money.

During double-digit inflation, the cost of a paperback book that costs $5 this year will cost $5.50 or more next year.

The money that the government spends to provide goods and services it deems necessary comes from taxing people.

The Federal Government assumed the national debt in 1791 and intended to raise the revenue necessary to pay off the debt through import tariffs and excise taxes.

If a taxpayer refuses to pay taxes, they incur penalties and interest. They can go to jail for not paying. 

The United States government counterfeits today by printing paper dollars that are not backed by a gold or silver standard. Other methods of counterfeiting include, clipping coins and debasing coinage.

The Continental dollar became worthless during the Revolutionary War, because the government printed too many of them.

The Roman government counterfeited by clipping coined, meaning they shaved the edges of the coins. They used the savings to mint new coins. This gave the Roman government newly made coins in addition to the clipped coins. Later they melted down the coins and added base metals to produce more coins from less coins.

Pennies and nickles have never been reeded, because they are not worth much. Precious metal coins were reeded to prevent clipping. Dimes, quarters, halfs, and dollars were reeded because they were made with a high content of silver. Until 1965 the US government began debasing our coinage by sandwiching copper in the middle of the silver. Now there is no silver in our coins. They are as valuable as any arcade token, which have no value.

The source of instability in the economy of a country is not the free market. It is governmental intervention. When a government engineers expansion of money and credit, their policies artificially depress interest rates and derange the structure of production by generating malinvestments, which lead to contraction and painful readjustments. Monetary reform, if it is to be genuine and successful, must sever money and banking from politics: the dollar must be backed by gold, have no central bank, no fixed rations between gold and silver, no bail-outs, no suspension of gold payments, no other banking frauds, no monetization of debt, and no inflation of the money supply. In short government should be about the business of governing, while the people ought to be about the business of earning, lending, and saving the money. (Paraphrased from an article by Lawrence W. Reed)

Today the reeding on dimes, quarters, halfs, and dollars is ornamental. I wouldn't matter if they were clipped, because they contain no precious metal.

By law, Americans must accept worthless tokens or reeded coins containing no silver or gold at face value. Even though they are not worth 10 or 25 cents, we must accept them at the value of 10 or 25 cents.

By saving every silver coin that we can find, we are following Gresham's Law, bad money drives good money out of circulation. Virtually, all good money is gone from circulation.

In 1878 the Gland-Allison Act mandated the US Treasury purchase $2-4 million in silver per month, which overvalued silver.

People save precious metal coins in hopes that collectors will pay more for the coin than face value. Additionally, they are kept in case today's paper and token money becomes worthless. In this event, their precious metal might buy necessities.

When we were in Eastern Washington, one man remarked that the ferry over the Columbia River was free and ran 24 hours per day. But it is not free. Everything must be paid for: ferry boat, maintenance, employees, dock, etc. Who does this paying? The citizens of the whole state, or maybe it's a national thing, pay through taxes, regardless of whether they use the ferry or not. Likely, most Washingtonians aren't aware of the ferry at all because of its remote existence.

The source of instability in the economy of a country is not the free market. It is governmental intervention. When a government engineers expansion of money and credit, their policies artificially depress interest rates and derange the structure of production by generating malinvestments, which lead to contraction and painful readjustments. Monetary reform, if it is to be genuine and successful, must sever money and banking from politics: the dollar must be backed by gold, have no central bank, no fixed rations between gold and silver, no bail-outs, no suspension of gold payments, no other banking frauds, no monetization of debt, and no inflation of the money supply. In short government should be about the business of governing, while the people ought to be about the business of earning, lending, and saving the money. (Paraphrased and expanded from an article by Lawrence W. Reed)

I've had a few interesting conversation lately with people who over all don't like socialism, but want social programs that help them specifically. One may talked about needing just a little bit of socialism to aid the working man, because the person building the building or the cars or whatever is a cheat. The working man is oppressed under his thumb. I say is the working man to stupid to get out from under the thumb and think for himself, to create his own job, to manage his own affairs. It is not the job of the king to aid people in their troubles and make others pay more for a service or good than it's worth. The use of force is in all ways dishonorable unless one is defending his home. Therefore, forcing someone to pay more than something is worth to aid another is wrong. Surely, the government can back unions and other mechanisms of force with their corrupt power. Legislation that favors some over others is a corruption of power. We've all read about union busting and after the government changed its mind about unions, union corruption.

There is no circumstance when one person or group should be granted privileges that are not granted to everyone including the above price fixing for services and goods. Exclusion or inclusion in such a group causes rivalry. Take for instance two children in the same family. One is two or three years older than another. Because the older is supposedly more wise and experienced, he is allowed more privilege than the younger. Regardless of the wisdom and experience, the younger feels angry and possibly revengeful towards the giver and receiver of said privilege.If an artisan, mason, electrician of beggar finds they cannot make a living at their chosen trade, they should find a patron or another trade.

Political power is "the legal privilege of using force on persons who have not harmed anyone. It is the legal privilege of backing one's decisions with violence or threats of violence." Throughout the history of man and even the US, this has been true. The IRS threatens to put you in jail, charge interest and penalties, freeze your assets, and more to collect taxes. Teacher's unions pressure lawmakers to accept bogus curriculum, harass and incarcerate homeschooling parents, confiscate homeschooling children, and more all in the name of "fair" education. The US government prints counterfeit money, manipulates interest rates, and spends tax money to "bail out" or confiscate private business with force.

"...congress has no power to appropriate money as an act of charity. every member upon this floor knows it. We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but members of congress have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public money." Davy Crockett, The Life of Colonel David Crockett, by Edward S. Ellis, 1887

Charity in this sense is giving money or goods to help the poor. There is no provision in the US Constitution to permit Congress to pay charity to anyone. "We must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for a part of the living to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living...We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public money."


"The constitution to be worth anything, must be held sacred, and rigidly observed in all its provisions. The man who wields power and misinterprets it is dangerous.The power of collecting and disbursing money at pleasure is the most dangerous power that can be entrusted to man, particularly under our system..."  The Life of Colonel David Crockett, by Edward S. Ellis, 1887

Richard Halliburton's Complete Book of Marvels-Mr. Halliburton was an unusual man and I love reading about his adventures around the world. This time it was the Grand Canyon, Boulder Dam, and Niagara Falls. I've seen the first two but not Niagara. After learning of Powell's boat trip down the Colorado, I would love to see the bottom of the canyon. I've been caught in traffic backups over the dam and have no desire to spend three more minutes not to mention three more hours venturing over it again. I think it amazing that nearly half all the fresh water in the world is found in the upper four great lakes, whose outlet is Niagara. Maybe I'll take his advise and visit it in February so I can walk on it or possibly, I'll just enjoy it on a warm summer day.

Dandelion Celebration: A Guide to Unexpected Cuisine-Dr. Peter Gail, King of Dandelions, Interview-HerbMentor.com is a great resource for learning herbalism and edible wildcrafting. Learn the folk ways, health benefits, botany, history, and recipes for dandelions. Why we don't want to spray them--first all the spraying poisons us as well as the dandelion. But... a better approach is if we learn how to use and appreciate them we will no longer want to kill them. Get to appreciate them. 80% of the" weeds" in our gardens were brought here as vegetables by immigrants. 

 The Making of America- An Evening A Month For America-We the People means the unalienable right by the people to govern themselves, because they established and ordained it. John Locke recognized that since God gave people free agency or the ability to control themselves and their affairs, they have the right and responsibility to govern themselves. The Divine Right of Kings is a doctrine invented by kings and for kings. "I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but thye people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discrestion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. THis is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power." Thomas Jefferson. I agree with Mr. Jefferson except that in today's educational system revisionists, Marxists, and humanists have control of the curriculum. Therefore it is up to parents to learn about and teach the constitution to their children.

By 1839, The Elementary Catechism on the Constitution of the United States by Arthur J. Stansbury, was the standard textbook for learning the Constitution in American classrooms. Written in question and answer format, the Catechism was first used in the early 1800's for school children and should be required reading in every school today. It is an excellent way to get acquainted with the nature and benefit of strict constitutional government. It is perfect for discovering our true heritage for the first time.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilixation, it expects what never was and never will be." Thomas Jefferson

"A more perfect union recongnizes the right of the people of the US to live in a solidly structured nation where all of the states are combined in a perpetual union. This is a fragile and delicate idea for the people to adopt and continue to believe in, because others have tried this. Simon Bolivar failed at it in South America. New England contemplated a secession until the end of the War of 1812. 

To "establish justice" anticipates that every inhabitant of the United States is protected in his life and liberty and to be treated as innocent until proven guilty. Justice requires an opportunity and a place to complain of an injury as well as the machinery to provide a remedy. For the accused, justice requires the opportunity to hear and understand the charge, cross-examine those who are making the charge, have a fair and speedy trial, and have an opportunity to repair the wrong if found guilty.

To "ensure domestic tranquility"  makes sure that the people enjoy a state of law and order so that they can enjoy a sense of security and peace. The Constitution guarantees to the states that federal forces will intervene if mobs or an invading enemy tries to overthrow the elected representatives of their republican form of government or to assist them in cases of domestic violence. 

To "provide for the common defense" means that the people have the right to be protected from all enemies who might seek to conquer or destroy the US by invasion or internal subversion. "The way to secure peace is to be prepared for war. They that are on their guard, and appear ready to receive their adversaries, are in much less danger of being attacked than the supine, secure and negligent." Benjamin Franklin But I don't think he necessarily meant a huge world wide police force. Instead the idea of a militia similar to the neutral Swiss militia was the method they preferred. 

General Welfare does not mean specific welfare or entitlement handouts. Instead it is a right of the people of the US to have the government serve the people in regards to collective needs and not use the resources of the people for the benefit of certain states or people, which is special welfare. Favors and privileges ought not be extended to the king's pets, meaning the states, regions, or groups of people. The welfare clause is a restriction of power, not a grant of power as it is interpreted today. 

To "secure the blessings of liberty means the right of all Americans to have their government continually engaged in the protection of the freedom of the people from generation to generation. The Constitution was designed to be divided, balanced, and limited to remain in the center of the political spectrum. For these blessing of liberty to continue, the people must be trained in knowledge and qualities of virtuous character. Although I remember learning somewhat about the Constitution as a senior in high school, the education was scanty. As a matter of course we learned to be honest and such, but I can't say I gained much in the way of the whys of character education. These I have learned and attempt to implement myself.

The School of Natural Healing- Someday I hope to get this beautiful book set with exquisite its  photographs of each herb. For now I content myself with the down-loadable version with no pics.

The three main causes of the disease conditions are constipation, malnutrition, and inactivity.


Cleaning the bowel, clearing mucus with the emetic lobelia, cutting phlem with cayenne, citrus,and pineapple, and using hot and cold water therapy are useful in the treatment and subsequent cure of chronic bronchial inflammation.


The causes of deterioration of the bowel are improper diet, fast eating and stress. The steps necessary in resorting natural bowl action include: exercising, drinking 1 gallon of distilled water per day, eating the mucusless diet, and using lower bowel formula to cleanse and strengthen the tract. Interestingly, many of the ingredients in a plate of curry can alleviate constipation: cayenne, ginger, asafetida, and coriander. Making curry dal with olive oil instead of ghee with lots of lentils, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and spinach over brown rice, you have a tasty way to clean the pipes. Eat some fennel seeds after your tasty dish, as is customary in aiding digestion in India.


Purgatives and laxatives when used unwisely contribute to chronic toxemia, because the body absorbs liquid fecal matter through the intestinal villi.

It is necessary to know the cause of a convulsion before administering aid, because this helps you understand the proper remedy.

Cysts are over growths of cells or foreign fluid in an organ or body cavity that is enclosed by a membrane. They can be eliminated from the body with walnut herbs, chaparral, apple cider vinegar, cayenne, honey, yellow dock, mullein, and plantain.

Dropsy is edema caused from diabetes or heavy salt eating. Parsley, parsely root, chaparral, jiniper, and of course a little ginger have shown to successfully reverse this problem if proper diet, hydrotherapy, and lower bowel formula are utilized as well.

Fever is nature's way of burning out toxins. Fever is often a necessary step in eliminating morbid matter from the system as it causes such to be thinned out.

Some of the causes of hives are insect bites, allergy, and constipation. To permanently be relieved with natural healing methods, clean up the bowel. 

The health of stroke victims can be improved with cayenne and cleansing herbs.

Alterative herbs act upon the secretory organs in order to purify the blood stream. 

It is necessary to know which organ is at fault in a disease, when using alteratives, to choose the proper herbs for the job.

Plantian is the best healing agent in cases of blood poinsoning. To use over a poisonous insect bite, bruise the leaves to make poultice. Place this over the bite. As it begins to dry out, replace it with freshly bruised herbs.

An herb that is an excellent alterative her to add to a formula in the treatment of skin diseases, cell-deterioration (cancer), and bronchitis is red clover..

Burdock root is valuable in an alterative formula for action upon the blood, skin, kidneys, and lymph.

Boils and acne are an outward manifestation of constipation of the entire organism but more specifically of the blood stream.

Chaparral is a valuable alterative herb, because it works fast on difficult conditions.

Oregon grape root used in the formula for syphilis, becuse it is specific for the genito-urinary tract.

Sassafras destroys certain undesirable protozoa in the blood stream, an antidote for poisoning by acid or alkaline corrosives, and is often used to cover the disagreeable taste of bitter herbs in a formula.

Sarsaparilla contains the valuable phyto-steroids for the hormones testosterone, progesterone, and cortin, in addition to organic sulphur.

Echinacea is valuable in poultices used in the treatment of boils and carbuncles, because it corrects auto-infections, when the body is not effectively eliminating toxins.

The dock group of herbs contain a high percentage of organic (assimilable) iron within the roots, while the leaves have antiscorbutic properties.

Garlic has many virtues as an alterative herb. It kills infections while stimulating friendly bacteria. It is especially specific alterative to the respiratory and intestinal tracts. Some people object to the smell of garlic on the breath of its users. I say I would rather smell garlic on a healthy individual than poo on the breath of a constipated person. But that's just me.

The three most common types of parasitic worms found in the afflicted body are thread, round, and tape. 

A vermifuge expels worms, while a vermicide destroys them.

To loosen the grip of a tapeworm before taking the medicine used to expel the parasie, eat onions, garlic, pickles, and salted fish.

Male fern, mandrake, jalap, broom pine, pomegranate, and Jerusalem Oak are the most effective herbs against tapeworm. 

Wormwood is a bitter antelmintic herb possessing antiseptic properties, is very resistive to putrefacation , counteracts the poisonous effects of hemlock and toadstools, and is an effective digestive tonic.

American Wormseed and Jerusalem Oak should not be used for vermifuge during pregnancy because of the potent emmenagogic effect.

Pink root, an anthelmintic herb,  may safely be used in the treatment of children with tape worms.

The treatment of worms using pink root should be repeated within a week as a rectal injection (fleet enema) to facilitate the total de-worming from left over eggs. 

Tansy should be given in small and repeated doses, to avoid venous congestion and discomfort of abdominal organs

Pumpkin seeds are nutritive, antelmintic, and diuretic. 

Astringent herbs promote greater density and firmness of tissue.

Bayberry bark snuffed up the nose is an effective remedy for nasal adenoids.

White oak bark has many uses, including hemorrhage, vermifuge, diuretic, removes gall and kidney stones, and cleans the alimentary tract.

Red raspberry leaf is excellent before, during, and after pregnancy, because it tones the uterus.

Red raspberry herb is included in many bowel formulas because ir relieves constipation.

The most effective stringent herb one can use where there is chronic, debilitating and copious mucous discharge is cranesbill.

Bistort is one of the most powerful astringents in botanic medicine, because it cleanses canker and toxic matter from the alimentary canal while toning it.

While pond lily, an astringent herb, contains mucilage, which is soothing to the mucous membrane lining as it is toning to the tissues.

Casgara segrada and tormentil are two astringents known for their nervine properties. 

Level 1400-Herbal Formulary-Hydro-Therapy with Dean Morris-
Viruses move from animals to humans now.
Antibiotics don't work as well as they used to. 
Our inner environment is toxic allowing microbes to attack the body.
Keep our inner environment clean and pure to stop the opportunity of the microbes from attacking.
Genetic mutation of viruses will explode as we further pollute our inner and outer environment and change our culture and society (AIDS is one example)
Major stresses encourage virus
Nutritional deficience adds to viral mutation
Virus can damage the heart with deficiency of the mineral selinium--correlations found with outher nutrients as well
need clean and nourished environment
Healthy body designed to kill microbes
garlic more effective against bacteria and virus because it has over 200 compounds that attack them as opposed to antibiotics that are extremely specific
Natural medicine principle like those taught by DC have worked for ages

A master herbalist is someone who recognizes The Master that created the earth and the herbs that gave us the capacity to understand the simple principles to master and use them


anti-plague formula and cold sheet treatment aid the body to create and promote a fever to kill microbes when gentle herbs and diet aren't enough

cold sheet treatment-have an environment that elicits hope and joy


1. dry skin brushing to open the windows and doors of the body
2. strong, cool catnip (sage, red raspberry, any mint) enema-adult 16 oz--children half or less (make a usual infusion, strain, and cool-95F [helps body retain until warm]) (use enemas only for specific needs-soothe, cleanse, hydrate)hot dry fever is the desert or killing-moist fever is healing
Hypocrites-give me a fever and I'll cure any disease
3. garlic enema (regulate blood pressure)
4. hot bath with ginger, mustard, and cayenne (heat up get blood moving) (45-60 min. or more)
5. hot yarrow (tonic, nourishing, diaforetic) tea while in bath. (may be groggy at this point) (1 c. every 10-15 minutes)
6.Prepare bed-protect with plastic, use cotton towels and then cotton sheet over plastic
7. drape with ice cold flannel sheet safety pin shut (closes pores like slamming a door-dynamic principle of moving blood-removing blood flow from the skin to deep within the body to work with organs-once it warms up again the pours open up)
8. cover with natural fiber blankets
9. message head and face if there are two helpers
10. message feet up to ankle with olive oil with reflexology if possible. If you know the health problems, work on the specific reflexology areas
11. [sole food=soul food] garlic paste (4 oz. petroleum jelly+ 1-4 oz. garlic-grated) 1/2 inch thick on 2 inch gauze strips soles of feet (only)------ (fever stimulates white blood cells that kill disease but produce pus. Pus depletes sulfur. Garlic is high in sulfur replaces sulfur. Regulates blood pressure and lipid count throughout the therapy. Not causing hyper-tension or high blood pressure. Not clogging up heart with all the cholesterol loosened up during therapy. Garlic is anti-microbial, anti-arthritic, anti-cancer, put to good use during this therapy for whatever disease the person needs help with. Work quickly to stabilize the volatile properties of fresh garlic with the petroleum jelly. Petroleum jelly protects the feet. 
12. wrap with gauze----put one clean white cotton socks---cover with the blankets
13. make sure to have anti-spasmotic and cayenne tinctures on hand in case of spasm or shock 
14. keep the person in the sheets all night (urinate right there if need be--usually this is not an issue because of all the sweating)
15. Because of toxins that were released through the skin and to restore acid mantle of the skin, wash off with half apple cider vinegar and half water--use a natural spong of cotton cloth
16. shower with castile soap 
17. rest in bed for a time that day even if they want to conquer the world
18. teach person about proper rest and diet
19. sheets may be stained permanently with green-arsenic heavy metal    brown-alkaloid with nicotine or narcotics or caffeine or tannin    purple-manginates   yellow-sulfa drugs    black-coal tar based drugs    


The Winter Harvest HandbookYear-Round Vegetable Production Using Deep-Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses


Ch. 1-3 basic components 1)cold-hardy vegggies 2)succession planting 3) Protected Cultivation


Mobile Greenhouses-sow winter crops in August in the field. End of August put greenhouse over heat-loving crops in field until late-October, when they are done producing. Move green house to cover winter crops. Next year grow the heat lovers in that spot. Plant winter crops in last years tomato field and move greenhouse onto in in late-October. Slightly heated greenhouses (32F) extend unheated greenhouse growing in winter. Not a real option for my circumstances.


Ch. 2-fascinating look at French intensive gardening in Paris until approximately1900. Mostly, these gardens were a way to get rid of the extensive amount of horse manure in the city. The decaying horse manure provided heat for winter crops. After it was thorough composting, it amended the soil. Amazingly, this system was used in London from 1620-1825, when the land was converted to housing. Within 40 years, all knowledge of this system was lost to Londoners, who were amazed at the "new" gardening system witnessed in Paris in 1865. Several families in Paris moved the system out of town and continued until the end of the last century. 


Ch. 3-Dutch lights or bottom-less cold frames inside a greenhouse is similar to moving your entire farm from zone 5 to zone 8. When we get cold in our beds in winter, we put on another blanket. In effect this was like putting on three blankets. 1. the green house 2. the air between greenhouse and cold frame 3. cold frame...This is different than trying to grow tomatoes in a heated greenhouse. Instead growing cold hardy plants in a protected microclimate is like the difference between sitting inside by the fire on a cold deay and being outside with enough layers of clothes on to keep you comfortable. So this doen's necessarily extend the growing season but extends the harvest season, keeping the produce garden fresh with very slow growth. Succession planting between August and October allow harvesting from mid-November -early February.


Ch 4- A lot about small farming for money. Interesting but I wouldn't do it. Some eye-opening information about lines of latitude in the US compared with Europe.