Citizens can can now be ordered to decrypt their encripted hard drivesl

American citizens can be ordered to decrypt their PGP-scrambled hard drives for police to peruse for incriminating files, a federal judge in Colorado ruled today (January 23, 2012) in what could become a precedent-setting case.

Judge Robert Blackburn ordered a Peyton, Colo., woman to decrypt the hard drive of a Toshiba laptop computer no later than February 21--or face the consequences including contempt of court.  Judge Blackburn wrote in a 10-page opinion today "I find and conclude that the Fifth Amendment is not implicated by requiring production of the unencrypted contents of the Toshiba Satellite M305 laptop computer,"  U.S. Department of Justice, which argued, that Americans' Fifth Amendment right to remain silent doesn't apply to their encryption pass phrases.

Big Brother Is Keeping Tabs On Your Gardens And Animals

We received a survey this week from the USDA (FORM NACS-01).  It starts off with a cover letter stating that the National Agricultural Classification Survey (NACS) is required by law.  If you do not reply, you may be personally visited or you may receive a telephone call.  The form states that a response is required by law.  However, nowhere does it indicate what law you will be breaking if you do not respond.  The entire document is carefully worded to make it seem as though you are required to answer all of their questions. 

The questions include items such as if you have received any agricultural income in the last year, how much land you own, if you have any fruit, berry or nut crops, how many vegetable or melon crops you have, if you have a nursery or a greenhouse, if you have bee hives, cattle, hogs, pigs, sheep, lambs, goats, kids, horses, ponies, mules, donkeys, burros, chickens or turkeys and if so, how many, if you have internet access or high speed internet access.  They also want to know the ethnicity and sex of the people who run the operation.

Personally, I don't think any of it is their damn business.  We finally decided we will send it back with a question as to what law we will be breaking if we do not answer the questions.  After all, a question is a response.  Therefore, I would think we will be in compliance.  Even during the census all they are allowed to ask you is how many people live in your home.  

Here is a link to the document

Just once I'd like to be caught up around here.

It's a new year and there's a lot of work to be done around here.  It seems that we just finished harvesting, processing and storing last years crops.  It's time to get things rolling around here for the coming year. Here's a sample of what needs to be done this winter:

• We've got a new hen house to outfit.
• Turn the old  hen house into a rabbit house.  
• Cull many of our old laying hens.
• Hatch or buy some new birds to replace them.
• Change the oil, hydraulic fluid and lube our tractor. 
• The 136' fence around one of our gardens has to be replaced. 
• There are four new gates that need to be hung not to mention setting the poles to hang them on.  
• The bee hives need to be readied for spring. 
• Two new sixteen foot above ground planters need to be built south of our other raised grow beds.  
• There are burn piles to be burned. 
• Compost piles to be turned. 
• I need to split the rest of the firewood we cut last fall and stack it in the wood shed.
• The new sink system needs to be installed and plumbed on the patio, but before I can install the sink, I need to relocate a cabinet that's in the way.
• Two of the roads around the property need to be re-cut and leveled.
• Several large trees need to be cut down and bucked into firewood.  
• The roof and one wall on our pump house need to be repaired.
• The rabbit butchering station needs to be set up.
• A goat enclosure and shelter needs to be built.
• The fire break on the west side of our ridge needs to be extended.

And that's just what needs to be done before we start working on the gardens. We also work our day jobs.  Farm life is not for the lazy.

In the end we reap the benefits of our labor.  We know where most of our food comes from and how it was grown.