A Strategy to Defend the Homestead
Homesteaders, regardless of your background, have settled into a simple mindset on our property. We don’t want to be around people, traffic, and the hustle and bustle of city life. We want to grow our food, raise livestock, maybe participate in the local farmers market, and return to the quiet safety of our secluded piece of heaven.
This article is a follow-up to an article we wrote concerning the current exodus from cities and suburbs.
In our down time, we sit on our phones or computers and scan the news, sometimes chuckling at the crazy that is happening dozens of miles away from us. At some point in time we have all said the following: “I’m glad I left”, “the clowns can have their circus”, “Good luck with that”, or “Not my problem, I’m out here.” If you have not uttered these exact words, you have said some version of them.
Day after day, we just live. We plan for the next year’s garden, maybe optimize our homesteading processes, harvest the rabbit, the chickens, the pig, and smile as we fill our freezers full of home-grown healthy food. We are pleased that we only need to go to the grocery store for the things we can’t make ourselves and every year the list of those things becomes shorter.
This is the life…
Then it begins…
We drive through town and we see a sign that says a Starbucks is being built. Then a McDonalds. Then a Walmart. As time goes on, traffic in the town increases. We start getting letters in the mail from the county tax adjuster and we notice that our property taxes are increasing. At first its just a little bit… and more the following year… and more the following year.
You find yourself at the local diner, and you overhear that the county voted on a rezoning plan, and that areas not considered to be ‘Ag,’ will have to comply with new codes. “City problems,” you think. You live 12 miles outside of town, its not your problem.
A few months later, you are in town picking up some supplies and you stop in at the diner again. Some folks at a table not too far from you are talking about how Chuck down the road had to get rid of most of his chickens and all of his pig and goats because of the new ordinances. You have known Chuck for years. You speak up, “What!? Why did Chuck have to do that?” you ask. They retort, “The County passed new codes after the area was rezoned! They are considering everything out past the lake as residential now.” You live by the lake. Now concerned, you ask, “When the hell did they do that?” They look at each other as they sip their coffee, “few months back or so, I think.”
The continue, “Jerry said the county is now sending code compliance inspectors out to folks to check for violations.” Jerry owns the hardware store. You were just there and he never mentioned it.
“Within the walls of city hall, a very few make decisions for all…”
Described above is a homesteader’s dream and a homesteader’s nightmare. In fact, some of you may have experienced something very similar to this.
Exposed in this simple story is the greatest mistake homesteaders have made and are making. Our collective ‘washing of our hands’ of city problems and issues has made us apathetic.
As we were living our best lives on our land, changes to our world were being legislated just in town by people who prefer city life.
We left the city to leave city problems to city people.
This is where we have failed.
We wanted to disappear into the country and we did.
We wanted to leave the craziness of city life to city folk and we did.
In hindsight we should have done one thing differently, we should have become involved in the local political scene.
The changes we bemoan happen under our noses. In the council buildings we have avoided because politics disgusts most us, measures were passed that increasingly restricted our way of life.
What do we do?
In the simplest of terms, organize and activate. Sitting idly by is no longer an option.
CampFIRE Homesteading recommends the following actions:
Network with homesteaders in your County and surrounding Counties - This may sound crazy to some because we love our space, privacy, and peace and quiet. However, we benefit from having a community and establishing an information sharing network. As I was taught on the U.S. Army, “every soldier is a sensor”, eluding to efforts to detect potential incoming threats.
Community outreach and involvement - Let your local community know that those fresh eggs will be at risk if these progressive policies are passed. If you are involved at a farmer’s market, let people know your ability to provide quality food is being threatened because of changes in zoning, codes, and taxes. Let your customers think about what life means for them and their families without the real food you provide. Make it personal!
Attend your City/Village/Town Council meetings - Let your presence be known. We have to be the disinfecting sunlight in those political meetings. If only a few can go, see if someone can stream the meeting to those who want to attend virtually. If streaming is not an option, someone step up to record minutes of the meeting and capture any relevant points for homesteaders. We don’t have to be disruptive, but being informed and asking questions about the second and third order effects lets our elected officials know that we are the informed citizenry Thomas Jefferson said is required to preserve our liberty.
Attend your County assembly meetings - Same as above.
Seek a position on your local Council or Planning Committees - I know this will take time away from the homestead or add more to our task list, but we have seen the result of our lack of involvement. A position in either one of these groups will allow homesteaders to influence or protect homesteader interests.
Regularly interact with your elected officials - Don’t just be a resident. Let elected officials know that you are informed and watching. Be an active participant in our Republic. Make it a point to converse with those we elect to represent us. You become more of a person they know and less a ballot they need for re-election.
Know history and don’t let it repeat itself - What we are worried about happening to our area has happened in other places. Learn how it came about. Where did those plans come from? How long has it historically taken for these policies to undermine homesteading?
Run for higher office [State Level] - We have seen the result of leaving well enough alone. When our interests are not being met, we need to decide who among us should run for office. We have to think big picture and what is best for homesteading, and not become crabs pulling each other back down into the bucket. As I was taught in the U.S. Army, “those who desire power over their peers, should never be given it.” Select your elected officials wisely.
Obviously, these are just suggestions. Do what works best for your area. What we know for certain is that if we keep doing what we have been doing, the policies won’t just leave us alone. We don’t need to assume and adversarial mindset, but I am of the military mind; “know thy enemy.” The people that are proposing sweeping changes to our homestead lifestyle are motivated, mobilized, and organized. In some instances, they are also well funded.
Loving your homestead has to mean more than just wanting to spend all of your time there. Loving your homestead means you must be willing to get involved to keep it.
