Help Turtle Island

An Open Letter to Friends of Turtle Island Preserve Turtle Island Preserve is in danger. Please read this letter, and, if you feel moved to do so, carefully follow the suggestions for support provided at the end. Recently, local county government authorities have targeted Turtle Island Preserve, attacking our way of life, and forcing our educational camp to close to visitors. On the morning of September 19th, eleven county officials (being paid by tax payers) barged into our living room unannounced, uninvited, and unwelcome. A large caravan of county vehicles blocked our private road, miles away from any public area. The men (some armed) presented a search warrant two and half miles into the interior of our private land, a most intimate zone of refuge where we do not even take visitors, and then spent the next half of the day violating our privacy and photographing our buildings and personal homes. The unwanted invasion team came prepared with topographic maps, aerial photographs, GPS equipment to discern coordinates, laptops, pages of highlighted photographs of unknown origins, and even a county 4-wheeler to more easily get around the property. Much time and tax-payer money had clearly been spent preparing for this deployment against our 501c3 non-profit education center. The primary focus of this action centers on our buildings and construction methods. The American heritage buildings that we keep alive and teach about are "unacceptable" in today's modern world. The very building techniques and materials that all of our ancestors thrived with are now being deemed unacceptable and targeted as illegal because they don't fit into the cookie-cutter code status that is so extremely far from what we are about. The buildings and lifestyle of our working farm and education center teach about true American freedom. The invasive attack was a surreal wake-up call to the illusion of the American myth: "Land of the free." Those of you who have visited Turtle Island Preserve know that our structures are unique in that they are built with materials harvested here on the farm and adhere to natural and historical methods. Our buildings are unquestionably structurally sound, but do not fit the wording or application of modern building codes, as the methods used to build them predate the conception of modern building codes. The veteran, licensed engineer we hired to assess the structural concerns expressed by the county stated that our buildings are "Better than code." If modern, cookie-cutter buildings fit our purposes or needs, we would have built them. But they certainly do not. To comply with current, modern building codes and regulations, with no variance or allowance for natural, traditional, historical, cultural or educational models, is at the very least a compromise to our integrity, our mission, and our value to the community and the world. If we were forced to function like every other public facility, the values, ethics, and practical knowledge we teach would be lost. Trying to force a modern framework around a facility that is specifically designed to be primitive does not make sense. The methods we teach go back tens of thousands of years. The modern building codes go back only 40-50 years. For the past twenty-six years, Turtle Island Preserve has been a functioning farm and education center for primitive skills, cultural heritage, and traditional/natural living. We are run by volunteer laborers and administrators, good citizens who believe in the worth of volunteering their time to share natural traditional living in hopes of making life for people more meaningful and our impact on the earth a gentler footprint. Our non-profit education center has brought thousands of people from all over the world, of all ages, faiths, and socio-economic backgrounds and enabled them to develop a personal relationship with the natural world. In many cases, these are people (usually children) who would not have the opportunity to gain that experience elsewhere. What they get here, they keep forever. Eustace Conway, full-time volunteer director of Turtle Island Preserve for the past 26 years, now faces the threat of criminal charges. That's right, for dedicating his life to celebrating and preserving American cultural heritage, his American government is condemning his interest in exercising what he believes is an inalienable human right to build and live in the traditions of our ancestors. He said, "If this was a joke or something out of a science fiction novel about corrupt government control, maybe I could laugh about it... but it is very, unbelievably, maliciously true... and I can only cry about it, and ask for the voices of friends to support me and citizens that care about the 'American Dream' of freedom to speak up for their rights and interests now." Our recent studies show us that there may be no variance for any private, state, or federal interpretation sites that exhibit natural/primitive historic structures or practices. The recent attack on our home and lifeways makes us question the confines of our state building and county codes on our most fundamental freedoms of American heritage, Appalachian regional culture, and a three million year precedent of inalienable human rights concerning structures and living. We are working with legal counsel and structural engineers to present a clear and thorough assessment of our structures, practices, and mission to authorities who are not personally familiar with Turtle Island Preserve. We have drawn up a petition and begun a letter writing campaign, all of which we'll present to the North Carolina Building Codes Council on December 10, 2012 in the hopes of educating the council about the unique importance of Turtle Island Preserve and securing a variance for our continued operation without sacrificing our integrity and commitment to historic structures and natural lifestyle. We need your help in raising a voice. This matter will not be resolved positively without your support. Please help support Turtle Island Preserve by taking the following steps: 1. Sign the petition at www.change.org. 2. Join the letter writing campaign! Write your own letter in support of Turtle Island Preserve, or use the letter included here - just print, sign, and send to the Chairman of the North Carolina Building Codes Council. Either way, be sure to send us a copy of your letter, too. Addresses are attached. It is impossible to overstate how important your swift support is to the future of Turtle Island Preserve. With the North Carolina Building Codes Council meeting just three weeks away, we need all the voices we can get, and as quickly as possible. Please set aside a few minutes to sign the petition, send a letter, and stand with us as we work to save Turtle Island Preserve. Keep checking Facebook for updates, and for more information on the Building Codes Council meeting or if you have any questions at all, please email mail@turtleislandpreserve.com or call our office at 828-265-2267. In appreciation, The Staff and Community Members of Turtle Island Preserve Addresses: Dan Tingen, Chairman North Carolina Building Codes Council 322 Chapanoke Drive Raleigh, North Carolina 27603 Turtle Island Preserve 2683 Little Laurel Road Boone, North Carolina 28607 Please sign the petition! They need about 2,000 more signatures

Learn from the past

"The budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, and the public debt should be reduced. The arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance." - Cicero, 55 BC One needs to learn from the past....

What we can all look forward to

Came across this today: Line by line provisions of the Obama Healthcare Plan. Peter Fleckstein (aka Fleckman) is reading it and has been posting on Twitter his findings . This is from his postings (Note: All comments are Fleckman's) Pg 22 of the HC Bill MANDATES the Govt will audit books of ALL EMPLOYERS that self insure!! Pg 30 Section 123 of HC Bill - THERE WILL BE A GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE that decides what treatments/benefits you get Pg 29 Lines 4-16 of the HC Bill - YOUR HEALTHCARE IS RATIONED!!! Pg 42 of the HC Bill - The Health Choices Commissioner will choose YOUR HEALTHCARE Benefits for you. You have no choice! Pg 50 Section 152 of the HC Bill - HEALTHCARE will be provided to ALL non US citizens, illegal or otherwise Pg 58 of the HC Bill - Government will have real-time access to individuals finances & a National ID Healthcard will be issued! Pg 59 Lines 21-24 of the HC Bill - Government will have direct access to your bank accounts for electronic fund transfers Pg 65 Section 164 of the HC Bill - Payoff subsidized plan for retirees and their families in Unions & Community Organizations (ACORN) Pg 72 Lines 8-14 of the HC Bill - Government is creating an HC Exchange to bring private HC plans under Government control Pg 84 Section 203 of the HC Bill - Government mandates ALL benefit packages for private HC plans in the Exchange Pg 85 Line 7 of the HC Bill - Specs of Benefit Levels for Plans = The Government will ration your HC! Pg 91 Lines 4-7 of the HC Bill - Government mandates linguistic appropriate services - Example: Translation for illegal aliens Pg 95 Lines 8-18 of the HC Bill - The Government will use groups i.e., ACORN & Americorps to sign up individuals for Government HC plan Pg 102 Lines 12-18 of the HC Bill - Medicaid Eligible Individuals will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid. No Choice Pg 124 Lines 24-25 of the HC Bill - No company can sue the Government on price fixing. No "judicial review" against Government Monopoly Pg 127 Lines 1-16 of the HC Bill - Doctors/AMA - The Government will tell YOU what you can make Pg 145 Lines 15-17 of the HC Bill - An Employer MUST auto enroll employees into public option plan. NO CHOICE Pg 126 Lines 22-25 of the HC Bill - Employers MUST pay for HC for part time employees AND their families Pg 149 Lines 16-24 of the HC Bill - ANY Employer with a payroll of $400k and above who does not provide the Public Option must pay 8% tax on all payroll PG 150 Lines 9-13 of the HC Bill - Businesses with payrolls between $251k and $ 400k that don't provide the Public Option must pay 2-6% tax on all payroll Pg 167 Lines 18-23 of the HC Bill - ANY individual who doesnt have acceptable HC according to Government will be taxed 2.5% of income Pg 170 Lines 1-3 of the HC Bill - Any NONRESIDENT Alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay) Pg 195 of the HC Bill - Officers and Employees of HC Administration (GOVT) will have access to ALL Americans financial/personal records Pg 203 Lines 14-15 of the HC Bill - "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax". Yes, it says that Pg 239 Lines 14-24 of the HC Bill - Government will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors, low income, poor affected Pg 241 Lines 6-8 of the HC Bill - Doctors, doesn't matter what specialty you have, will all be paid the same Pg 253 Lines 10-18 of the HC Bill - Government sets the value of Doctor's time, professional judgement, etc. Literally value of humans Pg 265 Section 1131 of the HC Bill - Government mandates and controls productivity for private HC industries Pg 268 Section 1141 of the HC Bill - Federal Government regulates rental & purchase of power driven wheelchairs Pg 272 Section 1145 of the HC Bill - TREATMENT OF CERTAIN CANCER HOSPITALS - Cancer patients, welcome to rationing! Pg 280 Section 1151 of the HC Bill - The Government will penalize hospitals for what the Government deems preventable readmissions Pg 298 Lines 9-11 of the HC Bill - Doctors that treat a patient during initial admission that results in a readmission - The Government will penalize you Pg 317 Lines 13-20 of the HC Bill - OH MY GOD!!! - PROHIBITION on ownership/investment. The Government tells Doctors what/how much they can own Pgs 317-318 Lines 1-3 and 21-25 of the HC Bill - PROHIBITION on expansion - Government is mandating that hospitals cannot expand Pg 321 Lines 2-13 of the HC Bill - Hospitals have opportunigy to apply for exception BUT community input required. Can you say ACORN?!! Pg 335 Lines 16-25 and Pgs 336-339 of the HC Bill - Government mandates establishment of outcome based measures. HC the way they want. Rationing Pg 341 Lines 3-9 of the HC Bill - Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advanced Plans, HMOs, etc. Forcing people into the Government Plan Pg 354 Section 1177 of the HC Bill - Government will RESTRICT enrollment of Special needs people! Pg 379 Section 1191 of the HC Bill - Government creates more bureaucracy - Telehealth Advisory Committee. Can you say HC by phone? Pg 425 Lines 4-12 of the HC Bill - Government mandates Advance Care Planning Consultant. Think Senior Citizens and the end of their life! Pg 425 Lines 17-19 of the HC Bill - Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. Mandatory! Pg 425 Lines 22-25 and Pg 426 Lines 1-3 of the HC Bill - Government provides approved list of end of life resources, guiding you into death Pg 427 Lines 15-24 of the HC Bill - Government mandates program for orders for end of life. The Government has a say in how your life ends Pg 429 Lines 1-9 of the HC Bill - An "advanced care planning consultant" will be used frequently as patients health deteriorates Pg 429 Lines 10-12 of the HC Bill - "advanced care consultation" may include an ORDER for end of life plans. AN ORDER from GOVERNMENT! Pg 429 Lines 13-25 of the HC Bill - The Government will specify which Doctors can write an end of life order Pg 430 Lines 11-15 of the HC Bill - The Government will decide what level of treatment you will have at end of life Pg 469 of the HC Bill - Community Based Home Medical Services = Non profit Organizations. Hello, ACORN Medical Services has arrived!!! Pg 472 Lines 14-17 of the HC Bill - PAYMENT TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS. 1 monthly payment to a community based organizations. ACORN? Pg 489 Section 1308 of the HC Bill - The Government will cover Marriage and Family therapy. Which means they will insert Government into your marriage Pgs 494-498 of the HC Bill - Government will cover Mental Health Services including defining, creating, rationing those services Thanks for re-electing someone who will do this to our citizens Oh, please note anyone over 76 does not get to have cancer treatment...so don't get old.