Yesterday I got my last issue of Cside in the mail. It's actually good and doesn't have $400k houses in it. They did take some suggestions people made and reprinted some older articles, which I thought was nice. It's sad, but I think that the magazine has come to promote a "group think" ideology which I can't get behind anymore.

Reflecting upon the fiasco at the forum, there were so many other ways that it could have been handled. I certainly understand that it was a barrage of information and took up alot of space, so if that was the problem it could have been consolidated....just any number of things could have been done differently. The censor of numerous other threads just put such a authoritarian control on the entire board. It is akin to saying, if you don't say things that we want to hear, you will be "deleted". That attitude scares the pants off me. I can't support it.

Anyway, it just saddens me that a place I had once enjoyed so much will be relegated to ONLY practical discussions, because when we discuss social ideologies and events we learn A LOT about what is going on in the minds and hearts of the average Joe.

That said...Please don't feel that I want everyone to agree with me all the time. This is for everyone and NOT for my ego. It's also a public forum, so please invite anyone you think would enjoy it, or that has something to contribute to come on over, kick off their shoes and pontificate! God bless!

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@yahoo.com), April 12, 2001

Answers

I see that there's Christian material the CS now, so far it hasn't been deleted. I don't know if it was something that got out of hand or if there was a motive behind the whole thing. I had "conversation" with the editor on the spiritual reasons for the blow up. You know satan doesn't want seeds planted or people going back to church or salvation.

Did you decide not to resubscribe or did you cancel since the troubles?

When my issue got here yesterday, there wasn't the usual excitement. but at the same time, I don't want to not learn somehting about homesteading. I wish there was a good Christian homestead magazine. I know about Coming Home, but it's much too legalistic for me. I don't want to give up the freedom I'm finding in Christ.

-- Cindy (SE In) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), April 12, 2001.

I haven't stopped my subscription either. There is still a lot of information in it, though I agree with Doreen that the forum was unfriendly for a bit. I don't think it was fair the way it was handled, but I still go there. I stated my piece on that subject just like on others, and probably just as many people were upset by what I said.

I hope they DON'T stop the Christian posts there. I like most of those, too. Even if I get riled sometimes.

The past couple days Ken posted that we shouldn't cut and paste in articles because of copyrights. He was told by somebody that as long as there is credit, it was ok. Don't think it made a difference, don't know. It would be horrible to lose that 'privelege' (sp) too...

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), April 12, 2001.

I've been thinking about it, and here's what bothered me about what happened at the forum. #1 I could be wrong, but apparently the forum does not cost them anything to run, and they did not have to pay for it. Am I right on this? But they started it up and lent the name of the magazine to the forum.

#2 Other than that,except for an occasional post from JD which was always a treat, I have never seen Dave post anything excpet regarding the forum itself.

#3 The subscribers and contributers of the forum are the ones who invest a lot in the forum and give it life so to speak. How many of us have spent countless hours posting answers to some newbie's question or helping one another out? A lot of times it is the same question over and over, but someone is inexperienced and needs confidence so we answered them. True,we spent a lot of time just visiting and shooting the breeze but what was wrong with that?

#4 Anything anyone posts is subject to being lifted and printed in the magazine, without the writer being paid for it. I don't mind that, but some folks did. At any rate, the magazine benefits from the forum.

#5 Anytime someone had any kind of complaint about the froum, Dave would threaten to just pull the plug on the thing. He doesn't care about it, why should he? He hasn't invested anywhere near as much as most of the contributers. It seemed a little high handed to me. It bothers me that someone who has no interest in the forum, never contributes to it, and actively benefits from it, should have life and death control over it. I don't know any of the Belangers, though I've always enjoyed JD's writing. I'm sure they're nice people but it seems that Dave hates the forum and hates to be hassled with it. Why not turn it over to the people who do care about it- the contributers? Just my 2 cents, thanks for letting me rant a little.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), April 12, 2001.

I suspect that Dave hates the whole thing--magazine and forum--but it is the most lucritive thing he can get into. And you are right--the forum costs them nothing but the use of the name. As for as the Belangers are concerned, I don't know them either. I have a couple of JD books, and have been subscribing since 1989. JD has strong commune/socialist leanings in my opinion. That doesn't mean that he isn't knowledgeable, just that he has different political interests and beliefs than I. At any rate, I am just tired of the whole thing. I'm tired of the fighting and the threats made by Ken and Dave, and paying for a magazine that I no longer find even remotely useful.

When I suggested that they also delete religious material, it was not that I really wanted it deleted. It was just that religion is just as much a cause of debate as politics, and if you are going to delete one, why is the other left alone unless you are just promoting or protecting your own political agenda.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), April 12, 2001.

Yes Cindy, I cancelled after the recent troubles.

The thing that caused me to cancel wasn't that I think I have gotten everything possible from the magazine, but that they seem to have a totally different social ideology than I ascribe to. They are all "group think" types. I call it socialism. I am at a point where I really feel that if I am going to invest my paltry amount of money or my thoughts and energy and time into something I want it to be something that I can fully stand behind and be proud to be a part of it. That doesn't exist for me anymore with Countryside...particularly the forum.

I think Rebekah makes some wonderful points as usual. And the entire thing is free other than the time spent in developing it and trying to make it a worthwhile place to go. I have 7 or 8 years of Cside and as many of Backwoods Home and I find them both indispensable in many ways. I won't be burning my back issues in effigy or anything...lol.

-- Dreen (bisquit@here.com), April 12, 2001.

I was personally offended that after they made such a fuss over the political and religious thoughts not being homestead related, and taking up space(what does the space cost them, and why do those issues not effect homesteading?), they published letters in the magazine(where space is a comodity) arguing the number of children families should have. Hello? Is that not a political/religious issue?...I have simply not found the magazine as enjoyable the last few issues as I used to, and thought to let my subscription just run out, but I resubscribed a few months ago for like 2 more years! They don't give you your money back if you cancel, do they?

-- mary, texas (marylgarcia@aol.cmo), April 14, 2001.

I don't know if they do or not....I haven't received a reply to my email. I guess I could get a book to offset it if that is the case. I don't really care all that much, but it would seem fair to give proper value.

In my opinion, you absolutely cannot seperate politics and religion from major life choices. Homesteading and self reliance are not the norm in this society and those two issues have a MAJOR impact upon the decision. For me, they would be primary issues in the decision....that and a relentless love of the creation..there ya go! Inseperable.

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), April 14, 2001.