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History Channel’s North Carolina Mountain Man Fights Gov’t for Control of His Property

Feb. 27, 2013 3:20pm Becket Adams

Eustace Conway of N.C. Fights County To Keep His Nature School Natural

Eustace Conway. (Screen grab).

After graduating from Appalachian State University more than two decades ago, Eustace Conway decided to take a crack at Henry Thoreau’s philosophy of getting back to nature – that is, of living “deliberately.”

“I live in a much different way and I’m glad for it,” Conway told Fox 8 WGHP-TV.

He purchased some land outside Boone, N.C., built up his property, and has been using his “nature school” to teach hundreds of people how to live closer to nature ever since.

His lifestyle became so notorious, in fact, that he has been featured on The History Channel’s “Mountain Men“:

But in 2012, citing safety regulations, county officials decided they need to shut down the noted naturalist’s school.

“Basically, I’m living like the American heritage pattern of all of our ancestors and the modern world isn’t. They don’t know how to accept me,” Conway said.

The county issued Conway a cease and desist order, saying his property wasn’t up to code.

“This is supposed to be the land of the free,” he said, “government is supposed to help people [and] protect their individual liberties and freedom. That’s not what’s happening here.”

“My gosh,” he added, “This is the country that I pledge allegiance to?”

The county argues that it is only doing its duty protecting public health and safety, the Fox affiliate notes, and says his “nature school” can continue – but only after it meets the county’s standards.

Problem is, to meet said standards, Conway’s “nature school” would cease to be, well, natural. Also, the county’s demands are a little strange considering that after all this time (26 years) and several inspections, it has suddenly decided his property is a hazard.

Screen grab.

Conway believes the county is merely looking to shut him down and he doesn’t think he has much of a chance in this fight.

“I’m not confident I can win [this],” he said. “I’m confident I ought to win it. I’m confident it shouldn’t be happening. But at this point, basically, what the government told me today is, ‘You can’t operate.’”

Watch the WGHP-TV investigative report:

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Comments (241)

OBAMA IS A FOUL EVIL TRAITOR
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:02pm
KEEP A LIST of All these Obamabot Bureaucrats, All Democrats in Congress starting with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, all the old friends and family of Obama, All Supporters of Obama, All Mainstream Media Propagandists (Tingles, etc), All members of the Congressional BLACK Caucus, Etc, because when the S..t hits the fan soon all of these Maggots need to be Tried for High Treason!!!

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- wowjustwow
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:24pm
  Keep a list?? There is no need to keep a list…that info is highly available. That’s the problem with this site. If you want to help the man, organize and help him. Don’t suggest nonsense.
  
  Report this comment
- malbro
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:27pm
  The very least………..
  
  Report this comment
- SocialistSlayer
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:52pm
  Yes , and if found guilty I say public hangings will be in order!
  
  Report this comment
- obxned
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:52pm
  Amen!!!!
  
  Report this comment
- SocialistSlayer
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:53pm
  Sorry WOW, you may have just made the list !
  
  Report this comment
- CommonSenseTalk
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:55pm
  America gets what they really want. here is a man that will tell almost everyone what they want to hear. None is the truth, but he will just keep telling you a lie because the truth hurts.
  
  Are you going to vote for anyone who tells you I will have to cut every ones government checks and increase taxes to every one. Every person will have to pay taxes, no more take credits, tax right offs, etc. No more federal school funding.
  
  Yes I see Americans voting this person in…
  
  Report this comment
- ginger100
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 5:04pm
  Remember Dingles words, “control the people”. I spit when I see or hear zeros name.
  
  Report this comment
- Dan_o
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 5:51pm
  You think this is bad, wait until you are fined or your land is seized for growing your own tomatoes.
  
  Report this comment
- BBEV
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 6:33pm
  I am waiting for the time when the government tells me I can no longer heat my home using wood. I use 3 wood stoves.
  
  Report this comment
- Ballot_Box_Revolution
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 6:36pm
  My mom is kinda going through the same thing. Back in 04 hurricane charlie came through the neighborhood, and it did some minor damage to the roof. Didn’t leak or anything, and she had no insurance to fix it. FEMA didn’t help her out, but yet i heard stories at work where some people were working the system and getting thousands of dollars….but anyways my mom could not afford the few grand to get it fixed (She was working minimum wage living week to week and not complaining), so she decided to live with it since it did not leak or anything. So it was like this for years and the City never said anything about it.
  
  In 2010 she had a hernia operation that failed a few times….was admitted to hospital at least three times, So she was out of work for most of 2010. Towards the end of 2010 the city come knocking and saying you need to get that fixed, but it doesn’t stop there, they said she needed to get the whole roof redone, and put gutters in the front (which very few houses in her neighborhood had). I told the code enforcement Nazi that she had been out of work most of the year, no insurance on the house to get a loan, the economy is horrible. He said it didn’t matter it had to get done.
  
  Since then she lost a toe, and is scheduled to have her other big toe removed with in a few weeks, and on disability. They gave her til April before they take further action, and tax her 50 dollars a day. Impossible…..she will end up losing her home…
  
  Report this comment
- drs1969
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 7:07pm
  This doesn’t have anything to do w/ Obama. It’s the county. This guy’s a graduate of Appalachian located in Watauga County, the Meth capitol of NC. That means he’s probably smoked a lot of weed in the last 20+ years. He probably also voted for Obama. A lot of this school’s grads are pot heads. The father of a classmate of mine went there. He was a 4th grade teacher until he was caught growing weed on an industrial scale. He got a cousin of mine hooked while still in High School.
  
  Report this comment
- 1000-yd-stare
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 8:02pm
  I wanted to start a web site and list the names and addresses of ALLL the traitors. And when the shite hits the fan we can hunt them down and give them a little Kadafi workup.
- desertspeaks
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 8:10pm
  N. Carolina Constitution ARTICLE II LEGISLATIVE Sec. 21. Style of the acts. The style of the acts shall be: “The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:”.
  NO WHERE in N. Carolina’s statutes will you find an enacting clause, no enacting clause, no law to be broken! case dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction!
  
  Report this comment
- Stokanator
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 8:14pm
  What a joke! Well folks this is just another sign of things to come considering the government is consistently expanding its reach of control and half the people in this country don;t have the intelligence to see it as being important enough to really pay attention to what is going on in this country. Its just crazy to think you can buy land and pay property taxes and still have some government chump come on your land to tell you what you’re aloud to build and what you’re aloud to do on your own property. When it comes to living in the city I can understand land and building code, houses are close together and the population is much larger. If their wasn’t this type of enforcement in populated areas your house may be at risk because your neighbor hadn’t wired his home properly, I get it and that’s fine. But when you live out in the middle of no where the risk solely lies with him and the people who decide to come on his property. This is where the government oversteps its bounds, I don’t want nor need politicians telling what is and isn’t safe and enforcing it by putting laws on the books aka a nanny state. This man is making a honest living! Nothing has changed on his property in 25 years! What ever codes were written on his property are not putting his neighbors in danger. I guess they should outlaw camping too. Camping is just entirely to dangerous unless you camp in a place where that you’ve paid city officials to inspect the land 1st.
  
  Report this comment
- Wolfgang the Gray
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 8:19pm
  I think it would be easier to keep a list of who isn’t responsible for this insanity (remember all the idiots that voted BHO a 1st & 2nd term).
  
  Does this guy own the land or is he still paying some bank for it? If he owns the land, he should just tell the government to go piss up a tree.
  
  This is outrageous that a person cannot be free to live how they want on their own land. This man is teaching things that used to mean the difference between living and dying. From the way things are looking, those skills just might make a rapid and urgent return.
  
  Maybe in order to fend off the insanity, he could build a separate building or area to do his school. I’m guessing though that the government wants running water & indoor toilets and stuff.
  
  “Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” – George Washington
  
  Report this comment
- Keatonc333
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 8:20pm
  Ya because there are some many “obama bots” in this rural north carolina county… did you even read the story? or just the headline? hint: many blaze headlines can be deceiving.
  
  Report this comment
- banjarmon
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 9:37pm
  Freedoms lost! What gives the authority to the county to come on his private land??
  
  Report this comment
- sillyfreshness
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 10:48pm
  Welcome to communism. Don’t expect any media help either from the “chosen people” ran Marxist Media.
  
  Report this comment
- youshuthehellup
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 11:09pm
  I got my list and I’m still adding to it!
  
  Report this comment
- Major Infidel
  Posted on February 28, 2013 at 12:30am
  @DRC
  
  Western NC is a liberal safe haven. I would’ve thought his drug history would have won kudos from the county officials and local residents. Sad really, that part of the state is quite beautiful and rich in history, but the progressive atmosphere ruins the experience. I’m thinking there’s a lot more to this story and would like a little more insight.
  
  Report this comment
- mamatango
  Posted on February 28, 2013 at 1:12am
  I thought the gov’t has stated many times they wanted us to “GO GREEN”, “conserve precious resources, give up our “massive consumerism, live frugally”, yada, yada, yada…
  
  On Feb. 16, President Obama unveiled the report titled “America’s Great Outdoors: A Promise to Future Generations” at a White House ceremony. The ACHP was involved in development of the report and will play a role in its implementation to help weave cultural heritage and recognition for historic places into key parts of the program.
  
  http://www.achp.gov/news_americasgreatoutdoors.html
  
  Which way is it?
  
  If anything stands out to me as a National Heritage it’s this man! He is certainly doing HIS PART, so what’s the beef? He is an American History Living Museum!!! So, why wouldn’t they be giving him a medal or maybe paying him like they do the other cultural heritage sites?
  
  Report this comment
- rcampb10
  Posted on February 28, 2013 at 8:01am
  I cant agree more!!! The people that are working to destroy this country need to be held acountable, than we strengthen what the country stands for. We need to get our kids back, our country back, our bible back………
  
  Report this comment
- RANGER1965
  Posted on February 28, 2013 at 8:34am
  If the SHTF….no one will be worried about who, or what got us there. That includes the people on this forum.
  
  The riots will not be about getting Pelosi or Reid, it’ll be much more basic. Food, water, weapons, and anything that wil help someone live another day.
  
  For the most part, the socialist political class will shift the blame to people like us. They will use the same arguments that OWS used. “THE REASON YOU ARE POOR, AND DOING SO BAD IS BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE IS RICH. THE MONEY AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT SHOULD BE YOURS IS BEING HELD BY THIS OR THAT GUY IN THE SUIT.”
  
  So….they will say that the reason that you don’t have food to feed your children is because evil men with guns are hoarding all the food.
  
  Is this logical? Nope.
  
  But realize that hungry liberals are like hungry conservatives. Values get a might thin when it’s a matter of survival.
  
  So in conclusion, I don’t know who is going to be hanging, and whose going to be standing. But what I can tell you is that in a SHTF type of situation it won’t be the right people.
  
  Report this comment
- jettson
  Posted on February 28, 2013 at 8:59am
  Wow You have to start somewhere. What do you have in mind? Obone head is a Foul Evil traitor. Everything about this administration is corrupt. When are people wake up? IMPEACH
  
  Report this comment
- Marine 1
  Posted on February 28, 2013 at 11:03am
  Just leave the man alone for gosh sakes. Holy smokes!
  
  Report this comment
- ChildOfTheKing
  Posted on February 28, 2013 at 11:39am
  @wowjustwow:
  YOU ARE SO 120% CORRECT, it’s no wonder that the people on The Blaze aren’t liberals in sheep’s clothing.
  
  THIS GOVT IS TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL. Anyone who wants to live off the land, without all the amenities of govt utilities and controls, should be able to do so, this include PREPPERS.
  
  Find out who these govt officials are, AND CALL THAT AGENCY AND COMPLAIN.
  If enough people do it, along with calling the Senators of that state, THEY WILL STOP THIS HARASSMENT. That is what it is: harassment. It has nothing to do with codes. It has everything to do with CONTROL. THEY WANT TO CONTROL EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING.
  
  ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, PEOPLE. CALL YOUR SENATORS AND AGENCIES OVER THIS MAN’S PROPERTY. DO IT NOW.
  
  Report this comment
- paco51
  Posted on February 28, 2013 at 3:56pm
  And after there tried and found guilty i think they used to hang them hi.Thats what i would do.
  
  Report this comment
- coyotejoe
  Posted on March 27, 2013 at 2:12pm
  The Blaze really does its readers a disservice by presenting only one side of the story here. Former interns who have lived and worked on “Turtle Island Sanctuary” have stated that it is an environmental disaster and Eustace Conway is really a con man. You don’t get to see the junk yard of old cars rusting away and leaking their fluids into the ground, old rusty old trailers and dilapidated shacks. Those interns have stated that contrary to claims, they produce almost none of their own food but rely on donations and picking through dumpsters in town. Conway claims to live on less than $2,000 per year but check out his web site, the fees he charges vary from $95.00 for a half day course on “spoon carving” to $750.00 for a five day camp. And it is not just Conway crapping in the woods, on any given day it could be at least 8 people and upward of several dozen using the woods as a toilet. I’m amazed they haven’t shut him down long ago. Before you go making this guy out to be some backwoods hero you really should get the other and larger side of the story.
  
  Report this comment
- coyotejoe
  Posted on March 27, 2013 at 2:26pm
  Before you make this guy out to be some sort of backwoods hero you really should get the other side of the story. Former interns who have lived and worked on “Turtle Island Sanctuary” have said that it is an environmental disaster. Consider, it is not just Conway crapping in the woods, only any given day there are at least 8 people and some tines several dozen using the woods for a toilet. The TV does not let you see the junkyard of old cars rusting away and spilling their fluids into the ground. They say that in fact Turtle Island produces almost none of it’s own food, they do not “live off the land” but live off donations. Check out his web site and the fees he charges, from $95 for a half day class to $750 for a 5 day camp. They say that actually Conway will not allow interns to work with hand tools because power tools are faster. The horses are used only to give wagon rides to tourists, all actual work is done with trucks, tractors and backhoes. The man is a complete fraud and many of the crude structures on site are not just “not up to code” but actually dangerous.
  
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tonypro
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:00pm
Just another “we know what’s good for you, better than you do” scenario.

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- YourVoiceMatters
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:07pm
  yep the progressive mantra!
  be nice if they didn’t look down their nose at others choices
  just because it is not their choice! what is fair about that?…
  Not a bit of it is fair…and we all know it….
  take names and vote them out
  but until then better make some noise
  lest they come after your way of life too…
  
  Report this comment
- OniKaze
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 5:27pm
  @wowjustwow
  
  If what you are saying is true (and I don’t doubt you), then I don’t think you ARE a progressive.. At least by today’s definition…
  
  Just like the definition of “Assault Weapons” changes to fit the needs of the people using the term, the word “Progressive” is the same way…
  
  If I may, I suggest you refer to yourself as a humanitarian, or and Idealist… As now-a-days, the term “Progressive” either means;
  
  1. Your Car insurance company
  
  or
  
  2. A “Keep your eyes closed and ignore the problem” liberal who thinks Government should make all the decisions for all of us “Great unwashed Masses” who are too ignorant to know whats good for us…
  
  If I were you, I would not want myself lumped in with that lot, as if you side with this guy, and WOULD help him, that clearly means you are not a “Progressive” as they are currently known today..
  
  Kinda the same way the “Conservatives” don’t tend to call themselves “Republicans” anymore…
  
  Report this comment
- Keatonc333
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 8:22pm
  yourvoice… how many progressives do you figure are rural north carolina county officials?
  
  Report this comment
- khandahar&jalalabad
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 8:48pm
  @keaton
  Obviously at least one, a conservative minded person would not use their power to bully and intimidate people to their will. That is the essence of any progressive republican or democrat, you either conform to the collective or be intimidated into complying.
  
  Report this comment
- starman70
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 8:55pm
  Utterly appalling!!! A county in a southern state trying to emulate New York’s NANNY BLOOMBERG.
  
  How many dollars have the visitors and students contributed to the economy of the county? I bet the Mountain Men production crews didn’t live in tents during the filming.
  
  This is just another example of the trampling of individual rights by government. It’s disgusting!!
  
  Report this comment
- mtcountrygrl
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 9:00pm
  @Keaton obviously there are some. Progressives are big goverment, can be Democrat or Republican.
  
  Something similar happened to our business just recently. After a massive economic slow down following the election, my husband finally landed a contract to build a new house for some friends. Two weeks from start date and my husband is still fighting the permits office. Finally we get the notice, FEMA has changed the regulations for any new home built in a 100 year flood plane. There has been a trailer house on this exact spot for 30 years and it has never flooded (even in our worst flood year 1997). The home owners simply want to haul away the trailer and build a nice starter home. FEMA and the city want them to haul in $30,000 worth of fill dirt, pay to have the fill then surveyed by a licensed surveyor, open the construction project up for public comment and give the public 30 days to object to the housing project and then they can apply for the permit and flood certificate (not even guarenteed). These costs put the home out of their price range. Plus we are out of work again and had to lay off one of our guys. Thanks progressive jerks
  
  Report this comment
- Cherokee160
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 9:37pm
  What’s being overlooked with the comments are the fact that Boone NC is a college town with many liberal teachers/students. It also has seen a mass influx of liberal northerners who ran for office, elected themselves and changed the way this rural community operated.
  
  Report this comment
- countrygal42
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 10:56pm
  @MTCOUNTRYGIRL What you are describing is part of the UN Agenda 21 crap. Go read up on it. It has nothing to do with the progressives. It is being implemented by ALL of the government officials… federal, state, county, local that are on board with it. There are no party lines here. It is a plan of the New World Order. Most of our federal Government; both dems and repubs are part of it. Don’t trust ANY politician unless they are a constitutionalist!
  
  Report this comment
- Schteveo
  Posted on February 28, 2013 at 12:18am
  Cherokee160,
  it’s not just Boone and you know it.
  
  Charlotte has been a lb hotbed for years. Wake County / Raleigh are a MESS with ex-N.E. libs moving here and voting for the SAME stuff they say drove them OUT of the N.E. It’s insane the way they think That liberal, hand-wringer thinking is why we moved to another county, to get back to some decent, smart thinking family people.
  
  Hello Johnston County, we loves ya’!.
  
  Report this comment
- Cherokee160
  Posted on February 28, 2013 at 5:45pm
  Schteveo, Agreed but I was replying to the comment of “rural” NC and progressives. The mountain regions have been hotbed of this behavior and the locals can’t seem to get organized enough to fight it off.
  
  Report this comment
Vision Harry
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:00pm
I’m afraid this is more of a money grab than anything. These local and federal moochers are just trying to squeeze the blood out of every available turnip in order to fill their insatiable appetites for our hard earned cash. Our local building department has adopted the “International Building Codes” 1) They are too lazy to do their own work. 2) It allows them to charge exorbitant and unnecessary fees. 3) They are too ignorant to realize what they are doing to their own community. (Agenda 21)
All you contractors out there, check out/ UN Green International Building Codes. Welcome to my world

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- PATTY HENRY
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 5:45pm
  IF anyone wants to check the Background of WATAUGA COUNTY they will find that the local bank
  was in bed with the City and County guys and as I recall it worked something like this: Someone would come up there, (near Boone) and develop land (for their own home, for serveral homes or even more ambitious development. Bank would loan them money to do this and after it was done, City/County would come in and condemn it. Owner would have to find funds to make ‘changes’ and/or pay off bank obligations or walk away. Most had to walk away. Later, officers of the bank and the City/County ended up owning said property …bank got a ‘loss write-off’; city got fines, original owner got scr#wed… the City/County/Banking good ol’ boys got a big laugh and more
  developed valuable property.
  IF you want to find out if this is possible in this case check the location of this property in relationship to BOONE/BANNER ELK/BLOWING ROCK …if it’s now in the path or close to a developing area..you have your answer.
  The City/County has no right to tell any man how to live on his property as long as it’s not effecting others. If the man is teaching survival skills and people are paying for it, any “risks” have to be between ‘customer’ and owner and owner’s insurance co. But, look for the approaching developments to find your culprit(s).
  
  Report this comment
- wvgirl
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 5:51pm
  You are so correct. If someone or a group in every small community would take the time to explain what U.N. Agenda 21 is all about, and how it is started at the local level, most local level leaders would not even recognize what they are supporting. They are as uneducated and uninformed as all the other joe-blows out there. WHEN will GOOD MEN stand and defend? WHEN?
  
  Report this comment
- WarMunger_Al
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 6:56pm
  the county officials need their legs broke.
  
  Report this comment
- drs1969
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 7:19pm
  Re: Patty
  You’re right, they may be after his property. The locals up there love to stick to outsiders, especially the Floridians!
  
  Report this comment
- mercenary4freedom
  Posted on February 28, 2013 at 12:23am
  PATTY, I heard about that & hundreds of unfinished homes/cabins on the mkt up there. A friend of mine is talking about buying a few acres up there to put a cabin on. I told him to be vareful. That place is being overrun by lib progs. What a shame.
  
  Report this comment
DEFCON4
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:59pm
There ‘they’ go Again !

Infringing Our individual rights in the name of “Public health and safety”

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kadster01
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:59pm
I live in NC. Back in the 60′s, my grandfather’s brother did exactly what this man is doing. He didn’t teach other people how to live off the land, but he built a small cabin in the hills of Mt. Airy and survived off the elements. I got the opportunity to meet him once when I was 11. He was in his 90′s. He died a year later. Fortunately for him, America was still America then and no one threatened to assimilate him back into the society he sought to escape.

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- Smokey_Bojangles
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:20pm
  Back in the Early 60′s my Pappy was a Cop. If a man was boarded up with a gun,the others would say,”Ok Rookie.Go Get him.”
  All he had was a badge,a uniform,and a revolver.
  Now the cops show up in a tank with a Machine gun looking like they are getting ready to invade Normandy. A Lot more seem to be taken alive back in my Pappy’s day,as well.
  
  Report this comment
KGAZ
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:58pm
My sister had it used against her in court, that she was warming her house, in WY, with a wood stove! The judge accepted that as child abuse!

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Gator_222
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:56pm
The day of people minding their own business is over in this world. People are being harassed for the simplest things … In my county the Amish were forced to stop selling milk from the farm … Eggs cannot be legally sold without the producer having an industrial, factory type operation open to board of health inspection …. School and church bake sales are being stopped unless all goods are produced in government approved kitchens. A local child received an order to dismantle the club house he built in his back yard because he didn’t have a building permit and it wasn’t up to code … The list goes on.

The day will come when they do to the rest of us what they are doing to this man … I only hope after they get me they will sit around and say … “Damn … That one hurt!”

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- annie-oakley
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:56pm
  Or better yet, they say nothing because they can no longer speak.
  
  Report this comment
- kkrogulski
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 5:07pm
  Amen and Amen Annie
  
  Report this comment
- wvgirl
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 5:55pm
  WHY does that day HAVE to come? What is wrong with us that we will not defend our rights and freedoms? What has happened to our courage, our determination, our grit?
  
  Report this comment
- Bullitt2008
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 6:30pm
  Land of the free? I guess not. Wonder when the Obama Administration will take that out of our National Anthem.
  
  Report this comment
- taxpro4u03
  Posted on February 28, 2013 at 8:23am
  I expect there are some folks on the Pine Ridge reservation (pick ANY ‘reservation,’ for that matter) — who feel the same way — ‘progress,’ ya see — Andy Jackson decided the native Americans were ‘in the way,’ hence the Indian Removal Act — buncha folks didn’t think it ‘right’ tellin’ other folks how to live (horror ‘stories’ of predominantly black farm ‘animals’ and breeding stock) – and just over 630,000 lost their lives — more if you count antebellum and reconstruction THRU the 1960′s — between 1890 and say – 1970 – America PRODUCED (consumer goods i.e. the ‘good life’ stuff) and this was the golden age of EARNING a ‘respectable’ living — aka ‘work.’ — ‘Slavery’ is now outsourced, then its ‘products’ imported basically duty-free – placed on the shelves of wally-world, et al — where’s that $$ come from to BUY to keep the economic engine humming?? — Progressives from BOTH sides know it comes from the printing press Fed Reserve – QE3 – infinity ad nauseum — $16+ TRILLION ‘debt,’ – There’s no lack of resources to manage RESPONSIBLY — Revisit the Children’s story — Little Red Hen — THAT is primarily why the ‘masses’ have been led to believe its not worth the effort to ‘pursue happiness’ – Honest days’ WORK for an honest days’ pay — take HALF under ‘statutory withholding,’ etc?? Sounds a lil like ‘sharecropping’ with the landowners, da me — NEVER get outta ‘debt’ payin’ off that seed $ and the Co. Store…. “squatters!
  
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lobster
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:56pm
These clowns under the guise of building codes have caused the cost of building to more than double in the last 25 years or so. Sure the houses are easier to heat and cool, but is that any of their business? “They” caused the housing bubble and also popped it. Thus they destroyed the livelihood of millions of people and reduced everyones’ net worth by at least half. We all would have used that money to buy all sorts of things, but now we have to grovel for our very existence.

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MEREEL
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:55pm
I’ve seen the show a couple of time. He has been in trouble about local taxes before, I am thinking he either got on their radar then, or there is more to this story. He keeps having these dumb statements about freedom that do make sense, but that does not mean you just do not pay your taxes. I would like to hear what specifically the county is saying is dangerous.

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- texgo2003
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:58pm
  Half the country doesn’t pay taxes!! The difference is that he’s white!! The pressure is building!!
  
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- drs1969
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 7:21pm
  He probably got on their radar either by pot or meth.
  
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- proliance
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 8:31pm
  DRS1969, I don’t usually call people idiots, but if the shoe fits,wear it.
  
  You don’t know anything about this guy and you want to libel him. He happens to be a great American, in the same vein as Daniel Boone. He built all the buildings on his land with his own hands, in the style people did it hundreds of years ago and the county doesn’t like it because they don’t have enough control over him.
  
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woodyee
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:54pm
What are the county’s demands?

Do they want his horses and pigs to wear diapers?
Do they require the health dept. inspect the chicken’s eggs before they’re laid?
Are his proper cups of coffee come from copper coffee pots?

Wholey smokes…

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wowjustwow
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:54pm
I am curious to know if they would have bothered him if he wasn’t calling it a school. He should say he shut down his school and just have people come as “visitors”…anyone can have visitors, no?

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- Xiccarph
  Posted on February 28, 2013 at 8:54am
  Probably wouldn’t work. Then they’d just complain that traffic to his property was “excessive”, or that there were too many unrelated people living on that land at any one time, or any one of endless real or imagined rules that were being broken, or permits that were needed to entertain more than X persons. Remember, its the GOVERNMENT, they can use any excuse and use their badges and guns to force you to obey or else, and then bankrupt you in the legal process, because recall that for them, the legal system is always free….on our dollars!
  
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thegreatcarnac
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:53pm
The very idea that he taught old ways of survival and independence means that his equipment, dwellings, and surroundings would not be up to modern codes. This is nothing but a government that does what it wants,..not what it needs to do. It is a power thing. Revolution….anyone? The time is coming in the future.

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wuggly ump
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:52pm
If he goes and teaches people that they don’t need government what will the bureaucrats do? The state needs to be there ’cause bad things can’t happen, like school shootings, hurricanes, floods and other stuff.
People are becoming more and more helpless partly due to laziness partly due to independence is being heavily regulated with zoning and building codes.
I’m sure people attending the school are there with an understanding this is a minimalist life style.
A line from the movie “V for Vendetta” spoken by the head of the state in the movie, went something like this, “I want them (the people) to know they need us (the state)”.

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RightThinking1
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:52pm
Probably a food prep/storage issue, possibly an outhouse/septic problem. I’m guessing that if he were not engaged in business, there would not be a ‘problem’.

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Spitfire1938
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:50pm
I was going to ask Mr. Conway how he’d become so out of touch with our wonderful “NEW” communist State… but previous commentaries rendered my little observation boringly redundant. You people are the BEST!!!!!!

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- wowjustwow
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:55pm
  This is nothing “new”…let’s at least be honest that this is NOT “new”…I think it’s wrong, but it isn’t new.
  
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- Spitfire1938
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:52pm
  Agreed… but it’s shockingly new to Mr. Conway!
  
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LeFaux Jew
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:49pm
When we we first married we were poor., no electricity, indoor plumbing. We lived in a camp really. Some of the best times of my life.
Many places now you can’t use a spring or dug well, or a back house anymore.
Many codes are designed for business / corporate lobbyists, and union employment.
I have a friend who was a lumber in MA who once told me that for years the state would not allow PVC drain piping because his union lobbied and fought to keep the old iron pipe workers employed at a higher wage, thus not allowing it by code. \
My electrician said the same thing, many things are code not necessarily because of safety.

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- drs1969
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 7:29pm
  They’re there to protect anyone who has pull w/ the county. Several years ago, I had a realtor, whose office was next door to the inspector’s office, send the inspector out to harass me. She thought it’d intimidate me into cutting the price for her client(we were already under contract). Instead, I fixed the things he wanted fixed and then told her and her client exactly where to go. They didn’t gain anything, but a cussing! I gained $9000 by selling it myself w/ a sign that said No Realtors.
  
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MonkeyBeagle
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:48pm
Where is the local community, banding together with this guy… our communities are broken. Would you stand with him if it was in your neighborhood?

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- wowjustwow
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:05pm
  It doesn’t appear he has neighbors. It looks pretty isolated. I can’t imagine anyone having a problem with him being there. Unless the story is leaving out some major components, he doesn’t appear to be surrounded by anyone who would complain.
  
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RoguePO
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:44pm
place looks fine to me

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- Exidor
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:22pm
  I was going to say the same thing. Looks pretty good to me too!
  
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- booger71
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:25pm
  Looks better than many trailer courts I have seen, and 99.99% better than most of Detroit.
  
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Smokey_Bojangles
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:42pm
Sorry Grizzly Adams. But if you try to live off of the grid,government will either lock you up or shoot you.

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RJJinGadsden
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:42pm
These days Henry Thoreau would be shackled to a stone wall in a federal maximum security dungeon.
It is so.

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- 00100111
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:05pm
  These days, Samuel Adams would have been a drone strike long ago.
  
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- AUsername
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 6:16pm
  yeah because those great police officers would make that happen for him.
  
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- wvgirl
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 7:09pm
  These days, Samuel Adams and Co would have already had the second revolution wrapped up and the traitors strung up and dealt with. We have no Samuel Adams these days. I feel sure he wouldn’t be twittering and chatting on FB while our country and Constitution goes to hell in a hand cart.
  
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- chazmo
  Posted on February 28, 2013 at 12:51am
  And they would have used Paul Revere’s horses for food.
  
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progressiveslayer
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:38pm
Mr.Conway read the ten planks of the communist manifesto and it describes modern day Amerika to a T.
None of us except the ruling class are free in new Amerika,we have no rights and the constitution was voided many years ago. All governmental agencies are designed for power and control of the people and it’s been that way for many many years.

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- objectivetruth
  Posted on February 28, 2013 at 12:10pm
  You got that right.Its even worse.Agenda 21 is straight out of hitlers nightmare.The fact that NC is carrying through shouldn’t surprise anyone.I leave you with a couple links that describe the original world order and one that encompassses the ability of NC to get on board very bad ideas and institute them on a broad scale.Well that is if the mods don’t block it like they tried to a few minutes a go.
  First in NC history
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics_in_the_United_States
  Agenda 21′s predassessor.
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Order_(Nazism)
  
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cydog
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:32pm
If they are going to shut him down, they are going to be busy since I see a lot of rural homes look worse than this one. They should see the country house I grew up in! no indoor plumbing, fireplace for heat, no cooling system, I would be taken to a foster home in today’s world! Thank God I remember when america was free.

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- Smokey_Bojangles
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:52pm
  He probably has to install handicapped toilets and lift bars over the poo hole.A Ramp into the bathing pond. Serve Halal food and all animals have to be slaughtered accordingly. Braille Directions stamped into every tree. Have Transgendered changing rooms. Learn Spanish and have everything printed in Spanish……
  Boone is a college town. College towns lead to Big Government,regulations,and Communism.
  Why else would The Elon ‘Fighting Christians’ have to change their name to ‘The Phoenix?’
  Indoctrination.
  
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- wvgirl
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 7:22pm
  Same here. No indoor plumbing, nothing but hand-dug well water which was the best water I have ever tasted. No phone, no car, plowed the fields with a horse, raised chickens, pigs, etc. Dirt road up a holler in an old rock house with a tin roof and tar paper here and there and a path to the outhouse. It was absolutely the best years of my life growing up with my grandparents. Nothing could compare to that today. I actually feel sorry for kids today and for future generations. What will they talk about when they grow up? What memories will they share with their brothers and sisters, children? Remember when we played that one video game? Remember when Madonna kissed Brittany? What a shame and what a shame we all let it happen.
  
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- drs1969
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 7:34pm
  RE: Smokey
  Appalachian turns out nearly the most Communists in NC, second only to UNC Chapel Hill. Tax dollars hard at work, against you!
  
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Cavallo
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:30pm
Sir, I’m sorry your awakening was so nasty. You do not live in a free country. You haven’t ever, most likely. It’s all an illusion. You live in a Fascist State. You must do things the State’s way, or not at all. They are not there to protect you, they are not there to defend your freedom. That flag is a lie, that pledge is a lie, the national anthem is a lie. No soldiers are coming to defend you, no men in uniform will protect your property or your liberty. The State will drain you of whatever resources you have left, then steal your property. Welcome to Oceania, Big Brother is watching.

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NHwinter
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:29pm
The government inforcing UN Agenda 21 under the guise of safety?

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- Hawkeyefan19
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:01pm
  Exactly what I was thinking.
  
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Costly_Freedom
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:28pm
How dare he teach people to be independent…

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- RAGEAGAINSTTHEMACHINE
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 3:40pm
  EXACTLY! Can’t have people knowing anything else but Big Gob’t overlords
  
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- oldduffer
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:04pm
  Not without a permit.
  
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- GrandWazoo
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 4:10pm
  My heart goes out to Mr. Conway. Living in the country all my life, I have learned how to fish and hunt and grow my own food, but I envy the individual who chooses a lifestyle like his; if I want or need something, its up to me to make it and make it work, not just purchase what I need and take it back to the store if it doesnt work as advertised. I think Eustace Conway may find that there is vested interest from a third party regarding possible future development of his property, and that the lure of tax dollars and payoffs to elected officials from said investment is what’s behind the Countys’ sudden interest in building code violations….at least, that’s how it works here in Maine. Political corruption is like rust…it never stops.
  
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- AUsername
  Posted on February 27, 2013 at 6:17pm
  i wonder what cop will enforce it, i wonder if they will also be ex marines or ex military.
  
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