Letters, Summer 2025

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FRACKING OR WOOD FIRE?

There is an old saying: what goes up must come down.

Most things on earth generally bal­ance out in the end, and this applies to the populations of living creatures. We know from ecology that all populations rise and fall. A common pattern is the numbers slowly rise over a long time, until a population is very abundant, at which time, for numerous reasons, there is a dramatic drop. The very small population that remains then begins a slow rise again. Many signs point to our human population being at the great turning point before it begins to drop.

This cycle is probably inevitable. “To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.” However, we poor humans seem to be intent on damaging our environment by the way we live, as to hasten our down­fall as much as possible. The young lady Greta Thunberg said to all of us, “How dare you?!” She has a point. Watch a sunset some quiet evening while your children or grandchildren play in the backyard. Pretty special, isn’t it? Are we sure we are going to “improve” it?

I’m afraid that Rose Bohmann in her letter (Summer 2023) is right about fracking. Fracking is a good example of many of our methods for getting along in the world. There can be no doubt that fracking does a lot of harm. We can be sure, also, that we do not know all of the harms. This is often the way with our technologies; many of them are Faustian bargains where the im­mediate benefits are astonishing but the ultimate price is far too high. It has been said from time immemorial that we reap what we sow. And this is true even when we do not know what we are sowing.

It may well be that in the end the best form of energy for our homes is a small wood fire in a hearth.

Davis Ellis
Portsmouth, Rhode Island

Americans depended on wood fires in the hearth up until the discovery and use of oil and gas. By 1900, the immense natural forest of the eastern half of the U.S. was gone, taken out to make hay fields to feed horses and mules, and burned for warmth. Today, thanks to oil and gas, it has rebounded to about 30 percent coverage.

NO MENTION OF VACCINES

In his recent press conference when HHS Secretary Kennedy talked about identifying the environmental toxins causing the continually increas­ing rate of autism, he did not use the word “vaccines.”

Not uttering the main culprit causing the autism epidemic is like not uttering the word thalidomide in a press conference about babies in the fifties and sixties born with deformed and missing limbs and ears after the mothers took thalidomide while preg­nant. Many also died in the womb from thalidomide, just as babies die in the womb today from the vaccines given to pregnant women.

Not issuing an immediate morato­rium on the main driver of the autism epidemic while acting like you are con­cerned about stopping it undermines one’s credibility and integrity.

It is reprehensible to ignore the fact that we have the evidence, in spades, that vaccines cause autism—in scores of studies and in millions of eyewit­ness parental reports. What if people had agreed to wait thirty-five years to admit that thalidomide was causing se­vere deformities, deafness, tragic birth defects and miscarriages? Somehow, people can see the evil of that, but not of continually waiting to admit what vaccines are doing to children.

Defending this constant sweep­ing of vaccines under the rug, and those who do the sweeping, defies comprehension if one truly cares about stopping the harming and killing of babies in the womb, newborns, infants, toddlers, children and teens, which is happening every single day without pause via vaccinations.

I have been working to stop this vaccine devastation and resultant au­tism epidemic for nearly thirty years now—thirty years! I have heard time and again that it is “not quite the right time” to speak the unadulterated truth about what happens to children after their vaccinations, which continues to happen to children every single day—life-altering, life-destroying, life-ending things! Wrong! The right time has come and gone for decades now, going back to before the terrible 1986 Act that gives those who manufacture and administer vaccines immunity and, as that right time has been continually postponed and awaited, millions more children have been vaccinated into the devastating, independence-stripping world of autism. To hear Kennedy state that air, water, food additives, mold, obese parents, old parents, diabetic par­ents, medicines and ultrasounds should be considered as potential culprits in the autism epidemic, but not mention vaccines, was infuriating. Every time the word vaccines is omitted from the conversation concerning the autism epidemic constitutes an egregious, inexcusable and unacceptable act.

If we the parents of the vaccine-injured and vaccine-killed are willing to accept the omission of vaccines from the conversation on autism, then we, too, are complicit in the cover up.

Laura Hayes
Staunton, Virginia

BETTER TRACKING DATA?

Robert Kennedy, Jr, says we need better VAERS tracking data. Wait, improve the tracking of injuries as a priority? No one should be injured or killed by a so-called preventive phar­maceutical intervention. One death, one injury—shut the entire vaccination model down! What does it matter if one or one hundred thousand are killed or maimed? All it takes is one! Shut it down!

Stop vaccinations! Vaccines are poisons that cause either a slow or quick kill. That is the reality. Enough already! Give us loving arms to be embraced in, clean air, clean water, real milk, real food and the freedom to wander without reservation through fields of wildflow­ers and clover in the spring—then we will know real health and what it means to be a human being!

Beth Ingham
Wichendon, MA

RAW MILK FOR ASIANS

I’m Vietnamese and growing up my dad never drank milk because he was lactose intolerant. Like many Asians, he would experience uncom­fortable symptoms whenever he con­sumed pasteurized milk, so dairy was something he completely avoided. My husband, who is Chinese, also struggles with lactose intolerance and has always had to steer clear of pasteurized milk as well. However, everything changed when we introduced raw milk into our household.

To our surprise, both my dad and my husband can now drink raw milk without any issues at all! My dad has even grown to love it—it’s become a regular part of his diet, which is some­thing I never thought I’d see. This has been such a revelation for us because it’s the first time they’ve been able to enjoy dairy comfortably. I can only attribute this to the difference between pasteurized and raw milk. Raw milk contains naturally occurring enzymes like lactase and beneficial bacteria that seem to aid digestion, making it far easier to tolerate compared to pasteur­ized milk, which loses these enzymes during heat processing.

This experience has been eye-opening for our family. It’s amazing how traditional, unprocessed foods like raw milk can transform how our bodies respond to dairy—even for those who have struggled with lactose intolerance their entire lives.

Now, we’ve taken things a step further by incorporating fermentation into our routine. My kids absolutely love Vietnamese yogurt (sữa chua), even more than drinking raw milk on its own! Fermenting has become a big part of how we use the gallons of raw milk we get daily during the summer on our homestead (we raise Jersey cows). I often think about how Asians didn’t traditionally have access to Jersey dairy cattle or fresh cow’s milk in large quan­tities. When I talked to my mom about this, she mentioned that growing up in Vietnam, the only form of milk she had was sweetened condensed milk intro­duced by the French. There was water buffalo milk but it was very expensive.

Since we don’t drink or ferment all the raw milk ourselves, we’ve found creative ways to use its by-products. Some of it goes to our animals—shar­ing raw milk with them has noticeably improved their gut health and overall vitality. We also share surplus milk with members of our local community who are curious about raw dairy or are looking for healthier options for their families. It’s been such a rewarding experience to see how this simple yet nourishing food can benefit not just us but also others around us—both human and animal alike!

Sophia Eng, Chapter Leader
Hawkins County, TN

MSG IN REDUCED-FAT MILK

Here’s a terrible fact we all need to know. The PMO (Pasteurized Milk Ordinance) states that when you remove the fat from milk, you have to replace the fat-soluble vitamins A and D. Ap­parently, these added vitamins need to be stabilized with a chemical compound to keep them miscible in an aqueous so­lution. This compound contains MSG! This is one good reason (among many) not to drink reduced-fat or skim milk products.

Beth Verity
Houston, Texas

THE SCHOOLING DEBATE

I am writing in response to Sally Fallon Morell’s book review of Com­monsense Child Rearing: Unconven­tional Wisdom for a Nourished Child­hood. Recognizing that neither Dr. Cowan nor Sally have been in the midst of raising young children in the last decade, I feel compelled to respond to the book review from the Spring 2025 Wise Traditions journal.

I’ll admit my bias immediately: I was educated at home, as was my husband, and we do the same with our children. So, hopefully without being argumentative, I’d like to offer a bit in defense of educating children at home, as well as express my confusion about whether or not to read Dr. Cowan’s book.

Most of Sally’s argument against the book, which received a “Thumbs Up” review, was that children educated by their parents have fewer opportu­nities for extra-curricular activities, such as sports or marching band. In defense of the excellent education pro­vided by our parents, I must make the statement that my husband and I, and our siblings, engaged in sports, music lessons, dance, theater, art, etc. At sev­enteen, I became the local clogging (an American folk dance style) instructor. As a boy, my husband played baseball through the local public school. Today, my husband, at forty, is an expert in his field of forestry due to his dad, a forester, taking him along to work as a boy.

Now, I said I wasn’t here to argue in favor of home education, so I’ll get to the real point of my letter. Two thirds of this all-thumbs book review is an argument against what the book is apparently promoting. If writing a book review, please focus on what the book says, not multiple paragraphs on how you disagree with the statements made in the book! It leaves the reader confused and unsure whether or not to pursue the title.

Many WAPF families are choos­ing to educate their children at home. We so appreciate the resources and education from the Weston A. Price Foundation, Nourishing our Littles and Wise Traditions podcast. We’d love your support, too!

Kathleen Majors
Idaho County WAPF Chapter Leader
Kamiah, ID

It is not in the mission statement of the Weston A. Price Foundation to sup­port any particular type of education. I made it clear in the review that I was expressing my own opinion and draw­ing on my experiences as a teacher trained in remedial reading instruction. I mainly disagreed with Tom’s asser­tion that schooling was not important and that children could learn to read on their own. The rest of the book was excellent.

Sidebar

DELICIOUS SOURDOUGH BREAD RECIPE

I devour every issue of the journal, and so does my daughter. She works at a coffee and tea shop that follows many of your principles in the tiny town of Lisbon, Ohio.

I have a delicious sourdough recipe for Kelley the Kitchen Kop. Iʼve been making it for eleven years, and it makes perfect sliced loaves for sandwiches, toast, toasted cheese and much more! I feed my starter with unbleached organic white flour, so this recipe turns out to be about one-third white flour.

2 cups active stater 1 cup raw milk 1/2 cup water

1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup melted butter 3 teaspoons unrefined salt

5 cups freshly ground spelt flour or wheat flour

Mix all ingredients except salt. Allow dough to rest for 20 minutes. Add salt and knead for 5-10 minutes, or 12 minutes in a Bosch mixer. Add flour as needed, just so it’s not too sticky, but not dry and stiff. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with a dish towel, and let rise for 4 hours or until doubled.

Divide dough into two pieces and place in two greased bread pans, 8 1/2″ × 4 1/2″ × 2″. Let rise again until doubled. When dough has risen, carefully slash the top. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Call the family in for hot bread with plenty of butter! This also makes delicious sandwich buns and cinnamon rolls. I double this batch every time I make it. Wendy Weaver, Salem, Ohio

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