neighbors harvest crops for farmer with two broken legs (irony alert)

[FaC]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023581735

Liberal_in_LA (30,051 posts)

neighbors harvest crops for farmer with two broken legs


RUDYARD, Mont. (AP) — A Rudyard farmer, who was unable to harvest his fields due to two broken legs, watched from his wheelchair as his neighbors rallied at his farm to help him.

The English philosopher John Locke once said, "To love our neighbor as ourselves is such a truth for regulating human society, that by that alone one might determine all the cases in social morality."

This rang true for Joe Becker as he watched the line of his neighbors' combines harvesting the fields he was unable to attend to.

"I had six combines, several trucks, a tractor and all kinds of help today and yesterday," Joe Becker said Wednesday. "To have those combines lined up like they were cutting their own crops was great. Once they got together, nobody had to tell anybody what to do or ask anybody to do anything. They just did it."

Becker spent five days in the hospital at Kalispell after falling 12 feet while helping his son build a cabin. He broke the tibia in his left leg, in which 10 screws had been placed, and his right leg had to be set in a cast after developing a hairline fracture and breaking bones in all his toes.

"It was bad timing on my part," Becker said.

Becker said while he was on mandatory bed rest at the hospital, he received a call from one of his neighbors, who told Becker he had enough to worry about and he would not have to worry about his farm.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Neighbors-help-Rudyard-man-harvest-crop-4781008.php

Not the first time and certainly not the last time something like this happens.

Lots of replies similar to this sample

Star Member Frustratedlady (9,028 posts)
1. This is just automatic around here. If the farmer is down,

or his family is suffering from some disaster, the farmers are first to step forward. It is magical to see and SO appreciated by the family. I have witnessed it time after time. Not only do the farmers step forward, but their wives prepare the noon meal and mid-morning/afternoon snacks.

This has gone on for centuries and will continue as long as the family farmer isn't run out of business by the corporations.

MuseRider (23,558 posts)
19. Same here. When I was just starting to set this place up

I was out here all alone all the time. My family had no interest and were certainly not interested in helping me. My neighbor across the road would come by if he saw me out working or noticed that I had not left after feeding the horses just to check.

He always offered to help, I usually wanted to just do it myself. One day when he stopped in because I had been here a long time he found me knocked out. I had been setting up a round pen and dropped a panel and caught it on my head. He woke me up, lol. I went home with the pen only half done. When I came back out that evening I found the entire pen set up and two nice wood posts that I did not have sunk in concrete and the gate hung as well.

I see this time and time again. Although I am certain it is not always true it is out here and I benefited so much from the generosity of my neighbors.

Special NE callout:

newfie11 (4,003 posts)
7. This happened to our best friends

They were in a horrible car wreck (a guy on crack hit them) and we didn't know for a week or two if he would make it. She had non-life threatening back injury.
We picked up her dogs and brought them to our home 50 miles away.Their neighbors fed the horses and got the fields ready, then seeded corn And beans. Cut the alfalfa etc.
He was recovering in a nursing home for 3 months but is now back on the tractors and combine.
Yes I cannot ever say anything bad about the folks here in the western Nebraska Panhandle. Well except most are repugs but I over look that lol

Agree but would observe that Kentuck's "Spirit of America" comment could be read as the spirit lives in that evil flyover country...

kentuck (68,610 posts)
9. Now we know where the spirit of America is living...

peace

Always one...

Skittles (89,092 posts)
28. um

I have a needle stuck in my arm every three weeks for one hundred minutes, to donate platelets to people I don't even know.....that's how us suburban folk "take care of our own" , including those who have heart attacks........kindness is not limited to red states

redstatebluegirl (343 posts)
29. Well i was raised in a BLUE state!!!!

This is why DU has issues and why I stay away..... I am also a third generation DEMOCRAT, my grandfather was so progressive he was shunned by the Illinois machine!!!! Be careful who you insult! Not all rural folks are uneducated hicks. Three generations of college education AND union supporters!

What a knee jerk reaction!

Skittles (89,092 posts)
30. I simply dislike the repuke meme that rural areas are more American than non-rural

I see it here in my red state AND in DU

redstatebluegirl (343 posts)
31. Well I took personal afront to your post

Last edited Mon Sep 2, 2013, 09:49 PM USA/ET - Edit history (1)
To something heartfelt on my part. My best friend from high school is gay my Dad protected her when he was President of our smalltown school board. I learned early to be careful making broad judgements..DU could use some of that. Maybe this board is not where I belong....

To me, the ironic part is not once in all of these examples was there any government involvement. On one hand you cannot swing a stick without hitting a DUmmy that thinks that the government should be involved in all aspects of day to day living but on the other hand how can these guys live with themselves as they heap praise on something that does not involve our government in some form or faction. Hypocrites...

[GOBUCKS]

Skittles (89,092 posts)
28. um
I have a needle stuck in my arm every three weeks for one hundred minutes, to donate platelets to people I don't even know.....

DUmmy Skittles sells plasma, a popular career among 0bamaites.

But that's nothing. Taverner sticks a needle in his arm, or foot, or wherever he can find a vein, a couple of times a day.

[Bad Dog]

I'll bet not one of those folks in Montana ran to a website and bragged about how generous they were.

[RobJohnson]

DUmmy Skittles sells plasma, a popular career among 0bamaites.

I was thinking the same thing. Plus the income is unreported.

[Freeper]

Skittles (89,092 posts)
28. um

I have a needle stuck in my arm every three weeks for one hundred minutes, to donate platelets to people I don't even know.....that's how us suburban folk "take care of our own" , including those who have heart attacks........kindness is not limited to red states

She is a regular Audie Murphy. 

Come on DUmmy getting paid $20 to play on your iphone while they run your blood through a machine isn't exactly medal of honor material.

DUmmy Skittles sells plasma, a popular career among 0bamaites.

A lot of service members donate plasma. I know I did when I was in.

[RobJohnson]

A lot of service members donate plasma. I know I did when I was in.

I know a couple that would both go after work. They would put the extra money away for a NASCAR vacation every summer. They called it their free vacation.

[JohnnyReb]

There was a time when neighbor helping a neighbor in a time of need was taken for granted.....but then the lazy socialist wanted government to relieve them of the guilt for not helping. So, now you tell those in need what agency or department of government to call and then run brag what a good fellow you are.

I liked it better the old way....the way it still is with some people.

[catsmtrods]

When my neighbor dropped a tree on himself and was in the hospital and rehab for months I took care of his 3 dogs. Does that make me some kind of American hero Dummies?

[Wineslob]

Attention whores, all.


 

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Another private sector intrusion into what should require a massively over-staffed, under-funded government bureaucracies.

We should treat crop harvesting the same way we treat public education!

[franksolich]

There was a time when neighbor helping a neighbor in a time of need was taken for granted.....but then the lazy socialist wanted government to relieve them of the guilt for not helping. So, now you tell those in need what agency or department of government to call and then run brag what a good fellow you are.

I liked it better the old way....the way it still is with some people.

What I find hilarious is this nostalgia for the "family farm;" primitives are always longing for the days when the small family, and not the large corporate, farm dominated our society.

Well, I guess, yes, there was something nice about the small family farm.

But the primitives fail to contemplate: why the demise of the small family farm?

It's because our tax system the past seventy years has actively discouraged small family farms, and encouraged large corporate ones--ergo, change the tax system to back the way it was before circa 1940, and America will proliferate with small family farms from Seattle to Miami, from Boston to Los Angeles.

But of course such a tax system never afforded primitives a free lunch ticket, so.....

The primitives are really stupid; they never think about why something is.

[Karin]

I'll bet not one of those folks in Montana ran to a website and bragged about how generous they were.

Spot on.  I'll bet the Montana folks were surpised to find themselves in a newspaper story.  To them, this is not news, it's just what they do. 

And what a douchebaggy thing to post:  Well, I give blood, so what am I, chopped liver?  I didn't row over, did they get into a "great works" competition as usual? 

[JohnnyReb]

What I find hilarious is this nostalgia for the "family farm;" primitives are always longing for the days when the small family, and not the large corporate, farm dominated our society.

Well, I guess, yes, there was something nice about the small family farm.

But the primitives fail to contemplate: why the demise of the small family farm?

It's because our tax system the past seventy years has actively discouraged small family farms, and encouraged large corporate ones--ergo, change the tax system to back the way it was before circa 1940, and America will proliferate with small family farms from Seattle to Miami, from Boston to Los Angeles.

But of course such a tax system never afforded primitives a free lunch ticket, so.....

The primitives are really stupid; they never think about why something is.

If I understand the way the tax codes are now, the family farm is exempt from inheritance tax up to a value of 5 million dollars. A year or so ago Obama wanted to lower that family farm tax exemption to one million dollars. With the cost of farm equipment, land, etc., etc.,  most one million dollar farms won't make enough to raise a family these days.......but then taking over (Collectivizing) large corporate farms will be a lot easier for the commies than taking the farms away from a few million farmers.....especially after they have lost their right to keep and bare arms.

They have socialized 1/6 of the national economy, healthcare, they control your source of healthcare, the next thing is to socialize the source of food......then it is a done deal, communism is here forever.

[GOBUCKS]

Those places that buy plasma are always located between a payday loan shop and a liquor store.

I hope I never have to receive plasma.

[Carl]

The quaint family farms demise begins with FDR and government subsidies to have a cheap food policy for the urban masses.

[RobJohnson]

If I understand the way the tax codes are now, the family farm is exempt from inheritance tax up to a value of 5 million dollars. A year or so ago Obama wanted to lower that family farm tax exemption to one million dollars. With the cost of farm equipment, land, etc., etc.,  most one million dollar farms won't make enough to raise a family these days.......but then taking over (Collectivizing) large corporate farms will be a lot easier for the commies than taking the farms away from a few million farmers.....especially after they have lost their right to keep and bare arms.

They have socialized 1/6 of the national economy, healthcare, they control your source of healthcare, the next thing is to socialize the source of food......then it is a done deal, communism is here forever.

I agree.