Eating is something we do so naturally, so routinely, we tend not to think all that much about it. We make choices–white or dark meat chicken, almond butter or peanut butter, apple or pear, broccoli or chard–nearly unconsciously, so plentiful is the food.
Buying it was once also pretty natural. We bought our foods directly from farmers, or from small specialty outlets, or traveling peddlers. Whatever local farms produced, that’s what was available. If you wanted to deal with a particular farmer, you did it. Your “contract” was a handshake. Nothing about legal precedents or complicated theories of private ownership or dealing with “licenses”.
The idea that our own government would sabotage our food supply seems ridiculous. So each time it happens, we want to shrug it off as an aberration, an example of an over-zealous regulator, regulations run amok. We can’t accept that this is, in actuality, government policy, and the new normal.
When you come down to it, the persecution of Vernon Hershberger is, at its most fundamental, a sabotaging of the food supply. Same with what happened to Dan Allgyer. Same with what is happening to herdshares in California.
Sorry to be a little rambling, but I wonder, are the U.S. and Canada the first ostensibly free nations of modern times to disrupt their populations’ food supplies by preventing ordinary citizens from obtaining basic food like milk, beef, eggs, and chicken?
Put another way, when did we lose the right to contract directly with producers for our food? According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it happened in 1906. I was rummaging through some recent legal documents, and even though I had seen this statement before, it stood out anew as I was trying to make sense out of the Hershbherger situation. It’s from the federal court suit filed by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund against the FDA…the FDA’s denial that we have a right to the foods of our choice:
“Comprehensive federal regulation of the food supply has been in effect at least since Congress enacted the Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906… Thus, plaintiffs’ claim to a fundamental privacy interest in obtaining ‘foods of their own choice’ for themselves and their families is without merit.”
Sometimes I sense that people don’t fully comprehend the outrageousness of what is going on with these legal actions against food producers. They aren’t really worked up about it.
Vernon is setting an example for us all, not only because he is standing up, but because he is keeping the shape of the struggle so straightforward. It’s just about providing food to members of his community. What could be simpler?
That’s why the suggestions a couple people made following my previous post that his club members keep the farm running is an excellent one. Just keep the food coming for the members.
Will the enforcers come after those people? Will they try to shut down neighbors and friends running the farm? I wouldn’t be surprised if they do. No permit, no food.No permit exists for the food you want? Too bad. No food.
Will an attack on friends and neighbors be the final straw to truly outrage people? I don’t know.
Part of what is happening is that our rulers are testing us. They keep pushing harder. When we don’t react, they push yet harder. What is the breaking point? They clearly haven’t hit it yet.
At the demonstration for Vernon outside the courthouse on Friday, you’ll be treated to some throwbacks to a simpler time. Here’s a clue, from our Declaration of Independence:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government…”
Yes, it’s the right of the people to get rid of a “destructive” government, and replace it.
As I understand it, there are just a few openings left for the Rights Workshop being held Thursday afternoon in Wisconsin. A new declaration, relating to food, will be unfurled in Baraboo on Friday. Be there, as history is made.
**
Whaddayaknow, here’s a version of the Vernon Hershberger tale in California. The story of the San Jose goat dairy shut down by California for running a herdshare. The TV report says there are 130 herdshares, and more than 600 farms “providing milk to neighbors.”
**
That debate at Harvard Law School about raw milk continues to attract attention. Well over 7,000 views of the debate, in just the one week it’s been on YouTube.
"An undercover agent posting as a mom busted a Bay Area operation that offers participants raw milk. "
It appears they will not stop until they have their way…
Time to change this 1906 Act. The shackles are pretty clear and becoming clearer by the day, even by the hour.
Time to effect change.
L Fr Lf and PH are, respectively, Liberty, Freedom, Life, and Pursuit of Happiness.
Mr. J. Ingvar Odegaard
Some anti-civilization radicals (such as John Zerzan) would argue that the very act of agriculture results in this oppression. As nomadic gather-hunters and herding societies became sedintary and began the practice of agriculture about 5,000-10,000 years ago, it led to the the division of labor and the creation of surprlus value. Naturally, this division of labor created power inequalities, and so a ruling class that extracted and controled the surplus value arose.
Perhaps this explains the laws of Kosher, and the food codes contained in many ancient religious texts. Because in that era the church was the state authority, it is fair to assume that the religoius food codes represented the ancient version of our modern FDA regulations.
In more recent history, the Spanish conquistadors prohibitted the Incans from growing their traditional quina, and instead forced them to grow barley and wheat, while the French colonial authorities in modern day Canada prohibitted the natives from growing the three sisters garden.
Many Americans do not realize this, but during the infamous Irish Potato famine, Ireland was actually exporting food to their British masters. That was during the 1800's, so you could say it was in modern times.
I think the problem here is that white middle-class Americans have these romantic notions about American exceptionalism… land of the free, home of the brave, and all that nonsense… while ignoring our own history of excluding Native Americans from their traditional food source on the Great Plains — the American Bison. Or lest we forget the battle in the west between cowboys and ranchers, over the open range vs. fencing.
The point here is that as a civilization becomes more complex, so too do the mechanisms of social regulation become more complicated. If our goal is to "go back" to some romantic but non-existant era of total food freedom (which has never, ever existed), then I'm afraid we're in for a big surprise. On the other hand, if our goal is to forge food democracy in our current predicament, then I think David has the right prescription:
Yes, it's the right of the people to get rid of a "destructive" government, and replace it.
It's called revolution, folks. And it started right here in Madison, Wisconsin one year ago.
Mr. J. Ingvar Odegaard
You are getting closer and closer to the crux of the problem. The principle issue is not safety but corruption in our system of government – from top to bottom. It is not the corporate structure, it is not capitalism, it is not the free enterprise system at fault- it is the lack of virtue in those we elect and who are appointed as our public servants. The founders were very much concerned with this, and much of the debate during the creation and ratification process was which class of citizens would provide the most honorable representatives in the new government, those chosen from the elite class or the those representing the common man. History has shown that neither group has been superior- corruption incubates throughout society.
Corporations, capitalism, entrepreneurs, private individuals, whatever, do not make the laws or institute regulations or enforce or interpret them- this is all done by government. No matter what influence is exerted, even by a large corporation, it is useless without the consent and approval of the law making and enforcement bodies in this country. Whether it is the revolving door, crony capitalism, outright bribes, personal agendas- it is government that today really controls our lives- our freedoms and liberties which the Constitution says were granted by God. Our constitutional republic was formed to protect our natural rights, not restrict or abolish them.
When we have a supreme court justice who states that some other model of constitution- other than the American one- would better serve some other nations, then it is a nation willing to accept some inferior government that would not protect the freedoms and liberties to the extent that we have. When we have supreme court justices who would interpret our freedoms and liberties under some other nations guidelines, we have a serious problem. Justices swore to enforce and uphold our American Constitution, and to do otherwise is a creeping form of corruption- at the highest level. Corruption, both blatant and subtle, permeates our society top to bottom.
When a representative from any government agency walks onto a small farmers private property and says, how may I help you enjoy your constitutional right to freedom- to pursue happiness, to preserve your individual liberty, to protect your right to your own property?, then we will know we are getting back to basics. And there will be no need for drawn guns.
Safety has become the overriding issue with our freedoms and liberties relegated to a subordinate consideration. Laws and regulations prohibiting the free movement of natural food products and restricting our choice of what to put in our bodies are dramatic violations of our rights under the Constitution. Government intrusion will never create a perfectly safe world; it can destroy, however, our rights, freedoms and liberty. And that is what it is doing. When one individual carelessly or knowingly provides harmful products to others, he is violating their equal rights, and then government can step in and protect their rights- an intended and legitimate function of government. Government is supposed to protect the rights of all, not to destroy those of a few. We are a remarkable and innovative society, and safety can be maximized- but only under the framework of individual rights and not vice versa.
Every time a law is enacted or a regulation effected, no matter how well intended, someone, and often everyone, loses some freedom. With the number of regulations being instituted today, our freedoms are vanishing faster than ever. We are becoming a nanny state, an environment of entitlements, a Marxist society, a democracy where confiscation of property is condoned and legalized through taxing policies. It is not the Founders or the founding documents that are the problem, it is those we have chosen to carry out the greatest concept created by the most remarkable, deliberative body of men that the world has known. When we choose better, we will get better. We cant settle to bargain with these miscreants, we must be wiser electors.
A democratically elected government that fails to take head of its constitution whose purpose is to preserve inalienable rights and well established common law, represents little more then mob rule where the minority is subject to the whims of a so-called majority.
A Judiciary system that gives precedent to civil/statute law rather then use discretion and draw on the constitution in defense of the minority further magnifies the problem.
I have no problem conforming to a government or religious system providing it does not attempt to force me to act against my conscience.
Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.
John F. Kennedy
Ken
You state — "The principle issue is not safety but corruption in our system of government – from top to bottom."
I agree with this. We ought to ask ourselves, then — why do we allow the legalized bribery of our politicians? If our goal is to rid the political system of corruption, the best way to do it would be to outlaw private contributions to political campaigns and replace it with a completely publically funded campaign finance system.
Unfortunately, the Supreme Court in Citizens United ruled that money is speech and corporations are people, so our hope for enacting this kind of reform is increasingly dim.
Ken-
I would contend that our current government is NOT democratically elected, and that is precisely the problem. When you consider that there are entire classes of citizens who are denied the right to vote — immigrants, many non-violent felons (mostly black males convicted of drug crimes) — and an ongoing campaign to deny marginalized groups voting rights through voter ID laws and purging of the voter roles (as what happened in Florida before the 2000 election, as documented by Greg Palast in his book "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy")
I do not think that the majority of citizens in Wisconsin support the prosecution of Vernon Hershberger. In fact, the people who do support his prosecution are an exceedingly small minority of corporate agri-business leaders and a few high-ranking public health officials which they have bought off.
The problem we face today is the rule of the few over the many. To try and characterize this as a problem of "mob rule" is completely off-based, in my opinion.
I'm reminded of the final scene in the movie <i>Witness,</i> in which the bad cops are chasing Harrison Ford around the Amish farm and someone starts ringing a bell. All the Amish neighbours within the sound of that bell gather round just as the bad guys point their guns at a disarmed Harrison Ford. The neighbours are impassive, unafraid, non-aggressive, non-interfering, filling the time-honoured role of "witness."
Harrison Ford shouts to the bad guys, "What are you going to do, kill them all?" and the bad guys sullenly drop their weapons.
Thank you, Vernon Hershberger, for ringing the bell. Now let us all gather round and be witness. Bad guys can't stand the light of scrutiny.
If I were within reasonable travel distance, I would put my body between yours and your oppressors, Vernon, and gladly share a jail cell with you. Only when we fill the jails will the sheeple wake up to what's happening.
Overall it is indeed, the rule of the few over the many and that is why I referred to the mob as the so-called majority. Nonetheless it is still mob rule endorsed by a democratically elected government in the context of small farmers being systematically harassed by government for attempting to provide wholesome food to a wanting public.
I have a question for you; if there was 100% voter turnout do you believe that it would be any different?
Ken
If we are to reform our political system, full public campaign financing is just the start. For true democracy, we also need a system which encourages rather than inhibits alternative political parties, such as a parliamentary system and/or Instant Run-off Voting.
However, I am highly skeptical that these types of progressive electoral reforms will ever be implemented, unless there is immense grassroots pressure from below in the form of mass mobolizations, labor strikes, civil disobedience, and social unrest. If history is any indicator, democratic social transformations do not come from above, they MUST come from below.
I would be in Wisconsin on Friday if not for a Herd Share working group meeting in Sacramento Ca. Our cow share programs are under attack and we are negotiating a lasting peace with our regulators. This is a critical time in CA for all of us in the RawMilk movement.
The CDC has really done a public service to s all. By publishing extreme bias and miscalculated illness data on raw verses pasteurized milk….again the government has stimulated conscious consumers to buy raw milk. Those that the CDC has attempted to scare off from raw milk…now clamber for it.
When bias is so incredibly obvious…..the distrust of the CDC and FDA becomes even more exercised by dollar voters.
I still have to stop and scratch my head…..I must ask myself, does the CDC really think that Americans are super stupid????
An outbreak is different than an illness. Counting and comparing outbreaks verses total number of illnesses is extreme data abuse bias. One outbreak in the 1990s caused 197,000 cases of Salmonella all from pasteurized milk. If the newest CDC study is to be believed…..that is counted as one case and is compared to one outbreak of illness from raw milk that has three illnesses.
I have received so many emails from consumers and doctors that are protesting this egregious data abuse and government published lies. Instead of protesting….I think I will send a thank you card. Sales rage as CDC lies are spread. People get pissed by buying more and more raw milk….just to spite the bastards. Dollar voting will hang the liars.
The freedom to exit the oppressions of unwanted government is a long-sought centuries-old goal, often accomplished through migration or physical exit from a country.
Before we let you leave, you must cross that field, present yourself before this army, put your head between your legs, and kiss your own arse.
America, love it or leave it!!!
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UTdtulaII4M/T0xix10uZ6I/AAAAAAAABAY/TGPNfbxb46I/s1600/socialism-vs-capitalism.jpg
We are free and we can be brave. The only time you don't have power is when you give it away.
40 years ago, that same ignorant slogan was hurled against those who questioned whether to head off to the killing fields of Vietnam. Even Robert McNamara admitted that sacrificing our brightest and best to a UN police-action, was one of the great blunders in American history.
the comeback is : "my country right or wrong. And when she's wrong, my right to set her right"
Our movement is making great progress. CDC lies, actions against Vernon….all tell us one thing, they are scared now, they are desperate !!!
At the working group meeting, we will hopefully agree on what a family cow is…..and exempt her from any regulations. We will then tackle what a Cow Share is and define it….then hopefully exempt that also.
Mike Hulme ( the San Jose goat farmer shut own by CDFA )has received wonderfully supportive press coverage in SF this week. He has bought a new farm near Hollister CA ( 65 miles south of San Jose ) and is working hard to erect his new goat dairy and state approved Grade A raw goat milk creamery. OPDC has volunteered tractors, welders, concrete layers, and " our everything" to help him get going. When his creamery becomes operational OPDC has agreed to carry his raw goat milk to 350 stores statewide.
The best payback to oppression is a reversal move and growing a powerful truth telling raw milk market with tens of thousands of delighted healthy dollar voting warrior mother lion moms….and dads.
This week I have been wrestling with CDFA on our Kefir label front. It appears that CDFA is not willing to approve our Kefir label because they refuse to permit OPDC to use Russian Kefir Grains to culture our Raw Milk Kefir. The food and Ag code will not allow any yeast in Kefir., instead they require a monoculture bought from a commercial source. Kind of like banning seed saving. Talk about corrupt big Ag influence in rule making. Kefir is defined clearly at the NIH website as a SCOBY and therefor contains about 20% yeast as an essential part of it's symbiotic culture. This is another case of Kefir being labeled by industry as Kefir….when it is not really a SCOBY Grain based Kefir….what a scam on consumers. Kefir is defined clearly even at the FDA and NIH, yet CDFA will not allow it. Enough to make a truth teller puke.
As we all pull back the layers of lies….the truth is exposed. The next century will be a time of technology advancements that will not permit the telling of corporate lies. Truths will become evident and dollar voters will vote accordingly. Monsanto be damned. Pasteurized almonds sold as RAW Almonds, labeling secrets, and GMO's be damned.
A brave new world for us all.
We are standing with you Vernon. We are praying for you as well.
Mark