This is the time of year when we are supposed to celebrate a moment when outrage and revolution were in the air.
It’s easy to forget, amidst the fireworks and cookouts and easy living, that the issuance of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, was viewed as an act of impossible boldness by many on the colonial side, and as the ultimate in impudence by most on the British side. A hopeless show of bravado.
Now, 235 years later, outrage is accumulating in this country about all sorts of issues–immigration, unemployment, foreign wars, broken contracts (over pensions, and upcoming, over entitlements). Then there’s the matter of food. It seems small compared to those others, but the sense of bullying, contempt, and arrogance emanating from the powers that be is expanding. And the anger building among those being beaten up is spreading rapidly, well beyond the food producers directly hit.
We see around us the incidents and legal cases becoming ever more divisive–the federal court action against Amish farmer Daniel Allgyer, the quarantine effort in Kentucky, the sabre-rattling against a tiny herdshare in California, the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund suit against the FDA. And we see the responses by consumers coming more quickly than in the past, and taking on ever more of an air of defiance.
The media coverage is less biased against the revolutionaries. Suddenly I have friends who never had any interest in any of this asking me what’s going on, why the conflict? The blind trust in the health and regulatory lobbies is dissipating.
A farmer wrote me within the last few days, inquiring into options for civil disobedience. He had some ideas of his own about how consumers can interfere with the regulatory scheme. I answered the farmer by encouraging him to organize his customers, prepare them for various eventualities.
I believe Dave Milano is on the right track when he states following my previous post, “Many, many raw milk drinkers (perhaps even a substantial majority) exist in decentralized cells, taking orders from nobody, working out their food supplies under the radar in countless, scattered, personal arrangements. That fact is nothing but frightening to the pushers of central-control. Regulation is, remember, a big-army force, and as any general knows who is embroiled in any one of America’s endless impossible-to-win wars, big armies cannot defeat a decentralized enemy.”
What Dave is overlooking is that our big armies are organizing to fight back–in Irag and Afghanistan they have adapted, using counter-insurgency tactics that include bribes to the opposition and new weapons like heavy use of drones to spy on and kill the opposition, among other tactics. I know it sounds paranoid, but there’s no reason to think that same tactics won’t be applied by our rulers and security forces as the food rights campaign expands.
For now, our rulers have the judges and many key legislators in their corner, afraid themselves to question the fear mongering of the huge well-funded health care and food safety lobbies.
If those of us who bridle against the arrogance of the food autocrats are to stand any chance, we will have to be smart in organizing ourselves to fight back. Speak positively and carry a big baseball bat. We will need to reach out via organizations like the Raw Milk Institute to food producers, consumers, and regulators alike. This is part image and part substance. The regulators need to be provided an opportunity to reform and improve, unlikely as that is to occur. As Bill Anderson says quite accurately, “We need to start learning to draw the distinction between GOOD regulation and BAD regulation. We are so often bombarded with examples of bad regulation, because of the hostility of the powers-that-be towards raw milk, that we forget there is such a thing as good, helpful, scale-appropriate regulation.”
But we need to be prepared as well to develop new and innovative tactics for fighting back, and keeping the food-security forces off balance. It will be more difficult as they beef up their data collection and undercover operations, and do their audits of farmers and food producers under the new Food Safety Modernization Act. Food producers may need multiple sets of books and paperwork, much like Italian businesses over the years.
Most of all, producers and consumers alike who value food rights will need to be prepared to stand up to the authorities, on behalf of themselves and on behalf of their friends. As rulers are finding in the Middle East, they can’t arrest everyone.
In the spirit of Independence Day, we need to be prepared to stand up and be counted.
David, if you have been paying attention to the rise of tyranny in America, you are not surprised by this. You are not paranoid. You are well informed and making a rational prediction based upon the past "trickle down" of military/intelligence equipment and methodology to civilian law enforcement. It is entirely logical to predict that trckle down from law enforcement to regulatory agencies is next to follow. In fact, it is happening today. After all, non-compliance to regulations must be punished and stopped else the state will lose their control over every aspect of our lives that it has sought for so long.
America was founded upon the principle 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, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
Our government was intended to be our servant not our master but here we are regardless. The remedy to tyranny has always been the people. I do believe that "Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God". The Declaration of Independence calls it our duty. How do you resist tyranny? Study Michael Schmidt's struggle and victory. If you are not in direct conflict, support those who are with your money, your witness, your letter to the editor, your civil disobedience.
Never forget that the essence of government is "naked force". Government can take your livelihood, your wealth, your freedom and your life itself. How important is your freedom or the freedom of your family? Would you gamble your life for your freedom, if that day ever came during your lifetime? Or would you submit?
That question is not melodramatic, it is the choice left to all of us at the very end of the struggle against tyranny.
Indeed it is accumulating. One of the signers, Joseph Hewes, was a nephew of my ancestor. I have read that during the Great Depression, there were fears of revolution. No jobs, no food, no homes… Sounds like now is a repeat of history.
There was/is: The Boston Tea Party, many Anti-war movements, Women's Suffrage Movement, abolition of slavery ,introduction of labor laws and unions, Civil Rights Movement, Anti-Nuclear Movement, environmental demonstrations, the list goes on and on…people will stand up eventually.
There is power in numbers. It again comes to teaching people. Teach them about their food, their rights, the potential for their future…..
I was at the grocery store a week ago, a lady was giving samples of yogurt. When she offered me a sample, I asked what the ingredients were. She read: Cultured Pasteurized Grade A Nonfat milk, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Modified Corn Starch, Blackberries, Nonfat Milk, Kosher Gelatin, Pomegranate Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavor, Colored With Beet Juice And Grape Juice……Yuck! Not a healthy yogurt.
Would I gamble my life for my freedom or the freedom of my family? Of course I would.
My point is two-fold: Becoming big to fight the big is self-defeating. And while organizing into an above-the-radar force will likely help take the edge off the difficulties many have in exercising their basic food rights, it is not the ultimate solution, which is and will always be found in individuals acting privately according to principle.
In regard to creating a congenial regulatory apparatus: The notion that we can fix this mess by simply becoming good at regulating is really, to me, silly, and likewise, any notion that we ought to be regulating private, legal behavior is obnoxious.
Everywhere is evidence that once power is amassed it becomes a weapon, and in America today our regulatory apparatus is one of the biggest offenders. Anyone who cares to notice can see that such systems are far, far more effective at wounding and killing little guys than the big guys they should be controlling.
In the news right now is a prime example. The Animal Welfare Act is bit of legislation that Ill bet most here would support. It was written in response to abuses in the handling of animals to be sold as pets, for research, and so on. From the Act itself: The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) requires that minimum standards of care and treatment be provided for certain animals bred for commercial sale, used in research, transported commercially, or exhibited to the public.
Now here is the practical effect of this very good piece of legislation (nicely summarized by Walter Jeffries):
http://nonais.org/2011/07/03/rabbit-redux/
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And Mary, in regard to your question about what constitutes a healthy immune system (with apologies for the late response):
There is of course no scale, no objective barometer, of general immune function. Comparative immune response is the best gauge (details by someone with specific expertise in immunology here would be very helpful and welcome!). I am aware of only one approved assay for overall immune functionit is used to assess risk in transplant patients. Even relatively standard immune response testing (for lymphocytes and antibodies) is a relatively crude indicator given the complexity of the system. Nevertheless I think we can reasonably discuss general immune system management for daily life.
You made the very true comment, We live in a toxic world. Notably, we also live in a hyper-sanitized world. And we eat low-nutrient foods (and many non-foods, e.g. chemical additives). And we lead spiritually soiled lives, and we are too busy, too distant from family and friends, and subject to intense, ubiquitous, and very foul, media-driven cultural cues. The question then, is What are we to do?
I am simply asking that we each individually take a serious look at the impact on our health of this very toxic environment. I believe that if we are honest about it, we will admit that our current foundationsfrom mindsets to business practices to landscapesneed substantial revising. I believe that honest inspection and introspection will nudge us more into rural life, and more into human-scale relationships and human-scale interdependencies. A very big part of the change will be rejection of our dead-food habits, and an embracing of natural, soil-based living. That is how we will build spiritual health, psychological health, and physical health, of which immune system enhancement is a significant piece.
I am well aware of the scope of what I am suggesting, but for what its worth, I have standing to speak as I do, since I made massive changes in my own life, at considerable financial cost, with considerable benefit. I make this plea lovingly, with the aim of helping each of us make the most of our gifts and of our time on this earth. And as much as it is possible for me to know anything, I know that this sort of change must be a very bottom-up process. One human being at a time.
The Colonies were a homogenous society of White Christians, whose religious teachers used the Bible as their handbook for civil government. Sermon after sermon reminded them they were = literallly = Israelites who were establishing the Kingdom of Heaven in the wilderness … but you don't hear that much, today, do ya?! No, not in multi-cult Ham-merica, where to use race as a factor in reasoning, is a thought-crime
Before they took up arms, the American Colonists were fasting and calling on their God for His direction. Show me someone doing that, today? other than the Mohammedans
The book "Rulers of Evil" will open your eyes about what was really going on in 1776 … and the advice by its author, Tupper F Saussy, is directly on-point today
I just celebrated with a huge bowl of AMAZING raw milk ice cream!
Also looking forward to the FUNDraiser event at Joel Salatin's Farm in September:
http://www.ftcldf.org/annual_appeal_250.htm
Kevin
You write of rebellion. The thought of modern rebellion has evolved. Ruby Ridge Waco Texas, Montana Freedom fighters show us a lesson of how rebellions should not be fought.
Instead, an educational rebellion with millions of Conscious Americans who have experienced first hand the health of whole nutrient dense food and it's effect on their families. That is the way forward. There are literally no weapons for Food Inc to fight this dollar voting peaceful insurgency. It is 100% legal and 100% effective
We need the under ground, the above ground, the legal, the illegal, we need the Rawesomes and the Susan Palmers. We need Aajonus Vanderplantiz. We need everyone digging away at this educational and awareness mountain.
With WAP, FTCLDF,Mike Schmidt and yes RAWMI hitting from all sides. Progress will be made.
The greatest mistake we can make is to discount the value of all of us teaching and exampling together. We can not allow any of us to become our own worst enemy and feed Marler, and thus feed the FDA and the press with self defeating opposite energies
I pledge to you now that RAWMI will be extremely creative. I am dedicated to assure that every raw dairy farmer can access the food safety tools at RAWMI with out being exposed to the threats that lurk in these waters.
Happy Fourth. I am proud of the people and words spoken and printed here. We make America strong.
Education is a factor in all rebellions.
When push comes to shove however rebellion is about making a choice to defy authority. In the end it boils down to how authority react to a defiant act and hence our reaction.
Does our lifestyle reflect a path of peace?
John Fitzgerald Kennedy stated that, those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable and he is indeed correct if we chose to follow our human nature rather then the principle of love.
Ken Conrad
Paine's activism and agitation was instrumental in the success of the American Revolution. He was also an early pioneer of the idea of a social safety net and other egalitarian democratic ideals.
And lest we forget, Paine was also a staunch opponent of the Constitution of 1787, because he saw it for what it was — a massive political power grab by the banking and merchant elites.
Miguel is right, I fear. Many of these issues David cites are symptoms of the pending peak oil crises, as well as other ecological and humanitarian crises just over the horizon because of industrial society's excesses. I don't think it is wise to try and scapegoat immigrants or labor unions or other similar types of groups, though, unless we are trying to be a repeat of Germany 1933.
Last Friday, just before the Fourth of July weekend, Senator Dick
Durbin (D, Illinois) introduced legislation, the Dietary Supplement
Labeling Act, which would create an entirely new set of regulations
and restrictions for supplement manufacture and sale. Senator Durbin
has long been a strong supporter of the drug industry, a persistent
enemy of nutritional supplements, and a friend of the FDA in its
endless attempts to restrict supplement availability.
In typical fashion, Senator Durbin's office waited until the
Friday before a major holiday, hoping to get the legislation
moving through the Senate without any awareness in the media or
among groups advocating for freedom of choice in health care and
the continued protection of supplement availability. However,
the Alliance for Natural Health USA learned of the impending bill,
and the attempts to keep the legislation quiet have failed.
You can read about the legislation at the Alliance for Natural
Health USA website:
<http://www.anh-usa.org/dietary-supplement-labeling-act-anh-usa-exclusive/>
Though as always, the legislation claims to "protect us," it will
give the FDA unneeded further authority to oversee and restrict
supplement development and sale. The FDA already has all the
power it needs to investigate harmful supplements and restrict
their availability. It does not need more power or regulations in
this regard.
This bill needs to be stopped. We suggest you contact your Senators
and express your strong opposition to this legislation. Public
outcry has derailed many similar pieces of legislation in the past,
like the onerous anti-supplement bill sponsored by Senator McCain
and announced with great fanfare at a press conference a year ago.
Express your opinion that the FDA requires no new regulations or
authority to "protect us" from ourselves or from the dangers of
supplements – which objective scientific reviews have clearly shown
to be remarkably and consistently safe.
Letters to your Senators do make a difference. Please write, and
help us protect your freedom of choice in health care. You can
reach your Senators by clicking here: http://senate.gov/
You are very, very wrong about Thomas Paine . . . . he was against those that attended and drafted the constitution that wanted an American Monarchy or a strong federal government vs. most of the power given to the federation of States and local towns and communities. . . . .remember the battle between Thomas Jefferson and Hamilton in this.
Thomas Jefferson was the one against a federal bank. He was the one that said it had more power to destroy our republic than anything . . . . words that were not heeded over 100 years later.
Here is a direct quote from Jefferson:
"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.
Already they have raised up a monied aristocracy that has set the government at defiance. The issuing power (of money) should be taken away from the banks and restored to the people to whom it properly belongs." Thomas Jefferson, U.S. President."
Thomas Paine was a big huge proponent of the poor . . . but he really was for local communities to help those in need . . . . which is why my own community in Maine still has a local person who elected as a "Commisioner of the Poor". This is just an figurehead position now because this has been taken over for the most part . . . . by the Federal Government. Helping the poor up until the 30's in our area was up to our own local town and it was very sucessful.
Here is a great question for you to answer . . . .How much money have we spent on social programs to combat poverty since the Federal war on poverty was instituted in the 60's . . . .
What was the poverty rate then and what is it now?
Another great question to ask . . . . is our education system better now since the Federal Department of Education was founded in the 70's and the Federal government got involved with our kid's education. . . . or was it better before?
You will find that a strong federal government and bureaucracy does not solve problems . . . . in most cases it only makes them worse.
Kind regards,
Violet
http://www.kilbyridgefarmmaine.blogspot.com
I know the answers to the above questions and I want you to answer them truthfully. . . . no sidestepping these direct questions.
You need to do some independent research for this.
Please . . . . and no Zinn Speak:)
Kind regards,
Violet
http://www.kilbyridgefarmmaine.blogspot.com
The cowshare/herdshare/farmshare concept is an actual legal document of shared responsibility, ownership in animals and or property and agreement to particpate in the care for that shared property.
Getting product or benefit back is just an exercise in the rights of ownership.
When faced with a cease and desist of our own at Clearview Acres, it was a simple reply throughout the 5 years of State adminintrative hearings of we cannot stop, we entered into a legal binding contract and so did our partners represented in the shares sold.
When a partner shareholder came to the farm to get there product under the cease and desist order(s) they were never stopped from receiving what was rightfully theirs.
Ownership has responsibility, and even though Wisconsin has yet to recognize these owners, and California is following suit, the owners of these animals in the share operations in question need to continue to pay the boarding fees and demand that there ownership rights be recognized, even if it means you are named in a suit or State action.
To do any less is to facilitate the false nature of these agreements claimed by the States, and participate in the role of consumer and its severly lessoned aspect of responsibility.
And unfortunately progress the practice of placing all blame, liability and responsibility on a producer, or worse yet, play a role in the fear being leveled against us as a measure of control to limit our options and express our freedom to health and vitality opposite the decay in our health and of our society.
Tim Wightman