As the prosecution in the Rawesome Three raw milk/private buying club case dribbles out its evidence, even the experienced criminal lawyers defending the three are astounded about what is being revealed.
Discovery documents presented in advance of a hearing Thursday to the lawyer for Rawesome manager James Stewart–among 2,000 pages of evidence made available to the lawyer–revealed that the Los Angeles County District Attorney “employed at least three paid informants to join Rawesome…They were to join and become part of the community and report back on what was happening.” In some cases, they carried cameras and recorders. These paid informants were apart from at least half a dozen undercover investigators who were previously reported in the criminal complaint made public in August to have joined Rawesome to make purchases of raw milk, according to Ajna Sharma-Wilson, the lawyer representing Stewart.
In addition, the investigators mounted secret “pole cameras” within the tiny food club in Venice, CA, to film members in the club picking up food, Sharma-Wilson reported.
“They spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on informants and undercover agents,” said Sharma-Wilson. “They’ve spent millions on the whole case.” She said she’s been told to expect another 40,000 pages of evidence as part of the discovery process; on Thursday, the lawyers were presented with a CD disk containing 1,096 documents.
At least some of the 70 or so Rawesome members who attended Thursday’s hearing in downtown Los Angeles theorized, when prosecutor Kelly Sakir and the three defense lawyers went off for a 45-minute conference outside the courtroom during the afternoon court session, that possibly the prosecution wanted to discuss a quick settlement of the case to get out from under the growing public attention. The thinking was that the authorities’real intention was to harass Rawesome out of existence, and once that goal was accomplished, charges would be dropped or significantly reduced, and the authorities would move on.
Nothing of the sort. The lawyer-to-lawyer conference was mostly about Sakir’s concern that Stewart hadn’t yet turned in his passport as required under his bail arrangements in August, and setting up a timetable for a pretrial hearing, likely early next year.
Sakir made clear to the defense lawyers, according to Sharma-Wilson that, “This is like a cancer to them…She doesn’t want raw milk, she wants blood.” According to Sharma-Wilson, the prosecutor also made clear her unhappiness about the presence of 70 or so Rawesome supporters in the courtroom. “To her and her world, we are outlaws,” she said.
Freddy Sayegh, the lawyer representing defendant Victoria Bloch, and a veteran of defending notoriously violent defendants, said that he has never seen such an intense prosecution effort as the one taking shape against the Rawesome Three.
The defense lawyers are relishing their roles in a likely Rawesome Three trial next year, in large measure because they feel very confident of their ability to mount a successful defense. Sayegh said he had difficulty imagining a jury of their peers convicting the three.
Thursday’sactual court hearing was mostly about confirming which lawyers were representing which defendants, and setting a December 1 date for the next court appearance of the three defendants, at which time, a date will be set for a pre-trial hearing. At that point, a judge will decide whether the case should go forward. In addition, the prosecution can add charges to the 13 already filed, for illegal sale of raw milk, operating Rawesome without permits, and illegal food labeling, among others.
The judge hearing the case Thursday, Upinder Kalra, noted that “the court has received a significant amount of letters from the public.” He said that while supporters “are welcome to attend” the proceedings…it is inappropriate to communicate with the courts.” The defense lawyers said afterwards that the judge was simply adhering to judicial tradition in remaining non-biased, and in effect encouraging supporters to communicate with their legislators and other officials in a position to adjust laws and regulations.
The hearing Thursday was brief, but the events around it couldn’t have relayed a clearer message about how serious a threat private food arrangements, especially those involving raw dairy, have become to the regulatory establishment. It is clearly willing to resort to tactics normally reserved for catching spies, terrorists, and drug dealers, in going after ordinary Americans committed only to preserving their food choices.
By the way, I can’t wait to see the action recorded on those pole cameras.
***
A group of moms from around the country, who feed their children raw milk, plan to hold a demonstration at the Maryland headquarters of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration November 1. They will be protesting the FDA’s crackdown on raw milk production and distribution, arguing that “the government campaign not only criminalizes raw milk, but criminalizes the American citizens who buy and consume it.”
Prior to their peaceful demonstration, a caravan of mothers will cross state lines with raw milk and invite the FDA to witness their “crime.” More info to come.
The law should not be the tool of that entity.
Mr. J. Ingvar Odegaard
Is that legal? Entrapment? Pole cameras at a food pick up place? Obviously there were no illegal drugs, otherwise they would have said so. How foolish of these govt people.
"They've spent millions on the whole case."
And I presume that is not including the court costs? It's overkill….which leads to Gayle's statements…..
"Everyone needs to ask themselves why, why is the government so determined to outlaw the distribution of raw milk? What benefit will come of it for whom? And the next question is what am I going to do about? "
Gumpert: focusing on this criminal investigation is going to bite you in the arse. It is going to bite the raw milk movement in the arse, just as it is local farmer's markets because they've kept Palmer in their markets so long.
You'd be better off getting people all riled up to go to their local board of supervisors as did Aajonus, or get even more committed to changing the law.
The District Attorney ENFORCES the law. They're not just gonna pull in people on hearsay and innuendo. It takes time and money to do so.
The spilt milk in this case IS sad, and a worthy cause to cry over. Fraudulent people are not.
1. prosecutors have discretion in bringing criminal charges;
2. administrative agencies have discretion in how they enforce the law;
3. the government has massive amounts of resources available to conduct investigations, surveillance, evidence gathering, search warrants, paid informants, etc.
4. the law can be interpreted differently depending on who does the interpretation;
5. at one time "separate but equal" was the norm until a majority of the united states supreme court decided differently, even though the words of the constitution never changed; it was simply a matter of a different interpretation.
what i'm trying to say is that there is a government agenda to squash all raw milk producers and drive them out of business. it's an orchestrated attempt being led by the federal govt and being followed by the state minions. however, we're on the verge of taking back control of our food choices, and the government hates that. the government hates not being in control.
and that's why they've resorted to these tactics in this case and in several cases all over the nation.
stand firm and hold the line.
I don't see it stopping at just raw milk. Why the need to control the food? What purpose does that serve? It can't be only about money.
Had to look up who Roxanna Arquette was…. Years ago I was at the New Orleans airport and some guy walk to my boarding gate like he owned the place…on the plane I found out he was The Rock… He was very nice to the little kids.
If Palmer et al is found guilty of fraud, it will put other farmers under closer scrutiny, and possibly have a snowball affect and cause mass produced food to be placed under the microscope.
Rosanne Arquette is a babe no question. She and I and a bunch of raw milk roudy activists including Max and David went down to the Occupy LA movement people and had a joint rally with multiple media with cameras rolling. Arquette interviewed me…..what a great time. With all the moms with signs behind us.
Here are the chants;
Hey hey FDA you can't take raw milk away!!!
Hey hey FDA raw milk is here to stay!!
My favorite…..keep raw milk in my glass…FDA can kiss my ass!!
The megaphone and raw milk activists really cranked it up!!
This all against a back drop of occupy LA tent city inhabitants, Michael Jackson murder conspiracy posters etc. What a show.
I was most warmed by the brotherly warmth and bond that James and I are able to once again share. He after all gets the credit for bringing raw milk back to CA when Alta Dena left the market in 1999. James is a personal hero of mine. .
p.s. that photo of the defense lawyer really is unflattering. She is actually a nice looking lady!
Deborah, yes, exactly how can any state afford to spend so much money to go after such a small group?
Kristen, fraud isn't part of the criminal charges in this case. I've read the complaint because I bothered to get it from the DA's office have you? You seem more obsessed with Palmer being shown to be a horrible person than with any other issues. Don't know how helpful this is in the long run.
Mark, glad you had such a good time! Wish I could have been there.
Why the negative angle ??
Innocent until proven guilty?!
Most importantly. As raw milk producers and consumers don't we have more in common than we have that divides us. ???
I'm like Sylvia, not knowledgeable about celebrities, especially movie stars. So, yeah, was hoping Mark would pick me up on that one.
As I indicated in the post, even if Sharon Palmer is guilty of outsourcing and whatever other fraud you are suggesting, such offenses wouldn't come close to justifying the breadth and depth of investigation that is going on here. The defense lawyer, Fred Sayegh, said as much, that he's never seen this kind of effort even for the most serious, violent crimes. It's a nice fantasy, from high school civics, to think that the district attorney is just "enforcing the law." Gary Cox explains the wide latitude investigators have, and how, despite all their crying about budget shortfalls, they actually have practically unlimited funds to investigate the cases they decide are high priority.
I do agree with you about Anja Sharma-Wilson. She is much more attractive than my photo presents her. Sometimes photography not my strong suit.
David
Day 31 Hospital
The nephrologist decided that there would be no more water or juice for a while. Chris body needed a break. As a result, he only vomited twice, once in the morning and once at night.
There were concerns about how long Chris had been in the hospital. The odds start working against you for getting some sort of a bacterial infection. They were contemplating sending us home with Chris on TPN. As much as we wanted to go home, this was not an option that Tony or I enthusiastically embraced. The thought was actually quite scary.
We continued with walking Chris throughout the day. He did 4 laps today and progressed to walking down the hallway.
Methadone continued to be reduced. It went from 12 mgs, to 8mgs, and now he was down to 4mgs every 12 hours. In the late afternoon, Chris went into a very deep sleep. When he woke up, he looked pale, then vomited.
Chris had an echocardiogram and a sonogram of his pancreas and both came back O.K. The pancreas looked O.K., but it wasnt working. The lipase levels were too high.
The typical day was spent watching Chris favorite TV shows and visiting with the other family who shared the room with us. I forget what defect the little girl had been born with, but this was her 4th or 5th surgery. So many sad stories in PICUs.
Hopefully they will win against monsanto.
Sorry to see you go. But I am still not sure what makes you tick. You drink raw milk, but refuse to feed it to your child? You call some of my heroes….crooks? You leave TCP calling what you have done here Trolling? You have me confused … I am sure the paid informants at Rawsome became really nice friends of James and he would have never thought they were tax payer funded spies. Never??!!
Your conduct seems just a little disruptive to me, even though you gave me a kiss on the cheek.
Here is a defense strategy. Immediately admit to nearly all charges and then say …SO WHAT? All these consumers and members were trying to do was follow the USDA food initiative of Get To Know Your Farmer and Get To Know Your Food!!!
Make the FDA into the criminals by showing their complete disregard for rights, rare tax dollars and whole fresh foods. The jury will eat them raw!!!
Our country has little tolerance for these squanders….the Food Inc STINK connection will come out if you just expose the bastards for their efforts to criminalize Going to a members only Farmers Market owned by the members.
When given a chance to settle….refuse to settle. No….this is the time to make lemonade from these lemons. It is time for the FDA and other agencies to realize that our tax dollars are precious. Put them on trial for tax dollar squandering. They will be crucified. This case has the ingredients for their greatest anti raw milk, anti nutrition Food Inc debacle.
The defense team needs to go on a serious offense the elements are here to reverse the case and attack? Pole cameras? Paid spies? A million dollars spent ? Seize the initiative? Take this to the jury, but change the strategy.
Mark — I see you're in the beef market now. Where does the beef come from? You surely don't have a beef herd in Kerman sharing grass with your dairy cows.
Kristen — Anyone who cares about fraud in the camp ends up getting called a collaborator. What's unfortunate for you is that the best nickname is already taken.
Amanda
aka "Foxy"
I think Mark has a good point….and forcing this case to a jury would be the best thing to keep the right to food choice on the front page. While I have serious reservations about Sharon it doesn't change the fact that citizens have the right to procure food from the sources they choose….government sanctioned or not. We can only hope that the State won't harp on her alleged outsourcing….that won't help our (or their) cause much. Ethical behavior of producers must be the most paramount consideration of this movement….for if we don't have that stable foundation, everything we build on it will crumble down to the ground.
Kristen…I implore you to reconsider your leaving (hopefully you'll sneak back and read this). Despite what some on this blog think, every opinion…whether negative, positve, safety or rights is valuable. You don't have to agree with everything you read here…but the fact is there are many who are reading this blog…and all viewpoint should be seen. If criticism and disagreement caused others to leave this blog there wouldn't be many posters left. Thicken your skin, stay true to your ideals, and post your comments for everyone to evaluate….other might not agree but this blog will be better because of it. Hope we hear from you soon.
Did the consumers know that her feed was not true organic? Did they know she changed her feed?
http://www.realrawmilkfacts.com/raw-milk-news/story/raw-milk-seller-accused-of-fraud-at-farmers-market/
This story states she was buying from other sources "meat, poultry and eggs from other vendors and reselling it at farmers markets and at Rawesome, despite claims and advertising that it was raised on her farm and not fed commercial feed, according to court documents."
If they lied she can always sue and have her attorney costs covered. link courtsey of marler site….
http://www.copblock.org/tag/raw-milk/
http://southpasadena.patch.com/articles/healthy-family-farms-preliminary-hearing-postponed
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=201635546561186
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_18614662
http://www.calwatchdog.com/2011/08/04/govt-raids-calif-raw-milk-producer/
http://www.calwatchdog.com/2011/08/21/the-atlantic-details-rawesome-food-raid/
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6016/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=7839
http://www.takepart.com/food
Day 32 Hospital
Despite the fact that Chris was not long drinking any fluids he still vomited 2 times in the morning. The nephrologist decided to try a medication called Reglan to help with his stomach and intestines. Chris blood pressure was also still unstable, so she increased both doses of blood pressure medicines. Also, discussed that Chris would move to 2 mgs every 12 hours later that day.
Chris was very alert today. He didnt nap until around 5:00 p.m. His cousin came to visit. It lifted Chris spirits. Chris was now walking laps around the 5800 unit and he hadnt vomited since Reglan was given.
Later in the evening, Chris had a negative reaction to the meds. He woke up from sleeping and began wildly scratching his back and said it burned. We looked and the entire right side of his back was red. Was the new med or increased blood pressure meds given close together causing this reaction? Or was it a symptom related to coming down from the opiates?
I was a long night. The little girl who shared our room was having surgery tomorrow. They came in at about 11:00 p.m. to insert her IV line. She was not cooperative and began screaming. She had already experienced too many surgeries and knows what the IV means. Her dad stayed with her in the hospital. Her mom couldnt deal with watching her daughter suffer. Dad had shared with me that inserting the IV was a big trauma for her, so I had been practicing with the little girl earlier in the day with some breathing exercises to do when they put in the IV. Now that the time was here for the bad deed, I assisted dad with holding her still. Dad held her from behind, and I had my hands on her face and made her look into my eyes as she breathed in and out as we had practiced earlier. It was difficult, the the little girl was a trooper and thank goodness we had someone who knew how to put in and IV quickly.
When I reflect back on this memory, the look of fear and panic in her eyes is the exact look Chris gets in his eyes when he has to do blood draws or when he has a post-traumatic stress meltdown. The long term effects of trauma leave a lasting imprint.
Chris had to witness all the screaming and drama this little girl went though. It bothered him that she was so scared. He didnt get back to sleep until about 1:00 a.m.
"neither the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nor the Food and Drug Administration have determined the source of the outbreak."
Surprise, surprise…
http://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/cantaloupes-jensen-farms/100711/index.html
"identified L. monocytogenes outbreak strains in samples from equipment and cantaloupe at the Jensen Farms packing facility in Granada, Colorado. "
So is the packing facility contaminated or is it the farm land?
Quite the opposite – it is the grower's and buyer's responsibility to conduct an environmental assessment and mitigate risks before and during crop production…appropriate set-backs from livestock operations, preventing animal intrusions (defecation on the crops), using clean irrigation water verified by routine testing, training farmworkers, etc.
It's really not the cattle rancher's responsibility to move if a grower decides to plant raw crops in close proximity to their existing operation. Regarding your feedlot theory for produce contamination (pathogens), it makes sense, but none of the recent raw produce outbreaks have been linked to feedlots. For example, the 2006 E. coli O157:H7 spinach outbreak strain was found in a pastured grassfed beef cattle herd on the farm where the spinach was grown.
MW
@Deborah: In the old days, OPDC beef was from the spent dairy cows. I just received an email from OPDC about the beef that looked like a brochure. It didn't mention any partnership. Asking the question seems reasonable. I'm sorry that it hurt your sensibilities.
I would hope that the established produce farmer is indeed doing all the proper testing & taking responsibility for their crops, but what about when all of that is being down, but their crop is still compromised by someone else's negligence? Is there protection for that produce farmer?
"FDA Finalizes Report on 2006 Spinach Outbreak" "the precise means by which the bacteria spread to the spinach remain unknown."
The govt never did figure it out, unless they lied to the public and we all know they wouldn't do that.
Those mega dairies/feedlots contaminate the environment, air and water. And the meat/milk products from them cannot be safe either.
I asked a question. An answer from someone who knows would be great. If you are an OPDC employee, perhaps state that fact and then give us the specifics on the beef.
I think it's great to want to fill a need like that in the grass fed market. Let's find out how Mark is doing it.
Amanda
"Six cases were identified; four persons had culture-confirmed infections, one had a culture-confirmed infection and HUS, and one had HUS only. "
"Five of six patients reported they had consumed brand A raw dairy products in the week before their illness onset; the sixth patient denied drinking brand A raw milk,"
" Among the five patients who consumed brand A dairy products, two consumed raw whole milk, two consumed raw skim milk, and one consumed raw chocolate-flavored colostrum.
Four of the five patients routinely drank raw milk from dairy A. One patient was exposed to brand A dairy product only once; he was served raw chocolate colostrum as a snack when visiting a friend.
No other food item was commonly consumed by all six patients.
No other illness was reported among household members who consumed brand A dairy products. "
"the exact mode of milk contamination in this outbreak was not determined." Go figure…
http://www.bestbeefever.com/article/7-partnering-with-organic-pastures
http://www.bestbeefever.com/
"Thanks to the FDA, You Really Have No Idea What's In Your Food"
http://www.alternet.org/food/152660/thanks_to_the_fda%2C_you_really_have_no_idea_what%27s_in_your_food/
"Organic Pastures Dairy- RAW DAIRY PRODUCTS
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT:
We are now selling our USDA Organic Ground Beef in the following locations (more to come):
Santa Monica Farmer's Market (Wednesday)
S. Pasadena Farmer's Market (Thursday)
Torrance Farmer's Market (Saturday)
OPDC Hub Sale (Glendale 10am-2pm)
Hollywood Farmer's Market (Sunday)
Lassen's Natural Foods & Vitamins (All locations)
Grass Roots Market
Peter Gilhams
Rainbow Acres
Culture Club Co-Op
Diannes Health Foods
Noelle Co-Op
Aptos
Cornicopia Community Market
Mountain Harvest Market
Kristina's Natural Ranch Market
Living Temples
Nature's Whole Food Depot
The Foodmill Inc."
No mention of Dey Dey's Best Beef Ever. It clearly says our beef. Dey Dey's sells OPDC milk at farmer's markets. I know because I am part part part time working for John DeBruin, selling at MarVista Farmer's Markets.
Since I work partime I don't know ALL that goes on with DeyDey's. Until we have confirmation from John or Mark, we don't know WHERE the beef is coming from.
If it is Dey Dey's, OPDC needs to say as much. We don't call his milk OUR milk at the markets. We say Dey Dey's is partnering with Organic Pastures. I have made this clarification numerous times with unwitting customers who don't know and assume it is our (DeyDey's) milk.
Best, Kristen
Re-read the state report in your link to find the risk factors identified – there were multiple positive samples at the San Benito County farm, thus, no definitive "source." The farm was the source, but whether cattle, wildlife or water moved it to spinach could not be figured out retrospectively. But, surely you can't deny there was a need for improvement there to prevent another spinach-like outbreak?. Among the positive samples, none came from massive dairies or feedlots. If you don't believe me, check with the owners of Claravale Dairy who live in the same county to confirm there are no "mega dairies/feedlots" anywhere near where the spinach outbreak happened. Or, Google Earth it.
@milkfarmer
Meant to say earlier, thanks for this. Not sure if you meant the likes of government types too, but if so, you are sweet.
"Despite what some on this blog think, every opinion…whether negative, positve, safety or rights is valuable. You don't have to agree with everything you read here…but the fact is there are many who are reading this blog…and all viewpoint should be seen. "
MW
Why do you all think I've been so flippant and angry? Because I cannot share what I know. I have sources and evidence that is not mine to share publicly. I get pissed off when I see the WHOLE picture and it ain't pretty. I get pissed off when I hear smart, intelligent people rallying around persons who in my opinion are neither martyrs nor heroes. They're just plainl good at manipulating and lying. They can do it in a heartbeat, and a smile on their face. They appeal to your good nature and your good intentions, all the while caring only about themselves and their bottom lines.
How do you know if you are being manipulated? You don't get straight answers. You get a lot of skirting around the questions. There is no real transparency, nor honest record keeping or revealing of records. You have more questions than answers.
Make no mistake. I am a mother who cares about local, good food. I drink raw milk. I shop at farmer's markets. I am even considering the GAPS protocol. I am not a farmer, I am a consumer. And a jilted one at that. I will keep asking questions and finding out answers. When the time is right, I can tell you what I've learned.
If you have questions, please email me. If I can verify your identity and I feel you are looking for answers out of genuine concern, I can share with you a little of what I have learned. I will never expose my sources or give out direct evidence.
Best,
Kristen
Does Sharon Palmer have the money it takes to sue someone for libel? CHEESESLAVE spoke with her at this past hearing and Sharon said she did not. Look on Cheeseslave's FB page if you don't believe me. Who do we believe, the Sharon Palmer defending herself in the video, or the poor (literally) Sharon Palmer discussing the matter with CHEESESLAVE?
Trust me folks, I've watched, seen, asked and have heard most if not all angles of this issue.
Best,
Kristen
How do you know things that the rest of us do not? Why would you post that you have a wealth of knowledge if sharing it would land you into some kind of trouble? It's not like you can deny it later, it's in the blogosphere forever now. Besides, if there is deceit, you should talk.
Is the prosecution or defense in this CRIMINAL trial sharing their evidence with the public? Are there not still things on the local level that need to be cleaned up? I am not scared for myself.
Best,
Kristen
http://www.farmmuckraker.blogspot.com
p.s. Gumpert: I am a photographer, so that is where I was coming from. I just showed my husband the comments and after he was done reading he said, unprompted, "What a strange picture". Lol. Maybe you could borrow one from RFR?
Thank you everyone for the links to the Dey Dey beef but none of the info says that it is private labeling its product for Organic Pastures. It seems appropriate to let Mark clarify, which is why I asked him in the first place.
Amanda
MW
"FDA Finalizes Report on 2006 Spinach Outbreak" "the precise means by which the bacteria spread to the spinach remain unknown."
I don't need to reread the report. The report states plainly that "the precise means by which the bacteria spread to the spinach remain unknown." What is so hard to understand about that? Everything has risk factors, they weren't smart enough to figure out the exact cause of contamination.
MW: "But, surely you can't deny there was a need for improvement there to prevent another spinach-like outbreak?. "
Huh? Where did I say or even imply this?
As many have said on this blog, improvement is past due, those mega farms are not environmentally friendly, nor sustainable.
The report speaks for itself, they couldn't figure out supposedly how the contamination came about,
http://articles.sfgate.com/2006-10-13/news/17317271_1_dole-baby-spinach-spinach-field-spinach-outbreak
http://articles.latimes.com/2007/mar/24/local/me-spinach24
"Twenty-six samples of feces, soil and surface water at the ranch matched the genetic strain of bacteria in bags of spinach that made people sick."
"The San Benito River, which flows through the ranch and picks up E. coli from cattle manure, could have tainted the ranch's well water. The river water might have percolated into the groundwater tapped by the wells, the report says."
2000 head is no small farm. Only fools and greedy farmers plant in fresh manure. I would assume the farmer isn't a fool and the water was contaminated from the bovine excrement run-off.
http://www.fightecoli.com/?lang=en&pageID=2-2
"a 2.8-acre section of a 51-acre field was planted in spinach by grower Mission Organics at the Paicines Ranch in central California, an 8,000-acre spread largely devoted to cattle grazing."
http://www.cgfi.org/2006/10/spinach-outbreak-linked-to-grass-fed-cattle/
"Notably absent from this recent coverage is the fact that the cattle on the implicated ranch on which seven animals positive for the outbreak-strain of E. coli "
Amanda. Let your nerves be calmed. 100% of the delicious pastured ground beef is ours. It is a combination of steers, bulls and older dairy cows. Now you can sleep better at night.
We have also considered buying old dairy cows from other organic dairies next year. These dairies would need to qualify underthe label representations.
Foxy Broom Rider now you have the data.
Google LIGA Fresno. Great org.
And before you question me, yes, I have done volunteer and relief work as an RN and assisting with clean up. My last was right after Katrina in Waveland (took a direct hit, eye went over what was once a town-the photos still bring tears), Bay St Louis, and Gulfport,MS.
http://4christe.tripod.com/WavelandDamage
Not my photos, but gives an idea of the area. This was just up Beach Blvd from my friends home on Beach & Oak Blvd. Nothing was left but their foundation. They were lucky that they had another home with elevation of 20+ft in BSL that got only 5ft of water. I also did search & rescue in the Colorado mountains. And have done volunteer functions for the military.
Day 33 Hospital
At 2:00 a.m. in the morning, Chris started itching again. It appeared to occur after one of the blood pressure meds had been given. They gave him some Benadryl, but it didnt help. I climbed into bed with Chris and he laid on me as I scratched his back for 3 to 4 hours. I also noticed that Chris began to have involuntary tics and twitches. He barely slept that night.
In the morning when the doctors did their rounds, it was decided that Chris would go back up to 4mgs of methadone every 12 hours. Once he was reduced to 2 mgs, they believed this is what was causing the tic and twitches and possible the red itching feeling. Later when he was given methadone before the blood pressure meds, he did not have the itching reaction. The also did another EEG and it did show some misfiring.
There were more discussions about the possibility of us going home on Friday (it was Monday), but Chris would have to be able to take oral blood pressure medicines. The GI told us that in a few days they will reduce the TPN to 16 hours which would stimulate hunger, which would then release hormones that will hopefully help with the healing process of his digestive system.
It sounded like a good plan, but we were nave as to actually what this would mean when Chris wasnt fed intravenously and also could not eat food.
Sylvia – yes, it is true that organizations such as LIGA, Flying Samaritans, Doctors Without Borders, etc. exist for the benefit of countries outside of the U.S. There are volunteer physician organizations here in the U.S. but unfortunately there are not enough of them. In most cities, there are a number of hospitals that cannot turn anyone away from receiving treatment whether or not they have insurance. If they don't have insurance & don't qualify for medical assistance, the hospital writes it off. We are very fortunate here in the U.S. that we have access to medical facilities & most importantly, the high-tech medical equipment that provide the services needed. In places like Mexico, Latin America & South America, they do not have these things. This is why organizations such as the ones that I listed above exist. Mark had the wonderful opportunity to witness this is action. I will always remember the first time that I went on one of these trips…it was no piece of cake as we performed one procedure after another which made for extremely long days & well into the night, but to watch the happiness & relief on the faces of the patients & their families afterwards is well worth it. These people live in the most abject, horrific poverty & conditions, even our own poor have it so much better than theirs. We are fortunate here in the U.S. that when we do have disasters, we all come together to do what is needed, just like your opportunity of service after Katrina. You, as well as I, know the blessings that we receive when being able to provide our services to those in great need & for that I am very grateful over & over. Volunteering, no matter how & where, is a great gift that all of us can give to others.
Great words Deborah, volunteering is great work :).
— In loving memory of Blue Dog.
@ Blue Dog: It's hard to say. I don't intend to inspect the farm or buy the product. I get beef from a mile away. I was simply asking Mark about his operation.
Many Americans live in horrific conditions and absolute poverty. I have been in these homes, and to their tents or the dead cars they live in, some live in bushes. Many of our vets live in horrid poverty. I wouldn't know about Mexicos poor having life worse than Americans poor. I only know what I've seen here and in some European countries. Many Americans do not have access to medical treatment. They have no transportation, or money to pay.
"We are fortunate here in the U.S. that when we do have disasters, we all come together to do what is needed,"
To a point this is true, While I was in Ms, there was a tent set up (Waveland cafe) with 2 free hot meals a day and free supplies, cleaning supplies, clothes,etc..walmart set up a tent in their parking lot across the street and complained that the Waveland Cafe was taking away business, guess who had to shut down before Christmas? yes indeedy, everyone comes together. The volunteer group of MDs I saw, ignored fema's orders to stay out, and came in and set up free practice…..18 wheelers with supplies sat north of the devastation just sitting for months..countries offered money to help and our govt turned them down. red cross didn't want supplies, they specifically asked for money..
Taking into account the fact that David Gumpert does not check identification papers and verify that we are in fact who we claim to be, are you implying that every poster on The Complete Patient who does not use a "legal name" is an undercover government agent opposed to your free exercise of choice?
Were I you, I would seriously consider those implications.
An ant colony speaks with one voice. Free men and women will always disagree.
For the record, I have not accused anyone of fraud.
Jennifer Feeney, if that is your real name (just because it sounds real, doesn't make it real):
Have you ever considered that perhaps it's the "raw milk advocates", especially the ones that advocate REGULATION and STANDARDS in alignment with Codex and S510, that are the government agents sent to take down food choice?
Of course you haven't. I'd suggest you do.
Speaking of, did anyone else see this e-mail from Bill Anderson, RAWMI BOARD MEMBER?
(What's wrong with it? For starters, gold is not fiat currency, and the free market was a birth child of capitalism.
BLACK'S LAW DICTIONARY 1027 (8th ed. 2004) Fiat money = Paper currency not backed by gold or silver. — Also termed flat money.)
From: Bill <certainkindoffool@gmail.com>
To:
Sent: Saturday, October 8, 2011 5:01 PM
Subject: My analysis of Capitalism, in the context of the "occupy wall street" protest
Here's my basic view on the free market, which I think I share with the organizers of the "Occupy Wall Street" protests.
I'm in favor of a free market. But I'm against capitalism.
This confuses a lot of people, because in the minds of most Americans they are one and the same.
Capitalism is a system which involves competition between highly capitalized companies, to deliver standardized commodity goods at the cheapest price to the broadest possible market. Capitalism is very dependent upon debt-based currency, be it in the form of gold-bullion (as in 19th century America) or in the form of the modern fiat currency we have today from the Federal Reserve. They are different forms of capitalism, but result in the same end-game — corporate monopoly.
A free market, on the other hand, is a system in which new upstart enterprises are allowed to flourish. I think that a free market is consistent with a social safety net and with regulations protecting the environment, worker's right, the poor and disabled, etc… But the important feature of a free market is that it is a system structured in such a way as to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. A true free market allows people to challenge the economic status-quo, rather than forcing them to perpetuate it in order to enter the market.
History has shown that capitalism (as I described it above) always results in monopoly, and that often the business elites are actually hostile to a true free market. Now some "libertarian capitalists" will claim that its the government regulation which creates or allows the monopoly, but I would respond by pointing out that the entire industrial revolution was predicated upon government promotion of industry, and protection from foreign competition and from domestic labor unions and/or farmer's unions. These policies were intentional on the part of the elite banking and financial classes, going all the way back to the drafting of the US constitution, Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist Party.
We could debate the merits of the industrial revolution all day. And I think there is a good case to be made that it was, in many ways, predicated on authoritarianism and social control, and that it has resulted in regimentation of human life in many respects. But the fact of the matter is, we would not have our modern lifestyles and life expectancy if it was not for the industrial revolution, and I really highly doubt that the technological advances of the last 150 years are just going to disappear anytime in our life, although we do need to start adapting to the end of cheap oil which means a shift back to a more agrarian economy.
Given these facts, I feel that we need to accept the inevitably of concentration of corporate capital, and also the necessity of challenging it from below through democratically organized social movements. Socialist movements in 19th century Europe first developed as a grassroots challenge to the power of corporate capital, originally in the form of labor unions, mutualist credit unions, cooperatives, and intentional "utopian" communities. But by the early 20th century, it was clear that these institutions were incapable of mounting a challenge to the ever growing power of the corporate elites, and so socialist political parties became necessary to challenge the conservative and liberal parties of capitalism in the electoral arena. Of course, these Social-Democratic parties have moved far to the right over the decades, and so new challenges are always needed. Today, I think that the Green Party represents the best electoral alternative, but I would never put my faith in legislating away corporate-state oppression. The heart and soul must remain at the grassroots, in the people's social movements.
My point is this — in the final analysis, capitalism is at root a system of class domination, which merely utilizes the ideology of "laissez-faire" as one of many ways to maintain its hegemony and control of the populace.
This is why I argue so stridently against the perpetuation of this myth of "laissez-faire" — that if everyone just pursues their own self-interest without any regard for the effects our actions have on others, on the planet, or on future generations, everything will magically work itself out. I simply don't buy this argument, yet I see variations of this attitude manifested so often in the raw milk movement, with people dismissing food safety concerns as irrelevant or as totalitarian control agendas, when in fact we already have the technology and tools to verify the safety of raw milk produced with the proper attention to details, we just need to use those tools to our advantage as a movement.
My challenge is how to express this to the raw milk movement, given the ideological stumbling blocks which laissez-faire "libertarian" capitalism presents. I don't think the solution is more individualism and exclusive privately organized clubs, which privilege a few consumers who are "in the know" while leaving the rest of the public only the choice of pasteurized milk.
Indeed, I think that socialism is a neccessity for us, because I don't think we can effectively challenge the combined power of states and corporations without common goals and a collective strategy for direct action, challenging the power structure.
I so often feel like an outsider in this raw milk movement because of the "S" word — Socialism!
Please check out this really great article from INC magazine about socialism and entrepreneurialism in Scandinavia:
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20110201/in-norway-start-ups-say-ja-to-socialism.html
This is what I'm in favor of — DEMOCRATIC socialism!!
-Bill Anderson
"Capitalism should not be condemned, since we haven't had capitalism. A system of capitalism presumes sound money, not fiat money manipulated by a central bank. Capitalism cherishes voluntary contracts and interest rates that are determined by savings, not credit creation by a central bank. It's not capitalism when the system is plagued with incomprehensible rules regarding mergers, acquisitions, and stock sales, along with wage controls, price controls, protectionism, corporate subsidies, international management of trade, complex and punishing corporate taxes, privileged government contracts to the military-industrial complex, and a foreign policy controlled by corporate interests and overseas investments. Add to this centralized federal mismanagement of farming, education, medicine, insurance, banking and welfare. This is not capitalism!
"To condemn free-market capitalism because of anything going on today makes no sense. There is no evidence that capitalism exists today. We are deeply involved in an interventionist-planned economy that allows major benefits to accrue to the politically connected of both political parties. One may condemn the fraud and the current system, but it must be called by its proper names Keynesian inflationism, interventionism, and corporatism.
"If we were to choose freedom and capitalism, we would restore our dollar to a commodity or a gold standard. Federal spending would be reduced, income taxes would be lowered, and no taxes would be levied upon savings, dividends, and capital gains. Regulations would be reduced, special-interest subsidies would be stopped, and no protectionist measures would be permitted. Our foreign policy would change, and we would bring our troops home."
http://mises.org/daily/2895
And what implications am I to seriously consider?
The history of COINTELPRO should be sufficient evidence that even the "real world", with all its face to face interactions, is full of "undercover government agents" looking to entrap and deprive citizens of their liberties. How well do you know that nice lady you met at the farmer's market last week? How do you know she isn't being paid to gather information on your clandestine excursions into the world of unlicensed food? Oh, but she seems so reliable and honorable! Or even your best friend from high school — how do you know they haven't been corrupted and co-opted for a mess o' pottage or thirty silver?
And yet to live one's life in a bubble, afraid to exercise your rights, is to be a slave to your own fear. Quite the seeming contradiction. You seem to live in constant fear that anyone who doesn't prove their identity to your satisfaction is a government agent seeking to deprive you of your rights. Even if that nice woman at the farmer's market gives you a name and shows you some official piece of government paper (oh! the irony!), that in no way prevents her from ratting you out if she chooses.
But you can almost always tell the double agents. They're the ones encouraging everyone else to start the revolution.
The farm is open on Sundays from 10 am to 1 pm and I encourage anyone to visit it. While not every day is perfect on the farm, how could it be? From what I see, eat and experience, it is the best tasting chicken, meats and eggs. So if you are going to spend time speculating, gossiping and mentioning publicly slander that you truly do not have experience about (ie: spending time at the farm), I challenge you to be careful with your buying into the so called fraud. I know many Farmer's Market owners that feel the same way I do about the farm and know that they personally know Sharon and have spent time on her farm. That is why she is still selling at Farmer's Markets, along with the fact that she has her Agriculture Permits, Licenses and labeling correct. I have seen inspections done at the Farmer's Markets I used to manage and now at my own market from the Health Department and Agriculture and I have never gotten a write up on her nor any corrections to be made. If perhaps she is found guilty of something I have not seen, I will let the courts decide that, until then it is not my place to judge but instead go by the truth that I know and experience. I have caught a few farmer's spreading rumors about Sharon, yet when I have checked their Ag Cert for some items that they have on their table for sale and try to match it, they are in violation with the health department as far as sampling and selling product they don't grow. Those that live in glass houses should not throw stones. I could go on further, but I think I gave enough information for now. Thanks for the consideration.
Go walk around the 10,000 acre ranch and come back and say if it's a CAFO with runoff (at a time with zero rainfall).
MW
Anyone that has spent any time at her farm consistently over the months can see that her allegations of outsourcing are hard to imagine, she has over 5,000 animals at all stages of life. Sharon and I had fun gobbling at all the turkeys today (they gobble back) and she gave my son and I, a 2 month old (sometime in the future to be} egg layer to take home. (we've had chickens before and recently just moved to an area where we can have them again:} We had fun relating and sharing stories about our teenage sons and I always feel so great spending time with her. There are so many people that come to the farm on sundays, it is great to be there. Many people ask why she isn't open 7 days a week, I laugh and say did you want to come and volunteer, because if not, running a farm of over 5,000 animals is pretty much a 24/7 job. Can you imagine stopping every time someone came for a visit to give a tour? Most people do not actually know the True Life of a Farmer. So when I know someone that is walking the walk and working as hard as she is, it is really really hard for me to see someone talking up stuff that I personally know has not taken a tour of the farm.
I heard someone say, well she can clean up the farm and make it look like she is really doing it for Sunday tour day. My husband and I laugh so hard about that…..I say "REALLY, Do you think she really would do that, bring in that many animals and make it look like that just for a few hours. You can drive by the farm anytime and see from the road what is going on. She has nothing to hide/ She is just so busy and I respect the fact that she is raising 3 children on top of all that.
For example, someone said to me at the Farmers' Market that they saw a picture of the chickens in the dirt at her farm. I said back to them, did they see the picture of the wonderful fodder system Sharon has to sprout her own grass and sprouts because grass does not grow well in the Canyon? That is what I mean about taking things out of context. Or did they happen to have a picture of the two HUGE beautiful gardens she has with lots of pesticide free vegetables? That she shares with her animals, friends and families.
It is great to ask questions and I completely support anyone as consumers to visit their farmer and know that the food they are bringing to the table is from the farm of their choice. I however, do not support people that write in information that is misleading, taken out of context and hyped up to an alleged Mystery that there is something brewing that will soon be revealed and they are the only ones that know about it. Again, I will let the judges, judge and myself as a consumer and Market owner continue to do the best for my Market and my family.
Where do the cows graze on the un-irrigated pasture? If you know a lot about her farm, I would like to know if you know where they are kept?
How many head does she have?
Thanks,
Kristen
I know she has most of them at the leased land she has towards the beginning of the canyon, you can see them as you are driving through. I think I saw the other day a large truck dropping what looked like bales of grass. I could be wrong, but the cows were following the truck, a whole herd of them. We stopped because my 3 year old noticed a baby calf escaped through the fence and was in the road, so we shooed it back to its mama. My little guy is still talking about how we saved that baby calf…LOL. You should see the baby pigs that are there right now, all the animals look good and healthy. But feel free to ask these questions when you take the tour.
How many turkeys does Sharon have now getting big for Thanksgiving? I heard she sells medium and large birds…do you see the size differences? Maybe I will take a look to see those Turkeys with my children. It all sounds so lovely and pastoral.
How does she care for 5000 animals? Does she have full time help? Family members? Ranch Hands? Part time? Volunteers?
Are you one of her volunteers? Are you getting the commercially raised meat, eggs and poultry that the bail documents clearly said they have receipts for? Sharon says she donates to her charities? Or she also said those receipts could be from her processor, or for the business she has on the side selling to restaurants and private buying clubs? If it is from her processor, that would be an invoice (receipt) If it is for her "restaurant/private buying club" work, isn't that a bill? So they've seized all of these receipts for commercial grade food, but she says that it is other paperwork? So confused?
Best,
Kristen
Shame he didn't say who was "dismissing food safety concerns as irrelevant "
"the rest of the public only the choice of pasteurized milk."
It is up to everyone to know their food, the information is out there, and free. If people want something bad enough, they will find it.
That is not a comforting thought that a board member for rawmi appears to want to push socialism.
TheCompletePatient gives his real name and Bio at the top of the page, just a click away….
As usual when mw can't discuss something s/he gives an empty response or no response.
"But you can almost always tell the double agents. They're the ones encouraging everyone else to start the revolution. "
This does appear true.
From M Webster:
Definition of FREE MARKET: an economic market operating by free competition
Definition of SOCIALISM
1: any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property
b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3: a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done
The lies coming from the raw milk leadership are unbelievable.
They are the ones destroying this movement.
title=0&byline=0&portrait=0
Some lighter fare to enjoy!
By the Way, my complaint to the judge in Wisconsin Judiciary Conduct board was summarily dismissed. This was the judge that said that farmers do not have the right to own a cow or drink its milk.
Got the letter today.
Mark
Your quote pointing out that the Prosecutor, "Doesn't Want Raw Milk, She Wants Blood", parallels a statement made by the former FDA chief council Peter Barton Hutt, If you beat the FDA in court you have an angry FDA that is willing to slit your throat.
Democracy is a process by which people are free to knowingly or unknowingly choose what they desire and/or deserve. The process can indeed be honorable, however in our current day and age it has catered to human vice and has unfortunately resulted in illusionary forms of government manipulated by the corrupt few in order to enslave the masses.
In a greedy self righteous world Oscar Wildes statement holds true, Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people.
Hence the following quotes aught to be revealing,
Democracy is indispensable to socialism.
Vladimir Lenin
Democracy is the road to socialism.
Karl Marx
Democracy is the wholesome and pure air without which a socialist public organization cannot live a full-blooded life.
Mikhail Gorbachev
Our country's founders cherished liberty, not democracy.
Ron Paul
Barney
I dont recall bill denying being a socialist.
I respect Bill and his opinion and agree with him on many social issues. That being said however I disagree with his socialist politics which, IMO if implemented will in the end subvert social justice.
Ken Conrad
My dad labeled himself a communist. He was not a communist ever. What he sought was to radical for the communists and they would not have him.
Labels are a horribleway to messure or classify a person. Simply inaccurate and horrible. A label as a reputation that goes far beyond its definition or actual meaning.
When Bill calls himself a socialist, please then go one step further and have him describe what that means to him and why. Then, after that investment of time and energy, if his description of what he believes is not to you liking….then that is also just fine and makes up diversity the fabric of America.
Where the problem lies, Mark, is that Bill's political position is in opposition to what this country is supposed to be – a Constitutional Republic that values personal liberty. This would be "just fine and makes up the diversity the fabric of America" if that were the end of it – but Bill has been given a position of REGULATORY AUTHORITY in an organization which has admitted it will work in a LEGISLATIVE/LOBBYING capacity. Do you understand the problem, yet?
Day 34 Hospital
During the night, Chris only had a little twitching while sleeping. He slept all night.
The doctors decided that Chris would begin drinking small amounts of water today. They changed one of his blood pressure meds to oral every 12 hours and the other would only be given if his blood pressure was above 120. They also told us that tomorrow we would be moving out of the PICU step-down unit to the basic unit. This would be the last stop before going home. We had been in the PICU units for almost a month. It was exciting to move to basic unit. We were slowly moving in the correct direction.
Chris played in the playroom for the 1st time. He spent about 1 there. Playing Uno was popular with all the kids. He became a pro at walking with and maneuvering his I.V. pole.
In the evening, he had a bad reaction after receiving his methadone. He itched for about 1 hours. He experienced tics, and his fingers, legs, ears became red and there was a slight rash under his eyes. Chris didnt get to sleep until around 12:00. No blood pressure meds were given that night. He was doing O.K.
Later in the day, I got a frantic call from Melissa Herzog. Lauren was in the emergency room. She had a seizure at home. She wanted to double check with me about Chris seizures. She wanted to make sure that his had been caused by high blood pressure, not HUS. I reaffirmed that it had been caused by high blood pressure. She shared this information with the doctors. Laurens blood pressure was high.
Later she called me back devastated. They had to intubate Lauren to run all the brain tests. Lauren was now on a ventilator. They were coming back to LLUCH. She would be sent to the 5700 unit. We were in the 5800 unit. Up to this point, Lauren had always been in better condition than Chris. I had never seen Melissa in a trauma/shock mode. She looked like walking death when they arrived. I commented to Tony that this must have been what we looked like. It is terribly difficult to see your child on a ventilator.
I know all about the flavors of communism and socialism . . . .I have seen socialistic Western European apathy first hand (the people do not rock the boat until something is cut . . . . Greece comes to mind) . . . . and Communism . . .my Albanian relatives were only able to contact us when the Iron Curtain came down in 1989-90 . . . we had been cut off from them for nearly 2 generations . . . if Communism is so great . . . why is North Korea and Cuba so backwards . . . Venezeula is going in that direction and no one is doing anything about it . . . I won't even mention the Shining Path in Peru and what they did before Guzman was taken out . . . Stalin, Mao and all the millions of deaths associated with them . . . .
So . . . . Mark, if your father was too much for the communists . . . then that is very telling . . . if we had communism in this country today . . . you would never be as weathly as you are . . . .flying around in your airplane . . . your farm would now be in a collective . . .and you would live in a concrete cinder block apartment with at least two families . . . .talk to my DH who was brave and visited for a day . . . East Germany, when he was 19 and wanted to experience Communism first hand . . . this was right before the wall came down . . . . he was never, ever, so glad to get back to the West . . .
Kind regards,
Violet
http://www.kilbyridgefarmmaine.blogspot.com
Until Mark has a K Street address in DC . . . . he will never have legislative/lobbying authority . . . it takes millions to do this . . .
He has been promised something that will never happen . . . . a place at the table . . .he is not Dean Foods, Hood . . . or any of the other big milk distributors . . . .Unfortunately, those big guys have the ears of congress . . .which is why those congressman and senators need to be voted out . . . those that supported legislation like S-510 . . . they are on the take . . . Mark is being used . . . RAWMI will not go anywhere (he never talked to the small producers here in my state of Maine . . . . who can legally sell raw milk . .) and the PTB know this . . . .this is just him . . . the big raw milk producer in California . . . . he is covering his A**.
Mark, send me a listing of RAWMI producers in Maine who are on board with you . . .
Kind regards,
Violet
http://www.kilbyridgefarmmaine.blogspot.com
Thank you for your lucid blog. I don't know how you stay lucid, but I sure appreciate your focus. I like your position of accepting all posts regardless of identity. All posters, same to you – love this messy speakeasy! It's all divine to me.
All are valuable to me but In particular, Ken's, Syliva's and Mark's posts. Thanks for the links and guidance!
Participated in a panel discussion with Nancy Eason (WAPF Ft Collins), Sara Puglich, raw dairy farmer (sorry Sara – I'm sure that last name is misspelled), and Dr. Larry Goodridge, (CSU microbiologist) last Friday at CSU, after a Farmageddon viewing.
It was sponsored by Young Americans for Freedom (Ron Paul supporters) and the Sustainable Development group at Colorado State University. The SusDev people cooked dinner for us and served it gardenside in the gazebo before the movie. Real food, real people, real dialogue. Lots of questions left unanswered, but at least we posed the questions. Attendance 150 people; mostly CSU students. They were smart, energized, and very present. After the meeting was adjourned, conversations lasted another hour.
Meg and Arden from Windsor Dairy donated samples of raw milk. I was grinning at the comments – "This is delicious!" "Can I have another"? "Wow – never tasted milk like this"….
"Where do I sign up?"
The Colorado Cheese Festival is November 10-11.
-Blair
Sorry.
-Blair
We must use a different model for measuring one another. Measure me by my deeds, Measure me by what I try to do and what I do when I fail. Measure me by what I do with my extra money. Measure me by how many children do not have asthma. Measure me by the bone density of my consumers and their trust in me. A label is a very poor measure of anything….We are a very complex product of all sorts of things.
I have not searched the world for utopia…I learned from my dads searches and frustrations that it does not exist. He was always told to go home and fix America.
Well…that I what I want to do. I want to work to fix America.
America starts at home. My utopia is based in family and sustainable farming. The closest thing I have found to utopia is the production of safe raw milk for the families in CA. The trust, the care, the health, the ethics and dedication are all measures of this utopia. It is all about hard work, responsibility and transparency. There is no cheating raw milk. It is expressly honest.
The newest study on the benefits of raw milk to unborn babies is fantastic…the FDA will roll over in their FOOD INC beds when they find out about the huge benefits as reflected by the cord blood immune system factors found in new born babies of mothers that drink raw milk.
http://www.nature.com/nri/journal/v10/n12/full/nri2871.html
The FDA time clock is ticking….November 1st is coming hard and fast. Will they show up and criminal raw milk moms or not. That is the question. I can almost guarantee that they will be a no show. They would be insane to show up. Media, hard questions, moms with raw milk, it is a media fiesta.
If you can be there in front of the FDA centers in Maryland…November 1st, this will be a day to be remembered. The "RAW MILK FREEDOM RIDERS". Declaring that moms will not be criminalized for feeding their families with good wholesome raw milk.
I feel very sorry for your father . . .he was searching for a heaven on earth . . . this will never be found . . . human beings are born, grow hopefully with caring and loving parents (many cases this is not so), and people make mistakes . . . that have lifetime consequences, our governments are not always great, we are not free, the rich are evil, the poor buy into the class warfare mantra, teenagers drop out and wonder why they are poor, teenage mothers give birth and wonder why they are poor . . . people get hooked on drugs and wonder why they are poor . . . we blame others but not ourselves when we get into a jam . . the government steps in but just makes everything worse . . .they allow our corporations to outsource, offshore and H1-B all of our good jobs . . . . and we wonder why unemployment is nealry 20% (in reality) . . . we go into endless wars . . . we are the international police force . . . our kids come home broken from these conflicts with PTSD, lost limbs, etc, . . .it goes on, and on, and on . . .
Our government does not work any more. It has been this way since 1913 when the Fed was created and our labor was taxed. Boom and bust cycles, prohibition, the nanny state, etc., it goes on, and on, and on.
We have been lulled into sleep with our entertainment and our cheap processed food. Most of us are chronically ill . . .obesity, allegies, asthma, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, it goes on and on, and on . . . but we are told that we need universal health care to help us with these diseases . . .big pharma is on TV to solve these problems caused by bad food and our modern lifestyle . . . every other commercial . . . they are making billions . . . .and we all take this info to our doctors and demand these drugs . . . others just sit back and let our government dictate what is good for us . . . what we can and cannot eat. We get sick from government inspected food . . . . well ,we now have S-510 that deals with this . . .
It is stupid, Mark . . . your RAWMI institute just segway's into the S-510 legislation and helps you in the short term . . .but it helps none of the smalll farms out there who milk less that 50 cows . . . . I asked you this . . . no response . . . and I will ask you once again . . .
Have you contacted any of the small dairies in Maine or any other of the states where raw milk is legal are any of said small dairies on board with your RAWMI institute?
Kind regards,
Violet
http://www.kilbyridgefarmmaine.blogspot.com