Heather Callaghan
Activist Post

Things can seem really grim in the world of food freedom when farmers and food club members are jailed and squashed for providing fresh milk, while the media continues to spread outright lies about its consumption.

Just when it appears that the force, bans, food destruction, jail time, and deception are too much to handle – the people parry and thrust! In this dark cloud of oppression against health freedom and self-sufficiency, there are indeed some overlooked silver linings. For every bout of extreme force, there is a doubly powerful backlash.

There have been a handful of impressive rallies to defend raided small farms in the last year including the most recent one supporting Vernon Hershberger. Around 300 people showed up at his Wisconsin court hearing and were jam packed into the courtroom and basement during proceedings.

He refused to have a hearing without his own camera rolling and would not accept offers for settlement, i.e. reduced punishment for accepting guilt for four misdemeanors. The pressure from the crowd, his gentle constancy, and his recordings may have led the judge to rethink the call of prosecutors to punish him for violating bail terms. His trial date has been pushed to September.

The attendees and Hershberger signed a Declaration of Food Independence and went to a workshop to learn about standing up to food and farm tyranny.

The education and action always proves useful. For instance, Jackie Ownes, the DATCP inspector carrying out action against Hershberger calls herself a judge, but has no sworn oath on file and therefore, no real judicial authority. The rally organizers are suing her for fraud and misrepresentation.

Over 200 law enforcement personnel attended the first Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association convention in early February. Sheriff Brad Rogers received an award for “Meritorious Valor” and overwhelming applause for standing up to the feds attacking farmer David Hochstetler.

Rogers of Indiana bravely stood his ground and kept his oath knowing there would be sparks. He promised to protect Hochstetler who was subpoenaed in December for distributing raw milk.

He wrote the Justice Department attorney that if anyone came back to the farm without a signed search warrant, they would be “removed for trespassing.” They puffed back that they have federal jurisdiction via the Supremacy Clause, but he reminded them about the Constitution.

The Department of Justice removed its subpoena. This is what happens when constitutional sheriffs exercise their authority to protect their turf from federal bully overreach.

A step in the right direction, Harvard’s Food Law Society invited some of the biggest players in the politically incorrect food freedom movement to speak openly in a debate.

In the February debate below, Sally Fallon of Weston A. Price foundation and author David Gumpert spoke first about raw milk’s benefits, the deceptions, and the extreme government crackdown on farmers. Stark opponents to raw milk, attorney Fred Pritzker and Dr. Heidi Kassenborg spoke after.

This intriguing video is a must-watch to find out what all the fuss is about:

Who do you think made the strongest argument?

An old report from a Harvard student makes the connection that the addition of rBGH (hormones) to speed the production of milk from factory farm cows, as well as the practice of milking cows during pregnancy, leads to hormone disruption; and breast, prostate, and testicular cancer.

The resurfacing report from Harvard, lauded by the mainstream, and exposed during the same week as court hearings and CDC warnings (i.e, lies), is quite a punch in the face to the raw milk task force.

The media, including one of the debaters above, like to cite an instance when a raw milk farmer on the news was milking his cow and didn’t realize that some manure had landed on his face — as if that should be the death knell for all unpasteurized products. But, along with the Harvard study, it was also found that pasteurized milk contains, among other things, a speculated 150 times more blood, pus and feces than fresh milk. Does a body good?

In late February, the CDC put out another scary warning espousing the dangers of potential foodborne illness from consuming unpasteurized milk. Conveniently it comes during the midst of farmer court hearings and milk confiscations; also conveniently, it completely skews raw milk data and downplays the dangers of pasteurized milk. They also lied about two deaths from raw milk that were actually tied to eating an illegal cheese.

Just over a hundred people on average become sick from raw milk each year; fewer than sicknesses from pasteurized milk. Milk products in general are low risk; only a few hundred sicknesses out of around 24,000 foodborne illness cases each year. Raw milk sicknesses make up about 0.005 percent of that threat, and the chances of food sickness are 1,300 times higher from eating at a restaurant than from drinking raw milk.

The warning serves as a perfect example of an irrational attack that has nothing to do with food safety — but the wool is lifting from people’s eyes.

Other countries and cultures must look upon America’s raging War on Milk with bafflement. For thousands of years and now, people have consumed raw milk without incident.

In Europe, you can grab fresh milk from vending machines – the government often pays the vendors to provide their wares.

Recently, a woman undertook a rigorous 90-day raw milk fast to rid her body of Lyme disease. She uncovered old Mayo Foundation documents from the early 1900s applying raw milk fasts to serious diseases at the time such as Tuberculosis.

Not as Recent Honorable Mentions:

Don’t mess with the Raw Milk Freedom Riders! In November, strong moms and others joined a caravan of raw milk trucks and defiantly drove it back and forth over state lines in protest of the FDA’s strict interstate bans. President of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund FTCLDF, said, “How do you know when we’ve got a bad law? When thousands of otherwise law abiding citizens are breaking it on a weekly basis.”

Last year, a study showed that kids who drink raw milk have 40 percent less asthma and allergies than others. Raw milk has shown curative effects for asthma, a serious condition that kills 5,500 people each year.

In June, a female endurance cycling team powered by raw milk broke speed records records in their bracket, previously held by men. The Raw Milk Cats were in their fifties and sped completely across the country in six days. Body builders are also loving the use of raw milk for better protein assimilation.

Ron Paul introduced The Unpasteurized Milk bill to decriminalize raw milk and allow interstate transfer. Watch a great interview on his stance here.

What seems like an irrational attempt to stomp out any remnant of the radical 9 million or more raw milk drinkers only serves to make people question – why??

More than likely, all the buzz will intrigue rather than preclude people from trying out America’s most “dangerous” contraband.

Care to rebel? Once you find out how private farm club memberships work, the rest is easy. Visit www.westonaprice.org to find chapter members who will help you locate and join a local club. Now is the time to opt for fresh pasture foods in lieu of slime and dead food.

Supporting local small farms is the best way to lend them strength — and to keep yours!