Aajonus VonderplanitzThese are tough times for Aajonus Vonderplanitz.
Earlier this year, he was kicked out of Rawesome Food Club, the organization he co-founded in Venice, CA, ten years ago, when he objected to the quality of food coming from Sharon Palmer’s Ventura farm. His campaign to discredit her food as having come at least in part from factory sources has mainly served to fuel a huge divide at Rawesome.
I know, there are many Rawesome supporters who feel Vonderplanitz has been such a divisive force that they don’t care if they never hear from him again.
It’s difficult for these people to remember that in many ways, he fathered the current food rights movement that is gathering supporters and influence nearly by the day in response to government outrages. And in some sense, he remains its spiritual guiding force by virtue of his tenacity and special grasp of the legal and political forces at work.
That’s why it was sad to read an email he sent to supporters today in which he bemoaned the sense of humiliation, and even exile, he has experienced in recent days, in the wake of the August 3 government raid on Rawesome.
“On August 4, 2011, I attended the rally and court proceedings. About 80 people attended the protest/rally at the Los Angeles County courthouse regarding the Rawesome Club food-raid. It was a good turnout but no one knew how to organize it or knew what to do to take advantage of the press exposure. About 5 TV networks were there to cover the story. Approximately 25 people remained outside picketing and about 55 people inside. I offered the 4 network TV stations present my comments as President of Right To Choose Healthy Food, since I had built Rawesome. They began to move for taping but when I gave them my name, they refused to receive my comments. Who blacklisted me? Rawesome members or government-controlled media?”
He even felt compelled to deny that he was a turncoat who encouraged the multi-agency raid on Rawesome last week. “I was not privy to the fact that they were going to raid Rawesome again,” he stated.
But he remains the wily resistor, and suggested that James Stewart was out-maneuvered by the government prosecutor when Stewart agreed as part of his bail agrrement to a gag order as well as to not be involved in distributing raw milk. I’m not clear whether Stewart agreed as well to shutter Rawesome–and I can’t ask him to comment officially because he’s under a gag order–although Vonderplanitz says he did, and in the process missed a golden opportunity to become a symbol of resistance:
“When the judge ASKED that if James wanted out on $30,000 bail, would he agree not to handle anyone’s food but his own and close Rawesome, James Stewart agreed.
“Sadly, with all of the cameras rolling and the world watching – the opportunity of a life time for our cause of food-freedom, healthy-food rights and life without disease – we did not have a leader that said, ‘Your honor, I cannot accept your restrictions. There are infants, children, mothers and fathers, entire families as well as individuals who rely on their special food to be healthy and free of allergies and disease. I am simply the manager of Rawesome. Rawesome is owned by its members. I have no authority to close the life-giving food club. Nor would I if I had authority. If you charge me to stay in jail, for them I will do it. Because you don’t supply good food in jail, I choose to hunger-strike until those members who are American citizens can have their food, and you release me.’ ”
I have spoken with farmers who credit Vonderplanitz with “rescuing” them from government shutdown efforts. At this point, I don’t want to name them, for fear in the current climate I would be encouraging the State to come back after them, during this time of Vonderplanitz’s troubles.
Sadly, there’s almost a naivete in Vonderplanitz’s efforts to remind people of his long credentials in supporting food rights, dating back to the late 1960s in support of raw milk, and against Los Angeles campaigns to ban it. He was one of a group of investors to get Mark McAfee of Organic Pastures up and running in 2001, and in 2007 he led a lobbying group that spent several months in Washington trying to persuade senators and representatives to support lifting the ban on interstate sales of raw milk. Its major accomplishment was getting a signed letter from then-Senator Barack Obama affirming the President’s opposition to raw milk; indeed, reading the President’s words (“…the FDA has a responsibility to provide consumer protection.”) in light of the campaign to eliminate raw milk leads me to believe he could well be aware of the current outrages.
The lesson here? Not necessarily that we need unity at all costs. But that it is highly difficult after the fact to repair relationships that are publicly trashed…especially at the time when they are most needed.
In fact I was agreeing with you ?
Aajonus needs to unite and not divide. Teach people and not recruit cult members. Then he will get the microphone. The cause is the Children and the moms. Not a guy named Aajounus or James or Mark.
What accurate idea do I have of the debt I owe Aajonus?
He is a guy that needs his food and a tyrannical government persistently interferes with this. He is persistent too. He wants to live. I want to live. We want to live. Circumstances and his desire to live have produced one of the heavy lifters. There are other heavy lifters. I am in their debt as well. I thank God for them. Dont know them? Never heard of them? Probably theyre busy living like youre busy living. Whats the purpose of publicity anyway? Do I have to have heard of someone or they are not significant? Not by a long shot. I never heard of Aajonus until I walked into Rawesome in May of 2009. I didnt need to have heard of him. But still I benefited for many years. I tried raw milk years ago. Bought it at Trader Joes. It was Alta-Dena Dairy brand. I took one taste and always chose it after that. And there was Aajonus battling it out to my benefit, unbeknownst to me. I can easily live with that. I owe him one. Thanks Aajonus.
I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Organic Pastures Dairy.
Mr. J. Ingvar Odegaard
And Ingvar….you're awesome. Deming would be proud.
Now, is it too much to ask that the big 4 of California Raw Dairy (Ron, Mark, James and Aajonus) to man-up, sit together, clear up the BS of the past 10 years and develop a coherent plan of action.
It happened once before here in 2008. Each of these four have a strength that can be brought and was brought to bear. The unfortunate thing is that the people behind the scenes that put wind in the sails and made the resistance to SB201 successful have either been betrayed, slammed or scared away.
If you are talking leadership, then have the guts to do what it takes to really lead. Walk your god-damn talk.
Or is protecting your interests and making money more important than making sense?
Hey whats going on here? There should be very few people that they'd want to interview more than Aajonus.
Sounds like the psychedelic movement in the 1960's when all research and development was stopped and the ethneogens were made illegal. Apparently, even Tim Leary admitted this error. And even then through people committed to thoughtfulness and respect of current processes, research is now being allowed again.
And please spare me any anti-government response to this. If nature didn't want the current system it wouldn't be in effect. It obviously has no problems with extinction either.
This is not off-thread. I think I've narrowed down what Native Americans want the rest of us (including the pretend-warriors) to understand. It will save everybody the drama of sweatlodges, sundances and visionquests,
Shut the fu*k up and listen!
And, yes, they would say it that way.
The LA Weekly article is telling in that it shows of this process having been going on for a long, long time. God forbid this should be looked and grist for strategy planning. But people would rather say how the author is misinformed, wrong and the article is badly written. We're right. They're wrong. Sounds pretty dogmatic to me.
Everybody talks about a "movement" No one talks about "coalition" Is that too "socialist" for the libertarians? Is this too "gay" for the heterosexuals. Is the too "beta" for the alpha males and females. The two most successful "rights' movements in California over the past 40 years relates to LGBT rights and Marijuana rights. Lawyer's who are able to argue the cases to the state supreme courts. People who know how to navigate the political process. State initiatives that everyone can vote on. Grass-roots movements (pun intended for pot-people) that have actually had an effect. Co-ordinated, on-going, and thinking long term. The groups are not perfect and have their share of drama. And they are committed to process.
The LA Weekly is an alternative paper and by it's nature would lean towards being supportive. I have efforted since 2008 to get this paper to write an article relating to what has been going on in the state. I actually had a verbal agreement with the TED conference organizers to supply them with raw milk for the 2011 conference. No support and deaf ears from the "united front"
And the people who can and are willing to bridge the gap watch and wait.
Unfortunately, Vonderplanitz appears to have an axe to grind with his former business associates at Rawsome and Healthy Family Farm.
I would encourage him to take down the libellous website that is dividing the raw milk community — at least until after the current case is over.
I have read the website, and I have read the LADA's complaint. The two have nothing in common! If Vonderplanitz's complaints had merit, don't you think the LADA would have included them in their case?
If I were in the press, and had knowledge of the Vonderplanitz website that attacks Rawsome and Healthy Family Farm, I wouldn't want to talk to him, either.
Whether or not the information on the website has merit on its own, Vonderplanitz's prominent association with that website simply makes the raw milk movement look bad.
TAKE DOWN THAT WEBSITE, AAJONUS! Then, if any of your accusations are proven in court, at least you'll have something more than a paid private investigator's report on which to base your accusations. But until then, it just looks like a petty argument between former business associates, and it does NOTHING to help the raw milk case.
1. 80 people? Doesn't Rawsome have 2000 members? So less than 5 % of the membership (or even less if half the people were unrelated to Rawsome) show up for a protest?
This doesn't speak well IMO to how much these people value their access to food.
2. As David has pointed out elsewhere, submitting and cutting deals doesn't work with the folks we are dealing with… you give up your voice, you give up your support, you give up your movement and media opportunities… you give up it all.
3. Yep, David, untied we stand, divided we fall. Now is the time for others who may have beefs with others to settle things up, and know that while we may not agree on everything, we can agree to agree on our right to FREELY access the foods of our choice in private arrangements and agree to disagree on other side issues and personal differences.
4. Someone around here once posted that this is not about "political party…" while that may be true, this certainly is about political philosophy. Progressive/liberals believe that people need "protected" from "businesses" by "government." They think government is the answer to all the worlds problems, as Obama clearly has shown in his time in office. Thus, while food crosses political labels, it does not change philosophical/political commitments.. You either believe people should be free to make choices for them and their families or you do not. Most elected officials in America do not. You either believe the fruit of one's labor is theirs primarily or the governments.
There is no middle ground on these fundamental issues. It is here where the debate will truly be won or lost, for food, but even more importantly, for the future of our nation.
John
This movement must be about greater things. About the health of our future generations and our American families and it is also about freedom. We can not squabble over divisive issues. We can not squabble over things that may privately divide us….
Raw Milk is a united front that is emerging for the betterment of All Americans and their farmers.
Lets get this straight.
Now the biggest question is this. How do we take this galvanizing event and create the maximal educational opportunity and then push to make progress with change in Sacramento. We need change for cow shares in CA.
How do we push this momentum and not lose it. I have suggested a huge raw milk demonstration with tractors and cows and families and goats in Sacramento. We have Rawesome Energy and we have Mike Hulme ( San Jose Goat Share shut down ) Energy.
We have the energy of 100 cow share programs in CA…..
We are thinking hard about this right now.
Mark, please keep up the good work for we mothers who vote with our dollars. I think there is a reason that the media invited you to come in and educate the masses on raw milk. I think there is a reason that the media did not talk with Aajonus. I also wonder why Aajonus has such a need to be on the news and in the public specter, why is his need so strong to have attention drawn to him for this cause?
When I hear people whining about how they weren't in the spotlite, even for a good cause, it irritates me. It reminds me of the classic last lines from Middlemarch:
"But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs." – George Elliot, aka Mary Anne Evans.
In that sense, I have no sympathy for Aajonus. I feel he brought this upon himself. If the allegations on that website are true, they would have been better handled in court, not in the sphere of public opinion. I have also heard that he was court ordered to take his inflammatory website down, and did so for a short while. Is this true? How could I find out if this is true? If it is true, I think it would help to post/upload that documentation online.
AND I did not know Aajuanus had done so much for the raw milk movement. I tip my hat to him for that. May he help the movement quietly behind the scenes.
Positive affirmations without a basis is like trying to cover sh*t with whipped cream.
I was a spirit commissioner in high school. Say what you want. All the spirit in the world isn't going to change a poorly coached, led and informed team.
How about 3 of the Big 4 getting together here and making an "united" and visual show of support for Victoria, Sharon and James?
Even the boys and girls in Washington shake hands for a photo-op
Call it what you want. The time is now.
I think your point was how do we move forward? How do we ACT? How do we organize? In that sense, a Raw Milk Coalition sounds about right.
If anyone knows how the heck to start a grass-fed, grassroots MOOVEMENT of Moms, please email me. I have been literally engrossed in following this since the raid. I am tired of sitting here at my computer, searching for updates, becoming an obsessed couch potato activist. The time is to ACT. Please help me do so.
Kristen
If a coalition of moms take on the behemoth FDA over food rights….oh Jesus.
HOLY#$#&#%%$* that is movement I would kiss on the lips.
Mark
It is not only the Mom's who are supportive of raw milk . . . but Dad's as well.
You must also get the fathers on board . . . . then you will have a real fight:)
Best,
Violet
http://www.kilbyridgefarmmaine.blogspot.com
Mark and his family have proved their commitment time and time again, but, in my opinion, the risk of losing yet another business in Organic Pastures makes me a bit cautious of having Mark consistently sticking his neck out.
A movement is a must and while it is usually about the idea, movements still seem to be driven by an individual who can put a face to that movement (mlk, ghandi, rachel carson, etc..).
Not sure if intentional as I this would be giving the other side too much credit, but the irony is we have become victims of those at the top that usually defeat movements by dividing them. Hopefully, we are not playing into this trap.
While it is good to analyze the past for lessons learned, perhaps it is time for some of those mentioned throughout these comments to help find and support someone who can build upon what has been accomplished so far.
We can take lesson with another recent movement in transition. After two decades, Bob Scrowcroft, who recently retired as head of the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF). and was California Certified Organic Farmers first executive director in 1987, said this about retiring:
Now we need to step aside. Weve got to get out of the way for the 35- and 40-year-olds -the ones that Tweet organic research results, who understand organizing issues through Facebook. And who can lay out the five or 10 steps we need to take to get organic from 4 percent to 40 percent of the food system. It took 30 years, I think, to get from .013 percent to 4 percent. Now we have to go to 40 percent. Whats it going to take?
There is no magic as it is a matter of the three os (organizing, organizing, organizing)!
Forget about individual diet preferences and biases as we can all come together on basic principles of choice, local access, organic, csas, farmers markets, etc. Ideally, this movement would be an umbrella organization that comes together whenever these commonalities are under threat.
As fighting SB201 showed, this is entirely possible.
Easier said than done, but I think the following quote that was forwarded to me puts this idea in a more urgent notion:
First they came for the raw milk and I didn't speak out,
Because I don't drink raw milk.
Then they came for the grass fed meat and I didn't speak out,
Because I'm a vegetarian.
Then they came for the spinach and I didn't speak out,
Because I don't like spinach.
Then they came for the seeds of all the plants in the world,
and it was too late…
bill h., not sure if the adapted poem at the end of your last post was intended to be a slam on vegetarians (typical of WAPF) or not. You might be surprised to know that traditional vegetarians are very staunch supporters of raw milk and its continued availability. Our communities mobilized in force to support the senate bills favourable to raw milk and to push for defeat of bills unfavourable to raw milk. We'll mobilize again as needed.
The majority of the world's vegetarians, and the majority of those in North America, are LACTO vegetarian. Milk and dairy products are an important part of our diets.
You might also be surprised to learn that many, if not most, of the vegetarians in the US advocate for pastured animal products. We do not expect everyone to follow our vegetarian culture. We only ask that those who chose to eat meat respect that we do not eat it, and we ask that those who eat meat support those farmers/ranchers who treat their animals well and slaughter humanely.
For our meat-eating friends, we recommend that they seek out the grass fed, pastured eggs, meats and dairy. The pastured animals generally have a better quality of life than those in the warehouses and feedlots. Local small abattoirs have generally created less stress for the animals than the large factory meat processing plants.
I do realize that there is a small, noisy, micro-movement of sometimes militant vegans.
These groups are a relatively recent (and likely to be short lived) development.
The last census that I saw shows vegetarians are about 5% of the US demographic and about 30% of the population of the nine counties making up the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Vegans are only about 0.03% of the total vegetarian population.
I also know that Sally Fallon is intelligent enough to know the difference between "vegetarian" and "vegan". Sallys continued war on vegetarians and the bigotry often displayed by many members of WAPF are not in the best interest of the raw milk movement.
The desire for nutrient dense foods crosses many cultures and faiths.
Greetings. I've been a quiet follower of The Complete Patient for some months, and a consumer of nutrient-dense food for 8 years (including raw milk). Although I've been involved in these matters in numerous ways in that time, including membership in WAPF and local leadership at times, I know enough to know how ignorant I am. That's why I've been silent here, in order to learn from more knowledgeable folks.
I must say, I'm seeing some parallels between the events in CA, and what happened at the Traditional Foods of MN warehouse (yes, I was heavily involved). The division between the players is still going on here, and resentment and anger still raw. And it's always about power: who has it, who doesn't, who abuses it, who craves it. It was instructive to watch the State, the owners and members tussle to be in control, both before the shutdown and afterward. As I said, it's ages-old, and crosses party lines and cultures. External authorities are striving to retain or regain control, while those of us with a strong internal authority are struggling to live by that authority. IMO, it's part of a greater societal change that's well under way in these tumultuous times.
@Suzanne, I'm with you. I am not a member of WAPF (anymore) even though I support nutrient dense foods. While not vegetarian (anymore), I respect that decision and am glad to be reminded that vegetarians have a stake in fresh, safe nutrient-dense dairy. Sadly, I experienced the attitude you describe within WAPF, including a great deal of homophobia (I won't go into it but suffice to say, Sally is just as much against people like me as she is against vegans). It's once more about power-struggles, control, and lack of dialogue. It's very sad, and perhaps part of the human condition to want to hold the talking stick all the time.
TIME AND LOCATION OF APPEARANCE:
Downtown Los Angeles, California, Wednesday, 8/10/11, AT 8:30 AM AT THE CLARA SHORTLIDGE FOLTZ CRIMINAL JUSTICE CENTER: 210 WEST TEMPLE STREET, DIVISION 30.
Also scheduled at this time and location: a hearing before a Judge in the matter of James Stewart, following his arrest last Wednesday, August 3rd, and the destruction of the private property of the Rawesome Food Club members under the guise of the taking of "samples" pursuant to serving a warrant.
Don't forget to bring your determination and your good graces. See you there.
The more the merrier.
Mr. J. Ingvar Odegaard
http://southpasadena.patch.com/articles/update-farmers-market-vendor-sharon-palmers-arraignment-postponed
Here is a quote from the article:
Invoices and records seized in a search of Palmer's Healthy Family Farms location in Santa Paula revealed that "she was buying thousands of dollars worth of meat, poultry and eggs from other vendors and reselling it at farmer's markets and at Rawesome, despite claims and advertising that it was raised on her farm and not fed commercial feed," according to court documents.
————–
She is scheduled to be arraigned today. There are still charges against her in Ventura County since 2008: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/aug/04/santa-paula-farmer-to-be-arraigned-for-selling/
Please you folks, get a grip on reality. WAPF does not "bash" the vegetarian way of eating; they simply point out the misunderstanding between veggie people and WAPF principles. I'm sick and tired of vegetarians and vegans thinking they are God's gift.
This situation is going to get uglier, and will not be something the 'movement' will be proud of. Champions don't have dirty skeletons in their laundry closets.
Shipping raw milk from Pa to Ca is bold…and it's an invitation for the attention of the authorities. Should we really be surprised about the raid?
Buyers clubs, cow shares and the like need to be tight and right….there is no margin here for fudging…and those that can't withstand the scrutiny of the bright lights shouldn't even attempt it in the first place.
Raw milk needs to be protected from those that are greedy….and those that seek the make it more 'accessible' through mainstreaming need to keep this, above all else, in the forefront of their mind (and actions).
Again we see an instance were less could've been more….for always, when quantity is paramount…quality suffers.
Can your husband, TLVoR, write out his thoughts for us?
Voices of reason are highly valued here.
The precious time the effort to compose our thoughts takes out of our day is a sacrifice that is always appreciated.
I pointed out that milk and dairy products are a very important part of a traditional vegetarian diet and that we have been very active in our support of raw milk. Last I checked, cows, buffalo, goats, sheep, mares, camels etc were *animals* and the milk and products made there from are considered *animal products*. Dr. Prices views on butter oil very closely match our traditional view of ghee (clarified butter).
I don't visit the WAPF forums or participate in discussion boards on the WAPF website.
Although David might be a member of WAPF, we did not get the impression that The Complete Patient was specifically a WAPF site. (David, please let us know if you consider your blog to be a WAPF site and well stop posting comments to it).
When searching for sources of nutrient dense foods such as raw milk/yoghurt/cheese, raw nuts, live culture fermented pickles and relishes, naturally leavened slow rise breads, high-brix fruits and vegetables etc, articles from various members of WAPF and Sally herself will show up in my search engine. Sally's articles do frequently bash vegetarians. She has commented on events in the vegan movement and then switched her vocabulary to say vegetarian rather than vegan when making her conclusions. She has also made a number of derogatory remarks about vegetarians on live broadcasts. This type of rhetoric does more harm than good. It doesnt bring about unity in support of nutrient dense foods
There are a number of articles on the WAPF site that declare vegetarian diets as nutrient deficient in their headlines, yet when you read the article, it is clear that the persons who made themselves ill were on modern vegan (not vegetarian) diets eating a lot of highly processed soy foods. They were not eating the traditional vegetarian diets that have thousands of years of history behind them. Words have power. If your issue is with the vegan diet, why not be clear about that.
One can easily be healthy on a traditional vegetarian diet. One can easily be healthy on a meat eating diet. One can also easily be very unhealthy on either.
There is a lot of common ground between our communities and the foods that we want. All Im asking is that we promote real food, sustainable food, in a positive manner that doesnt attack one culture/community or the other and dont limit calls to action in support of real food to only the WAPF network.
hmm, I thought I already responded, but I cannot seem to find my post? Either way, my apologies if the poem from my first post seemed to insult vegetarians as that was wholly not the intention. Rather, I meant the poem to express my point that we are all in this together regardless of food choice and all should be supportive of all groups that seek pure food regardless of type.
I completely agree that all movements/groups/organizations have their fringe members and WAPF is no exception. However, the fringe do not reflect the majority.
What I hoped the primary message was – was perhaps it's time to remember what we all have in common, acknowledge those who came before us to fight for food choice, and perhaps search for the next generation of leaders to keep the good fight alive.
No need to respond – just a clarification. Bill
I thought you, Lela Buttery ( Rawsome manager ) and Kim Hartke ( WAP ) did an amazing job of coordinating the rally last week. I counted about 150 people including the activists and supporters inside the court and across the street as well. I gave away about 70 quarts of raw milk and I saw just a small protion of those that attended.
This is all with just 18 hours notice. Great job!! This an example of cool heads thinking while under fire and coordinating the media, email lists, social network sites and leadership on short notice. We must become experts at fast reaction, social network activism and taking lots of video with the battle raging. When Lela called me during the raid…she was able to think and act clearly with 9 agencies and gun toting cops hauling people off to jail. Ann Marie pulled out all the stops and applied her genius in the social networking arena and Kim Hartke did the same with the national WAP clan.
I give this raw milk team an A plus for effective use of all of the elements of activism. I am very proud to be one of you. You have and we have made a huge difference and we have taught many people things they never knew before about health and raw milk.
I think the FDA and CDFA even learned a thing or two.
A meeting with the Secretary of Ag in CA has been arranged for the cow share operators to talk about rights, contracts, and raw milk safety. I will be there with them.
The raw milk consuming population is not what it used to be. We have built a market that now permeates every corner of California with every walk of life and every possible trade and profession drinking raw milk….and we are now dangerous.
Mark
I'm so sorry for everyone involved in the Rawesome raid, especially those whose food was seized. I hope there is a silver lining in all this mess, if only an object lesson in how not to run a private association. The gag orders on the accused are despicable. How un-American!