Its going to become more difficult for pols to simply trample food rights, and then walk away as if nothing happened.
A classic case in point is emerging in Maine. There, the states Republican governor, thought to be supportive of small farmers and favorably inclined toward legislation legalizing raw milk sales by unlicensed farmers selling directly to customers, at the last minute came up with a lame excuse to veto the bill. He said while he supported the legislations intent, he objected to it because it allowed sales at farmers markets.
The governor, Paul LePage, must be second-guessing himself since that fateful decision in early July, presumably made to avoid endangering Big Ag and Big Pharma contributions to his budding re-election campaign. Practically from the time he put pen to veto message, LePage has been hearing catcalls over the raw milk veto.
As a result, his political allies have been making noises about introducing similar legislation in the next legislative session, supposedly addressing the governors concerns.
But all the hemming and hawing hasnt been enough to head off a serious revolt from within Maines Republican party, lead by two activists who have been commentators on this blog–Viola Willis (a member of the Maine Republican Committee) and Mark Willis (a member of the National Republican Committee)–who had also organized on behalf of promoting greater attention to food rights within Maine.
These budding Downeast Republicans got a taste of political reality when they sought to convince the national Republican party to recognize considerable support in the state for Ron Paul during the 2012 Presidential campaign. The backers of Mitt Romney ran roughshod over the newbies, both during the primary season, and at the partys convention in Tampa.
The new activists were further peeved about the national GOP positions on a number of issues, notably the recent controversy over perceived over-reach by the National Security Agency (NSA) revealed by Edward Snowdens disclosures that the agency monitors all phone records and accesses at least some emails. Finally, last week, 13 Maine Republicans (including the Violet and Mark Willis) formally bolted from their official posts, and from any official party involvement. In a lengthy statement about their upset, they noted: However, the straw that broke the camels back for many of us was the veto of LD 1282 (the ‘Raw Milk Bill’) and those who voted to sustain it; a sad day indeed for the small farmers of Maine.
In the meantime, Maine food rights proponents are pushing ahead to extend food sovereignty ordinances to additional towns beyond the ten that have approved them over the last couple of years. This despite a state judge ruling in favor of the state and against the two-cow dairy run by Dan Brown a few months ago in one of the towns with an ordinance. Indeed, the Maine food sovereignty activists are pushing to encourage more activists outside Maine to take up the cause; an unknown number of towns around the country have passed ordinances.
For me, the message is straightforward: Food rights should be a non-ideological matter. It remains a political problem for both Republicans and Democrats because both parties depend heavily on support from major corporations, including those that comprise Big Ag. I disagree with the Maine Republicans on a number of issues that upset them, such as immigration reform and gun control, but I appreciate their willingness to sacrifice budding political careers as Republicans for the sake of food rights.
Indeed, the idea that we have the right to determine what foods well put into our bodies and the bodies of our children is too fundamental to leave in the hands of political manipulators. In Maine, a simple disdainful veto by a calculating governor has done much to communicate that idea. When politicians finally learn there is a price to pay for trampling food rights, the politicians will become more respectful of those rights.
Every five minutes some wonderful mom came up to me with a child on her hand on her breast or in her arms and thanked me for producing yummy, digestible, non allergenic raw organic milk for their families. Story after story was shared with me. Each nearly the same. One mom said….her child was literally dying from an autoimmune GUT disorder and was losing weight, his appetite, and was sick all the time. “OPDC raw milk saved his life” she said to me with a big hug and tears in her eyes! Then her son gave me a high five and said thanks Mr. Raw Milk Man… Wow…..paramedic medicine continues in my life. Saving childrens lives through immune system nutrition and critical intervention. I can see….FDA’s John Sheehan is stumbling arround his office spilling coffee down his white shirt right about now. The stories just kept coming and coming. One mom said that her child thrives on raw milk but on vacation they can not get it. On their last vacation she gave her daughter some pasteurized milk and she broke out in hives from head to toe….she cut off the vacation and got her child back to CA to get raw milk and the hives resolved immediately with in hours.
The truth is the truth and the FDA and pasteurized milk industry must get their heads out of their wallets and stand with the people…or….they will just be a sad comment on the dust heap of the bad nutritional experiments of history.
Moms and their families DO NOT LIE and they are certainly more trustworthy than any University research project…that is for sure.
Hold a hearing about legalization of raw milk and all the ship rats that hurt the people show up….a great American patriotic vetting process in my book.
I just made an adjustment to the article to make that crystal clear.
Thank you so much for the article regarding the fight for Raw Milk rights in Maine and why we left the Republican Party in part for over the Governor’s veto of the bill that would allow farmers to sell directly to consumers 20 gallons of raw milk per day with labeling requirements. We had food rights bills that were killed in committee . . . some went directly to the floor after passing in committee only to be shot down due to fear of the Feds . . . and a few that will be held over until the next session . . . but probably have no hope of passing. It has been a very frustrating year. If you are a small farmer . . . both parties could care less about you. Three Exceptions in our state are Larry Lockman (R), Craig Hickman (D) and Walter Kumiega (D). I have no faith in our State Government to do what is right. Mark and I decided, therefore, to withdraw from the Republican Party and go Independent. From what I have seen within the bowels of both parties . . . they are both aligned with Big-Ag and Big-Pharma. Civil Disobedience is the only way to win this fight. Small farmers should not comply with regulations and just go underground . . . consumers need to fight for the rights to contract with those farmers by demonstrating that the Government is wrong. Local Ordinances are another way to fight the yoke of the State and Feds. As of the end of this year . . . I will not be participating in the charade any longer. The only way to fight is through Civil Disobedience . . . and then back those who stand up to the system. We will feed ourselves and our friends first . . . the rest to Food Pantries . . . until the system changes . . . most small farmers like myself will not have a prayer of making it financially . . . to much regulation . . . rules that change constantly . . . the deck is stacked against us . . . and the Powers that Be . . . really could care less. Thanks again, David . . . Best, Violet.
Violet, I am sorry you are so disillusioned. I recall when you went into the party politics a couple years ago, you thought that was the best way to effect real change–from within.
You aren’t the first farm family to decide that civil disobedience is the only answer left. I wonder if residents of towns that enact Food Sovereignty ordinances are going to have to be educated in the realities of civil disobedience–educated about the fact that by passing such an ordinance, they are risking state and federal challenges that may require civil disobedience to defend. Will residents of various towns be willing to take that on as part of the Food Sovereignty battle? Farmers can’t do it alone, and this may be an effective way to involve large numbers of people in the struggle at hand.
In the meantime, your decision to abandon the inter-party struggle may have shaken up things up more than you realize, and given hope to other alienated party faithful.
Our dairy raw milk broker is saying that the bulk organic milk markets are long and that there are pressures to pay organic dairies less for their milk. This will only drive the organic dairymen to the arms of the thirsty raw milk consumers who can and will pay much more. When will George Simons ( Organic Valley CEO ) look back into his files for the letter I wrote to him 10 years ago when I described in detail what is happening today and how OV could serve this emerging raw milk market. Instead, OV is sinking with the pasteurized milk market instead of rising above it to serve people with non allergenic and digestible raw organic milk.!
How do I know this?? We had discussions with six Organic Valley producers today, all of them praying for and begging for a better home for their wonderful raw milk. OPDC will be chosing one of them to be able to scale and serve our exploding raw milk markets. One hard working very lucky organic dairyman or woman is going to be milking directly into a OPDC refrigerated transport tanker ( after RAWMI LISTING ) after being transformed into a raw milk dairy that is legal to sell raw milk. They will become first cousins and part of the family of OPDC producers and be expected to perform at the highest levels possible and be paid accordingly. They will even have a co-label with OPDC and be touring consumers at their dairy. We are seeing the future happen right now!
This is all very exciting…the voices of the producers we spoke with trembled with trepidation, anticipation and excitement.
George….look up that letter I wrote to you 10 years ago. You may have filed it under
” clairvoyant raw milk prophesy and or worst UHT nightmares”. Not sure which…check both files. You know the files I am talking about. You hoped it burned up in the fire, but I know you took it home with you.
Dairy is being reborn as we speak and read this today. There is a place for pasteurized milk and raw milk at the table of nutritional humanity. On the pasteurized side…most of it will be cultured and fermented with cheese and icecream….raw milk will soon own the fluid side. The truth is the truth and gut physiology can not be lied to. Well…I guess you can but it causes great pain and plenty of diarrhea.
http://youtu.be/bhYNbw7rzZ4
http://youtu.be/gWLrfNJICeM
http://www.tran33m.com/vb/index.php