On Thursday, August 3rd, 2011, Rawesome, a private organic food buying club in Venice, California, was raided by the FDA, CDC and the LA Sheriff’s department. Thousands of dollars of food was confiscated and/or destroyed. The owner, James Stewart, was taken away in handcuffs and thrown in jail on a felony offense. Around the same time (7 am), two others were arrested: Sharon Palmer, owner of Healthy Family Farms, and Victoria Bloch, employee at Healthy Family Farms and a volunteer chapter leader of the Weston A. Price Foundation. Sharon and Victoria were also charged with a felony: conspiracy to commit a crime.
The arraignment was held at the Los Angeles County Courthouse on Friday, August 4th. I was there all day and took notes, photos and videos.
Victoria Bloch was released without bail and James Stewart was released the following day; his bail was reduced from $125,000 to $30,000.
The bail conditions for James and Victoria are (paraphrased from my notes on the judge’s decision in the courtroom):
They must not possess, own, sell, furnish, give away, distribute, supply, store or administer milk, dairy products or eggs unless properly licensed. They must not possess, own, sell, furnish, give away, distribute, supply, store or administer any food without labels as required by law. They must not aid, promote or encourage anyone to possess, own, sell, furnish, give away, distribute, supply, store these foods. They must not allow any property they own sell/administer/distribute/etc. these foods unless properly licensed. The property at 665 Rose (Rawesome) owned by James Stewart will be open to law enforcement day or night with or without a search warrant.
Sharon Palmer has not yet been arraigned. From what I heard yesterday from sources in the courtroom, they believe her arraignment will probably happen on Monday.
Watch the Videos from the Rawesome Rally Outside the Courthouse
Share Your Thoughts Below
What do you think about this raid and the arrests? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Disclosure: cmp.ly/4 and cmp.ly/5
{ 94 comments… read them below or add one }
Insanity, just plain insanity. In so many ways, this situation is just crazy and unbelievable.
The upcoming court cases are perfect opportunities to expose the FDA and other US Government agencies for the criminals they truly are, and to prove to the country the health and healing benefits of eating raw foods.
I agree!!! We cannot let this opportunity pass. And thank you, Ann Marie, for being there and reporting back. We wouldn’t get the story except for your reporting.
This is evidence we are winning. That judge should be ashamed of his actions. He won’t be, but he ought to be.
Sally, how did you attach your photo?!
I’m not exactly sure now… can’t remember that far back, lol. It’s most likely one of two ways:
I think this is pulled from my gravatar.com account. You open an account, put up the photo you want to have show up on your blog comments when that blog is using gravatar images.
Or this is from my wordpress.com account. Same thing: my picture is there with my web address.
Since I have accounts at both places with my blog address, my picture shows up no matter which image service the blog is using. And of course Facebook — some newspaper sites let you connect with FB and then whatever image I have up at the time as my profile pic shows up.
Thanks, Sally!
Go to http://gravatar.com, Sandrine and you can set up the photos.
Thanks, Jenny! I did so – I love the photo of you!
I added a photo successfully to the site you linked me to, but, it isn’t attached to this? Oh well … I just don’t like the blank photo icon!
Oh – there it is! Success …
Dear Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office,
I was deeply disturbed to read that your office arrested three people on charges of “illegally producing, selling unpasteurized milk” on August 3, 2011. http://da.co.la.ca.us/mr/080311a.htm
I drink raw milk myself and have been since 2004 without incidence. I personally purchase raw milk sold on the shelves at a number of local stores from the licensed raw milk dairies operating in California, rather than a herd share. Nonetheless in my capacity as director of the Nourishing Our Children campaign, I recommend raw milk from grass fed cows being milked under sanitary conditions with confidence. Yet, I am not writing to convince you about the merits of raw milk, the dangers of pasteurized milk or even about our inalienable right to choose what we eat and drink. I am writing to you about the way in which your department went about these arrests.
I do completely understand and acknowledge a need for oversight and regulation, yet I am stunned to see videos of both the raids at Rawesome – in particular the presence of a swat team with guns drawn. I was disheartened to see that not only was the raw milk products in question confiscated but, also their coconuts, watermelon, bison – essentially all of the goods at Rawesome. I would like to understand why your office found that necessary? From what I understand, there were no reports of anyone ever having been sick as a result of any of these food items.
http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/125619/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW00OqtQyqw
One of the individuals who was arrested is someone whom I’ve personally known as part of the Weston A. Price Foundation community for years. Victoria Bloch, identified as Eugenie Victoria Bloch in your complaint http://nourishedkitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/filed-HFF-Complaint.pdf is one of the Los Angeles chapter leaders and has been serving as a part-time employee of Healthy Family Farms, LLC. I believe with all that I am that she was not knowingly involved in illegal activity. It is our communal understanding that in the state of California, raw milk is legal and that cow and goat shares have not been identified as illegal. As a result, I question the necessity to put her in jail for a felony charge?! Why not send something akin to a cease and desist letter in order to notify her that any part of her involvement as an employee of Healthy Family Farms, LLC was illegal? So I ask you, was Victoria Bloch in particular approached by your department and given an opportunity to change course before she was arrested with a felony charge? If not, why not?
Also, I ask this most earnestly — is it illegal, in the state of California, for a group of people to communally purchase a herd of goats or cows, and to pay a farmer to keep the animals on their farms and to milk them for the owner’s consumption? If it is illegal, would you direct me to that law on the books?
I would truly appreciate a response.
Sincerely,
Sandrine Hahn, Director
Nourishing Our Children
http://www.nourishingourchildren.org/
info@nourishingourchildren.org
(415) 820 1474
Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nourishingourchildren
——————
Please write your letters!
One of our supporters has contact information here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150249528270172 for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; the California Franchise Tax Board; the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Milk and Dairy Food Safety Branch and the department’s Division of Measurement Standards; the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office; the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, the Ventura County Department of Public Health; the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety.
What about Sharon Palmer? Is she still in jail?
Yes – she will be arraigned on Monday because of transportation issues apparently.
But she has not had anyone post bail for her???!!! Do you know where she is being held?
Apparently not: https://www.facebook.com/nourishingourchildren/posts/183709778363583
There looks to be some shady going ons with Sharon Palmer, however…… so tread carefully in the defense of her. Her “conspiracy to commit a crime” might actually be true. There is a website with some VERY damaging information about her and the practices at her farm. Just saying.
What website are you speaking of?
The website that alleges that was ordered taken down by a judge and the owner of the site has been pretty thoroughly debunked.
Speaking of which, who are you, Elizabeth-with-no-link?
None of us are faultless, blameless, guiltless. I believe in innocent until PROVEN guilty and will support anyone incarcerated that has yet to see a trial before a jury of their peers.
::laughs:: i must be sinister if don’t remember the link? really?
i found it… http://www.unhealthyfamilyfarm.com
it has quite a bit of information… whether true or not…. i live on the other side of the country and am looking at this situation from a distance. I think what has been done is wrong. That said… if what is presented on the website is true… then people need to be made aware that Sharon…. is not who she appears to be. NO ONE is talking about that information… and it bothers me. That which people refuse to investigate and discuss is often that which they want to hide. If it isn’t true why would ANYONE go to such measures to lie so convincingly about this woman and her operations?
If you know this website to be completely false in nature… and court ordered removed as you said… i want to know the court case number so i can verify it for myself. I am not inclined to believe anything completely. Healthy skepticism must not be used with the government and our food system..but with EVERYTHING.
that should read…”not just with the government”
http://www.thecompletepatient.com/journal/2011/8/3/before-we-go-judging-accused-in-rawesome-case-lets-make-sure.html
I am not judging. But this information presented on that website is concerning and may very well pertain to the case against the two women. The fact that people want to shut this up bothers me. The fact that they only want to focus upon govt overstepping.
To ignore it in light of the raid on her with the charge of conspiracy to commit a crime…. Leads me to believe it may very well be linked in her case alone. The Rawsome raid is a separate issue all together.
It is everyone who is putting the two raids in the same bucket… I am separating them and looking at them individually. Otherwise, if that website turns out to be true…. The damage it will do to RAWSOME the real foods movement and the betrayal so many might feel is significant. To ignore this kind of threat is naive.
Truth matters. Discovering the truth matters… Not just banding together against a perceived enemy and asking others to just follow.
Of course no one wants to hear this or think about it…
Hi Elizabeth,
Who is the “perceived enemy” you are referring to?
it is a generalized comment….
it is a comment about behavior of people in masses/mobs/groups etc….
i am not suggesting that certain govt agencies are innocent.
I am not anonymous at all and I think that matters. There is so much information out there now, Elizabeth. If you were really interested you could start with the links provided by Ann Marie and follow the trail. Instead, you want to gossip in a comment thread. Have at it.
This goes way further than the right to have raw milk. There is much more to Sharon Palmer than meets the eye and folks need to become aware of what she truly is. The site is still up (unhealthyfamilyfarm.com) and was actually put up by a person which she did business with check out (www.thecompletepatient.com). Apparently Sharon was up to her old tricks of bilking innocent people and this gentleman caught on and wants to get the truth out there about her. A very sad day indeed when someone would go to the length that Sharon did to make a buck and use a movement like raw and organic foods to do it.
Now two anonymous people are spreading ugly rumors about Palmer when the issue is much bigger than that. A very sad day indeed.
Sally… have you investigated the matter personally? The context of the issue MATTERS. Truth matters…. you are just as anonymous a person online as anyone else making a comment. You claimed the website was court ordered removed.. and yet provide no facts to that matter? Are you only going on what someone else has told you?
There is zero wrong in separating the two raids out and handling them individually based on all the facts or information presented. And if this information becomes admissible in trial… what then?
EXACTLY!
They will be handled at trial. Before a trial, I will assume innocent.
The “betrayal” a group if people may feel if Palner is guilty because we did the right thing by presuming her innocent ubtil proven otherwise is NOTHING like the betrayal SHE will feel if she is actually innocent and people don’t support her.
By the way, the link you gave, Eluzabeth, appears to have been created by the PI hired by the folks who did the raidunf. You are crazy if you think that is unbiased.
Hmm. Why doesn’t he just get licensing? Would that not solve the problem?
Funny, we have the same name (spelled differently) and we said the same thing at he same time!
They weren’t *selling* milk, thus licensing was not required. Customers owned those goats. It was a co-op. In CA, selling raw milk is legal with proper licensing, but in many other states it’s not. Co-ops are how people get their raw milk. People co-own cows/goats and split the milk between themselves.
If CA rules that this is illegal, it could mean that people all over the country will no longer have access to raw milk. Basically, they would be ruling that it is illegal to drink milk from your own animals.
According to NaturalNews.com:
“There are already misinformed accusations that Rawesome Foods was not licensed as a retail business. But that’s incorrect information: Rawesome Foods is a private buying club and not a retail business that’s open to the general public. People can’t just walk in off the street and shop there like a regular grocery store. Thus, Rawesome does not have to be licensed like a regular grocery store. They are a private buyer’s club.”
http://www.naturalnews.com/033223_Rawesome_Foods_public_protest.html
There are 3 different things going on here — production and processing at the farm, sales at Rawesome and sales at the farmers market.
Ann Marie, I wrote a comment that is awaiting moderation for some reason – would you take a look?
Sure – sometimes it does that… I’ll check
If it was just a license, they’d fine him and make him get one. When I did not have a license I wasn’t aware I needed for a business, I got a letter in the mail that required I get one or stop operating. But for this situation, three people are arrested, held in jail and authorities can enter a citizen’s home anytime without a warrant? There’s more going on here…
We should not need any licensing to eat or drink anything we want. In KY, our soon-to-be Ag Commish says he will make sure the FDA stays out of our food. I’m counting on it.
Once a gov agency gives you permission to do something, then it has been acknowledged that they have control over the thing: they can revoke that permission and forbid the thing at any moment. They can change the permission… we’ve already agreed they have the power to control the thing.
The only way to stop this usurpation of our rights is not to cowtow and follow rules set up by bureaucrats in a distant office. I’m going to follow Rosa Parks’ example: civil disobedience and peaceful revolution. I’ve had enough.
Sally… Soooooo true!
Being “properly licensed” comes up a couple times in the judge’s decision.
This seems fair, unless licensure goes through FDA etc. and it’s impossible to get.
It seems like the ruling is asking for compliance.
“They must not possess, own, sell, furnish, give away, distribute, supply, store or administer milk, dairy products or eggs unless properly licensed. They must not possess, own, sell, furnish, give away, distribute, supply, store or administer any food without labels as required by law. They must not aid, promote or encourage anyone to possess, own, sell, furnish, give away, distribute, supply, store these foods. They must not allow any property they own sell/administer/distribute/etc. these foods unless properly licensed. The property at 665 Rose (Rawesome) owned by James Stewart will be open to law enforcement day or night with or without a search warrant.”
How is this LEGAL?! How can they tell someone that can’t encourage others to drink raw milk? This is nuts.
more over… how does them being jailed for conspiracy to sell unpasteurized milk have ANYTHING to do with any other food? That is a completely different issue and can not be combined with something so specific. I want to know exactly what codes they are being charged with. What laws or codes they are violating. Does anyone have that information?
Elizabeth, the charge is “PROCESSING MILK WITHOUT PASTEURIZATION, in violation of FOOD & AGRICULTURE CODE SECTION 35283(a), a Felony.” Both Erewhon and Nature Mart sell raw milk with no problem because they have the proper licenses. I wonder if it’s not time for James to just license up and avoid these problems. Otherwise we have to get the legislature to amend the code with more explicit language so that buying clubs are not so vulnerable. Nourished Kitchen published the whole complaint, which you can read here: http://nourishedkitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/filed-HFF-Complaint.pdf
Heather
I don’t think just getting a license to distribute raw milk is a simple thing. Look at Mark McAfee’s record, they haven’t exactly made it easy for him. The authorities have been trying to snare him for years, but he’s clean enough and feisty enough and lawyered up enough to keep operating so far. They don’t want to give Stewart a license, they want to use him as an example to scare us all into complying. This is just all bogus crap from the government. Grrr.
They are not allowed to encourage people to consume raw dairy that is not licensed
Completely unconstitutional.
This is what our society has turned into. We need to take back our rights.
Thank you so much for the reporting and updates. I am in PA, and am watching this unfold with bated breath.
If I am understanding this correctly, Rawesome is attempting to operate the co-op to provide food via private contract. I am not sure, from all my reading, that the judge is even considering that.
The terms of bail are, in my opinion, indicative of a police-state and I am aghast at the implications for all raw dairy advocates, and truly, anyone who opposes the FDA. The FDA is drawing the line in the sand – and crossing it is going to become a very big deal.
This issue is a big pile of spaghetti – it’s hard to not get confused.
Thanks for the facts and information.
Thanks Ann Marie for this ubdate! I also thank you and everyone else for being very supportive and defending our right to eat, sell, and grow real food!
wow…. thanks for the report Ann Marie, and thanks for your support to them when so many of us would have loved to be there but couldn’t
When I read your initial post on this… I literally sat in front of my computer and cried. It is an absolute tragedy that this sort of madness is happening. It’s just not ok on ANY level. The government goons that are seated by the people of this country need to be exposed VERY publically ( Ron Paul is actively trying to bring attention specifically to Raw Milk) so that we can truley begin to live as free people that actually have real choices. I just moved from a state where it *is* actually illegal ( it is NOT in CA which makes this all the more disturbing) to purchase/possess raw milk products. How insane is it that I was committing a “criminl act” every week when I cross state lines to purchase healthy dairy for my family? And to think I did it with my kids in the car :-/ Bad mommy!!
I’ll be doing the same thing when we move to Vegas. I think you’re a good mom for going out of your way to provide your kids with healthy foods.
Yep, ImaTo6! You are definitely a good mother! By the way, RON PAUL 2012
-As a law enforcement agent, I just want to say that I am appalled!!! The Vermont Bill of Rights pertaining to Food should sweep the nation. To the man in the photo carrying the sign: “Raid Crack houses not private food clubs” … RIGHT ON! When I go into the ghettos and see a mother feeding her children the remains of her own food on the floor or not feeding her children; when I take on a mother and father not buying food for their kids because it takes away from their meth, I have to wonder, why in the hell are they getting so peeved over individuals making a conscious choice to eat what they want? It’s not like it’s rat-poisoning. The cattle/dairy giants must be so afraid these little clubs are powerful enough to put their industry out of business. Did the food club hold anyone down and force a block of raw cheddar down someone’s throat then hold a gun to their head to drink raw milk? UGH!
“The cattle/dairy giants must be so afraid these little clubs are powerful enough to put their industry out of business.”
Bingo!
By the way, I saw the amount of food they destroyed. It’s despicable. Should Rawesome have licenses and permits? Yes. But should people go to jail and have food and property destroyed? It seems ridiculously excessive.
Yes, it was rediculously obsessive, Ann Marie! It greatly bothers me that some people seem to not see the seriousness of how this raid was played out.
The prosecution of victimless “crimes” is suuuuch a waste of our tax dollars! But we are just rolllling in money here in CA, thankfully! :/
“Should Rawesome have licenses and permits? Yes.”
No. Rawesome should absolutely not have licenses and permits.
Any basic understanding of law reveals that an “individual”, “person” or “organization” seeking permission a.k.a. “permit” places that “individual”, “person” or “organization” directly into the jurisdiction of said agencies. Jurisdiction equates to loss of complete control over anything which takes place in that organization. The agencies make the rules thereafter.
Licenses and permits are not the solution. Not even close. They are the root of the problem. Applying (in legal terms: begging, pleading or imploring) for a permit in the long run equates to the complete loss of freedom to choose healthy food. It is handing over the reigns to the FDA, CDC, drug industry and multi-national corporations.
Such agencies would love for everyone to bow down and except licenses and permits. Then they call all of the shots. Not a single individual will have any legal recourse whatsoever, because they are begging to be regulated. And they will be, make no mistake about it. They will be agreeing to terms entirely out of their control which can change in the blink of an eye.
Rawesome is not a business. Handing over a S.S.N., E.I.N, or T.I.N. is playing the game they want you to play. If you are a farmer and you “apply” for a “permit” then expect to be regulated. You are jumping into their cage. Literally. You just handed your entire operation over to the alphabet gangs. You can have your operation shut down in an instant with absolutely no legal recourse. None. That is precisely what they want. They thrive upon those who do not know the law.
The bottom line is that no permission is needed from any external agency. Operating privately isn’t a convenience, it is a necessity. If farmers agreed tomorrow to stop begging permission (from fear of consequences) then such external agencies would have no footing. As it stands now, they have plenty of leverage.
The issue here was one of jurisdiction. Since James technically did not have title or deed to the land on which he operated he was subject to certain codes and by-laws. This should have been known and made clear. This was not a club issue, but various agencies saw it as an opportunity to turn it into one.
The commentary on your somewhat popular blog, that a private organization like Rawesome “should… have licenses and permits”, is a far cry from informing the people objectively about these matters.
You concluded prior to any thorough investigation.
Should James have walked, tail between legs, accepting a decrease in bail from $125,000 to $30,000 and then accepted to not distribute raw milk and close down his operation? That was his decision. However, what sort of precedence has that action set? Let me explain in legal terms: It is a statement loud and clear which says, “I (we) are/am guilty, I (we) accept my (our) guilt, I (we) accept your leniency and I (we) will abide by what you tell me (us) to do, please regulate me (us).”
If we beg for licenses today, we will see no raw milk tomorrow.
Healthiest Regards,
William
Thank you, William. I found it hard to grasp, conditioned as I was to believe government works on our behalf as it is charged to do, that it could go so wrong. But government is made up of people and people are corruptible. Do I believe all those officers from all those agencies raiding Rawesome knew they were really working for Monsanto? No. They were just following orders (which brings up a whole ‘nother ball of wax, lol.)
The act of asking permission confirms we believe we work for the agency, that we consent to allow that agency to control our lives in that area. Once you give it an inch, it will take another. It’s not that regulations or regulatory agency are inherently bad. It’s that they always GO bad. Somewhere along the line, they stop being about our well-being and start being about controlling the competition for the biggest among us.
It’s like the boiling frog story. Put a frog in cold water and it’s fine. Turn up the heat slowly and it’s cooked before it realizes it needs to jump out of the pot.
William, will you friend me on facebook? Sally O’Boyle. Thanks!
Hello Sally,
Thank you for your reply. I too, just like you, discovered that blaming agents and minions plugged in to the various dominating conglomerates of the day, is an unreasonable and ultimately unfruitful measure.
That said, we each have a responsibility to know the law. To know the law ultimately entails that we be fully aware of the private contracts in which we voluntarily engage. The general populace is largely unaware of what happened and is still happening in this regard.
You’ll notice that I didn’t mention the word “government” once throughout the entirety of my post. When I ask people if they have a social security number (or social insurance number in Canada) the response is always affirmative. This shows a basic and fundamental misunderstanding of their voluntary contractual relationships. They simply aren’t aware of who that number belongs to. It may seem trivial, but I assure you that it is not.
The “government” isn’t corrupt. Let me make it very clear that I have no beef with the opportunistic systems that are currently dominating the scene. I do not ‘believe’ that the income tax is unconstitutional. I recognize the Federal Reserve Note as a perfectly suited instrument performing the function for which it was designed and instituted. What the Federal Reserve bank chooses to do with its notes is entirely legitimate. They are, after all, completely private
Who are we to complain? We’ve fully accepted their presence, along with the International Monetary Fund and accompanying quit claim deed outlined within the Bretton Woods Agreements Act of 1944.
This acceptance is reinforced daily, through the instruments we choose to use.
Private, foreignly owned and operated corporations do not have much to do with the “government” that most people are referring to. This includes any trademarked corporations established within the District of Columbia in the aftermath of the Civil War. Such corporations were granted to the IMF in July of 1944 as mentioned above.
Ultimately, my passion is for the people’s education. Autonomy is what I wish to see and that can only come through understanding. If we understand the relationships, only then can we begin to free ourselves from them, intelligently and peacefully.
Healthiest Regards,
William
I donated to Jame’s legal fund. From SDakota that seems the most I can do, other than pray. I, too, cried when I read of the raid. My liberties are at stake just as surely as my friends’ in CA. It was FEDERAL agencies participating in the raids. God help us.
We all need to join the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund. $50 a year. They are the ones who will defend our friends in CA.
This case really distresses me. It’s upsetting obviously because criminalizing whole food is terrifying. It is also upsetting considering the fact that we are in the midst of such uncertain financial times and this is how the government is choosing to use our resources.
Rapists or Raw Milk?
We have to conclude that the CA legal system is much more concerned with the dangers of raw milk than it is with rapists. Enter Phillip Garrido – kidnapper, rapist, Satan (of an 8 year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard) , that eluded and fooled the CA justice for 20 years! Total unspeakable incompetence and we should be outraged. It wasn’t that “someone” didn’t do their job, “no one” did their job! Could it have been that this same justice system was too preoccupied with protecting corporate and government interests by getting raw milk and cheese off the streets? Sounds totally preposterous, doesn’t it? Vote all of the people out of office including the judges. Become a political force.
Good to bear in mind that licensing is nothing more than a tax. It doesn’t make the thing licensed moral or good or right or anything… it’s just permission. The more things we allow them to control and tax, er, license, the more things they want to control.
Amen, Sally!
I don’t think licensing is a bad thing. i don’t having a Board of Health is a bad thing. And TAXES are not a bad thing either. IME. If half of what the government alleges on the complaint is true about Rawesome, I would NEVER want to be a part of that co-op. Raw milk from PA being sold in CA? No thanks. Raw chickens in the open air, uncovered? Definitely not.
I used to work in food service, and while the food was definitely not WAPF-friendly, I knew better not to cut corners like this.
If licensing and regulation worked like they were meant to, that might paint a different picture. The fact is the regulated control the regulators. Gov agencies are owned by the corporations they are charged with controlling, always have been, always will be. Michael Taylor as head of the Food Division of the FDA is a picture-perfect example.
It will be interesting to separate out the facts of the case as it unfolds.
Licensing is a good thing and I agree, Rawesome should have done what they needed to do to comply with the court.
However, I’ve shopped at Rawesome lots of times and never once saw chickens in open air uncovered. If I had shopped there and seen things like that, I would not be defending them.
I see nothing wrong with having raw milk products from PA sold in CA. After all, many of us buy Kerrygold butter from Ireland and cheese from France.
I’ve never agreed with the ridiculous American decision to make raw milk cheese (unaged) illegal. In France, you can get any raw milk cheese you like.
Yeah, I know we do. If I could find local raw butter and cheese, I’d much rather buy those than the Kerrygold because I prefer local products in general. It’s better for conservation. How much gas is spent getting milk from PA to CA? But the big difference is, they are cultured products while the raw milk isn’t. I expect them to last longer. If I were the one driving over state lines, then the onus would be on me if I came home with raw buttermilk instead!
I’m glad you’ve had the real view on Rawesome, Ann Marie. And I agree, Sally, that the govt is run by corporations. i think there needs to be more outrage about that!
The way corporations run gov is VIA regulators. To stop corporations from running government, you have to stop regulating. You have to close that door.
Why were three people jailed for regulatory “crimes”? Who benefits? Always look to see who benefits and you will find the truth behind the actions.
Do we benefit by jailing these three people? Would we have benefited as much if they had been closed down, ordered to get a license, then allowed to reopen? Who benefited from throwing away $100K worth of perfectly good food? Who benefited from the SWAT approach to this scenario? Who benefits from the “search your house anytime with or without a warrant” scare? An armed raid is required over a license and the possibility that some chickens may have been left in the open? Does anyone have pictures of that? If so, why wasn’t the market shut down the day that was discovered?
Who benefits from a frightened populace? How many buying clubs will open now? Who will close their doors? This is not just about Rawesome. This is an attack on food freedom.
I suspect a corporation is behind it. Working thru its regulators.
Sally really makes good points. Once everyone is licensed, the gov has cobtrol. Take midwifery as an example in Auatralia. All midwives became licensed by the state, then were all made employees of tge state and now are so strictly regulated that they can no longer care for the woen they used to.
I don’t think getting rid of regulations is the answer. I truly don’t. Our financial meltdown and resulting recession is a good reason why we NEED regulations. Wall Street took advantage of the free-for-all, and look where we are now. We’re still reeling from that, among other messes.
When businesses aren’t regulated, they cut corners and do bad things: small and large alike. I would rather that lobbyist groups and corporations NOT be allowed to have such big voices in government, and get people like us in there to help craft policy. I WANT regulations, just not stupid ones. Maybe a constitutional amendment to deny corporations personhood like they have now would help?
Do I think that what happened to Rawesome was overkill? Of course I do. But it doesn’t appear Rawesome was 100% transparent, and I’d be interested to see what physical evidence the government has against them, as well as what the defense is. And I’ll continue to support my local raw milk farm, who is licensed and who is willing to let their milk be tested on a weekly basis. I’d be hard pressed to support a rogue farm/herd-share/etc.
I agree. This issue is NOT black and white, regulation vs. no regulation!
Actually, absurb regulations stacking rules against businesses and personal liberties is what created this current financial situation. It was clear from the minute the rules were debated in congress that we would have these results. I have travelled abroad and seen open-aired meat markets. I have been in a cheesemonger store in France and watched them make cheese in an earthen cave. Our regulations are out of hand here. The excessive regulations have taken away our personal liberties and created this huge national debt. It is all tied together. I should not need a permit to milk my own cow, for heaven’s sake.
Well said, Amy!
“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be,” Thomas Jefferson (Letter to Colonel Charles Yancey, January 6, 1816).
Heather,
I’m glad that you have a local dairy that can afford to be licensed and jump through the regulatory jungle. There are others who are not as fortunate and do not have ready access to legal raw milk due to the stringent requirements and onerous stipulations placed upon small farmers. Do you really think that these laws and licensing requirements that criminalize so many independent farmers are really thought up to protect us? Or might they be crafted in the boardrooms of agribusiness companies in their efforts to rid the market of pesky competition?
I’ll agree with you that businesses do cut corners and act irresponsibly when they are not regulated, but I would submit to you that we are living in an era of unprecedented regulation, particularly on Wall Street, and that doesn’t seem to have done too much to rein in corporate greed and malfeasance. The more power that these coercive regulatory bodies amass, the greater is the impetus for regulatory capture, i.e. the domination of the FDA by big pharma or of the SEC by Goldman Sachs and their ilk.
I know that we all have pollyannaish notions that government functions in a benevolent manner to protect us from the many dangers of modern life, but the reality does not seem to conform to our ideal of government as presented in high school or college.
Stephan,
I would submit to you that I know full well that not all regulations are made for the people by the people, and that I do not have a “highschoolish” notion about how government is supposed to work.
We absolutely DO need more say in how our government works. We also need corporations to NOT have personhood status. Citizens United should have been the last straw, and indeed it hasn’t been, which is a crying shame.
As for Wall Street, obviously the regulations have not fully gone into effect, as our bought-by-Wall Street Government has watered down anything useful about these regulations in the first place.
The farm that I buy milk from was actually shut down earlier this year, as testing came back abnormal. While it may well have been an error, and it did cost them dearly during that time, they did figure it out and reopened. I pay $9 a gallon for my milk! It’s worth every penny, and I have NO PROBLEM with the price. The farm is as transparent as it gets.
“The real rulers in Washington are invisible and exercise their power from behind the scenes.”– Justice Felix Frankfurter, U.S. Supreme Court
Am I to understand that they cannot own, even personally, dairy products or eggs? Can they have them in their house for personal use?
Good question! It seems really really really really excessive that they would not be able to own them for personal use given that they are two very health conscious people.
This whole situation is a deeply disturbing to me.
When I first moved to LA I wanted to trust HFF, Sharon Palmer, and Victoria. I bought their eggs and chicken and livers and then went home and discovered the unhealthy family farms website. It was like a soap opera and unraveling the allegations and characters and mudslinging was impossible. So I simply chose not to buy from them anymore. I feel that it is worth investigating and discovering “the truth” if that is possible. I don’t believe Sharon Palmer is the saint that the raw milk movement wants her to be. But I also have never met her, and who is to say that someone can’t change and do good? I also never visited the farm, nor called the egg people she supposedly bought from and asked them if they still sold to her. It seems like these questions could be investigated.
But people, wether or not she lied, James lied, HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CURRENT CASE!!! It is a total misuse of our taxdollars. James’ flaunted the gov’t and didn’t get the permits and didn’t go by the book. He wanted to do it his way as a private buying club that was totally unregulated. If you behave in that extreme manor, you will have to face boundaries of the legal system and government at some time.
That said, did it warrant the SWAT style guns drawn operation like the first raid? Did it warrant a years’ long investigation and covert undercover agent activity like they were operating a drug cartel? Did it warrant a TOTAL miscarriage of justice when they dumped all the milk and food? These are the real questions here.
Why did the government have to come down so hard? What is going to be discovered from this case?
I also wanted to say thank you to AnnMarie and to everyone who organized the rally. And everyone who went to the rally. It is no small thing in today’s world because you put yourself at risk. The government watches who organizes these types of things. They want to know who you are. It sounds paranoid, but it is the truth. So, thank you. Our voices need to be heard on this issue, and we must keep talking about it and keep interest going!
What can we do to help?
The best way to help is to join the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund. $50 a year and they are the team that will defend or help defend the Rawesome defendants. http://www.ftcldf.org/become-a-member.html.
Next we need to do everything we can to keep food legal in our communities. Run for office!!!!
If the government is so very worried about un-permitted food being sold, then why on earth aren’t they teaming and ganging up on all of those good people that make tamales from their homes and sell them to businesses and in parking lots? They are clearly skirting permitting and food handling laws. It does not seem right that we can look the other way when it’s tamales…this is way more than just a permitting issue. When one looks at it from this point of view, it makes it even more maddening. (not that I want to start government raids on grandmas making tamales, but…)
They have been; at least in NYC with the Red Hook food vendors. They used to have stands where they’d sell their tamales, pupusas, huaraches, etc. Word got out that they were selling good food at a good price and they became popular. Once they became popular, they attracted the attention of the authorities. Once the authorities got involved, the city shut them down and forced them to get permits.
Now the stands have been replaced with food trucks, everyone has their permits, and business is running as usual. Last time I was out there, there were no shortage of customers, and the food is just as good.
Well done for speaking so powerfully and eloquently during the raid, Ann Marie. I saw you on a YouTube vid, and you really were such a powerful and intelligent voice. Thank you from those of us who weren’t there, for being there and making a difference!
This is so hard to believe that this can happen. Oh my, our country is in such pitiful state. What will be next? Only God knows for sure.
This is the biggest bunch of corporate bullsh*t I’ve ever hear in my life. According to internet info: an overwhelming number of 800 people (that’s 57 people annually of the 300,000,000 or 0.00000019 of the population) in the US has “gotten sick” after consuming raw milk or raw milk products since 1998. OMG! I’m amazed they didn’t give the Rawsome Three the chair! What do you say? Let’s kill them or at least take them out behind the shed. OR we could add a little intelligence (not the power structure’s strong suit) and count the number of people in the US who have “DIED” from e coli acquired through eating fast food meat–labeled and commercially produced. The state is not the only one involved in this raid, clearly. They are being supported at the Federal level by Obummer who signed a recent bill into effect–ostensibly to “protect” us–a lot like the Patriot Act he let side across his desk without fanfare? No question about it, the power structure is running scared. They see it happening and they want to make an example of raw products via independent farms immediately before they have to give back the control they’ve taken from the sleeping consumer, i.e. total control of our food supplies.
Seems that the $125,000 bail (with media attention) was quickly reduced to $30,000. The dairy industry butt-kissers who all make big money from scratching each other’s back don’t want publicity. Let’s give them all they can handle–then some.
Give him a licence instead of making him BUY one, case solved!
It’s all about the money, nothing more.
There appear to be many raids going on each day in this country and regardless of the reason, good citizens do not deserve being scared by the gun blazing tactics the feds are now using. Please watch our real documentary of 3 good honest companies recently raided by the justice department. http://www.rampantinjustice.com Also I would like to know of any individuals or companies that have had this gross abuse of swat team tactics used on them as we are assembling data to possible file a class action suit. My office is 501-568-3540 or text information to 501-529-6378. Serious and factual data only please. John Stacks
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