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FDA victory in the War on Raw Milk!

The USA has solved all of our other problems, you see.

By: Moe Lane (Diary)  |  May 1st, 2011 at 04:46 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Marvel at our heroic government agents as they swoop in at 5 AM* to stop the pernicious practice of selling unpasteurized milk across state lines!

An Amish farm in Pennsylvania has been stopped from selling contraband milk after a year-long federal government sting operation.

The Rainbow Acres Farm was found to have been smuggling banned unpasteurised milk to customers in Maryland.

Cheer as this tawdry trade – dominated by cartels of Amish farmers and natural-food enthusiasts – is shut down!  Rejoice as the profit margins of Monsanto** and other agriculture companies are protected by their pet Democratic shills in Congress!

I’d like to highlight that last point: if you’re a raw milk enthusiast who is upset that the FDA has the ability to mess with your supply, guess what?  As Hot Air indirectly points out, this is all due to the fact that the Democrats passed into law the Food Safety Modernization Act.  For those who don’t remember: this particular piece of legislation essentially gave the FDA regulatory oversight over farmers down to the molecular level… and that’s not really a joke, either.  It was done pretty much with large agricultural conglomerates in mind, too – which is annoying, because while I don’t have issues with agricultural conglomerates per se I also don’t really like the idea of them having their own Congresswoman, either (hi, Rosa DeLauro!).  Then again, it wasn’t my party that passed this thing.  This one is the fault of the Democrats.

All of which probably means, given the demographics involved, that a bunch of liberal Democrats are wondering right now why the heck their own party is so intolerant of their particular alternate lifestyle.  Well, that’s because liberal Democrats do not actually approve of alternative lifestyles; they only approve of specific acceptable lifestyles, and if they happen to not like yours then they’ll be more than happy to use the power of the State to quash you.  And if you have the temerity to object to such highhandedness, well, that’s when they start calling you names.

Or, put another way: ‘Liberal libertarian’ is an oxymoron.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

*Or, in Amish terms, “mid-morning.”

**I actually don’t care about GE food, although if they start making string beans that glow in the dark I’ll probably try some.

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COMMENTS

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  • luvnthebigsites

    From the: “farm-to-consumer legal defense fund:

    Pete Kennedy, Esq. | December 29, 2010

    On December 21, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2751, the ?FDA Food Safety Modernization Act? (formerly S.510). On Sunday night, December 19, the Senate passed FSMA by unanimous consent without a recorded vote after substituting its language in H.R. 2751 (originally titled, ?Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act??one of the ?Cash for Clunkers? bills originating in the House in 2009). This maneuver, cynical and underhanded even by Washington standards, could have been stopped by a single Senate Republican but all were silent. FSMA is expected to be signed into law by President Obama sometime next week.

    http://www.ftcldf.org/congress-passes-fsma-kennedy.htm

  • AceInTX
  • Tbone

    I can’t wait to see an Amish guy changing black hats with different logos during the TV interview after winning the Mennonite 500 Buggy Race.

  • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

    …its putative allies of wrongdoing by finding some way to drag in the Republican party somehow is not really my problem. The FSM Act wouldn’t have been passed in either the 109th Congress or the 112th; and it would have never been signed in the 110th. It was the 111th where we had the perfect storm of Democratic control of the government … and, no, the lack of a hold by the GOP in the last days of the 111th doesn’t let the Democrats off of the hook on this in the slightest.

    Dude. Seriously, there are times when the need to justify screaming at the GOP has to take a back seat to the obligation to point out who the REAL screw-ups are. I know that it’s like a drug, but… go cold turkey, or something.

  • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

    By the way, you’re right: the scene *is* absurd. :)

  • acat
  • AceInTX

    High praise considering the source.

    The link seems to work when I click it

  • AceInTX

    nt

  • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

    nt

  • http://kindlingforcandles.wordpress.com/ INC

    Democrat demographic. I think I’ve read they do vote–and they vote conservatively. The Dems obviously feel no need to pull punches here.

  • acat
  • luvnthebigsites

    This stupid S.510 was one of Bob Corkers babies, (my senator) Plus I work In the food industry, (Engineering).

    I’ll keep my stupid party cries to a minimum, didn’t mean to scramble your thread. (dude) ;)

  • AceInTX
  • dcgator

    There have been milk safety laws since 1924 that basically all states have adopted, so changes aren’t really a ‘new’ thin.g

    The Food Modernization Act prohibited unpasteurized milk from being sold intrastate. Some states still allow for unpasteurized milk to be sold and thats STILL LEGAL. If you read the actual story, this creamery was bottling it in such a way to cover up that it wasn’t pasteurized milk so they could ship it across state lines…thats ILLEGAL.

    As well, what is allowed in one state is one thing, but when there is the potential for food borne illnesses to pass to consumers through intrastate commerce, thats where Congress should be regulating.

    Pretty sure this is in the constitution…
    “To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;”

  • nilram

    Whenever I hear of the govt. cracking down on unpasteurized dairy, I’m instantly reminded of an episode of Chef! :
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR2JM3YW21U&feature=related

  • catt

    doesn’t justify _stupid_ regulations. If there’s a rationale by which outlawing the sale of raw milk isn’t stupid I’d like to hear it.

    Is it because parents shouldn’t be allowed to endanger the lives of their own children? That’s the answer I hear most often. Okay … fine. Raw milk might carry a slightly higher risk of an e-coli infection … but how do you weigh that against the parents deciding that the health benefits outweigh that risk? If you want government to outlaw parents giving their kids any food that might endanger their health then is that going to include serving them too much fried food or too much Pepsi?

  • hungarianfalcon

    Most people don’t know that the Amish have a normal workday in by noon.

    HF

  • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

    We are all grateful that The Leader cares enough about our well being that he’ll storm into whatever farms he has to to protect us from ourselves.

    All hail The Leader.

  • aesthete

    Also nice is the similarity of his argument to that of drug warriors. *ducks*

  • aesthete

    The federal government truly run amok. One would think that lovers of “natural” foods would at least have some scorn for this practice.

  • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

    …about your own Senator then there’s no point to even having a blogosphere. Overt and implied criticism withdrawn, with apologies. :)

  • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

    Also note that this fellow is pretending that giving regulatory power to an unelected bureaucratic institution is equivalent to giving Congress any sort of effective oversight; the standard dodge, in other words.

  • luvnthebigsites

    Ehhh, I should have have included more details in my original post. (This is why you are the “Kim Kardashian” of the blogosphere and I am not) :P No harm no foul… /Salute

  • dcgator

    CONGRESS gave them this power in the Food Modernization Act…Act…like a bill of Congress…

    If you disagree that Congress should have done this, thats another issue, but blaming it on a bureaucratic institution that was given this power…in the name of safety is another

    Further research shows that Congress clarified in the FMA that FDA should take into account Small and Very Small Businesses based on established guidelines by the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments…which with limited research shows is a non-profit designed to represent milk producers across state lines.

  • bobojake

    Nov 2012 can not come one day to soon. Lets can them all and not kick it down the road.

  • SKully

    This week, we will be bottling some home-made wine. Not made from our own grapes (we’re small here – grapes are not ripe this time of year), but made from unpasteurized juice we bought from a wholesaler.

    Making wine from pasteurized juice=not possible.

    I wonder how long before our esteemed leader will see fit to remove our right to make this wine against the apparent danger that someone might drink the juice we bought for this purpose.

  • Michael Dugas

    Then they came for the Lemon Aid stands……
    Now it’s the Amish Milkmen!
    I know, I know…..inflation, skyrocketing energy prices, unemployment and the devaluation of the dollar should be taking a back seat to The Amish Milk Mob.
    If it weren’t for the fact that Obama is actively damaging our country this might be amusing considering its stupidity.

  • mom2oneson

    All the raw milk sellers have this disclaimer that it’s for pets/animals.. :-)
    It’s not legal to sell it for human consumption.

  • Michael Dugas

    and sometimes…..sometimes I even give some too my neighbors.
    Ssssshhhhhhhh.

  • powertothepeople

    It is confirmed and his body is in American Custody.

    Thanks to all the men and women in uniform!

  • acat

    From seed.

    We’ll see how soon they can be moved out of the kitchen.

    Mew

  • Michael Dugas

    If so check out this album.
    https://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.1754142227287.93580.1650872281

  • http://pocketchangeproductions.net/ anotherindyfilmguy

    The “we can regulate anything because of a flawed court ruling in the early 20th century” attitude will lead to everything being regulated by the feds if the beast of a billion fed workers isn’t trimmed down some.

  • mosander

    Over the years, I have drunk raw milk, both cow and goat. It is delicious. I majored in animal science and once had a small herd of goats I milked. Owners of milk animals must have their herds tested – Bangs and TB testing. This allows certification which makes the milk safe to drink. It is certainly safer than flouride laced public water. (The goats drank well water, too.)
    Of all the people who are honest and pride themselves following God’s laws, they are the least likely to produce tainted products. If the muslims owned goats and drank raw milk, no one would bother them. Can you say dhimmitude? I stand behind the Amish efforts to sell raw milk. I lobbied against the stupid food bill S.510.

  • jimmyneutron

    is that once again a law gets passed, a very intrusive nanny-state type law, because some industry, group, person has a congress critter in their pocket and wants to tilt the playing field in their favor. We must remember that this law was not passed to truely protect anyone or because the main folks promoting it cared for anyone other than themselves. This law was passed most likely because one or several people got large amounts of campaign cash, favors, etc or perhaps funds were funneled through fake business deals, ‘cheap’ land deals, or any of the innumerable ways that people get paid without really getting paid.
    We all know, if we arent’ terribly niave or if we don’t have skin in that game, how these things work. Scoundrals of both parties have shown us time and again. They just wrap these things in high sounding words and self righteousness, but when one looks these laws almost always turn out to be a used diaper wrapped in very expensive wrap.
    This is just another reminder of how corrupt this system really is and that, at least to me, is what we really need to be fighting here. People are inherantly corrupt and if you give them power over you they will abuse it, for their own benefit, virtually every time.
    This is why the founders, in their incredible wisdom, wanted most power to remain local.

  • charlie520

    FDA wins War on Unregulated Lemonade Distributors.

  • hendrig

    Just a matter of time now before they ban breast feeding.

  • wesok101

    We had two cows and I learned to milk them before I learned to walk.My mother churned milk and made butter. I drank raw milk, buttermilk and ate butter – all without any pasturization. I went to college and majored in Agricultural Economics and minored in Dairy Science. I worked part time as a Dairy Herd Milk Tester and I regularly drank raw milk that was only minutes out of the cow. I still drink milk every day which sadly has been skimmed and pasturized. I am now 81 years old. I have never had any broken bones. I still love to hike, hunt, camp and walk every day. I have had a good life and I do not like the government trying to tell me how to do anything.

  • BA Cyclone

    We just as well start making the direct comparison.

    Liberals cannot get what they want without direct oppression. Every one of their ideals requires directly oppressing others so they can’t harm themselves, or indirectly harming others. It is the only play they have to run.

    The correllary as Moe points out, is if they can run crony capitalist rings to “assist” big-donor types while quashing “Small and Very Small Businesses”.

    Because “we” can’t trust you with deciding what milk to purchase for your family…

  • BA Cyclone

    We just as well start making the direct comparison.

    Liberals cannot get what they want without direct oppression. Every one of their ideals requires directly oppressing others so they can’t harm themselves, or indirectly harming others. It is the only play they have to run.

    The correllary as Moe points out, is if they can run crony capitalist rings to “assist” big-donor types while quashing “Small and Very Small Businesses”.

    Because “we” can’t trust you with deciding what milk to purchase for your family…

  • lovesalldogs

    This is sad. the amish shouldn’t have to be apart of this countries b.s.

    I don’t do milk ever because I can’t tolerate it. BUT I use to buy raw milk from a local dairy farmer for many years until he could no longer sell it to me.
    SAD I got it for myself and my son at that time a year old until he was 3 AND it worked for both of us.
    It’s so sad and stupid that this country seems to think they have to control EVERYTHING.
    Keeping this country safe from all things should mean keeping our MILITARY STRONG GIVING THEM WHATEVER IT TAKES TO KEEP THEM SAFE AND US SAFE. THAT’S WHERE THE MONEY SHOULD BE GOING that these blankety blank politicians are getting in their pockets.

    I am so sick of politicians that ARE NOT in office to make life BETTER for those that are willing to work hard AND NOT LIVE OFF THE GOVERNMENTS TIT

  • papat

    If you want to see the Amish racing, go to the New Holland PA horse auction on Mondays. The Amish buy trotters and pacers for their buggies, and the yournger Amish men race with sulkies in the alley behind the auction.

  • papat

    The real reason for the oppressive regulation of our food supply isn’t our health – it’s given in Revelation 13:17 (King James Version)

    17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

  • http://www.marklaiminger.org Lammo

    “Clip clop, clip clop, clip clop, bang bang, bang bang, bang, clip clop, clip clop clip clop”?

    An Amish drive-by shooting.

    Thank you. Thank you very much. Stupid prosecutor jokes are my specialty and I’ll be here all week. Two shows on Sunday. Try the veal and don’t forget to tip your waitress.

  • edingerb

    “I have never had any broken bones.”

    You keep making admissions like these publicly and Barak, Eric* & Co. will be paying you a little visit.

    (* That’s Eric Holder, to avoid any confusion.)

    But seriously, I hope your lifestyle keeps you active well past the century mark.

  • myron_j_poltroonian

    Are you old enough to remember when Social Security cards had “Not Valid for Identification” printed across the top?

  • myron_j_poltroonian

    You’d better give up the hiking and take up fly fishing instead. Wading a stream is much more beneficial for the heart, mind and body. Just as hunting is. I’ll be eleven years behind you in three weeks. Just another “Elder Flatulence”, indeed.

  • myron_j_poltroonian

    does not apply to all situations. A dear friend of mine contracted an “Old Man’s Disease”, Haemochromatosis, which is too much iron in the blood. She was barely 30 at the time that the symptoms started showing up.
    So much for the FDA’s “Fortified with Iron” for damn near everything posture.

  • vandalii

    nt

  • Menlo

    They do it to everything from milk to flour to salt to municipal water. Everything now comes enriched or fortified with synthetic chemicals (mostly from China) whose risks likely outweigh the benefits.

    While it is largely a market phenomenon now, it obviously did not start that way and to some extent still is not. That’s why it’s especially bad with water, where the toxic poison is forced on people by their own government. If the FDA were doing its job, the additive would have been banned long ago.

    People who need or want more vitamins or minerals now have plenty of options. There is no longer a need to fortify, and it’s likely doing more harm than good in today’s society. That may not have been the case 40-50 years ago.

    How long before the few natural, unenriched and unfortified varieties of basic foods and drinks are no longer allowed?

  • http://impudent.edublogs.org/ kyle8

    unrefined, unadulterated products. Raw honey, raw nuts, pure cane syrup, etc.

    I have felt much better and my allergies have cleared up. Most of that stuff is also very low on the glycemic index.

  • Menlo

    It tastes like caramel syrup without all the ingredients. I think it has a low GI too.

  • acat

    And it works pretty nicely to replace white sugar in reciples too .. just gotta allow for the extra moisture content.

    Mew