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July 7, 2008 at 11:43:25
Promoted to Headline (H2) on 7/7/08: 
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On Friday - April 25, 2008, in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Mark Nolt, a Wenger Mennonite (Horse and Buggy Mennonite) dairyman, threatened for months with arrest for selling raw milk without a permit was removed from his property by state troopers. Jonas Stoltzfus, a friend, fellow farmer, and Church of the Brethen, was asked by Mr. Nolt to speak for him, and said of the raid yesterday - "Six state troopers and Bill Chirdon of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture trespassed onto his property, and stole $20-25,000 of his product and equipment." Mr. Stoltzfus explained that Mr. Nolt did not have a permit because "he chose to turn his permit back in because it did not cover all the products he was selling. He felt he was being dishonest selling stuff that was not covered by the permit. He is a man of great integrity." "According to reports from neighbors and the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, several officials of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture participated in the raid, and while Mark was being transported by police car to the courthouse, PDA officials confiscated $20,000 to $25,000 worth of dairy products and production equipment. Neighbors reported the farm had been closed and that a large group of officials had gathered, with videos prohibited." "This is a Gestapo raid," Jonas Stotlzfus said, "complete with state troopers, raiding a hard-working farmer selling milk to friends and customers. And his customers ARE his friends." Mr. Stoltzfus said of Mr. Nolt, "he is not going to stop [selling raw milk] til he is ready to stop. He is the equivalent of that little black lady in Alabama who wouldn't go to the back of the bus. He is doing the same thing, he won't go to the back of bus." Mr. Stoltzfus said "she got arrested for that and so did Mr. Nolt. He ignored [the threat] and kept on selling. He is a courageous man." Mr. Stoltzfuz said "Mark believes it is his right to sell, according to the constitution, just like it was Rosa Park's right to sit wherever she wanted on the bus. Same deal. There is nothing in the constitution to prevent Mr. Nolt from buying and selling, especially to his friends," Mr. Stoltzfus said. Stoltzfus commented that Mr Chirdon of the Food Safety Division of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture used to work for Dean Foods and Hershey Foods, big corporate operations, and that Chirdon was "jealous that farmers make a better product" and called the raid by Mr. Sheridan "a vendetta." This case is similar to that involving Meadowsweet Dairy LLC in New York, in that both Pennsylvania and New York allow raw milk sales, but adamantly oppose the sale of other raw dairy products. Mr. Nolt was doing things the way his community has for generations, selling milk straight from his cows to those he knows. Mr. Nolt contends that the regulations have not been approved by the legislature and shouldn't apply to him because he is selling directly to consumers, via private contracts that are outside the purview of the state, making a privilege out of a right he believes he has - the right to private contracts." The permitting issue, ostensibly for food safety, is contradicted by a look both at raw milk itself and at its competition, corporate milk - pasteurized and often from cows injected with rBGH. Four issues stand out: 1. INDEPENDENCE of farmer and customers Raw milk: Farmer sell raw milk from their own cows, to neighbors and friends at a price farmers set themselves, paid by people who value their product, without a middleman. A growing number of people prefer raw milk (unpasteurized milk), considering it not only safe but healthier than pasteurized milk because it is still rich in pro-biotics not killed off by pasteurization. http://www.realmilk.com/raw.html Farming communities have consumed raw milk for generations. The exchange between farmers and neighbors play a central part in the web of relations sustaining those communities. Yet raw milk is banned in many states. Corporate milk: Dairy farmers sell their milk to milk "producers" who pasteurize it, may add things to it, bottle it, distribute it, often at great distances. Dairy farmers must accept a price set by others, in a large competitive market. Nothing in the process promotes local farming communities. "...The system of influence and control..is highly skewed in favor of the corporate and financial system." - Vincente Navarro, (Professor of Health and Social Policy, John Hopkins U.). Raw milk: "[For years, m]illions [in California] consumed commercial raw milk, ... not a single incidence was reported. During the same period, there were many instances of contamination in pasteurized milk, some of which resulted in death. [I]f we withdrew ... every food type responsible for a case of food poisoning, there would be virtually nothing left to eat. But only raw milk has been singled out for general removal from the food supply. "... the bacteria in raw milk is the healthy bacteria of lactic-acid fermentation while the bacteria in pasteurized milk is the bacteria of spoilage. ... Both raw and pasteurized milk contain E. coli, normally a benign microorganism. The most likely source of the new strains of virulent E. coli is genetically engineered soy, fed to cows in large commercial dairies. If there is any type of milk likely to harbor these virulent breeds, it is commercial pasteurized milk. ... Children fed raw milk have more resistance to TB, scurvy, flu, diphtheria, pneumonia, asthma, allergic skin problems and tooth decay. In addition, their growth and calcium absorption was superior." (In California, there is currently an effort to ban raw milk.) "Four distinct groups of bacteria survive pasteurization....the strep of pasteurized milk are the most frequent cause of rheumatic fever --the most deadly disease of childhood." - USDA Corporate milk: During the Clinton administration, a new study was released "conclud[ing] that milk from cows injected with [genetically engineered bovine growth hormone - rBGH) increases risks of breast and colon cancers in humans. "rBGH poses an even greater risk to human health than ever considered," warned Samuel Epstein M.D., Professor of Environmental Medicine .... "The FDA and Monsanto have a lot to answer for. Given the cancer risks, and other health concerns, why is rBGH milk still on the market?" Since 1986, independent scientists have expressed concern about the lack of research on ... rBGH milk. ... Michael Colby, Executive Director of Food and Water said, "Monsanto 's claims that rBGH is perfectly safe have been proven dead wrong today .... Only Monsanto is benefiting from this drug. It's time for dairy companies to side with consumers by adopting a policy that they will not allow rBGH, under any circumstances, to be used by their farmers." Epstein said: "The entire nation is currently being subjected to a large-scale adulteration of an age-old dietary staple by a poorly characterized and unlabeled biotechnology product which is very different than natural milk." In 2007 - when Mark Nolt was first arrested for selling raw milk (natural milk) - a citizens' petition to the FDA on rBGH milk showed 30 scientific journals indicating an up-to-7-fold increased risk of breast cancer, and an increased risk of colon and prostate cancern. Raw milk is sold primarily through word of mouth. Corporate milk is promoted through large, expensive ad campaigns. The California Milk Processor Board is now targeting teens ... ""Goodby, Silverstein and Partners created a page on MySpace to promote White Gold and the Calcium Twins, a team of new fictitious characters turned rock stars who spread their love of and devotion to milk through music. ... TV spots, print ads and PR will also support the promotion. "The Milk Processor Education Program ... is funded by the nation's milk processors ... committed to increasing fluid milk consumption." http://www.thinkaboutyourdrink.com. 4. LABELIING Raw milk is just milk. Those who buy it know that and seek it out for that reason. Corporate milk is ...? Monsanto continues pushing bans on labeling rBGH-milk. Customers usually do not know they are consuming rBGH milk. During its approval process, "FDA scientist, Dr Richard Burroughs concluded ... Monsanto was manipulating the [test] figures. In 1989 he was sacked after complaining to Congress ... To deal with the ... controversy Monsanto assembled ...PR companies ... of which [BURSON-MARSTELLER] was one." ... [In]1994, people at the FDA [wrote] an anonymous letter to ... Congress, [fearing] retribution ... "The basis of our concern is that Dr. Margaret Miller ... wrote the FDA's opinion on why milk from [rbGH]-treated cows should not be labeled. However, before coming to the FDA, Dr. Margaret Miller was working for the Monsanto company as a researcher on [rbGH]." In 1996, during the Clinton administration, there was a press conference on rBGH's medical risks. "Given the potential health impacts of consumption of milk and other dairy products derived from rBGH treated cows, all such products at a minimum be labeled so that consumers are aware of what they are purchasing and consuming. More prudently the FDA approval of rBGH should be withdrawn until the agency performs adequate long term testing ..." "... Wisconsin, Minnesota, California and Vermont attempted to enforce labelling of milk produced with, and containing, this hormone. Their efforts were thwarted by Burson-Marsteller acting on behalf of these companies." Burson-Marsteller has been a long-term (now campaign) advisor to Hillary Clinton, through its CEO, Mark Penn. And Monsanto's effort to ban labeling of the milk continues today. Banning of labeling of rBGH milk in effect puts millions of Americans into a human experiment with genetic engineering, exposing them to greatly increased risk of cancers. The Nuremberg Code makes clear that experimental subjects must give informed consent. www.21stcenturyradio.com/NP-11-25-99.html Mr. Stoltzfus added up losses for Mark Nolt: "Trepass on private property, private personal merchandise stolen, being deprived of a significant amount of hard work he and his family put together. He is being deprived of the opportunity to market his product now, they are throwing it away. It's a shame." Mr. Nolt did not have a permit. He has twice lost thousands of dollars of work or material, and faces jail. Monsanto sells rBGH-milk associated with cancers, Clinton hired Monsanto employees which approved their own genetically engineered product, Hillary Clinton has been silent up to today about the risk rBGH poses to women, PR firms strongly push the milk on all ages. None face jail or fines for altered facts, for PR campaigns encouraging even children to drink rBGH-milk, or for banning labeling of it, which has put the entire US population at medical risk for years. Monsanto, the Clintons, Burson-Marsteller and Goodby, Silverstein and Partners are all making millions. Mr. Nolt, released after being taken off by state troopers, refused to accept a ride from them. He started walking. Friends gave him a lift home. While liberals do not typically accept government pronouncements on many issues, they seem to routinely accept at face value the FDA's or USDA's ascription of causes for diseases. I will be writing more on this topic, because the government (on behalf of corporate interests) is manipulating the public (especially educated urban people who trust science almost implicitly) with "scientific" warnings about food-borne diseases, just exactly as the government manipulates the right through fear of terrorists. In both cases, the government uses fear to whip up demand for actions which are often unconstitutional and give government more control over the population and give corporations massive hegemony over its small competitors. It should be noted that the raw milk "issue" is not about the safety of milk at all, for any safety concern with raw milk can be resolved in 5 minutes by slight heating, whereas as the cancer risks with rBGH are enormous and cannot be eliminated. In fact they are increased by heating. Raw milk is being targeted as a danger - despite humans around the world depending on it for millennia - not because of any actual health threat but because it offers dairy farmers the ability to be entirely independent of the corporate food system. The threat of raw milk is not disease (in fact, it is healthier than pasteurized milk) but the challenge it represents to corporate control over food. 
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| 14 comments |
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Sorry about the underlining
I didn't put it in and I couldn't get rid of it. Raw milk is not different from the various health alternatives that have been criminalized. I am surprised at people's passivity as their access to food and health treatments are being shut down. It is not different from the auto industry buying up streetcar systems across the country in the early 1990s and taking the street cars out into the ocean and dumping them, leaving people dependent on automobiles, at much greater cost to them, at the price of destroying pedestrian cities (and thus communities), at the cost of pollution. But access to real food and our choice of medical treatments are much closer to the bone and are in peril. by Linn Cohen-Cole (76 articles, 1 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 189 comments [12 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Monday, Jul 7, 2008 at 2:16:32 PM  (0+)
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Reply: The simplest story is the truth
Ms Cohen-Cole, Thank you for bringing this news to our attention. You have done a great service, especially by giving proper space to the issues surrounding the arrest of Mr Nolt, the confiscation of his property and the issue of raw milk sales. Thank you also for naming the individuals who perpetrated this atrocity. The best thing one can do is the simplest: tell the truth of what corporate America is doing and of the ties between government agencies and corporate interests in the agencies' area of enforcement. The courage of Jonas Stoltzfus in explaining the issue is also most commendable. Sincerely, Neil Walker Toronto, Canada by njw42 (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 2 comments) on Monday, Jul 7, 2008 at 2:44:43 PM (0+)
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Reply: Yes, the truth is best.
We have a lot of work to do to let people know what is happening to all of us and the urban person is pretty unaware. Which means that liberals tend to be unaware though this is something they would naturally care about. Thank you for writing. by Linn Cohen-Cole (76 articles, 1 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 189 comments [12 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Tuesday, Jul 8, 2008 at 6:52:00 PM (0+)
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Raw Milk
What happened to this farmer is an outrage! I agree one hundred percent with the Rosa Parks analogy. This is only one in a long line of disgraceful acts the governments both local and Federal have been so regularly performing on the people of this country. My daughter has been complaining about rBGH for many years. She has endometriosis, and has curtailed her use of red meat and diary products. She has had good luck in getting the terrible symptoms to back off by adjusting her diet. It seems most of the issues stem from beef and dairy productsI have heard recently that some stores are planning to sell milk without the growth hormone. I hope it is true by Pat Dazis (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 24 comments) on Monday, Jul 7, 2008 at 3:17:10 PM (0+)
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slightly broader notion...
I don't buy all Alex Jones has to say but I am beginning to believe that the so called 'elites' want us to be good serfs and go along with all they dictate. But I am also beginning to believe that they want a good portion of us dead. But I intend to get my little 'farmette' and I intend to drink raw milk and cheese and butter made from raw milk and to hell with this sick excuse for a government. by richard (0 articles, 5 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 1359 comments [400 recommended, 8 rejected]) on Monday, Jul 7, 2008 at 7:40:57 PM (0+)
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In California too
I know of a person that was not permitted to give away wild chicken eggs to a bed and breakfast to be served. (even with consent of the people eating the eggs) by Gallaher (2 articles, 0 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 990 comments [34 recommended, 1 rejected]) on Monday, Jul 7, 2008 at 8:02:00 PM (0+)
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Reply: yet, don't you feel safer
from those killer tomatoes the FDA protected us from. Oh, wait. That's right they were off by a veggie. The jalapenos were the problem. Eggs, milk, what the hell. Protect us from all of those dangerous things... like Bush, the FDA, Monsanto... by Rob Kall (953 articles, 4178 quicklinks, 374 diaries, 2087 comments [45 recommended, 3 rejected]) on Monday, Jul 7, 2008 at 10:28:23 PM (0+)
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Patriots Drink Raw Milk
Mennonites rate highly among the best people on Earth. When a regime persecutes them, it clearly has moved beyond the boundaries of civilization. If citizens continue to ignore these atrocities, they should have no objection when the regime cannibalizes them. Our founding fathers drank raw milk. by Jason Paz (68 articles, 88 quicklinks, 112 diaries, 1391 comments [98 recommended, 1 rejected]) on Tuesday, Jul 8, 2008 at 3:05:02 AM (0+)
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What we're seeing
What I'm about to say will sound insane yet every word of it is true. We're experiencing a full-court-press of a group of demonic institutions (DI) that are hell-bent on killing 5.5 billion of the people on this planet, and if we do not start to do everything we can to defeat them all of us will die a horrible premature death soon. Told you it would sound insane. But so is arresting a farmer for selling something that is natural. The correlation between rising cancer rates, exploding cases of Altruism, diabetes, along with new viruses are not natural occurrences, but have been engineered by extremely sick minds to poison and kill a vast majority of people on this planet. Codex Alimentarius, a trade company for food standards, founded by a convicted Nazi chemist who supplied the chemicals for Hitler's death camps, has coupled with WTO, Monsanto and those members of our government and industry and others who are members of Illuminati, high-order Masons, Bilderbergs, to name a few, to conspire to finish what Hitler's "Final Solution" could never have achieved. Google: Nutricide - Criminalizing Natural Health, Vitamins, and Herbs. On every front we're being attacked. Our liberties are all but gone, our ability to travel is being curtailed, our votes don't count and now they're stripping us of the very foods and sustenance of life itself and if we don't do everything in our power to stop them now those DI's we prevail. What is our recourse? How do we defeat secret organizations that have been in place for thousands of years and have enormous power and control? It won't be easy. But we have two things working for us, we vastly outnumber them, there are an estimated 10,00 hard-core members of these demonic institutions, and we have (for now) instant access to information. Unfortunately only about 5% of the populace is aware of what is taking place and everyone of us is going to have to pull-out all the stops to educate enough people to form that critical mass to stop these insane meglomanics from completing their plan. To start, do not listen to MSM, everything they are saying is meant to poison your mind as much as the poisoned foods and water they are forcing us to consume. Eat only organic foods. Drink only water that is safe. Stop using Fluoride toothpaste - it's poison. http://www.lovethetruth.com/truth_about_fluoride.htm But most importantly, those that are aware much do whatever it takes to get as much information to as many people as possible no matter the hardship this entails. For if we don't, I can promise you this, your job won't matter, your possessions won't matter, your family won't matter, your life won't matter. I have recently quit my job to work as an activist full-time. I don't suggest everyone do this, but unless you do everything you can, we're toast. The Powers-That-Be are in their final stages and we're just beginning to wake-up and understand. I have recently gained usage of an independently owned 500 seat movie theater, though the generosity of it's enlightened owner, and plan to show free documentaries that you'd never see in our controlled outlets. Go to sites that you can download documentaries and burn them to disc, or go to sites that sell them and do same. Host parties and watch these films in groups, discuss what can be done, form co-ops, organize. http://www.documentarywire.com/ We don't have much time and our chances are slim, but we must try or as sure as the Sun rises we'll die. Do this, don't just sit here and type. Every effort you make will have an effect. Pay no attention to those that will ridicule you, they will thank you later. Do not be afraid, you have truth and the power of God behind you, and it's a no lose situation. You're going to die anyway, but you have a choice of dying a natural death or at the hands of your suppressors. http://christianparty.net/lindstedt/resistcl.html The Revolution is now! We are it's soldiers. Do what must be done. by Mr M (8 articles, 0 quicklinks, 66 diaries, 2845 comments [654 recommended, 27 rejected]) on Tuesday, Jul 8, 2008 at 10:26:14 AM (0+)
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Reply: Sympathetic and a suggestion
I don't think you sound insane. I think what is happening is insane. My suggestion is that you tone down what you are saying (just a little) and used lots of solid references, and write articles about this, here and elsewhere. You know a lot - almost too much because you are so deep into what is happening it is hard to pull back and reach those who don't know the first couple of pieces yet. You could do a great deal of good in writing articles on each thing you mentioned here, breaking it down, taking someone who knows nothing into awareness, piece by piece. Thank you for writing. Don't give up and keep putting out information. by Linn Cohen-Cole (76 articles, 1 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 189 comments [12 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Tuesday, Jul 8, 2008 at 6:48:34 PM (0+)
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We have seen this before....
When we do not PAY the large corporations for their products, we are punished.... If someone wants to compete with large corporations, he/she must buy a special permit which costs a ludicrous amount of money, typically, and would destroy any significant amount of profit.... This farmer went up against corporate America, and was smacked down. We should all take a note from this.... Government is NOT our friend... Government is only friends with those who can afford to PAY for that friendship... Our major political parties have created and facilitate this atmosphere.... Ciao, CZ by steve scheetz (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 829 comments [52 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Tuesday, Jul 8, 2008 at 11:04:16 AM (0+)
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Reply: milking $ of america
Raising my children on raw milk in the '80s from the university agriculture dept. we lived next to not only made them healthier, but taught life lessons as well. We had two gallons delivered every day during the calving seasons, with the only problems being what to do with excessive amounts, ...you learn that making butter not only burns calouries but gives you a pride in yourself that you could probably survive if the world's finiancial infrastructure fails. By the way, both my son, who owns his own small business along with working for a petrol related corp., and my daughter who after 8 yrs of university grindstoning graduated top 5 in her univ. to become a pharmacist making well over 6-digits starting out. Does the thought of greed entering the whole process and health concerns becoming real, yes. by patwi (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 7 comments) on Tuesday, Jul 8, 2008 at 1:00:33 PM (0+)
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Milk
Don't eat cow's milk products. Cows milk has casein which causes high cholesterol. by Ty (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 888 comments [2 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Tuesday, Jul 8, 2008 at 6:49:17 PM (0+)
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That's some heckuva story
It's really sad to see what small farmers are going through in this country. It would seem that the Powers That Be would far rather we ate non-food, pseudo-food, and semi-food alloyed with not-so-good-for-you ingredients. Luckily, nowadays we have the Internet, so small farmers are not so alone as they may think. Nor are we, their customers. By the way, when you make a link, you have to close it or the link will continue until something else happens. In case that didn't work, it's: left angle bracket - slash -a - right angle bracket. by Diane Vigil (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments) on Thursday, Jul 10, 2008 at 1:55:59 AM (0+)
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