Some mothers take their role as parents very seriously, and their focus on local, nutrient-dense foods has been growing in popularity . They invest hours of time preparing special allergy-friendly meals for their children, labor tirelessly growing and preserving their own foods every season, and they diligently seek out foods with the most nutritional value for their families, an ancient practice that lingers still today.
That’s exactly what the first Raw Milk Freedom Ride on November 1st to FDA headquarters was about: Moms who want access to foods they believe to be beneficial to their children’s health. The consumer cannot have access to these foods if food club members and farmers continue to be criminalized by the Federal government. Whether or not you agree with their methods like cow shares, goat shares, or members-only clubs, you have to ask yourself, do you believe in their right to do it?
The Freedom Rider moms rode across the Maryland state line to Pennsylvania in mini-vans with windows covered in tiny handprint smudges and toys rolling around on the floor, and they broke Federal law. From there they drove to FDA headquarters and drank raw milk and ate cookies as close to the building as the Department of Homeland Security would let them. The moms want to be heard. Was the FDA listening? Not really.
Later that day the FDA issued a statement saying that they did not intend to arrest any consumer crossing state lines with milk, which sounds very agreeable to the untrained ear. What they failed to mention actually speaks volumes to those engaged in this behind-the-scenes battle for farm and food freedom. They failed to address their outlandish behavior that’s rarely the subject in the media, and until the recent screenings of the documentary film Farmageddon, the average person had no idea it was even happening.
They never stated that they would stop targeting farmers, buying clubs, and co-ops, which all play important roles in the accessibility of these foods. This is somewhat troubling to those who have experienced the guns-drawn raids, the property theft, and the confiscation of animals and farm equipment.
This brings us to the second Raw Milk Freedom Ride which will be Thursday, December 8th, 2011. The next known illegal transportation of milk (that’s right, I said milk) over state lines will take place from Wisconsin to Chicago’s Independence Park. A Rally will follow at Independence Park from 11:30am to 2pm. For the address and more information visit here.
Food Freedom heroes Max Kane, David Gumpert, Liz Reitzig, Kathy Pirtle, John Moody, Jim Marlowe, Michael Badnarik, and others (to be announced) dedicated to raw milk choice and food freedom will participate in a peaceful demonstration. The Freedom Riders Rally will not only include moms, but also farmers, consumers, and citizens who are concerned about the growing disappearance of the freedom to choose healthy foods. Until the FDA discontinues its criminalization of families, clubs, consumers, and farmers we can expect these Freedom Riders to keep breaking the law.
Please support HR 1830, a bill that would decriminalize the transportation of raw milk over state lines, by requesting that the Subcommittee on Health hear this bill.
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