Archive for category Amish In The News

Libertarian Farmers Lobby Against S. 510

by Helena Bottemiller | Mar 13, 2010

It is not every day you find Amish farmers serving raw milk in the U.S. Senate. But this week a group of libertarian, small, sustainable, organic farmers were serving up the unpasteurized milk–which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deems dangerous–to Senate staff and local food advocates as part of an effort to push back against pending federal food safety regulations.

Raw Jersey Cow Milk from Amish Farms, Pennsylvania being served in the Dirksen Senate office building.

Raw Jersey Cow Milk from Amish Farms, Pennsylvania being served in the Dirksen Senate office building.

The National Independent Consumers and Farmers Association (NICFA), whose mission is to “promote and preserve unregulated direct farmer-to-consumer trade,” organized a lobby day Wednesday to rally opposition to the Senate FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510), a bill that would increase FDA inspections of food facilities and give the agency mandatory recall authority.

It is unclear exactly how or where NICFA fits into the lobbying scene. Most food policy experts inside the beltway know very little about the organization, and many characterize NICFA as a fringe group. The National Sustainable Agriculture Association (NSAC), an active force for sustainable agriculture in DC, doesn’t work with NICFA.

“We’re not working with them on anything, including food safety,” NSAC spokeswoman Aimee Witteman told Food Safety News in an email. “I don’t know much about them other than their opposition to National Animal ID. My sense is that they’re fundamentally opposed to any new food safety legislation–aren’t interested in trying to improve the food safety regime while also making it more targeted on the riskiest practices.”

It is also unclear how any members NICFA has or who exactly funds the organization. Many food policy insiders suspect the Weston A. Price foundation, a non-profit proponent of raw milk and whole foods, gives the group financial support. A spokesperson for NICFA said the group is funded exclusively through private donations but declined to provide any details.

Curious as NICFA may be, their reception on Wednesday had some libertarian star power. Former presidential candidate and small government hero Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) kicked off the reception with his usual stump speech and Joel Salatin, a farmer-turned-celebrity, for his appearance in best-selling Omnivore’s Dilemma and Oscar-nominated Food, Inc., emceed the event.

Joel Salatin, of Polyface Farms (seated), and Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX). Photos by Helena Bottemiller.

Salatin, a self-described “Christian-libertarian-environmentalist-lunatic farmer,” fired off a number of clever sound bites to his audience, which appeared to be mostly NICFA members.

“When the government gets between my lips and my food, I call that invasion of privacy,” said Salatin. “By what science is feeding your kids Twinkies, Ho-ho cakes, and Mountain Dew safe–but raw milk, homemade pickles, and compost-grown tomatoes are dangerous?”

“Our nation has the lowest per capita food expenditure, but the highest per capita health care expenditure of any developed nation,” he said. “Welcome to safe, deadly food.”

Though the event piqued the curiosity of many food policy wonks, no one seems concerned NICFA’s efforts could derail S. 510, a bill that enjoys broad, bipartisan support, but has yet to be scheduled for a vote.

David Gumpert, a health blogger and author of The Raw Milk Revolution who also spoke at the reception, indicated on his blog this week that the response to NICFA’s message was hard to gauge.

“My meetings with congressional aides were pleasant, but difficult to assess,” wrote Gumpert. “This seemed a fairly common reaction among other citizen lobbyists. Maybe the most encouraging thing about the aides I met was that they seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say.”

“Most discouraging was that the aides seemed not to know very much about key problems in the food safety legislation–the absence of significant exemptions for the smallest food producers and farms, the huge financial burden imposed by the requirement for HACCP (hazard analysis critical control point) plans, and the imposition of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standards on farmers,” he added.

Consumer and public health advocates have been insisting for months that though they are open to “scale-appropriate” food safety regulations, no food grower or processor should be exempt from the food safety system.

“We do have issues with anything that provides any blanket exemptions,” Sandra Eskin, director of the food safety campaign with The Pew Charitable Trusts, recently told Food Safety News. Pew is a key member of the Make Our Food Safe coalition (MOFS), a broad coalition of consumer, public health, and industry groups pushing for the passage of S. 510.

“Food should be safe regardless of its source — big processor, small farm, conventional operation or organic grower,” said Eskin.

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Judge dismisses registration case against Amish farmer

By Jake MillerMarshfield News-Herald • March 11, 2010

The state is expected to appeal a Clark County judge’s ruling that allows an Amish man to continue to operate his farm without registering livestock in accordance to law, state assistant veterinarian Paul McGraw said.

Judge Jon Counsell issued a nine-page ruling Tuesday afternoon ordering the court to dismiss the charge filed against Emanuel Miller, 29, of Loyal in October 2008 for failing to comply with the state’s 2005 mandatory livestock registration law. It was the first case involving an Amish farmer challenging the state’s registration law.

The Amish believe the registration’s use of numbers is the first step in moving closer to the “Mark of the Beast,” referenced in the Bible’s book of Revelations and believed to be associated with Satan.

Proponents of the law say the registration allows officials to quickly track animals that could be impacted by a disease outbreak, McGraw said. Wisconsin’s department of agriculture continues to stand behind its belief that mandatory registration is beneficial to tracking disease, despite the court’s ruling, he said.

“I’m not sure there will be a huge impact at this point,” McGraw said of the ruling. “The department is likely to appeal. Everyone still needs to register their livestock.”

Miller testified that if he participated in the registration, he would risk eternal damnation, a statement supported by his community’s leader, Bishop Noah Schwartz.

In a brief filed Dec. 22, the state argued that a premises registration number is no different from other numbers, such as addresses. Only three states have mandatory registration, while 47 have voluntary registration, McGraw said.

However, Counsell wrote in his ruling that the number is just one part of Miller’s concern. It also requires him to put his faith in government, not God, which goes against Amish beliefs.

Registration is an “impermissible burden upon Miller’s religious beliefs,” Counsell wrote.

Counsell cited several flaws in the law, including that it will never reach 100 percent compliance and does not require the registered farmers to have a telephone, requiring state officials to still go door to door at some farms.

There is “no concrete evidence that premises registration serves the interest of promoting health and food safety better than other alternatives, which it must do to withstand this challenge,” Counsell noted.

Counsell wrote that Miller complies with other regulations, including providing his name and address when buying and selling livestock, which provides sufficient information for locating his animals.

Bill Herr, a Greenwood dairy farmer who owns about 165 cattle, said the premises registration is a benefit for tracking disease, as well as for the industry’s image. All of his animals are registered.

“Our livelihood is pretty dependent on how people view our product, how safe it is,” Herr said. “If there was a health issue, it would be very valuable information to know where these animals are being raised.”

Miller’s conviction, the court said, is supported by his statement that he “would accept government punishment or leave the state before violating his religious beliefs.”

Herr, despite his support of registration, said someone with serious religious convictions should not be subject to something that would infringe upon beliefs.

“I can respect religious beliefs, though. I have my own,” he said. “Just because they’re different from someone else’s doesn’t mean they’re wrong.”

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‘Amish Grace’ is exploitation film that has no redeeming value

By Patriot-News Editorial Board
March 11, 2010, 7:32AM

Is there such a thing as “must-miss” TV?

If so, put “Amish Grace” on your list. The Lifetime Movie Network film, which airs March 28, purports to recount the shooting of 10 Amish girls in a Nickel Mines schoolhouse by Charles Carl Roberts IV on Oct. 2, 2006.

CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News Movie about the Amish is shameful.

CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News Movie about the Amish is shameful.

There has always been a fundamental contradiction in the fact that the “English” — as the Amish call non-Amish — make money off an intensely private people who reject the values of modern society.

Lancaster County has spawned an entire industry of Amish tourism, with busloads who ogle at horse-drawn buggies and men in straw hats.

It’s true that the Amish supplement their farming by selling handmade crafts and foods to tourists. But selling a few quilts and shoofly pie at a local craft store is light years from the crass exploitation that is “Amish Grace.”

Few who know the Amish wanted a piece of this horror show. The fictional film is based on the nonfiction book “Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy,” by Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt and David L. Weaver-Zercher. Kraybill is an Elizabethtown College professor and senior fellow at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies.

“Out of respect to our friends in the Amish community, and especially those related to the Nickel Mines tragedy, we declined the producer’s requests to consult and assist in the development of a film,” the authors said in a written statement.

It is easy to see why.

This film has about as much to do with understanding the Amish as “Avatar” has to do with understanding the Masai.

As Patriot-News writer Ivey DeJesus described it, in the world of “Amish Grace,” the men all wear squeaky clean boots with no trace of farm mud and the women all sport manicured fingernails.

More importantly, the film distorts what happened.

“I can’t stand this place anymore,” says a character who lost her daughter in the shooting and lashes out at her husband.

In reality, the Nickel Mines tragedy only caused the Amish to affirm the bedrock values of their community.

“The media descend on the town and criticize its Amish leaders for their notion of unconditional forgiveness of the shooter,” trumpets the movie’s Web site (right next to a promo for “Kim Kardashian’s Most Memorable Hairstyles.”)

In reality, the public — including this newspaper — marveled at the Amish for truly living their deep faith.

It is inevitable that Hollywood tries to idealize and romanticize just about any hardship, from slavery to poverty to cancer.

But there is a special irony in glamorizing a people whose entire life is dedicated to eschewing individual attention.

You cannot see a shadow by shining a light on it. You cannot capture smoke by grabbing it with your hands. And you cannot celebrate the humility of the Amish by making them the stars of their own Lifetime movie.

If the film’s producers really wanted to honor the Amish, they would have said a prayer for them and let them be.

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12th Amish man faces Morristown permit violation

By DAVID WINTERS
TIMES STAFF WRITER
THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2010

MORRISTOWN — Morristown is continuing to cite the Amish for building homes without permits while a federal lawsuit accusing the town of religious discrimination is pending.

Moise L. Swartzentruber, of 151 Stowe Road, was charged in late February. He’s the 12th Amish man since 2006 to be charged with failure to comply with building codes in Morristown.

Code Enforcement Officer Lanetta Kay Davis cited Mr. Swartzentruber over an addition made to his Stowe Road home last year. He is accused of not submitting a building plan to the town for the addition.

Mr. Swartzentruber is scheduled for arraignment March 18 before Town Judge James T. Phillips Jr., court officials said Wednesday. Ms. Davis declined to comment Wednesday

According to court documents, Ms. Davis in May noticed the addition being built. She sent a letter to Mr. Swartzentruber informing him of the building code violation, which had to be corrected by June 22.

Both parties met July 1 to discuss the matter. Ms. Davis provided Mr. Swartzentruber with an extension to Aug. 13, allowing him time to talk with his group.

On July 28, he informed the town that he wouldn’t submit a building plan. Both parties met again on Aug. 13, with no agreement reached because “the defendant stated that no inspections would be allowed.”

Eleven Amish families sued the town of Morristown in January 2009 over alleged religious discrimination.

“We’re sorry to see that Morristown is continuing its crusade against the Amish,” said Lori H. Windham, an attorney for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, Washington, D.C., who is representing the Amish families in the federal lawsuit.

The Amish say the town refuses to issue permits that allow them to build homes according to their beliefs. The Amish, members of the Old Order Swartzentruber sect, say their religious beliefs will be violated if the town forces them to install smoke detectors in their homes, submit engineering plans and allow home inspections.

The lawsuit says the Amish will be forced to leave the town if they cannot build their homes and farms.

The cases against the 11 Amish men have been delayed for more than a year for various reasons, including a lengthy search for an interpreter.

The lawsuit says the town is selectively enforcing the law against the Amish to effectively force them from the community.

Morristown Town Council members said previously that they must enforce building codes because turning a blind eye to the Amish will create unfair enforcement. Building codes are set by state law but enforced by municipalities.

The lawsuit also contends that Ms. Davis has made several postings on a Web site devoted to criticism of the Swartzentruber Amish religion, culture and practices. She also reportedly asked “nearby jurisdictions to take a hard line on code enforcement and issue citations to the Amish in their towns.”

Swartzentruber Amish also have encountered building code disputes in Hammond, Western New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The 11 Amish men do not deny the charges, but say code requirements violate their right to freely exercise their religion.

An attempt to reach an out-of-court settlement failed in December. The case before U.S. District Court in Albany will be scheduled for trial, likely late this year or in early 2011.

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Judge Rules in Favor of Amish in Animal ID Case

Note: Facts, the application for the grant money to operate the program requires that Wisconsin abide by the terms set forth under the Federal Register. In which the participation must be voluntary and a producer can op-out. The state has breached their contract and are subject to Federal Administrative Relief which may result in repayment of all grant moneys. The USDA also failed to provide warning to the state that it may be sued, under requirements of Article 1 Sec.8 Clause 1 regarding grants under the authority of the General Welfare Clause. See annotated Supreme Court rulings for details.

Paul M. Griepentrog

A decision has finally been made in the highly anticipated case in which the State of Wisconsin was trying to sue an Amish man for not following Wisconsin’s Livestock Premise Registration law. On Tuesday, Clark County Circuit Court Judge Jon Counsell ruled that Emanuel Miller Jr. of Loyal, Wisconsin does have a ‘religious right’ to be exempt from the law, which requires anyone who keeps, houses, or co-mingles livestock to register their premises with the state.

It was noted during court proceedings that the Amish do provide their names and addresses when they buy and sell livestock, and the judge said that doing so should be enough for the state to track down an animal in the event of a disease.

Prosecutors also cited a recent pseudorabies case in Clark County as an example of why the premises law is needed. But Judge Counsell said the state failed to show why alternatives, that would not affect Miller’s religious freedom, would not be just as effective.

The Amish believe the requirement infringes on their religious believes because it could eventually result in the tagging of all animals, or the ‘Mark of the Beast.’ But prosecutors felt with mandatory premise ID, the process of tracking down potentially at-risk farms would be much easier if there were an animal disease. The issue of “government ease” fell short in court to the issue of “religious rights.”

Meanwhile, Paul McGraw, the assistant state veterinarian with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture’s animal health division says he expects the state to appeal the ruling. A case of this nature regarding a state case, is normally a wearing down of the accused, which judges also tire of.

The NAIS, requiring premises registration, was a program instigated by the USDA. Every state was offered “grant” funds as an incentive to enforce a full mandatory NAIS with arrests and fines for noncompliance. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has received over twelve million dollars to tighten the screws on all Wisconsin livestock producers. Their enforcements are the most ruthless of any state with many other pending cases. Their grant moneys are also the largest considering the number of livestock producers in the state.

Wisconsin has been used by USDA as an example of strict enforcements for the nation. Additionally increasing the weakened position of Wisconsin, national resistance to NAIS caused Sec. Vilsack on Feb. 5, to announce the NAIS program was discontinued. Without the backing of federal policy, judicial decisions by Wisconsin are predicted to be very problematic for the state. The Miller case is the first court decision since USDA withdrew the program.

On Feb 5 Vilsack stated that one of the reasons for terminating the NAIS program was that, “USDA had gotten a failing grade on NAIS” and that, “Terminating the program would help overcome some of the mistrust caused by NAIS.” It appears Dr. McGraw still has not arrived to where Sec. Vilsack is, serious work on the Wisconsin “mistrust” issue.

The case at one time was referred to as the state’s first such NAIS prosecution, until a Polk County judge ruled in October that Patrick Monchilovich of Cumberland violated the four-year-old rule after he refused to register his premises. He was ordered to pay a civil forfeiture and court costs. (This was before the USDA Feb. 5 announcement.)

McGraw and Wisconsin have been tossed under the bus by USDA and now Clark County Circuit Court Judge Jon Counsell just tossed them under a convoy of galloping Amish steel-wheeled buggies.

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Death of Amish by English ruled homicide

Fri Feb 12, 2010, 01:00 PM CST

The death of Eli L.L. Borntrager, 29, of Madison has been ruled homicide by Randolph County Coroner Gerald Luntsford.
Mr. Borntrager, an Amish, died at approximately 10:45 a.m. Jan. 12th of this year in an automobile-cart accident on U. S. 63 in the city limits of Moberly.
According to the death scene investigation of Coroner Luntsford, “the cart was struck in the rear by a 2007 Chevrolet Malibu with Missouri license number FB3-W4P, driven by Jeffery David Fleming of 1230 West Henry Street, Staunton IL.”
L.L. Borntrager was traveling south on Highway 63 in a horse drawn two(2) wheel road cart.
Mr. Borntrager was pronounced dead at the scene, the horse was badly injured and was euthanized by a local veterinarian.
“The cart was equipped with a slow moving vehicle triangle of appropriate size. The road was dry and the weather was clear,” the report states.
There was no indication that the driver of the car made any attempt to stop or avoid, the cart whatsoever, “There were no skid marks.” Therefore, the driver of the car Jeffrey David Fleming caused the death of Eli L.L. Borntrager by striking him with a motor vehicle.”
In Coroner Luntsford’s report, finalized Feb. 11, it stated that he still had not received an accident report from the Moberly Police Department and  that the 2007 Chevrolet  was  impounded at Smith’s Towing at Higbee  and that evidence had already been removed from inside the vehicle.

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Beware Amish Heaters

Ed Note:
I have seen these heaters advertised and they look nice, but are pricy. I was surprised that an “Electric” heater would be called an Amish Heater. Too funny.

Buy a Bahams Poster and save a bundle

Buy a Bahama Poster and save a bundle

I have a couple friends that have worked in the factory that assembles them. There are a few Amish employees there assembling them, but no more Amish than you would see at any big employer in the Amish rich counties south east of Cleveland.

These “Amish Heaters” are 1500 watts top, and run about $300. My recommendation is to save your money, go to Walmart or Lowes an buy a1500 watt heater for $19.97, buy a poster of the Bahamas so you can look at it and get the warm feelings that the expensive fake Amish Fireplace would given have you.


Posted on Wed, Feb. 10, 2010

Heater’s Amish glow just a frame job: Minus mantel, the faux fireplace is made in China

By NATALIE POMPILIO
Philadelphia Daily News

pompiln@phillynews.com 215-854-2595

Ads (above) accentuate Ads (above) accentuate the Amish role. Mike Hedgepeth (right) sells the heaters at Hearth & Stove on South Street.

Mike Hedgepeth sells the heaters at Hearth & Stove on South Street.

THE AMISH are known for being honest, God-fearing folk, so if they give a product their stamp of approval, it has to be good, right?

That’s what the people employing them – and their image – are betting on.

For the past two years, America’s newspapers and magazines have been inundated with advertisements for electric fireplaces called Roll-n-Glow, made by a company called Heat Surge.

A recent two-page spread in Parade magazine – designed to look like a series of newspaper articles with photos and sidebars – proclaimed, “Amish craftsmen set to build Heat Surge miracle fireplace mantels for just $58.”

Read that carefully. The Amish make the frame that goes around the unit. The heater – which costs about $250 more – is made in China.

“They’re touting their faux fireplace and wood surrounds, and if those features are important to you, this is one to consider,” said Jim Nanni, manager of the technical department at Consumer Reports, which tested the product last year. “But if you’re just in the market for a portable heater … you can get a decent one for under $100.”

But Heat Surge vice president David Baker said people who buy the Roll-n-Glow – about one million have been sold – aren’t just looking for something to warm their homes.

“This product is a fireplace, not a heater,” Baker said. “Everyone loves a fireplace. It’s also a beautiful piece of furniture. We have a lot of satisfied customers.”

It’s actually a plug-in electric heater with a backlit picture of a fire.

Ads (above) accentuate the Amish role.

Ads (above) accentuate the Amish role.

Baker said the Amish aren’t being exploited, they’re being employed.

He said the company could easily import mantels from China – and charge a lot less – but it wanted to employ craftsmen in their area. And while not all Amish like being photographed, those that do help promote the product that helps feed their families, Baker said.

“Times have changed. A lot of people couldn’t make it anymore in farming,” said Baker, noting that the product has earned a Good Housekeeping Seal. “This has been a godsend to the Amish. They love doing this. It’s woodworking. It’s right up their alley. And they’re employed.”

Heat Surge’s ads contain multiple money-saving promises: “guaranteed to save everyone money on home heat bills this winter,” and “turn down the thermostat and never be cold again.”

But this heater – or any electric space heater – won’t save you money if you employ it as you would a regular heating system, Nanni said. In fact, it could end up costing more overall.

“The savings come from reducing the heat in your entire home and only heating the one or two rooms you’re occupying,” he said. “Everyone is attracted to the lead claim that you’ll save on heating, but you can do that without a portable heater. Lower the heat and put another layer of clothing on.”

A recent version of the ads plays on the guilt that comes with not living the simple life: “Amish hit hard by recession,” reads one faux headline. The “article” under it explains that’s why these simple craftsmen are willing to work hard making those wood mantels for less money.

The photo next to the write-up, with the caption “OUT OF WORK,” shows a young boy and a man wearing traditional Amish garb holding hands and walking toward a covered bridge. The boy is glancing over his shoulder.

The content doesn’t bother Steve Nolt, a professor at Goshen College specializing in Amish and Mennonite history and culture. The Amish have had their name and image used before to market products, including for items that are as Amish as Quaker Oats are Quaker, he said.

“If the Amish image would be used in a way that hurts Amish people or is detrimental to their culture, I would be upset,” Nolt said. “In this case, I’m more amused than offended.”

Nolt, who is on sabbatical in Lancaster County, said the Amish folk he’s talked with say it’s clear from the ad that the people pictured are not Old Order Amish. They can tell by the older gentleman’s trimmed beard and details like the style of the man’s hats and the ladies’ bonnets.

But they’re not offended, he said. Like him, they’re somewhat amused. Before the ad copy was cleaned up to make clear that it is the mantel, not the heating unit, that is Amish-made, one Lancaster man joked, “Are they Amish heaters? Well, let’s see, how many Amish live in China?”

The Canton, Ohio, office of the Better Business Bureau gives Ohio-based Heat Surge a “B-“grade and said it is not a BBB-accredited business. More than 300 complaints about the company have been filed since June 2007, but most major issues have been settled, said Amanda Tietze, Canton BBB’s vice president of public relations.

“The company has been willing to work with us to resolve any issues or problems or patterns,” Tietze said.

Locally, the heaters – and their mantels – can be purchased at Hearth & Stove on South Street near 17th. Seen in person, the units appear smaller than advertised, standing only 2 feet high.

“Everybody says that,” owner Dan Carter said.

The acclaimed mantel – Carter has “oak” on display in his shop – is passable. Although Consumer Reports didn’t set out to analyze that part of the product, Nanni called the “oak” version “acceptable.”

“I wouldn’t call it exquisite craftsmanship,” Nanni said. “It’s not made as fine furniture.”

The “miracle” faux flame is just that: Fake. But in the “testimonial” section of Heat Surge’s Web site, customers marvel at how real the flame looks and how serene it can make one feel. There’s no mention of how they feel when they have to change the lightbulb that produces that effect.

The item sells well and “has a nice price point,” being in the $300 to $500 range, depending on what deals the company is offering, said Hearth & Stove’s Carter. He has literature detailing how a user can save money by only heating occupied rooms with the Roll-n-Glow, practicing zone heating over traditional heating.

“It’s a portable space heater,” Carter said. “If that’s what you want, that’s what you’ll get.”

He knows the company spends a lot of money on its ads, but he doesn’t think buyers are being misled.

“Nobody’s going to think the Amish are making electric fireplaces,” he said. “They’re not supposed to even have electricity.”

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Even the Amish people and farms are impacted by our Orwellian government

Originally Published on March 11th, 2008

Libertarians just want to be left alone to do their own thing. The Amish just want to be left alone to do likewise. Our government was initially designed so we could all be left alone and just do our own thing. Now what we have is government by the elite which is not about to leave us alone to do our own thing. Control is the operant word.

From nolanchart.com by Jake Morphonios entitled “Ron Paul’s Meeting with Rogue Farmers“:

AmishI spent Saturday morning at the local farmer’s market talking with some folks from our Amish community. One particular Amish farm family provides my family with homemade butter, cheese and milk. It is against the law in most states for a farmer to sell farm-fresh raw milk items without first having met extensive FDA guidelines. Because of the tyranny of Big Brother, we are compelled to never refer to these items by name. To protect ourselves from potential fines or incarceration for the dastardly act of selling and buying non-FDA approved milk, we make sure to speak in hushed whispers and use code words for the “product”. My Amish friends make sure to deliver the product to me in large mason jars with the words “FOR PET USE ONLY” written on top. Rather than giving my payment directly to them, I put my cash in an unguarded cigar box. The whole scene plays out like an illegal drug deal on a shadowy street corner. Welcome to America.

After our last nefarious exchange on Saturday morning, we began discussing the government’s invasive, Orwellian attacks on family farmers and how honest citizens have been made to fear the brutality of the empire. We talked about the new laws requiring farmers to digitally tag all livestock and report any transport of their animals off their farms to the federal government. We discussed RFID chips and the future of the government implanting tracking devices in humans.

As we talked about the truth of global schemes, the Federal Reserve and Alex Jones type “conspiracy theories”, I looked at my Amish friends in wonderment. They had no running water or electricity in their homes, they dressed in the most simple, unembellished garb that could be assembled, they eschewed the ways of the modern world and sought to remain separate and apart from it – yet here they stood, expressing deep regret that the federal government had found its way into the heart of their community and was tearing it apart.

To my surprise, my long-bearded friend pulled out some photos that had been given to him earlier in the week. He and his family (which includes his wife and ten children), along with other concerned family farmers, had been to Washington DC and cooked lunch for Ron Paul with their “illegal” food products (a shining example of civil disobedience) and shared their concerns about the invasion of the federal government into their lives. The pictures were beautiful: Ron Paul standing with my friend and members of his family.

Seeing the extent to which the most honest, innocent and harmless members of our society were being driven to plead for government to leave them alone, I felt ashamed – ashamed of my government and ashamed of myself for not having done more to protect the erosion of American liberty.

Now, more than ever, the Ron Paul Revolution must roll forward in force. It doesn’t matter if Ron Paul can win the White House or not. What does matter is that we don’t give up the fight against tyranny. The global elite have manipulated our lives for a century. Their schemes to destroy our currency, eliminate civil liberties, enslave us and our children, and spill our blood in the process are all clear and present dangers which must be resisted to our last ounce of strength. We must resist, or we must inevitably perish.

For my Amish friends, for my family, and for my country I commit myself to the noble cause of freedom. Now is not the time to vacillate or shrink from duty. Now is the time to rise and fight.

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The image used in this post was obtained from HERE and is basically unaltered. This article, excluding the material cited or the material which is included herein but written by other authors or material covered by other copyrights, is copyright © 2008, by Gary Shumway. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce and distribute it electronically and in print, other than as part of a book and provided that mention of the author’s web site www.redpills.org is included. (Email notification is requested.) All other rights reserved.
Gary Shumway is the author of Winging Through America and SCUBA Scoop.

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Woman will do jail time after hitting an Amish buggy and taking off

A Jackson County woman was sentenced to 120 days in jail after investigators say she hit an Amish buggy with a truck and then took off.

Jail Time for English Woman who involved in hit-and-run

The Jackson County District Attorney says as part of a plea deal, three counts were dismissed against Corine Byom. She pleaded no contest to obstructing an officer. Deputies say in November of 2008, Byom was driving a truck on Highway 95 south of Hixton, when she hit the buggy, killing the horse and injuring two people.

According to the criminal complaint, Byom asked her father to help her hide the truck. Investigators say he covered it with a tarp on his property, where deputies later found it.

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