If you’ve posted on the latest Rawesome food raid in California, or about anything at all related to food freedom, please add your link below! Otherwise, we’d also love to hear from you in the comments.
Are you fed up with the injustices happening on small family farms, where good people are trying to raise food to nourish us?
Are they selling drugs? Are they involved in some heinous crimes? Nope. They are farmers, and many are raising food the way it has been done for thousands of years.
Some are being punished severely for it.
Here is a video showing some of the raid on Wednesday:
Here’s one more that includes an interview with my friend, Ann Marie:
PLEASE JOIN US IN THIS FIGHT!
- If you don’t have a blog, Facebook and Tweet this post to raise awareness!
- Bloggers, write a post on this and link up below (and share a link on your blog back to this post so others can find us and join in, too) so we can show how we are STANDING TOGETHER to help our farmers. If possible, use these bolded keywords and tags in your post so we can bomb Google: “Stop FDA Tyranny Against Dairy Farms“, “Save Family Farms”, “Farm Raids”, “Farm Freedom”, and “Save Farm Freedom”.
You also may want to embed the trailer for the Farmageddon film. (See my recent post from filmmaker Kristin Canty on how YOU can help spread the word about this movie!)- Help us RAISE MONEY for the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund, who are such a source of hope for these farmers. I am proud to be a member.
- Keep up on the Rawesome story as it unfolds.
If you have a post on farming or food freedom that you can share, please link up below!
$40 worth of Safe Sexy Stainless Steel!
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A new political party is being formed by leading health activists. Called the Canary Party, it hopes to address corruption in the food, medical industry and environmental toxins that are poisoning the little canaries, our children.
Really? A political party that actually cares about the things we “little people” do? I get so angry every time I read about these stories. I think out govt. is owned by the huge corporations.
Thanks for putting this together, Kel. It’ll be nice to have all the links in one place.
“Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. Every generation needs a new revolution. God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion. The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government,” Thomas Jefferson.
Hi Kelly, hope you are having fun camping!
Thanks for putting this linky up before pitching the tents!
Good coverage of the raid here as well: http://naturalnews.com/
I’m not affiliated with them, they just have good coverage, starts about halfway down the page.
AAARRGGHH! This stuff makes me CRAZY!!!! Hey, but at least we are now going deeper into debt than ever. That should even things out, shouldn’t it?
BLANKETY-BLANK GOVERNMENT!
Thanks for hosting this, Kelly, it will get the word out!
I’m going to have the unpopular opinion here, but let me preface it with the fact that I love raw milk, and I believe we should all have the right to buy it just as easily as getting the conventional stuff out of the case at the grocery store.
The fact is, we don’t currently have it that easy. State and local laws vary widely. When I first bought a gallon of raw milk in my neighboring town, I had to sign a waiver, stating I understood the risks. Silly, perhaps, but I did it because I wanted the product. It was worth it to me to do, and it helps my local farm stay on the up and up.
When any business wants to exist, they have rules and regulations they have to follow to get their business off the ground. There are federal, state, and local laws that EVERYONE HAS TO FOLLOW. If we don’t like these laws, then fine. but until they are changed, we still have to follow them. My understanding of the Rawesome case is that they went through this two years ago because they were unlicensed. Now they just went through it again, because they are STILL unlicensed. It seems to me to not be to be a case of impinged freedom, but a case of some serious stupidity. Yes, I know they are a buyer’s club, which is different than a farm stand or a grocery store. but they have to be licensed, too. The laws in CA are clear. And they were told once already.
Personally, I’d rather buy food that was stringently tested for safety on rather than what is let slid through the system, like that Cargill ground turkey that’s currently being recalled. Our food safety system is absolutely broken, but seriously, we should be thankful that at least in the area of raw milk, farmers are not allowed to cut corners in terms of safety to save money.
When we cut regulations, like what was done in the banking system, we run into disaster. In that case, financial ruin. I’d rather get people into the FDA that can make proper, sensible regulations regarding our entire food supply. In the meantime, our farmers should educate themselves how the system works as is, and stay on the right side of the law until things change.
Hi Heather,
I find it very odd that they didn’t just take raw dairy products. They took away other foods, like coconuts and watermelons. I don’t think the target was only raw dairy.
I still stand by my point that they needed the proper licensing to run their business/co-op/what-have-you. They weren’t set up to code, and they got punished.
@ Heather: I’m curious as to how you would know whether they did or whether they didn’t bring things up to code since the first raid, or how you would even know if that was really the problem here?
Do you have a link your can provide with this information, or is that a stated part of the paperwork from the DA’s office or what?
Hi Heather,
According to NaturalNews.com:
“James was handcuffed, was never read his rights and was stuffed into an unmarked car. While agents said they would leave behind a warrant, no one has yet had any opportunity to even see if such a warrant exists or if it is a complete warrant.”
“James is now being held at the Pacific division police department at Centinela and Culver in Los Angeles. He is being held at $123,000 bail with no possibility of using bail bonds. Law enforcement has demanded that if he comes up with the money to cover bail, he must disclose to them all the sources of that money. (This is an illegal demand!)”
http://www.naturalnews.com/033220_Rawesome_Foods_armed_raids.html
I find these actions alone very alarming!
Regarding license 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
I have since been able to locate information regarding this whole Rawesome Food issue from David Gumpert’s blog at this link:
http://www.thecompletepatient.com/journal/2011/8/4/holding-open-the-gate-at-rawesome-and-cutting-through-the-co.html
There are a couple of other articles there, as well. You can click on them at the top of the page (in light blue print).
Interesting.
Thanks, D.! Yes, this situation gets very interesting!
Just a heads-up: I forgot to mention when you read Gumpert’s articles, please be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to include the reader comments, as there is always some great information contained within those comments.
Here’s the complaint, as found on Nourished Kitchen. http://nourishedkitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/filed-HFF-Complaint.pdf
If this stuff is true, then there is some damning evidence here. I would never sign up to be a part of this buying club! the relation between it and the farm is odd and tenuous, and if I saw raw milk from PA at a facility in CA, and uncovered raw chickens, there is no way I’d want it! I’d leave.
Hi Heather,
Many customers are completely satisfied with their products. If they weren’t, Rawsome wouldn’t have good business, and would probably be closed down. There is a HUGE difference between conventional vs truly pasture raised foods. The look, texture, and taste are all different. I think customers would have already noticed the quality of their products by now.
By the way, they are not being charged over how good or bad the quality of their food is. They are being charged over something totally different.
Those court documents appear to be from 2010. That may have been the first time they were closed down, but have things improved since that time, and/or have they brought their “permits” or whatever is needed up-to-date?
No, hence the raid and the arrests.
I’m not trying to be contrary here. And believe me, I know the difference between conventional and pastured-that’s why I made the switch! I’m sure they are providing some good products, but there are shady things being alleged here, which, if true, would be HUGE red flags for me.
I would truly freak out if I went in somewhere to get raw milk, and saw that it came from the other side of the country. How is that local or fresh? And I wouldn’t want raw chickens uncovered for sale, unless I was just handed a freshly slaughtered one right after it was done. If the raid took coconuts and watermelons, it’s more than a herd-share exchange place….they were selling stuff, unlicensed.
There are plenty of raw milk sources in CA that are doing things according to the law. If I lived in CA, I would be going to one of those places instead.
Check this: http://www.grist.org/locavore/2011-08-05-california-gleaning-video
How inspiring — but how long is the FDA, USDA and a few other gonna let this happen? I mean, gosh, people will be killed from eating fresh veggies, won’t they?
Exactly, D.! We must not remain divided over the issue regarding Rawesome, but rather join together to fight the true criminals who are continuously destroying our very right to purchase, sell, or even grow real food!
Great reading on how NOT to waste food. Couldn’t have come at a more obnoxious time. http://www.grist.org/sustainable-food/2011-07-28-from-nose-to-tail-to-stem-to-root-tasty-ways-reduce-food-waste
Freedom to choose our food — such an important topic because one would never have thought that it would be something that we might have to fight to retain the right to have…I know I posted to this site after the original call for posts but I felt I had to add my two cents as it were…thanks for creating a forum.
#12 – My recent post on the whole mess. Kelly, thanks for hosting!
Oh, sorry, lucky #13 is me
.
I am so fed up with the FDA(Fascist, Death, Agency) I have decided to start a petition on change.org against the FDA. I asking for your support by signing the petition on the link below.
I just created a petition entitled It is time Americans take back the constitutional rights that our founding fathers work so hard for, because I care deeply about this very important issue.
I’m trying to collect 100 signatures, and I could really use your help.
To read more about what I’m trying to do and to sign my petition, click here:
http://www.change.org/petitions/it-is-time-americans-take-back-the-constitutional-rights-that-our-founding-fathers-work-so-hard-for?share_id=MJAwrtgcWb&pe=d2e
I know I’m coming late to the party here, but I’ve been doing some research on this Rawesome Raid thing. I don’t know anything at all about this Aajanous Vonderplanitz (or whatever his name is) but I found all of this information online today. I think it would be a good idea if Rawesome Food Buyers Club members paid closer attention to their suppliers. Sharon Palmer (who has several aliases) was cheating these people. Outright cheating. Her own son testified against her at one point and he’s not exactly pope material himself. She was selling eggs at Rawesome which she purchased at other farms and claimed she had raised them organically and pastured. She did nothing of the sort, according to her son and the real egg suppliers. They were not organic eggs and certainly the ducks and chickens weren’t raised on organic feeds. Here’s some photos: http://unhealthyfamilyfarm.com/evidence.html
And here’s the web site where you can find more information about her and her bogus operation. The investigation section is interesting (I read the court documents from Mitch Hermann word for word). http://unhealthyfamilyfarm.com/
Whether or not people want to admit it, there are problems in the food chain system even with organic and raw foods. This needs to be fixed or buying clubs will acquire such bad reputations they will not be able to stay in business anyway. This is a very good reminder to people – KNOW your farmer. Even with a buying club, check out the suppliers. Don’t go into any of this blindly. Develop a third eye, so to speak.
Here’s another great web site for information on this matter: http://journal.livingfood.us/2011/08/14/food-for-thought-rawesome-and-healthy-family-farms-raids-and-other-raw-milk-news/
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