Bakers Green Acres Court Case Update: Shocking and INFURIATING

The following update came from the Bakers this evening, and it is just WRONG.  Gee, it's obvious how terribly dangerous the “feral swine” problem was in Michigan, huh?

I don't know what needs to happen now, but I know Mark and Jill will not let this be; they can't.  There will have to be some type of follow up, maybe a counter-suit, to make this right.  I can't wait to hear what their plan is!

If you missed the back-story, read that here.

By the way, local readers, come meet Mark and Jill, and hear Mark speak at our local Weston A. Price chapter meeting next month.  Get more information and also check out our future meeting topics here.

Here's the Wednesday evening update after today's hearing:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

That’s the best way I can think of to describe what happened in court today. Charles Dickens’ description of pre-revolutionary France in A Tale of Two Cities fits nicely with our experience.

It started with meeting, at long last, Harold Martin, the Attorney General’s representative for the DNR. He refused to shake Mark’s hand in greeting. He refused to show due respect to our national flag, and went out of his way to mock the crowd for saying the pledge of allegiance and saluting the flag. He displayed unprofessional behavior by confronting, insulting, otherwise offending the peaceful folks who came to observe the legal proceedings. While this is certainly his right, it does lead people to wonder about the attorney their tax money is supporting. Let’s just say it wasn’t the best first impression we’ve ever had of someone.

The next message from Mr. Martin was that, on the basis of one pig, the DNR now feels that all our pigs are legal. Despite the fact, he stated, that our pigs are Russian Boar hybrids (clearly prohibited in the ISO), that is OK with the DNR and our pigs are legal. This is a complete turnaround from everything they’ve stated to date and left our jaws on the table. Our pigs have not substantially changed! However, the net result was that it gave the judge little choice but to state that there was no longer a conflict. The practical questions were still on the table, but the legal status was changed with Harry’s statement. There was no more disagreement about whether or not the Invasive Species Order applied to us—we both agreed that it should not apply. The judge chose to ignore the Declaratory Ruling, which almost perfectly describes our pigs.

This turnabout on the part of the DNR was an admission of “uncle.” Their regulation is so incredibly subjective that they could just wave a magic wand and make our pigs “legal” and so avoid explaining themselves under oath. They were desperate not to have to make their case. This eleventh hour move shows their cowardice and their bully nature.

Practically, this is what the ruling means:
1) Our pigs are “legal” and therefore we can go back to business as usual. We can take our pigs to a USDA butcher without fear of refusal due to the ISO. We can sell weaned pigs this spring and they can’t go after our customers.
2) This only applies to us, not to anyone else who wonders if their pigs are legal or not.
3) We still don’t have clarification on what a “feral pig” or “old world swine” is. We still don’t know if we are a domestic hog producer per the DNR’s legally binding subjective opinion.
4) We get no compensation of any sort for the last two and a half years’ worth of lost business and livelihood.

We are talking about our options. We did not give up. It was forced on us. We still do not intend to give up, to roll over, to “comply.” The other thing we know is that Truth and Life will be vindicated in the end, whatever end it may be.

Thank-you to you, a dedicated American, for standing beside us in so many ways. Your prayers, notes, and support have brought us this far. We intend to continue to stand, in one way or another, for our collective rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Thank-you!

Mark and Jill Baker

Visit the Bakers Green Acres website

The Baker Family

Mark, Jill, and I at a Weston Price Conference (I don't remember which one!)