FOOD FREEDOM:  An Amish farmer in Wisconsin is being put on trial ostensibly not for selling raw milk, but for running his business without some required licenses.  But case watchers and raw milk advocates say the trial of Vernon Hershberger has a lot more to do with raw milk and the freedom of consumers to make their own food choices than it does simple licensing issues.  I've commented before that I'm a big believer in the "waiver system."  A consenting adult should be free to drink a beverage like raw milk, but I think they'd have to sign away their right to litigate if they got sick.  Our country is litigation-happy and the last thing needed is to clog the courts with needless liability cases. What do you think, are you in favor of raw milk sales or not?
BEARD-CUTTING AMISH: Beard-cutting Amish breakaway sect leader Sam Mullet and his followers have been protesting the mandatory education requirements imposed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons on all inmates without a high school diploma.  Since Mullet was raised in the Amish faith he does not have an education beyond the eighth grade, a right that was upheld in the landmark Supreme Court case, Yoder vs. Wisconsin.  And since he still holds on to many aspects of the Amish faith, Mullet objected to the educational requirement.  His attorney raised the issue this past week and apparently the Federal Bureau of Prisons agreed and waived the GED requirement.
BUILDING PERMIT BATTLE:Â Â This is a periodic issue that raises its head whenever an Amish population seems to increase in an area. Â We've seen skirmishes like this is New York, Kentucky, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, and now we are seeing it in Wisconsin: an influx of Amish in the western part of the state and local authorities are scrambling to keep up with the crowd. Â Many Amish don't want required smoke detectors and other building permits required by law, claiming it infringes on their religion. Â Eau Claire County administrators held a public meeting with area Amish to try to resolve some of the issues, but it's unclear if any substantive progress was made.Â
Carol
I think raw milk should be legal to sell --and drink. Too many of our choices are being regulated under the guise of "protecting" us. In Tennessee you can consume raw milk if you own the cow. So you can buy a "cow share" and be part owner then pay for feed and upkeep and each owner gets a certain amount of milk. The farmer then provides care and boarding for the cows. We had milk cows on a small scale for nearly a decade. Our small number dwindled down and then the last one got too old to give good milk so we currently don't have any. I love raw milk and know of several people who can't digest pasteurized milk but have no problem with the raw milk. I don't see it as any more unsafe than produce or meat that can carry e-coli or eggs that can carry salmonella. If we want to be safe we should just be as aware as possible of where our food comes from and how we handle it to the greatest of our ability. Otherwise we just have to have a little faith, use common sense, and not worry too much. The government was not supposed to exercise control over such minute details. This was what the founding fathers were leaving behind when they formed this nation.
dynnamae
My family used to live down the road from a dairy farmer. His daughter and family lived next to us and they always used the raw milk from the farm. My husband grew up drinking raw milk and we used to get it from the farmer too. My sons grew up drinking alot of it and no one ever got sick or anything like that. I think it should be up to individual people if they want to drink milk raw or not.
Mary
We used to get raw milk from a farmer down the road. We got it in 1 gallon glass jars, and there would be 3 or 4 inches of cream on the top of every jar. we skimmed it off for coffee and desserts and drank the skim milk and loved it. It was still richer than whole milk from the store.