In Defence of Raw Milk - Part the First

The August 3rd raids at a whole food co-op in California and illegal arrest of its owner and a worker came to my attention today. That and the also illegal arrest of a woman who owns a goat farm. Their misdemeanors? Daring to supply people with raw milk.

The spokeswoman for the FDA, whom I would like to give a name but I will somehow restrain myself, makes this idiotic statement: “Our biggest concern is really with children, because pathogens that can be in raw milk can be extremely dangerous... we've seen people wind up as paraplegics.”

Reaaallly? Since you have no support for your illegal actions, pull the "it's all for the children's sake" card, to divert attention from the real issue at the heart, oh, and throw out unsourced scary claims too - I guess the first thing that came to her mind to use as a scary example was paraplygia. And notice her careful wording "pathogens CAN be in raw milk..." (While, ironically, she doesn't mention that pathogens are ALWAYS in commercially produced milk - that's why they have to pastuerize it, to kill the millions of pathogens swarming about in it, since it was produced improperly.)

All to cover the fact that this is all about government power.

And fear that the powerful dairy industry will lose support if too many people start taking charge of their own health. Oddly enough, another article in the LA Times (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-milk-raid-20110804,0,7791693.story) brought up this unholy alliance between the government and the dairy industry: "Raw milk, in particular, has drawn regulatory scrutiny, largely because the politically powerful dairy industry has pressed the government to act." Hmm - if even LA Times isn't hiding that fact, perhaps it's something worth looking further into, no?

"Government regulators contend such products can be dangerous; there is scientific evidence linking disease outbreaks to raw milk. The milk can transmit bacteria, which can result in diarrhea, dangerously high fevers and in some cases death."

Oooh, scary stuff. DEATH. That's why all the health nuts who've been dowsing this toxic raw milk have been dropping dead left and right. That's why people in this country are dying of heart attacks and cancer at alarming rates - probably somehow consumed some raw milk somewhere, forced on them.

I could turn this into a rant on the evils of a government that's far too big for anyone's benefit except its own, or a raillery against the FDA, which more closely resembles the Mob than anything else and shouldn't exist anyway. However, I hope that thinking people everywhere recognize that the government has no business and no right to dictate what consumers choose to consume, regardless what personal views on what is safe be. What food I eat is my personal choice - it's my body, and I take full responsibility for all consequences of my food. Terribly radical, isn't it?

Rather, I'd like to defend raw milk.