{"id":2949,"date":"2015-02-20T06:42:48","date_gmt":"2015-02-20T06:42:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wpmigration\/?p=2949"},"modified":"2015-04-03T04:27:30","modified_gmt":"2015-04-03T04:27:30","slug":"how-our-raw-milk-drinking-founding-fathers-talked-me-into-going-to-a-legislative-hearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/articles\/how-our-raw-milk-drinking-founding-fathers-talked-me-into-going-to-a-legislative-hearing\/","title":{"rendered":"How our (Raw Milk Drinking) Founding Fathers Talked Me into Going to a Legislative Hearing"},"content":{"rendered":"

With my three children poking each other in the back seat, we circled the state capitol for the 3rd<\/sup> time when I finally found a parking spot.\u00a0 \u201cGreat,\u201d I muttered, \u201cparallel parking.\u201d\u00a0 Scooter asked why it mattered, being desperate to escape the siblings. \u201cIt matters<\/em>,\u201d I said emphatically, \u201csince I failed my drivers\u2019 test twice because of parallel parking.\u201d\u00a0 It was quite obvious that I was not winning confidence in the backseat, but the poking stopped along with the breathing as I squeezed into a space fit only for some kind of hybrid thingy.\u00a0 Part of the reason I love Montana as much as I do is for the wide open spaces, and when it comes to parking I need wide open spaces.<\/p>\n

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Alas, I gave one last speech as we exited the car about my expectations on behavior.\u00a0 We sat on hard wooden benches in an echoing hallway with a mass of strangers all there for the same thing, even if not there for the same convictions: a raw milk hearing.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/a>
How Our Raw Milk Drinking Founding Fathers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAre you a\u2026blogger?\u201d Chris asked me as I stood looking uncomfortable.\u00a0 She said that she recognized my picture from my website (and had been tipped off I\u2019d be there\u2014I\u2019m not quite to RockStar Status of public recognition).\u00a0 She introduced herself as the author of the bill in question.\u00a0 Evidently nervous at what was about to come, she and I both engaged in some small talk which did help the minutes pass until the creaking door opened and security in ugly polyester suit coats ushered us in to the packed and oxygen-less room.<\/p>\n

The kids shuffled who-was-sitting-next-to-whom upon threat of being separated by me, I started my recorder, and the roll call of representatives on the committee began.\u00a0 My two youngest started drawing with the paper we brought along, and my oldest\u2014not quite nine years old\u2014surprised me entirely by taking notes throughout the two hour hearing.<\/p>\n

The chairman of the committee asked how many proponents (advocates) of the legislation would speak.\u00a0 The hands in the air were fairly modest, about a quarter of the at-capacity room.\u00a0 How many opponents?\u00a0 Over half of the room raised hands, to include the entire row sitting behind me.\u00a0 It was only later that I discovered that none of these opponents represented themselves as citizens; they were all government employees.<\/strong>\u00a0 The chairman\u2019s facial expression betrayed him at that moment, and he made the request that if someone on the docket came after another who had made the same argument, <\/span>that they simply state agreement and sit down since \u201cwe\u2019ve heard it.\u201d\u00a0 It was clear to me that the number of opponents in the room was somewhat a surprise.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Representative Nancy Ballance stood and spoke for exactly five minutes; she is the official sponsor of the bill (Montana HB245) and she spoke eloquently about raw milk\u2019s health benefits and the death of the milk with pasteurization.\u00a0 After her, several other supportive state representatives spoke.\u00a0 One made the point that 40 states have already legalized it in some form.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A farmer stood next, wearing his discomfort in this stuffy place as visibly as he wore his best boots and crisp, pressed jeans.\u00a0 Mr. Wallis is a small rancher that lives just 40 miles out of Montana on the border of Wyoming.\u00a0 He milks 12-14 cows throughout the year for a cowshare.\u00a0 He talked about how his great grandfather ran away from a New York City orphanage and headed west, making this western ranch his heritage.\u00a0 His plea for the legalization of raw milk was a financial one on behalf of small farmers.\u00a0 He talked about building rural economies with fresh farm products:<\/p>\n

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\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m able to stay on the ranch and keep my elderly parents there instead of putting them in storage in an old folks\u2019 home.\u201d He paused, and began again with a quavering voice, \u201cWithout that income from those milk cows, I don\u2019t think we could do it.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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That farmer talked about how some of his cowshare owners used to drive 5 hours each direction to get to Colorado weekly for fresh milk, and that they were statistically more likely to get into a car accident than to get sick from the raw milk itself.<\/p>\n

Jacob Cowgill, \u00a0representing the Montana Farmers Union, supported the bill:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems crazy to me that we are debating the production and consumption of a highly nutritious raw, agricultural product when so many people have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes from poor diets.<\/em><\/p>\n

It seems crazy we\u2019re debating the growth and demand of a potentially profitable business for an enterprising farmer when the average age of farmers in Montana is 58 years old and rising.<\/em><\/p>\n

It seems crazy we\u2019re debating a local and healthy drink when this country ships in apple juice from China and orange juice from Brazil that was found to have an unapproved fungicide in it.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

In my mind I thought, \u201cWe could end this debate right now!\u201d but alas, no.\u00a0 In fact, there was someone who stood as a proponent to whom I would like to gift a dictionary; methinks she was unclear as to the definition of a \u201cproponent.\u201d\u00a0 Her case was so opposed to the legislation that at the very end of the hearing, the only (I emphasize: the only<\/em>) opponent who respected the chairman\u2019s wishes to keep brevity by concurring said, \u201cThis has never happened to me, but all of my arguments against raw milk were actually made by a proponent!\u201d\u00a0 If eyerolls were audible, the \u201cproponent\u201d with nothing nice say would not have been heard in that room.<\/p>\n

As I go back and listen to the recorded hearing now, I am reminded of my ire at the row behind me.\u00a0 I wish I could say that every word given by the proponents was clearly recorded, but alas\u2026we needed a \u201ccry room\u201d for the highly educated state employees sitting directly behind me.\u00a0 Two of my own children started talking, and I gave them (my kids\u2014not the State veterinarians behind me) a mean mom look: my son moved his gaze from mine to the row behind us as if to say, \u201cBut Mom, they\u2019re <\/em>doing it\u2026\u201d\u00a0 It meant that in the car on the way home, we had to have the conversation that \u201csometimes grownups are naughty, too\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I debated as to whether I should even tell you about the State Employee Rudeness, but decided immediately that I must with what soon happened.\u00a0 Save the money you would otherwise spend on theater tickets and attend your state\u2019s next legislative hearing on raw milk.\u00a0 Drama aplenty.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first (official) opponent to speak was a representative of the Montana Trial Lawyers.\u00a0 I thought this was informative although ironic. \u00a0I did not know that trial lawyers sought audience with legislative bodies to mandate laws that would limit personal freedoms from risk-taking behaviors.\u00a0 Just the same, he brought up a few valid points regarding the recourse a sickened consumer would not have available with the current wording of this bill; he poignantly outlined how this would be in violation of the state\u2019s constitution.\u00a0 A well-spoken opponent\u2019s concerns can improve the bill before its passage and I believe his testimony may positively impact this bill as it moves forward through the amendment process.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The next speaker was Linda Stoll.\u00a0 She is a lobbyist for the state health agencies (did you know that government agencies have their own lobbyists?), and she spent a full minute apologizing for the state of her handouts due to her broken stapler– that should have tipped me off.\u00a0 She started well; she gave some statistics and appealed to empathy by giving the name of someone whose child was allegedly sickened by raw milk. She interrupted herself–\u201cMr. Chairman, I have a number of people laughing behind me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

I am not excusing the behavior of those who may have laughed; I did hear that audience-shuffle that often accompanies anecdote given in dramatic intonations, but I did not\u2014from where I was sitting\u2014hear laughter.\u00a0 Just the same, the kind chairman was obliged to reprimand the crowd, and she thanked him profusely at the end for his gesture.\u00a0 If what she had to say was valid, I believe that her tone of voice and mannerisms invalidated some of that information in the minds of the hearers\u2014it was hard to overlook the appeal to showmanship\u2026for me especially, who had suffered through the hearty guffaws from the row behind me just a few minutes prior.<\/p>\n

The entire hearing took two hours, which was longer than the committee itself had anticipated.\u00a0 The proponents all speak first, and then the opponents with no rebuttal.\u00a0 The final speaker was also the first; the state representative who sponsors the bill spoke one last time.\u00a0 The members of the committee summoned some of the speakers for questioning, and finally all were dismissed.<\/p>\n

\"Montana<\/p>\n

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Why You Should Go Yourself<\/h2>\n

The chances are that purchasing raw milk is legal in your state already in some form; there are just a handful of states (including mine) that do not permit raw milk sales.\u00a0 Anyone in any state may consume milk from their own dairy animal.\u00a0 It\u2019s the selling that is illegal, not the milking of the animal or drinking the milk. <\/strong>\u00a0If you ever hear of pending legislation in your state on the issue of raw milk\u2014or any other issue that concerns the well-being of your family\u2014I highly recommend you jump into this political process, even if it is only as a silent witness to the unfolding of our republican form of government in action.<\/p>\n

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In honor of our raw milk drinking Founding Fathers, I am going to allow them to speak to the compelling reasons as to why you should consider attending your next local government activity:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Good citizenship.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThe preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government, are justly considered deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n

–George Washington<\/em><\/p>\n

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2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Holding our elected officials accountable. <\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThe republican principle demands that the deliberate sense of the community should govern the conduct of those to whom they entrust the management of their affairs; but it does not require an unqualified complaisance to every sudden breeze of passion or to every transient impulse which the people may receive from the arts of men, who flatter their prejudices to betray their interests.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 –Alexander Hamilton<\/em><\/p>\n

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3)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Stay Informed<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cI consider knowledge to be the soul of a republic, and as the weak and wicked are generally in alliance, as much care should be taken to diminish the number of the former as of that latter. Education is the way to do this, and nothing should be left undone to afford all ranks of people that means of obtaining a proper degree of it at a cheap and easy rate.\u201d<\/p>\n

–John Jay (in a letter to Benjamin Rush)<\/em><\/p>\n

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4)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Wrestle with both sides of the issue (because we need not feel threatened to hear it)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cIf there be any among us who would wish to dissolve this Union or to change its republican form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Thomas Jefferson\u2019s inaugural address<\/em><\/p>\n

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5)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Show support to those actively participating in the process<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThe members of the legislative department…are numerous. They are distributed and dwell among the people at large. Their connections of blood, of friendship, and of acquaintance embrace a great proportion of the most influential part of the society…they are more immediately the confidential guardians of their rights and liberties.\u201d<\/p>\n

–James Madison<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Educate your children<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cA primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing… than … communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0–George Washington<\/em><\/p>\n

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7)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>To claim your God-given freedom<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cA free people [claim] their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Thomas Jefferson<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cThe sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0–Alexander Hamilton<\/em><\/p>\n

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8)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>To be inspired; to be challenged to go beyond your own comfort level in this process.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThere is a certain enthusiasm in liberty that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Alexander Hamilton<\/em><\/p>\n

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To all of this I might add that in our modern day of emotional appeal, there was some entertainment!\u00a0 I am so glad that I carved out an afternoon for this experience and plan to take a more active part should the opportunity arise for the worthy cause of preserving my God-given freedoms of person and property.\u00a0 I think Thomas Jefferson would be proud.<\/p>\n

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Keepin\u2019 it Raw,<\/p>\n

Chaya<\/p>\n

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Looking for more information about Raw Milk?<\/em><\/p>\n

The Risk of Raw Milk<\/a><\/p>\n

Raw Milk Roundup<\/a><\/p>\n

Pantry Paratus Radio #23: Interview with Alice Jongerden–Raw Milk in Canada<\/a><\/p>\n

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