The RAnts of RA

I received a very disturbing e-mail today that really bothers me. The American Lung Association is at it again; they are demanding that congress increase the tax on cigarettes by 61-cents per pack. They are blaming “big-tobacco,” because they aren’t getting it.

The American Lung Association claims they need the money to help treat children with asthma. I have to ask why do they expect smokers to cough up more money to pay for everyone’s heath care? Maybe they haven’t heard that raw milk can cure asthma and perhaps they should be fighting for our right to drink raw milk, instead of chasing more money from poor folk – you know the ones who smoke, because of stress, yet can’t afford to purchase medical insurance for their children.

Having been a previous resident of Michigan, where the economy has been in the toilet for the past ten-years or so. I can tell you that people who are in financial difficulty do not quit smoking, even though it would help their family financially if they did. When stress levels reach the roof, smoking is a release that they can’t do without. Increasing the cost of cigarettes thinking it will help others to stop smoking (all while raking in the cash for the children – ha) is what’s ridiculous.

Let’s stop looking toward smokers to solve our problems and stop the attack on farm fresh – safe raw milk. Our children deserve the best start in life we can give them. Natural, organic, milk boosts the immune system – drugs only weaken the immune system. The choice is simple. If you want to fight asthma drink real milk (raw milk).

Read the E-mail:

Dear Annette,

Big Tobacco thinks it has won. Once again, Congress failed to attain a veto-proof majority for the expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Now, the bill faces an expected veto, condemning millions of low-income children-many suffering from asthma and lung disease-to continue to live without health insurance, without access to specialists, without the medications they desperately need.

And the tobacco companies couldn’t be happier.

Why does Big Tobacco oppose SCHIP? Because they don’t want a 61 cents-per-pack tax increase. Because Big Tobacco doesn’t want to discourage smoking. And it’s our children who will pay the price. Ridiculous.

It is us versus Big Tobacco – and it is about time that we win. But we need your support to continue the fight.

Increasing the federal cigarette tax is a win-win for children’s health; in addition to providing much-needed medical care for our nation’s low-income, uninsured youth – including those living with lung diseases such as asthma – this substantial increase of $.61 will have the added benefit of reducing youth smoking.

This isn’t about Democrats or Republicans – this is about the health of our children. It’s about access to critical medical care, about reducing youth smoking, about breathing easier. Eight in ten Americans-majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents-support the expansion. Yet, Washington is at a crossroads, unable to force the change our children need.

The American Lung Association will continue to fight for this change.

Enough is enough. We demand that our children have the health care they desperately need and we ask that you join us in this important fight.

Thank you for your help,
Bernadette Toomey
President and CEO, American Lung Association

Donation pleas removed.

The future of Raw Milk in California in jeopardy

The governor of California and his henchmen have just legislated away our right to drink raw milk. Of course they didn’t ban it outright: that would have been noticed by the citizens of the state of California and protested against. No, they chose to pull a sneaking maneuver and inserted eight little words that will have the same effect.

These eight words will prevent California dairies from selling raw milk:

"or more than ten coliform bacteria per milliliter"

Those eight words were added to dairy legislation in California on October 8, 2007.

Assembly Bill #1735 (AB 1735) was signed by the Governor and becomes law on January 1st, 2008. Contained in this law are new standards for raw milk. These new standards require 10 coliform bacteria per ml or less. This standard does not increase the safety of raw milk and it will make the production of organic raw milk in California nearly impossible. Under the tried and true old standards that have been in existence for forty years or more, coliforms could be 50 or 500. It did not matter.

A press conference was held at the Fresno Farmer’s Market in Fresno on Saturday, October 27 at 11 a.m. in protest of the new law. This post will be updated as more details become available.

You might be thinking, "I don’t drink raw milk. Why should I care?" While many of us who grew up drinking raw milk and extol the benefits of drinking a healthy natural beverage. This isn’t merely about the availability of milk. This issue extends far beyond the obvious in that our government is supposed to be transparent. Ours is supposed to function as a government for and by the people. When our public officials use underhanded, sneaky and unethical tactics to achieve their goals, we all pay the price.

The EPA reports that even testing for fecal coliforms (a subset of coliform bacteria) is a "a poor indicator of the risk of digestive system illness." The EPA goes on to advise that the only way to determine whether food is actually sanitary is to test for those specific coliforms that can be a sign of something harmful such as E. coli and enterococci. Neglecting to test for those specific harmful coliforms, but banning all coliforms outright is equivalent to forcing Ford to recall every vehicle they ever made when only a single model year of one product is found to have a flaw. Even then, the previous law set the limit of coliforms at 750 coliforms per mL. A legal reduction of over 98% over the course of less than 3 months cannot be interpreted as anything other than a direct attack on raw milk providers, particularly when far more than 90% of coliform bacteria are not harmful.

This is not the first-time I’ve personally witnessed the blatant disregard for public opinion and openness required for our government to function properly by those in Sacramento. For instance, it’s not an uncommon practice for a legislator to reuse a bill number that is no longer active – after the date legally prescribed under California law. There is a reason legislation isn’t allowed to be introduced after a certain date, but that doesn’t stop our legislative branch from manipulating the rules to their advantage.

How long will Californians stand by and allow our elected officials to skirt the laws that guarantee the rest of us a spot at the table? If you are sick and tired of being railroaded and regulated to death, now is your opportunity to let your voice be heard in Sacramento. Contact your legislators and let them know what you think about the way they are conducting our business.

More Information:

• Government Sneak Attack on California Raw Milk
• Contact lawmakers today about Ag. Bill 1735
• Eight words are threatening to change your life:
• State’s tough new raw milk standards upset consumers, farmers
• Will Raw Milk Still Be Available in CA Come Jan. 1?
• Arizona Raw Dairy Alert
• What is Organic?

Exactly, what does it mean to be “Organic?” We are bombarded with the
message. Organic food is better for you, after all, it costs more but are
you really getting your monies worth? The term “Organic”, is often so broad
as to render it meaningless.

Wikipedia states that:

Organic food is produced according to certain production standards. For crops, it means they were grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge, and that they were processed without ionizing radiation or food additives.

The Definition of Pasturization
The heating of every particle of milk or milk product to a specific temperature for a specified period of time without allowing recontamination of that milk or milk product during the heat treatment process.

Purpose There are two distinct purposes for the process of milk pasteurization:

• Public Health Aspect – to make milk and milk products safe for human consumption by destroying all bacteria that may be harmful to health (pathogens)
• Keeping Quality Aspect – to improve the keeping quality of milk and milk products. Pasteurization can destroy some undesirable enzymes and many spoilage bacteria. Shelf life can be 7, 10, 14 or up to 16 days

They fail to mention that not only are harmful bacteria destroyed, but
beneficial ones are as well. When you are given antibiotics they work to
kill the growing bacteria, which causes illness. It takes the body awhile to
recover to full strength because of the weakened state. Taking liquid
acidophilus will replenish the necessary bacteria to gain health more
quickly.

Milk labeled organic still confuses me. All the life-giving forces are
obliterated by the extreme heating processing, rendering the milk
non-organic (unnatural). Unless the milk is labeled "raw," it’s been
homogenized and pasteurized. It’s like saying I’m going to eat a raw apple.
No one talks that way. An apple is an apple and milk is simply milk. If the
milk is truly organic than why must we call it "raw?" Because we are being
sold pseudo organic milk, which is not really "organic."

I had a doctor once; he attempted to prescribe antibiotics for an ear
infection he had developed. Oh my gosh! I’ll never forget his response, "I
can give him an antibiotic and your sons ear infection will be gone in
8-days, or you can take him home and keep him comfortable and his ear
infection will be gone in 9- or 10-days."

This was all I needed to hear. I think that was the easiest decision I’ve
ever made. It was a no-brainer. If I didn’t have to give him antibiotics, I
wasn’t about to. Just as the doctor predicted, his infection was gone – on
its own. But instead of just keeping him comfortable, I boosted his immune
system with foods and drinks loaded with vitamins and minerals. All symptoms
of an earache were gone after only five-days. I was sold. I knew that doctor
had to be onto something.

That one instance really opened my mind. I began to challenge everything I
"knew" to be true.

I am just about ready to file my report on our newly purchased Q-Link. If
you’ve never heard of the Q-Link, don’t feel alone. It’s a little known
secret that until recently was known only to big shot golfers. Some say they
only give a placebo affect, others swear by them. I’ll be sharing my
findings shortly.