Reading this week’s headlines about the egg salmonella crisis may leave one with the impression that we need more government control and we need it now. The feeling one is left with after listening to mainstream pundits and FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg is eerily familiar – almost as if the same crisis template that was applied to the financial crisis is now being used to further progress centralized control of the country’s food production capacity:
We don’t know exactly how the contamination got into the chicken population, into the egg population, and we’re not yet fully sure of the extent of the recall that will be necessary to protect consumers.
…
We are very anxious to see a piece of important legislation currently being considered by Congress be passed. There is an opportunity through this legislation to extend our authority, resources and other important tools to do trace back of products, to make sure the companies have the appropriate preventative measures in place and to enable us to review records in a routine way.
…
In response to news anchor’s question: Someone’s in the kitchen this morning and they’re about to prepare breakfast, what do you say to them?
It’s very important to prepare your food properly. Then when you’re preparing food, wash your hands first, then wash your hands after handling eggs. And, cook the eggs thoroughly. That means that the egg yolks and the egg whites should be thoroughly cooked. No more mopping up egg yolks with toast.
source: ABC News (Video)
The statements of Ms. Hamburg do not require a close examination to understand how ridiculous this is and what the ultimate goal of the mainstream hysteria is for government regulators.
The commissioner admitted that the FDA does not know what caused the so-called contamination, nor how the FDA is going to handle the recall yet. But, as stated, they are very anxious to pass legislation that will give them more authority over the egg industry (and others – more on this below). As serious as this egg outbreak seems to be, it’s somewhat curious that Ms. Hamburg’s response to the question of what to do if you want to have eggs for breakfast is not “don’t eat eggs until we have more information!”, but rather, cooking tips.
Inquiring minds are asking exactly how many eggs were originally found to be contaminated, leading to this recall and media hysteria. Given the history of these events, we suspect it is not dissimilar to the Chilean grape scare of the 1980’s in which two grapes in Chile were found to be “tainted” with Cyanide, leading to a nationwide panic surrounding imported fruits.
It should be noted that the author had soft-boiled eggs, and mopped up his egg yolks with toast for the last two days. Symptoms to look for, as reported by the mainstream media, have yet to surface. Of course, this could be due to the fact that we prefer to eat eggs originating from free-range, vegetarian fed chickens that were bred on small farms.
As to the issue of increased regulation about which the commissioner, and undoubtedly larger food manufacturing plants, are anxiously interested, it is important to point out that the FDA does have authority to inspect the facilities, specifically the two main facilities where this salmonella crisis originated. But guess what? They never did:
The Food and Drug Administration, which has responsibility for the safety of whole eggs, had never inspected the two Iowa-based facilities at the heart of the massive recall that began 10 days ago. Nor had the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. In the case of Wright County Egg, the company had a history of labor and environmental infractions, including one that stemmed from workers handling manure and dead chickens with bare hands.
“It is shocking that nobody was in these facilities, but it also illustrates that egg-laying facilities have fallen into the crack between the government agencies that are responsible for food safety,” said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group.
This begs the question: How can the FDA demand more federal powers over the regulation of food production facilities when they have failed to enforce their existing powers?
For those following the economic crisis and the BP oil disaster, it should all make sense. Just as the SEC failed to enforce existing laws to stop market manipulation and prevent extreme leverage in the system, and as Minerals Management Service regulators failed to inspect the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, the FDA failed at their job.
Yet, in all three cases, the bureaucrats in power, rather than admitting their own failures and turning in their resignations, hit the mainstream media news channels and tell us the problems could have been prevented with more legislation.
Though it wasn’t mentioned by Margaret Hamburg, one could guess that the legislation she is promoting is Senate Bill S510, which is designed to put more control of our U.S. food production facilities into the hands of government regulators and large international corporations like Monsanto:
“If accepted [S 510] would preclude the public’s right to grow, own, trade, transport, share, feed and eat each and every food that nature makes. It will become the most offensive authority against the cultivation, trade and consumption of food and agricultural products of one’s choice. It will be unconstitutional and contrary to natural law or, if you like, the will of God.â€Â ~Dr. Shiv Chopra, Canada Health whistleblower
It is similar to what India faced with imposition of the salt tax during British rule, only S 510 extends control over all food in the US, violating the fundamental human right to food.
Monsanto says it has no interest in the bill and would not benefit from it, but Monsanto’s Michael Taylor who gave us rBGH and unregulated genetically modified (GM) organisms, appears to have designed it and is waiting as an appointed Food Czar to the FDA (a position unapproved by Congress) to administer the agency it would create — without judicial review — if it passes. S 510 would give Monsanto unlimited power over all US seed, food supplements, food and farming.
Tess Pennington of Ready Nutrition points out the dangers of the bill in Federal Food Police Coming Soon To A Farm Near You:
If passed, this would give government agencies the power to tell the American public what they should eat, how they should care for produce and care for livestock. The facility owners will have no say in these matters. The government has made the decisions for them (as they like to do). They must adhere to guidelines or else there will be hell to pay. According to the website Rogue Government, “ The government even plans to set up a Food Safety Administration to authorize this agency to integrate state and local agencies as fully as possible into national food safety efforts by forcing them to enforce federal food safety regulations.  This section completely ignores the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution.â€
Ms. Hamburg of the FDA and S510’s sponsors (democrats and republicans, alike) have kept the real story of what this bill is designed for from the public. The mainstream media is complicit in promoting this as a good thing for the American public, and the template, as it did with the economic crisis and the BP spill, is working extremely well, as evidenced by a 2009 poll suggesting that 90% of the public and the food industry overwhelming support the bill.
While touted as a quick win for both parties, it will be a serious loss for the American people. Small farmers, like the ones that provide free-range, vegetarian-fed fresh eggs, organic vegetables, fresh juice and other raw foods will be hard hit. They will either be put out of business or forced to accept government regulations developed by major agri-business firms that are interested in not the health and safety of the public, but lining their own pockets.
Small family farms, once these bills pass (and we assume they will, just like previous crisis legislation), will be annihilated as the government will force them to use only ‘approved’ seeds, feed, equipment and fertilizers. They will be mandated to follow specific regulatory procedures for production and distribution, for which they will pay additional fees. Eventually, the farmers will go out of business, in many cases losing their land to foreclosure. And, we suspect, that large farming corporations will quickly step in to snatch up their farms at significant discounts.
Prepare yourself for the War on Food. One day, food raids will be as common as a drug raid:
Those looking to one day produce their own food, perhaps even trade that food, will be met with resistance from government regulators, while two of the largest egg producers in the country responsible for delivering hundreds of millions of eggs to the public, operate facilities that have never been inspected.
It may sound ridiculous now, but so does outlawing rainwater collection. It’s becoming increasingly likely that simply giving your neighbor a basket of tomatoes you grew in your own garden will be an illegal act, punishable by fines and jail time for repeat offenders.
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Rawesome foods was selling an illegal and dangerous product. People die from eating these foods and those who push it are lying about how unsafe it is. It would be a simple solution for Rawesome foods to just not traffic in illegal foods.Â
Man’s appetite for power and control is disgusting. We need an “alternative food” lobby and legal counsel. Homeschool Legal Defense did it for homeschooling back when the government was again trying to “protect us from ourselves”.
On a side note why on earth do those cops have their guns drawn?!? They look like stupid kids playing GIJoe.
Apparently there is a bill (I believe S510) that is being proposed to outlaw PRIVATE HOME GARDENS!…
When the day comes that the feds tell me that I cannot grow a goddamned tomato on my private property,we will have a revolution(and I will plant a garden).
By the way,who believes that the people who bring us the public schools,the DMV,the post office & AMTRAK can make our food safer than what it is now?
GoneWithTheWind,
Illegal yes, but what was dangerous about their product? And why should rational humans not be able to consume something “dangerous”.
GoneWithTheWind, thanks for your comment.
I am not sure if this is the case. From what I understand, Rawsome was simply operating without a license and resumed operations once they got one. The reason they didn’t have a license is because they were a private club and believed themselves to be out of the jurisdiction of food licensing requirements. I believe the members were fully aware of the benefits and dangers of raw foods (most who eat raw foods have done their research):
The only discernible crime of the private, members-only buying club was their failure to operate a food facility without a license. Rawesome immediately restocked and resumed normal operations after the state-sanctioned intrusion, contending that it never operated in a retail capacity and does not fall under the commercial jurisdiction of the regulatory agencies. Â The LA Times debriefed its readers on the baffling Op:
Agencies that participated in the raid on Rawesome included the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Investigators confiscated the club’s computer and 17 coolers packed with, among other things, 24 bottles of organic honey, 10 gallons of raw whole milk and two bottles of raw cane syrup.
source: http://www.caivn.org/article/2010/08/07/raw-food-raid-challenges-consumer-freedom
My personal view is, that if you join a private organization and you consume the food of your own free will, then no crime has been committed… but that’s just me.
I guess my question is: How is raw milk, consumed hours after it has been milked from a cow, dangerous? I assume this is how people drank milk for thousands of years and up until recently it has been OK to do… now the government wants to restrict this (and similar personal choices).
People die from a lot of things – for example – chemically treated city water, pre-packaged Franken foods, diet drinks, and radiation, but we don’t see the government outlawing fluoride, aspartame, WIFI routers or compact fluorescent light bulbs for causing cancer – in fact, they promote and mandate their use in many cases…. Consuming raw foods, especially from a legitimate and credible source, is probably the last of my concerns in terms of dieing.
Jordan, I think guns were drawn because the cops were concerned that the raw food hippies might shove some organic wheat grass down their throats.
Comments…..Frankly, I am tired of the gestapo telling me how to prepare my food. WTF! Basic cleanliness–washing your hands after you go to the bathroom is just common sense. Eating raw eggs is just plain nuts. Cooking my meat thoroughly and at this exact temperature will assure you that you will not get poisoned. I’m tired of these nitwits treating me like I am a moron or someone who can’t think for themselves. How about them going after Monsanto for being the #1 company that is out to poison us all.
+100.
I share that sentiment GF!
Comments…..
Off topic a little here, but how did 2 grapes get discovered with cyanide when billions are sold each week??
Think about that folks!!
Marc,
I hear you, that wheat grass is bad news.
My family and I have been drinking the raw milk from our own cow for well over a year with no problems, it’s how people did it for thousands of years like you say. Now, we may all get sick and die from it tonight, but that could also happen from eating the industrialised calories we are churning out these days and calling food. It could also happen from just about anything else. The point is if I want to eat or sell a Snicker’s bar or a glass of raw milk why should uncle sam be able to tell me otherwise? Perfectly rational people do their research and some approve and others disapprove of raw milk. They should each be able to follow their idea.  Individual responsiblity, take care of yourselves people! Why do we want the government to do so much for us?Â
Are their taxes up to date?
It’s a fine line between educating the consumer on proper food safety handling practices and regulating industry. You would think cooking your food thoroughly, washing your hands and keeping foods at the proper temp etc. is common sense, but for some it is not. There was a study done back in yearly 2000, where consumers were video taped preparing their favorite recipe. Many consumers did not wash their hands and used the same cutting board to prepare meats and veggies.Â
The majority of the food industries do want to produce a safe product for consumers. Unfortunately, their are some that don’t see anything wrong with leaving boxes for fresh produce or meat outside next to a dumpster. Is it the responsibility of the FDA or local health officials to educate?Â
As far as Salmonella enteritidis in eggs – there are too many variables on how it can get into the eggs. It can be in the chicken feed, the chickens, water or can be brought in my rodents. In the end, you just need to cook your eggs to kill the pathogen. How much are you willing to pay for the FDA to police your eggs?
I read the proposed S510 bill and I’m not seeing a threat to private home gardens. Unless it was stricken from the latest version. Plus, there are not enough food inspectors within all of FDA to be able to get a warrant to search each and every property. That’s unrealistic.
Consumers don’t want to take responsibility for themselves. They want *everything* to be safe and if something goes wrong, they cry out to the govt to fix or they sue someones pants off.  Do we need some regulations? In order to prosecute repeated offenders –yes. Is this administration going overboard –yes. There does need to be a balance tho’.
Comments…..:I’m with Dave. The government starts messing in my home garden, the swhtf at my homestead. My garden is for my consumption and not open to government scruteny.
However, if they keep the fruit/vegy stand down the road from openning their doors for my purchases, I will raise holey h3%%.
It’s all about income stream. Â Like obamacare the control is instituted to insure income to the fed. Â We can’t have barter which makes federal reserve notes irrelevant so we have to get control of production. Â Small farms which might skirt their share of taxes by trading will have to be made to sell only to the government. Â Would it be fair for the people who grow it to have food and the people who live off the government(their neighbors) to go without?
We are toast!
Check the backdoor Barnie to see if them hippies went out the back ramp on their scooters.
Salvo is a fucking fool.
More BS from the MSM and the assholes in washington. I agree, if I want to grow my own garden, chickens and eggs then it’s my issue, not those shitheads. Obama can kiss my ass!!!!!!!Â
It all makes sense,just look at everything the feds are doing,it is designed to make us completely dependent upon the federal government for our food,once that is done,they can do anything to us.
This is why we need de-centralized food production: that means small family or micro farms. The laws they are trying to pass will move us to only have these huge agribusiness farms. That is the opposite of food security. Right now if you want safe eggs, look for locally grown eggs. They are not part of the recall.
Congress will vote on the latest version of the Food Safety Modernization Act when they come back from summer break. It will ensure that all small, local farms are driven out of business and make criminals our of anyone who grows their own gardens.
You may want to contact your legislators and voice your opinion on this.Â
This is our reward for decades of blindly following and believing in the two party system. Â We idolized Ronald Reagan, George the First, Bill Clinton, George the Second, and now Obama. Â These people are all heroes to certain parts of the voting public, but the hard truth is that they’ve all sold us straight down the river into slavery, and every one of them was (and is) gleefully happy about doing it.
They live in splendor, adored by their legions of followers. Â You and I live lives of hard work and sacrifice. Â We will never know the opulence in which they live, and they will never know how hard we work.
Slowly but surely, the die is being cast. Â We are at the point where we have no choice but to disobey. Â Voting has as much impact on legislation as the flavor of ice cream in your freezer has on the weather. Â Write a letter to my “representative”? Â Please, those people represent major campaign donors, they don’t represent me. Â I’m just a voter.
There are no longer any means with which we can change things back to the way they ought to be, save one, Â Disobedience.
Incidentally, this is a topic I’ve been kind of hot on. Â I’m working on a strategy to pile up lots of organic seeds, if anyone has any useful tips, I’m all ears……….
Comments…..My  father in 90 and he still eats raw, liver fresh goat milk and raw eggs, and he’s still tougher than nails. One thing he does prior to drinking the fresh milk is he boils it first then he lets it cool down then it’s ready to drink. I have 2-3 raw eggs every morning for break feast , I’ve being doing that for that past ten years, I find  the egg to be the best natural multi vitamin available. got sick twice in ten years because the raw eggs I had while visiting family were not fresh.
Mac, I find it’s poor taste for you to post things that offend Jesus, if you’re OK that this person should offend you and you post it. that’s you’re business, but when someone offends Jesus he offends us all.
My opinion of course.
LOL, poster GOLDENFOX a closet NAZI complaining about the gestapo govt. Now that is FUNNY!!!!!!
Great article Mac:Â You are all correct of course, and the key is that the FDA had authority and didn’t use it, and now want more authority, which presumably they will not use until they get enough power through legislation like that proposed, to totally strangle all of US.
Does anyone think that John Boehner REP leader will not push this same bill through Congress if given a majority in November? Of course. This is just more power for the NWO: Big Government, Big Business, and Big Banking.
The answer is to organize politically, separate and distinct from the two party system, control the elections, grow in power, and push our own agenda. Each side of the two party system has about half of the power. We must control “the middle” with like minded Patriots from each side; stop legislation like this from passing and raise holy hell until we get America back.
I know there are some naysayers on here that think its too late; or they don’t want to stick their neck out, etc,etc, etc. There are a lot of excuses for not doing anything. There is one good excuse for engaging the political landscape and making it ours:
Freedom.
Anyone want to join the SHTF America Party?
naysayers? Â too late?
Let’s take an honest look at what we have right now. Â We have Larry “wide stance” Craig, and we have that idiot from Watts (Maxine Waters). Â We have Barack Odumbass and we have John Boner. Â These people are up to their eyeballs in dirty money and corruption. Â The sad truth is that EVERY MEMBER of the United States Government, at EVERY LEVEL, is hopelessly corrupted.
I guess what I’m saying is that it would be easier to form a new government, rather than to reform the one we have. Â I want to believe in a candidate, and know that I’m being told the truth. Â The problem is that no one on a republican or democratic ticket is going to be able to do that. Â They are all habitual liars.
I know that it may cost me. Â I am prepared to be disobedient. Â I will grow my own organic food, I will collect rainwater, I will store weapons, ammunition, pm’s, food, medical supplies, water, etc. Â I will resist ferociously when they come to get me and shoot my animals. Â I am an American and if need be, I will go down with honor. Â I HAVE stuck my neck out on several occasions.
I still stand by my original premise. Â I do not believe that there is a workable “political” solution.
I’ll join, DK.
What we need is a 95% (or 99.5%) reduction in federal employment. And an interpretation of the commerce clause that allows it to cover almost nothing.
OR…
le guillotine.
Well, dang. All I’ve got to say is [insert anything written by Jonny V].
And, Sam, let the “JFers” have their say. It is only language and if there be consequences it is not our place to worry about it. I refuse to be offended. Some people would call me a “devout Christian” but many Christians doubt my “faith”. I consider myself an ‘Authentic Christian’ and no one is being harmed by “JFer”. Many people I know are both quick to offend but easily offended. I pride myself in being impossible to offend (Unless you insult my Hi-Point pistols!) and never intentionally offend. Please, be more like me: you’ll make more of an impressiont to the JFers and, who knows? You might be able to convert a few.
Every successful movement has a political and uh, revolutionary arm. Like the IRA for example.Â
Engage the Star Chamber  Commandante Jonny V!
At this stage of the game,we can only change our government by mass disobediance.
Voting,writing to your congressman,organizing is way too ineffective,those days are over.
It is getting very close to that alternative folks.
If S510 passes,we should all agree to plant home gardens.
Like anything,if millions of Americans worked together,the unjust laws would collapse.
Believe it or not,if enough Americans drove their cars through tolls without paying,the system for toll collections/enforcement would be overwhelmed & the toll boothes would be removed.
We must start to think like this if we wish to maintain our liberties and to keep the goddamned government from slowly impoverishing or killing us.
Comments….. What Dave said +100.
I’m sure a bible thumper will be along to change your mind Dave. But acting nice doesn’t get it any more. There will always be someone to come by and take advantage of you in some way. I’ve got a garden going right now, but I’m ready to pull this one up and start a winter garden. I live in an area where we have several land owners who grow strawberries and other items to sell at their roadside stand. They are hard working people–immigrants. Doesn’t bother me because they are working and providing. The locals support them as well, everyone working together. The free market works here.
I actually HOPE S510 passes and is signed into law.Â
MAYBE then, folks will realize how far gone their “government” is and that it is time to clean house. I’ve said the same thing about gun confiscation/etc for years…..pass such a law and get 100 million gun owners mad…..see what results…..but banning my wife from growing tomatoes may be even more powerful than trying to take my guns.
In order to communicate our howdt-rage, we need to do something different. Join your local Grange and get a handle on the local food supply. There are a lot of progressive values buried beneath the ancient ritual. We have an interest in eating well – the Grange is a political organization that supports local people in local communities at four different scales. It is a vehicle to resist the egg nazis.
“Join the Grange and resist the egg Nazis” per Dr Lenny.
That is actually a very good idea. It was the Grange that brought about many changes to better the lives of local citizens over the decades, including electrification of various counties and states when the government was not interested. Â
They are very “pro-homesteading” type of mindset and therefore are protective of food production, family and neighborhoods.
And they are already formed and functioning.
OK EVERYBODY JOIN UP WITH THE GRANGE! :)   🙂
No really. It is a good idea though.
Comments…..Goldenfoxx is close to the truth when talking about the gestapo. The U.S. is becoming, if not already, a pathocracy, a system of government wherein essential psychopaths are in positions of power. Their overriding goal is to have power and control over the normal population. Read Andrew Lobaczewski’s book, Political Ponerology, for a discussion of this very serious problem and how to combat it.
As some of you have alluded to this is nothing short of preparation for an eventual takeover of all the food grown and consumed in the United States.
Problem-reaction-solution. Remember the E. coli scare with tomatoes two years ago? How about the E. coli tainted spinach, or the chili-peppers. Or the several meat recalls since then? Now it’s eggs. The problem has already been delivered to the masses. The reaction is the dumb 90% calling for more regulation. What will be the solution?
Codex Alimentarius, which was supposed to have gone into effect Dec. 31 2009, called for total irradiation of our food supply (also benignly referred to as “cold pasteurization”). Some studies show it strips certain foods of the majority of its vitamin content, which combined with other provisions of Codex would result in the malnutrition and starvation of 2-3 billion people worldwide.
I believe Codex was delayed, not stopped. All of these food scares are just prepping us for the people to cry that “something needs to be done”, which is exactly why our financial mess is even worse than it was two years ago. How many people do you know said that the government “just had to do something” to combat the financial crisis, even if they didn’t know what that something was? I can count several I know of. It is typical human thinking, which is why we’ll get exactly what we deserve.
I have a garden (3 years now) that I won’t stop growing no matter what some bureaucrat tells me. I will gladly go to jail to defend that right.
Dr Lenny: that is a good idea, but when you say “progressive” you just lost everyone on this post. We don’t want “progressive”. We don’t want “liberal”. We don’t want “conservative”. We don’t want democrats or republicans. We want American patriots that support US: the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the individual rights endowed by our Creator against ALL enemies foreign and domestic. Be careful with the labels that you throw around, and advise those people in the midwest to recognize the difference in meaning of such adjectives. I was looking at a website for this very same issue last week and ran into the same verbage. I cut and run. Progressive is a dirty word. It is the other side of a double-headed coin with liberal on the reverse.
Dave: Planting a garden is not effective civil disobedience. The authorities would just come for US one by one. Rights must be individual, civil disobedience must be collective. When those 30, 000 applicants for subsidized housing in Georiga gathered together quite by accident, the lame stream media and DC took note. If the sheriff comes by and arrests you for growing cucumbers, no one knows or cares.
You must fight fire with fire when a fire is out of control. You must meet aggression with aggressive defense. You must speak to power with power. Our power is in the documents that founded this country. Our power is in our courage to demand our heritage. Our power is the power of numbers to match and overwhelm the enemies of American liberties; who are a small but wealthy minority of a small and wealthy minority.
Lets kick some ass! Anyone that believes as I do is welcome to connect with me directly at  [email protected]
If you truely believe that drinking raw milk for centuries has not resulted in tens of thousands (and probably much much more) deaths then you are simply ignorant. If you drink raw milk you will ingest all the germs that the cow has (not to mention whatever is on the equipment being used). If you do this with full understanding of the risks then I could care less. But the law still forbids you from selling it or giving it away and it should forbid you from giving it to kids including your own children.  There is no good reason to drink raw milk. There is a lot of superstiotion and pseudo-science around it but it serves no purpose other then to be able to say you drink raw milk. So is the risk worth it? Â
GonewiththeWind…none of your business or the government’s what I do with my body. You give no basis to your assumptions that 10’s of 1000s have died. You assume germs exist in cows milk or goats milk but not human milk? That those ‘germs’ will kill you? There is plenty of reason to drink raw milk, first and foremost is that it is as nature intended, unadulterated and wholesome. So you’d be in favor of outlawing breast feeding? Dry up and blow away, you’re obviously barking up the wrong cow on this board.
Also, the gov’t doesn’t need S510 to come in and take your private property. The state of FL did it years ago when they walked onto the property of thousands of homeowners and uprooted and burned their citrus trees, with the assistance of law enforcement, under the guise of eradicating canker. And they were directed to do it under threat of force and with no reparations, although that changed. The FDA’s ‘tomato scare’ ruined the crops and livelihoods of a lot of farmers and they never even set foot on their land. But oops, just a mistake, thanks for listening. This law has more of an economic impact on small producers with the side effect of forcing more and more into non-compliance and/or economic failure and further consolidating our food supplies to the corporations and multi-nationals and eliminating our choices of sustenance. All of these are chipping away at our freedoms and rights, to not fight is to give up completely. Pass the Big Mac…