Government Regulators Are Coming for the Amish Farmer Again

AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma
Amos Miller is an Amish dairy and meat producer in Lancaster County, Pa. He's been hassled by the state in past, and on Thursday state food authorities "illegally" raided his quiet farm and took away 37 boxes filled with his products. Amos reportedly hadn't filed the proper signed documents in abeyance to the state health and safety regulators. 

What's the real story here? 

Amos Miller offers his organically grown and chemical-free cheeses, meats, raw milk, and eggs through a private club. His products are not sold in stores. His private club is thriving, thanks in part to the cheerleading of his attorney Robert Barnes who often urges people to sign up to Amos's club to get clean, organic, and fresh products. 

Miller has been on the state regulators' radar for the past few years. Seven years ago, a smattering of his products had been cited for contamination. Miller's supporters say this is a steady pressure campaign by state and federal regulators to put him out of business. 

The Acting Director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Food Safety swore out an affidavit which was used to get a search warrant. Barnes says that "the state unlawfully obtained a search warrant, based on materially false statements in an affidavit." He said the acting director has a "known grievance against independent farmers like Amos, and, after the raid and finding no evidence of wrongdoing, then illegally ordered detained every item of food in one of Amos Miller’s coolers, including buffalo meat not even subject to federal regulation."

Barnes said that the state "without notice, raided Amos’ farm, and detained everything Amos had in the farm’s freezer. They did so in a lawless manner, without appropriate authority, in violation of their own rules and regulations, despite never objecting to the prior resolutions reached with the federal government, and despite a complete failure by the state to even reach out to Amos’ known counsel." 

Barnes said the raiders broke the law because they ignored "the state’s own rules require advance notice, reasonable time frames for inspections, and a showing of credentials, none of which occurred here." Indeed, he says taking Miller's products was "patently illegal under Pennsylvania law." 

The Lancaster Patriot local newspaper says the affidavit was done at the behest of "the [acting director] NY state Department of Health [which...] confirmed positive case of a foodborne pathogen (STEC – Shiga toxin producing E. Coli) in an underage individual.” 

The affidavit claims that Miller has not completed the application process through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for “registration, licensing, or permitting under the pertinent Retail Food Facility Safety Act, Food Safety Act, or Milk Sanitation Laws.”

That sent even Donald Trump, Jr. into fits. 

There is an indisputable rush in this country – especially during and after COVID-19 – to eat cleaner, grass-fed, food products without drugs. Getting this food is often done with subscriptions to farms. This is what Amos and many other farmers do for a nation of people who want cleaner food. In fact, I'm currently looking for a meat supplier to go with my home-grown organic vegetables and legumes. 

People can't help but wonder if there's a pressure campaign against these farmers to control the food supply.

In the video below a reporter asks, "If we don't have the freedom to decide what to put into our own mouths to nourish ourselves and our children, what freedom do we have left that means anything?" He adds, "How much confidence do you have in the U.S. track record for responsibility, for precision, for competence, and then ask yourself 'is this the body you want making the decisions for what you eat and what your children eat?"

These are excellent questions. I would add, however, that basic regulations can be good and necessary things, but as a liberty lover, this attack on the organic farmer in Amish country is getting heavy-handed, to say the least, and, if Barnes is right, illegal. 

I say this as a person who knew and grieved with a family who lost a child due to the cavalier defiance of food safety laws at a fast food restaurant. And I say this as the mother of two daughters who actively seek out cleaner food for their families. 

Big Food isn't always the answer, you know. 

Well, you know the drill. We'll probably be censored on some platforms for bringing you this story. We're fighting for America but the president's censors are trying to shut us down. Please support our journalism by becoming a VIP or VIP GOLD Member. 

House GOP Unveils Strategy To Prevent Government Shutdown

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WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 26: U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

OAN’s Stephanie Stahl
9:26 AM – Sunday, November 12, 2023

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/house-gop-unveils-strategy-to-prevent-government-shutdown/;

Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.

House Republicans are currently pursuing a two-step government funding plan as Congress approaches another spending deadline Friday. 

The plan was introduced by newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson during a GOP conference call on Saturday. While Johnson embraced the right-wing members of his conference by proposing the two-step approach, he did not fully concede to their demands for deep spending cuts. Instead, the package extends funding at current levels.

“This two-step continuing resolution is a necessary bill to place House Republicans in the best position to fight for conservative victories,” Johnson said in a statement after speaking with GOP lawmakers in an afternoon conference call. “The bill will stop the absurd holiday-season omnibus tradition of massive, loaded-up spending bills introduced right before the Christmas recess,” Johnson said in a statement Saturday.

The first bill, extending funding until January 19th, includes allocations for military construction, Veterans Affairs, transportation, housing, and the Energy Department. The second part extends funding until February 2, covering the rest of the government. Notably, neither bill includes additional aid for Israel or Ukraine.

Although the two-step approach was championed by Republicans, it faced skepticism from many senators who deemed it a complex solution. However, given that funding for agencies remains at current levels, Democrats may find it challenging to reject. 

While some Republicans had considered alternative options, including a more straightforward stopgap bill, the GOP remained divided. The Freedom Caucus favored the laddered approach, while appropriators preferred a “clean” stopgap bill. Representative Chip Roy, part of the House Freedom Caucus, opposed Johnson’s plan for lacking the deep spending cuts sought by the right.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre criticized Johnson’s plan, characterizing it as a recipe for more Republican chaos and shutdowns. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also opposed the two-step continuing resolution, viewing it as a right-wing joyride with potential economic consequences.

As the GOP navigates its strategy, questions loom about how Democrats will respond to Johnson’s plan. The approval of the bill in the House hinges on Johnson securing a rule to set debate parameters, with the minority party typically voting against it. If a rule cannot be passed, the bill would require a two-thirds majority under suspension of the rules, necessitating significant Democratic support.

The ultimate level of Democratic support will influence the GOP’s floor strategy. Failure to pass a spending plan by Friday could lead to a government shutdown, affecting various operations unless Congress intervenes.

Shutdowns have broader economic consequences, potentially impacting unemployment rates, GDP growth, and borrowing costs on a national scale.

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