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What the hell?

facepalm.jpg

Let me guess - is raw milk involved? That's a big issue with the Christian agrarian "crunchy cons" for a while now.

I suspect that might be one of the reasons they don't want to be licensed, aside from any possible ideological ones.

Still, SWAT tactics should not be needed even IF there's some legitimate reason for busting the co-op. Comments in TFA are spot on with the "why do all these departments need all these toys" bit, though I'd say that's true even for non-Christian communities...

The items were taken to establish the Stowers' ownership in any property, records of hidden wealth or illegal income and anything that would establish illegal activity, according to the search warrant affidavit.

"Anything that would establish illegal activity" is code for "a search warrant so vague we can legally destroy the house."

The settlement from the lawsuit will buy these people one of the nicest co-op farms east of the Mississippi.

I really do not see how anyone could possibly think this was a good idea.....

Weaver95: I really do not see how anyone could possibly think this was a good idea.....

You have a much higher opinion of government bureaucrats than I do. This seems to me to be exactly their concept of a good idea.

real shaman: Weaver95: I really do not see how anyone could possibly think this was a good idea.....

You have a much higher opinion of government bureaucrats than I do. This seems to me to be exactly their concept of a good idea.

I keep telling people that we've become a very authoritarian country and nobody listens. Articles like this one are becoming more and more frequent....but nobody seems to notice. The FARM COPS have f*cking swat teams and nobody seems to think it's cause for concern.

Weaver95: The FARM COPS have f*cking swat teams and nobody seems to think it's cause for concern.

The phone cops are even scarier.

Dear Farm Cops,

"a" would be equally rediculous. We're just more used to that one.

Ah North Florida!

Most of the time, the Bible is full of fail, but in this case:

The Ohio Department of Agriculture has apparently been chastised by the courts in previous cases for over-reach, including entrapment of an Amish man to sell raw milk, which backfired, when it became known that the man gave milk instead of selling it to a state undercover agent, refusing to take money for what he believed to be a charitable act. The Amish literally interpret the Gospel of Matthew (5:42) to "give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away."

win.

Weaver95M
I keep telling people that we've become a very authoritarian country and nobody listens.

Oh good! You've entered the "that's what we've been saying all along" phase!

Weaver95: real shaman: Weaver95: I really do not see how anyone could possibly think this was a good idea.....

You have a much higher opinion of government bureaucrats than I do. This seems to me to be exactly their concept of a good idea.

I keep telling people that we've become a very authoritarian country and nobody listens. Articles like this one are becoming more and more frequent....but nobody seems to notice. The FARM COPS have f*cking swat teams and nobody seems to think it's cause for concern.

I became quite aware about this problem circa late 2002. A douchebag of a utahn spanish fork sheriff decided to use swatgears complete with helicopters, tear gas canisters, riot gear and the whole department to take down a rave concert.

An outdoors rave concert. Seriously. It was an abuse of the RAVE act, an excuse to use any concert venues as a potential "crackhouse den" prosecution.

I was there and that assholiness pissed me off. The promoter sued and lost.

Jesus thinks subby is a vagina. Grandma told me so.

behanger
"a" would be equally rediculous.

Or ridiculous, even.

We need a SWAT Team to deal with raw milk? Most worthless cops ever.

bukketmaster: behanger
"a" would be equally rediculous.

Or ridiculous, even.



That is still too slow.

Remove all Republicans: ha-ha-guy: We need a SWAT Team to deal with raw milk? Most worthless cops ever.

After seeing the chaos over lead in children's toys and pet food, you would just let people drink raw milk?

Sure. I'm not planning on drinking raw milk, but if others want to they're welcome to go for it.

I have to say that family farms are a big threat to multinational agribusiness like Cargill. It's a problem here in Ohio.

Article's farked?

I wanted to see whether it was a real SWAT team or just some cops being tough guys. I also wondered why an Ohio farming community needed a SWAT team, and if it were a "use it or lose it" situation.

Before we get too riled up...

Link (new window)

A call to the Lagrange Township Sheriff's Department, and the Lorain Sheriff Dept., Reports there was no SWAT call for that address December 1st.
The Family is still not available for further comment but the IRN Network Bureau Chief reported SWAT was there with a specific Department of Agriculture agent.
I placed a call to John Loeffler who is presently recording his radio show and he will respond by phone when he comes out.
More details to follow as they are revealed...

Also, the article sezzme posted says this:

An Ohio Department of Agriculture agent seized food, electronic devices and documents from a Pittsfield Township organic and natural food cooperative believed to be unlicensed, according to a search warrant filed yesterday in Lorain County Common Pleas Court.

And then this:

On Monday, ODA enforcement agent William Lesho confiscated hundreds of pounds of processed beef and large amounts of lamb, turkey and other perishable products in addition to office files, a computer, two cell phones and other electronic devices, according to the search warrant inventory.

I'm not so sure a SWAT team was there...

Ryan2065
I'm not so sure a SWAT team was there...

The way regular police departments are armed these days, who can tell?

ha-ha-guy: Remove all Republicans: ha-ha-guy: We need a SWAT Team to deal with raw milk? Most worthless cops ever.

After seeing the chaos over lead in children's toys and pet food, you would just let people drink raw milk?

Sure. I'm not planning on drinking raw milk, but if others want to they're welcome to go for it.

I agree with ha-ha guy here. It's the ultimate form of free market just like Stephen Colbert said. People will drink raw milk and get sick thus never buying the product again or they will die from it and thus never buying the product again. Either way the problem will take care of itself. No need for the police to get involved.

I think it's C.
It's always C.

/DRTFA

RanDomino: The way regular police departments are armed these days, who can tell?

Yeah, the distinction is kind of breaking down, with the militarization of police.

The cops are just lucky the family didn't shoot back. Frankly, I'm surprised that more people don't just open fire on the cops when they use these kind of tactics such as no-knock warrants. I wouldn't even say that you're morally in the wrong at all to shoot at any armed and masked men who break down your door, cops or not.

The 14 hippies in the Cleveland area will now starve if this organic food co-op shuts down.

driven to quit: People will drink raw milk and get sick thus never buying the product again or they will die from it and thus never buying the product again. Either way the problem will take care of itself.

HAHAHAHA!! All you kids who are afraid of everything due to propaganda! We had cows and milked them everyday. Drank all that "oww, dangerous" milk and nothing bad happened to anyone!

/ Still never get sick.
//Wonder what they did before "processed foods" that are sooo good for you?

SWAT team it wasn't. These people have a persecution complex, so the mere presence of officers with guns turns into "we were held hostage at gunpoint".

They would love nothing more than for this to become a highly-publicized standoff, just like the "the constitution says taxes are illegal" people.

Subby, thanks for linking to that site. It's just the kind of site I love to have showing up in my browser history.

Mr. Gunn: Subby, thanks for linking to that site. It's just the kind of site I love to have showing up in my browser history.

Why would it being in your browser history imply anything other than that you viewed it?

The items were taken to establish the Stowers' ownership in any property, records of hidden wealth or illegal income and anything that would establish illegal activity, according to the search warrant affidavit.



Maybe Democrat tax cheat Chuckie Rangel can provide them a " friend of the court " brief. Or maybe it should be called a " friend of the tax cheat " brief.

The federales are very busy these days trying to implement NAIS. I think it stands for National Agricultural Information System. They want EVERYBODY who raises animals to register EVERY single animal they have for "tracking" purposes. So if you have some backyard chickens, you'll be expected to file paperwork for every new chick hatched (and file paperwork if any of them die) and so forth. No exemptions for hobby farmers. ALL livestock.

You're supposed to register your farm, get inspected and so forth. The government wants to monitor (control) ALL food production in this country. The better to control the masses.

In about 4 years I'll be retiring and setting up a small hobby farm in New Hampshire. I'm wondering if I'll be raided regularly by SWAT teams looking for pot in my potato patch, unregistered animals, etc.

Since country folk are in the minority, we will get abused regularly, while the suburban folk won't be caring. And the majority won't care.

I'm wondering if I'll end my days in a shootout with the cops, simply because I want to live in the country.

You know when its all said and done and they are writing histories of the US police state, it will be discovered that it did not stem from federal abuse of privacy and rights, but rather from local attempts to make the world a better place to live.

Where I live, the police can enter your home without a warrant if they hear a noise emanating from inside your home which is audible at 5' from the source after 10 pm. Crying Babies beware.

We haven't had police in this country for a long time. We just have glorified criminal gangs with legal immunity.

Mr. Gunn: SWAT team it wasn't. These people have a persecution complex, so the mere presence of officers with guns turns into "we were held hostage at gunpoint"...


-And you know this because? Or are you just talking out of your ass?

Churchill2004 Quote 2008-12-06 04:17:38 PM
We haven't had police in this country for a long time. We just have glorified criminal gangs with legal immunity.


Your tin foil hat....it appears to be cutting off blood supply to your brain.

libbynomore2: Churchill2004 Quote 2008-12-06 04:17:38 PM
We haven't had police in this country for a long time. We just have glorified criminal gangs with legal immunity.


Your tin foil hat....it appears to be cutting off blood supply to your brain.

There's nothing conspiratorial about it. In the process of enforcing unjust, unnecessary laws, law enforcement in this country has become needlessly aggressive, confrontational, disrespectful, and militaristic, to the point of regularly condoning criminal acts within their own ranks. The rise of paramilitary home invasions by the police is one particularly obscene aspect of this phenomenon.

-A 'Police State' can't come into existence without the cooperation of a significant % of the public; all of whom will argue that the tactics are needed for the safety and security of the people. And that anyone who objects is a whiner, hysterical, or possible subversive...

Funk Brothers

I have to say that family farms are a big threat to multinational agribusiness like Cargill. It's a problem here in Ohio.


Russ Cargill? That guy from the EPA and the seller of domes? It all makes sense!

I can has burgeoning police state?

Remove all Republicans - Mad Cow? From unprocessed milk? Uh.. no..

And why would a private or cooperative farm have cows with mad cow disease just because they are not some super agribusiness farm? Most of the food problems of today, exist because food is a business, a business designed to maximise profits, and minimise costs.

Chances are the food at this farm was cleaner, safer, and healthier than whatever slop comes out of mega slaughter houses with government approval. These people were raided to break them, and because they were not paying their dues. It is all about control, control and profits.

It will be disguised as a safety thing, or whatever, but that is just crap. Next they will be telling me that the bag of moose meat my neighbour brought me the other day, that he butchered himself, is somehow unsanitary and dangerous because Sarah Palin did not shoot the moose from a helicopter.

/adjusts her tin foil hat.

Give a loud clap for the VIOLENT KIDNAPPING TERRORISTS IMPERSONATING POLICE OFFICERS .

(clap clap)

See, I knew you could do it.

Rain Fall: Remove all Republicans - Mad Cow? From unprocessed milk? Uh.. no..

And why would a private or cooperative farm have cows with mad cow disease just because they are not some super agribusiness farm? Most of the food problems of today, exist because food is a business, a business designed to maximise profits, and minimise costs.

Chances are the food at this farm was cleaner, safer, and healthier than whatever slop comes out of mega slaughter houses with government approval. These people were raided to break them, and because they were not paying their dues. It is all about control, control and profits.

It will be disguised as a safety thing, or whatever, but that is just crap. Next they will be telling me that the bag of moose meat my neighbour brought me the other day, that he butchered himself, is somehow unsanitary and dangerous because Sarah Palin did not shoot the moose from a helicopter.

/adjusts her tin foil hat.

THIS

Same with the NAIS that mark12A mentioned, the big agribusinesses have an agenda of making everyone in the U.S. dependent on them and them alone for food. It's been pretty easy for them so far. A majority of people these days seem to be content to dependent on mass-produced junk for their own sustenance, so they don't raise any fuss about this. It's the people who actually know and care where their food comes from, and the ones who produce it themseves that are going to get screwed over by corporations like Monsanto and Cargill. The good stuff sure as hell doesn't come from them....

/U.S.citizen in Canada
//still vote, still wear my tinfoil

Don't blame NAIS for some local paper-pusher going schiz. We definitely need the food chain tagged from pasture to plate, it is the only way to have accountability. If you're paying extra for grass-fed, no-hormones beef, the tracking system is what proves it. If someone wants to start adulterating products like what happened with Chinese milk, the system lets you track it back to the source as well as to protect the public by intercepting just the tainted products and not having to put a stop on all of a product with a statewide or nationwide ban. If a terror group wants to make a huge economic dent, all they have to do is tamper with beef and put the fast food hamburger business in a major world of hurt.

Hobby farmers and small-time co-ops don't really have a huge problem meeting the requirements. Procedures for them can be modified and streamlined to be more practical for their scale. What we're looking at here is one guy power-tripping and abusing his power in how a dispute was settled.

On Monday, ODA enforcement agent William Lesho confiscated hundreds of pounds of processed beef and large amounts of lamb, turkey and other perishable products in addition to office files, a computer, two cell phones and other electronic devices, according to the search warrant inventory. a large bbq

Do they stock pork products?