September 29. 2011

Michael Schmidt back on Hunger strike

Food Rights Declaration as result of the latest appeal ruling against  
Michael Schmidt

Michael WILL NOT BE DOING INTERVIEWS

This is his current statement:

Agriculture has been the backbone of Canada. History has taught us  
that a healthy Agri-culture is able to feed all the people and  
therefore creates a healthy and socially stable environment. At the  
turn of the last century 70% of our Canadian population was actively  
involved in farming. Today we have only 2% of the population left  
working on farms and 80% of them have to have another job to keep  
their farm going.

The average age of today's farmers is 56 and hardly any young farmer  
can afford to start farming. Corporate farming has taken over food  
production and multi-national corporations control most of the  
farming inputs, food processing and distribution.

Food safety regulations and production standards are passed based on  
intensive lobby powers by those who control the current food chain.  
GMO crops, pestisides, fertilizers, drugs and hormones are all part  
of the corporate controlled food chain. Food safety measures for  
industrial food production have become the death-call for most small  
farms, small butcher shops, small dairies, small bakeries. Most of  
the traditional rural infrastructure as we know from history has been  
destroyed as a result.
The centralisation of our food system is currently the greatest  
danger to the food security of our nation. Governments have forgotten  
their mandate to protect our individual freedom, our individual  
rights and disregards at the same time our ability to act responsible  
and thoughtful.

I have been watching and experiencing with great pain the growing  
corruption and irresponsibility within the bureaucracy. Equally  
disturbing is the lack of courage by elected officials to challenge  
the same. The demand from many people for quality and locally  
produced food as result of these dramatic changes is violently  
opposed by bureaucratic regulators and Government. Under the pretence  
of protection it becomes clear that Government has taken a  
dictatorial approach in order to protect us from ourselves. It  
appears that even the courts are more and more compromising their  
role in society as an independent body and favor and endorse  
Government control, instead of protecting the people from Government.

The latest appeal ruling by Justice Tetley overturning my acquittal  
from Justice Kowarsky has convinced me that I have to take a very  
drastic step of a personal sacrifice. A step I have taken already 5  
years ago when our farm was raided by 25 armed officers because of  
raw milk. My repeated attempts to engage authorities in a  
constructive dialogue have failed on every level. I have only  
encountered brick walls. Governments keep ignoring the fact that most  
surveys have shown that the majority supports my attempt to provide  
people in Canada with milk of their choice and not to be forced to  
drink only pasteurized milk.

This is not about milk, this is about a turning point in regards to  
individual rights.

This is a turning point because we the farmers, we the consumers, we  
as concerned people of Canada are officially rejecting those who pass  
regulations without respecting our fundamental rights, our  
fundamental freedom to be and act as responsible individuals. We  
openly challenge and reject those who blindly enforce unjust laws.

We reject those elected members of Parliament who once promised  
everything and now refuse to listen and act.

We reject the assault on small farmers under the pretence of food  
safety threats.

We reject Government protection in regards to our individual food  
choices and our individual health treatment choices.

We reject the criminalization of those who make informed decisions.

Raw milk has become the focal point in the Food Rights Battle across  
North America.

Raw milk will be the breaking point in the Food Rights Battle.

Raw milk is being used to spread fears and lies across Canada.

Raw milk is wrongly and intentionally targeted, yet the real danger  
of today's food lies in the industrialized food system, which is  
sanctioned and supported by the bureaucracy and Government.

We have been battling the raw milk issue now for over 17 years. We  
have offered the Government more than once our cooperation to explore  
the legalization of raw milk. New hope arose for many after last  
year’s court ruling in Ontario, which recognized the right of  
educated and informed private individuals to opt out of the apparent  
responsibility of Government protection.

Across Canada Provincial Health agencies are cracking down on cow  
share operations.

I am calling on farmers and consumers alike to join in, to openly  
challenge our bureaucrats and put our elected officials to task. I  
will be wherever there is help needed. I will keep challenging unjust  
laws. I will not rest until we have discovered once again our power  
to resist, to challenge and to stand on guard for Canada and its  
fundamental values of true freedom and responsibility. I do not want  
to be asked by my grandchildren; why did you not prevent this  
dictatorship of thoughtless bureaucrats when you still could?

Our greatest enemy today is not from another country, it is from  
within our country. This enemy is mostly invisible for many and  
therefore dangerous and deceiving. As wisely expressed by Goethe: “No  
man is more hopelessly enslaved, than he, who falsely believes that  
he is free.” Let's have the courage to see and face the real enemy  
within. Let's recognize our strength and our will to battle those who  
are the real enemies. Let's understand that the greatest fear for  
bureaucrats and Governments are those who have no fear.
Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia have been involved in court  
actions against farmers and cow share members without any respect for  
the individuals rights and often without due legal process.

As a result of the recent legal developments in British Columbia and  
Ontario, I will once again enter into a hunger-strike as of today, to  
activate and encourage more and more people to openly join this  
battle for our fundamental rights and freedom to choose our food and  
our health.
It is up to us to change the current destruction of our rights. We  
cannot wait until our elected officials finally understand that they  
are serving us.
Let's start today.
Michael Schmidt

Michael will be keeping updates on his blog – check regularly: http://
thebovine.wordpress.com/

Paul Hughes
@Hughes4YYC
403.383.3420
p...@paulin8.com
http://paulin8.blogspot.com