Producer of the new documentary, Farmageddon, and family farm advocate, Kristin Canty, joined Ian Punnett (Twitter) for a discussion on how small family farms that were providing safe, healthy foods to their communities have been forced to stop, sometimes through violent action, by agents of misguided government bureaucracies. She traced her interest in the subject back to 15 years ago, when she was trying to find a way of easing her young son's severe allergies and learned about the positive effects of a natural diet, including raw milk. After struggling with the concept that "raw milk can be good for you," Canty tried it for a few weeks and felt her own health improve. Following that, she fed her son the unpasteurized milk and it "completely cured all of his allergies within a very short period of time."
A member of several 'buying clubs,' where families work together to acquire fresh food from local farms, Canty became concerned upon learning that government raids on these clubs and farms was becoming a common occurrence. To that end, she shared the story of one family in Lagrange, Ohio that formed a buying club which grew to 50 or 60 members. Subsequently, the Ohio Department of Agriculture "got wind of it," sent 11 armed men to the family's home, and confiscated all of their food as well as personal computers and cell phones. "In the end, on the warrant, it just said that it was a 3rd degree misdemeanor and they never ended up being charged with anything," she revealed. Ultimately, Canty speculated that the raid was fueled by a desire to control the food supply chain and was "more of an intimidation thing."
Canty stressed that the government raids on farms and buying clubs, in the name of food safety, fails to address the real issues. "Instead of going after where it really is, in the industrial food system," such as massive, unclean slaughterhouses and factories, she lamented that "they're going onto the farms and saying the farms are dirty." By raising awareness about the issue, Canty hopes that further regulation can allow for average citizens to easily and legally get raw foods from their local farms. Currently, she said, 28 states allow for the sale of raw milk and the FDA recently announced that they have no plans to prosecute people for transporting such goods across states lines.
Brennan CIA Nod
In the first hour, investigative reporter Russ Baker talked about his concerns regarding John Brennan's nomination for new CIA director. He contended that Brennan has a "long track record as a tremendous and shameless opportunist" known for currying favor with people who could advance his career. Additionally, Baker noted that Brennan has a history of orchestrating "cinematic adventures" to further his career, such as Osama Bin Laden's death and the saving of a woman from Somali pirates. He also cited Brennan's time in the private sector where he ran a private company that had government contracts and "a person working for him" illegally accessed the passport records of Hilary Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama.