Raw milk.

And now let the fighting begin. 

No.  Really.  Let's fight about milk.  It seems to be one of the government's favorite fights.  Let's gather up all of those horrible farmers who own cows, are milking them, and are selling the milk.  The HORROR!

The Washington Times recently put out an incredibly biased piece about one such fight involving a farmer in Pennsylvania who was daring to sell his raw milk across state lines.

I love how they list everything that COULD happen if you drink raw milk and barely list one instance where raw milk can be better than pasteurized milk. 

Here's the bottom line for me:  It should be our choice.  WE should decide whether we or our families drink raw or pasteurized milk.  Heck, we should have the choice to purchase someone's CAT'S milk if we so desire!  It should be OUR choice...not one the government forces upon us.  Nor should we have to jump through numerous hoops & regulations (or drive 3 hours) just to obtain raw milk if we choose to drink it! 

While they're listing stats about bad things that could happen to you, I'd also like them to include the stats for those who get sick from the over-processed food and chemicals masquerading as food that they sell in the grocery stores.  Or how about the numbers from those sickened due to poisons put in food manufactured in China?  From chemicals they spray in the air?  On our food?  Try to get us to take or inject into our bodies?  I could go on.  I think the raw milk is the least of our worries!  (For the record, I am not completely against immunizations or medicines.  I rely on a heart medicine daily.  However, I believe we should FULLY understand ALL of the risks to everything we put in or on our bodies.  That way, we are TRULY making an informed choice...and not one that someone else has forced upon us.  The only thing I am 100% against as far as immunizations go is a parent making a choice to give or not give said shots without first understanding ALL of the risks involved both in choosing and rejecting them.)

I will ALWAYS err on the side of an individual making the choice for him/her self regarding what goes in or on their bodies.  I don't believe the government has the Constitutional right (or moral right) to tell US what we can or can't do with our own bodies. (The only exception being a person having the right to kill someone ELSE who is living IN her body.  You don't get to decide for someone ELSE'S body any more than THEY would or should get to decide for YOURS! Nevermind that murder is ALREADY illegal yet not being enforced when a mom is choosing to murder her own child.  But that's a horse for another thread...)

I just don't understand why this raw milk "issue" is even up for debate.  It's MILK.  If you're interested in obtaining raw milk, Real Milk lists the sources for raw milk in each state and various countries.

Want to do more research?

• Real Milk and Raw Milk Facts have information on the health benefits of raw milk and why you should drink it over pasteurized milk.
• The CDC will tell you everything bad that could possibly happen if you drink raw milk.

Please keep in mind that I am NOT against you choosing to drink pasteurized milk.  I simply believe that you should only make that choice after becoming informed.  Regardless of what you eat yourself or feed your family, you should only do so after first researching that food item so you are making an informed choice.  (Notice I didn't just give you the site stating the benefits of raw milk.  I gave you the site that will tell you the bad stuff too because I feel you should know THAT as well so you can make an informed choice about drinking raw milk.)  An informed choice can only happen when one knows the benefits AND the risks to their decision.

We DO drink raw milk and eat raw milk products in our family and have for years.  At one point, we only consumed raw goat milk products.  However, I would never advise you to make any changes to how your family eats without fully understanding the risks and benefits of that change.  You should never make the decision to do or not to do something simply because ONE person said so.  Do the research yourself!

And above all, I would encourage you to join us in the fight to gain the choice to decide for ourselves how we feed our family.  How?  Contact your state representatives (this is a state issue) and tell them that you want the right to choose for yourself whether your family drinks raw milk or not and ask them to work towards making it legal to sell and consume it in your state if it isn't already.  (You can do this even if you would never choose to drink raw milk yourself.)

What are your thoughts on this issue?  Do you have personal experience with raw milk that you'd like to share (good or bad)?  I'd love to hear from you!