Why is the state involved in this way at all? Why are licenses and fees required at all, no matter how many times the churches use their kitchen for events? These are not public places nor are they involved in interstate commerce. And "foods safety" here appears to be a violation of the separation of church and state. Why is the state taking control of anything inside this church?
What is without question, though, is that through "food safety," people at this Pennsylvania church are being deprived of freedom. And it is so profound a freedom, it is taken entirely for granted. It is the freedom to choose what they eat. The state of Pennsylvania is saying very clearly that they do not have that right, in pies or in milk, or in any food stuffs the state decides to declare "unsafe."
It may or may not be unsafe food. That is not what matters.
What matters is whether this democracy allows the state or federal government to take control the public's choice of food. That IS unsafe.
The confusion of the church people involved at St. Cecilia's is the experience of free people running up against the insanity of totalitarian control for the first time. They try to understand, they try to comply, but when it's clear that "normal" and "good" have become illegal, they begin seeking ways around the law to protect what matters to them. It may only be pie but it embodies everything in their culture, in their way of life, in their rights as citizens. It is the picture of normal existence being forced into a corporate box.
Let the government label what is unsafe all they wish, so people can choose for themselves. But the state of Pennsylvania was backing no labeling and the US government through the FDA, has left all GMOs unlabeled, attacking farmers' honest labeling of Monsanto's original rBGH, threatened cherry farmers from even offering links to peer reviewed studies, and state-to-state Monsanto-backed laws are being passed to ban labeling.
The issue is freedom, not safety.
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." --Benjamin Franklin.
Freedom is about choice. And choice is based on KNOWING what is what.
But Pennsylvania and the US government have been limiting "knowing" and attempting to eliminate choice (freedom). They are aggressively attacking certain foods - farm foods or homemade food, those for which people KNOW the source personally (and even the methods are 100% clear), foods they CHOOSE specifically over commercial foods.
It was not by chance those women were selling homemade pie. It was what made the fish fry special.
Nor is it by chance that the government is spending tax dollars on actual attacks on local farmers raising pure food and small and community businesses and church events, but not on USDA inspectors of corporate facilities where there is actual contamination. Chirdon's role in attacking Mark Nolt and this church serves a purpose. It sends a message.
This totalitarian use of "food safety" by government working on behalf of corporations, certainly threatens local farms and businesses, and it goes much further. It profoundly threatens community itself - its events and ethnic food and history and traditions and happiness and cohesiveness, which are intimately related to free involvement with food. The state has no right to be there at all.
"Food safety," through totalitarian bills in Congress, now threatens ALL FOOD IN THE US, our democracy and survival.
They say, "as American as apple pie."
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