These are the articles that run dangerously close to involving MORE government in MY choices as a human being.

I think its great to be informative however most information is skewed and swayed towards the informant. 2 sides to every story, you know. I don't personally drink raw milk (or really any milk at all) but I definitely do not support ANY article that might take that right away from someone else.

I kind of wish ALL regulation would just go away and leave the last man standing sort of thing.

Yeah, it's like all those statistics that read "overweight people are twice as likely to suffer x bizarre complication" and the difference might be 1 in 100,000 as opposed to 2 in 100,000 - not very meaningful.

Oh yeah. Thanks for starting this thread. THe handling of raw milk is more pristine than the handling of pasteurized milk. THe milk is healthier and well worth the risk although the risk is much lower with raw than it is with pasteurized.

I grew up on raw milk and raw milk products. My mom and dad decided to move from the city to a rural area where they could produce our food because I was failing to thrive and they hoped that fresh, home raised food would help.

We had 5 acres (5 Acres and Independence!) and at most we had 3 dairy cows, which certainly produced more than we could use ourselves, but we sold some to neighbours, and shipped the rest to a dairy co-op daily, we put the milk cans out daily for pickup and they picked up and delivered and equal number of sterilized cans for refilling (mom always resterilized the cans). We had raw milk, butter churned from some of the cream, some sour cream for pancakes with fruit or brown sugar (if you haven't tried it, don't knock it!), fresh, homegrown veggies, and fruit trees plus eggs from our chickens and pork and bacon from our piglets. It was an idyllic childhood and I'd love to revisit it, even if only by finding a farmer reasonably locally, who sells raw milk. i don't think I have much hope.

Indie I wish I lived closer to you -- I'd be one of your customers in a heartbeat!!

PS -- it must have worked ... I've lived 70+ years in excellent health, so far!

Glenda you make the whole point when you say that your mom re-sterilized the equipment before she used it.

The secret to "clean" raw milk is to handle all the steps so that everything supports the cleanness of the milk flowing out of the udder because that "product" is nature perfect.

Because the food industry in this country has been taken from the hands of small farmers and turned into factory style delivery there is no one responsible and the product (milk) isnt cared for along the way. Thus the need to boil it before you package it for the consumer. That way they wont get sick if they drink it - they wont get the benefits that nature intended but since that doesnt lower the price per gallon, who is supposed to notice or care?

I think your early upbringing is a key to your health now. I have raised 4 kids who have never had anything but raw milk w/ no cavities, no broken bones, no allergies...

the list goes on and on but I will stop there

That brings to mind the times that I skootched down next to the cats and waited for the stream to hit my mouth!!! No machine milking on our tiny farm -- it was all by hand, and I'll bet I could still do it, although I still wouldn't be able to "finish".

I used to help dad with the milking (that's how I got out of helping mom with the dinner clean-up!) - we had one cow who was such an easy milker that, even as a child I could get most of her milk, but dad still had to finish. I'll bet I could still milk a cow.

Part of our tiny farm is now a community centre and library with a parking lot. They call that progress?

Those sound like good times Glenda!

When my teens used to milk the cows they usually got into a "milk fight" which involved bending a teat and squirting your sibling in the eye

As far as the paving a parking lot out of your family farm...that is going to happen to us too.

Its inevitable.

while the aquarium part doesnt apply (first link I found that worked)

the timeless words and lyrics of the Eagles do!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1Rv...feature=related

the lyrics:

"The Last Resort"

She came from Providence,
the one in Rhode Island
Where the old world shadows hang
heavy in the air
She packed her hopes and dreams
like a refugee
Just as her father came across the sea

She heard about a place people were smilin'
They spoke about the red man's way,
and how they loved the land
And they came from everywhere
to the Great Divide
Seeking a place to stand
or a place to hide

Down in the crowded bars,
out for a good time,
Can't wait to tell you all,
what it's like up there
And they called it paradise
I don't know why
Somebody laid the mountains low
while the town got high

Then the chilly winds blew down
Across the desert
through the canyons of the coast, to
the Malibu
Where the pretty people play,
hungry for power
to light their neon way
and give them things to do

Some rich men came and raped the land,
Nobody caught 'em
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus,
people bought 'em
And they called it paradise
The place to be
They watched the hazy sun, sinking in the sea

You can leave it all behind
and sail to Lahaina
just like the missionaries did, so many years ago
They even brought a neon sign: "Jesus is coming"
Brought the white man's burden down
Brought the white man's reign

Who will provide the grand design?
What is yours and what is mine?
'Cause there is no more new frontier
We have got to make it here

We satisfy our endless needs and
justify our bloody deeds,
in the name of destiny and the name
of God

And you can see them there,
On Sunday morning
They stand up and sing about
what it's like up there
They call it paradise
I don't know why
You call someplace paradise,
kiss it goodbye