Raw Milk?

Yes Please! I'd like some Raw Milk The James said with glee!

Over the years, milk has been pastuerized for your health. Milk does have a lot of pathogens that can cause harm, but is it more dangerous to drink raw milk than it is to go walking through the Falls of the Ohio? In my opinion no.

If the cow is well taken care of, in a safe environment etc.. Then the risk of diseases is minimal compared to working in a place where someone can come in with bronchitis, meningitis, the common cold and the Plague. Hell, just living is dangerous, so why can't I partake in something I would like to drink?

Seriously, look at this, Orange Juice is pasturized to kill harmful things, but yet we consume raw oranges. We eat hotdogs and sasuages that are made from this that and the other thing, but we're concerned about a possible pathogen in raw milk? Milk that had been consumed for thousands of years without the whole worlds population dying off?

On the other hand, if anything we can do help alleviate dangerous viruses is removed from general consumption and an individual isn't careful, then all hell could break loose.

Several cases in recent years have highlighted the divisiveness of this issue, including that of Michael Schmidt, a dairy farmer in the Canadian province of Ontario. Schmidt, who runs a cow sharing operation, had his property seized in November 2006 and was charged with operating a milk plant without a license. His case gained a lot of attention when he went on a month-long hunger strike (broken only by a glass of raw milk daily) to protest the charges.

Cow Sharing you ask? Quite simply put, it's similar to the idea of car sharing. You have a group of individuals who are working together to help support a cow. Buying it's food, it's healthcare, it's land to graze on, it's over all life. With car sharing you're buying gas together, paying for vehicle maintenence, etc..

I have looked around and have not been able to find any cow-sharing oppurtunities for my area, but if any of you guys know of anything, let me know. I don't necessarily want to do that program, but I would like to have some "Raw Milk" so I can decide for myself if I like it or not, and if it's something I'd like to persue further, instead of the Government deciding what's best for my person.

The following is taken from the realmilk.com site:

"Back in the 20s, Americans could buy fresh raw whole milk, real clabber and buttermilk, luscious naturally yellow butter, fresh farm cheeses and cream in various colors and thicknesses. Today's milk is accused of causing everything from allergies to heart disease to cancer, but when Americans could buy Real Milk, these diseases were rare. In fact, a supply of high quality dairy products was considered vital to American security and the economic well being of the nation."