“An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.”
Benjamin Franklin

It doesn’t matter if you keep your hair short or long. Cut your own hair and send the money you would have spent at the hairdresser’s to Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF) or Farm to Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) if you love food freedom.

Last week I talked with Megan Turcato from Kamloops Radio NL. She wanted to do an interview about raw milk. She wanted a local person to give a reaction to Micheal Schmidt and Gordon Watson’s recent conviction of Contempt of Court. If you have been reading eatkamloops.org for any time, you know I am very unhappy with the Canadian Government using public resources to drag farmers through the courts under the pretense of “public safety”.

So, what am I feeling about the court case? I found myself full of sorrow at powerful people using their positions to oppress people weaker and less well positioned than themselves. I’m also very angry with the government’s deception that this is about food safety and not about protecting the government’s monopoly on milk quota.

I’m furious that my government can take away my autonomy to choose the types of food I put in my body and with whom I do commerce. I’m terrified that my children, or someone’s children, could be taken away. When are these officials going to start thinking we are bad parents because we feed our children a food they have legislated into a “health hazard”?

This is how I feel about my loss of autonomy.

So what’s a Mother to do? This is not only about the loss of my personal autonomy but the loss of my parental rights to feed my children nourishing, traditional foods. I realize I am suffering from the grief of losing my autonomy and my rights as a parent. I am grieving over government officials using their privileged positions to oppress peaceful people whose “only crime” is working to supply people with raw milk.

I found myself awake late into the night, praying for the people fighting for food freedom. But prayer does not seen enough for secular problems. I don’t have the tools to fight these well-positioned oppressors. There are people who are more knowledgeable about the law, who have a better chance of beating these officials at their own game.

I found myself thinking about women’s long history of cutting our hair during periods of grief and times of loss. In more modern times, hair cutting has been used as fund raisers for charities. I vow to cut my hair myself until raw milk can be legally sold in Canada. I will send the money I would normally spend at the hairdresser’s and give it to the Canadian Constitution Foundation. (If you live in the US the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund also protects farmers from oppressive government regulation.)

I cut my hair every two months and spend $25.00 for my haircut. This means the Canadian Constitution Foundation will get about $150.00 from me each year until raw milk is legalized in Canada. I know if only one person does this, there will not be enough money in the “war chest” to beat the government officials. I’m making an open invitation to other women and men who believe in food freedom to make the same pledge.

So if you see me and I am having a bad-hair-day, you’ll know why. I’m mourning my loss of autonomy!

There are people who are more knowledgeable about the law, who have a better chance of beating these government officials at their own game. I’m putting my money in the hands of people who can fight for food freedom. I ask you to do the same.

If you would like to learn more about the situation regarding raw milk in Canada please read Food Freedom: The Politics of Food.

I once thought that the government officials would be “reasonable”. I now know that was delusional thinking. The only way through is to fight.