cute but stupid
From THE TELEGRAPH:
A group of seven Amish farmers in Michigan say the state's insistence that they use radio frequency ID devices on their animals "constitutes some form of a 'mark of the Beast' and/or represents an infringement of their 'dominion over cattle and all living things' in violation of their fundamental religious beliefs," according to their lawsuit. Some Amish, who have a booming business in producing organic milk, disagree with radio ID tagging so strongly that they said they will give up farming if they do not get an exemption.
The livestock registration is intended to create a national tracking system to help contain outbreaks of diseases such as mad cow disease, or foot and mouth.
COMMENT: A similar scheme to keep tabs on religious nutters might be a good idea.
Thanks to Stephen for sending this one in.
15 comments:
there are varieties of observance among the Amish, but the strict Old Order Mennonites eschew electricity, buttons (their clothes are held shut by tiny wire hook-and-eye contraptions), internal combustion engines and machinery, etc. etc. as part of their faith (believing all such devices as corrupting and leading to sin). Some would perceive this as violating their freedom of religion.
They also speak a funny kind of German rather than English, which is similar to my Grandparents' dialect.
Though how one could get through the day without checking out OCICBW causes the mind to boggle.
I don't know. They're searching for some Biblical reason to avoid this--but both of those excuses are a stretch to apply. More study is needed to come up with a real good excuse.
Surely there's something in Leviticus that covers this?
Actually, I do produce a special Amish edition on papyrus.
MP,
Have you considered making it compatable for those possessing wood-fired web browsers?
Have you heard about the new Amish computer virus? It arrives in the post and it reads: "This is an Amish computer virus. Please delete all your files immediately. Thank you."
Wow, now I find myself defending the Amish - have I caught a virus of some kind from Erika? - the issue here is lifestyle vs. big government as I see it. In a nation that claims to respect religious freedom, it seems that there should be a way to track Amish dairy cattle that meets their needs as well as the needs of "protecting the food supply" (as if the FDA really was doing that for the past 8 years, eh?).
::tongue firmly planted in cheek::
Next renzmqt, you will be wanting special handling for the religious nutters who would prefer that their children die because it is the will of Dios Todopoderoso, to being treated medically!
Well, and put me in with renzmqt. This has been a hotly debated topic in the circle of livestock and equine owners in the US. I agree that there should be checks in place at the time of sale of livestock to prevent transmissible disease, but I'm not sure it should be as intrusive as at the home level. American law is still pretty heavy on the notion of various permutations of the "castle doctrine", and "surveilance" is a very touchy issue as it partains to privacy rights in the US. I just have a hard time buying that the government needs to spend tax money considering my mule and my donkeys as biological agents of terrorism.
The concept is being added inch by inch in the American livestock market.
Mr. Mel, Miss Sylvia, and Miss Topaz say, "Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!"
The US Department of Agriculture prohibited meat companies from doing their own testing to certify BSE-free beef, yet the government wants to address the problem by implanting RFID chips in the animals?
It sounds like No Child Left Behind and the textbook/testing publishers. Is there a chipmaker that is making political contributions here?
Well, Dahveed, you bring up an interesting point, even with your tongue implant...it's always easiest to discuss these issues at the extreme - the extreme makes it seem so logical - however, what about vaccines? Are parents being neglectful if they choose not to vaccinate their kids? Are they neglectful if they choose to do so because of some faith reason? What about the parent who takes their kids to the doctor at the drop of a hat vs. those that decide to let the fever pass? I just wonder at what point the government has the right to step in and say that's enough. I'm usually a whacked out progress but I found myself horrified when the police in Texas took all those kids away from that religous compound - even if the mom's had boring dresses with weird 1940's pseudo glam style hair - they did it all on an anonymous tip. Or what about parents that bring their kids to McDonalds to eat or have kids that are allowed to become obese and sit in front of the television for hours? At what point are parents allowed to make decisions that we don't agree with whether they do so because of religious reasons or for no good reason at all? I don't know. As I said, it's an interesting point.
Our Amish brothers and sisters are seeking the right thing for the wrong reasons. Understand the right reasons here: NoNAIS.org: No National Animal Identification System (NAIS).
Doesn't it seem suspect that U.S. factory feedlot operators give full-throat support of the NAIS initiative, and family farms do not? Don't be so quick to judge the Amish, MadPriest. (You lot in England have a lot more local food choices than our capitalism-forged corporate factory farm and feedlot culture. So lay the fuck off our desire to fight it! Fundamentalists might just be right 1% of the time even if by accident.)
Our economy here in Michigan is in some deep deep shit, but if you want my opinion, family farms that grow and raise wholesome food for sale to local consumers are rare bright spots in the region. As long as I have a job (and it ain't looking good these days, working as I do for an automotive industry supplier), I buy a share in a CSA organic farm here in southeast Michigan and support a family farm that grows delicious, wholesome, organic produce. As a bonus, through them I can source Amish-grown beef, for which it is essentially impossible to contract Mad Cow or any other pathogenic horror show which is unfortunately all to common to corporate feedlot livestock and the hellish inhumane conditions to which they are subjected.
Oh, November 21! Happy Birthday to me.
Get most of my produce/meat from the local natural farm down the road - buy from my Co-Op try my best to avoid the agribusiness garage being passed off as food. By the way, natural flavorings and artificial flavorings all come out of the same chemical plants in New Jersey. Better to eat food that doesn't NEED flavoring. Preach it, Brother Marcus.
One of the blessings of rural Missouri life is I have friends who run cattle and a few hogs for themselves, and another neighbor runs sheep. There is a wonderful advantage of getting a half a beef or a half a hog or a lamb that I can stand in the feedlot and see exactly what goes inside of it!
Marcus is right: NAIS is the agri-version of no child left behind...and Big Feedlot Operators R Us have managed to already avoid some of the restrictions with some loose "promises" to do some things. So yeah, they want the small ranchers to have to pay the extra cost of the ID chips, because it's harder on their business than on Big Feedlot R Us's.
A few years back there was a shooting in an Amish school in Pennsylvania resulting in many deaths of schoolchildren.
The Amish immediately forgave the murderer and consoled the murderer's family. They did this without any big discussion or controversy, it was just part of who they are. I found that very moving and still do.
They choose to be different and few would adopt their lifestyle, but they are gentle to others and do little harm to the environment as far as I can tell.
Why couldn't they be allowed to tattoo those IDs on the cattle and achieve the same goal?
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