Action Alert: WA “Cow Share” Bill Threatens Basic Human Rights

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January 16, 2006

Action Alert from the Washington Association of Shareholder Dairy

Owners

http://www.shareholderdairies.org

“Cow Share” Bill Threatens Basic Human

Rights

Please visit, call, write or email your State

legislators.

A bill has been introduced into the Washington State Legislature that is

intended to force private owners of dairy animals to comply with Grade A

dairy production regulations or face felony criminal charges. It also

contains provisions that would seriously erode the rights of

Washingtonians to be secure in their private homes and be free from

unreasonable search and seizure.

The Washington Association of Shareholder Dairy Owners urges you to

oppose this bill in order to:

Protect your right to produce food for your own sustenance;

Protect your freedom to choose your own foods, how they are produced

and where they come from;

Preserve your rights of privacy and the sanctity of the home;

Maintain the economic viability of family farms.

Immediate action on your part is necessary as legislators need to

hear from constituents THIS WEEK. If you can’t respond this week,

don’t worry, deliberations over these proposed bills will be on-going.

Take action anyway, please. More information on how to do this is

below.

Two versions of the bill have been introduced into the Washington State

Senate and House of Representatives, respectively.

The full text of the bills can be obtained at the following

websites:

Senate_Bill_Website

and

House_Bill_Website

Attend the Public Hearing

The first public hearing on the proposed legislation is scheduled to

take place before the Senate Agriculture & Rural Economic Development

Committee on Thursday, January 19, 2006 at 8:30am in Senate Hearing Rm 3,

J.A. Cherberg Building, Olympia, WA.

Please plan on attending this hearing and testifying to preserve the

rights of Washingtonians to make our own food choices and provide for our

own sustenance.

If you can’t attend the hearing, please visit, call, write or email your

State legislators.

More Information about the Bills

As written, the proposed legislation intends to require anyone owning

a dairy animal for milk production to comply with state dairy regulations

and obtain licenses or else face civil and felony criminal charges.

Thousands of Washington families who keep their own dairy animals for

their own personal enjoyment and hundreds of dairy shareholders who have

joined into groups in order to privately co-own dairy animals for their

own personal enjoyment will be negatively affected by this misguided and

dangerous law.

If passed, owning your own milk cow, goat or sheep will become a fond,

fast-fading memory of a bygone era. Instead, powerful industrial dairy

interests and over zealous government agencies will have finally

succeeded in ushering in a Brave New World where citizens are prohibited

from providing for their own sustenance through their own private food

production.

The proposed bill would also convey totalitarian police powers to

Washington State dairy inspectors allowing them to enter anyone’s home

and search your premises on the basis of hearsay– all it would require is

someone reporting that milking is happening at your home.

Currently, dairy inspectors only have the authority to enter and inspect

dairies that are licensed to sell milk to the general public, as it

should be. The U.S. and Washington State Constitutions protect us in our

private homes from such intrusions. It’s an affront to everything

American that State legislators would even propose such far-reaching,

police-state provisions.

Below is a list of the bills’ sponsors as well as those

legislators who sit on the House and Senate committees that will be

reviewing the proposed legislation. Please see if you find any

legislators from your district on the list. These people need to

hear from you. If you don’t find your legislators on this list,

contact your Senator and Representatives anyway. You can find your

legislators at:

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx

Attend the public hearings if you can.

Another very effective way to be heard is to call your legislator’s

office (either in Olympia or the legislator’s district office) and ask to

make an appointment to see her or him in person to discuss the issue. If

meeting with your representative is impossible, make an appointment to

meet with a staff person in your legislator’s office.

Writing a letter (on paper) is also a very good way for your input to

your legislator to be taken seriously. Their addresses are provided

below.

E-mail is a convenient way to let your legislator know your position on

this issue. Below are provided links to the legislators Internet web

pages from which email messages to them may be sent.

Please Take Action NOW!

The Washington Association of Shareholder Dairy Owners invites you to

join the association so we can continue our work to develop

standards and legal documents for use by Shareholder Dairies in

Washington State. We also invite your donations of funds to support our

work in defeating these bills as well as defending Washington State

Shareholder Dairies. You may join and donate on line at:

http://www.shareholderdairies.org

Thank you!

SENATE SPONSORS

* indicates a member of the Senate Agriculture & Rural Economic

Development Committee

Senator Mark Doumit

(D) 19th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

104 Modular Building 1

PO Box 40419

Olympia, WA 98504-0419

Fax:

email

Senator Marilyn Rasmussen*

(D) 2nd LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

409 Legislative Building

PO Box 40402

Olympia, WA 98504-0402

Fax:

email

Senator Mark Schoesler*

Republican Whip

® 9th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

106A Irv Newhouse Building

PO Box 40409

Olympia, WA 98504-0409

Fax:

email

Senator Dan Swecker

® 20th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

103 Irv Newhouse Building

PO Box 40420

Olympia, WA 98504-0420

Fax:

email

Senator Bob Morton*

® 7th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

115D Irv Newhouse Building

PO Box 40407

Olympia, WA 98504-0407

Fax:

email

Senator ph Zarelli

® 18th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

205 Irv Newhouse Building

PO Box 40418

Olympia, WA 98504-0418

Fax:

email

Senator l Shin*

Vice President Pro Tempore

(D) 21st LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

405 Legislative Building

PO Box 40421

Olympia, WA 98504-0421

Fax:

email

Senator Cheryl Pflug

Republican Deputy Floor Leader

® 5th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

102 Irv Newhouse Building

PO Box 40405

Olympia, WA 98504-0405

Fax:

email

Other Senators on the Agriculture & Rural Economic Development

Committee:

Senator Jerome Delvin

® 8th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

201 Irv Newhouse Building

PO Box 40408

Olympia, WA 98504-0408

Fax:

email

Senator Ken sen

(D) 46th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

102 Modular Building 1

PO Box 40446

Olympia, WA 98504-0446

Fax:

email

Senator Tim Sheldon

(D) 35th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

412 Legislative Building

PO Box 40435

Olympia, WA 98504-0435

Fax:

email

HOUSE SPONSORS

* indicates a member of the House Economic Development, Agriculture and

Trade Committee

Rep. Jim Moeller

(D) 49th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

422 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Newhouse*

Assistant Minority Floor Leader

® 15th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

324 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Tami Green

Assistant Majority Whip

(D) 28th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

327 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Shay Schual-Berke

(D) 33rd LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

331 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. DeBolt

Minority Leader

® 20th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

335C Legislative Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Lovick

Speaker Pro Tempore

(D) 44th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

430 Legislative Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Sherry Appleton

Assistant Majority Whip

(D) 23rd LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

424 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Ed Murray

(D) 43rd LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

203 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Helen

(D) 21st LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

341 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Other Representatives on the House Economic Development, Agriculture and

Trade Committee

Rep. Kelli Linville

(D) 42nd LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

429 Legislative Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Pettigrew

(D) 37th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

122E Legislative Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Dan Kristiansen

® 39th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

404 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Skinner

Minority Caucus Vice Chair

® 14th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

434 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Sherry Appleton

Assistant Majority Whip

(D) 23rd LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

424 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Barbara

® 10th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

405 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Blake

(D) 19th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

339 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Buri

Assistant Minority Whip

® 9th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

318 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Maralyn Chase

(D) 32nd LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

433 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Judy Clibborn

(D) 41st LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

315 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Jim Dunn

® 17th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

322 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Bill Grant

Majority Caucus Chair

(D) 16th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

434B Legislative Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Larry Haler

® 8th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

403 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Janéa Holmquist

® 13th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

436 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Kilmer

(D) 26th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

430 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Kretz

® 7th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

439 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. McCoy

(D) 38th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

338 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Dawn Morrell

(D) 25th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

342 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Dave Quall

(D) 40th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

301 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Strow

® 10th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

323 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Pat Sullivan

(D) 47th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

122G Legislative Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

Rep. Deb Wallace

(D) 17th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Olympia Office:

340 L. O'Brien Building

PO Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

email

This message originated from or was forwarded by:

Chrys Ostrander

Chrysalis Farm @ Tolstoy

Organic Micro-permaculture

33495 Mill Canyon Rd.

Davenport, WA 99122

chrys@...

http://www.thefutureisorganic.net

" From each according to their ability to each according to their

need "

Karl Marx - " Critique of the Gotha Program " 1875

" The purpose of agriculture is not the production of food, but the

perfection of human beings "

Masanobu Fukuoka - " One Straw Revolution " 1978

Please join a growing community of Washingtonians

working for official recognition of the private, self-regulated

shareholder micro-dairy.

To find out more and get involved, JOIN the Washington Association of

Shareholder Dairy Owners

http://www.shareholderdairies.org

Defend the Rights of Washingtonians to Readily Obtain Raw Milk

and Raw Dairy Products

Support the Raw Dairy Choice Campaign

http://www.thefutureisorganic.net/dairy/RawDairyChoice.htm