State Rep. Dave Zimmerman refused to stand boldly against statism and tyranny when Amos Miller, a Lancaster County farmer, was raided and sued by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
It appears Zimmerman is now posturing by sponsoring a bill that would allow us lowly peasants the freedom to buy more types of “raw milk” products – but only, of course, if the farmer submits to man-made legislation and permit requirements.
(In case you forgot, Amos Miller’s great “crime” was selling natural food products to willing and informed buyers. The lawsuit against Amos was not brought by any of Amos’ customers, but by the state of Pennsylvania – the supposed “injured party.”)
To be fair, no other elected officials made a stand in support of Miller either. But Zimmerman was supposedly known for his patriotic commitment to freedom – a reputation he often seeks to leverage. And so, when the opportunity came to stand for the freedom of Americans to buy and sell food without the government meddling in our affairs, one could have hoped a man like Zimmerman would be on the side of righteousness. He wasn’t.
So what if all the other representatives are also cowards, Zimmerman should not have fallen “in with the many to do evil” (Ex. 23:2).
I challenged Zimmerman to stand up for justice and join me in defying Russell Redding’s evil mandate. First, I communicated privately with Zimmerman. Then, I challenged him publicly. Unfortunately, he declined to take a stand for justice.
The Bible tells us that “the fallow ground of the poor would yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice” (Prov. 13:23). Remember: not only is the injustice against Amos preventing him from serving his neighbors (and you and me from having more food options), but it is also hampering many of his partners (small farmers serving their neighbors through Amos’ network). And several of Amos’ customers testified publicly in court that they struggle to find the natural food products needed for their health conditions – meanwhile, statists like Redding and Zimmerman are focused on pseudo-justice (namely, forcing Americans to follow every man-made code spewing forth from Harrisburg).
And so, while rumors circulate that the state of Pennsylvania will soon return to Amos’ farm to destroy some of the “detained” food, Zimmerman (living off the backs of taxed Americans) puts forth his “raw milk” bill.
House Bill 2293 would require the “secretary” to “allow every holder of a permit to sell raw milk, to sell milk products containing ‘Raw Milk,’ and [to sell] manufactured dairy products containing ‘Raw Milk.’”
In other words, more man-made laws about whether my neighbor can sell me milk products.
Zimmerman still doesn’t grasp that the incessant creation of man-made legislation is taking us further and further from justice.
I’ve also argued previously that Amos’ approach to this issue (and the advice from his legal team) is missing the point. Instead of trying to get more lenient “regulations” from our overlords in Harrisburg, Amos should be calling on his followers to peacefully, but publicly, defy the wicked mandates issued against him. Unfortunately, the legal team continues to advise Amos to avoid any sort of public civil disobedience. That’s a shame. The groundswell of support that Amos has received is not because freedom-loving Americans want the regulations tweaked – they want the government to stop regulating non-evil actions. God’s Law does not grant the magistrate the authority to penalize a man for selling products to his neighbor. If harm follows (from any transaction), the injured party can seek restitution. This is biblical justice – “If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them” (Deut. 25:1). The “state” punishing a man for failing to follow made-up laws is not doing justice (cf. Micah 6:8).
On a recent episode of The Lancaster Patriot Podcast, a local pastor remonstrated against my criticism of Zimmerman. “It’s too complicated,” this pastor told me, referring to the issue of the state punishing Miller for feeding his neighbors. Complicated? Hardly. It’s simple: the civil magistrate’s duty is to punish evildoers (cf. 1 Pet. 2:14), not prevent me from buying butter.
Here’s what is complicated: Knowing what “justice” means in a statist system with thousands and thousands of man-made laws, ever-changing and always malleable to the whims of bureaucrats and tyrants. As I wrote in Seven Statist Sins, “In the statist model, obedience to the state is an evolving enigma. In the biblical system, there is great clarity and simplicity: man simply needs to know and understand the Ten Commandments.”
In a press release about his bill, Zimmerman said that “people want foods with less processing and fewer chemicals” and that his proposed legislation “would allow for greater access to such products without compromising any of the raw milk safety standards set by the Department of Agriculture.”
The bill does nothing to address the injustice of punishing people for failing to register with the state in order to sell milk products. Zimmerman still thinks the people are incompetent to set their own safety standards. Instead, we should trust the bureaucrats and statists in Harrisburg – people who produce nothing and receive a paycheck (and pension) funded by the forced taxation of Pennsylvanians.
According to a Lancaster Online article, Zimmerman said the situation with Amos Miller was not the inspiration for his bill. That article also repeated what we already knew about Zimmerman: he thinks allowing you and me to buy butter from an unregistered farmer would “violate our justice system.” He’s right, in one sense: following biblical justice would violate the pathetic, humanistic version of “justice” (read: injustice) that Zimmerman supports.
The Lancaster Online article also noted that Zimmerman said he has not heard any pushback from his constituents about his comments. I find that hard to believe. (Though I am not his constituent, he has definitely heard from me.)
Zimmerman’s milquetoast milk bill is just another demonstration of our supposedly “conservative” legislators doubling down on statism and tyranny. There is a more excellent way: “The law of the Lord is perfect” (Ps. 19:7).
Chris Hume is the host of The Lancaster Patriot Podcast and the author of several books, including Seven Statist Sins. He can be reached at info@thelancasterpatriot.com.
i guess strongly worded internet blogs is what stopped all the cannibals too …
The spread of Christianity played a significant role in the decline of several pagan practices, including cannibalism and human sacrifice. Zimmerman must acknowledge and submit to God’s justice as expressed in sacred Scripture.
My heart goes out to Amos, such a disgrace what this Government is doing. They need to stay out of our business, far too much control and they need to remember they work for us! I agree on your statement about “Amos should be calling on his followers to peacefully, but publicly, defy the wicked mandates issued against him”. I pray Amos will be lead by the Lord and not man. Evil abounds, but He who is in us is stronger than he whom is in the world.
We must keep in mind that all just governments “derive their just Powers from the CONSENT of the governed.” The Declaration of Independence
Citizens domiciled within the jurisdiction of the United States are presumed to have CONSENTED to be subject to the jurisdiction thereof. Civil law pertains SOLELY to citizens and inhabitants who have chosen to establish their domicile within the jurisdiction of the United States and subjection to the civil law requires one’s CONSENT. Common law applies to all men at all times and in all places and does not require their CONSENT to apply to them.
All men are born free and have the right to self-determination. “Forced and Prohibited Associations.” International UDHR, Art. 20(2) “No one may be compelled to belong to an association.” The U.S. Supreme Court has declared that “Citizenship is membership into political society…” Luria v. U.S. 231 U.S. 9 (1913) which creates “reciprocal obligations.” “Allegiance and protection is a compensation for the other.” Minor v. Happersett, 88 U.S. 162 (1874).
The Supreme Court has ruled that no government may dictate a party’s choice of political affiliations. – American Jurisprudence 2d, Constitutional law, Sec. 546.
Citizenship is a “status” and the citizen has both rights and duties.
“Protection draws subjection and subjection protection.” Maxim of Law.