Is the CFIA coming to kill your livestock and bankrupt your farm? UPDATE
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- Published on Tuesday, 21 January 2014 01:51
- Written by editor
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Destroys Entire Flock of Healthy & Endangered Heritage Sheep and then Quarantines Farm and Charges Farmers with Conspiracy for Resisting
http://www.gofundme.com/FarmedAndDangerous
On the Radio—Andy Oudman (1290 AM CJBK, London ON) and Pam Killeen interviewed raw milk crusader Michael Schmidt and myself about our legal cases and the incredible amount our government is spending.
LISTEN HERE -- http://tinyurl.com/pd475ka
Created by Montana Jones
Apparently I am farmed and dangerous… But I am not a criminal. I'm a shepherd, farmer and writer who has been preserving rare Shropshire sheep for the last 12 years, and farming various... more
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EMERGENCIES PETERBOROUGH COUNTY...
JUST A GAG?
I like to believe that we all have the right to express ourselves, our opinions and ideas, and exercise free will—provided we do no harm.
Georg W.F. Hegel was a German philosopher who would likely have been a staunch advocate to save my heritage flock of Shropshire sheep before the Canadian Food Inspection Agency(CFIA) seized and destroyed them.
He believed that to be truly free a person must to be able to own property; make contracts with other people; make moral promises to people; live with anyone; get protection from laws; and have a voice in government.
As I understand, copyright and privacy laws uphold the right to take a photo of a public figure in a public place such as a Tim Horton's, as long as that image is not being used for commercial purposes. The federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), permits such photographs taken solely for journalistic, artistic, or literary purposes.
After last weeks bail hearing, I took such a photo and posted it with my views on swimming through this long legal channel of criminal charges. So many caring supporters contact me to ask how I am and how the water is, the least I can do is report on the latest currents...and undertow.
Apparently, Crown lawyer Damien Frost may not be so keen on my enthusiastic wish to keep you all abreast. His office has sent several notices since, stating that he has neither authorized nor provided permission for the publication of his image. Perhaps I did not capture his best side.
I've been accused of violating a publication ban and disobeying a court order, and threatened that subsequent action will be taken.
As one person wondered upon learning of the publication ban, and seeing the Frost photo and reading the purportedly offending post, "What's the superbig deal?".
What is the fuss really all about?
I left the post up because we must be free to express our own views. I have not violated the publication ban, nor disobeyed any court order. I simply reiterated what my bail conditions are, and mused on what is already public knowledge.
Now, the Crown is creating even more work for our legal team to respond to, and Michael Schmidt and I certainly do not have the resources to cover our original legal defence let alone so many unnecessary case hours on such a groundless accusation.
I realize the government has very sheep pockets and such diversions from the actual case will ensure a long employment for the Crown and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) entourage.
However the accused do not have the luxury of the government footing our bill. In effect, leaving the photo up will necessitate more fundraising to cover even more legal fees.
How much will free speech cost?
So for that reason alone, I have removed that photo. I have no wish to add futile hours to our legal expenses. I will honour my supporters and my self and safeguard my rights, but I won't ask supporters to cover the expense of additional absurdity.
Perhaps those that found the other image objectionable will prefer my photo of CFIA's Doug McLeod and Duane Boyd with my sheep on my farm, of a fact I didn't choose, and a memory I can't forget.
Did someone, somewhere misunderstand the definition of "gag"?
Because it's no laughing matter to order that the truth be silenced along with the lambs.
