Law makers drink raw milk to celebrate passage of the law...

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

And Get Sick.

Go figure. They Pasteurize milk to kill off the pathogens. When they first started doing it (a loooong time ago), it was heralded as "saving lives", which it did.

However, there are large groups of people who want "natural" things. You know, they want people's "natural immune system" to fight off diseases like measles and whooping cough...

And polio.

And they want to drink "Raw Milk" because the human digestive system needs cow bacterial cultures.

So, when West Virginia became the latest state to allow unpasteurized milk to be sold to the public, one of the bill's sponsors handed out samples to all the lawmakers.

Who then promptly got sick.

Raw milk can be safe. But it has to be handled very carefully and correctly.
Obviously, not by politicians.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[gowlerk 2,275]

Louis Pasteur warned us this would happen. About 150 years ago. You just can't make this stuff up.

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[ryoder 1,590]

wolfriverjoe

However, there are large groups of people who want "natural" things. You know, they want people's "natural immune system" to fight off diseases like measles and whooping cough...

And polio.

Yes, I had some fool telling me not long ago that people should "develop immunity naturally".
And my reaction was: So to those people for whom it is fatal, or crippling, we just tell them "Sucks to be you?"
I was a child when I first met a guy whose legs were crippled by polio. It left a lasting impression.
The mother of one of my best friends when I was growing up was barely able to walk, and he only recently told me it was due to childhood polio.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[wmw999 2,588]

There is something to be said for "exercising" your immune system. It's no longer considered cool to out Neosporin on every cut, or use anti-bacterial soap all the time. For one thing, they kill all the weaker bugs, leaving a greater proportion of stronger ones to reproduce. But also, if one has a decent load of antibodies on hand, one is sometimes a little better able to fight off casual bugs that appear.

Note, however, that it involves being smart. I drink raw milk sometimes, and often eat raw milk cheese, but I'm familiar with the source, and am at least somewhat careful. After all, I'm a skydiver, too -- I'm not entirely risk averse.

OTOH, I wouldn't think of reducing the normal requirement to pasteurize milk; it removes the need to know your source, and is just plain better for mass consumption. Just as skydiving isn't really for mass consumption.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

wmw999

There is something to be said for "exercising" your immune system. It's no longer considered cool to out Neosporin on every cut, or use anti-bacterial soap all the time. For one thing, they kill all the weaker bugs, leaving a greater proportion of stronger ones to reproduce. But also, if one has a decent load of antibodies on hand, one is sometimes a little better able to fight off casual bugs that appear.

Note, however, that it involves being smart. I drink raw milk sometimes, and often eat raw milk cheese, but I'm familiar with the source, and am at least somewhat careful. After all, I'm a skydiver, too -- I'm not entirely risk averse.

OTOH, I wouldn't think of reducing the normal requirement to pasteurize milk; it removes the need to know your source, and is just plain better for mass consumption. Just as skydiving isn't really for mass consumption.

Wendy P.

Yes. Overuse of antibiotics is pretty stupid. It hasn't really reached the tipping point, but resistant TB is pretty serious. So are resistant infections.

And I agree that raw milk can be done safely. But I wouldn't accept a sample from anyone where I didn't know how it was gathered, stored and shipped.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[TriGirl 343]

Quote

Several legislators who’ve been sick with stomach viruses did not sample the raw milk. “A lot of people get sick every year we go down there,” Cadle said. “They call it the Capitol crud.”

Hmm. And perhaps fewer people would have been exposed to this stomach bug if it hadn't been distributed to a large number of lawmakers through this batch of milk? Just a thought.

See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus

Shut Up & Jump!