13 office holders quit the Maine Republican Party en masse

[Einzige]

For very good reasons.

The Republican Party is 13 members smaller today, as members of the Maine contingent have walked away from the GOP.

The 13 members — including six state committee members, six members of the party, and Republican National Committee member Mark Willis — cited a long list of grievances that paved the way for their departure, in a letter obtained by the Bangor Daily News.

The letter, written on Sunday and addressed to Maine State GOP Secretary Chuck Mahaleris, declares that the “Republican Party has lost its way,” and highlights the former Republicans’ issues with congressional Republicans, Maine Republican legislators, the RNC, and the administration of Republican governor Paul LePage.

The group is angry with the “cowardly leadership of John Boehner,” and the “House Republican leadership’s utter disdain for the United States Constitution, specifically the Fourth Amendment,” and believes that the House did not try to “constrain the NSA to the boundaries of the Constitution.”

They also criticize Senate Republicans for their continuing “support” of “undeclared wars,” and claim that Senate Republicans are in support of “supplying arms to our ‘terrorist enemies.’”

According to the letter, Senate Republicans have also spent time passing “feel good” gun control legislation that “would do nothing to stop another Sandy Hook massacre, all the while restricting Second Amendment rights of law abiding American citizens.”

The ex-Republicans are also disappointed with Maine Republican legislators, who “failed to sustain” Governor LePage’s veto of their budget.

The unpopular GOP governor, known for his many absurd and inappropriate comments that include urging “Obama to go to hell” and telling the NAACP to “kiss my butt,” appears to be one of the biggest problems with the Republican Party, according to the group.

“Not to be outdone by the legislators, this [LePage] administration’s support for common core education standards, the internet sales tax, the atypical meddling in the business of the Maine State Committee, as well as the vetoes of the drone and cell phone bills left many of us incredulous,” the group wrote in the letter.

The “straw that broke the camel’s back” was LePage’s veto of the “Raw Milk Bill.” The Raw Milk bill would have provided Maine farmers and consumers their “God-given rights to buy, sell, and consume” raw milk.

The letter concludes:

“For the above-stated reasons, we can no longer allow ourselves to be called nor enrolled as Republicans; we can no longer associate ourselves with a political party that goes out of its way to continually restrict our freedoms and liberties as well as reaching deeper and deeper into our wallets.”

 

[Perotista]

For very good reasons.

Crying or resigning over spilt raw milk. I like it.

 

[polgara]

Crying or resigning over spilt raw milk. I like it.

At least they had a reason that made sense to some farmers across the country, I guess. :lamo: For the rest of us...meh! It's obvious that a great deal of thought went into questioning what their constituents that voted for them might think. Darn that fine print, anyway! What will they do now? Join the Democrats that care a whole lot about raw milk? Just when you thought you had heard everything....

 

[Thrilla]

At least they had a reason that made sense to some farmers across the country, I guess. :lamo: For the rest of us...meh! It's obvious that a great deal of thought went into questioning what their constituents that voted for them might think. Darn that fine print, anyway! What will they do now? Join the Democrats that care a whole lot about raw milk? Just when you thought you had heard everything....

with their list of grievances, I highly doubt they are joining the Democratic party... that would be like jumping from the pan into the fire.

 

[Dittohead not!]

Oh, goodie! A third party, starting in Maine. Let's call it the Raw Milk Party.

 

[DDD]

Oh, goodie! A third party, starting in Maine. Let's call it the Raw Milk Party.

Or the AVCP. The Anti Vulgar Comment Party.

 

[Moot]

"God-given rights to buy, sell, and consume” raw milk."

I don't believe it's a right, God given or otherwise to sell milk that could make thousands of people sick, any more than it's a right to murder someone.

The Dangers of Raw Milk: Unpasteurized Milk Can Pose a Serious Health Risk

 

[ecofarm]

six members of the party,

Office holders? Title is BS. Anyway, these people will be hailed by the left as morons just as soon as they declare themselves libertarians.



As long as Maine keeps the lobsters flowing, I don't think anyone gives a crap.

 

[Fisher]

"God-given rights to buy, sell, and consume” raw milk."

I don't believe it's a right, God given or otherwise to sell milk that could make thousands of people sick, any more than it's a right to murder someone.

The Dangers of Raw Milk: Unpasteurized Milk Can Pose a Serious Health Risk

You do realize that is mostly only more dangerous because people have not been drinking it from birth don't you? It is the same reason people do not feed infants honey--their bodies are not yet conditioned for it. You do realize that humans survived for quite awhile prior to pasteurization?:

"According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there were 86 reported food poisoning outbreaks from raw milk between 1998 and 2008, resulting in 1,676 illnesses, 191 hospitalizations, and two deaths...(Not safe to eat: Three foods to avoid - CNN.com)

1600 people sick and two deaths over a decade is hardly as serious of a health risk as other things since 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases each year per the CDC (CDC - 2011 Estimates of Foodborne Illness)

 

[ecofarm]

"According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there were 86 reported food poisoning outbreaks from raw milk between 1998 and 2008, resulting in 1,676 illnesses, 191 hospitalizations, and two deaths...(Not safe to eat: Three foods to avoid - CNN.com)

1600 people sick and two deaths over a decade is hardly as serious of a health risk as other things since 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases each year per the CDC (CDC - 2011 Estimates of Foodborne Illness)

A per cap figure might be appropriate. Very few people consume raw milk.

 

[Fisher]

Office holders? Title is BS. Anyway, these people will be hailed by the left as morons just as soon as they declare themselves libertarians.



As long as Maine keeps the lobsters flowing, I don't think anyone gives a crap.

Nor will people in Maine give a crap. That place is so standoffish I am surprised they haven't declared themselves an independent nation.

 

[Fisher]

A per cap figure might be appropriate. Very few people consume raw milk.

I could not find a number readily for how many people own a milk cow. Hell I drank raw milk a lot as a kid and nobody in my family ever got sick from it. It was like little kid bootleg. You just get it fresh and don't keep it long.

 

[ecofarm]

I could not find a number readily for how many people own a milk cow. Hell I drank raw milk a lot as a kid and nobody in my family ever got sick from it. It was like little kid bootleg. You just get it fresh and don't keep it long.

Everyone I met in Africa boils their milk.

My point was... if 10/100 people consuming raw milk get sick and 10/10000 people get sick from other sources, I think that should be the figure used and not total numbers, in the interest of honestly assessing the danger.

 

[Moot]

You do realize that is mostly only more dangerous because people have not been drinking it from birth don't you? It is the same reason people do not feed infants honey--their bodies are not yet conditioned for it. You do realize that humans survived for quite awhile prior to pasteurization?:

"According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there were 86 reported food poisoning outbreaks from raw milk between 1998 and 2008, resulting in 1,676 illnesses, 191 hospitalizations, and two deaths...(Not safe to eat: Three foods to avoid - CNN.com)

1600 people sick and two deaths over a decade is hardly as serious of a health risk as other things since 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases each year per the CDC (CDC - 2011 Estimates of Foodborne Illness)

You do realize I posted the link to the FDA webpage regarding raw milk don't you? It says....

"....In addition, CDC reported that unpasteurized milk is 150 times more likely to cause foodborne illness and results in 13 times more hospitalizations than illnesses involving pasteurized dairy products....<snip>....unpasteurized milk can carry dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria, which are responsible for causing numerous foodborne illnesses.

These harmful bacteria can seriously affect the health of anyone who drinks raw milk, or eats foods made from raw milk. However, the bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous to people with weakened immune systems, older adults, pregnant women, and children. In fact, the CDC analysis found that foodborne illness from raw milk especially affected children and teenagers....."

Yes, people survived before pasturization, but they also had shorter life spans, too. If it weren't for pasturization there would likely be 150 times more people getting sick and 13x more people going to the hospital than mentioned in CDC statistics for raw milk illnesses.


And since you didn't bother to read the link I posted....the FDA goes on to say....

"...pasteurization kills harmful organisms responsible for such diseases as listeriosis, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, diphtheria, and brucellosis.

Research shows no meaningful difference in the nutritional values of pasteurized and unpasteurized milk. Pasteurized milk contains low levels of the type of nonpathogenic bacteria that can cause food spoilage, so storing your pasteurized milk in the refrigerator is still important.

While pasteurization has helped provide safe, nutrient-rich milk and cheese for over 120 years, some people continue to believe that pasteurization harms milk and that raw milk is a safe healthier alternative.

Here are some common myths and proven facts about milk and pasteurization:

Pasteurizing milk DOES NOT cause lactose intolerance and allergic reactions. Both raw milk and pasteurized milk can cause allergic reactions in people sensitive to milk proteins.

Raw milk DOES NOT kill dangerous pathogens by itself.

Pasteurization DOES NOT reduce milk's nutritional value.

Pasteurization DOES NOT mean that it is safe to leave milk out of the refrigerator for extended time, particularly after it has been opened.

Pasteurization DOES kill harmful bacteria.

Pasteurization DOES save lives.

Symptoms of foodborne illness include: Vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Flu like symptoms such as fever, headache, and body ache.

While most healthy people will recover from an illness caused by harmful bacteria in raw milk - or in foods made with raw milk - within a short period of time, some can develop symptoms that are chronic, severe, or even life-threatening. If you or someone you know becomes ill after consuming raw milk or products made from raw milk - or, if you are pregnant and think you could have consumed contaminated raw milk or cheese - see a doctor or healthcare provider immediately.....read...
The Dangers of Raw Milk: Unpasteurized Milk Can Pose a Serious Health Risk

While I don't like Maine's obnoxious governor ...he was right to veto that bill. Thank the Lord he has some sense. I suspect the conservatives pushing to bring back raw milk are the kind of people who don't believe in science and they don't believe in germs because they can see them. If they had their way the earth would still be flat.

Pasturization has worked for over 120 years and I see no good reason to turn the clock back now. If someone wants raw milk that bad, they can go buy it directly from a farmer or they can go buy a cow.

moo

 

[Dittohead not!]

it seems there were a lot more issues than simply raw milk. Why anyone wants to consume raw milk, raw fish, raw any sort of animal products, is beyond me, but if that's what they want, then so be it. As for the rest:

The group is angry with the “cowardly leadership of John Boehner,” and the “House Republican leadership’s utter disdain for the United States Constitution, specifically the Fourth Amendment,” and believes that the House did not try to “constrain the NSA to the boundaries of the Constitution.”

The fourth Amendment has been under attack for some time now, starting with Asset Forfeiture back in the 1980s. The NSA, and any other government entity, needs to be constrained to the boundaries of the Constitution.

They also criticize Senate Republicans for their continuing “support” of “undeclared wars,” and claim that Senate Republicans are in support of “supplying arms to our ‘terrorist enemies.’”

The power to declare war is supposed to rest with the Congress, but that quaint, old fashioned idea went out the window during the "police action" in Vietnam. Supplying arms to the enemy has also come to be a tradition of sorts.

According to the letter, Senate Republicans have also spent time passing “feel good” gun control legislation that “would do nothing to stop another Sandy Hook massacre, all the while restricting Second Amendment rights of law abiding American citizens.”

To be fair, that was mostly the Democrats.

The ex-Republicans are also disappointed with Maine Republican legislators, who “failed to sustain” Governor LePage’s veto of their budget.

Not being from Maine, I don't know about that one.

The unpopular GOP governor, known for his many absurd and inappropriate comments that include urging “Obama to go to hell” and telling the NAACP to “kiss my butt,” appears to be one of the biggest problems with the Republican Party, according to the group.

Another local issue, but why support someone who makes such statements?

“Not to be outdone by the legislators, this [LePage] administration’s support for common core education standards, the internet sales tax, the atypical meddling in the business of the Maine State Committee, as well as the vetoes of the drone and cell phone bills left many of us incredulous,” the group wrote in the letter.

Liberal issues all. Why are the Republicans supporting such things?