Progress meets the Ingalls
Friends, while my posts are not usually political in nature, I have decided to branch off a little. The following story is something I wrote after doing a little bit of research on some of the issues that our country is facing right now in regards to seeds, animals, and farms. I was struck with how much has changed since the simple laws of the Laura Ingalls time. That thought was the "inspiration" for the following. As Christians, it is important that we know what freedoms could be taken away from us, and seek to do the right thing in regards to all of these issues. While most of us aren't farmers, these laws could definitely effect us in the future. We are basically facing laws and policies that could control every avenue of our food supply. Do we really want any form of government to have control over everything? The following story is made up of real life situations that some are facing and others points of the story are what we could be facing in the very near future. Monsanto, by the way, is a huge company that has shut many small farmers down because Monsanto's seed was found in their fields (to make a very long story short)
Enjoy!
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Progress Meets the Ingalls By Kimberly Harris
A black car with tinted windows sped down a dusty back road. The scenery was calm and beautiful. Wheat ready for harvest, waved their heads in the gentle breeze as the sun shone brightly, apple trees were green with leaf, and an occasional farmer's home housed the hard working, but satisfied family. As the car turned at corners and sped down the road at a tremendous rate, its very actions seemed menacing and disrupted the calmness before it. Sometimes it would slow as it passed a farmer's house, as if searching but not finding what it was looking for. It went along in this manner for sometime until it finally reached a smaller farm. They too had wheat ready for harvest. There was a newly built barn that still smelt of freshly sawn wood. The small farmhouse showed that its occupants were not wealthy, but it was clean and cheery. A place a stranger looking for help would feel hope in seeing.
The black car stopped in front of the house, and a man with tinted glasses stepped out. His dark suit was well pressed and a scent of expensive cologne wafted from his being. His carefully combed blonde hair seemed too bright to go with the dark expression on his face. He decisively took a step towards the farmhouse with his polished leather shoes. His eyes swept the farm, ears ready to overhear, eyes ready to see, and mind ready to twist.
As it was midday, the family was inside partaking of a simple but plentiful meal. Laughter was mingled with solemn thanks, and a note of concern was heard as they talked of the future. Their future was so wrapped up in the success of their crops, that it was hard not to worry lest something should happen.
The man outside wrinkled his nose in disgust as he kicked a meowing white cat at his feet. The cat found that even though his feet looked well bred, their kick was accurate and heavy. He continued to walk up the dirt driveway, passing a cow with its calf in a field nearby. As his gaze stopped to rest on their backs, the first sign of a smile appeared, a cruel twisted smile that spoke of danger.
When he reached to steps of the porch, the laughter of little girls met his ears. "Pa, you are funny! May we listen to you play your fiddle tonight?" A deep, but kind voice answered back "Laura, if you do your chores well today and help Ma and Mary with the cooking, I would be happy to play for my little half-pint."
Laura's response was cut short by the sharp rap at their front door. Pa pushed his chair away from the rough table, wiped his hands on his napkin, and kissed Ma's careworn cheek, saying, "I'll go see who it is."
When Pa opened the door, he was greeted with the sight of the back of a man who was apparently glaring at Pa's dog who was growling warningly at the man. Pa whistled for the dog to come. The man turned as the dog raced by him and looked Pa over. Pa was wearing farm clothes that showed a mornings work imbedded in them and heavy boots. Pa's face was slightly wrinkled and tan from hours in the sun. He had a black beard and his honest eyes were still twinkling from his fun with his family. Pa said cheerfully, "Can I help you?"
The man replied in a cold tone, "Sir, I will get straight to the point. I am sorry to say that we have found you guilty of many felonies, and you will be brought to court soon."
Pa looked surprised as his eyes widened and he brought up a hand to rub his beard out of habit. "You must be mistaken. I am an honest man who tries to support his family with the work of his hands. I haven't been involved in anything illegal."
The man's mouth twisted into a second smile at this speech. "Sorry Sir, whether you know it or not, you have committed many grievous felonies." Pa's usually gentle eyes grew angry, and looking the man square in the face, he demanded, "What are the charges?" The man turned again to look at Pa's farm. He pointed in the direction of the wheat fields with a well-manicured hand. "We have done a few tests on your wheat. We have found that some of the seed that Monsanto has a patent for growing in your field. We have found no record of you actually buying seed from Monsanto and so conclude that you are using it illegally." Pa's anger deepened at this statement, and he straightened his shoulders as he made his defense. "I have saved my own seed for years and I can guarantee that the original seed I bought was not from Monsanto. I know my neighbor has bought from them and it is possible that some has crossed onto my fields, but I have no control over that."
The man merely turned his shaded eyes towards Pa and said in an amused tone, "We are going by facts here. The fact is you have been found to be growing this seed in your field without permission." He continued, cutting off Pa's outraged reply. "But that is not the only offense. I also see that you own a cow and a calf. Do you have a permit for them? You know that they must be registered in the national registry." Pa was once again shocked. "Since when did I need a permit to own my own cattle? It has always been a basic right in America and any country to own your own livestock!" The man continued as if he didn't hear, "Now you don't actually milk this cow, do you?" Pa looked as if he thought the man was crazy. "Of course I milk my own cows! They provide one of the mainstays of my family's food." The man turned his eyes away from the pasture to look into Pa's face. He wagged a finger in Pa's face accusingly, "You are in trouble. You are not licensed to milk cows." Pa raised his voice as he said, "I don't sell it. I just feed my family with it." The man shook his head in mock sympathy. "You are not allowed to risk even your own family's health. You have not been officially certified to milk sanitarily." "My family has never gotten sick from our milk!" Pa retorted.
The man once again continued as if he didn't hear. "But you do at least pasteurize your milk, don't you?" Pa shook his head no in a daze. Laura and Mary had meanwhile run to the front door to see what the angry voices were all about.
The man turned his piercing gaze towards them. He once again shook his head in insincere sympathy as he made his final blow. "You have been risking your family's lives by giving them raw milk. You should know that a caseworker will be visiting soon to interview you, and will bring you to court as well. They will decide there whether you and your wife will retain the right over your children."
Pa's arms tightened around his daughters as he hoarsely, fiercely said, "You can't take my children away from me. You have no right."
The man replied in an amused tone. "Oh, but we do. We will be in contact with you soon. You can expect fines, if not imprisonment, for every one of your felonies, and the failure to pay will result in the loss of your farm. As I said, a caseworker should be in contact soon about the children's safety."
With this said, he turned and walked back through the dusty driveway and got back into his black car. His walk spoke of self-satisfaction and pride in his work. As his car speed away, he left behind the scene of a crushed man being comforted by his family. They had survived so much hardship, but could they survive progress?
