PICKLE SHOWDOWN

Daniel Mowery lives, gardens, and cans vegetables  in Manchester, New Hampshire.  Growing up poor, he's cultivated a hobby of canning jelly, tomatoes, and bread and butter pickles and giving everything away.

                  He doesn't charge a dime and does this to commemorate his growing-up hardships in a way that helps others less fortunate.  He's been doing this homespun charity work for decades, to the delight and gratitude of many.  But last week he got a cease and desist order from the Manchester Health Department.

                  City officials say he must have a permit and commercially licensed kitchen even if he's giving his food away.  To his credit, Mowery says he'll continue with his free food charity work; he has no intention to stop what he's been doing. 

                  When he responded to the cease and desist order that way, city officials doubled down and threatened additional cease and desist orders coupled with fines and violations.  Looks like we're heading toward a showdown at the pickle corral.

                  First, I want to publicly thank Mowery for not bowing to Baal.  The "kings of the earth" prowl around every day seeking obeisance, and when someone doesn't bow it's a win for righteousness.  Bless him.

                  Second, realize that this is not a federal or state ordinance; it's a local ordinance.  While I am not a fan of federal government rules, this is why we have a Bill of Rights.  Our country's founders realized that some rights were God-given and not subject to any power putting a lien on them.  A lien is what someone puts on a possession when it's not free and clear; when some debt is still outstanding. 

                  After adopting the Constitution, the founders realized that some locality might take away the right to assemble or bear arms or warrantless search and seizure.  Later, the right to vote was codified, along with civil rights in 1964.  Things were added at the federal level that were so inherent to human freedom and thriving--life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness--that our nation guaranteed it at the federal level.

                  This ensured that no local outfit could deny folks these basic human rights--hence, the bill of rights.  As I've promoted a federal FOOD EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION, some folks have said it's overreach and should be done state by state.  That's fine with me, but philosophically, shouldn't being able to grow, can, and give away your own food to friends and needy be a basic human right?

                  Remember, no human right exists if it costs someone else something.  That's why you can't have a right to medical care, food, housing, education, or retirement income.  A basic human right only exists if other humans don't have to pay for it.  I can't have a basic human right that costs someone else anything. 

                  In this case, the freedom to grow, preserve, and give away food doesn't cost anyone else anything.  It's an obvious basic human right.  And if Manchester, New Hampshire can't see it, we need a federal guarantee, a codified additional human right, added to the bill of rights to preclude any lower authority from overreach. The fact that food is now in the crosshairs of bureaucratic tyrants should make us all shudder.  Religion is one thing.  Speech is another.  Right to bear arms is yet another.  But food?  Really?

                  Do you agree with Daniel Mowery's position to defy the local authorities and keep canning and giving?