On June 30, 2017, in Lexington, Kentucky, Sam Girod, an Amish farmer, was sentenced to 72 months in prison. Girod’s crime? According to the federal agents going after him, he made a salve without the FDA’s permission. That’s it! A salve so innocuous that you could make it in your own kitchen. This “felonious” salve consists of rosemary, beeswax, olive oil, peppermint, eucalyptus, and chickweed.
He’s now in prison about 7 hours away from his family — his wife Elizabeth, their 12 children and 25 grandchildren — although Sam has never harmed anyone. There are no victims of the 3 herbal salves he made and sold for over 20 years.
In 2012, someone called the FDA and reported that a store in MO was selling Sam’s products and that medical claims were being made.
The claims turned out to be customer testimonials contained in a brochure about Sam’s products. No different than Amazon reviews, yet, since Sam reprinted his customer testimonials in a brochure, the FDA calls these “medical claims,” which puts Sam’s products under their so-called “jurisdiction”. Sam complied and stopped producing any further brochures.
Then the FDA claimed to have found a MO customer who had been harmed by Sam’s bloodroot salve, which turned out to be false – he wasn’t using Sam’s product.
With so many so-called “illicit” infractions the FDA decided to take Sam to federal court in MO in 2013.
The Amish do not use lawyers as a rule and Sam did not. Because he barely presented a defense against federal prosecutors, Sam was convicted on all counts against him.
To quote our friend, Sheriff Richard Mack, founder of CSPOA.org:
“The FDA and several state agencies as well, have already been raiding the Amish who think they can own a few acres of land, grow grass on it, let their cows graze and digest the grass, bring the cows home in the evenings, and milk them. Then the Amish have the criminal audacity to make raw dairy products and share them with family and neighbors. Many such dairies have been destroyed by our brave public officials and many Amish have been arrested. SWAT teams have raided such ‘criminal enterprises’ to protect us all from such dangerous people!”
Thanks to constitutional sheriffs or courts with juries who know their real duty, some Americans have been protected from this lawless tyranny.
You see, there is no authority for the FDA found in the constitution. The constitution designates no authority for a Federal Drug and Food Administration.
The FDA has found pretended authority, which they claim appears in the general welfare clause. However, the general welfare clause only applies to the 17 items found in Article 1, Section 8. This is a perfect example of what our founders call “pretended legislation” in the Declaration of Independence. This is a dangerous make-believe. The solution would be for a representative who understands the constitution to call for the impeachment of this federal judge, and finally, the president should pardon Sam so he can return home and be with his family.
You see God is the only one that can give rights. Not the FDA. And the right to health? Well, that’s yours and mine.
Watch the video column:
*** Jake MacAulay *** is a Life and Liberty News Contributor and serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the Institute on the Constitution (IOTC), an educational outreach that presents the founders’ “American View” of law and government. The former co-host of the syndicated talk show, The Sons of Liberty, he is an ordained minister and has spoken to audiences nation-wide, and has established the American Club, a constitutional study group in public and private schools.
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