PMA Victory

Fantastic News, from the Lunatic Farmer

I just saw this news, from the Lunatic Farmer, Joel Salatin:

“WE WON

“Faithful readers will remember my blog from last week titled "Time to Stand" regarding state action against Triple Oaks Farm in Campbell County, Virginia regarding their Private Membership Association (PMA) designation.

“Bryson Lipscomb called me yesterday to inform me that the state has withdrawn the suit in its entirety. No courthouse showdown Monday, Sept. 22. It's all done.

“Apparently this blog and other efforts generated enough attention and heat that the Virginia Department of Health backed off and has decided to not pursue penetrating their PMA model. This is a fabulous win on our side and we can all thank God for cooler heads to prevail.”

For anyone not familiar with the Private Membership Association model, it is a way for people to create, engage, and exchange with each other without being under the jurisdiction of government regulatory bodies. It is one way in which we can escape the ever-encroaching grasp of those bodies, and thrive.

As an aside, the state does not want us to thrive. Most importantly, it does not want us to be able to thrive independently. If you believe that those regulatory agencies and their rules exist to keep anyone safe, I encourage you to look a little deeper. And to remember that long before those agencies existed, there was a justice system that enabled people to take action against anyone whose product or service caused them harm.

I believe that it is no accident AT ALL that today, in our heavily regulated society, we now have companies and individuals that are free to cause the gravest of harm to the people who use their products and/or services, without fear of any legal consequences. Without fear of being held accountable for their actions.

Why? Because the regulatory state does not protect us. It protects the interests of certain, already-powerful businesses, by making it harder for anyone else to compete with them. That’s it. That’s what regulation actually does, in contrast to what your junior-high school civics teacher told you it does.

In any case, the Lipscombs’ case is a huge victory for all of us. It reaffirms our right—at least in part—to trade with each other as consenting adults, and frees up just a little corner of our lives in which we might thrive.

What makes this outcome all the more impressive, and meaningful for the rest of us, is that the Lipscombs were going to be representing themselves in court, as no attorney would take their case.

As Joel writes:

“No attorney will represent them because lawyers can lose their licenses to practice if they dare to defend PMAs. The Lipscombs will be representing themselves pro se…”

I would like to extend my most heartfelt appreciation to the Lipscombs for standing up to the Virginia Department of Health, and for doing so when they had no professional legal assistance, and certainly no guarantee of success. I also want to thank Joel Salatin for raising awareness of the case, and everyone who came out in support of the Lipscombs. As Joel says, it was very likely that it was this pressure that caused the department to back down. This victory does not only help the Lipscombs, it helps every single one of us who wishes to operate in freedom, to create, and to trade with one another as we choose. And to thrive.

Thank you.