It’s racial profiling in Michigan. Pigs with the wrong colored hair are being exterminated by teams of rifle-toting bureaucrats. Owners of these pigs are being bankrupted. It’s all perfectly legal.
It began on April 1.
In late March, Natural News ran a story on what was about to happen.
It’s all part of a shocking new “Invasive Species Order” (ISO) put in place by Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This Invasive Species Order suddenly and shockingly defines virtually all open-range pigs raised by small family farms to be illegal “invasive species,” and possession of just one of these animals is now a felony crime in Michigan, punishable by up to four years in prison.The state has said it will “destroy” these pigs beginning in April, potentially by raiding local farms with government-issued rifles, then shooting the pig herds while arresting the members of the family and charging them with the “crime” of raising pigs with the wrong hair color. This may truly be a state-sponsored serial animal killing spree.
These pigs have been legal for decades.
The state of Michigan has issued a document describing nine “traits” of what they call “feral pigs” which they claim should be destroyed on April 1.Those traits include having the wrong color on the tip of the hair or even being born with striped hair. The traits are written so that virtually all pigs raised by family ranchers across the state of Michigan will be targeted for destruction by the state of Michigan starting April 1. Farmers who defend their livestock may be arrested as felons and charged with multiple felony crimes by the state.
The slaughter began on schedule.
“I was served a search warrant yesterday at 7: 45am. I have killed all my hogs. [DNR] gave me papers that say I do not have any hogs on my property. All they saw were dead hogs laying around from my mass slaughtering. It took 12 guys 4 times in there to kill all of them, sows with young, Pregnant sows, dozens of piglets, and old mature boars. It has been a sad few weeks. Does anyone know what it feels like to open fire on 20 baby piglets in one group which weigh between 5 lbs and 15 lbs. They are so adorable and cute. They commented to everyone that they never saw a fence built so tough and no way would a hog get out of this area.” (www.BakersGreenAcres.com)One of the raids targeted Ron McKendrick of Renegade Ranch in Cheboygan County. His ranch was raided on Saturday morning, and DNR agents reportedly conducted an interrogation of his customers and his 75-year-old senior citizen employee. In order to gain access to his property, . . .
Another raid was conducted against the farm of Dave Tuxberry. He’s the man who was forced to shoot all his own pigs before DNR agents arrived, in order to avoid being arrested as a felon.
Bureaucrats are relentless. The law of all bureaucracy is to expand, like cancer. They will roll over us until their budgets are cut. Nothing else stops them for long. But their budgets are rarely cut.
We are no longer living in the free society that existed when I grew up in the 1950's.
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Published on April 19, 2012. The original is here.
Mark Baker and the Department of Natural Resources sued each other. The judge dismissed the counter lawsuits in 2014. The state declared victory. Baker did not get to plead his case.
In 2016, Baker explained what had happened.
Baker sued the DNR because he wanted them to clarify what the order meant. The state attempted to fine Baker $700,000 for the 700 pigs it considered illegal.Baker believed the lawsuit would prove any pig could be classified illegal.
“We wanted them to say that in a court of law, because that would implicate the pork producers, too,” he said. “We got to within 10 days of trial and they dropped all charges against me.”
That may have looked like state capitulation, but Baker doesn’t see it that way. He believes the state bowed out before they had to admit they overreached.
He had to pay legal fees of over $60,000 to defend himself.
That's how the bureaucrats work. They let your lawyer drain you of money, and then, if they think they will lose in court, they cease and desist.
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