Amish Salve-maker in Jail, Facing Federal Prison

Events occurring and how they relate/affect Anabaptist faith and culture.
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ken_sylvania
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Re: Amish Salve-maker in Jail, Facing Federal Prison

Post by ken_sylvania »

RZehr wrote:What a gong show.
Sam seems to be addressing every point that is not being made against him. But is he even denying that matter at hand, which my understanding is incorrect labeling?
His argument in the filings so far seems to be that the FDA has no authority to regulate the labeling of his products because (1) they do not contain drugs, (2) they are being sold to "private people" rather than "public people," and (3) his products have never hurt anybody. He can't seem to grasp the concept that saying his products aren't drugs doesn't make them not drugs.

Best I can tell, he had a trial a couple years ago for selling products that weren't properly labeled, and he ended up with an injunction prohibiting him from selling any of his products for five years, unless the FDA agreed that he was properly labeling them. He just changed the labels (some people claim the new labels complied with the regulations) and started selling the stuff again. He claims he couldn't be prevented from doing this because he was selling to members of some "private club" he started and the government can't regulate anything that's done under contract like that. I don't know where he got his legal advice.
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mike
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Re: Amish Salve-maker in Jail, Facing Federal Prison

Post by mike »

ken_sylvania wrote:Best I can tell, he had a trial a couple years ago for selling products that weren't properly labeled, and he ended up with an injunction prohibiting him from selling any of his products for five years, unless the FDA agreed that he was properly labeling them. He just changed the labels (some people claim the new labels complied with the regulations) and started selling the stuff again. He claims he couldn't be prevented from doing this because he was selling to members of some "private club" he started and the government can't regulate anything that's done under contract like that. I don't know where he got his legal advice.
I always wondered what on earth "Private Members Only" meant on his label:

Image
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Remember the prisoners, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily. -Heb. 13:3
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mike
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Re: Amish Salve-maker in Jail, Facing Federal Prison

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Jury finds Amish farmer guilty on federal charges
WKYT wrote:LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - A federal jury handed down guilty verdicts for an Amish farmer accused of misbranding products. The verdict against Samuel Girod came down Wednesday in US District Court in Lexington.

The government charged the Bath County man with conspiracy to impede an officer, obstruction of a proceeding before an agency, failing to register with the FDA, eights counts of causing misbranded drugs to be introduced into interstate commerce, tampering with a witness and failure to appear. The jury found Girod guilty on all 13 counts.

The government said that Girod misbranded his Chickweed Healing Salve, TO-MOR-GONE, R.E.P. products. The jury found that Girod also processed those products in an establishment that was not registered with the FDA and that the labels did not bear adequate directions for use.

Girod made the products on his family farm along Satterfield Lane in Bath County. The FDA requires anyone who manufactures a defined drug to register their facility with them. The Girod farm is not registered. According to the indictment, the FDA says their officers were prevented from conducting an inspection at the farm.

A judge will sentence Girod on June 16 at 10 a.m.
Whatever his mistakes and crimes were, Samuel Girod has a very hard road ahead. :cry:
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Remember the prisoners, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily. -Heb. 13:3
ken_sylvania
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Re: Amish Salve-maker in Jail, Facing Federal Prison

Post by ken_sylvania »

mike wrote: I always wondered what on earth "Private Members Only" meant on his label:

Image
Funny, but I've seen that photo a number of times and never actually read the labels. They seem to be missing the standard disclaimer that "This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."
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Josh
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Re: Amish Salve-maker in Jail, Facing Federal Prison

Post by Josh »

ken_sylvania wrote:
mike wrote: I always wondered what on earth "Private Members Only" meant on his label:

Image
Funny, but I've seen that photo a number of times and never actually read the labels. They seem to be missing the standard disclaimer that "This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."
The top one looks fine.

The bottom one is misleading: it says "active ingredients", but doesn't say what they are "active" in doing.
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mike
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Re: Amish Salve-maker in Jail, Facing Federal Prison

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One Mennonite businessman has gone all-in supporting Sam Girod, comparing him to Rosa Parks, Mordecai, Harriet Tubman, and Corrie ten Boom. He paraphrases Martin Luther King Jr. as follows:
I Have A Dream!

I have a dream... that one day... one day in our great country little FDA boys and little FDA girls will join hands with little farmer boys and little herbal salve maker girls. I have a dream that they will together live up to that creed that all men are innocent until proven guilty. I have a dream!

I have a dream that one day farmer Sam's three little herbal salves will not be judged and incriminated by the story of their effectiveness but by the content of their ingredients. I have a dream today!

Sorry, Martin Luther King Jr.... Your original was so much better. I hope you don't mind my playful borrowing.
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Remember the prisoners, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily. -Heb. 13:3
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Bootstrap
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Re: Amish Salve-maker in Jail, Facing Federal Prison

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Salve mi, Jesu.
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Is it biblical? Is it Christlike? Is it loving? Is it true? How can I find out?
temporal1
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Re: Amish Salve-maker in Jail, Facing Federal Prison

Post by temporal1 »

we have a family friend who is a small town, general practice attorney (he refuses divorce cases, stating he "does not have the stomach for it") ..

he once was asked, "do i need an attorney for this matter?" ..
he wryly replied, "no, you are not required to have an attorney." :)

he went on to offer, "frankly, it's best for me that you do not choose to have legal representation from the start. i make a lot more money cleaning up legal problems after-the-fact, than preventing them."

we avoid all situations possible that might involve the legal system. but when it's inevitable, we don't try to "do it ourselves."

i empathize with the deep-seated religious desire to not use lawyers.
if that meant i could not have a chosen business, i would have to forfeit the business. people are making this decision more+more now, as government mandates interfere with business practices.

possibly, under this new gov administration, gov will be backing off small businesses (?) ..
that's the chatter, time will tell how it works out, and in what ways.
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Most or all of this drama, humiliation, wasted taxpayer money could be spared -
with even modest attempt at presenting balanced facts from the start.


”We’re all just walking each other home.”
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RZehr
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Re: Amish Salve-maker in Jail, Facing Federal Prison

Post by RZehr »

mike wrote:One Mennonite businessman has gone all-in supporting Sam Girod, comparing him to Rosa Parks, Mordecai, Harriet Tubman, and Corrie ten Boom. He paraphrases Martin Luther King Jr. as follows:
I Have A Dream!

I have a dream... that one day... one day in our great country little FDA boys and little FDA girls will join hands with little farmer boys and little herbal salve maker girls. I have a dream that they will together live up to that creed that all men are innocent until proven guilty. I have a dream!

I have a dream that one day farmer Sam's three little herbal salves will not be judged and incriminated by the story of their effectiveness but by the content of their ingredients. I have a dream today!

Sorry, Martin Luther King Jr.... Your original was so much better. I hope you don't mind my playful borrowing.
I would find it interesting to visit with this farmer.
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Josh
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Re: Amish Salve-maker in Jail, Facing Federal Prison

Post by Josh »

temporal1 wrote:we have a family friend who is a small town, general practice attorney (he refuses divorce cases, stating he "does not have the stomach for it") ..

he once was asked, "do i need an attorney for this matter?" ..
he wryly replied, "no, you are not required to have an attorney." :)

he went on to offer, "frankly, it's best for me that you do not choose to have legal representation from the start. i make a lot more money cleaning up legal problems after-the-fact, than preventing them."

we avoid all situations possible that might involve the legal system. but when it's inevitable, we don't try to "do it ourselves."

i empathize with the deep-seated religious desire to not use lawyers.
if that meant i could not have a chosen business, i would have to forfeit the business. people are making this decision more+more now, as government mandates interfere with business practices.

possibly, under this new gov administration, gov will be backing off small businesses (?) ..
that's the chatter, time will tell how it works out, and in what ways.
I hope Trump doesn't tolerate drug makers making unproven claims and getting away with it.

Ultimately, agree with your adversary quickly in your way to court; otherwise the judge will hand you over to the bailiff, who will hand you over to the warden. And I tell you, you will not get out of there until you've paid the last dollar.
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