Many of you don't know that when I left TV news, I took a job shooting videos for the Washington Department of Natural Resources. It gave me the chance to build my independent media work in my personal time, which was not an option as a TV reporter given my contract in corporate news. When I was hired, I was encouraged to keep my social media presence. Recently, my bosses informed me that I was to stop all videos related to Covid safety, vaccines and mandates that “undermine” DNR's policies, as DNR is one of many state agencies with a vaccine mandate, though ours was enacted by Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz and separate from Gov. Inslee's order. My independent work was done on personal time with personal equipment and I never discussed my position at DNR. I also informed my bosses that I had a First Amendment right to continue, and that the policy of a state agency committed to science should align with robust discussion that includes a variety of viewpoints. They disagreed. I refused to comply and was terminated last week.
I am truly grateful for the many wildland fire fighters whose stories I’ve had the honor of telling, as well as the fuels crews fixing the forest health crisis driving historic fires. We nearly evacuated twice this year, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that the work of DNR staff across the state saved our home and thousands of others.
While there are many unknowns for our family, not the least of which is finding a new health insurance plan (any suggestions?), we are absolutely unwavering that it was the right decision. How could I continue covering censorship and allow myself to be censored on one of the most important topics of my lifetime? There are a great many people taking grave risks right now - many of them you've seen in my videos - and those of us who stand up for free speech and informed choice right now will hopefully pave the way someday for others to do so without losing their jobs. I got into journalism to follow the truth wherever it leads, and I will continue. I am planning to record a video to discuss this publicly on YouTube. Would you please let me know what questions you'd like me to answer in it? In sum, our family is incredibly grateful for your support here. I have absolutely no regrets. I said once that free speech is the hill I would die on - but just to be clear, as I've said before, I did not commit suicide. 😉 Be brave. We are in this together.
The answer is 385.6 gallons of milk. That's how much milk we'd have to drink (at $13 a gallon) to make up for the $5,000 we have spent on our dairy cow - who has yet to produce a single drop. This is a PSA video for anyone who goes on social media and sees the idyllic apron-clad milkmaid harvesting her "free" milk for cream, butter, yogurt and more - then thinks, I want a dairy cow! It's hard work, there are no days off, and in the end, it's a financial wash (or drain). That said, if you want to do it because you enjoy a challenge, you want to raise your kids on a farm, you value knowing where your food comes from - these are great reasons. Leave the dreams of "free milk" at the barn door.
We love raw milk because it's a superfood with all the digestive enzymes left in tact. It's full of Vitamin K which is required for your bones to absorb Vitamin D. This is one reason we all take the fermented cod liver/butter oil from https://www.greenpasture.org/. It's packed with vitamins A, D & K...
I was truly amazed to witness Soleil, one of our mama goats, standing beside her kid when she got her head stuck in the fence. I first noticed something was wrong when I saw Soleil standing there, bellowing across the pasture to the other goats. Then I noticed her kid. Soleil stood there the entire time, in the hot sun, until her baby was free. Share this with a mama who doesn’t run when life gets tough.
And don’t forget to tell her about the fermented cod liver/concentrated butter oil from https://www.greenpasture.org/ which I’ve taken for 15 years. Motherhood can suck the nutrition right out of us, and this has helped me with chronic cavities, inflammation, energy and immune response. Use promo code “ALISON” for 10% off at checkout. Happy belated Mother’s Day!
I noticed recently that a box of MREs in our feed room has been untouched by rodents despite the ravenous way they chew through the animal feed containers. The MREs were issued to my husband when he was in the USMC. I have no clue why we still have them but it certainly caught my attention. Only the best for our service members, right? Semper fi!
EDIT: since I have been getting so many comments on other platforms that they just can’t smell through the packaging, I want to add that they eat through boxes in our barn that have no food inside them, this includes camping gear, Styrofoam, towels, fertilizer. You name it.
If you ate that stuff, or you’re just looking for a nutritional boost, grab the fermented cod liver/butter oil from https://www.greenpasture.org/ for gut repair. It has helped me with a lot, not the least of which has been going from chronic cavities to quick and easy dental exams. LINK IN BIO. Use promo code “ALISON” for 10% off!
https://open.substack.com/pub/merylnass/p/today-ralph-baric-was-forcibly-retired?
Interesting and good news
