Lemonade Stand And Raw Milk Supporters Protest For Drink Freedom

Milk and lemonade, two completely innocent childhood staples that are always welcome — so you may think. These once-harmless drinks are no longer in the clear. Lemonade stands are being shut down because kids don't have the proper paper work and permits to operate their business. Raw milk, supposedly a health and flavor powerhouse, is illegal because it hasn't been pasteurized to kill pathogens. What's a kid to do?

Protest, it seems. Last Saturday, in Washington D.C., both groups gathered together in order to protest the restrictions placed upon the drinks. Robert Fernandes, an organizer for Lemonade Freedom, said, "This is about self-ownership and voluntary exchange. If someone is selling a product, such as lemonade or raw milk, and someone wants to buy that product, then no third party should have any say in the matter." Fernandes isn't discussing adults trying to circumvent myriad food truck laws, but rather the legions of kids crushed when the police have come by to shut down their first taste of the business world.

The protests were peaceful, without any arrests as the participants sold raw milk and lemonade — proudly proclaimed their lack of permit. Liz Reitzig, from Raw Milk Freedom Riders, pointed out, "We proved without a doubt that laws are arbitrary and arbitrarily enforced. Last year, people were arrested at the same spot for this same activity. This year we were ignored. It's not about enforcing the statute."

It's clear hese claims for beverage freedom suggest that it's not that the government has too much control over what we drink, but rather that there are few distinctions whether these laws are upheld or not. So go ahead, drink a glass of milk or some lemonade.

(Photo Modified: Flickr/eren {sea+prairie})