Plant a Garden, Go to Jail for 93-days?! Nanny of the Month (July 2011)
by Reason TVThey’re cracking down on food trucks in St. Louis and busting those who bust a sag in Collinsville, Illinois, but the nation’s top nanny is the Detroit-area scold who just can’t stand front-yard vegetable gardens.
Last year a Georgia man who committed a similar offense faced only fines, but not Julie Bass, who was looking at 93-days in the slammer for her veggie violation.
Presenting Reason.tv’s Nanny of the Month for July 2011: Oak Park, Michigan City Planner Kevin Rulkowski!
Just over one-minute long.
“Nanny of the Month” is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Opening animation by Meredith Bragg.
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To watch past “Nanny of the Month” episodes, go here.
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84 Comments
It’s the ‘organic’ food lobby flexing it muscle…
I’m only half-kidding.
Somebody needs go to Nevada and examine Harry Reids pomegranate trees.
I hear they are blooming.
this is the beginning phases of the UN's 'Agenda 21'…
And a major part of this is the denial of resources to US citizens, first water rights (How's it going in California, now?) and then access to land. But also is the denial of people's right to grow their own food.
Can't have a bunch of serfs dependent on government largesse if they're self reliant.
And the crackdown on small farms continues. They want GMO (genetically modified foods) produced at mega farms to be your ONLY consumption. This way they can control nutritional content- or lack of it- and, as such, determine life spans.
Yes, you read correct. Determine just how long THEY want you to live. They intend to 'control' (read that LIMIT vitamins and herbal remedies as well) supplements and make them both weaker and far more expensive.
Only the rich elite can live long, healthy lives. Serfs need to work hard and die young. THIS is 'Progreesive' thought.
Won't get them to admit it, though. They'll just call you names and change the subject. Fools. They will get screwed as well…
You first my brother. Eeeeeck.
Huh……..and people who have never grown a single vegetable plant qualify for a $50,000 Pigford settlement.
Is this a great country, or what!
Halle-friggen-luiah!
LOL!!!!!
Kevin Rulkowski is just demonstrating the age-old fact… we don't own our property, we just lease it from the government.
I wonder if he would be appeased if the lady just cemented in her whole front yard instead.
The plan is not law yet BUT… In an AG plan there are restrictions on anyone except certified farms planting any type of garden for the production of any edibles for humans or animals. NO PEA PATCH ALLOWED.
I will be ecstatic once we have turned out all of the SOCIALISTS NATIONWIDE!
Dont give Sharpton any ideas!
Humor and truth, I love it.
You know the only way to stop these busy body idiots is to charge them criminally with harassment! That moron just spend time in a 6×9 cell with a roommate named bubba so he has time to reflect and start minding his own business. At the very least it would be hilarious to go get a personal injury attorney and make him spend a fortune defending himself!
I'm serious.
The USDA needs to send a Field Agent there immediately.
A serious violation of Federal Law might be being committed.
Pomegranates today, mary-joe-wanna tomorrow.
Where the hell is that skinny little peckerhead O'Keefe with his handycam when we need him?
What legal basis does the city have for creating a law that regulates what kind of plants you can grow on your property?
Great comment!
There is a battle right now in CA where us miners are involved. The Karuk tribe (Klamath river basin) is essentially trying to take over all of the federal lands there and kicking all miners out. They have ties with Soros groups and far left groups. The corruption goes deep, including law enforcement and politicians.
The Klamath river basin is one of the largest sources of fresh water in Northern CA/Southern OR. To coin plugs Biden's phrase "this is a big F'ing deal".
There ARE those of us who have experience investigating these matters……….stay tuned.
that annual property tax thing is great for the Government. Get behind and then get it in the behind.
Rather than facing a 93 day visit to the local hoosegow, the lady should be rewarded for her inventiveness, entrepreneurial ideas, and environmentalism. However, common sense does not seem to be a virtue among 99.99% of nanny politicos.
Great… now I am going to have to make a trip to the city office to find out if my 14 year old autistic son who grows herbs in our yard (without pesticides), and sells them to the veggie co-op I belong to is going to be arrested?
WELCOME to the new world order folks………
Some chains that bind the free are not always visible to the naked eye.
Wow- you cant grow veggies in your own yard,
yet Barny's Frank's boyfriend had no problem growing "herb" in his.
Amazing what the right connections can do for you.
…get behind and they take it from you…
You guys distorting the truth is just as bad as when the "other guys" do it. If you speed you get a ticket. If you refuse to pay the ticket you will go to jail. This woman refused to abide by the law. What do you think should be done?
Why do you hate Liberty so?
Not Over.
I'd replace them with painted grenades…..
And while this is happening the Department of Transportation is enforcing new rules relating to farmers
hauling their crops to market, as well as doing their daily biz. Seems all vehicles that may be described
as ''trucks'' will now be classified as commercial vehicles, and one will need special drivers licenses,
that require passing random drug tests, and continuing education classes, not to mention all sorts of
permits and inspections.
Could this be the UNIONS making their entry into the food raising sector??? I guess we'll see.
WHAT A COUNTRY!!!
I support the others who don't want their property values being affected.
While the rest of Detroit metro area declines into slums and getting bulldozed by Mayor Bing, this Oak Park, Michigan City Planner Kevin Rulkowski has the audacity to deny what is "suitable" in the way of edible landscaping. What a maroon!
And if the law said she had to wear a burka it would be OK to fine her. So it never occurs to you that some laws are just unjust or immoral?
How about anti-gay marriage laws. Should gays just mindlessly obey these and not marry and not protest and if there is a fine they should just pay it?
What part of liberalism says to blindly obey the law without question? Laws are supposed to prevent harm of one person by the direct actions of another. What harm is there in growing a garden? Who was harmed? Do you think laws should be used to enforce aesthetics?
What happened to you? Why are you so eager to just obey?
She's abiding by the law…..the law is vague if it refers to the term "suitable" if they want to make it specific towards "vegetables", then they need to change the law to read as such……
Another example of liberal mentality showing they've got nothing better to do than phuck with people they don't need to be phucking with.
Sooner, or later, we're going to realise that it's them or us….
and I have no qualms about what needs to be done….not one….
He's a freaking Nazi……
Simple as that….
And if the law said she had to wear a burka it would be OK to fine her.
More likely to be a law against wearing them – what would you suggest those who want to wear one do?
So it never occurs to you that some laws are just unjust or immoral?
The law that we treat people who are sub-humans as "equals" is immoral and unjust and the Founding Fathers would agree as would Lincoln.
There are no ant-gay marriage laws. There are counter-culturalists who want to undermine our culture by forcing us to accept abominations – just as there is NAMBLA.
Laws are supposed to prevent harm of one person by the direct actions of another. What harm is there in growing a garden?
Same could be said of putting and old, broken washing machine on your front lawn.
Do you think laws should be used to enforce aesthetics?
They do in neighborhoods. Maybe she needs to move out to the country.
There are plenty of WILD, natural plants she should have used and most dunderheads wouldn't even realize they were edible. Are there rules against having weeds? Grow dandelions, lambs quaraters, purslane – I see all this in the grocery store now. Organic Dandelion leaves – $3 a bunch.
Yet, it would be much cheaper to grow it yourself from a pack of seeds. This issue should go under dumb laws as it prevents people from growing legal produce themselves on their property.
Why such a law exist is beyond reason and should be overturned. Not to mention the punishment for it is far greater than the so called crime itself. I might just grow a garden myself and I live in GA to.
Wicitawhatever and the city manager need to revisit the dictionary and look up the word "suitable." "Common" is not the definition of suitable.
Oh, you will have to read the local article to understand my reply.
I let dandelions grow in my back yard for the most part. Just let them grow naturally. I don't do it in the front, though, because I have social sense that others would not like it. That is what seems to be lacking here.
They still have the water turned off to the Central Valley in California. Politicians are turning some of the most fertile and productive land into dust bowls.
So, its okay in the backyard but not the front. If its your property though, it shouldnt really matter where you grow a garden. People use to grow gardens in the front as well as in the back.
This is just stupidly out of hand. Especially since this is nothing compared to as speeding ticket as you said before. Since, the ticket is for the public safety and heavy speeding cares are dangerous when the driver is careless. On the other hand, growing a garden is a danger to no one and the food that is grown doesnt threaten the life of anyone else.
Please tell me you dont see how stupid this really is.
Damn right. I will Live, whatever that takes.
OK, how about answering the original questions directly?
And just who the hell are you to tell an individual what edible plants they can or cannot grow on THEIR property?
What are property rights?
The Tenth Amendment of the US Constitution says that states and local governments can become totalitarian. At least that's what current jurisprudence says.
Had she grown some MJ I'm sure the leftist nannies would be buying from her not prosecuting her
What the hell has happened to our country?
You ever wonder why there is not rows of purselane, dandelion, and lambs quarters on the shelves of the produce sections? They taste like weeds. Most are bitter.
You don't own property virtually anywhere in the US and certainly not in neighborhoods.
It depends on the local government. I can't build a privacy fence around my front yard. I can't build a privacy fence higher than 6' – THAT was a shock to discover.
A trashy looking front yard is going to affect property values, though. And that is what they are trying to control.
I'm not. Their local government is. As for growing plants, why is hemp illegal?
Lambsquarters taste like spinach. Purslane is sold at high prices. Dandelion can be bitter but I've grown to like it. It was known throughout history as a miracle plant.
According to the USDA Bulletin #8, "Composition of Foods" (Haytowitz and Matthews 1984), dandelions rank in the top 4 green vegetables in overall nutritional value. Minnich, in "Gardening for Better Nutrition" ranks them, out of all vegetables, including grains, seeds and greens, as tied for 9th best. According to these data, dandelions are nature's richest green vegetable source of beta-carotene, from which Vitamin A is created, and the third richest source of Vitamin A of all foods, after cod-liver oil and beef liver! They also are particularly rich in fiber, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and the B vitamins, thiamine and riboflavin, and are a good source of protein.
In nature, often, in order for one creature to live, another must die….
I've personaly heard these elites refer to the common man as 'livestock'. Don't think for a minute that they'd have any qualms about culling the herd…
Progress…
I understand the whole property value issue there. Yet, if the person is living in that house and dont plan on moving, them growing a garden shouldnt matter. In my neighborhood not every yard is fenced, and we have had houses built that are far worse than a mere garden.
Besides, just cause its a garden there, doesnt mean it will look trashy anyway. Someones house could be following the laws and be looking far worse. Like I said before, this is just stupid and the jail time doesnt fit.
On top of that, how could one explain to a future employer that you got jail time by growing a garden of veggies. The outcome of the law is far worse than the crime itself. It is serverly unbalanced.
But she's WHITE, the blacks get the gold mine and she gets the shaft.
Property "value" and "Detroit" shouldn't be used in the same sentence.
Just one more straw on the camel's back. Eventually the bulk of American's will get it.
"There are plenty of WILD, natural plants she should have used and most dunderheads wouldn't even realize they were edible"
It sure sounds like you want to be the final authority on what she should and should not grow.
Hemp is illegal because some statist douchebag thought it was a good idea to make it illegal. Much like a statist douchebag that thinks garden veggies should be illegal.
If you support the growing of those plants, than why not support growing veggies to. Who are you to say who can and cannot grow in their garden to eat.
If I get your logic, tomatoes are bad to grow, but weeds are good.
"Who are you to say who can and cannot grow in their garden to eat?"
He's a statist, pure and simple. Isn't it obvious that he knows better than us?
This issue is precisely why I consider myself a lower-case-L libertarian before anything else. Local tyranny should be protested against every bit as forcefully as federal tyranny.
They'll have to pry my tomatoes and peppers from my cold, dead hands.
Absolutely right!!! The same thing goes in your neighbor hood, right, WichitaLM. You'd be right mad, too if someone decided to upgrade from a single-wide to a double-wide next to your trailer! Hell, then your taxes might go up just a bit because a new double-wide is a bit 'nicer' than a single-wide, right???
The problem is the vagueness of the law. The community does have a right to protect property values, but not by enforcing an interpretation of a vague meaning. No 4 foot or higher privacy fence in the front yard? That is fairly easy to evaluate. Suitable plant material??? Does that mean she could grow cotton?
obama and a bunch of gat-damned liberal communist POS combined with a couple of million lazy-ass welfare junkies outnumber those who want the freedoms and liberties to live life as they see fit and be able to earn and save how ever much they want.
You Sir, now work for those who don't want to…And those who don't want to work voted in their leader.
That is poop. All this crap makes me want to go to law school so I can become a lawyer and file lawsuits against these wanna-be dictators.—
When the need arrives the first herd to be culled will be their's
I to have read this plan, now I am not a tin foil hat wearing type. But I have started to save the seeds from the vegetables I harvest in my backyard garden and will have them safely secured for future use. If nothing happens no problem I will just use them up. As for ridding our Nation of the Socialists I too will be turning cartwheels once they are gone. God Willing in my life time.
Let's hope that 'need' never arrives….
More likely to be a law against wearing them – what would you suggest those who want to wear one do? Let them wear one because the law shouldn't exist JUST LIKE there shouldn't be a law preventing gardens. BOTH ACTIVITIES harm no one so there exists no reason to disallow them.
The law that we treat people who are sub-humans as "equals" is immoral and unjust and the Founding Fathers would agree as would Lincoln.
So the woman gardening is sub human? What's your point? How is this person who is gardening harming someone? So you think arbitrary laws about aesthetics should exist?
There are no ant-gay marriage laws. There are counter-culturalists who want to undermine our culture by forcing us to accept abominations – just as there is NAMBLA.
And how does this make the law against gardening right? How is gardening undermining our culture?
Same could be said of putting and old, broken washing machine on your front lawn.
Exactly. So who is harmed by the broken washing machine? BTW I can understand a covenant in a housing community since you have to agree to the covenant to purchase the home. But that is dealt with in other manners NOT through a waste of law.
hey do in neighborhoods. Maybe she needs to move out to the country. </>
And so where do you stop? House color? Up keep? Number of dandelions? Skin color of the person who moved in? BTW there are HOA requirements but those are agreed upon by the buyer when they purchase the home and are dealt with in other ways via violation of contract. But laws are not for aesthetics they are for prevention of harm.
You're obviously a statist. Huffington post might be more your speed
I agree with you wholeheartedly. I believe knowledge is a powerful tool and the best self defense one can have. These sites prove that.
And why are they not popular enough to garner at least a foot of shelf space in the grocery store? Most would not eat them if they were free. Now , if you want to eat them by all means grow the H*** out of them in your garden. Obviously the woman in the story does not want to grow 'weeds'. And she should have the freedom to grow what she wants.
I've often defused an explosive situation by telling the potential perpetrator what he plans to do, following up with what will likely happen and a query as to who needs to be notified in regards to the dispostion of the deceased or injured….
Most food at grocery stores is not chosen because it is good for you – but because of its shelf-life, ease of shipping, etc…. Fruit is picked before it is ripe so they can ship it to you on time. Even produce is dyed and waxed. It is sad that we have come to the state of using the grocery store as a measuring stick for value of food – it is a sure sign our society is doomed.
Most people wouldn't eat lobsters up until 100 or so years ago – they were used as fertilizer or slave food – until a marketing guy (con man) sold it as a luxury food. They are sea bugs for God's sake! And they are not particularly good but people are told they are so they usually fool themselves in to liking it. Sort of like the con over "modern art" where talentless slobs call something art and have convinced you if you don't agree then you are the one with a problem.
The general public are drooling morons for the most part.
it is great when one spells out EXACTLY what might happen to a possible transgressor should malfeasance arise.
The squirming is fun to watch…
perk of the job….
Not just that – CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE. The lemonade stands – there should be 100s of them all over the cities where the government just went after those kids. Bunny farms – keep doing it and see if anyone else wants to join in.
OVERWHELM them with CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE.
I ain't playing nice anymore.
"When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty." – Thomas Jefferson
Does that clear it up for you, ya Nazi thug?
Amen. I will agree that certain things should be left up to the States and local government, but it doesn't mean that I won't fight against local tyranny as much as federal tyranny.
After you see the AG one… Google the Emerald Cities Project. Utter and complete control is what the Socialist Agenda is.
I also save seeds and am thinking of some growing lights for the garage.
when 'interviewing' a wrongdoer, quite often just such a conversation yielded all sorts of benefits.
Not to mention enjoying said 'perk'…
Inflatable Jumpers are a great hit at any gathering concerning kids – like birthday parties. They instantly grab their attention and get them all under one roof. This is a feature a lot of parents greatly appreciate. As entertaining and exciting they are to have about, parents should always implement safety first. A casual mistake can end up causing a serious damage or maybe even worse.moonwalk rental chicago
Faster.
I have no tuition cash and don't qualify for student aid… but I am taking donations! ;o)—
It doesn't matter as to which plants you grow, if you let them reside in water for too long, they are liable to rot and die down. Using the right kind of soil is very important in containers as well. You can't use ground soil in such containers.
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