(NaturalNews) Welcome to America, where freedoms exist... so long as they fall under the accusations and demands set forth by the government. Question it, and you're treated like a criminal.

Summerville, Oregon, ranchers Ava Denton and Ross Painter know all too well about this. The owners of Paradise Ranch, where they produce grass-fed beef and lamb, were issued a search and seize warrant by the county sheriff department. Within hours, their lives were ripped out from under them.

"Almost all of our mother cows, all of our future beef, and hog breeding stock were taken," said Denton. "Prior to the seizure, law enforcement had not presented us with any specific concerns that they wanted to see addressed. They did not work with us to have a veterinarian come on the property to assess our animals. They did not ask to see our hay purchase records to confirm how much hay we were buying and feeding. They had never cited us for lack of appropriate care for our livestock."⁽¹⁾

Ranchers face uphill battle as government jumps to conclusions, aims to please special interest groups

They did notice, however, that in the months leading up to the warrant, an animal control deputy was driving by their land several times daily. She expressed concern about the size and weight of the animals -- which sheriff deputies later acknowledged appeared perfectly healthy -- fearing they were neglected and not being properly fed. Such actions continued to the point of harassment, ultimately spiraling out of control; when severe weather jeopardized the health of many of their animals and led to deaths this past winter, it was precisely the "in" that authorities were waiting to pounce on. They could finally say, "see, we told you so," pointing to animals sickened and dying from Mother Nature's wrath, but saying it was because of human neglect. Today, the whole debacle has set the couple back considerably from both an emotional and financial standpoint, their life-long efforts thwarted by a system bent on destroying it.⁽¹⁾

It doesn't help that, as Denton says, they are "being prosecuted by someone whose salary is paid by a special interest group." She explains that, as ranchers, they're essentially facing a losing battle, since the special interest group is an animal rights organization. "The Animal Legal Defense Fund would like to see all animals have the same rights as human beings," she said. "They would like a society where animals are not consumed as meat or kept as livestock. ... Simply put, their belief is that we're cruel because we're ranchers."⁽¹⁾

Accusations, bullying attitude prevail just as they did during the Bundy Ranch standoff

If their story sounds familiar, it's because other situations like this -- in which farmers and ranchers are wrongly criminalized -- have indeed taken place. Remember the tense Bundy Ranch standoff in Nevada?

There, cattle rancher Clive Bundy came under serious pressure from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) after they abruptly announced that they suddenly own his property and would therefore be charging him rent for his cattle to continue grazing. Understandably, Bundy didn't agree with the BLM and so, he didn't pay. Years of tensions ensured, eventually resulting in a standoff that involved snipers, protests and his cattle being seized and killed by government thugs.⁽²⁾

"I have no contract with the United States government," Bundy said. "I was paying grazing fees for management and that's what BLM was supposed to be, land managers, and they were managing my ranch out of business, so I refused to pay."⁽³⁾

The norm: Good people being treated like criminals, society forced to eat unhealthy food

Unfortunately, these situations are a horrible trend in which people who have been doing the right thing, and who simply want to live out their lives peacefully, are slapped with the government's "we're here now, so what are you going to do about it?" approach. They swoop in, make unfair accusations, hold tight to outdated thoughts, newly created loopholes and a "wrong is right" mentality. Should you dare question their actions, you're treated like a criminal.

Furthermore, the government's ridiculous observations and treatment of ranchers like Denton and Bundy are undoubtedly part of a plan to make everyone dependent on factory farms and Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO). Of course, this boils down to greed and disregard for human health, and it's gaining a strong foothold in America: So long as the government keeps healthy, grass-fed animals at bay and makes ranchers the bad guys, the public will eventually have no choice but to eat foods that come from dirty, horrible -- but money-making -- conditions.

Sources for this article include:

(1) http://healthimpactnews.com

(2) http://www.naturalnews.com

(3) http://abcnews.go.com