65-year-old man subjected to torture and imprisonment for selling...milk

A California man was imprisoned and subjected to a week of torture and cruel & inhumane treatment for selling raw milk.  While considered a health hazard by our government, there are people who knowingly value the health benefits of raw milk and wish to purchase it.  I am not one of those (have never had it, so can't tell you one way or the other how I feel), but do feel that people should have the right to drink raw milk if they wish.  This right is available in other countries around the world, but not here in the "land of the free". 

I was reading the summary of what happened to James Stewart, the man who was subjected to this foul treatment, and thought of something.  It seems that whenever I read of really cruel treatment in our penal system, it's never from a convicted murderer or a rapist; whether this actually does happen and is just unreported, I don't know.  But when I do hear of cruel treatment, it's usually visited upon a protestor or someone like Mr. Stewart, who is circumventing the way things are traditionally done in the U.S. and offering people another option.  This threatens the power structure and if you do this, it seems an eventuality before you are taken in and made an example out of.  Just look at the bail that was set for Mr. Stewart: $1 million.  For selling raw milk.