I also blame BP.

You're missing the debate about whether cow's milk is good or bad for you in any form.

Ah... we're talking about simple ol' milk, right? 

This is a lengthy, lengthy topic that is deeply rooted, and as with all other things food-related, highly political. No one seems to really know for sure, which has a lot to do with each side pushing their agendas equally as hard. The fact is, many of us 30-somethings and older drank "raw" milk as kids (even though we didn't know it) and ended up fine. 

Pasteurization is a heating process that kills most harmful bacteria if any are present. 99.9% of pasteurized milk is also homogenized, which is a process of shooting the milk through a (basically) screened plumbing system. Also, often more ingredients are added, such as additional butterfat, minerals, etc. In the end, the molecular composition of pasteurized/homogenized/additive milk has been significantly changed, depleting it of the many reasons we drink milk in the first place. It also has a much longer (and quite unnatural) shelf life because of the above described processes. Let's call this pseudo milk for now. 

Let's not forget that this side of milk is a billion dollar industry. 

Raw milk has had nothing done with it. There's no screwing around. So it's better for you, right? Yes. There's nothing wrong with raw milk if you get it from a farm that is CLEAN, and keeps their grounds and animals CLEAN.... and that's really the big issue. 

Corporate farms that pasteurize/homogenize their milk don't and aren't as clean. They don't have to be. 

Out here in the boonies, we have several resources for raw milk. Overall, it tastes better and is a hell of a lot better to cook with (like making cheese). Besides, the cooking process will kill any harmful bacteria if any os present. Also, I thought I was lactose intolerant for years. Turns out, my body just can't handle the pasteurized/homogenized pseudo-milk. As far as I've researched, this is very common. Most people who think their lactose intolerant really aren't. They (and myself) just can't drink pseudo milk. 

In our home, we use more soy-, almond-, or rice- based milk than anything. Every once in a while, we'll get raw milk, mainly for making cheese and the like. 

All in all, drink whatever the hell you please, for all I care. Raw milk is real milk. Pseudo milk is just that. 

If you can find raw milk, visit the farm and meet the farmers and take a tour. Inspect it for cleanliness. The main farm we go through is unbelievably clean. 

Do some research. There's a lot out there. 

That's all for now, and this is only a tiny bit of the iceberg, but I hope it helps at least a little.

Actually, humans are the only animals to continue to consume milk beyond nursing.

Gwanto, I also thought I was lactose intolerant until I started dating a farm boy and was introduced to real milk.

There is a coconut milk-based ice cream at the co-op (coconut dream? cocolicious? or something) that is really good. Coconut milk has lots of fat, which I think helps.

There is no fake cheese that can substitute for real cheese, I am sad to say.

"Milk is a maternal lactating secretion, a short-term nutrient for newborns. Nothing more. Invariably, the mother of any mammal will provide her milk for a short period of time immediately after birth. When the time comes for 'weaning', the young offspring is introduced to the proper food for that species of mammal. A familiar example is that of a puppy. The mother nurses the pup for just a few weeks and then rejects the young animal and teaches it to eat solid food. Nursing is provided by nature only for the very youngest of mammals. Of course, it is not possible for animals living in a natural state to continue with the drinking of milk after weaning." 

Kradjian, Robert M. The Milk Letter : A Message To My. Patients. Sunday New York Times Magazine, October 6, 2002.

We are not the only mammals post-weaning that will drink milk - as stated predators/carnivores will feast on the sweetness of milk if they kill a nursing cow/dam/whatever. Furthermore, the fact that there is not a chance appears to be the largest factor in adult mammals not getting milk and in some species -- bovine, primate -- older individuals will try to "steal" milk from a nursing mother, she usually fights it off, but not always successful. 

I think if you trust the farm then you could trust the milk -- ask the question you might of anything else you are purchasing or putting in your mouth: would you drink it? Ask the seller -- do you drink it? Would you allow your kids to drink it? I think, if you can trust the response, that's an answer you can hang your hat on. 

Just my 2¢.