Page 4A
OPINION
East Oregonian
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Publisher
Managing Editor
JENNINE PERKINSON
TIM TRAINOR
Advertising Director
Opinion Page Editor
OUR VIEW
Onion growers face another
food safety law challenge
Onion growers in Eastern Oregon
revised rules allow other mitigation
have had quite a time trying to deal
options. The inal rule allows growers
with the mandates of the Food Safety whose water exceeds the standards to
Modernization Act.
comply if they can show that bacteria
Having found a solution to one
dies off at a certain rate in the ield.
regulation that would have all but put
And Oregon State University was
them out of business, they now face
able to show that very thing.
another that could cost the industry
Now comes the issue of crates.
$200 million to implement and puts
The FDA’s rules require growers
its survival in question.
to store onions in plastic crates. The
The law was passed by Congress
industry now uses wooden boxes —
late in 2010 with the
about a million of
goal of mandating
them in the Treasure
The FDA’s rules
best safety practices
require growers Valley.
for producers and
The plastic crates
processors while
to store onions in are smaller, holding
making it easier for
900 pounds as
plastic crates. The about
regulators to trace
opposed to the 1,600
foodborne illnesses
industry now uses pounds the boxes
back to their source.
The wooden
wooden boxes — hold.
To enforce the
boxes cost $60 each,
act, the Food and
the plastic crates
about a million
Drug Administration
cost $150. Growers
of them in the
wrote 1,200 pages
say it would cost
Treasure Valley. $200 million to buy
of proposed rules
to address food
enough plastic crates
safety controls for
to hold the crop, plus
the growing, harvesting, packing
storage facilities would have to be
and holding of produce for human
altered to accommodate the different
consumption.
sized containers.
Many of the proposals were
OSU has found that the change
impractical and too costly. Others just wouldn’t reduce the level of
weren’t necessary.
contamination found in stored
For example, ag water provisions
onions.
in the rules originally proposed
In a test of 10 wooden boxes of
a standard that would have been
onions and 10 plastic crates of onions
impossible for onion growers who
stored for six weeks, researchers
irrigate from open ditches to meet.
found no difference. Because disease-
No approved treatment method
causing bacteria die off on onions
existed, nor would it be economical if left in the ield to cure, the common
it did exist.
practice in the region, the onions
It would have required produce
stored in either container weren’t
growers whose irrigation water
contaminated to begin with.
exceeded certain thresholds for
We hope FDA takes note, as it did
bacteria to immediately stop using it. in the earlier case.
That would have made it impossible
No one can argue that food
for most people in the Treasure
shouldn’t be safe, or that reasonable
Valley around Ontario to grow
precautions shouldn’t be taken. But
onions.
Congress didn’t intend to put whole
Following an outcry, the FDA
segments of the food production and
relented. Rather than limiting
distribution chain out of business
growers to ixing the water, the
when it passed the act.
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board of Publisher
Kathryn Brown, Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, and Opinion Page Editor Tim Trainor.
Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
Culture Corner
If Zac Brown Band’s recent
Pendleton visit has piqued your interest
in country music that’s not afraid to
incorporate styles and instruments from
other genres, Sturgill Simpson’s third
full-length album
“A Sailor’s Guide to
Earth” could blow open
your world.
Be warned,
though: Simpson isn’t
fascinated by beer,
trucks, romantic dusty
roads or “girls.” In
this effort he uses his
extraordinary talents as
a singer and songwriter
to prepare advice for
when his “pollywog”
son is ready to head out into the world.
What makes the album exceptional is
Simpson’s wide base of inluences. It is
no doubt a country album, but delivered
by an artist well-versed in genres from
psychedelic to soul to funk to grunge.
The horn section on several of the songs
elevates the energy of the album, while
the slower tracks, including a cover of
Nirvana’s “In Bloom,” show Simpson’s
ability to draw a listener in with more
subtle musicality.
Speaking of production, fans of
music from the 1960s and ’70s will ind
much to enjoy in Simpson’s fearless
sound. While some shy away from big
production, Simpson
embraces it to make
an album with a wide
variety of sound and
moods. The layers
reveal themselves
on repeated listens, a
welcome break from
much of the one-trick
country radio hits of
today.
And right in the
middle of it all is his
voice, often compared
to George Jones or Waylon Jennings,
that delivers his stories and loving words
of advice.
The album was released a week after
Merle Haggard’s death (Haggard was an
unabashed fan of Simpson’s), and in a
year where we’ve lost so many legends
it’s heartening to ind a classic and
singular artist putting out great work.
— Daniel Wattenburger, managing
editor
OTHER VIEWS
The Turkish coup that wasn’t
Secretary of State John Kerry “agreed
s coups go, the Turkish effort
was a study in ineptitude: No
that all parties in Turkey should support
serious attempt to capture
the democratically elected government
or muzzle the existing political
of Turkey, show restraint, and avoid any
leadership, no leader ready to step in,
violence or bloodshed.”
no communication strategy (or even
The problem is that “restraint” is not
awareness of social media), no ability to
part of Erdogan’s vocabulary. As Philip
mobilize a critical mass within either the
Gordon, a former special assistant to
armed forces or society. In their place a
Obama on the Middle East, told me:
Roger
platoon of hapless soldiers on a bridge
“Rather than use this as an opportunity
Cohen
over the Bosporus in Istanbul and the
to heal divisions, Erdogan may well do
Comment
apparently uncoordinated targeting of a
the opposite: go after adversaries, limit
few government buildings in Ankara.
press and other freedoms further, and
It was enough for President Recep Tayyip
accumulate even more power.” Within hours,
Erdogan, speaking on his cellphone’s FaceTime more than 2,800 military personnel had been
app, to call supporters into the streets for the
detained and 2,745 judges removed from duty.
insurrection to fold. That Erdogan will no doubt
A prolonged crackdown on so-called
be the chief beneiciary of this turmoil, using
“Gulenists,” whoever Erdogan deems them to
it to further his push for an autocratic Islamist
be, and the Kemalist “deep state” (supporters
Turkey, does not mean that he staged it. The
of the old secular order) is likely. An already
Turkish army remains isolated from society.
divided society will grow more issured.
It is entirely plausible that a coterie of oficers
Secular Turkey will not quickly forget the cries
believed a polarized and disgruntled society
of “Allahu akbar” echoing last night from some
would rise up once given a cue. If so, they were mosques and from crowds in the streets.
wrong — and the error has cost more than 260
A rapid push by Erdogan to reform the
lives.
constitution through a referendum and create
But in Erdogan’s Turkey, mystery and
a presidency with sweeping executive powers
instability have become the coin of the realm. It is possible. He now has a case to say only such
is no wonder that conspiracy theories abound.
powers will keep enemies at bay.
Since an electoral setback in June 2015, the
“It may well be that democracy has
president has overseen a Turkey that is ever
triumphed in Turkey only to be strangled at a
more violent. This dangerous lurch has enabled slower pace,” Jonathan Eyal, the international
him to bounce back in a second election in
director at Britain’s Royal United Services
November and portray himself as the anointed
Institute, told me. There can be little doubt
one averting mayhem. His attempt to blame,
the expressions of support for Erdogan from
without any evidence, the attempted coup on
western capitals came through gritted teeth.
Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric and erstwhile
For the Obama administration, the dilemmas
ally living in Pennsylvania, forms part of a
of the Middle East could scarcely have been
pattern of murkiness and intrigue.
more vividly illustrated. When an Egyptian
Through Erdogan’s fog this much seems
general, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, led a coup three
clear: More than 35 years after the last coup,
years ago against the democratically elected
and almost two decades after the 1997 military
president, Mohammed Morsi, Obama did not
intervention, Turks do not want a return to
support the democratic government, as he
the seesawing military and civilian rule that
has now in Turkey. The administration even
characterized the country between 1960 and
avoided use of the word “coup” in Egypt. In
1980. On the contrary, they are attached to their effect, the president sided with the generals in
democratic institutions and the constitutional
the name of order.
order. The army, a pillar of Kemal Ataturk’s
True, Morsi was deeply unpopular. The
secular order, is weaker. Every major political
Egyptian coup had massive support. It was a
party condemned the attempted coup. Whatever fait accompli by the time Obama weighed in.
their growing anger against the president, Turks Still, principles in the Middle East are worth
do not want to go backward.
little. Policy often amounts to choosing the least
A successful coup would have been a
bad option.
disaster. Erdogan has massive support in
In Turkey, the least bad — Erdogan’s
the Anatolian heartland, particularly among
survival — has prevailed. That does not mean
religious conservatives. Mosques all over the
much worse will not follow. A failed coup does
country were lit through the night as imams
not mean democracy is the winner. In fact,
echoed the president’s call for people to pour
the worst of this prickly autocrat may now be
into the street. There can be little doubt that any unleashed upon Turkey, with America and its
military-controlled administration would have
allies able to do little about it.
faced a Syria-like insurgency of Islamists and
■
others. The blow to what is left in the Middle
Roger Cohen joined The New York Times in
East of democratic institutions and the rule of
1990. He was a foreign correspondent for more
law would have been devastating.
than a decade before becoming foreign editor
No wonder President Barack Obama and
in 2002.
A
YOUR VIEWS
Local government can
better oversee public land
After reading “Anti-Government
Militias Threaten Us At Home” (July 2), I
felt compelled to write. I suppose the label
“extremist” could be considered a matter of
deinition. But to apply the label “violent”? The
only violence during the recent standoff came
from government law enforcement, resulting in
the death of Robert “LaVoy” Finnicum.
Some who ind the Bundys’ activism
extreme blame hatred of Obama for their
actions. In no way does the “Sagebrush
Rebellion” stem from a hatred of President
Barack Obama. The movement began before
his entry into politics. Certain anti-government
extremists have latched onto the sagebrush
movement. That does not diminish the
legitimate grievance behind the movement, nor
the patriotic activism of most involved. Those
anti-government extremists are not unlike the
“professional protesters” that show up at so
many liberal protests. This is not an anti-gov-
ernment movement. We just want to pull in the
reins a bit.
As to the U.S. Forest Service and BLM
needing federal law enforcement authority, local
police and county sheriffs have closer ties to the
land and a better understanding of its needs, as
well as the needs of local communities. They
can be given additional training if needed.
It’s true western states never owned the lands
in question. It was stolen from them at state-
hood. I trust Oregon’s state government to care
for public lands. Look at our ocean beaches.
Nearly all are public beaches. I believe Oregon
will keep public land public. At the same time,
responsible management can make use of the
natural resources available. Revenue from these
resources can help pay for managing the land.
Jobs would be created for local communities.
The added income would increase the tax base
in those communities, further supporting the
cost of land management. And visitors can still
recreate as they always have.
Nobody is suggesting a wide-scale handover
to the private sector. That is just not going to
happen. Many involved in the cause have strong
feelings on the matter. Emotions run high.
They do so because many have been living in a
climate of fear brought on by harassment from
government agencies. Government agencies
overstepping their bounds. Agencies that
shouldn’t even exist. Run by agents “just doing
their jobs.” Jobs that aren’t even legit!
Edward Abbey, American anarchist,
environmentalist and novelist, said, “A patriot
must always be ready to defend his country
against his government.”
Randy Piper
Arlington
LETTERS POLICY
The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues
and public policies for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper
reserves the right to withhold letters that address concerns about individual services and
products or letters that infringe on the rights of private citizens. Submitted letters must
be signed by the author and include the city of residence and a daytime phone number.
The phone number will not be published. Unsigned letters will not be published. Send
letters to Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801
or email editor@eastoregonian.com.