Resistance

by Larry Gabriel

Not all farmers and ranchers in the world are open to government programs. In news items from around the world, we can see some common traits in farmers dealing with government.

Indonesia is the world's hot bed for bird flu. The virus is spreading through much of the open-range chicken industry in that nation and has killed 43 people, but some of its farmers still don't believe it is real.

The reaction of some Indonesians was to debunk what government officials said and openly drink chicken blood in the town squares to prove that it is safe. They also continued to eat chickens that died of illness in defiance of government advice.

We might attribute such a reaction to ignorance and expect better educated farmers to be more cooperative in combating a potential worldwide health threat. That is not always so.

I recently read a news item about efforts by the State of Vermont to prepare for arrival of the bird flu by creating a database of locations (farms) with animals that might get it or spread it.

The reaction of some Vermont farmers was not totally unlike the farmers' reaction in Indonesia. They did not drink any blood in protest, but they did mistrust the government, refuse to comply, claim it was none of the government's business, and compare the effort to actions by "Nazis".

We have heard similar arguments from ranchers in discussions about livestock tracking. They don't want their location and herd size recorded in a government database, because they feel it is nobody else's business.

I don't know if we fear the government too much, but I know we do not fear bird flu enough. Half the people who get H5N1 (bird flu) die despite the best efforts of modern medicine. That is something to fear. Nearly all infected poultry die. Other mammals (such as domestic cats) can get it from birds and die too.

In three reported cases, people contracted bird flu directly from wild birds. Nobody knows for sure how it spreads. We do know the virus is in the saliva and nasal droppings of sick birds and that seed-eating birds drop a lot of food out of their mouths. It is possible other birds pick up those contaminated food droppings. It is also possible shared water sources spread the disease.

Whatever small measures we take to prepare for bird flu will be inadequate when it arrives. In any contagious animal disease situation, quarantine is an essential tool. The government can't do that effectively without information on animal locations.

The tendency of farmers to resist government intrusion is not all bad. The United States of America was created by farmers and their firm belief in individual liberty. Secretly, we admire them for that.

Besides, when the emergency is really here, American farmers and ranchers will put their narrow thinking aside and do what is best for everyone. That is one of the things that sets us apart from others around the world.

Mr. Gabriel is the South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture.


Following the paper trail

By Julie Carter

A roadmap of my life for the past four years is stored in a cardboard apple box. Inside that box I can find a story or photo that will document where I was at the time and what I was doing there. It is better than a diary.

The press industry calls them "tear sheets." These are pages torn out of the newspaper that contain a story I wrote, photos I took or both. I have haphazardly saved them all.

If I were a better organized person they would be in some sort of numerical order by date. But of course that would make it too easy to dig out a particular story in a particular issue of a given month and year.

Because I'm officially now an employee of the Ruidoso News and no longer a contract writer, I can, this year, enter the New Mexico Press Association contest. I will compete in four categories. That will involve sorting through a lot of tear sheets covering newspaper issues from July 1, 2005 until June 30, 2006.

True to the industry, I push all deadlines to the limit including this one. Entries must be post marked by July 31 - two days from now. So I took a trip through my four year history with the paper by sorting this big box of tear sheets by year (that's as organized as I got) and then began the one page at a time page selection through the appropriate months for this contest.

Each issue brought back a remembrance of people, places, and events. I took photos of school kids that are now in college, of old folks that are now in heaven and businesses that have come and gone in spite of their optimistic enthusiasm on opening day.

Year after year of tradition is documented in the lighting of the luminarias at Christmas, the annual Fourth of July events, the county fair in August, homecomings, proms, and a long list of award ceremonies for an even longer list of organizations. A blur of football, volleyball, basketball, track and rodeo photos almost become animated as I flip the pages of my journalistic life.

Politicians have come and gone. The faces of new mayors, police chiefs, school boards, superintendents, principals, and other assorted authoritarian figures dot the pages and bring the realization that nothing is forever and definitely not in government, public service, or education.

And then there are my columns. Fifty-two of them to chose from and I must select just two. As I look them over I smile at the things that made me laugh, feel sorrow at the rare serious moments I brought to your attention and stand amazed at the range of topics that can be covered in a year.

I told you stories of rescued chickens, over-pampered pups, and how "Martha, Maxine and Me" had our similarities. We discussed duct tape, baling wire, WD-40 and camouflage. Fashion critiquing came up frequently over the bling-bling rage and the wadded-up ostrich-plumed version of today's "fashionable" cowboy hat.

I explained the importance of never underestimating the power of good story telling or dressing for success even in the cowboying business. It took a three-part series to warn you about the hazards of horse traders and sale barn horses.

And I tried to keep the male side of the ranch out of trouble with reminders of what happens "when momma ain't happy" and the importance of gift selection. I was very clear that sometimes a new wood-splitting maul or a double-bit axe isn't exactly what she had in mind.

Whichever stories make it to the top of the heap and into the contest envelope; I know I'm a winner before it ever gets postmarked. I won the day my "voice" was given place on these pages week after week.

The best reward a writer ever receives is the knowledge that someone is reading what they write and looking for more. You my gentle readers (who said that?)have given me that.

© Julie Carter