A split in the ranks….

….the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) is a major voice in the field and, through the efforts of its executive director Brian Snyder, increasingly a voice in Washington on national farm policy.

We haven’t been entirely enthusiastic about the way our representative has represented those of us in the field but, since starting this blog, we’ve mostly stayed away from politics.  However,  it has seemed to us that Brian has been too willing to compromise on some important issues, such as the animal identification system, and we’ve wondered if he has succumbed to what we used to call “Potomac fever”.  That is, whether he has been carried away with the excitement over being admitted inside the tent….and forgotten where he comes from.

A recent editorial by Brian that was sent to several thousand people, not only PASA members, finally forces us to break our silence.  Basically, he regrets the increasingly polarization in the country (so do we) and thinks we should just all go back and trust our government (we just got off).  First, here’s Brian’s column:

http://writetofarm.com/2013/05/15/twilight-of-the-great-regression/

Sorry, the problem is not that we are not trusting out here….Big Government and Big Ag and Big Chemical just don’t deserve our trust.  Forget the IRS abuse, monitoring reporters phone calls, Benghazi cover-ups.  What about the cozy relationship between Monsanto and the White House….the scratch my back phony oversight of our food supply….the corruption of labeling….why would anyone trust Washington, or universities, or (gasp) even associations?

Sometimes I smile at myself; I almost sound like one of the hippies in the 60s (“don’t trust anyone over 30) and here I am at 78 attacking the Establishment.

But I think Brian’s thinking is symptomatic of so much that is really wrong right now.  Americans should know better than to “trust their government”.  It’s in our DNA….it’s what the Constitution is all about.  Intrinsically anything that gets big harbors tyranny in its heart.  I refer you to something I read the other day in a blog quoting some guys by the name of George Washington and Barack Obama:

“I want people saying, “I don’t care how safe you say it is, I’m just not doing it. Ever.” There is never going to be a government or a society in which “tyranny is not just around the corner,” to borrow a phrase from the president. Never, ever. And there are never going to be people who can be trusted to rule.

Perhaps (the) phrase, “a dogmatic fear of tyranny,” is better here. The bottom line is that we should treat government as we should sharks: As George Washington is supposed to have said, “Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” Even he couldn’t have imagined how dangerous and fearful governments could become.”

Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence after all, was even more forceful on the subject.  As a Virginian, I’ll have to stick with the Commonwealth.  Pennsylvanians may continue to follow the lead of John Dickinson.

As a longtime reporter I will also look to the motto expressed by H.L. Mencken of the Baltimore Sun:  “The only proper way for a reporter to look at a politician is down!”