Operation Black Fly
The state today begins its annual spraying to suppress black flies.
Operation Black Fly
John Baer, Daily News Political Columnist
(A brief discussion twixt Baer & Baer's editor, a.k.a. BE)
JB: Don't go near the water, coach, today's the day the state starts spraying for black flies along the Delaware River.
BE: Gnats, you mean.
JB: That's right, chief. Forget about that bin Laden raid, this is the real deal. Aerial attack on 33 counties, 1,600 miles of state streams and rivers, cast of thousands, cost of millions.
BE: Wait. Cost of millions?
JB: Well, the official announcement doesn't say how much but in past years it's been around $7 million.
BE: For gnats?
JB: To keep our outdoor activities safe from nusiance, yes. And to keep the pesticide industry humming.
BE: If not the gnats.
JB: Good one, boss.
BE: And where exactly will this spraying be?
JB: Aha! You're on to them. Well, it won't be in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh or Montgomery County.
BE: The three most Democratic counties in the state.
JB: You know your voter registration stats.
BE: You're not suggesting....
JB: Well, you tell me. Of the 33 counties to be saved from nusiance 19 are Republican.
BE: Oh, brother. Could it be that more rural areas have more streams and rivers?
JB: You've been compromised, haven't you. It's a plot. No money for human services. Money for gnats. GOP. Gnats Over People!
BE: You really have lost it.
JB: Oh? What about bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, a.k.a., Bti?
BE: What about it?
JB: That's what they're spraying; a presticide described as "essentially non-toxic." Who do you think the biggest recipient of Bti PAC funds is?
BE: Stop it. Just stop it.
JB: Grrrr.
Could we get a bit more incongruent? This piece reads like a bad Camus imitation, with my apologies to the real Albert Camus.— DonQ
John is the author of the book "On The Front Lines of Pennsylvania Politics: Twenty-Five Years of Keystone Reporting" (The History Press, 2012). Reach John at baerj@phillynews.com.
