Counter-commentaryCranberries for Sale? -- Commentator John Ridley explores the "sinister repercussions behind a recent government proposal to buy and dispose of millions of gallons of cranberries" on NPR's Morning Edition -- Commentator John Ridley explores the "sinister repercussions behind a recent government proposal to buy and dispose of millions of gallons of cranberries" on NPR's Morning Edition7/31/00 (Revised at 4PM) John Ridley had a report on National Public Radio this morning. After the narrator introduces the segment as a report on what might be the next great government scandal, "call it cranberrygate," Ridley describes a "vast conspiracy taking place right under our very noses, literally... the innocuous glass of cranberry juice you're drinking is actually at the heart of a devious plot that reaches to the highest levels of government and business." Ridley says that this involves the USDA, Ocean Spray, Northland... and suggests we ask whether the presidential candidates have received industry "crandollars" received from a so-called "buyopoly* funded cran-pak" to pay for favorable government intervention. But can we believe he doesn't have his tongue firmly planted in his cheek when he continues that this conspiracy is so far-reaching that the supposed scandal he's uncovered "makes the Monika Lewinski-Bill Clinton political scandal look like nothing more insidious than a couple of adults having an extra-marital affair?" He says that he's always viewed the Department of Agriculture as "a shadow arm of the government" that he's always viewed as "nothing more than a shill for agricultural concerns." While there isn't an agency in Washington that doesn't have its political side, this blanket condemnation is an insult to the thousands of USDA employees working on behalf of America's beleaguered farmers. He perfunctorily describes the marketing order, or in his words, "the wanton destruction of America's favorite fruit," as "a price gouging scheme," without elaborating on why it was enacted after considerable controversy and debate. He seems to have the mistaken notion that destroying fruit will effect the price consumers pay for cranberry products. He says nothing at all about what any cranberry industry observer knows is an unprecedented crisis. He says not one word about the plight of cranberry growers struggling to stay in business. In fact, he laments that destroying part of the crop will only drive up the price of raw cranberries without mentioning that the price being paid to growers is far less than what it costs to produce them. He sees a scheme as obvious as a cheap toupee in the hiring of Randy Papadellis by Ocean Spray as COO and president just prior to enacting of the marketing order. He takes his conspiracy theory into the grape juice industry and asks how many gallons of grape juice might have been dumped into the ocean to enable Papadellis, to double Welch's sales when he was their marketing chief. "How long," asks Ridley, "before this shadow alliance between government and business begins manipulating the price of other precious foods, how long before we are all living by their whim, hanging by the nose for the price of Pop Tarts, Tang, and Honey Nut Cheerios? The truth is out there, somewhere." The report is now listed on the NPR Morning Edition web page where you can hear it using Real Player. You can email your comments about this story to [email protected] Afterthought: If Ridley (and National Public Radio) really was interested in the truth about the marketing order and the cranberry crisis, it is indeed out there, no further than the Internet. A short profile of John Ridley | Read more about John Ridley's books Type in his name to search NPR for other John Ridley commentaries * Neither buyopoly or biopoly appear in any of the major dictionaries. |