The goings-on at Yellville have been a once-a-year statewide shame. And it's going national. A congresswoman from Nevada, Dina Titus, is now trying to press the Federal Aviation Administration to stop the dropping of animals--notably, turkeys--from low-flying aircraft.
The niceties of parliamentary procedure may have blocked the congresswoman's efforts for now--she seems to have proposed a bill out of order--but it might not matter. For the moment the days of the "turkey drop" at the Turkey Trot Festival in Yellville, Ark., may be numbered. Unlike the days of the birds. Which is good news not only for the turkeys but for this state's reputation, which only now is recovering from the bad old days when Arkie was a synonym for all that was poor, backward and ignorant.
A more human and humane standard has been raised and all good men and women should rally to its support. Congresswoman Titus is supposed to be pushing the FAA to come up with a rule to forbid this practice, which, believe it or not, seems perfectly within the FAA's guidelines. Even as some of the birds bounce after being thrown out of planes. The FAA, or its spokespeople, seem to suggest that policing cruelty to animals ain't their job.
In a case of actual events imitating low fiction, the script of a TV sitcom back in 1978 had a radio station dubbed WKRP airing a Thanksgiving promotion in which live turkeys were booted out of a helicopter. It was funny when it was sit-com fiction.
"Well, something very similar to that exists in real life," Congresswoman Titus informed Congress and the country.
Sad and embarrassing, but true enough, as faithful readers of Arkansas' Newspaper know all too well. The sales tax on the very bread of life may be the Shame of Arkansas, but surely the annual "turkey drop" runs a close second for that dishonor.
The turkey drops have been committed with few interruptions over the past half-century by phantom pilots who are supposed to be unknown, but whose identity can be established by a little research, since the identification numbers of an aircraft can be traced easily enough.
Most of the poor turkeys spread their wings and glide to the ground, but some don't--and they die on impact. No wonder the practice has infuriated animal lovers, not just crazy PETA types but those with a proper sense of the responsibility that comes with man's dominion over the beasts. It ought to anger all of us. Or just make us wonder who the real turkeys are here in Arkansas. (For one take on a similar subject, see Richard Mason's column from this past Sunday, in the Perspective section, for the definition of fair chase. Most Arkansawyers we know would agree with him.)
The FAA's rules currently prohibit deliberately "dropping objects" from the air that could hurt people or their property on impact, but alas, those rules don't specifically forbid dropping live animals. Those rules and regulations should.
Last fall Lynn Lunsford, a spokesperson for the FAA, disclaimed any power to do the right thing after all these years. Why? "FAA regulations don't specifically deal with dropping live animals out of airplanes, so we have no authority to prohibit the practice."
That resounding click you hear is the closing of the bureaucratic mind to any possibility of change for the better unless Congress wakes it up. As it should. So consider this latest development in the Turkey Drop story a wake-up call. The alarm clock is ringing loud and clear; this is not time for Congress to hit the snooze button, roll over and go back to sleep. That's a sure way to see that this bad idea continues.
Leave it to Congresswoman Titus to sum up where things stand now: "I've written to the FAA about this issue, and they responded they don't have the regulatory authority to do this. So Congress needs to step up and give them that authority. Now, some people might claim that animal welfare is outside the purview of the FAA, but that ignores the fact that there are numerous areas in the U.S. code where the FAA regulates or has policies impacting aircraft and animals. Congress has stood up time and time again against such kinds of destructive acts against animals in the name of entertainment."
Case closed, judgment rendered. Anyone who has further questions can take it up with his own conscience. Which should be enough to settle this not so complicated political and moral question. There are times when the same old excuses just won't do any more.
Editorial on 05/01/2018