Recently there was much discussion about an article from the Flatwater Free Press regarding the nitrates in the water on and near Gov Pillen’s hog farms and the comments the Governor made about them on KFAB radio.

When morning host Gary Sadlemeyer asked the Governor if he had read the article, he said he hadn’t and dismissed it because the author was from Communist China.

This motivated the Flatwater Free Press, The Congressional Pacific American Caucus, The Asian American Foundation, and other groups to criticize the Governor’s statement and defend the article and the author who was indeed born in Communist China, but she came to America to study journalism at one of the most prestigious schools for journalism in the country, the University of Missouri.

But wait there’s more…

After the Governor received this criticism, Jim Rose on KFAB tried to defend the Governor by implying that Yang Xu — the author of the article — could be a spy for Communist China. Now there is no evidence of that, but Rose extrapolated that since China is buying up farmland and China has spies in America, the Governor was correct in dismissing her.

Perhaps a better defense of the Governor was that since he played college football, and many college football players have experienced concussions and head injuries, the Governor might have a mild case of CTE or some other cerebral damage.

Now to be clear I’m not saying that’s the case. But I am saying that, statistically, I’m guessing there is a better chance of that being the case than Yang Xu being a spy. Neither of these scenarios are based in fact. Only the Governor knows for sure why he said that and why he chose to double down on his comments when asked by reporters to clarify.

Too often we tend to judge a bigger group by the actions of a few. Are there Chinese spies in America? Yes, there are. Do college and professional football players suffer brain injuries? Yes, they do. Does that mean that all Chinese people in America are spies or former football players don’t have all their faculties? Of course not.

And while the conjecture as to why the Governor said what he said may be a fun game for talk radio and social media to play, let’s look at the facts here.

While Governor Pillen tried to dismiss the controversy as “Political Theater” the fact remains that the nitrate levels in the soil on his farms are dangerously high. A fact he ignored by not reading the article and dismissing the author.

According to the University of Nebraska Lincoln, Nitrates in our drinking water affect about 33,000 Nebraskans. Nitrates come from the fertilizer used to benefit our crops. High levels of Nitrates in our drinking water can cause cancer and other serious diseases. And while cities like Omaha and Lincoln have water treatment facilities to eliminate dangerous nitrate contaminants, smaller rural communities can’t afford that expense causing problems in finding fresh, safe water to drink.

The dangerous levels of nitrates, according to UNL, have also closed some Nebraska lakes for fishing and swimming.

And while Governor Pillen used the age-old tactic of shooting the messenger, he should have been talking about what he planned to do to help solve the problem.

Yes, Nebraska is an Ag state. And yes, the farmers need fertilizer. But yes, rural Nebraskans need safe drinking water too. What is your plan Governor, to clean up the contamination on your farms and the others in the state that have tested dangerously high levels of nitrates?

I know criticizing the media for stories you don’t like is good for your political game, Governor. But you are not a candidate right now. You are the leader of the state. Now is the time to act on it.

Governor, this is your opportunity to shine. Say you misspoke. Apologize to Yang Xu. And then more importantly, send a workable plan to the Unicameral to deal with this issue. How are you going to clean up your land? How are you going to help other Nebraska farmers and ranchers to clean up theirs?

You say you care about the children. Nitrates in the water can cause cancer and other diseases in these very children you say you care about. This is not “Political Theater.” This is a serious environmental issue that you need to address. I hope you do it soon.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.