First Amendment also takes a back seat in Gould, Arkansas
Recently Earnest Nash, the mayor of Gould, Arkansas and city council of the tiny town of 850 residents have been waging a battle of Constitutional proportions. The council has issued an ordinance banning all public and private meetings discussing any city matters within city limits without its approval. The vaguely worded Ordinance No. 062011-5 would even prohibit such discussions around the dinner table in private homes.
Nash is a member of the Gould Citizens Advisory Council, which the council has banned from doing business within the city limits.
“This is America and even though this is Gould, Arkansas, this is still part of America. And in America, you can’t just vote and violate people’s constitutional rights,” said Mayor Nash.
“I couldn’t believe that it was real when I first read it,” said University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law Dean John DiPippa. “The truth is the city of Gould doesn’t have the authority to tell anyone that they have no right to petition them, no right to speak and no right to exist in their city.”
Gould’s city attorney gave the council the same news. In return, members tried to fire him. The town is about 30 miles southwest of Pine Bluff.
As tensions escalated, Nash was pistol whipped (video) this past week, requiring hospitalization. During a television interview with Fox 16, Councilwoman Sonya Farley drove up and confronted him again. Farley had to be restrained.
Despite the threats Mayor Nash said he has no plans to step down. “I’m not leaving, I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “I’m going to stay the mayor whether they like it or not. They’re not going to run me off.”
Arizonans have their own brand of craziness in the town of Quartzsite, where the First Amendment has also been under attack. We’ve written about it here, here, here and here. AZ Attorney General Tom Horne has weighed in on the subject.
Seeing Red AZ 
Arkansas’ Gould, like Arizona’s Quartzsite, is but another example of out-of-control small people in small town America. After listening to Gould Councilwoman Sonya Farley in the video, I’m more convinced than ever that too many of our citizens represent the failure of the education establishment run by unionists. They are sadly neglecting their primary responsibility which is educating America’s youth. Instead they are more concerned with teacher’s strikes, pushing homosexuality in public schools and leftwing causes. Children learn about the junk science of global warming and recycling, but can’t read.
At their annual conference, the NEA membership just voted to raise their own dues to assist Barack Obama’s campaign!
But do they teach geography, the History of Western Civilization, American History, math and English skills? I just read that some schools no longer teach cursive handwriting and the average 25-year-old can’t locate Japan on a map.
If these people have no idea of what is contained in the US Constitution, how can they function in their roles? The answer is they can’t!
The problem isn’t the lowest possible denominator in educated, its the fact someone in power is arrogant enough to think they can steamroll unalienable rights.
This can all be settled by bringing them before a judge.
We’ve tried. Just look at our attempt with Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
While I can’t agree any more wholeheartedly than I already do about the educational system lacking, being a citizen of Arizona herself, but I find your “facts” of our failing education system kind of “uneducated” themselves.
Yes, the educational system is lacking, and we should be more focused on our “basic” education rather than trying to teach LBGTQ(A) History in classrooms, I don’t entirely see how that affects our failing program, which has been failing for years before any attempt was ever made. In fact, if I do recall, the only state that has passed any such law to teach LBGTQ(A) History in the classrooms, is California, not Arizona or Arkansas.
I have to disagree once, however, about “global warming” and “recycling” being “junk sciences”. Both affect us now and ever day. Both are projected to grow within the years. Both are theorized to affect us immensely in the not-so-distant future. These aren’t junk sciences, and nor should we turn a period of science into a period of geography. Instead, and I know this may be difficult to accomplish, but we should learn how to add to our system and find a way to add another class period for geography studies that don’t just start and end with the U.S. of A.
Once again, I have to agree that the money is not going to the right place and in any right direction at all, however, it sounded like your claim was just a purely right-wind agenda, rather than a concerned individual speaking in general. For instance, if you spoke about how the Arizona government is throwing money into unneeded roadwork on its stretches of highway, I might actually agree completely with you.
In general, I’m just saying, don’t be so right-wing active if your trying to just be concerned in general. It’s a noble thought people are trying to accomplish by teaching “gay” history in attempt to foster acceptance instead of intolerance, along with other “leftwing causes”. Yes, their attention should be brought elsewhere, such as our math, English, and writing skills, but we shouldn’t condone anyone for trying to create a more tolerating world.
Cyrus J:
Sheriff Joe Arpaio is elected out of Maricopa County. He has no jurisdiction in Quartzsite, which is in La Paz county. Also I can see why you’re satisfied with the educational system. It’s obviously served you well enough in the English arena.
These town councils are exhibiting extreme and shameful behavior and I agree with the premise that Americans have been dumbed down, which allows such occurrences in the first place. This is a video featuring the real agenda of the National Education Association. As you can plainly hear and see, it certainly is not education!
No teacher unions in Arkansas…nice try though.
Really, Terry? What’s this?
http://www.teachersunionexposed.com/state.cfm?state=AR
The Arkansas Education Association is based in Little Rock.
And teachers in ALL states belong to the National Education Association, which is radically liberal. The pressure to join is great but most don’t have to be pressured. These are the people influencing America’s children. None of this is serendipitous. There is a long-term plan to socialize this great country and the teacher’s unions are part and parcel of the scheme. I know what I’m talking about. I retired after a career in teaching in both Ohio and Arizona schools.
Nice try, yourself. Here is the list of benefits from that non-existent Arkansas Education Association union, Terry:
http://www.aeaonline.org/about/member_benefits.asp
http://www.aeaonline.org/
Let’s not change the subject. Good people need to show up and speak up when confronted with these abuses, like they are in both of these towns. SRAZ is helping to keep them in the public light so these Patriots have a fighting chance against such corrupt officials. Let’s all let AG Horne know we are glad he’s on the case!
I think that we had better get used to seeing stories like these. This situation will continue to spread to bigger and bigger cities.
If the rising tide of the Progressives [Socialists] is not stopped there will be no Constitution to rely on.
These people, starting with the teachers and other public employee unions are the foot soldiers within this leftist assault.
The problems that face the free citizens of this country will not be solved in Washington D.C. Freedom will be retained only from citys and states.
Mayors and councils are not what they used to be. This is admitted alcoholic Mayor Bob Ryan of Sheboygan, Wisconcin, who “admits,” but thinks that gives him a license to keep drinking. And his wife calls his elbow bending “a disease.” Someone needs to tell her there’s a difference. Parkinson’s is a disease. Cancer is a disease. Bending your elbow is not a disease. It’s a choice. Meanwhile, the citizens get a guy who goes on three-day benders running the city. Swell.