Pundits sometimes refer to Arkansas as one of the “reddest” states, but the so-called conservative American Enterprise Institute and libertarian Cato Institute think-tanks rate the voting records of the Arkansas delegation to the U.S. Congress as abysmal. While all six federal officeholders are Republican, each just votes “not D.” In the most consequential vote in this congressional session, 1st District Rep. Rick Crawford was the only member of the Arkansas delegation to vote in support of the “free and fair elections” on Jan. 6, 2021. The other five, including a possible 2024 presidential candidate, failed to support and defend the electoral process for the presidential election.
State government has also suffered under lowly-ranked conservative representation by elected officials before and during the past year of “emergency.” But with the statehouse elections in 2019 and with the just completed legislative session in Little Rock, this appears to be changing and Jonesboro can lead the way in NEA and beyond. Jonesboro can be Arkansas’s “Bill of Rights” city:
Our First Amendment (1A): “religion” is the first God-given, “first among equals” right. Is it also first in this “City of Churches” (around 140 according to Google), albeit with a nagging homelessness conundrum? If not the churches, how about a public partnership with the Salvation Army to ensure consistent, time-tested expertise at caring for those in need?
Moving to the other 1A rights, two wins in recent lawsuits: one for “free speech”, at our local institution of higher learning no less, the second of the “press” by The Sun. The Sun’s editors’ have to continue calling out a lack of transparency and work harder to follow-up on issues, inconsistencies, etc. Other rights: Expand rather that restrict access to city officials, information, etc.
Our Second Amendment right is fortified with the ironic blessing of a government-owned “shooting sports complex.” The hub of Our “Bill of Rights” city (in a near “constitutional carry” state), this soon to open facility celebrates individual rights and those of “We the People.” It exalts the Framers’ foundational understanding of “self-defense” and of the history of government tyranny. Third Amendment, or 3A, check mark.
4A, Protect civil liberties and “The right of the people to be secure … “#stop5G and actively fight against unfettered emissions from untested short-millimeter wave wireless, the accompanying health concerns of all wireless (compounded by forever Covid-19), and the enabling of warrantless surveillance capabilities of Big Telecom on behalf of government.
5A, 6A, 7A, 8A, check.
9A, not often invoked but the one that says “the enumeration of the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” Individual rights prevail, government is restrained and just because a right of individuals is not specified does not mean it doesn’t exist.
10A, the recently aroused 10th Amendment is the genius of the Framers yet the failure of the states since too long ago to rein-in the growth and overreach of the federal government. Blue states illegally invoked states rights for sanctuary cities and illegal immigration (both federal responsibilities) under President Donald Trump and, now, red states are legally invoking states’ rights to rein-in federal government overreach. The upcoming Memorial Day remembrance would serve as a timely opportunity for the leadership team to announce this public-private citizens partnership.
Howard L. Weinstock
Comments