Quartzsite, AZ - Could it happen here?

OPINION
A Tale of Two Counties
By Jim Moore, Editor

Reading HickmanCounty.Topix.com, one would have to believe that things are bad and getting worse by the day in Hickman County. Perverts and rapists in the Sheriff's department, thieves in the County Clerk's office, sex offenders in the schools, indicted felons on the County Commission, drug addicts in the Emergency Medical Service (ambulance), thieves in the 911 Center, and on and on and on.

Tales of police brutality and corruption abound, along with specific details about cronyism, nepotism and dozens of other issues that do little but give Hickman County a bad name. There seems to be far more divisiveness and hostility than cooperation, compromise and civility.

One party (Democrats) have been in power for many years now. They've had ample opportunity to clean things up. Have they?

But believe it or not, Hickman County, TN is not alone. Few of you have probably ever heard of Quartzsite, AZ - but you should know about it. It seems to be a time bomb waiting to explode ... and it could happen here if our elected officials don't get their heads screwed on straight and start listening to the people.



Recently the Commission voted overwhelmingly that the people have no right to speak before the Commission - not even a total of 10 minutes at 1 minute per person.

James Ahl, one letter writer to the Hickman County Times laments that Robert's Rules of Order "make this resolution unnecessary since the venue is already in place to allow public participation."

"I doubt the usefulness of this resolution ... as it seems this resolution does nothing more than create an undisciplined forum for a small number of citizens to disrupt organized [county] court proceedings."

Pardon me, but democracy is sometimes a bit undisciplined, but does not the U.S. Constitution (which also applies to local and state government) declare it a fundamental right to be able to seek redress from government? It seems that the writer seeks a "discipined" (regimented) dictatorship where only the favored few are allowed to speak. I might expect somwething like this in Russia or even old Nazi Germany, not to mention half the uncivilized world - but in America?

How many Hickman County men and women put their lives on the line to protect the Constitution, including freedom of speech? That vote is a slap in the face to these proud few.

Another writer, Tea Party supporter Ralph Scott, whose name appears quite often in the Letters to the Editor section,  gives the lie to the claim that our commissioners are easily accessible.

"Try phoning them sometime. Usually they are not available and you may be contacted later or not at all. You talk to an automated voice and have a great conversation. E-mails are often not answered," Scott writes.

"It appears that the [legislative] committee is interested in their collective interests and do not want to listen to the people they were voted in office to represent.

"I am ashamed to think that this resolution was not approved. We have been muzzled."

I have to agree. But what does this have to do with a little town in Arizona?

In that town, not much smaller than Centerville, you can be arrested for speaking at a public meeting, even when the Mayor gives you the floor. You can have your gun rights taken away for what you write on a blog. What has been happening in that town is an Orwellian nightmare that has no place in America.

The mayor there vigorously opposed the arrest (and subsequent hospitalization) of a local woman (the local newspaper publisher) who spoke out. When the police chief refused to obey the mayor's orders to leave her alone - and Robert's Rules of Order (since she clearly had the floor), the mayor declared the meeting was illegal and walked out. Other meetings were held secretly and illegally, the mayor says.

The mayor recounted on numerous interviews that about 10 paychecks a month were given to unknown people and he was denied access to those records.

The powers that be waited until a good part of the town's population went up north to their summer homes, then had the mayor removed and the police chief put in charge. He immediately declared martial law.

A majority of the town's 19 police officers went public as whistleblowers and detailed the corruption that exists in that town.

This has all been captured on video. Local townspeople are terrified to speak out about this reign of terror.

It has made international news, but you'll find very little about in the U.S. news media. Like the protesters in the Middle East seeking democracy, or those in Tianeman Square in China, it has been an unorganizaed group of citizens, much like our own Tea Party followers, who have championed an end to corruption and a flowering of accountability and justice.

I say this as an observer, not as a fanatic supporter of the Tea Party. But truth is truth.

Could it happen here?

Already, a large unorganized movement called Occupy Wall Street has spread from city to city and now has spread to Europe, with tens of thousands seeking an end to corporate rule and political corruption.

Locally, we see the beginning signs of such a totalitarian system of government. We have started down a slippery road, one we've been going down for many years now. Democrats, Republicans, Tea Partiers and independents should be alarmed and should fear for the future of our country and our liberties.

Such poison starts small, like one rotten apple in the barrel that gradually rots everything in that barrel. If you don't care, then think of your children and your grandchildren.