The hypocrisy of being called "darkness" by a group claiming to be "tolerant" charged me up enough to gather the required signatures to run for City Council. That was before I met my friend John La Tour. After getting to know John, I realized I would better serve the city by supporting him for the Ward 4 alderman position. I withdrew my candidacy so as not to split the anti-chapter 119 vote, and encourage all my friends who supported me to throw their support to John La Tour. He is the strongest voice against this ordinance in the race. John is the conservative voice Fayetteville needs to send this out-of-control government a message that 1) we did not elect them to violate the Constitution, and 2) we will happily answer their challenge, and vote for the Constitution by unseating them.
We are officially in a worldview war, and religious people didn't start it. The Fayetteville City Council and mayor declared open war on moral conscience and are seeking to redefine right and wrong through the threat of the criminal code rather than through winning hearts and minds, or allowing the voice of the people on the ballot. They chose the classic leftist path: Forcing the acceptance of a different moral dogma, opposite from the millennia-old codes received on Mount Sinai and the Mount of Olives. I suppose they are much more gifted than Moses or Jesus (and I definitely hope they are smarter than the others who executed hundreds of millions of souls in the name of secularism the last 150 years). They claim we wanted this ordinance when we elected them. Really? Did they mention it during the campaign? Do you remember them running on the premise that Article 2 of the state Constitution shouldn't exist? That religious freedom is illegal? Me either. However, challenge accepted.
Let me re-emphasize the importance of this vote. This vote represents a paradigm shift from freedom of moral thought to unquestioned obedience to the state. By imposing a criminal charge against moral people, this ordinance violently violates our constitutional rights. The Arkansas Constitution says "All men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences ... No human authority can, in any case or manner whatsoever, control or interfere with the right of conscience." The City Council arrogantly contends it will force you to violate your conscience if they deem the cause worthy enough. Are you willing to criminalize moral conscience? Are you willing to redefine the reason America even exists; that is, religious freedom from the state? As our Constitution says, "everything in this article is excepted out of the general powers of the government; and shall forever remain inviolate; and that all laws contrary thereto ... shall be void."
Chapter 119, according to our Constitution, is null and void. Help us make it officially clear by electing John La Tour in November, and by repealing Chapter 119 in December.
Michael Collins
Fayetteville
Commentary on 10/16/2014