Are we losing our freedom of speech?

We are losing our freedom of speech or are we giving it away? Nationwide, and especially here in Bella Vista, we are allowing those in power to take away one of our most precious rights, the right to voice our opinions.

Back several years ago when I was the state director of Arkansas Teachers Association, I had one of my members tell me she was in New York City during the summer and she and a fellow New York teacher were shopping downtown when they came upon a man that was lying on the sidewalk. The Arkansas teacher said, “That man is dead.” And the New York friend said, “Keep walking, faster, don’t look back.”

Later, the New York teacher explained that, when the police arrive, they will take your name and contact information and later you will have to testify what you saw and you may even be summoned to court to testify as a witness. The New York teacher said it is not a good idea to waste your time getting involved with someone else’s problems.

Perhaps, in years past, this might have been pretty good advice but, in the dangerous world in which we are living today, this philosophy could be the demise of America. When anyone knows of someone who has a strange behavior and is stockpiling rifles, ammunition and explosives, it’s time to tell someone.

Maintaining freedom of speech at the local level is just as important as having it in Washington, D.C. Here in Bella Vista, we have lost a lot of our freedom of speech already. In a republic form of government like ours, one can increase his voice by running for public office and his vote and opinions are amplified by the people he represents.

Several individuals have attained a seat on the POA board of directors for the express purpose of being able to speak for the majority of the members. And in most cases, the hierarchy of the POA administration has seen to it that such members be removed from the board.

I believe the majority of the POA membership bought their homes here in Bella Vista thinking that the 1965 declarations’ statement about the purpose of the organization was for the homeowners to be able to enjoy the amenities. I think most first-time buyers thought there was something exclusive about being a POA member. Now we find that membership and paying our assessments don’t get us anything that anyone in the world can’t have. The only difference between a member and a non-member is that, if the member gets behind in paying his monthly assessment, he will have his water shut off. The non-member doesn’t run that risk.

The member’s access to a voice in the POA publications (our money) is not allowed. To voice an opinion during the public comment segment of a monthly board meeting is like speaking in the wind. In Bella Vista, the silence is deafening. Lt. Colonel, Jim Parsons (RET) Chairman Bella Vista Patriots