Contagion spreads

Tontitownitis in Johnson What would I do?

Could the normally anonymous and tranquil city government of Johnson have contracted a case of Tontitownitis?

That appeared to be the case after Buddy Curry, the mayor of this town of 3,400 residents nestled near the Northwest Arkansas Mall between Fayetteville and Springdale, up and fired Vernon Sisemore, the city’s police chief for 14 years and employee for 22, without ever explaining why.

Routine stuff for Tontitown, but Johnson?

But Sisemore, who wasn’t about to have any of that, cried foul and appealed to the Johnson City Council, which voted 4-1 to overturn the mayor’s action. Tom Bramlett abstained from voting; you’ll have to ask him why.

“I guess I can move back into my office and catch up on a week’s worth of paperwork,” said a satisfied Sisemore after being vindicated of whatever it was he supposedly did that caused Curry to can him. Paperwork apparently is a big part of a police chief’s job, ya know.

What’s most curious about all this flap is that Curry, who’s in a contested race for re-election, didn’t answer Johnson residents who showed up at City Hall to ask why he’d fired Sisemore. Curry still hasn’t explained, to my knowledge, except to say Sisemore violated policies.

Sisemore contends that Curry was getting back at him for supposedly assisting a Washington County prosecutor’s investigation into whether Curry might have violated election law by allegedly using city time and resources in his campaign.

In voting, Johnson’s council members found themselves sandwiched between a dash of Curry and a slice of Sisemore. “It was very difficult for everybody,” said alderman Dan Cross. “We all strongly support the mayor, but we also have a 22-year police chief with an exemplary record. It was just difficult putting those things head to head.”

Oh wait, perhaps it’s become clearer why Bramlett chose not to vote.

It adds spice to this sandwich to realize Curry, a former Johnson alderman himself, assumed his office in 2011 when the council approved him to replace the former mayor who’d resigned for health reasons.

Sure sounds like a full-blown bout of Tontitownitis to me.

A friend and I recently fell into conversation about the threat posed to Americans and the world by the Islamic terrorist group calling itself ISIS.

He asked if I felt we should send more of our brave young men and women into harm’s way to combat this growing army of subhuman misfits, or simply continue bombing them in our limited way.

The mainstream national media has become fond of using the impersonal term “boots on the ground” to represent troops we place into a war zone. I cringe when I hear that term repeated time and time again on broadcast and cable programs.

Those serving in our military are so much more than a pair of leather boots, don’t you (well, most of you) agree?

The media pundits obviously feel their quippy “boots” reference (originally a reference strictly within the military itself) sounds hip, while depersonalizing human souls willing to sacrifice their physical existence so we don’t have to. I’m digressing … again. The friend asked what I’d do if I were making decisions about combating ISIS.

I said that, to me, these Muslim ISIS fanatics who’ve displayed no qualms about beheading innocent people, raping women and having no regard for anyone whose faith differs from their own represent the essence of incarnated pure evil.

Their total lack of regard, principle or compassion ranks them with the darkest acts of Nazi Germany.

That means we are facing the greatest evil our planet has known for generations. Plus this diabolical army of radicals driven by warped ideologies and a ravenous appetite for killing innocents are fully armed, well-financed and growing in numbers.

So what would I do if tasked with stopping them? I’d approve whatever steps are necessary to prevent evil from eventually overwhelming good on the planet.

I’d also never announce to the world what those actions will be, or when they’re coming. That would be needlessly naïve and foolish enough to get more of our nation’s finest killed.

It’s also a mistake to believe this isn’t a long and building war rooted in two distinctly different cultures and world views. One values human freedom, dignity and the Golden Rule. The other values subjugation, hatred, murder, rape, genocide and control over others with differing beliefs.

That means the basis for such conflict is as ancient as human existence. As an affliction of spirit rather than one’s body, evil can never be fully defeated.