Arkansas Times - April 9, 2015

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WHAT JUST

HAPPENED THE LIFEDEATH OF HB 1228 PLUS: HOW YOU WERE SCREWED WE COUNT THE WAYS THE LEGISLATURE PUT IT TO YOU

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APRIL 9, 2015

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COMMENT

An Observer worth framing The Observer really got his (her) dander up in the April 2 edition and told it like it is! Hallelujah and Amen! I’m framing this column!

Lucy Rhodes Little Rock

Deciding whom to serve Should business people and churches vet everyone they serve?

What about murderers, sex offenders, Senate adulterers, child rapists and child rehomers? If a black, disabled, gay person wanted to order a wedding cake, which exclusion would the business use? Better be careful — one of these minorities is open to all and you just might join the hated and discriminated-against minority if you live long enough. I’ve seen it.

Who are they going to hate and exclude next? It could be you!

(Written in honor of a friend who is gay and our son, who is “disabled.”)

Susan Nygaard Keith Magnolia

From the web

I predict within the next one to six years, hundreds and hundreds (maybe thousands) of talented queer people of ALL ages, rich and poor, will leave the state.

And with them will go their talented friends. Talented in business, art, music, whatever. The Arkansas “brain drain” has been and will be greatly accelerated.

Some in the gay community have been encouraging other gay people to “stay and fight.” But that old argument isn’t working much anymore. If we stay and fight, what do we win? I mean, just look around: boarded up buildings, miles and miles of poor farm ground, acres of leaky house trailers, the reputation of worst state in the Union, the uneducated who like it that way, Ballinger-Hutchinson-HuckabeeHester, and a Walmart life making minimum wage or just above it.

Nope. Not this time. Way too many gay people and gay friendlies are making plans. Resumes have been flying from Arkansas like leaves from autumn trees. “Let ’em have it!” has become the new “Cali-

fornia or Bust.” There ARE greener fields for the open-minded where there’s no fight involved. Just step in and get your share. The rest here are too dumb to know they’re suffering.

“Let ’em have it!”

Spunkrat Hustle up here from Austin, Seth, and talk your daddy into doing right.

Durango Coward.

Yellowdogdaughter In response to an item on the Arkansas Blog noting that a Methodist church was excluded from Eureka’s Easter Parade because it wanted to carry a sign saying “Jesus Loves All”: The stain of discrimination is slowly destroying the church’s influence in this country. They wave a piece of shit and tell us it’s a bar of gold.

Am sure that there’s a missing section in the Bible where Jesus has to deal with such self-righteous

About the 90th General Assembly’s access to low-cost, state-subsidized apartments: A couple more legislative sessions like this last one and they’ll all have luxury suites for free at the Capital Hotel. … hot and cold running hookers, too, child exorcisms paid by the state, pictures of Jesus on state bonds, expense accounts of $1 million! And undisclosed locations where the LGBTs can be roasted like June bugs in a camp fire!

The Red Team has been waiting almost 145 years to get back into power and line their nests like no tomorrow! They have to blow it out enough to last another 145 years, the next time Arkansas voters are stupid enough to vote them in again.

It’s “Supermarket Sweep!” It’s “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire!”

It’s the Powerball Lottery that only hits Republicans every 150 years or so!

Grab with both hands and teach yer ass to clinch harder! Oink oink oink oink!

Death by inches On an Arkansas Blog post about Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s backing off an executive order to protect LGBT Arkansans: 4

APRIL 9, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

Tim Sparks

301 Main Street North Little Rock

Tickets $20

Besides allowing gay people to escape shunning and stoning, Methodists also ordain women, baptize babies and support universal health care. Who needs more proof they are demonic?

Paying Top Dollar for Legislators In response to reporting on the Arkansas Blog that Josh Duggar, of the multitudinous Dugger clan, and his wife have more than $13,000 in state tax liens dating back to 2009:

“Sparks’ musical goulash is spiced with Celtic, blues, and jazz flavors for a truly unique work.”

In response to an Arkansas Blog post on state Treasurer Dennis Milligan’s issuing coins and key chains with his likeness on them:

—Acoustic Guitar Magazine

If Milligan wants to give trinkets away, I have no problem with him using his own money, but if this is our tax money being used to buy cheap Chinese junk with his likeness on them, the order needs to be FOIed to see if we are getting near felony levels for misuse of state monies.

Where are the Tea Party people on this misuse of taxpayer money, or is it OK because he is one? couldn’t be better

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Well, with the passage of time (approx. 25 minutes) I think I understand the parade official’s logic. I mean why would anyone want to allow the United Methodist Church to participate in a parade about Jesus?

The only thing that allows me to state this is “Think and let think.”

— John Wesley, 1703-1791.

Maxifer

When you’re in the throes of busily filling your quiver you’re liable to like totally forget you’re screwing Uncle Sam, too. Not in a gay way, ’cause you’re also like totally fighting THOSE people day and night in between quivering. But I like totally don’t understand lying about settling your debts because that’s un-Christian and stuff.

Sounds like a he-said she-just-laythere type situation or something, bless his heart.

Norma Bates

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Thursday April 16 7:30 p.m.

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haters. It, too, would have a very short verse commenting on Jesus’ reaction to this desecration of his message: “Jesus puked.”

Jake da Snake

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APRIL 9, 2015

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WEEK THAT WAS

“I had yet to vote on it, period, because as chairman you don’t vote unless you’re needed to make the fifth vote, which is the passing vote. And so when this Democrat switched his vote, I was surprised, as was everybody else, and in that moment, I honestly was a coward and voted party line and voted to send it out.”

— Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson (R-Little Rock), in an interview with the Huffington Post, explaining why he voted for Arkansas’s expanded version of the federal “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” (HB 1228) in the Senate Judiciary Committee and then voted against it on the Senate floor. After that vote, Hutchinson told the Associated Press that he believed that religious activities were occasionally overregulated, but said, “[I]n my estimation that does not outweigh the chance that somebody uses religion to do what Jesus would not want to be done in his name, which is to discriminate against somebody and offend a brother or sister.” Sen. Hutchinson was instrumental in the successful negotiations to replace HB 1228 with a Senate bill that more closely resembled the federal RFRA law.

Rehoming now a crime Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a bill into law this week that makes “rehoming” an adopted child a felony.

The governor also signed a companion measure that adds requirements for adoptive parents who receive subsidies from the state.

The bills that are now law were filed 6

APRIL 9, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

shortly after the Arkansas Times reported that state Rep. Justin Harris (R-West Fork) and his family adopted two girls from state custody and then placed them with another family seven months after their adoption was finalized. The girls were ages 5 and 3 at the time they were “rehomed” in late 2013. The 5-year-old girl was then sexually abused by the father at the new home, Eric C. Francis, before the sisters were moved to a third family in early 2014. Harris continued to receive state subsidy checks for the girls even after he sent them to live with the Francis family, though Harris’ attorney has offered scanned copied of deposited checks to show that he passed them to subsequent caregivers.

LRSD cuts start at the top Dexter Suggs, interim superintendent of the Little Rock School District, announced cuts of 64 positions from the top of the district’s administration, which will create a cost savings of some $3.5 million. That’s only a portion of the total savings needed to make up for the coming loss of $37 million in annual revenue in 2017, which is when state payments to the

BRIAN CHILSON

Quote of the week

EYE ON ARKANSAS

STRIKING: Model Uniqika Marshall wears a Brazilian inspired cover-up by designer Stephanie Thomas in the 2015 Designers Choice Fashion Preview at the Metroplex in Little Rock last Saturday.

LRSD end as a result of a desegregation settlement. More pain is coming, and not just to the central office: Suggs also proposed cutting employee health benefits and paring some teachers’ planning and preparation time each day.

Too much Jesus for Easter parade The First United Methodist Church wasn’t allowed to participate in the “Celebrate Jesus Easter Parade” in Eureka Springs on Saturday.

The church wanted to carry a sign that said, “Jesus Loves All.” A member of the church, a “reconciling congregation” that welcomes LGBT people, believes the church’s

love and acceptance of all kept them out of the parade. She told KNWATV they’d originally been approved to participate, but approval was withdrawn in the week before the parade.

A parade organizer, Laura Nichols, issued a lengthy statement that said she had nothing against homosexuals or the Methodist Church. But the statement also said: “This day isn’t a day of pointing fingers or playing the blame game.”

Saying “Jesus Loves All” does point a finger in the current debate.

Sad to say. If Jesus would visit lepers and eat with publicans and other sinners, he might even drop a cake off at the house of a couple of lesbians. He’d certainly walk in a parade with them.

OPINION

How bad was it?

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can’t improve on Ernest Dumas’ summary of the 2015 legislature last week, written several days before the concluding drama over the question of just how much Arkansas will continue to allow legal discrimination against gay people.

(Answer: Discrimination remains fully legal, whether in housing, employment or public accommodation.)

The legislature glorified God (at least the vengeful, discriminatory version of the deity worshipped by dominant Republicans), guns and rich people.

The poor may be blessed in the Bible that right-wing Republicans love to thump, but in the halls of the Capitol, the poor were cursed.

Alone among Arkansas taxpayers, the working poor who make less than $21,000 a year didn’t get a tax break from Gov. Asa Hutchinson. They did get a reduction in benefits should they lose their jobs. Some of them will be made to pee in a cup to obtain government assistance.

Well-to-do Arkansans got a big

for themselves. Only Rep. John Walker (D-Little Rock) stood as a matter of conscience against the 150 percent pay raise legislators received thanks to trickery sent to voters in a misleading tax break — a 33 percent constitutional amendment in 2014. reduction in the That amendment declared that it top tax rate on would be “barring gifts from lobbyists capital gains. The to certain state officials.” Result: A day very wealthiest rarely passed without free meals and MAX taxpayers got the drinks for legislators from lobbyists.

BRANTLEY maxbrantley@arktimes.com biggest tax break Special interests also laundered money of all — a total through the Republican Party to throw exemption on profits of more than royal banquets for House and Senate $10 million. Perhaps a dozen or so leaders. In the legislature’s final Arkansans will realize hundreds of hours, lawmakers approved additional thousands in tax cuts thanks to this, “reform” legislation that will make it while the poor get nothing. just about impossible to find an illegal The children of the poor will gift offense or campaign reporting have a harder time going to college, violation by a legislator — they’ll get too, thanks to changes in the lottery mulligans to make amends when scholarship. caught. This “reform” also legalized The legislature, nominally opposed free lobby-provided eats and drinks, to big government spending, has both in state and on junkets. proposed, too, to take the cap off Progressive members of the government borrowing to provide legislature tried but mostly failed to industrial corporate welfare. This accomplish much. Rep. Clarke Tucker measure also, if approved by voters, (D-Little Rock) came close to passing will restore taxpayer welfare payments paid maternity leave for state workers to chambers of commerce that lobby and a small cleanup to a campaign law against working men and women. that allows candidates to participate The lawmakers didn’t forget to care in secret dark money advertising. It

Cowardice in the high court

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ometime this summer the U.S. Supreme Court will almost certainly put an end to the debate over whether government can refuse to recognize the union of couples of the same sex.

That will leave the winners and losers a few more months to wring the last emotional spasms from an argument that spent its fury on superstition rather than logic and the law, upon which the U.S. Supreme Court will by then have settled it.

But for one loser the damage will take longer to repair. That is the Arkansas Supreme Court, which has made itself to look both baffled and cowardly when, like scores of other tribunals across the land, it was called upon to say whether the equality clauses of the federal and state constitutions permitted same-sex couples to enjoy the benefits conferred by the state’s sanction of marriages.

Bewilderment and cowardice are not traits the founders longed to see

in American government, but especially in the robed branch. It was the balancing institution that ERNEST was to always DUMAS stand above the fray, inconsiderate of popular passions, the needs of political parties or the influence of wealth and power.

Now, 11 months after Judge Chris Piazza pronounced the Arkansas ban on same-sex marriages illegal and fourand-a-half months after it conferenced and decided an appeal of Piazza’s ruling, the state Supreme Court still has not released its decision and last week took the extraordinary step of making it an entirely new case and starting over.

The court’s deliberations are secret, but every court watcher, perhaps everyone in the bar and certainly everyone involved in the case, know that the court is simply dithering so that it

will not have to decide the question at all or at least not until the U.S. Supreme Court preempts it and makes the state court’s decision unavoidable and thus noncontroversial.

Arkansas justices are elected and two or more of them have ambitions for higher office: chief justice when the present chief, Jim Hannah, retires at the end of 2016, or governor. Rendering an unpopular ruling in the gaymarriage case could make either race problematical. But judges everywhere are expected to make those rulings, as a matter of constitutional duty.

For more than a quarter-century, the elected Arkansas justices have decided tumultuous issues like discrimination against homosexuals and sweeping school reform fearlessly, but a few justices may have been taken aback by the savage condemnations of Judge Piazza by the editorials of the statewide newspaper and by legislators like Sen. Jason Rapert, who talked about impeaching the judge.

In one other instance in current memory did the court manifest such cowardice, and it took years to recover its esteem. Another Pulaski County trial judge ruled in 1966 that the state’s 1928 law making it a crime for a classroom teacher to talk about evolution violated

was remarkable 1) that these ideas could be viewed negatively and 2) that Tucker came close to passing them.

Republicans were under marching orders to kill anything important from promising Democrats.

Democrats played some successful defense, particularly with a concentration of members on select committees. A shameful exception was Sen. David Burnett (D-Osceola) who, in a Faustian bargain with Gov. Hutchinson, cleared passage of the anti-gay “conscience protection” bill.

Had the bill died in committee, the state would have been spared the lastminute drama over a substitute bill that still proclaims Arkansas a state where personal prejudice is more powerful than equal treatment under the law.

Too often, the 77-year-old civil rights lion John Walker rose on the floor of the House as the lonely voice of conscience. At least he was allowed to speak. In some committees, opposing voices were squelched at key moments.

The damage toll of punishing legislation that flew under the radar is not yet fully tallied. Bad as this legislature was, the fear persists that things could get worse.

the First Amendment. Although the Supreme Court first voted 4-3 in conference to reverse him and uphold the anti-evolution law, it then dawdled for much of a year because the chief justice wanted the court to go out united to quell the expected controversy. Two of the three dissenters finally capitulated on the condition that the opinion upholding the law be reduced to several baffling sentences. In unanimously tossing out the old law, the U.S. Supreme Court ridiculed the Arkansas court’s “equivocation,” and it became a symbol of the cravenness that elected judiciaries could produce.

The current Arkansas court’s poorly camouflaged dithering in a long sequence of delays and procedural orders suggests that the marriage case must be one of the most complicated in history, but it really is one of the simplest. The lawyers and parties to the case agreed on the facts, and the constitutional doctrines that have to be settled have been debated and decided by state and federal courts across the land, including a U.S. district judge in Arkansas, and in a number of states by legislative bodies.

For nearly all the courts, the issue was settled on June 16, 2013, by President Ronald Reagan’s old friend Anthony Kennedy when he wrote for the CONTINUED ON PAGE 36 www.arktimes.com

APRIL 9, 2015

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Rolling Stone forgot the truth

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o here’s my question: Why would a conscientious citizen ever again trust anything published in Rolling Stone? To me, the diligent professors at the Columbia School of Journalism went too easy on the magazine’s reporters and editors.

Rolling Stone’s doomed article about a make-believe gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity house was more than “a story of journalistic failure that was avoidable.� The magazine and its editors made themselves willing, if not downright eager, parties to a hoax — and not a terribly sophisticated hoax at that.

Frankly, it’s getting to where the cultural left’s credulousness about melodramatic tales of victimization quite matches the conspiracy mongering of the right.

But hold that thought.

That nobody’s resigning or getting fired strikes me as the death knell for Rolling Stone’s reputation. More than that, its editors profess themselves “unanimous in the belief that the story’s failure does not require them to change their editorial systems.� They even insist that the article’s author, Sabrina Rubin Erdely, will write for them again.

I’ll believe that when I see it. Perhaps she can write captions for cute kitten photos or an astrology column.

Have I mentioned that Erdely teaches journalism classes at the University of Pennsylvania?

Anyway, to hear them tell it, the editors’ biggest mistake was bending over backward to protect the tender sensibilities of the “survivor of a terrible sexual assault.� One confessed that “ultimately, we were too deferential to our rape victim; we honored too many of her requests in our reporting. We should have been much tougher, and in not doing that, we maybe did her a disservice.�

Noble sentiments. However, what rape victim? After a four-month probe, the Charlottesville police department concluded there was no credible evidence to support Rolling Stone’s melodramatic narrative. None whatsoever.

Although the police chief — clearly pandering to campus political sentiments — conceded that his investigation didn’t prove nothing bad ever happened to “Jackie,� the magazine’s one-and-only source.

Of course no investigation can ever prove such a thing. Only that not a single verifiable element GENE of Jackie’s story LYONS checked out.

There wasn’t even a frat party on the night of the supposed drunken gangbang.

Of the many falsehoods Jackie spun for the enraptured Erdely, my personal favorite is “Haven Monahan.� That’s the name of the handsome classmate Jackie told friends escorted her to the imaginary party. The friends were unable to confirm that the fellow was enrolled at UVa, possibly because — and what are the odds? — there appears to be nobody by that name living anywhere in the United States of America.

Erdely told the Columbia sleuths she began to harbor doubts about Jackie’s trustworthiness when she wasn’t sure how to spell her betrayer’s name. Alas, her Rolling Stone piece was already in print; she’d been touting it all over MSNBC and CNN. The J-School team politely pretended to believe this improbable tale.

Because until then, see, neither Erdely, her editors, Rolling Stone’s fact-checkers, nor even — astonishing to me — the magazine’s libel lawyers had done a single bit of journalistic due diligence regarding Jackie’s tale of woe. They’d swallowed it whole, making no effort to contact the three pseudonymous friends whom the magazine “quoted� as warning Jackie that reporting the crime would make her a campus pariah. They’d taken Jackie’s word for it.

It was the same with the alleged perps.

Erdely took no serious steps to contact them. Even the failure of Jackie’s mother to return phone calls failed to clue the enraptured reporter that something might be fishy. Her editors played right along.

Actually, there’s a psychiatric term called “folie Ă deuxâ€? in which two closely allied persons come to share the same delusional belief. However, it’s impossible to know Jackie’s state of mind, since she’s gone into hiding. By her own account, Erdely arrived in Charlottesville with strong convictions about campus “rape cultureâ€? and the wickedness of WASP fraternity boys — particularly Southern ones.

She let the theme determine the facts, CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

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APRIL 9, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

A HB 1228 post-mortem

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espite a series of rousing speeches, the Human Rights Campaign’s event on the steps of the state Capitol on March 31 had the feel of a visitation the evening before a funeral.

In a fractious session in the state House of Representatives a couple of hours before, the House had accepted a series of Senate amendments to the so-called “religious freedom” legislation, sending it to Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s desk. Two mothers sadly reported that their straight young adult children were now fully prepared to leave Arkansas for good as a result. While some voiced hope for a “miracle,” almost all at the rally anticipated that Hutchinson — despite some obvious ambivalence on the legislation over the weeks of the legislative session — would move forward with his most recent commitment to sign the bill. Indeed, despite the governor’s awareness that the expansive religious freedom bill would cause a serious black eye for the state, those around him could not see a way out of the predicament into the late hours of Tuesday night because of the overwhelming legislative majorities supporting the bill.

They girded themselves for Arkansas to face the barrage from national media and key business interests that Indiana had felt for days.

However, as many have now recounted, Hutchinson did find a way out of the predicament by compelling the legislature to quickly produce a state Religious Freedom Restoration Act that simply reiterates the language of the 1993 federal RFRA. While unnecessary at best, the amended bill — SB 975 — represented a sharply better result than the state-sanctioned discrimination greenlighted by HB 1228. Absent an executive order barring discrimination in state employment that Hutchinson stated he was “looking at … [to] make it clear that Arkansas wants to be a place of tolerance,” this was a small win on substantive grounds. But, for at least four reasons, it felt like a much more significant victory for equality in Arkansas.

First, it has remained befuddling that many remain oblivious to the fact that LGBT folks can be fired or denied access to housing or public accommodations — whether or not the basis of that discrimination is religious. (Even

former Gov. Mike Beebe evidenced ignorance of that reality at his infamous appearance before the StoneJAY wall Democrats in BARTH 2011.) The debate over HB 1228 (which, according to polling, broke through to the public like few state politics stories do) means that the number of folks who don’t know this is smaller than a week ago. Passage of a law to add the “five words” to the state’s civil rights law will likely only follow federal action on the issue, but the awareness of discrimination’s legality changes the battle lines in more progressive Arkansas communities now being asked to act on the issue. (It is vitally important so that more Arkansas cities have standing in the coming court battle over the session’s other major anti-LGBT rights measure, SB 202.) It also serves as a key reminder that once marriage equality comes to the nation (and Arkansas), likely in the coming months, considerably more work will be needed to ensure thorough equality.

Second, Arkansas is a place where sustained public engagement on public policy issues is quite rare. But that is what we saw on HB 1228 starting with a massive “emergency meeting” on the Sunday before the vote; numerous rallies and press events sponsored by the HRC, Stonewall Democrats and other organized and ad hoc groups in opposition to HB 1228 followed. During the Beebe era, legislation hostile to LGBT rights was fended off through an “inside” game (often led by former state Rep. Kathy Webb working with the governor’s office). With the change in the composition of the elected bodies, activists were left to rely primarily on an “outside” strategy. And, the sustained engagement undoubtedly mattered in producing the shift away from HB 1228. (I have to go back to 2002 to find an analogous case: Gov. Mike Huckabee faced hundreds of protesters at the state Capitol and at a number of stops around the state after his initial announcement to eliminate the TEFRA program serving thousands of developmentally disabled children with extremely costly treatments to meet a state Medicaid funding crisis; Huckabee eventually reversed himself and shifted CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

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PEARLS ABOUT SWINE

Yellow Fever, Malaria, Tuberculosis, Cholera, Flu and Hookworm A Fascinating History of Arkansas’s 200 Year Battle Against Disease and Pestilence This is a great history of Arkansas that tells how public attitudes toward medicine, politics and race have shaped the public health battle against deadly and debilitating disease in the state.

From the illnesses that plagued the state’s earliest residents to the creation of what became the Arkansas Department of Health, Sam Taggart’s “The Public’s Health: A Narrative History of Health and Disease in Arkansas” tells the fascinating medical history of Arkansas. Published by the Arkansas Times.

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Razorback to-dos

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wenty-seven wins and the rediscovery of meaningful March basketball stamped Arkansas as a program of resurgence. Mike Anderson’s leadership was finally reflected in the on-court product, and the Hogs accordingly shed some old bugaboos by winning away from home.

Of course, 48-plus hours of genuinely exceptional April basketball provided a jolting reminder of how far the gulf remains between the words “Hogball” and “elite.” It’s not to shortchange the team’s admirable ascent, but the Hogs still look more like the quintessential mid-major upstart than the kind of titan that put on two brilliant shows in Indianapolis this weekend. Conference tentpole Kentucky didn’t cede its visions of the pantheon season easily in a rugged battle with Wisconsin Saturday, and the Badgers slogged through exhaustion against Duke for a good 30 minutes before the Blue Devils, sensing the foe’s underbelly, quickly reversed a nine-point deficit with brilliant guard play on offense and aggressive interior defense to win their fifth title in 24 years.

Ironically, it was a Blue Devil title game loss that marked a relevant parallel for those of us immersed in local culture.

Duke trailed 48-39 Monday and Wisconsin smelled blood; in 1994, Arkansas was behind by a nearly identical score (48-38) but drew even quickly and then hounded the Blue Devils the rest of the way for a 76-72 victory that gave us both our historical athletic pinnacle and our present-day exemplar. Indefatigable teams — speaking of both conditioning and composure — win these battles even when their best players (Corliss Williamson in 1994, Jahlil Okafor this week) aren’t at their best.

The script for Arkansas to follow back to championship basketball isn’t as convoluted or ethereal as it might seem, to be honest. Pearls diagnoses it accordingly for 2015-16, and urges strict adherence to the dosages below: 1. Moses Kingsley absolutely must take a substantive leap in all phases.

The flashes and bursts of a quality bigconference center have been there, interspersed with long stretches on the pine and some truly head-scratching moments of game action. The physique is getting there but the offensive skill set that Anderson was quite certain would

appear has yet to, and time is now of the essence.

When guys like Okafor and Frank Kaminsky grab BEAU the headlines in WILCOX the Final Four, it’s understandable: Both big men employ great footwork and agility in a varied offensive game, and throw around ample muscle to protect the paint. Kingsley has capabilities to take a four-star amateur pedigree up the ladder the way Kaminsky did, minus the three-point range, but he’s got to make that leap now. The days of four-point, four-rebound games must be over, and Kingsley legitimately needs to develop a 12-15 point hand and a lot more tenacity on the glass to complement his good works defensively.

This observation applies regardless of whether Bobby Portis returns, incidentally.

2. Jimmy Whitt will need to bring explosiveness and range to help Anthlon Bell finish his career in style. Bell’s streakiness is a given, but even inconsistent shooters are known to thrive when there’s at least one or two additional gunners able to relieve the burden at hand. Whitt’s swagger, length and stroke are all undeniable. He will be a productive player as a freshman because of his pure scorer approach, but it’s the effect he has on Bell that must resonate more. Poor Anthlon came off at times the last two years as a desperation chucker, so to speak. He was the deep threat, and Michael Qualls and others weren’t dependable enough night in, night out to offer much shooting help, so Bell was left with a mess and a frantic mentality. And the team’s .350 percentage from long range accordingly rated 137th in Division I. 3. The emphasis on pressure defense is fine, but Arkansas was often at its best defensively smothering teams in organic, traditional halfcourt sets, and cannot shirk its responsibilities to be tougher and leaner. At times when the Razorbacks gasped for points, the defense held serve and then some. The Hogs were listless against Mississippi State on the road, but survived. They had an awful stretch at South Carolina, but weathered that, too. The Florida game ended in a controversial loss, but CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

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APRIL 9, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

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THE OBSERVER NOTES ON THE PASSING SCENE

Behold, his mighty hand!

T

he Observer is a heathen of some note, but we do love the Bill of Rights, the first of which allows us to do this job without some pencil neck from Our Lord’s Glorious United States’ Office of Forcible Holiness looking over our shoulder while tapping a red pen against her teeth. While we adore the Freedom of the Press stuff, the other half of the First Amendment is all about religion; specifically, how government shouldn’t get in the religion business, nor tell any church how to run its railroad.

So, understandably, The Observer was a little cheesed that one of the gifts the 90th General Assembly left for us before its members slouched back to their respective bridges and swamps is authorization for the construction of a shiny new monument to the Biblical Ten Commandments on the lawn of the Arkansas State Capitol.

Now, look, don’t get Your Old Pal wrong. Believe what you want. Believe that we’re just stardust, thrown together by the cosmic washing machine. Believe in the Father, the Son and the Son’s Friend Steve. Believe life was deposited here by Ricardo Montalban detonating the Genesis Device in “Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan.” Genuflect to your cat, your favorite tree, your toaster. No skin off the teeth of Yours Truly. But don’t try to force everybody else to kneel, dance, dervish, gyrate, prostrate, glossolate or reverate the way you think it should be done. Don’t try to force us to pray beside you, and we’ll extend to you the same courtesy.

Some folks clearly don’t get that. The Observer and James Madison, meanwhile, tend to think that the whole Separation of God and Gubmint thing has been working out pretty well for all of us over the past 223 years, three months and 20-odd days. And if it ain’t broke, don’t legislate it, stupid.

Still, now that the door to religious displays — ahem, we mean: “historical monuments” — in the shadow of the Capitol dome is open, we’re going to go ahead and petition for our own. The

Observer is fairly historic our own dang self, and we figure we’d better stake out our slice of public real estate while the gettin’s good, before some Cargo Cult from Standard Umstead snatches up all the prime spots. Below is the proposed text for our monument. Rose granite, please, preferably planted right in front of Sen. Jason Rapert’s parking spot.

1) Does what you’re doing intentionally hurt somebody else? It’s wrong.

2) Does what you’re doing have a high potential to inadvertently hurt somebody else? Probably wrong.

3) If what somebody else is doing doesn’t hurt you, have a high potential to inadvertently hurt you, clean out your checking account or kill your hydrangeas, mind your own gatdamn business.

And no, having the delicate snowflake of your religious or personal sensibilities disturbed doesn’t count.

4) Tip thy server. Well.

5) Thou shalt not assume I want sauce on my pulled pork sammich, nor pickles on my cheeseburger. Heed my words, for I am large!

6) Corporations employ people, but are not, in fact, people. Stop saying they are, because it makes all us real-life, nonincorporated people hate you.

7) Slow down. Go fishin’. Don’t take life so seriously. Remember that in 150 years, unless you whip up the cure for cancer in your bathroom sink, nobody is probably even going to remember your name. Also remember: That’s the way it’s supposed to work.

8) Anyone who says being gay is a lifestyle choice must submit a notarized affidavit detailing the moment they decided to be straight.

9) Thou shalt watch “2001: A Space Odyssey” at least three times in thy life, with an open mind. It actually starts to sort of make sense the second time you watch it.

10) Be nice to each other, if you can.

If you can’t, you might want to think about staying home and watching TV.

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APRIL 9, 2015

11

Arkansas Reporter

THE

IN S IDE R

An important speech not delivered Rep. John Walker (D-Little Rock), the 77-year-old civil rights lawyer, provided frequent emotional comfort — if scant practical success — during the recent legislative session by rising repeatedly to challenge laws that invaded privacy, curbed liberty and afflicted the poor to aid the comforted (including a solo speech against the big legislative pay raise.)

One speech was written but — by agreement with legislative leaders seeking to limit debate — not delivered on the floor. It was the speech Walker prepared to oppose HB 1228, the so-called “religious freedom” bill by Rep. Bob Ballinger (R-Hindsville) that was motivated by opposition to equal treatment of gay people. It passed both houses and became a national controversy after Gov. Asa Hutchinson backed off his pivotal support at the last minute because of corporate pressure.

Walker has had many fine hours in a storied career (and, yes, exasperating ones, as well) but this was one of his fine moments. If this be winter for the civil rights lion, he’s not proceeding meekly.

On the Arkansas Blog, at arktimes. com/walker1228, you’ll find the full speech, which Walker distributed to colleagues in written form. The conclusion says: “This bill is anti-gay, anti-religious, anticivil rights and anti-humanity. It does not improve quality of life or recognize the right to life of all citizens on equal terms and conditions. It should be defeated.

“And for those of us who are Christians, we should ask ourselves: ‘What would Jesus do?’ I submit that Jesus would teach us (even command us) to recognize that these men, women, boys and girls are our sons, our daughters, our sisters, our neighbors, our friends.

“They, too, are our brothers and we, as our brothers’ keepers, must ensure that our laws and our government accord them protection, respect and dignity. He would command us to honor His greatest commandment, ‘love,’ as it relates to all of our brothers and sisters.

“In fact, given that we, as Americans, openly profess that, ‘we are all endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights … to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,’ we have no other choice than to defeat HB 1228.”

Though a compromise version of this bill ultimately was adopted, it did nothing to change the second-class status of gay

Asa the governor, Seth the labor organizer Gov. Hutchinson’s youngest son talks about his hopes for a broad movement for social, economic and environmental justice.

BY BENJAMIN HARDY

A

t his April 1 press conference requesting a last-minute compromise on HB 1228, the “religious freedom” bill that many saw as a license to discriminate against LGBT people, Gov. Asa Hutchinson mentioned his youngest son as an example of the deeply personal nature of the politics surrounding the bill.

“It has divided families and there is clearly a generational gap. My son Seth signed the petition asking me, Dad, the governor, to veto this bill. It shows that there is a generational difference on these opinions,” Gov. Hutchinson said.

I became friends with Seth Hutchinson in 2003 when we were both attending college in Conway. For as long as I’ve known him, Seth has been committed to the politics and ethics of the left, yet he’s also maintained good relationships with his deeply Republican family. Not long after graduating from the University of Central Arkansas in 2005, Seth began organizing for the Texas State Employees Union. He’s 31 and now lives in Austin, where he continues to work for TSEU. When I called him to talk last week, Seth was driving back from a TSEU worker meeting at a juvenile justice facility in advance of the union’s upcoming lobby day at the Texas legislature.

Something he emphasized repeatedly: He’s not the reason his father reversed course on HB 1228. That was the work of the movement on the ground in Arkansas, he said. What follows is a Q&A with Seth: When did you reach out to your dad about HB 1228?

He’s known my position about this for a long time, but I first expressed my concerns about some of the anti-LGBT legislation happening in Arkansas a few weeks ago. That was after the first bill had already passed, SB 202, and I kind of regretted not having said something before then. I wanted to make sure I made a special appeal to my dad about 1228 since I missed my first opportunity.

So when this whole thing heated up, I sent him an email. I just did some research into it, put together the best arguments I found — that it would damage Arkansas’s reputation, it could have an economic impact, it’s become a divisive issue, it’s going to cause confusion. I told him I respect and love him no matter what, but I felt compelled to make a special appeal on this because I have a lot of friends in the LGBT community in Arkansas and I feel pretty passionately about this. I told him I was going to sign the petition, but I wanted to let him know ahead of time. ... I didn’t want that to catch him off guard.

He wrote me back the next day and responded to my points. He said he was

going to put a lot of thought into it. He said he had some concerns about the bill as well. He told me he had no problem about me signing the petition, that he respected and loved me no matter what my political opinions were. That was really the last I heard of it until he called me and said he was going to mention my name in the press conference.

Did it surprise you at all that he decided to mention you?

It did. I felt a lot of things at once when I heard the news. I was very happy first and foremost that this issue was not over, and that the work of a lot of activists, a lot of everyday people voicing their concerns about it, thousands of people taking action on it, had actually made a difference.

I was also very proud of my dad for listening to those concerns, and for having the intelligence and thoughtfulness and regard to listen to those concerns and take them very seriously. And to have the courage to act on it.

Many people think that Walmart’s opposition was really what swayed the governor. How much of his change of heart was due to business?

I think that the voices that were raised on all sides definitely gave him pause and made him realize how serious of an issue this was for everybody.

And obviously, the more the issue was raised, the more symbolic it was and the more people paid attention to it, so the more negative impact it would have if it passed. I think [the business opposition] was part of the equation. I think that had an impact on his thinking. But I think that came about as a result of people really raising their voices and organizing to get the word out.

Do you see there being a need for explicit civil rights protections for LGBT people?

Yeah, definitely. Even if people aren’t being fired left and right for being gay, it sends a signal that LGBT folks are welcome in our society, that they don’t need to fear anything. Obviously, because of the history of discrimination that is there, it’s needed. Even if all 50 states passed marriage laws, LGBT folks need to be a protected class as far as housing and employment. It needs to be a civil right that’s established, because of that history — that we’re saying no to that form of discrimination once and for all.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

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APRIL 9, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

THE

BIG PICTURE

Inconsequential News Quiz: Thank God and Greyhound, They’re Gone! Edition

Play at home, if it doesn’t intrude on your religious freedom.

1) Last week, as hundreds of LGBT people and their supporters turned out in Arkansas and Indiana to protest anti-LGBT “religious freedom” bills in both states, Sen. Tom Cotton appeared on CNN to say that LGBT folks needed to “get perspective” on the issue. What did Cotton say they should think about to help them reach “perspective”?

A) “Look on the bright side: at least you’re not me.”

B) “They should know that any deal they reach with Governors Hutchinson and Pence can be undone with the stroke of a pen by the next governor, so they should stop their attempts to get a nuclear bomb immediately.”

C) “In Iran, they hang you for the crime of being gay.”

D) “Danger, Will Robinson! Error! Error! Reboot!”

2) Which of the following is a real, car cartoonishly evil accomplishment of the Republican-led 90th General Assembly?

A) House Bill 631, which authorizes any adult to literally snatch candy from the hand of a baby if the baby is “AfricanAmerican, Latino, female, sets off one’s ‘gaydar’, is being carried in one of those Baby Bjork [sic] hippie slings, or is currently in the company of an adult driving an automobile with a ‘Co-Exist’ bumper sticker.”

B) Cut state support for public libraries by 18 percent in order to give Arkansas’s richest people a capital gains tax cut.

C) Reinstated slavery in White County, because Rep. Bobby Jack Pecker (R-Pangburn) was “having a hell of a time keeping good help.”

D) Passed The Bipartisan Friendship and Understanding Act, under which “a posse wielding bullwhips shall pursue all known liberals on horseback until exhaustion, at which time said Marxists shall be netted and dragged immediately to the nearest bus terminal, river port, rail yard or airport for immediate deportation to Masachusits [sic] or Californee [sic].”

state must hold up a sign that says “The Power of Christ Compels Me.” D) Outlawed all photography within the borders of Arkansas, due to Sen. Bart Hester’s belief that cameras can totally steal your soul, dude.

4) Now that the Arkansas State Legislature has approved the construction of a “historic monument” featuring the Ten Commandments on State Capitol grounds, which of the following religious faiths could potentially make a convincing court argument that they, too, should have their own historic monument on the lawn of the Arkansas State Capitol?

A) Church of Satan B) Church of Santa C) First Church of Our Lord and Savior, Bob Seger D) Temple of Thor (mythological and/or Marvel comic) E) Blues Brotherhood of Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration F) The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord G) Big Bob’s Church and Used Mattress Warehouse H) Faith-R-Us I) The Tarantinoite Monastery J) The Reformed Brantlians (Max Brantley, pope) K) The Ku Klux Klan (est. 1865) L) The KISStians M) The Patient Disciples of Gozer the Gozerian from “Ghostbusters.”

N) Apostles of the Blessed Reincarnation of Tony Alamo O) All of the above! Bring your sacred text, hastily-printed pamphlet, ancient scroll or rune-covand come on in! ered animal hide

3) Arkansas’s professional photographers rose as one in their opposition to SB 79, which was eventually vetoed

by Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Why did the state’s crop of shutterbugs dislike SB 79?

A) Would have required one of them, picked by lottery, to shoot a “Men of the 90th General Assembly” nude photo spread.

B) Would have required a commercial photographer to get a signed release from every person appearing in a photograph — even in cases where dozens of people might happen to be in the background of a photo taken in a public place — or else he or she could be sued.

C) Stipulated that any LGBT person photographed in the

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INSIDER, CONT. people under the law of Arkansas. But the tide of public opinion nationally moves in the right direction. Speeches by influential black leaders like Walker have been important in moving opinion among African Americans, more resistant to the gay rights movement on account of church influence.

Joyce joins Times’ investigative project

Kathryn Joyce, the author of “The Child Catchers: Rescue, Trafficking and the New Gospel of Adoption,” is joining the Arkansas Times’ investigation into Arkansas’s child welfare system.

We’re able to pay her thanks to the generous support of readers who pledged to our “Beyond rehoming” crowdfunding campaign. We’re just a few thousand short of our final goal. If you haven’t contributed and you care about the topic, consider donating at arktimes.com/beyondrehoming.

Our initial investigation into rehoming and Rep. Justin Harris (R-West Fork) inspired broader questions about the state’s child welfare system. We’ve heard from dozens upon dozens of sources who have stories to share. Joyce will help our small staff move the investigative project into its next phase. She’ll start in late April.

She brings a wealth of experience.

From her website: “Her freelance writing has appeared in The New York Times, The American Prospect, Slate, The Atlantic, Mother Jones, Pacific Standard, The Nation, Salon, Newsweek, Ms., Religion Dispatches, The Daily Beast, The Harvard Divinity Bulletin, The Massachusetts Review, Conscience and other publications.

“A 2011 Knight-Luce Fellow in Global Religion Reporting, she has also been awarded residencies and fellowship support by the Nation Institute Investigative Fund, the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, the MacDowell Colony, and the Bellagio Center. She is a 2013 finalist for the Livingston Award, and recipient of the 2013 ‘Wilbur Award’ for best magazine writing about religion and a 2010 ‘Maggie Award’ for reproductive rights reporting.”

“Hana’s Story,” her powerful and disturbing account for Slate.com of the intersection between extreme fundamentalist Christianity and adoption, demonstrates how well suited she is for this project.

She’s also the author of “Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement,” so she knows a little about certain extreme circles of Northwest Arkansas Christians. www.arktimes.com

APRIL 9, 2015

13

Answers: C, B, B, O

BRIAN CHILSON

LARGE SUPPORT: Protesters turned out at the Capitol to speak out against the anti-gay HB 1228.

Help launch Out in Arkansas Times starts crowdfunding campaign for new LGBT publication.

T

he Arkansas Times has launched a crowdfunding campaign to support a new independent website devoted to LGBT topics. We’re raising money through ioby.org, a platform that supports do-good projects. Donations are tax deductible. Find the campaign at arktimes.com/outinark.

The Times has been reporting on issues important to the LGBT community for the 41 years we’ve been in publication, starting in 1974 with a story on a gay couple in Little Rock. We’ve written about the difficulties people have had coming out to their families and their employers. About the fight by same-sex couples to foster and adopt children.

About churches that welcome the LGBT community to worship, the need for antidiscrimination laws, the rights of people to marry whom they wish so that they may enjoy all the rights that heterosexual couples enjoy — these and all other topics of concern to those who suffer discrimination because of who they are and who they love. Situations that the public needs to know and understand.

14

APRIL 9, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

It’s time to double down on our efforts.

The Times wants to expand that coverage, both in print and with a new online publication, Out in Arkansas. Though we’ve been working behind the scenes on this effort for months, the public debate surrounding a so-called “religious freedom” bill in the Arkansas legislature has made it abundantly clear the need for additional reporting and commentary.

In Out in Arkansas, we’ll more aggressively look to expose discriminatory policies and people in positions of power — in schools, municipal government, law enforcement, the health care system and among employers.

We know that there are still large numbers of Arkansans, including a significant number of policymakers, who believe they don’t know any gay people, who believe that there is no discrimination against gay people. We want to introduce them to their neighbors through the power of storytelling.

Out in Arkansas will help the push for equality with powerful personal features, profiles of activists and stories about the

diverse members of the state’s LGBT community. People like Little Rock’s Bryan Borland, one of the country’s leading gay poets and the founder of Sibling Rivalry Press. Stories also about people with no special claim to fame, normal folks raising their families and trying to pay their bills just like all other Arkansans. Stories about the unique challenges that gay teenagers face. Stories that show how Arkansas lags behind the new national norm, but also about the halting march toward progress.

Here’s what Out in Arkansas will look like: It will be integrated into the Times’ website, and also have its own standalone website, as do other publications like The Upshot on the New York Times’ website and FiveThirtyEight on ESPN. com. There will be stories online every day, and some of these stories will also appear in the weekly Arkansas Times.

Out in Arkansas will also appear in print twice a year, in a glossy magazine format.

We’ll hire a dedicated editor who will report and offer commentary as well as manage contributors. Look for profiles, investigative stories, trend stories and opinion.

We know there is a demand from readers for this content. Our stories on the fight for equality get more traffic on the web and responses from readers than any other topic. For example, in 2013 our most popular stories on the web — which were read almost twice as much as the next most widely read story — were about Tippi McCullough’s dismissal from Mount St. Mary Academy

for marrying her longtime partner, Barbara Mariani, and about an Imboden high school’s withdrawal of its invitation to TV producer Bryant Huddleston to speak at graduation after his sexual orientation became known. In 2014, our coverage of the legal battle for marriage equality drew massive web traffic, and in 2015, our reporting on HB 1228 helped the Times draw more than 1 million unique readers in March.

People look for such stories from the Arkansas Times; if we don’t write them, who will?

Currently, there is no publication dedicated to LGBT issues in Arkansas.

So what will it take? Like most small publishers, the Arkansas Times survives on a slim margin. We can’t afford to bear costs for a new internal startup on our own. But we are optimistic that, once established, this effort could be supported largely, or maybe even entirely, through advertising sales. We’re seeking funding to support the project for our startup year. That timeline should give us plenty of time to sell and grow the effort. To hire a rising star as editor, cover overhead costs, pay for web development and support a network of freelance writers and videographers, we’re looking to raise $125,000. Donations are tax deductible.

We know how to publish media at the Arkansas Times. We’ve been covering the state and advocating for progressive issues for four decades and have a devoted audience to show for it. We moved online more aggressively than our peers in Arkansas media, and we’ve long outperformed other alternative media across the country on the web on a per capita basis. We’re constantly working to expand and improve our connection to our readers, from good writing to good design, community events, social media, a popular daily video series and a weekly podcast.

Now, we want to remove all doubt: The LGBT community is just as special, and just as normal, as all other Arkansans.

It has a voice. With your help, we’ll have a way to get that voice out to the public.

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APRIL 9, 2015

15

#

What HB 1228 was really about Before and after protests, it remains legal to discriminate against LGBT people in Arkansas.

BY BENJAMIN HARDY

16

APRIL 9, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

DENNIS McCANN: A HISTORY

BALLINGER: Despite his claims to the contrary, the potential discriminatory impact of HB 1228 was clear.

W

hether it was the crowds at the Capitol, the tweet from Walmart or the public crucifixion of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, something in the end convinced Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson that fighting for House Bill 1228 was a losing game.

He was right. By that point, national public opinion had declared Indiana’s “religious protection” bill a license to discriminate against LGBT individuals, and HB 1228 was cut from the same cloth. Acxiom and Walmart were among Arkansas’s business heavyweights calling for Hutchinson to issue a veto. Protests rallied by a group of Presbyterian ministers, the Human Rights Campaign and local organizations such as Arkansas Citizens First Congress filled the airwaves and the Internet. And so, at a press conference on Wednesday, April 1, Hutchinson asked the legislature to send him an eleventhhour compromise bill to replace the glowing, rainbow-colored target that HB 1228 had become. The governor said he was even mulling

the possibility of an executive order to prevent discrimination against LGBT state employees.

When asked by reporters why he’d changed his mind on HB 1228, Hutchinson said, “It was a learning process … We heard from constituents and business leaders.” Even though he’d stated publicly just a week before that he intended to sign the bill once it reached his desk — and even though the Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee who originally provided the crucial “yes” vote to advance HB 1228 said he did so because Hutchinson himself asked for it — the governor managed to emerge from the fray looking like a moderate.

Hutchinson said he wanted a bill that would more closely hew to the language of the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA, upon which HB 1228 (and the Indiana law) was also based. It undoubtedly took some wrangling, but HB 1228 sponsor Rep. Bob Ballinger (R-Hindsville) and most other hard right legislators acceded to the governor’s wishes. The Gen-

eral Assembly sent the governor a replacement, SB 975, on the final day of the 2015 legislative session.

The House of Representatives then voted to recall HB 1228 from the governor’s desk and Hutchinson signed SB 975 into law on Thursday, April 2.

When it comes to legalized discrimination against LGBT Arkansans, however, HB 1228 and SB 975 will have the same immediate effect: little to none. That’s because such discriminatory actions are already perfectly legal. The Arkansas Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender and disability, but not sexual orientation or gender identity (this is what is meant when people say that LGBT is not a “protected class”). So under existing Arkansas law, there is no doubt that a cake baker or photographer could refuse to participate in a wedding ceremony involving a gay couple. For that matter, there’s no doubt that a worker could be fired expressly for being gay (unless the employer contractually grants

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17

BRIAN CHILSON

HUTCHINSON: Pushed for an 11th-hour compromise after saying he would sign HB 1228 just days earlier.

protections to LGBT people, as many do). Or, that a person could be denied housing.

John DiPippa, dean emeritus at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, told the Times, “There’s no law that protects LGBT people from discrimination in the state of Arkansas.

Period. … That’s the irony. This bill isn’t even needed to remedy situations that its supporters claim it’s going to deal with.”

Does this mean Ballinger and his allies were right when they said HB 1228 wasn’t about discrimination?

Not exactly. Social conservatives know that LGBT civil rights are on the horizon, even in Arkansas, and they want to establish solid legal defenses against their encroachment. Even if the Arkansas Supreme Court forever delays its ruling on the same-sex marriage case now before it, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely soon strike down state-level samesex marriage bans entirely. When that happens, a state law that allows, say, county clerks to claim a reli18

APRIL 9, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

gious objection to providing samesex marriage certificates, would be a small but symbolically important win for social conservatives fighting in the trenches against equality.

But the main reason that Ballinger’s claims that the bill wasn’t supposed to be discriminatory rang so hollow was that HB 1228 was legislation meant to undergird another bill that passed the Arkansas General Assembly in February. Although it was approved with far less fuss, SB 202, sponsored by Sen. Bart Hester (R-Cave Springs), is actually worse than was HB 1228. It prohibits local governments from establishing ordinances that protect groups not already protected by state law — say, veterans, or the elderly, or LGBT people.

In Arkansas, the door to LGBT discrimination has always been wide open; SB 202 is, and HB 1228 was, merely a legal doorstop to make sure it stays that way. Last fall, the Fayetteville City Council passed a civil rights ordinance protecting LGBT citizens, which was then overturned

by popular referendum after a monumental battle. SB 202 is a response to the Fayetteville ordinance and an attempt to preempt any other Arkansas cities that might get bright ideas about protecting LGBT people under law. Should SB 202 be struck down by a court, however, then the new state RFRA provides an additional layer of legal defense for social conservatives looking to avoid complying with local nondiscrimination ordinances.

All of this grants a strange, subjunctive quality to the whole debate, but it’s about to become much more tangible. In advance of SB 202 going into effect in July, Eureka Springs passed a nondiscrimination ordinance, which will also face a referendum. And Little Rock and other cities will likely soon attempt to pass ordinances of their own. That means SB 202 should face a court challenge as soon as it becomes law.

Meanwhile, it looks as though the governor’s talk last week of an executive order to protect state employees against discrimination

has now evaporated. When the Times asked a Hutchinson spokesperson this week, he said the governor had “no plans on that right now.” And then there’s the compromise measure itself. In Indiana, Gov. Pence eventually quelled the outcry over his state’s law by backpedaling hard: The revised Indiana bill explicitly says it may not be used as a legal defense for discrimination. However, the compromise law passed by the Arkansas legislature, SB 975, doesn’t contain any such antidiscrimination language. It still could be used as a defense for discriminatory actions somewhere down the line.

Nonetheless, it’s still not as bad as HB 1228. To understand the difference between the two bills requires some understanding of the purpose of RFRA in the first place.

The federal RFRA was originally written in the early 1990s to allow an individual to challenge the applicability of, say, a drug law forbidding peyote use, if such a prohibition “substantially burdens” the practice of the individual’s religion.

Note that this doesn’t mean everyone automatically has free license to use peyote — nor would HB 1228 have given carte blanche permission to assault gay Arkansans. A RFRA simply gives an additional legal weapon to be used in court: If the federal government tries to arrest you for possessing peyote, you can attempt to claim a RFRA defense. Other facts will be considered in court as well, of course.

(For example, if you’re a lifetime Baptist rather than an adherent of a shamanic Native American religion, a judge may find your RFRA defense unconvincing.)

The most striking difference between SB 975 and HB 1228 is under what circumstances that weapon could have been used. SB 975, like the federal RFRA, is worded such that it seems to apply only to a proceeding in which the government is a party. But HB 1228, like its cousin in Indiana, made it clear that the statute it created could be invoked as a defense in certain suits between two nongovernmental parties — such as a gay couple and a recalcitrant baker. Again, though, because Arkansas currently has no law that says the baker can’t dis-

criminate against a gay couple, it’s all a thought experiment anyway.

In the short term, while the new state RFRA created by SB 975 won’t allow exemptions from laws protecting LGBT people — those laws being mostly nonexistent in Arkansas — it will have at least one likely effect, according to DiPippa.

“It’s certainly going to cost the state of Arkansas money in lawsuits,” he said. “Every year, you’ll

we

now have people who claim that their religion prevents them from paying taxes. And every year, the Department of Finance and Administration will have to try to collect taxes from these people. … The state would have to spend time and money defending an otherwise simple case. So it really does invite people to kind of create religious reasons for things when they didn’t exist.”

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1/19/15 4:23 PM

# Why and how YOU got SCREWED by the 90th General Assembly Rich men come out unscathed.

BY LESLIE NEWELL PEACOCK

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ARKANSAS TIMES

OK,

the state legislature did pass some good bills. Number one: The General Assembly did not dismantle the private option expansion of Medicaid, a benefit to hundreds of thousands of Arkansans who previously did not have health insurance.

We are NOT building a $100 million new prison, and the parole budget was increased. The ledge gave preK education a tiny bump in funding, something that hadn’t happened for seven years. It made it a felony to rehome adopted children, though it did not reprimand the man who made the need for the law clear, Rep. Justin Harris (R-West Fork), whose decision to rehome his adopted daughters ended in the rape of a 5-year-old.

The legislature also turned back a couple of awful bills, including HB 1228, the “Religious Freedom Restoration” law that would have spelled out the right of individuals, corporations and other “legal entities” to discriminate against gays, lesbians and transgender people under cover of religious belief, though only because Gov. Asa Hutchinson told lawmakers he wouldn’t sign unless it was amended to mirror federal law. A somewhat less objectionable version won the governor’s signature. Another good kill: HB 1733, which would have allowed the state Department of Education to contract with a not-for-profit to create a fire-at-will “Achievement School District” that would remove due process rights for teachers and administrators.

There were other decent laws created this session, on workforce education, energy and more, and other dangerous or kooky stuff rejected. (We will not be banning the importation of California wine after all.) But far too much of the legislation produced this session will negatively affect the people of Arkansas. The actions of the 90th General Assembly, taken as a whole, will widen inequality between rich and poor, bleed vital community services of resources, spit in the face of ethics and transparency and generate pointless constitutional lawsuits at taxpayer expense.

Here’s a list of some of the damage.

Unfortunately, it’s not comprehensive.

Why: SO MILLIONAIRES CAN PAY LOWER TAXES

WHO: People who make their income from paychecks, not investments.

Just keep this figure in mind over the

next couple of years as you hear about all the things the state supposedly can’t afford: $11 million. That’s how much it cost us to fully restore a capital gains tax cut, which had previously been partially suspended to make way for the governor’s tax cuts for the middle class.

But then, in the last weeks of the session, the General Assembly decided to restore the full capital gains cut, which accrues overwhelmingly to the wealthiest of Arkansans. (For example, any capital gains over the $10 million mark are entirely free of taxes.)

Readers. If you live in rural Arkansas and rely on your library for books, Internet access and all the other things libraries offer, you can thank the General Assembly for a 13 to 25 percent reduction in state dollars. During the eight years Gov. Mike Beebe was in office, the public school fund’s state library allocation stood at $5.7 million. Gov. Asa Hutchinson kept it at that amount in his original budget for the 2015-16 fiscal year. But then came the capital gains tax cut (see above).

Old folks and caregivers looking to PeopleBless in rural areas seeking Area the Mic: Chopped and Screwed Agencies on Aging for help. The medical treatment. To help pay for the Department of Human Services’ Aging Arvin Mitchell, 2014 capital gains break, theAugust state’s8,Health and Adult Services took a $1 million hit Arvin Mitchell, born in the heart of St. Louis, is Department lost a total of $4.9 million from the legislature, or 20 percent of known for Coming to the Stage (2003), Dance Fu (2011) and BET’s Comicview (1992). for Community Health Centers, 101 original $5 since million allocation for Comedian Arvin Mitchell has hit thethe comedy scene running his debut on BET’s Comingserve to the Stage in 2003. Arvinthe Mitchell has also starred in twoand gospel hit plays, A clinics in 12 regions that people program.

Aging Adult Services Divided Theater- STL,or Norfolk, and If They Knew eight (Wichita,Area Oklahoma City). who live inHouse places like(Fox Hampton the Peoria)fund theOnly state’s Agencies on He was the co-host of BET’s Club Comic View and host of Spring Bling 21 Questions. wilds of Newton County, where the Aging. The agencies use these dollars nearest doctor is10: many miles away.

Season Bless the Mic Opener for meals, transportation and wellness That’s about half the budget for such services; Carelink in Pulaski and five Dr. Walter Kimbrough, August 21, 2014 clinics, which will have to cut staff, other Central Arkansas counties alone Kimbrough has been recognized for his research and writings on HBCUs and African reduce the numberAmerican of days they’re will take a $197,000 hit.named the 12th men in college. In October of 2004, at the age of 37, he was of Philander open, suspend dentalpresident services andSmith so College. In 2012 he became the 7th president of Dillard New Orleans, Louisiana. InFolks Februarywho of 2013 he wasless namedthan to NBC$21,000 News/ on. What, you say? University Didn’tinMedicaid make The Griot.com’s 100 African Americans making history today, joining another impressive expansiongroup takeincluding careKerry of the insurance a year.

Unlike taxpayers who made Washington, Ambassador Susan Rice, Kendrick Lamar, Mellody Hobson, and RG III. problem? Why, no. The private option between $21,000 and $75,000 (or Jasmine Guy, September 16, the 2014 $150,000 for married couples filing is great — for example, it reduced Performer, director, writer, and choreographer Jasmine Guy became a national number of uninsured patients in Lee separately) and really fat cats who got sensation playing iconic southern belle “Whitely Gilbert” on The Cosby Show spinoff A County by 58 percentDifferent — butWorld, for various a gains tax cut,Her theother working for which she won sixcapital consecutive NAACP Awards. televisionpoor the mini-series with zip Hallein Berry, Vampire Diaries, Anne Rice’s reasons, a quarter ofroles theinclude patients who Queengot theTheway of tax relief.

Here are Feast of All Saints, The Boy Who Painted Christ Black with Wesley Snipes, NYPD get their care at Community Health the numbers: 540,000 Arkansans who Blue, Melrose Place, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Parkers, Touched by an Angel, and Showtime’s Centers still have no insurance.

Some earned less than $21,000 — that’s about hit series Dead Like Me with Mandy Patinkin. On the big screen, Guy’s first film work was in Spike make too much to qualify expanded 40 inpercent ofand the Lee’s School Daze. Shefor co-starred with Eddie Murphy Harlem Nights alsopopulation starred in several— paid independent including Men, and The Heart Specialist with Zoetaxes.

Saldana.That Medicaid but can’t fils afford toKalsh, buyGuinevere, insur- Diamond $115 million in state income ance. Others don’t know about the same year, those who made between $5 Prentice Powell, October 9, 2014 private option — maybe because thealumnusmillion $10Prentice million James Logan High School and spokenand word artist. is onepaid of two $66 milObama-hating legislature lion.

Arkansas ranks nationally in poets thatkilled appearedfundon two episodes of Verses & Flow season one, 11th and was brought backabout for season two.new Powell uses poetry to speak on issuesitofputs race, social justice and The the tax burden on the poor. ing to inform people the fatherhood, often challenging stereotypes of black men. Powell was named the Best ledge couldn’t even bring itself to pass affordable insurance.

Poet by the East Bay Express in 2010, as well as 2007 Spoken Word Artist of the Year a state earned income tax credit proat the Black Music Awards.

Talib Kweli, November 6, 2014 Talib Kweli is a rapper from Brooklyn. His gain in popularity started when he rapped with Mos Def in a group called Black Star in the late 90s. Kweli has been in the rap game for more than 20 years, with songs like “Black Girl Pain”, “Broken Glass”, and “Brown Skin Lady”. He released an album in early 2014 called Grativitas.

Just keep this figure in

Pooch Hall, January 22, 2015 Actor Pooch Hall didn’t get started with “The Game”; he began in commercials and then made his debut in the film Lift (2001). He played Derrick, a shoplifter. Pooch was in several movies, including the hit film Black Cloud (2004) written and directed by Rick Schroder. His latest acting role is playing Ty’ree Bailey in the new miniseries based on the book, Miracle’s Boys (2005).

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supposedly can’t afford:

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APRIL 9, 2015

21

posed by Rep. Warwick Sabin to help the working poor.

Why: SO WOMEN CAN BE FORCED INTO MOTHERHOOD BIG MEN AT THE CAPITOL: Rep. Bob Ballinger (left) sponsored the original “religious freedom” bill; Sen. Gary Stubblefield (below) stripped state money from Planned Parenthood.

WHO: People who have uteruses and are of childbearing age. Should a woman wish to exercise her right not to give birth, she will, 48 hours before a procedure to terminate her pregnancy, be given the name of the physician who will perform the procedure and be subjected to a barrage of information on what it means to abort a fetus, as if she were too stupid to understand what she is doing.

She’ll be given information from the state Health Department on the dangers of abortion (though not the greater dangers of carrying a child to term) and information on what the fetus probably looks like based on gestational age, along with a “realistic” picture. She’ll be told that the father is liable for child support (though he may not have a penny) and that at 20 weeks a fetus can feel pain (an unproven theory). The woman will have to give the state Health Department a signed checklist indicating she’s gotten all this information 48 hours before the procedure. All ultrasound images, test results and forms will go into her medical record, where it will be available for inspection by the Health Department.

nate a pregnancy. But the legislature has preemptively decided to stick it to women who live far from abortion providers in Arkansas by making sure telemedicine for abortion is never available in Arkansas.

Minor girls who want an abortion.

Seventeen years old and find yourself pregnant? Not only do you have to get consent from a parent or guardian to have an abortion, you’ve got to bring that parent with you, and the parent has to bring two forms of documentation to prove that they are your parent. Otherwise, you’ll have to go to court in your home county and announce that you are pregnant, though proceedings will be kept secret.

People in need of sex education and information on sexually transmitted diseases. Sen. Gary Stubblefield’s (R-Branch) bill to deny all state aid to Planned Parenthood, even though none of it is used for abortion, finally passed this session. The bill failed in 2013, but this session the legislature decided posturing is more important than preventive health care.

Why: TO SAVE STATE MONEY BY MAKING MOTHERS GO BACK TO WORK

WHO:

Rural women who need an aborMothers who work for the state. tion. Live in rural Arkansas and need A Senate committee killed a bill that to end an early pregnancy? There’s a would have given female state employsimple answer: Telemedicine, in which ees six weeks’ paid maternity leave, a a doctor remotely authorizes use of a plan that would have cost the state all of two-stage medicine regimen to termi- $350,000. (Again, remember that capi-

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ARKANSAS TIMES

tal gains tax cut: $11 million) The four senators who killed the bill in committee — John Cooper (R-Jonesboro), Scott Flippo (R-Mountain Home), Gary Stubblefield (R-Branch) and Cecile Bledsoe (R-Rogers) — also voted for bills making it harder for women to get a medical abortion.

Why: TO KEEP THE GAYS DOWN WITH ‘RELIGIOUS FREEDOM’ LAW

WHO: Folks who fear they’ll lose their jobs because of how God made them. Forget asking your city council for an ordinance to keep your employer from firing you because you happen to be gay or transgender. The legislature, led by Sen. “I’m not mean” Bob Ballinger (R-Hindsville) and Sen. Bart “men will pee in front of 7 year olds if anti-discrimination laws are enacted” Hester (R-Cave Springs), made their detestation of gay folk crystal clear with SB 202, which prohibits municipalities from enacting laws to protect LGBT citizens.

The judicial system. The compro-

mise “religious freedom” bill (formerly HB 1228) was made less harmful, but it still provides the potential for all manner of lawsuits to be brought against state or local government. If a professor at a public university flunks a student because he refuses to read “The Voyage of the Beagle” or the poetry of Sappho, has the professor infringed on his rights?

Maybe we’ll find out.

SEN. JON WOODS: Engineered a pay raise for elected officials in the guise of an ethics amendment.

Why: TO VIOLATE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM BY ERECTING THE TEN COMMANDMENTS ON THE STATE CAPITOL GROUNDS

WHO: Folks who don’t want government to hold itself out as an authority on sin, much less quote scripture from a particular sacred text. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on this one, but it doesn’t matter to the legislature. While the state will have to pick up the tab for the inevitable lawsuit over SB 939, those who voted for it will get to preen about their holiness.

Think you’ll be seeing the Bhagavad Gita on the lawn anytime soon?

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APRIL 9, 2015

23

Why: TO KEEP MONEY IN POLITICS SECRET

WHO:

Voters. Freshman Rep. Clarke Tucker (D-Little Rock) sought to require outside entities that create “electioneering communications” to disclose the cost of TV advertisements to the secretary of state, just like regular campaign expenditures. A House committee said oooh, no, don’t want to discourage donors. So Tucker said, OK, let’s at least stop outside groups from coordinating with a candidate on an ad. Remember then-candidate Leslie Rutledge’s appearance last fall in an advertisement paid for by the Republican Attorneys General Association? Republicans in the Senate killed the bill.

Folks who want to know who’s paying whom to run for office. Jana Della Rosa, a Republican representative from Rogers, filed an ethics bill that would have required electronic filing of campaign finance reports, making it vastly easier to compile information about exactly who is funding whom.

Online reporting is already required by 40 other states, but Arkansas is different. House opponents could only come up with jokes as reasons to vote against, since the truth would not be nice. “I may not be smart enough to do this online,” Rep. Dave Wallace (R-Leachville) said.

Ha, ha.

Arkansans who want lawmakers who aren’t on the take. Springdale Republican Sen. Jon Woods’ little ol’ bill helps his pals get away with accepting illegal gifts by giving them 30 days to repay the cost of a gift (if someone has found out about it by then), keeps the swill coming with lobbyist-paid working lunches and trips, allows nepotism, lets legislators sit on boards of directors (because who would believe these fine lawmakers would be influenced?) and permits campaigning at the state Capitol by parking their bumper stickers and decals on four wheels in taxpayerpaid slots.

Arkansans who believed Asa Hutchinson when he said there would be no pork. Never mind. The state budget puts $20 million in the General Improvement Fund bucket for legislators to buy favors with back home.

Some pork is good, if spent on things like, for example, public libraries that 24

APRIL 9, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

got the shaft in the budget. Some pork is bad, like the Fourth of July fireworks show in Benton that was a Republican campaign event. But hypocrisy always smells like a pig pen.

Why: BECAUSE WE DON’T RESPECT HIGHER EDUCATION

WHO:

College-bound students. The legislature decided to lower scholarships funded by the Arkansas Lottery (a terrible source in the first place) from $2,000 to $1,000 for freshmen. The scholarship once was $5,000 a year, but, as predicted, interest in playing a fool’s game has waned and so has scholarship funding.

College campuses. In 2013, the 89th General Assembly passed a law that said Arkansas colleges and universities could opt to allow professors to carry guns.

All of the state’s institutions of higher learning said no, thanks, we opt not. The 90th General Assembly said it would learn them colleges a thing or two and voted to require schools to allow staff to pack heat.

Why: TO BENEFIT BUSINESS TO THE DETRIMENT OF INDIVIDUALS

WHO: Arkansans suffering from mesothelioma. HB 1529 protects one company, Crown Cork & Seal, which owns an insulation company, from liability in lawsuits by people — many veterans working around military equipment — suffering from mesothelioma because of exposure to asbestos. Crown Cork & Seal has paid out millions in other states. Not here, baby.

Taxpayers who don’t want to give public money to private corporations.

The House approved Senate Joint Resolution 16 to put on the November 2016 general election ballot a constitutional amendment to remove the cap from amount of bonds the state can issue to finance private industrial development.

Even a couple of Republicans, Reps.

Doug House (R-North Little Rock) and Nate Bell (R-Mena), howled that it was corporate welfare. Bell went so far as to call it “morally repugnant.” So it passed 70-22.

Taxpayers who don’t want to sub-

Arkansas ranks 11th nationally in the tax burden it puts on the poor. sidize local chambers of commerce.

Also the doing of SJR 16.

Property owners whose land could be damaged by pipeline construction.

Rep. Warwick Sabin (D-Little Rock) introduced a bill to require pipeline companies to give notice to landowners of potential seizure of their lands (under eminent domain), pay for damage incurred during surveys and obtain an environmental permit. “Are you kidding?” his colleagues asked. (Yet, clean energy power lines — those transmitting wind energy — can’t be allowed. Could this be because coal burners can put more heat on your Republican legislators than you can?)

Why: BECAUSE RACISM STILL EXISTS

WHO: Those who’d like to see the life of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. celebrated separately from Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. One man stood for freedom for all Americans. The other led the battle to preserve slavery. When a committee took up Mena Republican Rep. Nate Bell’s bill to separate the holidays, there was a lot of palaver about “heritage” and “ancestry” and one witness from the Sons of Confederate Veterans said he was proud to call “colored” men his brothers as he urged defeat of the bill. There you go. Bill failed.

Why: PURE MEANNESS

WHO: If you are poor enough to qualify for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Because the legislature thinks poor people ought to be punished for being poor, it enacted a pilot program requiring applicants for TANF in certain counties to take a drug test before they can get assistance. It will cost more than it will save, evidence from other states shows, but it will let some legislators brag that they put the screws to all those doper pregnant women and young children who

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benefit from TANF. If you get your health care through the private option. State Rep. Donnie “Boo!” Copeland schemed to a) scare the bejeezus out of poor Arkansans and b) fool his uninformed constituents into thinking that the legislature killed Obamacare, and the legislature and governor went along with it. His bill requires the state Department of Human Services to send out a notification to Arkansans covered under the private option that their health care coverage ends Dec. 16, 2016. Baloney.

Copeland knows that Gov. Hutchinson’s health care task force has been directed to figure out by the end of 2015 a plan to continue health insurance to the more than 250,000 Arkansans who rely on the private option as is now configured.

If you were a minor convicted of capital murder. A 14-year-old in Mississippi County was in a car waiting outside a store during a robbery when his cousin shot the clerk. The teenager earned his capital murder charge, but was it right to sentence him to life with no possibility of parole? A bill by Rep. Greg Leding (D-Fayetteville), who thought a parole hearing after 30 years served would not be considered soft on crime, failed after Rep. Dave “I may not be smart enough to report my campaign contributions online” Wallace objected to Leding’s referring to the 14-year-old as a “child.” He preferred “killer.”

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People on death row who don’t want to take a half hour to die. Lawsuit time! Republican Rep. Douglas House’s bill to restart execution in Arkansas by expanding the permissable list of drugs used in lethal injections. This would put the state back in the execution business.

But wait: The bill allows the Department of Correction to keep its suppliers secret. That is in direct conflict with an agreement signed by the attorney general to settle a suit by Jeff Rosenzweig that would make information on the suppliers public. Rosenzweig has filed suit challenging the new law.

Hans Feyerabend est.

2008

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Eric Maurus

APRIL 9, 2015

25

Arts Entertainment AND

OUTLIVED BY HIS POETRY: Frank Stanford.

THE RETURN OF FRANK STANFORD With the long-awaited publication of his collected works, the Arkansas poet is due for a revival.

BY MATTHEW HENRIKSEN

L

egendary poet and Mountain Home native Frank Stanford left behind a personal biography nearly as a surreal as his creative work.

Born in 1948 on the Mississippi side of the Delta and soon adopted, Stanford never knew his biological parents. He learned of his adoption in his teenage years, following the death of his adoptive father. Between the ages of 22 and 29, he published seven books of poetry, including a 400-page epic, to enthusiastic acclaim among his fellow poets. Then in 1978, after admitting his infidelity to his wife, he took his own life with three shots from a .22 caliber handgun to his heart.

Two more books of poetry, “Crib Death” and “You,” were released posthumously in 1978 and 1979. A

collection of his short fiction, “Conditions Uncertain and Likely to Pass Away,” appeared in 1990. A slim volume of his selected poems, “The Light the Dead See,” emerged from the University of Arkansas Press in 1991. Since then, his work has remained, for the most part, consigned to rare-book rooms and special-collections libraries.

Stanford published prolifically in prominent literary journals and was acknowledged as one of the most talented and uniquely inventive poets of his emerging generation. After his death, however, with his literary estate split, a rift between Stanford’s widow, the painter Ginny Stanford, and the poet C.D. Wright left the majority of Stanford’s work inaccessible to all but adequately

determined seekers.

Despite years of obscurity, the number of Stanford’s determined readers has increased. Forrest Gander, Adele Kellenberg Seaver professor of Literary Arts and Comparative Literature at Brown University and husband to Wright, attributes the continued readership to Stanford’s place in poetry’s long tradition of idiosyncratic visionaries.

Likening Stanford to French Symbolist Arthur Rimbaud and English Romantic John Keats, Gander claims, “Stanford came on with an energy like Rimbaud’s. He knew early how, like Rimbaud, like Keats, not to try to write like anyone else.” Their impassioned, individualistic mentalities left both poets with enduring legacies, despite their careers as poets ending, as Stanford’s did, before they were well into their 30s.

The title poem of Stanford’s first poetry collection, “The Singing Knives,” demonstrates the wild and fluid frenzy of his expression. The poem presents the voice of an adolescent whose knife-throwing friend has snuck him out at night to use as a target: The mosquitoes drew blood I looked on the ground I saw the shadows coming like gars Swimming under me at night I saw the red moon too I wished I was running a trot line I wished I was in a fight I wished I was fanning myself in church But there was a heart on the fan with a switchblade through it Seeing the knives’ shadows as gars embodies Stanford’s adherence to immediacy of experience. The boy’s perspective dominates the scene and allows the reader access into the boy’s physical and emotional circumstances.

Stanford’s champions point out the humanity underlying the violence and intensity of his poetry. Dean Young, William Livingston chair of poetry at the University of Texas, says, “Stanford’s work has a directness that doesn’t rob it of strangeness nor poetic power.”

Nearly 37 years after Stanford’s death,

Copper Canyon Press, the largest poetryonly publisher in the United States, has slated the release of “What About This: Collected Poems of Frank Stanford” for April 21 of this year.

The book spans nearly 800 pages, including all the works published in his lifetime (with only one book, his epic, “The Battlefield Where the Moon Says I Love You,” represented in excerpts), the two posthumously published books and an extensive selection of unpublished manuscripts, uncollected poems, drafts and fragments from Wright’s collection of his papers at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University.

The collection not only brings Stanford’s difficult-to-find and costprohibitive books together into one volume, Copper Canyon’s visibility and distribution affords Stanford’s poetry an audience vaster than the readerships he enjoyed during his career.

Poets familiar with Stanford’s work have long pined for the emergence of such a collection. “I’m hoping that ‘What About This’ will confirm what many poets of my generation have known,” says Young, who wrote the introduction, “that Stanford was an amazing power, fiercely prolific and assured in his personal mythology and craft.”

The book’s editor, Michael Wiegers, who also serves as executive editor at Copper Canyon, emphasizes Stanford’s “sheer volume of writing” as setting Stanford apart from most other poets.

“It’s remarkable to see how much he wrote and how he tried things out,” says Wiegers. “There’s a fearlessness to his writing that is uncommon nowadays.”

In “Lullaby to a Child Who They Say Will Not Live through the Night,” Stanford employs a style liberated of conventional poetics to empathize almost viscerally with a dying child: I take a bath in a grave with no soap and keep the secret of the fingernails and vortices of dirt a pelt is taken by the sound of a lantern going out and I tremble with the channel cat black as soot I pass out on funeral jazz and slow water rag I betroth myself to the tension of the raccoon’s approach CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

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A&E NEWS For this month’s Arkansas Times Film Series screening, co-sponsored by the Little Rock Film Festival and the University of Central Arkansas, we’ll welcome writer-director Rebecca Thomas, who will present her 2012 debut feature “Electrick Children.” Thomas will participate in a post-screening Q&A at the Ron Robinson Theater. The movie is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, $5.

“Electrick Children” follows a fundamentalist Mormon teenager who comes to believe she’s been impregnated by listening to a cassette tape, her first experience with rock music, and runs away to Las Vegas looking for answers. The New York Times called it “a playful urban fable, about the collision of country and city mice that suggests a variation of ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ “ and “neither comedy nor drama nor satire but a surreal melange infused with magical realism.”

The film, which opened at the Berlin International Film Festival and SXSW, stars Julia Garner, Rory Culkin, Liam Aiken and Billy Zane. Thomas, who like her protagonist grew up Mormon in Las Vegas, made the film while a student at Columbia University, and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in 2012.

Thomas will also be in Conway for a screening of “Electrick Children” at 7 p.m.

Thursday, April 23, at the University of Central Arkansas’s Stanley Russ Hall, room 103. She’ll participate in a post-screening Q&A there as well. The UCA screening is free and open to the public.

Looking ahead in the Arkansas Times Film Series, we’ll be showing the Levon Helmnarrated NASA epic “The Right Stuff” in May, Alfred Hitchcock’s spy-thriller masterpiece “North by Northwest” in June and cult-favorite documentary “Hands on a Hard Body” in July.

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UNKEMPT VISIONARY, SQUIRREL Nut Zippers founder, former sideman for Jim Dickinson and Buddy Guy, self-proclaimed “Arkansas Son-in-Law”— Jimbo Mathus has lived many lifetimes, more than most of us could stomach. This month, by means of a work ethic that can only be described as punishing, Mathus is back with a new album, “Blue Healer,” recorded in Water Valley, Miss., with Fat Possum and Big Legal Mess producer Bruce Watson.

“It’s the story of a man in a Southern landscape who is swept insanely apart by internal and external winds,” Mathus says of the new record. “He digs deeper and deeper into the very fabric of his reality, experiencing love and lust, despair, hope and sheer animal exhilaration on levels few ever do.”

Check out a new live video at Rock Candy on the Arkansas Times’ website. He’ll bring the album, which will be out April 21, to the White Water Tavern on Friday, April 24. www.arktimes.com

APRIL 9, 2015

27

THE RETURN OF FRANK SANFORD, CONT. flexing my eyes with the dark and I swear on my life I will prowl this black island until I can return your dirty kiss lightning’s flesh and thunder’s hurt The poem, from his long out-of-print collection “Field Talk,” is among the hundreds of pages of poetry in “What About This” that have until now been available only in hard-to-find early editions fetching hundreds of dollars each.

Bill Willett of Mountain Home, a lifelong friend of Stanford’s and one of the most ardent promoters of his poetry today, claims that Stanford would have been “quite satisfied” with the book’s presentation of his writing. “The collection of his works together shows the magnitude of the writing Frank did in a short amount of time.”

“What About This” also includes several hundred pages of previously uncollected and unpublished poetry.

Though he died before the age of 30, Stanford left behind so much enticing material that a second volume from his unpublished papers is emerging later this year. Musician and producer Jack White, of White Stripes fame, will release “Hidden Water: From the Frank Stanford Archives” later this year on Third Man Books, the publishing arm of his record label.

So after remaining mostly out of print for over 30 years, Stanford suddenly has two massive collections appearing on major presses in one year. Chet Weise of Third Man Books justifies the second book as a testament to Stanford’s vast output, as well as his unique process as an artist. Weise explains, “Seeing the drafts and Stanford’s editorial moves, what he added, or left out, even how he types [often every inch of a page is filled with type] really illuminates Stanford as a poet and as a human.”

Stanford is rumored to have started writing sophisticated poetry at a very young age, but for certain he was writing poetry while in high school at Subiaco Academy, in part under the tutelage of his English teacher, Father Nicholas Fuhrmann. However, like Rimbaud and Keats before him, Stanford followed his own voracious path of reading, writing and experiencing the sensory world.

His passion was matched by an intense focus and dedication, claims Willett, who roomed with Stanford in college and later worked with him on surveying jobs. Willett describes Stanford’s work habits, whether writing or surveying, as 28

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“diligent, systematic, efficient and fast without leaving anything behind.”

Writing poetry, however, claimed an astonishing amount of his energy. “When he started writing poetry he was on a roll,” Willett explains. “Three or four days with maybe a catnap, just enough time for the coffee or bourbon to wear off, and then he’d go right back to it.”

Stanford’s passion and dedication met with his prodigious talent, which other writers, even those further along in their careers, found magnetic. While studying at the University of Arkansas, Stanford took a creative writing workshop with James Whitehead, the poet and legendary teacher who co-founded the Programs in Creative Writing and Translation at the University of Arkansas. Stunned

by Stanford’s skill, Whitehead moved Stanford into the graduate workshops, where he left a significant mark on his older peers. Stanford, however, soon left school entirely, writing and publishing in a steady stream and supporting himself as an unlicensed surveyor.

Well before entering the University of Arkansas, Stanford began composing his stream-of-consciousness epic “The Battlefield Where the Moon Says I Love You.” The poem follows his alter ego, Francis Gildart, a boy in the last throes of his adolescence, carousing with a variety of characters, mostly African-American, hanging among the levee camps on the outskirts of Memphis. As surreal as the characters seem, with names like Charlie B. Lemon and Baby Gauge, Stanford drew most of his settings and characters from his actual experiences. His adoptive father, a civil engineer who operated the levees, took an apparently progressive attitude toward race relations for the time.

The book, layered with north Delta dialect and superstition, departs again and again on dream-like thought sequences in which unpredictable imagery continually startles the imagination and overwhelms it with visceral beauty.

The natural landscape and the voices of the people seem to physically rise out of the book. “He enjoyed the rural people,” Willett says of Stanford’s affinity to his childhood surroundings.

“They were real. They inspired him. The poetry he wrote came from what he felt about them. He transmitted that feeling through his poetry, which was enhanced by the people and the land.”

He also engaged passionately in social concerns. The epic largely follows Francis Gildart joining a group

MORE TO COME: Previously unpublished work by Stanford will be out later this year.

of Freedom Riders in the midst of the civil rights era. At one point, he catches a hand grenade thrown into the bus and dispatches it back into a crowd of angry bigots without looking back.

Though his imagery is often unabashedly violent, crude and sexual, connecting with human beings in their individual forms of beauty extends throughout all of Stanford’s writing.

For Stanford, social engagement did not end with an aesthetic philosophy.

Reading through Stanford’s published and unpublished work showed Wiegers “the fierce and deep moral conviction he brought to confronting racism and injustice on an intimate, personal and daily scale.”

In his posthumously released “Crib Death,” Stanford’s poem “Terrorism” fuses his personal intensity with a vision of righteousness: Mother, when you beat out my quilt

tomorrow, Remember the down in the sunlight, Because I did not sleep there.

Remember, come evening, the last hatch of mayflies, Because I won’t.

They are evil, Mother, and I am Going to take it all out, in one motion, The way you taught me to clean a fish, Until all that is left is the memory of their voice, And I will work that dark loose From the backbone with my thumb.

Mother, the sad dance on fire.

For Wiegers, the humanity of Stanford’s vision coupled with his inventive artistry establishes him not merely as a poet’s poet but as a writer who might interest anyone: “For people new to the work, I’m hoping to show what an authentic American voice might sound like.”

Gander says that the release of “What

About This” is well timed: “James Laughlin, the famous editor of New Directions Publishers, always claimed that great work was 30 to 40 years ahead of its audience. That’s the case with Stanford.”

Citing the many isolating and exclusive movements in poetry over the last 30 years, Gander asserts that readers “might be ready for something raw, visionary and scratched up by the briary world” of Stanford’s intensely felt rural Arkansas.

Like other writers immersed in the language, landscapes and people of their immediate surroundings, such as Mark Twain, Walt Whitman and William Faulkner, Stanford taps into universal sentiments that make him accessible to readers with little knowledge of the state.

To perceive Stanford merely as a gifted detailer of his surroundings and transcriber of the vernacular, however, is an oversight.

Willett explains that “What About This” “shows the breadth of Frank’s knowledge and grasp of the grassroots Delta and also of everything from Renaissance art to Bergman and Fellini.”

After paging through the collection of poetry, which Willett knows intimately, he points out that “Frank’s boyhood friend, Bobo, catching catfish in the bayou in one poem and an Ingmar Bergman film on the screen in another shows his scope.”

As roommates at several locations in their college days and beyond, Stanford and Willett, each time they moved, would build bookshelves for Stanford’s immense collection of books, containing everything from William Faulkner to Bertrand Russell, from Medieval mystery plays to Andre Breton.

He also immersed himself in European art house cinema and had an extensive record collection, ranging from classical and opera to traditional blues and free jazz.

As a longtime editor, Wiegers sees the rare synthesis of an extensive knowledge of literature and a deep connection to locality in Stanford’s poetry. “Among other things he brings poetry from other languages into a Southern tradition,” Wiegers says. “I note that because he is melding a love of language with a love of place and love of tradition. For all his wildness and abandon he was clearly aware and reverential of the tradition — but he makes it new.”

Forrest Gander notes the same synthesis and the resulting inspiration,

and perhaps sense of responsibility, that Stanford found there: “He took the landscape that he knew — rural Mississippi and Arkansas — and his experience — as a land surveyor and as an exhaustive reader of international literature in translation — and he turned both faucets on full blast and refused to sleep.”

The poetry is indeed written exhaustively, and has an unrelenting energy that might, most importantly, catch the attention of younger readers and help them potentially seek their own voices as writers.

Gander explains, “His work appeals most, perhaps, to readers in their 20s who identify with the explosive urgency, the humor and the dreaminess of his poems.”

Dara Wier, professor of poetry at the University of Massachusetts, describes the instructive encounters her students have had with Stanford’s poetry over the years.

“Every year there are two or three poets who discover Frank Stanford’s poems for themselves for the first time.

Their work pauses while they take in his powerful registers and his passionate visions. Then their work starts up again, more urgent, more full of brave announcements and address, less fearful and less tentatively distancing.”

The poems teach young poets how to invite humanity into their own poetry.

“I love how his poems get under their skin,” she says, “and give them ideas about what it is that makes poetry so essential to us in our critical conditions and longing.”

Stanford’s ability to describe raw experience with a voice that strikes so many with its honesty and intimacy may also appeal to those living outside of literature entirely.

Describing his late friend’s miraculous creative process, Willett finds a metaphor that is aptly simple and revealing: “He takes something that’s essentially a handful of dirt and turns it into a sculpture.”

Recently Willett visited his son, who is incarcerated in the Arkansas Department of Correction in Calico Rock. Responding to a sample of Stanford’s poetry Willett had given him, his son replied, “Frank Stanford doesn’t write poetry. He paints it.”

One of Willett’s hopes for the re-emergence of Stanford’s poetry is that it might “show young people there is beauty in almost anything.” Willett continues, “He could take crude elements and make them beautiful.” www.arktimes.com

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THE TO-DO

LIST

BY LESLIE NEWELL PEACOCK, MICHAEL ROBERTS AND WILL STEPHENSON

FRIDAY 4/10-SUNDAY 4/12

OZARK MOUNTAIN UFO CONFERENCE

Best Western Inn of the Ozarks, Eureka Springs.

The keynote speaker at the 28th Ozark Mountain UFO Conference, held annually at a Best Western in picturesque Eureka Springs, is Richard Dolan, an author and 9/11-truther with scraggly gray hair and a closely cropped beard. His lecture is titled “UFOs, the Real Power Struggle and the End Game.” Other special guests

SATURDAY 4/11 this year include crop circle expert Barbara Lamb; Nikki Pattillo, the psychic and self-proclaimed “star child”; investigative journalist Linda Moulton Howe, who has studied time travel, “self-activating software and machines” and “thermal plasmas of unknown origin” all over the world; Kewaunee Lapseritis, a former “dowsing” instructor at the Wisconsin Society for Psychic Research and a “world authority on the Bigfoot/Sasquatch phenomenon”; and Peter Davenport, director since 1994 of the National UFO Reporting Center, who

previously worked as a “fisheries observer aboard Soviet fishing vessels” and saw his first UFO over the St. Louis municipal airport in the summer of 1954. There will also be a cash bar and a screening of a 1975 made-for-TV movie called “The UFO Incident,” described on the conference’s website as “Recounting Barney & Betty Hill’s Experiences Recalled During Hypnosis of the First Alien Abduction Event of Modern Times!” To skip this conference would be to cast a vote for xenophobia on a cosmic scale, or anyway it would be a mistake. WS

‘CLASS OF 2007’: Nina Chanel Abney’s 9-by-15 1/4-foot painting is just one of several works in “30 Americans” opening Friday at the Arkansas Arts Center.

FRIDAY 4/10-SUNDAY 6/21

‘30 AMERICANS’

Arkansas Arts Center.

There has been a lot of well-deserved hoopla about the coming of “30 Americans,” an exhibition of four decades of work by African-American artists.

Much of that has been generated by the anticipation of seeing Kehinde Wiley’s giant paintings that play off Neoclassical scenes of important figures in history and 30

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ARKANSAS TIMES

the abstract expressionism of legendary street artist Basquiat. Here’s more to look for: Flat Jacob Lawrencesque paintings

by Nina Chanel Abney, odd and ominous oils by John Bankston, wondrous Asianinspired works on wood by Iona Rozeal Brown, iconoclastic paintings by selftaught artist Purvis Young, an 8-footlong silhouette cut-out by Kara Walker, surreal images by Wangechi Mutu … well, one could go on and on. Better to go to

the Arts Center and see for yourself. All the works are from the collection of Mera and Don Rubell, whose family exhibits the collection in Miami. The show runs through June 21; the Arts Center’s website has a calendar of show-related events, including noon-hour “Feed Your Mind Friday” tours, a talk by the collectors, films about the artists, “Assembly Required” interactive nights for adults, poetry and programming for teens. LNP

BILLY JOE SHAVER 8 p.m. White Water Tavern. $25.

“I was not even born yet when my father first tried to kill me.” That’s the first line of Billy Joe Shaver’s autobiography, a brisk and funny ghostwritten book called “Honky Tonk Hero” (a reference to the 1973 Waylon Jennings record for which Shaver wrote all the songs). His father was Buddy, who was half-French, halfBlackfoot Sioux and “one-hundred-percent mean.” “The violence of that night set the stage for my childhood,” he writes of the night Buddy tried to kill his mother.

“In many ways, I think that night is the reason I write country songs.”

This makes a kind of satisfying Freudian sense: Shaver’s songs, including classics like “Georgia on a Fast Train” and “Live Forever,” are populated by characters like Buddy — angry, powerless and desperate men, mostly unrepentant assholes and sketchy drunks. “I’ve lost parts of three fingers,” Shaver writes later in the book, “broke my back, suffered a heart attack and a quadruple bypass, had a steel plate put in my neck and 136 stiches in my head, fought drugs and booze, spent the money I had and buried my wife, son and mother in the span of one year.”

That list overlooks the man he shot outside of Waco, Texas, in 2007.

He played a show the night he got out of jail.

On stage that night he said, “Don’t forget to pray for me, and tell your kids to pray for me, too.”

WS

IN BRIEF

THURSDAY 4/9 Dr. Todd Herman, executive director of the Arkansas Arts Center, gives a presentation on bringing the “30 Americans” exhibit to Little Rock at the Clinton School’s Sturgis Hall, noon. The Delta Symposium continues at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro through Saturday. Dorm room classic “Fight Club” screens at the Ron Robinson Theater, 7 p.m., $5. Comedian Mike Baldwin is at the Loony Bin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, $7 (and 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, $10). Amasa Hines plays at The Joint in Argenta as part of the venue’s new Music Innovators series, presented by Rodney Block, 7:30 p.m., $10.

The Randy Rogers Band plays at Revolution with Josh Grider, 9 p.m., $22 adv., $25 day of. Stickyz presents “New Car Caviar: A Jamgrass Tribute to Pink Floyd,” 8:30 p.m., $8. Iron Born plays at Vino’s with Inrage, 9 p.m., $5.

FRIDAY 4/10 RISING: Bad Match plays at South on Main Saturday with The Coasts, 10 p.m., $8 (cash only).

SATURDAY 4/11

BAD MATCH, THE COASTS

10 p.m. South on Main. $8 (cash only).

Anyone not too physically or emotionally wrecked by the Billy Joe Shaver show should look to South on Main afterward for a late-night bill featuring two of Little Rock’s finest young bands. Newcomers Bad

Match will play impassioned retro rock that sounds like Cat Power on caffeine, or like Adele if she weren’t so British and wealthy and relatively comfortable. Front woman Sarah Stricklin made a guest mix for the Times last year that featured songs

by Fiona Apple, Frank Ocean and Astrud Gilberto, alongside Bobby

McFerrin’s 1986 weirdo-sensual classic “Thinkin’ About Your Body” — it’s a lot like that. Opening the show will be Little Rock’s The Coasts, whose 2014 debut LP “Racilia” made our top 10 local records of the year list.

They make lavish, panoramic indie rock, well produced and fragile and likeable. WS

SATURDAY 4/11

SUNDAY 4/12

HANNIBAL BURESS

8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., Revolution. $25.

Hannibal Buress has been an unremarkable high school football player, a Pita Pit employee and, briefly, homeless. He has been a writer on “Saturday Night Live,” though virtually none of his sketches aired and he mostly just sat around and slept. He has been a sidekick on an absurdist late night show,

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” screens at the Ron Robinson Theater, 7 p.m., $5. Mall-punk favorites New Found Glory are at Juanita’s with Turnstile, This Wild Life and Turnover, 7:30 p.m., $14.50. North Little Rock mind reader Paul Prater will bring his “Bibliomancer” stage show to the Public Theater, featuring time travel, “past life regression” and “implanted memories,” 8 p.m., $12 (also on Saturday). World famous, all-time-great comedian Kevin Hart performs at Verizon Arena, 8 p.m. (SOLD OUT). The 36th Arkansas Scottish Festival is at Lyon College, with food, crafts, music and more, free (through Sunday).

“The Eric Andre Show,” on which he rarely spoke but did all sorts of other things, like rap in costume as Morpheus from “The Matrix.” He has been a rising comedian “to watch” for at least six years. He has released three highly acclaimed specials, is a regular guest star on Comedy Central’s “Broad City” and, last year, very likely devastated Bill Cosby’s legacy — deservedly, if probably unintentionally — with a joke that

went viral and reignited the media’s interested in several long-overlooked rape allegations. He is often described as “laconic.” Or as Mike Birbiglia put it: “Hannibal has my favorite quality in a standup comedian, which is that he doesn’t stress me out.” This is maybe the best comedy show Little Rock will see this year, and, due to demand, Revolution has added a second, late-night show at 10:30 p.m. WS

of “Terraplane,” a rollicking homage to Texas-style blues that stays true to the style while still embodying the best of Earle’s signature wit and grit. Earle’s long career since his initial mainstream success has been a journey through the soul of American music — very few musicians could pull off the sort of genre-

hopping that has marked his 21st century career. Expect a show with a little something for almost everyone. New York-based husband and wife duo the Mastersons (who played with Earle’s band before going solo in 2012) open things up with an altcountry sound — just don’t expect things to stay there. MR

Arkansas Derby Day kicks off at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs at 12:30 p.m. Writer and Hendrix College professor Hope Coulter will present and sign copies of her new book of poetry, “The Wheel of Light,” at WordsWorth Books & Co., 1 p.m. The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra performs a program of Mozart, Prokofiev and Strauss compositions at the Maumelle Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m. (and 3 p.m. Sunday), $19$58. Dead Soldiers play at Stickyz with Coyote Union, 9 p.m., $6. Neverafter plays at Juanita’s with Mothwind and Enchiridion, 9 p.m., $14.50.

WEDNESDAY 4/15

STEVE EARLE AND THE DUKES 7:30 p.m. Juanita’s. $30.

Country, rock, bluegrass, folk and now blues — Steve Earle has done it all since the release of his platinum-selling debut “Guitar Town” way back in 1986. Earle and his longtime backing band the Dukes roll into Juanita’s Wednesday in support

SUNDAY 4/12 South on Main hosts its first Gospel Brunch, featuring live music by Greg Spradlin and friends, a.k.a. Rev. G and the Gospel Allstars, 11 a.m., $10. “The Sandlot” screens at the Ron Robinson Theater at 2 p.m., $5. The Yonder Mountain Stringband plays at George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville, 8 p.m., $25. www.arktimes.com

APRIL 9, 2015

31

AFTER DARK All events are in the Greater Little Rock area unless otherwise noted. To place an event in the Arkansas Times calendar, please email the listing and all pertinent information, including date, time, location, price and contact information, to calendar@arktimes.com.

THURSDAY, APRIL 9

MUSIC

Amasa Hines. The Joint, 7:30 p.m., $10. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Amy LaVere. White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m., $7.

2500 W. 7th St. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

“Inferno.” DJs play pop, electro, house and more, plus drink specials and $1 cover before 11 p.m.

Sway, 9 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

Irish Traditional Music Sessions. Dugan’s Pub, 7-9 p.m. 401 E. 3rd St. 501-244-0542. www. duganspublr.com.

Iron Born, Inrage. Vino’s, 9 p.m., $5. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

New Car Caviar: A Jamgrass Tribute To Pink Floyd. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8:30 p.m., $8. 107 River Market Ave. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

Open Jam. Thirst n’ Howl, 8 p.m. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com.

Open jam with The Port Arthur Band. Parrot Beach Cafe, 9 p.m. 9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994.

Randy Rogers Band, Josh Grider. Revolution, 9 p.m., $22 adv., $25 day of. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. www.rumbarevolution.com/ new.

RockUsaurus. Senor Tequila, 7-9 p.m. 10300 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-224-5505.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 7:30 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-370-7013. www.capitalbarandgrill.com.

COMEDY

Mike Baldwin. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m., $7.

10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

FILM

Delta Flix Film and Media Festival. Arkansas State University. 2105 Aggie Road, Jonesboro.

870-972-2100. astate.edu.

“Fight Club.” Ron Robinson Theater, 7 p.m., $5.

1 Pulaski Way. 501-320-5703. www.cals.lib.ar.us/ ron-robinson-theater.aspx.

LECTURES

“Art. Race. Identity. Bringing ‘30 Americans’ to Little Rock.” Dr. Todd Herman, director of the Arkansas Arts Center. Sturgis Hall, noon. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5200. clintonschool.uasys.edu.

FRIDAY, APRIL 10

MUSIC

Butterfly and Irie Soul. Revolution, 10 p.m., $5.

300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. www. rumbarevolution.com/new.

Club Nights at 1620 Savoy. Dance night, with DJs, drink specials and bar menu, until 2 a.m.

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ARKANSAS TIMES

1620 Savoy, 10 p.m. 1620 Market St. 501-2211620. www.1620savoy.com.

Dan and Jeff Clanton. Faulkner County Library, 7 p.m. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www.fcl.org.

The Frontier Circus, Marvin Berry. Maxine’s, 9 p.m., $5. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. www. maxinespub.com.

New Found Glory, Turnstile, This Wild Life, Turnover. Juanita’s, 7:30 p.m., $14.50. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www. juanitas.com.

Odyssey Band. Town Pump, 9 p.m., $5. 1321 Rebsamen Park Road. 501-663-9802.

The Order of Elijah, Forsake the Fallen. Vino’s, 9 p.m., $6. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www. vinosbrewpub.com.

Route 66. Agora Conference and Special Event Center, 6:30 p.m., $5. 705 E. Siebenmorgan, Conway.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-370-7013. www.capitalbarandgrill.com.

COMEDY

“I Love You But You’re Sitting On My Cat.”

By The Main Thing. The Joint, 8 p.m., $22. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Kevin Hart. Verizon Arena, 8 p.m., $35.50-$99.50.

1 Alltel Arena Way, NLR. 501-975-9001. verizonarena.com.

Mike Baldwin. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m.,10 p.m., $10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-2285555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

36th Arkansas Scottish Festival. Lyon College, April 10-12, free. 2500 Highland, Batesville.

LGBTQ/SGL weekly meeting. Diverse Youth for Social Change gathering for ages 14 to 23, 6:30 p.m. 800 Scott St. 501-244-9690 Ozark Mountain UFO Conference. Best Western Inn of the Ozarks. 207 W. Van Buren, Eureka Springs. 479-253-9768. www.ozarkufoconference.com.

Paul Prater, “Bibliomancer.” The Public Theatre, April 10-11, 8 p.m., $12. 616 Center St. 501-3747529. www.thepublictheatre.com.

FILM

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Ron Robinson Theater, 7 p.m., $5. 1 Pulaski Way. 501-320-5703. www.cals.

lib.ar.us/ron-robinson-theater.aspx.

Delta Flix Film and Media Festival. See April 9.

Ozark Foothills Film Fest. University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville, $5. 2005 White Drive, Batesville. 870-612-2000. www.uaccb.edu.

LECTURES

Celeste Clark. Clinton School Center on Community Philanthropy Scholar in Residence.

Sturgis Hall, 12 p.m. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5200. clintonschool.uasys.edu.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11

MUSIC

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra: Mozart, Prokofiev & Strauss. Maumelle High School, 7:30 p.m., $19-$58. 100 Victory Drive. 501-8515350.

Bad Match, The Coasts. Cash only. South on Main, 10 p.m., $8. 1304 Main St. 501-244-9660. southonmain.com.

Billy Joe Shaver. White Water Tavern, 8 p.m., $25. 2500 W. 7th St. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Club Nights at 1620 Savoy. See April 10.

Dead Soldiers, Coyote Union. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $6. 107 River Market Ave. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

Jason Aldean, Cole Swindell, Tyler Farr, Dee Jay Silver. Verizon Arena, 7:30 p.m., $45.50-$77.

1 Alltel Arena Way, NLR. 501-975-9001. verizonarena.com.

Joe Locke Quartet with Kenny Washington.

Walton Arts Center, 7 and 9 p.m., $20. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600.

K.I.S.S. Saturdays. Featuring DJ Silky Slim. Dress code enforced. Sway, 10 p.m. 412 Louisiana.

501-492-9802.

Neverafter, Mothwind, Enchiridion. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $14.50. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Protean Shift, DeadSpell, The Awareness Affliction. Vino’s, 9 p.m., $5. 923 W. 7th St. 501375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Rodney Block’s Birthday Celebration. Zin Urban Wine & Beer Bar, 9 p.m., $10. 300 River Market Ave. 501-246-4876. www.zinlr.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-370-7013. www.capitalbarandgrill.com.

COMEDY

“I Love You But You’re Sitting On My Cat.” The

Main Thing. The Joint, 8 p.m., $22. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Mike Baldwin. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m., 10 p.m., $10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-2285555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

36th Arkansas Scottish Festival. See April 10.

Hillcrest Farmers Market. Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. 2200 Kavanaugh Blvd.

Ozark Mountain UFO Conference. See April 10.

Paul Prater, “Bibliomancer.” The Public Theatre, 8 p.m., $12. 616 Center St. 501-374-7529. www. thepublictheatre.com.

FILM

Delta Flix Film and Media Festival. See April 9.

Ozark Foothills Film Fest. See April 10.

BENEFITS

2015 Fight for Air Climb. A benefit for research on lung diseases. War Memorial Stadium, 8:30 a.m., $25-$100. 1 Stadium Drive. 501-663-0775.

BOOKS

Hope Coulter. Signing copies of her book, “The Wheel of Light.” WordsWorth Books & Co., 1 p.m. 5920 R St. 501-663-9198. www.wordsworthbooks.org.

SUNDAY, APRIL 12

MUSIC

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra: Mozart, Prokofiev & Strauss. Maumelle High School, 3 p.m., $19-$58. 100 Victory Drive. 501-851-5350.

Gospel Brunch with Rev. G and the Gospel Allstars. South on Main, 11 a.m., $10. 1304 Main St. 501-244-9660. southonmain.com.

COMEDY

Hannibal Buress. Revolution, 8 p.m., $25. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. www.rumbarevolution.com/new.

EVENTS

36th Arkansas Scottish Festival. See April 10.

Curbside Couture. A student fashion show.

Clinton Presidential Center. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 370-8000. www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org.

Ozark Mountain UFO Conference. See April 10.

FILM

“The Sandlot.” Ron Robinson Theater, 2 p.m., $5.

1 Pulaski Way. 501-320-5703. www.cals.lib.ar.us/ ron-robinson-theater.aspx.

MONDAY, APRIL 13

MUSIC

Monday Night Jazz. Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 8 p.m., $5. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbistroandbar.com.

Open Mic. The Lobby Bar. Studio Theatre, 8 p.m. 320 W. 7th St. Richie Johnson. Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf. com.

Y&T. Juanita’s, 7:30 p.m., $15. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

LECTURES

“The Golden Hour: Africa’s Rise and the

Challenge for American Diplomacy.” Todd Moss. Sturgis Hall, noon. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5200. clintonschool.uasys.edu.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14

MUSIC

GIVERS, Pree. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8:30 p.m., $12 adv., $15 day of. 107 River Market Ave. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

Irish Traditional Music Sessions. Hibernia Irish Tavern, second and fourth Tuesday of every month, 7-9 p.m. 9700 N. Rodney Parham Road.

501-246-4340. www.hiberniairishtavern.com.

Jeff Ling. Khalil’s Pub, 6 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Music Jam. Hosted by Elliott Griffen and Joseph Fuller. The Joint, 8-11 p.m., free. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton.

Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbistroandbar.com.

COMEDY

Kenny Zimlinghaus. Juanita’s, 8 p.m., $15. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www. juanitas.com.

Stand-Up Tuesday. Hosted by Adam Hogg. The Joint, 8 p.m., $5. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

EVENTS

Little Rock Green Drinks. Networking session for people who work in the environmental field.

Ciao Baci, 5:30-7 p.m. 605 N. Beechwood St. 501-603-0238. www.greendrinks.org.

Native American Ancestry: Southeast Tribes and Trail of Tears Relocation. Pulaski Technical College South Campus, 6 p.m., $10. Exit 128, I-30.

Trivia Bowl. Flying Saucer, 8:30 p.m. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-8032. www.beerknurd. com/stores/littlerock.

FILM

“War Gods Of The Deep.” Vino’s, 7:30 p.m., free. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

“The Wizard of Oz.” Riverdale 10 Cinema, 7 p.m., $5. 2600 Cantrell Road. 501-296-9955.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15

MUSIC

Acoustic Open Mic. Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbistroandbar.com.

Brian and Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf. com.

Drageoke with Chi Chi Valdez. Sway. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

Jazz in the Park: New Era Jazz Project.

Riverfront Park, 6 p.m., free. 400 President Clinton Avenue.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Open Mic Nite with Deuce. Thirst n’ Howl, 7:30 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-3798189. www.thirst-n-howl.com.

Papadosio, Tauk. Revolution, 8 p.m., $15. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. www. rumbarevolution.com/new.

SeanFresh. South on Main, 7:30 p.m., free. 1304 Main St. 501-244-9660. southonmain.com.

Steve Earle & The Dukes, The Mastersons.

Juanita’s, 7:30 p.m., $30. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 7:30 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-370-7013. www.capitalbarandgrill.com.

Turquoise Jeep Records, Grim Muzik. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $12 adv., $15 day of. 107 River Market Ave. 501-3727707. www.stickyz.com.

Umphrey’s McGee. George’s Majestic Lounge, 9 p.m., $30. 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville.

479-442-4226.

All American Food & Great Place to Watch Your Favorite Event

COMEDY

The Joint Venture. Improv comedy group. The Joint, 8 p.m., $7. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Matt Davis. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m., $7. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www. loonybincomedy.com.

DANCE

Little Rock Bop Club. Beginning dance lessons for ages 10 and older. Singles welcome.

Bess Chisum Stephens Community Center, 7 p.m., $4 for members, $7 for guests. 12th & Cleveland streets. 501-350-4712. www.littlerockbopclub.

LECTURES

Brown Bag Lunch Lecture: “Fulbright’s Balancing Act: How Domestic and International Politics Converged in 1959.”

Old State House Museum, noon. 300 W. Markham Street. 501-324-9685. www.oldstatehouse.com.

Michael Bearden, Ballet Arkansas’s artistic director. Sturgis Hall, 12 p.m. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5200. clintonschool. uasys.edu.

ARTS

THEATER

“Harvey.” Pocket Community Theater, through April 19: Fri., Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m., $10.

170 Ravine St., Hot Springs.

“Karski’s Message.” The Weekend Theater, through April 25: Fri., Sat., 7:30 p.m., $16. 1001 W. 7th St. 501-374-3761. www.weekendtheater.org.

“Mary Poppins.” Arkansas Repertory Theatre, through April 12: Fri., Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; Wed., Thu., Sun., 7 p.m., $35. 601 Main St. 501378-0405. www.therep.org.

“Nine: The Musical.” The Studio Theatre, through April 19: Thu.-Sat., 7 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m., $20. 320 W. 7th St.

NO SKINNY STEAKS!

–Sat

Piano Bar Tue e Bar Martini & Win

ss ne • 35 By The Gla 33 5 Se lec tio ns Of Wi rld Wo The s ros Fin e Sp irit s Fro m Ac an d ry Re gio n Of Sc otl Sc otc h Lis t Fro m Eve s on urb Bo 6 Sin gle -Ba rre l

NEW GALLERY EXHIBITS, EVENTS

New shows in bold-face ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur Park: “30 Americans,” works by African American artists from the Rubell Collection, April 10-June 21, member reception and talk by Hank Willis Thomas 6-8:30 p.m. April 9; CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

In The River Market District 501.324.2999 sonnywilliamssteakroom.com

Free Valet Parking www.arktimes.com

APRIL 9, 2015

33

Dining

Information in our restaurant capsules reflects the opinions of the newspaper staff and its reviewers. The newspaper accepts no advertising or other considerations in exchange for reviews, which are conducted anonymously. We invite the opinions of readers who think we are in error.

B Breakfast L Lunch D Dinner $ Inexpensive (under $8/person) $$ Moderate ($8-$20/person) $$$ Expensive (over $20/person) CC Accepts credit cards

WHAT’S COOKIN’ IT IS NOT A DONE DEAL YET, BUT Arkansas chain David’s Burgers is hoping to move into the River Market, into the space now occupied by Boulevard Bread. Don’t panic, Boulevard lovers!

According to Ryan Rooney, marketing director for David’s Burgers, should the deal go through, Boulevard would likely take over the large space once occupied by Coast Cantina. Coast Cantina, an original vendor at the market, has left.

Rooney said David’s has got a lot going on the grill, including its new restaurant at 102 Country Club in Maumelle that will open later this spring and two others, one in Cabot and one in the Gateway Town Center, to open in 2016.

“We’re still working on it,” Rooney said. “We would love to be down there.” He said the restaurant has gotten a “warm welcome.”

David’s Burgers, developed by the same family that helped start CJ’s Butcher Boy in Russellville, opened first in Conway. It now has restaurants in North Little Rock at 3510 Landers Road and in Little Rock at 101 S. Bowman Road and Park Plaza Mall. David’s also has a food truck for special occasions: One of those occasions was after the tornado that leveled Vilonia, when David’s gave away $10,000 in food to storm victims, Rooney said.

DINING CAPSULES

AMERICAN

1620 SAVOY Fine dining in a swank space, with a menu redone by the same owners of Cache downtown. The scallops are especially nice. 1620 Market St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-221-1620. D Mon.-Sat., BR Sun. ADAMS CATFISH & CATERING Catering company in Little Rock with carry-out trailers in Russellville and Perryville. 215 N. Cross St. All CC. $-$$. 501-336-4399. LD Tue.-Fri. AFTERTHOUGHT BISTRO AND BAR The restaurant side of the Afterthought Bar (also called the Afterthought Bistro and Bar) features crab cakes, tuna tacos, chicken tenders, fries, sandwiches, burgers and, as entrees, fish and grits, tuna, ribeye, chicken and dumplings, pasta and more. Live music in the adjoining bar, also private dining room. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. 501-663-1196.

ALL ABOARD RESTAURANT & GRILL Burgers, catfish, chicken tenders and such in this trainthemed restaurant, where an elaborately engineered mini-locomotive delivers patrons’ meals. 6813 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. 501-975-7401. LD daily.

ALLEY OOPS The restaurant at Creekwood Plaza (near the Kanis-Bowman intersection) is a neighborhood feedbag for major medical insti34

APRIL 9, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

Damgoode Pies River Market 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-664-2239

QUICK BITE With warm weather upon us, Damgoode has prime patio real estate in the city at the new River Market location. Enjoy your pizza, pasta or sandwich with a fantastic view of the Arkansas River — with a bridge-based light show thrown in free of charge.

HOURS 10:30 a.m. until midnight Monday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m. until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. Sunday.

OTHER INFO All major CC, full bar.

BUFFALO CHICKEN: Comes out right, with lots of brews from which to choose.

Damn good, even better with beer Damgoode starts brewing with strong results.

P

izza and beer go together like, well, everything good and proper in the universe. And while we’ve been blessed in these parts with some excellent pizza joints and a growing number of great craft breweries, Vino’s Brewpub at Seventh and Chester has been the only place in town to combine the two into a one-stop shop for local beer and pizza by the slice or pie. So when Jeff Trine, owner of Arkansas-based mini-chain Damgoode Pies announced that he had signed a lease for the River Market space once occupied

by Boscos with plans to open a Damgoodebranded brewpub, we gave a cheer. And when we learned that Trine had brought on former Boscos brewer Josh Quattlebaum and gypsy-brew mastermind Josiah Moody to design Damgoode’s new signature brews, the stars seemed aligned in all the right ways.

At first glance, Damgoode River Market is exactly what we’ve come to expect from any of its locations, from the “Damgoode Shirt” clad staff to the snarky menus full of wonderfully awful puns and snappy descriptions of custom pizzas, sauce choices, salads, sandwiches, pasta dishes and appetizers. It’s added more than just

house-made beer to the repertoire, though — an area just beyond the long bar has been turned into a pizza-by-the-slice counter, a nod to the downtown lunch crowds who often want something quick, small and inexpensive to quell midday hunger.

On our first trip in, it was the slice bar that drew our attention, and we were pleased with the wide stainless steel seating area that allows diners to watch their slices go into the flaming mouth of an oven dedicated solely to slices. And with slices starting at $3, the price fit our lunch budget. Our slice bar foray came in the restaurant’s first week of operation, and it was clear that the new system was still a work in progress — the two employees behind bar were very friendly but seemed unsure how to balance ringing in tickets, preparing orders and grabbing beers from the main bar. Our ordered slices of pepperoni took a little longer than they probably should have (and could have used a little longer in the oven), yet somehow managed to arrive to us before our beers, which we watched hang out forlorn at the end of the bar for quite a while before someone noticed them. But we always appreciate a restaurant staff that

acknowledges such kinks by being cheerful and apologetic, so we easily forgave their opening jitters.

Unfortunately, those jitters were still present at our next visit. We chose to dine on the patio, which may have been a mistake on a busy Friday night where none of the staff seemed sure of just which tables they were serving. The food, however, was excellent. Our meatball starter ($4.99 for three, $9.49 for six) was exactly what we want out of a meatball — tender without falling apart, moist without being sloppy and loaded with garlic and spices.

The meatballs are served with a dish of Damgoode’s original red sauce, and after our last delicious bites had been dipped and consumed we seriously considered ordering a second round, but decided not to when our pizza arrived. We did note that these tasty meatballs are available in sandwich form ($9.99) and atop angel hair pasta ($9.99), facts that led to an immediate solemn vow to return to eat another day.

We enjoy several of Damgoode’s custom pizzas, including the meat-centric Hog, the chock-full-of-artichokes Artie and the salty, savory Greek — but our go-to pie remains the Underdog ($6.99$29.99). Finely ground hamburger and sweet red and yellow peppers make for a joyful combination of toppings, while the spicy pink sauce provides a delightful underpinning that makes each bite a pleasure. Onions, black olives and cheddar cheese perform admirably in their supporting roles, resulting in one of the most well-rounded flavor profiles of any pizza around. The version that hit our table was just as good as expected, and the cooking

BELLY UP Check out the Times’ food blog, Eat Arkansas

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arktimes.com

DINING CAPSULES, CONT. issues that marred our slice experience were nowhere to be seen with this whole pie. How good was it? Well, even after our meatball feast we did not require a takeout box for pizza leftovers.

Of course, no review of a brewpub would be complete without the tough task of sampling the house brews. At each of our several visits, the brewery had three of their unique beers on tap, two under the Damgoode Beer label and one under Josiah Moody’s Moody Brews label. The Moody-branded beer, a saison brewed with hibiscus called Aria’s Beer, is a light pink pleasure to drink, with a slight tangy flavor that adds nice high notes without being too shrill. Moody has shown great skill with the wild yeast strains that make this style so unpredictable, and the Aria’s is just another example of his fine work.

Fans of lighter beers will find a lot to love about the Red Ribbon Golden Ale, a beer that Damgoode is marketing as their own PBR — but which tastes far better than any PBR we’ve ever had. Crisp and refreshing, we foresee this beer becoming a summertime go-to for those days when the only thing to do to escape the sun is to hide away somewhere with air conditioning. It’s also a fantastic “pizza beer,” perfect for washing down slice after slice.

Like things with a little more heft to them? The Damgoode Pale Ale is just the thing. Darker, hoppier and with just the right hit of malt on the finish, this pale is a quite quaffable solid brew. Again, the pizza-and-beer experience is right on the mark with this brew, a three-for-three for brews that left us thinking that the future is pretty bright for brewing in the River Market.

On the whole, the good things happening at Damgoode River Market far outweigh the few hiccups in service we experienced. The kitchen is turning out quality food, and the brewing operations have introduced a winning lineup with their first three beers. As the Arkansas brewery scene grows, it’s going to become harder and harder for new breweries to stand out, but with the one-two punch of quality products and the Damgoode name, we’re confident there’s a long and delicious tenure ahead for the River Market location — and as pizza and beer are more a way of life to us rather than just a meal option, we couldn’t be happier.

tutions with the likes of plate lunches, burgers and homemade desserts. Remarkable chess pie. 11900 Kanis Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$.

501-221-9400. LD Mon.-Sat. ASHER DAIRY BAR An old-line dairy bar that serves up made-to-order burgers, foot-long “Royal” hot dogs and old-fashioned shakes and malts. 7105 Colonel Glenn Road. No alcohol, No CC, CC. $-$$. 501-562-1085. BLD Tue.-Sat. ATHLETIC CLUB SPORTS BAR & GRILL What could be mundane fare gets delightful twists and embellishments here. 11301 Financial Centre Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-312-9000. LD daily.

B-SIDE The little breakfast place in the former party room of Lilly’s DimSum Then Some turns tradition on its ear, offering French toast wrapped in bacon on a stick, a must-have dish called “biscuit mountain” and beignets with lemon curd. 11121 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-716-2700. B-BR Sat.-Sun. BAR LOUIE Mammoth portions of very decent bar/bistro fare with an amazingly varied menu that should satisfy every taste. Some excellent drink deals abound, too. 11525 Cantrell Road, Suite 924. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-228-0444.

LD daily, BR Sat.-Sun. BIG WHISKEY’S AMERICAN BAR AND GRILL A modern grill pub in the River Market District with all the bells and whistles - 30 flat-screen TVs, whiskey on tap, plus boneless wings, burgers, steaks, soups and salads. 225 E Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-324-2449. LD daily.

BOBBY’S COUNTRY COOKIN’ One of the better plate lunch spots in the area, with some of the best fried chicken and pot roast around, a changing daily casserole and wonderful homemade pies. 301 N. Shackleford Road, Suite E1. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-9500. L Mon.-Fri. BOGIE’S BAR AND GRILL The former Bennigan’s retains a similar theme: a menu filled with burgers, salads and giant desserts, plus a few steak, fish and chicken main courses.

There are big-screen TVs for sports fans and lots to drink, more reason to return than the food.

120 W. Pershing Blvd. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$.

501-812-0019. BD daily.

BOOKENDS CAFE A great spot to enjoy lunch with friends or a casual cup of coffee and a favorite book. Serving coffee and pastries early and sandwiches, soups and salads available after 11 a.m. Cox Creative Center. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501- 918-3091. BL Mon.-Sat. THE BOX Cheeseburgers and french fries are greasy and wonderful and not like their fastfood cousins. 1023 W. Seventh St. No alcohol, CC. $-$$. 501-372-8735. L Mon.-Fri. BUFFALO GRILL A great crispy-off-the-griddle cheeseburger and hand-cut fries star at this family-friendly stop. 1611 Rebsamen Park Road.

Full bar, CC. $$. 501-296-9535. LD daily.

CAFE 201 The hotel restaurant in the Crowne Plaza serves up a nice lunch buffet. 201 S. Shackleford Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-2233000. BLD Mon.-Fri., BD Sat., BR Sun. CATFISH CITY AND BBQ GRILL Basic fried fish and sides, including green tomato pickles, and now with tasty ribs and sandwiches in beef, pork and sausage. 1817 S. University Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-7224. LD Tue.-Sat.

S

E

the

real deal

 authentic new orleans cuisine

LITTLE ROCK’S MOST AWARD WINNING RESTAURANT 1619 Rebsamen Rd. 501-663-9734

red beans & rice with andouille sausage

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REGENERATION FITNESS KATHLEEN L. REA, PH.D.

(501) 324-1414

117 East Broadway, North Little Rock

www.regenerationfitnessar.com Email: regfit@att.net

THE EVERYDAY SOMMELIER Your friendly neighborhood wine shop. #theeverydaysommelier

2010 CLIFF LEDE STAGS LEAP DISTRICT CABERNET SAUVIGNON REG. $79.99 - SPECIAL $59.99 “The elegance, finesse and purity of these wines are well evidenced by the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Stag’s Leap. A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, this beauty boasts a deep blue/ purple color as well as a stunning nose of acacia flowers, blueberries and raspberries. Medium to full-bodied with an ethereal elegance and lightness as well as beautiful texture, finesse and harmony, it reveals the Margaux-like side of southern Napa. Drink it over the next 15-20 years.” - Robert Parker “94 points” – Wine Advocate

Rahling Road @ Chenal Parkway 501.821.4669 • olooneys@aristotle.net • www.olooneys.com www.arktimes.com

APRIL 9, 2015

35

PEARLS ABOUT SWINE, CONT.

the Hogs’ late push toward victory was ballasted by a concerted effort to maximize help-side defense. It was usually a function of more commitment to clogging the paint and matching up against perimeter slashers and shooters, and it worked.

4. Anton Beard’s game waxed and waned but the young man worked hard as a freshman and was, inarguably, the midseason spark that rescued Arkansas from its perennial hell on the bubble and pushed the team squarely into the tournament. His shot selection fell off late, but he was still hustling and generally making decisions belying his youth.

If he’s going to be the starting point guard, endurance will be an issue to reckon with: He’s needed for 30 minutes

every night come fall, and that means the wall he hit in March must be displaced for good.

5. Malik Monk. Malik Monk. And also, Malik Monk. It cannot be overstated the importance that an early commitment from the rising Bentonville senior would bring. He’s an electric, once-a-generation player whose impact would be measured in what ripple effect he’d have on other in- and out-of-state prospects. Anderson was never going to secure the likes of Archie Goodwin, but now that this program has a buoy of a strong season thrown in the water, that’s the sort of enticement that became critical to the ongoing effort to bring Marcus Monk’s dynamic little brother to the Hill.

DUMAS, CONT. majority in United States v. Windsor that a federal statute that applied the term marriage only to heterosexuals was unconstitutional because its only purpose was to “disparage and injure” gays and lesbians, who were owed the same protections as heterosexuals.

Confronted by the issue last year, Judge Piazza, who had faced the voters for 30 years as a prosecutor and trial judge, had no trouble finding that the Windsor precedent was decisive, as well as the state Constitution’s own bedrock equality protections.

The seven justices stayed Piazza’s mandate but agreed to advance the case because the issue was so important to the well-being of the plaintiffs. The justices heard arguments, conferenced and voted

on the morning of Nov. 20. But the opinions never came down and on Jan. 1 the court changed. Justice Donald Corbin, whose manner at the hearing suggested that he strongly supported Piazza’s ruling, retired. It raised at least the theoretical question of whether Corbin’s vote and that of a special appointed justice who leaned in the same direction became invalid.

Now the court is taking another few months — until after the U.S. Supreme Court settles these matters forever — to ponder the mystery.

It thus may avoid the editorial attacks of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and of Jason Rapert and also history’s review of its stance on a great constitutional question. But no one will mistake it again for a fearless arbiter of the law.

BARTH, CONT. money from the state’s tobacco settlement to save TEFRA services.) Last week was a reminder that people power can shift the political terrain.

Third, related to this public engagement, many who had worked hard over the years to avoid any public stance on LGBT rights — seeing any stance on the issue as certain to offend large numbers of Arkansans — felt compelled to take a side.

Most important, of course, were business interests — both Arkansas-based megacorporations (like Walmart) as well as local business associations (like the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce). But, mainline religious denominations and their clergy were front and center in the debate. I’m reminded of a different civil 36

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ARKANSAS TIMES

rights battle where business interests and religious groups were slow to take sides.

It’s vital to remember that business and religious leaders were essential partners with the Women’s Emergency Committee in resolving the Little Rock School Crisis and reopening the city’s schools in 1959.

Once these potent interests took a side in that civil rights battle, there was no way to fully retreat; the same is true today.

Finally, while most of what happens today in politics is scripted, the resolution to HB 1228 was not. While not quite a “miracle,” the resolution to HB 1228 was indeed unexpected. It is the unexpected victories — even when they are small advances — that feel the sweetest.

ASA THE GOVERNOR, SETH THE LABOR ORGANIZER, CONT.

How does this fit in with labor organizing? Does it frustrate you that we don’t see a similar outcry over issues of economic inequality?

I think a part of it is that with LGBT issues, the nature of it is that anybody’s kid, anybody’s brother, anybody’s sister can turn out to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. And so, the longer these issues go on, the more people are going to be exposed to family members, friends and neighbors who are in that community. Obviously, to create that space where people can be open and out has taken a lot of work on the part of a lot of people. But I think eventually everyone is going to be exposed to somebody on a personal level [who is LGBT].

But when you’re talking about economic issues, issues of class — rich people mostly hang out with each other, middle class people mostly hang out with each other, and working class people, poor people, are isolated in their own neighborhoods and their own churches and communities. There’s not much crossover. If your immediate family is rich, usually, most or all of your family is rich.

And the same thing with race, obviously … if you’re white, your family is white. Most of your friends are white.

We live in a segregated society, so it’s harder to break down those barriers over time, without even more organizing and agitating to try to bring folks together.

So if the key to making progress on LGBT rights is exposure and the empathy that comes with that, is there a way to apply that lesson to other areas?

I think the LGBT movement has got momentum right now. It’s brought in a lot of folks who have never taken political action before on an issue. But I want to see the LGBT movement not end the fight when marriage equality happens, which I think is now going to happen. It can’t end there.

We’ve got to make the connections with communities of color that have been organizing and agitating for centuries for equal rights and economic justice. And gender equality, for feminist movements, to make the connection there about discrimination. With economic issues in general, with the way that working-class people are trampled upon and exploited across the world.

There’s the huge issue of immigration, and how immigrants are being exploited right now, and demonized.

I would hope that all the people who have been motivated to move on the LGBT issue would just see it one step

further and make the connection with all these other movements for justice that have been going on for so long — to unite, and to form a broader movement for social justice, for economic justice, and for environmental justice and really work to make a change in this country.

My own family isn’t particularly conservative, but I was raised in a conservative Arkansas community, like you. I feel squeamish about some of the rhetoric I hear out there putting down Arkansas, rural people, even Christians. I don’t like the smugness.

Yeah. If you want to build a movement, you can’t build it with people who agree with you 100 percent. For one thing, nobody agrees with anyone 100 percent of the time. And number two, if you try to build your movement on people who already agree with you, it’s going to be very small. You’re not going to get anything done.

If we are going to build a movement to bring positive change, it’s going to be a mass movement, and that means you’ve obviously got to bring in people who think very differently than you do right now. You’ve got to meet them where they are and you’ve got to try to move them along.

You’ve got to reach out to folks. You can’t segregate yourself based on ideas, just as you can’t segregate yourself based on race or class.

Especially since ideas are so fluid.

Yeah. I’m an example of that. As a kid I was very conservative. I believed the values and political beliefs that my parents taught me. And I still carry on a lot of values and beliefs that my parents passed on, but I’ve also evolved my own political views that are different.

Have you and your dad reached a point where you both understand where you’re coming from?

Definitely. I mean, there were some rocky moments in there, but a big part of it was that I was a teenager. I was evolving my own political views at the same time I was being a smartass. Nowadays, me and my dad are great. We have a very good relationship. We go hiking together — we’ve taken some fantastic trips together in our adult lives. And we talk regularly on the phone.

Do you talk politics much?

It’s both of our full-time jobs, so yeah.

We discuss ideas. And usually it’s very clear we’re not attacking each other.

We’re just discussing our perspectives on it. My dad’s a smart guy. Everything I know about debate, I learned from him, so I love talking to him about that stuff.

hearsay ➥ Mark your calendars for April 26 and prepare to nosh on old fashioned corned beef sandwiches, lox, bagels and cream cheese, kosher hot dogs, rugelach and many more wonderful Jewish delicacies at the 2015 Jewish Food Festival.

The event, which will be at War Memorial Stadium, will begin with a special Jewish breakfast at 8:30 a.m. After that, the tastings will start at 10 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m. The Jewish Food Festival will also feature cultural and religious booths that will showcase various aspects of Jewish life from Arkansas to ancient Israel. Learn about Jewish holidays and life cycle customs and enjoy an exciting kid’s area with plenty of activities from face painting to a whole area for jumping activities. Entertainment throughout the day will include contemporary and traditional Jewish music. Admission is free. For more information or tickets, visit www.jewisharkansas.org. ➥ Are you green thumbs itching to get started with some gardening? The Good Earth Garden Center has a lineup of classes scheduled, with the “The Perfect Combo Pot”, scheduled for 6-7:30 p.m.

April 13 or April 20. The class will teach you how to use the thriller, filler, spiller planting technique, and you can take your newly created perfect combo pot home with you. Registration is required. The class fee is $75 and covers material costs. The fee must be paid to time of registration. There are only 20 spots per class available; call Good Earth at 501868-4666 to register. Snacks and beverages provided. ➥ Speaking of gardens, the Bernice Garden farmers market’s opening day is scheduled for April 12. There will be fresh vegetables, fruits, meats and products available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The market will be open Sundays through November. For more information, visit thebernicegarden.org.

Advertising Supplement

APRIL 9, 2015

Arkansas Baptist College Supper & Soul Gala set for April 30

T

he fifth annual Supper & Soul Gala to benefit Arkansas Baptist College promises to feed to senses as well as the spirit. Scheduled for April 30 at the Clear Channel Metroplex Event Center on Colonel Glenn Road, this annual fund-raiser is the event of the year for music lovers and supporters of higher education. Chairs of the event are Dr. Kevin and Dr. Nancy Collins.

The evening starts with a reception and silent auction at 6 p.m., with dinner at 7. At 8 p.m., the party really gets started with live music from Con Funk Shun, a popular R&B and funk band that rose to fame in the 1970s and 1980s.

Their 1977 single “Ffun” reached No. 1 on the R&B charts, and a string of hits followed with songs like “Shake and Dance with Me” and “Too Tight”. Con Funk Shun’s sound has also influenced today’s artists, with Lil Wayne, Jason Mraz and Dru Hill sampling or covering Con Funk Shun’s songs in their own performances.

Proceeds from Supper & Soul help fund college operational expenses and tuition costs of students that are not covered by financial aid. For the second year, the Fund a Future program will be held in conjunction with the gala. Fund a Future allows donors to give funds to pay students’ outstanding tuition costs that aren’t covered by financial aid or other programs. Donations made to the Fund a Future program are fully tax deductible and 100 percent of the proceeds goes to tuition costs.

About ABC ABC opened in 1884 and was established to serve the underserved and to provide an education to those who otherwise might not have access to one.

It is the only Baptist historically black college west of the Mississippi. It has been a beacon of hope for generations of Arkansans as it continues to provide the lifelong gift of an education to so many.

Arkansas Baptist College honors student Jacqlyn Miller and her escort Michael Crowder model fashions from Proposals Boutique and Mr. Wicks Gentlemen’s Shop to help promote the college’s Supper & Soul Gala, scheduled for April 30 at the Metroplex/ Team Summit, Miller is wearing a black strapless gown from Jade by Jasmine, courtesy of Proposals. The gown has a fitted waist and beading detail, and can be worn with a matching beaded jacket. Crowder is wearing a gray pinstripe suit from Samuelsohn with a tie and white cotton dress shirt from Robert Talbot, all courtesy of Mr. Wicks.

Supper and Soul benefiting Arkansas Baptist College • • • • •

Featuring Con Funk Shun 6 p.m. Thursday, April 30 Clear Channel Metroplex Event Center 10800 Colonel Glenn Road Reception and silent auction begin at 6; dinner starts at 7, with live entertainment afterward.

• Cocktail attire. Tickets are $250.

• For tickets or sponsorships, call Devae Lucas at 501-420-1206.

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

APRIL 9, 2015 37

MOVIE REVIEW

‘FURIOUS 7’: Vin Diesel (left) and Jason Statham star.

Fast, but flat ‘Furious 7’ lacks energy of recent predecessors.

BY SAM EIFLING

T

he new action comedy “Furious 7” is full of scenes that beg to be described as a fifth-grader would, as “that one part.” For instance, that one part where Dom and Brian drive a supercar out of one building and it flies through the air and lands into another building. Or that one part where Dom plays chicken with bad guy Jason Statham and they smash their cars (and then, later, when the same thing happens again). Or that one part where Brian has to run up the side of a bus as it slides off a cliff, or that one part where — gah, at this point it’s all a blur of overhead muscle-car shots on winding mountain passes and ill-advised close-ups of Vin Diesel squinting, with the smell of scorched rubber hanging in the air. For a movie that’s supposedly for-fun, this one feels like too much work to keep up with.

Did we even need this, the seventh installment in the “Fast and Furious” series? Fans said yes, and then some.

This past weekend they made it the ninth-biggest opening in the history of American movies, and worldwide the film made almost $400 million. Those are Harry Potter or Star Wars numbers, preposterous totals, and a testament not only to how enduring the formula is (fast cars, big heists, bonkers stunt pieces, occasional ’90s music video slow-mo shots of ladies in tiny swimwear at parties and beaches and street races), but to how much of a hoot these movies have been. The last three in particular have been the best kind of cinematic circus. This one should have matched it; instead, for whatever reason, it just feels like going through the fast motions, furiously.

Maybe the production couldn’t quite overcome the loss, halfway through shooting, of star Paul Walker, who died 38

APRIL 9, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

in an unrelated car crash in November 2013. His brothers and a heap of digital effects stepped in to fill the void. I challenge you to pinpoint with certainty which scenes were shot with the real Brian and which were drawn in later.

(With the exception of the last dewyeyed scene, an oddly touching sendoff to the late actor.) The rest of the usual gang is back: Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez (still looking for her memory). Nathalie Emmanuel pops up as a bad-ass hacker and reminds you by association that it’s almost time for “Game of Thrones” to return. Kurt Russell is here to work for the government and to give instructions to Dom about the things that need to happen for there to be a movie. Then everyone drives custom hot rods out of a plane over Azerbaijan. The usual.

Director James Wan mostly has been writing “Saw” movies and directing bigbudget horror for the past several years, and his touch here fits with the spirit of the predecessors: couple of scenes of clunky, soapy dialogue about feelings and such, followed not too distantly by men swinging giant wrenches at one another. Statham makes a passable bad guy (why doesn’t he play villains more often, anyway?) but still does the sort of inane bad-guy stuff that makes you tilt your head slightly and wonder obvious things. Why, for instance, when he has the drop on Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. the Rock, a 6-foot-5 former pro wrestler who could probably play Godzilla with only a decent mask, does he basically elect to brawl with him rather than, like, shoot him? Why wouldn’t Dom do as much later when he has the chance?

Why isn’t this movie more enjoyable?

Are we simply over-thinking this?

And when, already, is the next “Mad Max” landing?

AFTER DARK, CONT. “Feed Your Mind Friday,” local artists talk about the “30 Americans” show, noon April 10; “Mid-Southern Watercolorists 45th Annual Juried Exhibition,” through April 12, Strauss Gallery; “Humble Hum: Rhythm of the Potter’s Wheel,” recent work by resident artist Ashley Morrison, Museum School Gallery, through June 21. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. 372-4000.

ARKANSAS CAPITAL CORP. GROUP, 200 River Market Ave., Suite 400: “Inside the Valley,” paintings by Arkansas River Valley artists Tammy Harrington, Neal Harrington and David Mudrinich, reception 5-8 p.m.

April 10 with live music from Adam Faucett.

374-9247.

ART CONNECTION, 204 E. 4th St.: Free figure drawing workshop for teens ages 14-18 with Stephen Rockwell, 5-9 p.m. April 10, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. April 11. Register at argentaartconnection.org.

THE ART GROUP GALLERY, 11525 Cantrell Road (Pleasant Ridge Town Center): “Arkansas’s Lakes and Rivers,” opening night reception 4-8 p.m. April 10.

BOSWELL MOUROT FINE ART, 5815 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “Three Architects,” drawings and paintings by John Allison, Hans Feyerabend and Eric Maurus, through April 25. 664-0030.

BUTLER CENTER GALLERIES, Arkansas Studies Institute, 401 President Clinton Ave.: “White River Memoirs,” artwork collected by canoist and photographer Chris Engholm along the White, April 10-July 25, reception 5-8 p.m. April 10, 2nd Friday Art Night, with music by The Arkansas Weather; “A Different State of Mind,” exhibition by the Arkansas Society of Printmakers, loft gallery, through June 27; “Captured Images,” photographs from the permanent collection; “Reflections on Line and Mass,” paintings and sculpture by Robyn Horn, through April 24. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 320-5790.

ESSE PURSE MUSEUM & STORE, 1510 S. Main St.: “Fashion Footprints: Purse-onal Stories,” cocktails, stories and tour of purse exhibit and “Common Threads” show, 6-8 p.m. April 9, $35; “What’s Inside: A History of Women and Handbags, 1900-1999,” vintage purses and other women’s accessories. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Sat., $8-$10. 916-9022.

HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM GALLERIES, 200 E. 3rd St.: “Suggin Territory: The Marvelous World of Folklorist Josephine Graham,” April 10-Nov. 29; “Suyao Tian: Entangled Beauty,” April 10-June 7; “Recent Acquisitions,” objects acquired between 2012 and 2014; “John Harlan Norris: Public Face,” through May 3; “The Great Arkansas Quilt

Show 3,” juried exhibit of contemporary quilts, through May 3; “Arkansas Made,” ongoing.

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. Open 5-8 p.m. April 10, 2nd Friday Art Night, with Lost Forty’s Belgian Blonde beer and finger foods from the “Suggin Cookbook.” 324-9351.

GALLERY 221, Pyramid Place, Second and Center streets: “Internationally Artified,” works from private collections; “Sean Lecrone,” paintings, receptions 5-8 p.m. April 10, 2nd Friday Art Night. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. gallery221@gmail.com.

OLD STATE HOUSE MUSEUM, 300 W. Markham: String trio Geoff Robson, Felice Farrell and Ryan Mooney, 5-8 p.m. April 10, 2nd Friday Art Night; “Different Strokes,” the history of bicycling and places cycling in Arkansas, featuring artifacts, historical pictures and video, through February 2016. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9685.

STUDIOMAIN, 1423 Main St.: “Envision Otter Creek,” 5-8 p.m. April 10, 2nd Friday Art Night. facebook.com/studio.main.ar.

TRIO’S RESTAURANT, 8201 Cantrell Road: John Kushmaul, paintings, 5:30-9 p.m. April 16. triosrestaurant.com.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: “Senior BA Exhibition,” Christopher Brandon Lee, Vivien Sara Fechner, Jimmy Spiro Poffiris, Wendy Michelle Creek, Nicholas R. Bell, Hunter Jackson Douglass, Katherine Elizabeth Purcell, Christina Vaughn and Andrew Arnold, through April 15; “Pragmatism + Design + Practice,” work by graphic design professor Kevin Cates, Gallery II, through April 29; “UALR Student Competitive Show,” Delita Martin juror, through April 19, Gallery I. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sat., 2-5 p.m. Sun. 569-3182.

CONWAY UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS: “BA/BFA Senior Juried Exhibition,” work by Randi Brown, Ryan Landry, Hunter McElyea, Allison Mosley, James Scott, Angela Simms, Shade Tucker, Grace Waldner, Paul Willey, Alyssa Woods, Allison Armstrong, Tim Daulong, Kat Robertson, Katherine Toler and Monica Vargas, April 9-24, receptions 4-6 p.m. April 9, 2-4 p.m. April 19, Baum Gallery.

501-450-5791.

FAYETTEVILLE WALTON ARTS CENTER, 495 W. Dickson St.: “Sue Johnson: Ready-Made Dreams,” installation of found and printed objects; “Jennifer Levonian: Her Slip is Showing and Other Stories,” stop-action animation videos, April 10-June 1, opening reception 5-7 p.m. April 9.

LYONS, CONT. an elementary blunder. “Those failures were so profound and so basic that it’s hard to know how we can even look at this as a teachable moment,” writes Northeastern University journalism professor Dan Kennedy on his “Media Nation” blog. “The lesson is ‘don’t do any of this.’ ” Writing in The Daily Beast, Columbia University linguist John McWhorter challenges what he sees as the self-delusions of the sentimental left: “The whole sordid affair has been about something

much larger: the idea that the pursuit of justice can be separated from facts; that metaphorical truth can be more important than literal truth.”

That is, that because some girls get mauled at fraternity parties, all self-proclaimed “survivors” should be depicted as martyrs. To dissent is seen as symptomatic of bad faith or worse. Resisting such thinking, whether in Charlottesville or Ferguson, Mo., can be hard.

Even so, it’s a journalist’s most important job.

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Greater Little Rock Council ofLittle Garden ClubsofSpring Greater Rock Council Garden Clubs Garden Tour Spring Garden Tour2015 2015

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9 AM to 5 PM

Saturday, May • 9am-5pm Sunday May 3 21 PM to 5 PM Featuring Homes in Pleasant Valley Sunday, May 3 • 1-5pm Tickets $20.00 Tickets $20.00 Ticket Locations: Arkansas Burger, Cantrell Gardens, Frances Flower Shop, www.glrcgc.org/spring-tour/ or call 501-773-1394 REST, REFRESH, AND LEARN

Good Earth Garden Center, Green Tree Nursery (cash or check only), Pleasant Valley Liquor (cash only), River Valley Garden Center And at Pleasant Valley Community Center (on the days of the tour only) Pleasant Valley Community Center 2300 Arkansas Valley Drive Hear speakers on gardening and related topics Saturday 11 AM – 4 PM at the top of each hour Sunday 2 PM – 4 PM at the top of each hour

HUFFMAN CONSTRUCTION, LLC,

Go to our web site for additional information: http://www.glrcgc.org/spring-tour/ Or call: 501-773-1394

is looking for Foremen who has the following: • Must possess a thorough knowledge of concrete, underground/process piping and productivity • Good safety record • Valid driver’s license • Dependable transportation • Must be able to pass drug screen and a background check • Own tools • Bi-lingual (Spanish/English)

The CITY OF MAUMELLE announces Civil Service examination for the position of entry level Police Officer will be given on Saturday, May 2, 2015.

C U S T O M F U R N I T U R E tommy@tommyfarrell.com ■ 501.375.7225 Pr Wo em rld ier e!

HEALTHY ADULTS NEEDED FOR RESEARCH STUDY

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Or you can complete an application at following address: Participation involves completing a 9838 Highway 70 East, De Valls Bluff, AR 72041 medical evaluation and attending 6 EOE sessions at the Psychiatric Research Institute at UAMS. Monetary compensation and taxi service to youhave have problem with cocaine cocaine youprovided. may If Ifyou aaproblem with maybebeeligible eligibletoto and from sessions will beyou

1- Be a United States Citizen 2- Be the age of 21 on date of the exam (Police Exam) 3- Be able to pass a background check, a drug test, and/or physical examination 4- Possess a high school diploma or equivalent 5- Possess a valid Arkansas driver’s license “Eight Women Sharing Love & Laughter”

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This ad is available from the Title VI Coordinator in large print, on audio, and in Braille at (501) 851-2784, ext. 233 or at vernon@maumelle.org.

Support for TWT is provided, in part, by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the DAH, and the NEA. www.arktimes.com

APRIL 9, 2015

39

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Poetry, fiction and memoir readings, live in the big room at Stickyz Rock-N-Roll Chicken Shack.

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Saturday, April 25 7-9 pm

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT BRYAN BORLAND AT BRYAN.BORLAND@GMAIL.COM 40

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ARKANSAS TIMES

Pub or Perish is a related event of the Arkansas Literary Festival.