Ms. Angela Merrit, the Administrative Assistant at Bonnie & Clyde Trade Days & RV Park in Arcadia announced that ownership of Louisiana’s largest swap meet changed ownership during an auction held earlier today.  Mr. Ray Worsham sold the 130+ acre property to the highest bidder for a reported figure of over $600,000 to Jimmie D. and Rhonda Sapp of Benton, LA.

Ms. Merrit said that while many specifics are still unknown, to dispel rumors to the contrary, the current staff would remain and that the park itself would also remain unchanged, as the new owners have expressed interest in leaving the park just as it is.

A special party is being planned on June 16th, 2012 to say ‘So Long!’ to Mr. Ray Worsham who bought the property about 4 years ago, and to welcome the new owners.  

To learn more about the Bonnie & Clyde saga and the swap meet that has gained equal notoriety, go to our previously published article about the locally celebrated 75th anniversary (2009) of the capture of the infamous couple that took place right here in Bienville Parish, Louisiana by clicking here: “Locals Capitalize On Bonnie & Clyde”

The Fount Online News

(c) 2012 –All Rights Reserved

Living Waters Never Run Dry

The Fount Online News has been inactive for 4 months due to matters of great urgency, but we are most certainly alive and well!  Your patience is greatly appreciated.  

The Fount Online News is moving towards becoming a paid publication, and new reporters are welcome to apply: contactthefount@gmail.com

More columns and fresh stories of interest are soon headed your way with new vigor and clarity.  Feel free to submit your story ideas and Letters-To-The-Editor regarding matters of concern to you. ♥  

Blessings,

Rev. David J. Dill  –The Fount

Wake Up Jackson Parish!!

On Saturday, January 14th 2012 the Jackson Parish Branch of the NAACP sponsored the “Wake-Up Jackson Parish” March and Rally in commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday in Jonesboro, LA.

The segment of video below covers the 18 minute speech of the embattled keynote speaker, Mayor Leslie C. Thompson of Jonesboro, LA. Mayor Thompson, who offered thanks to his supporters, and addressed several injustices against his administration and the minority-majority Council by the local judicial system and sheriff’s office.

Mayor Thompson gave clarity on the issue of some $385,122.69 that he’s been falsely accused of stealing, misappropriating and failing to document by saying copies of each check written by the Town totaling that amount are available as public records to anybody who wants to see them.

Mayor Thompson’s climactic speech was preceded by several enthusiastic speakers who energized an estimated 200+ attendees who provided vital statistics and other information concerning civil rights issues across the state and nation.

The event also included local singers, a local young people’s praise dance group, Eyes Open radio personality Tony Brown from Alexandria, Louisiana State NAACP President Ernest Johnson as well as Jackson Parish NAACP President Windy Calahan and NAACP Presidents from New Orleans, Minden, Shreveport and other surrounding areas.

Preachers preached, teachers taught, motivators motivated, singers sang and dancers danced. Those who attended say the march and rally were a raging success.

Keepsake DVD’s of the March & Rally are available by contacting: david@thefount.org

(c) 2012 –The Fount Online News
All Rights Reserved

Dr. Hicks preached from John 1:14 and his message was entitled: “Unwrap Your Christmas Gift From God”

Pastor Brewster of Pine Grove BC brought the Invitation To Discipleship at the end of Dr. Hicks’ textbook message on WHO JESUS IS which can be seen in it’s entirety here.

“..You’ve been looking for God’s Gift under the tree when God left His gift ON the tree…. Preach Black Man!” –Dr. Clarence Hicks

(C) 2011 –The Fount

When I learned that the Bible refers to the decorating of chopped down trees as a heathen practice and that God forbids it, this was one of the great shocks of my life, and yet I was strangely relieved at the same time.

I can hear somebody already – “What in the world are you talking about?! We’ve always had a tree in our house at Christmas time, and we ain’t gonna stop now no matter what you say! Who are YOU anyway?”

Oh, how endeared all of us have become to the Christmas tree!

This is not a matter of controversy or popularity, but simple trust and obedience; Is the tradition we’ve always known and love right, or is God’s Word right?

Can Christmas still be Christmas without the tree?

While very few preachers actually teach this or dare to speak on the subject, the argument is not with me but with God’s Word:

“Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven: for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the wormkman, with the ax. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. Jeremiah 10:2-4″

Even though this scripture doesn’t use the literal words ‘Christmas tree’ the practice of chopping down trees, fastening them to stand upright and decorating them with silver and gold is exactly what we do at Christmas time.

Why would God forbid such a seemingly ‘harmless’ act? Aren’t we honoring God and the birth of Jesus with the Christmas tree?

The context of Jeremiah 10 can be found by reading the verses before and after this passage. It’s dealing with the heathen practice of worshiping created things rather than or in addition to the Creator Himself, which is idolatry.

Evidently, there is an acceptable and unacceptable way to honor Him, and tree worship displeases the Master.

It’s been over 15 years now since I stopped assembling Christmas trees in my home, and I’ve come to find that while many (including loved ones) think I’m a crazy oddball from a cultish religion, celebrating the birth of Jesus is not about what we do or don’t do because it’s all about Him and the things that He says are important to HIM.

There are many ways for families & friends to come together, and for children to have a great time celebrating the birth of God’s Son without disobeying God’s Word. People need to find their own way of doing this by way of their personal and loving relationship with Him.

One thing I do know for sure; it makes no sense to ‘honor’ God by doing something that He says is offensive to Him. Not knowing any better is one thing, but to know better and STILL disobey? That’s just like going to the King of Kings’ birthday party and flipping Him off to His face. Where is the honor in that? He’s been too good for me to treat Him that way!

If you google ‘tree worship’ you’ll find it’s a huge pagan practice even today. In Jeremiah 10 God forbids His people from doing the things tree worshippers do by saying “learn not the way of the heathen.”

I don’t expect people who don’t read or believe their Bibles to see this, but if tree worship matters to God enough for Him to warn His people against it, should it not matter to His people?

This is a matter of an individual’s personal conviction after having read the scripture, meditated on it, prayed, asked God, and heard back from God about it….

I can tell you right now, God is not like us: He is not going to contradict Himself by saying it was wrong then, but it’s not wrong now. God’s Word changes not.

Whether we acknowledge it, recognize it or not, bowing and kneeling before the tree (i.e. to receive gifts that tree did not provide) is indeed symbolic of false worship.

If you choose to do so that’s between you and God, because it’s His issue. It’s good to know why we do a thing.  I agree, on the surface decorating trees seems harmless. Let’s consider a few things:

In view of this tradition, did God tell us to commemorate the birth of His Son this way, and if He did not – why do we do it? By the way we adamantly adhere to this tradition, you’d think God commanded us to do these things, and we would suffer great judgment if we don’t do these things. ☺

So far in scripture I have not found where God tells us to commemorate the birth of His Son with trees the way we do, but I have found where He says NOT to set up and decorate trees the way unbelievers do….

And in that same passage of scripture He explained the origins of this widely accepted tradition as being a pagan practice of idolatry. The Bible says we are in the world but not of the world; we don’t do the same things unbelievers do. For some people that’s good enough.

But if not, even if we have ‘good intentions’ by setting up decorated trees in our homes, God told us in Romans 14:13-16 not to put a stumbling block in our brother’s way, and not to let our good be evil spoken of.

The ones who don’t know any better will get the wrong impression and when we as Believing Christians do things that violate scripture knowingly, it becomes ‘double-wrong’ because now we are setting others up for a fall. This is why I taught my children what the Bible says, and stopped setting up trees in my home.

If we do the same things the heathen do, where is our witness, and how are we distinguished from them? We can’t take something that God says is sin and re-define it into something good.

What better way for the devil to have Christians advocate disobedience to God?
Be Blessed–  Rev. David J. Dill

The above article is an edited reprint of the original with many blog comments dated 12/09  found by clicking here.

Another revealing ‘tradition-buster’ as to when Jesus was actually born can be found by clicking here.

All Rights Reserved

Copyright 2010 – The Fount

One of the greatest freedoms we enjoy as American citizens is the ability to obtain any public record we want from any governmental office just for the asking. This is just one of many freedoms that our American soldiers fight all over the world for us to enjoy, however many of us either don’t know about it or don’t care.

While professional liars from The Liar’s Club seek to hide and distort the truth to make government officials look bad, those same government officials are held accountable by public record laws that prevent them from hiding what’s going on: Public records expose who’s lying and reveal who’s telling the truth.

Public records are like sun shining light on everything and everybody.  Public records are like Sunlight that doesn’t hide and is freely available to everybody that wants it.  Like sunshine a public record can be blocked by a dark cloud or hidden by an eclipse, but the blocking of that light is only momentary…

We’ve learned in life that some people don’t want to know The Truth. They are known as The Liar’s Club.  They receive lies wholeheartedly and make no effort whatsoever to verify if what they heard was true, accurate, right, factual or trustworthy.

Public records are like The Word of God in that if you don’t know it for yourself, by refusing to seek the truth, you willfully enlist with The Liar’s Club.  The Liar’s Club is an equal opportunity provider in that it doesn’t care what race, gender, age or religious affiliation you have.

The Liar’s Club has within it’s ranks some the most dangerous people on the planet because they are deceived into believing that which is dangerous is safe, and that which is safe is dangerous. How so? So glad you asked.

Scripture and public records are so much alike in that it’s safe to examine a public record for yourself, but The Liar’s Club avoids both like the plague.  God Himself said, My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge, yet many of His people still make no effort to seek truth.

These qualify for initiation into The Liar’s Club by regularly putting their trust in certain people without verifying those people’s trustworthiness.  Public records tell the factual story for anybody who wants to know the truth of what’s really going on.

If you want to avoid the Liar’s Club, get the facts for yourself.  The facts are free, and they are openly available.  Let’s enjoy all the freedoms that our Troops and our Savior died for us to have!!

(c) 2011 –The Fount

All Rights Reserved

A flyer entitled “Aryan Nations Demands Justice for Jonesboro Taxpayers” was circulated to businesses located in the vicinity of an NAACP press conference held at the Jackson Parish Courthouse earlier today.

The first sentences of the flyer read: “Same old Song & Dance – Elect a Black Politician and Get Robbed. And then the other blacks headed up by the NAACP cry “Racism” and demand the criminal investigation against the suspect (in this case the Mayor of Jonesboro) be dropped.”

The flyer quotes several statements made in the Louisiana Legislative Compliance Audit issued 6 months ago June 1^st, 2011: “Our assessments revealed little progress was made by management and also revealed the following additional compliance and control findings that need to be immediately addressed and resolved by the board of aldermen and the mayor.”

The flyer then reads: “As you can see from the findings below, Mayor Leslie Thompson is ultimately responsible” and quotes those findings.  The flyer appears to be a tool for recruitment to the Aryan Nations as it concludes: “Get Involved – Its Your Future – Contact Aryan Nations World Headquarters”

This flyer was circulated in an apparent attempt to respond to the NAACP’s efforts to raise awareness of several injustices in Jonesboro and Jackson Parish at a rally and march that was originally scheduled for today, but postponed as announced at the press conference.

Aryans Demand Justice Or Just-Us?

Someone identifying himself as Pastor Morris L. Gulett, Aryan Nations – World Leader of Converse, Louisiana with the same phone number as found on the flyer wrote the following December 1^st,, 2011 as a reply in a blog thread:

“If the NAACP wants to rally in support of the investigation being dropped against your Mayor, then the Aryan Nations is prepared to put boots on the ground in your fair town in support of the investigation not only continuing, but that we are in favor of the United states Dept. of Justice and the FBI getting involved and finding out just who is at fault here. Sheriff Andy Brown for being a racist, which I contend that he is not, or Mayor Leslie Thompson for being a criminal, which I am sure, just by looking at the auditors report that the Mayor is in fact just that, a criminal.”

The blog Pastor Gulett was replying on is located at Lincoln Parish News Online and entitled: Jackson Parish Sheriff Andy Brown We Need Investigators, Not Conciliators. Lincoln Parish News Online is operated by Walter Abbott of Ruston, LA.

To see the entirety of the Aryan Nations flyer found being circulated at Wal Mart and other busy areas of Jonesboro while the NAACP held its press conference at the courthouse today click HERE –>(To rotate this PDF document, hold the Ctrl and Shift buttons down together while hitting the + or – keys)

Audit Findings

The audit findings discussed in the Aryan Nations flyer that was circulated today were written 6 months ago on June 1^st , 2011 regarding events dating back to September 2009 –over 2 years ago.

The Town of Jonesboro’s Mayor, Leslie Thompson and Council Members LaStevic Cottonham, Devin Flowers, Charla Melton and Renee Stringer appeared before the Louisiana Legislative Audit Advisory Council on July 22, 2011 as well as the Chief Fiscal Officer Tonya Wade and her assistant, Stephanie Perry of Edwards, Wade & Perry CPA in Ruston, LA.

Several of the issues discussed in the Aryan Nations flyer had already been dealt with over 4 months ago as the results of that visit to Baton Rouge were reported in The Fount Online News article entitled: “Financial Progress Reported On Jonesboro” dated July 25, 2011 (click HERE).

Since that time even greater progress has been made, the Town of Jonesboro is moving forward in a way that many never expected and the administration is heading back to Baton Rouge to bring a full progress report again before the Louisiana Legislative Audit Advisory Council shortly.

The record thus far indicates that the ones attacking Mayor Thompson and his administration are the ones who know absolutely nothing about what’s really going on at Town Hall; they don’t get their information directly from the horse’s mouth.  The ones defending Mayor Thompson are the ones who have seen the open public record documentation and are monitoring Jonesboro’s continual progress up close for themselves.

The open public record facts are freely available to anybody who wants them.

© 2011 –The Fount

All Rights Reserved

Louisiana NAACP State Conference President Ernest Johnson announced today at a press conference held at the Jackson Parish Courthouse that a statewide “Wake Up Rally” will be taking place on January 14th, 2012 here in Jonesboro, LA.  This is the Saturday before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s next birthday.

Jackson Parish NAACP President Windy Callahan along with Jonesboro Mayor Leslie Thompson, Jonesboro Council Members LaStevic Cottonham and Devin Flowers, as well as Jena 6 attorneys Carol Powell Lexing and Louis G. Scott were among many others present.

Dec. 3rd  2011 March Postponed

The local march and rally session scheduled for today, December 3^rd, 2011 in Jonesboro was postponed as a courtesy to allow participants from other parts of the country more time to prepare and organize.  As word of the local rally became viral, Mr. Johnson suggested holding off until after the holiday season as NAACP chapters from around the state, Mississippi, Texas and Arkansas also desired to participate.

Today’s press conference in the video below is a Fount Online News exclusive, as local television stations KTVE Channel 10 in Monroe, KSLA Channel 12 in Shreveport and KNOE Channel 8 in Monroe declined invitations to attend at the scheduled time.

© 2011 The Fount Online News

All Rights Reserved

Jackson Parish Residents

Jonesboro Mayor Leslie Thompson, and Council Members Charla Melton, LaStevic Cottonham, and Devin Flowers take this opportunity to inform you that a march will be held this Saturday, December 3rd 2011.

This march will begin at 10:00 a.m. We will march from the Jonesboro Fairgrounds on S. Cedar St. to the Courthouse lawn.  There will be speakers whose theme will center around the cry to end double standards and racism.

Let’s put an end to frivolous lawsuits and unsubstantiated false allegations.  Come and walk with us as we present the facts and proclaim that enough is enough.

NOW Is The Call To ACTION

For More Information, You May Call
(318) 259-4772

This Event will be updated with a more detailed list of speakers and topics shortly.  All interested persons are asked to please be present at the Tuesday November 29th meeting at the Malissa Simmons building on Bond St. for further instructions and training at 6:30 p.m.

To become a member of the Jackson Parish Branch NAACP, contact Mrs. Aleane Hayes – 259-7285

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD AS WE ARE PRESSING FOR UNITY IN THE COMMUNITY

IT’S TIME TO STAND UP!