June 17th 2021
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Tributes poured in Friday as Asheville said its final goodbye to Elder John Hayes. A celebration of life was held Friday afternoon at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in downtown Asheville.
Prominent leader of Asheville's Black community laid to rest
Hayes, a well-known leader and activist in the Black community, passed away at his home Thursday, June 10, 2021. "This is the last time I say goodbye on this side, and we salute you for all of your great works you did, your tireless effort, and I just pray that I’ll see you on the other side," Pastor John Roberts said.
ELDER JOHN HAYES, A LEADER IN ASHEVILLE'S BLACK COMMUNITY, DIES
ASHEVILLE REMEMBERS JOHN HAYES
Hayes will be remembered as someone who fought for equality and stability and stood for encouragement and inspiration. He was 79 years old.
ASHEVILLE REMEMBERS LIFE OF ACTIVIST JOHN HAYES WITH DRUMS AND CANDLELIGHT
Obituary
Vanity Fair BESS LEVIN JUNE 17, 2021
The GOP lawmaker insisted assault weapons should be legal so people can stop “tyrannical government[s],” like the one he’s employed by.
he modern Republican Party talks a big game about being the party of “law and order,” yet strangely it’s they—and not Democrats—who’ve been involved in all the coups and insurrections of late. In January, for instance, you might recall that then Republican president Donald Trump sicced a fascist mob of supporters on the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of a free and fair election, an incident that the GOP curiously refuses to investigate. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Republican representative Madison Cawthorn suggested that assault rifles must stay legal so that civilians can overthrow the U.S. government, i.e. his current employer.
Appearing on Newsmax to discuss AR-15s and military weapons, the North Carolina lawmaker told host Chris Salcedo that “The Second Amendment is not written for sporting. The Second Amendment is so that if a tyrannical government ever wants to rise up, we can stop them.” Then he made a…rather strange historical reference! “If anybody ever wants to say, ‘Oh, well you know what? Citizens with a few small firearms would never be able to stop the federal government,’ I absolutely disagree, he said. “Ask the Viet Cong how they handled the Marines and the Army in Vietnam.”
The Viet Cong, of course, was an armed communist revolutionary group whose military force, the Liberation Army of South Vietnam, fought against the U.S. and South Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War. The U.S., quite famously, did not fare well there; nearly 60,000 American soldiers were killed. So it’s a bit odd to hear a U.S. representative seemingly brag about how well the Viet Cong performed, and suggest that armed civilians could and should do similar damage on American soil. Cawthorn’s comments follow remarks from Rep. Matt Gaetz wherein the Florida lawmaker lashed out at tech companies for harboring alleged conservative biases, telling supporters: “The internet’s hall monitors out in Silicon Valley, they think they can suppress us, discourage us. Maybe if you’re just a little less patriotic, maybe if you just conform to their way of thinking a little more, then you’ll be allowed to participate in the digital world. Well, you know what? Silicon Valley can’t cancel this movement, or this rally, or this congressman. We have a Second Amendment in this country, and I think we have an obligation to use it.” (Harlan Hill, a spokesman for Gaetz, has insisted that suggestions that the congressman was encouraging people to take up arms against Silicon Valley are “willful lies,” telling The Washington Post: “The wildly irresponsible mis-framing of the Congressman’s comments is designed to divide America and we demand it stops.” Gaetz has also said he was taken out of context.)
Right now, life seems to be about full-circle moments for Henderson County native Eric Gash, who describes himself as “a son of the soil.” A married father of three, Gash has been a pastor for 15 years, is a volunteer chaplain at the Hendersonville Police Department, a rescue scuba diver and recently became the principal of the elementary school he once attended.
“Yeah, it’s almost like a dream come true. I remember, very vaguely, walking the halls of Bruce Drysdale Elementary,” Gash said. “Of course, things have changed. It’s been remodeled and certain facilities have been added, but yeah, it’s kinda surreal walking through those halls, knowing that 45 years ago I was walking the same halls, only a little bit shorter.”
The June 1 entry of Gash into the 2022 Democratic Primary Election as a candidate for the 11th Congressional District seat currently held by Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn presents the possibility of another full-circle moment for Gash — from following in the leadership of his coaches, his teachers and his mother to potentially representing them in the U.S. House.
“I’m trying to do the best I can to be a blessing to the community that was so great and gracious to me and my family growing up,” Gash said.
GashforCongress Twitter
ericgash.com
Pastor, principal, former football coach Eric Gash running for Madison Cawthorn's seat
Pastor and Principal Eric Gash to Challenge Cawthorn for 11th District Congressional Seat
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Blue Ridge Mountains Travel Guide
Click the story title above for information and photos for all the following things to do.
- Tour The Biltmore Estate
- Find Foraged Foods
- See North Carolina’ Red Wolves
- Explore Downtown Asheville’s Restaurant Scene
- Rafting The French Broad River
- Visit the River Arts District
- Rappel In Green River Gorge
- Slip Down Sliding Rock
- Take A Free Highland Brewing Tour
- Watch For Cataloochee Elk
- Ziplining In Asheville
- People Watching In Pack Square Park
- Fishing Linville Gorge
- Mountain Biking Pisgah
- Rock Climbing At Chimney Rock
- Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway
- Hike in Mount Mitchell State Park
- See Looking Glass Rock & Skinny Dip Falls
- Find Flora at the NC Arboretum
- Take a Day Trip to Hendersonville NC
- Get Cultured at the Southern Highland Craft Guild Folk Art Center
- Explore the Asheville Botanical Garden
- See the Thomas Wolfe House/Memorial
- Visit the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center
- Watch the Sunset from Craggy Gardens
Thanks again, stay safe out there!