I hope this campaign update finds you all doing well and growing more excited about the upcoming election with every passing day. I know that I am.
The month of January was a busy one at the Nall for Governor campaign headquarters.
On January 10, 2006 the Alabama Legislature came back into regular session and there were many bills being introduced and debated that our side has a stake in.
I spent a number of days in the State House attending hearings and meeting legislators to renew ties made last session and to shore up and strengthen them if needed. I wrote two articles about the sessions. DAY 1 and DAY 2..
Both articles have received much praise so please take the time to read them if you have not already done so.
Everyone who was supportive of prison reform and medical marijuana last session is still supportive and we managed to pick up a Senate sponsor for the Compassionate Care bill.
That bill is slated to be reintroduced into committee in mid to late February of 2006. Right now a lot of my time is focused on finding patients, family members of patients and physicians who are supportive of this legislation and preparing them to testify before the House Judiciary Committee, the full Legislature as well as the media at some point in the future.
This is proving to be a daunting task, as you can well imagine.
I have been vocal about marijuana laws for so long now I tend to think nothing of openly admitting that I do use marijuana and that I think it should be legal. I have forgotten the fear that I once felt when discussing this subject openly.
Most Alabamians still live with the fear of losing their kids, homes, jobs and possibly even their lives by going public and I have to keep reminding myself of that.
It infuriates me and sickens me that my fellow Alabamians are made to cower in their homes, like rats trying to avoid detection, in order to be able to use a natural plant to ease their pain, suffering or just the basic stress of life.
Living in such a way is alien to my people and they have only conformed to this unnatural way of life because of the government guns being pointed at them.
NO MORE!!
Once Alabamians are reminded of who they really are, then my friends, the real fight will be ON!
Also in January, I was able, due to the generous contributors on this list, to get 150 campaign signs and two sets of car magnets made. Here is a photo of me with one of my signs.
I have about 50 left so 100 should be popping up in places all over Alabama. Only one has been stolen to date.
By far the high point of January was speaking at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4572 in Wetumpka, Alabama, which is just outside Montgomery.
Back in December I was invited to speak at the candidate forums they are hosting this election season. My original date was slated for sometime in March. The vice commander of the VFW post sent me an email on January 7 and asked me if I would be able to speak on January 23 instead.
I agreed to do so even though that only gave me about two weeks to come up with a good speech and I believed this to be my one really good shot at getting the media to pay attention to my campaign. The text of the speech can be READ HERE!
I set to work and came up with what will be the bones of my stump speech for the remainder of this election year.
The VFW speech is the longest speech I have ever written and by far the longest that I have ever given.
45 minutes of non-stop information assault. I was worried that I would give out but when I got on stage time zipped by and it was over before I knew it.
I arrived around 6:15 in order to set up my camera and settle into the atmosphere.
As I walked up to the door I saw a sign announcing my appearance and stating that the bar would be closed from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
I remembered seeing Roy Moore there a few weeks earlier and noting that the bar was closed and no smoking was allowed. I thought at the time it made for a very boring atmosphere.
I did not see the need for that. This is the VFW after all. This is their house and I am a guest. I think it is absurd to ask a bar to stop being a bar. When in Rome as they say...
I went in and placed my things near the podium.
I decided I would let the Vice Commander know that closing the bar down and banning smoking during my speech was not necessary.
ME: "Hi Mr. Dean, thanks again for organizing these forums and inviting me to participate."
VC DEAN: "Thanks for coming Mrs. Nall. We want the community to become more involved in politics and to know who all the candidates are."
ME: "I wish more organizations would take on that role. I wanted to let you know that it is not necessary for you to close down the bar or ban smoking while I am speaking."
VC DEAN: "Really?"
ME: "I don't have any objections to the bar giving full service to anyone who walks through that door while I am here. You organized this whole event with your own time and money and there is no reason to ask you to lose money by closing the bar. I am also a smoker and as long as there is decent ventilation in here then people can smoke as well."
VC DEAN: "That's great. You know we closed it for Roy Moore because he is a Baptist preacher and all."
ME: "Well....I am about as far removed as one can possibly get from a Baptist preacher."
VC DEAN: "Well..I'll go tell everyone at the bar that it is staying open then. Would you like something to drink while I am up there?"
ME: "Yeah...I need a shot of whiskey for my nerves." (this was said in a joking manner)
VC DEAN: "Darlin', you can have whatever you want."
ME: "No, no I am just kidding... ice water will be fine. Whiskey makes me mean enough to give you both barrels."
VC Dean proceeds to the bar to make the announcement that alcohol will be served during my appearance and to get me some water. I could have sworn I heard clapping and whistling as that was announced.
He comes back with a cup of ice water and a large shot of Evan Williams.
VC DEAN; "I thought you might change your mind."
And...well y'all know me...I don't like to be rude and all...so BOTTOM'S UP!!
UGH!!
It burned like fire going down and regardless of any medicinal or relaxing affects whiskey has it still tastes like pure shit.
Now, it's true that I am not much of a drinker. Alcohol has never been my friend. I like beer and wine in moderation but whiskey in anything over an extremely moderate amount (read= 2 drinks) can make me go absolutely off my rocker, have black-outs and do terrible things. I usually stay very far away from it.
But, whiskey can also have a calming affect and act as a social lubricant to me in very small quantities....my nerves were wound tighter than Dick's Hatband so I knew that one shot would not hurt a thing and would probably relax me and enable me to give a better speech.
I was right.
It was just what I needed to take the edge off.
ME: "Thanks...I think I really probably needed that." Do you know which media outlets are going to cover tonight's event?"
VC DEAN: "Well, the Wetumpka Herald and the Montgomery Advertiser covered the first two that we had but neither of them returned my calls or acknowledged my news releases about the event."
ME: "Well, I hope they show up....but even if they don't I still have a speech to give and I did not come to give it to the media."
And I did indeed give a speech. From all indications it is the best of my career and has resonated with everyone who has heard it in such a deep way that even I am surprised.
About 20 people turned out to see me. There were an additional 20 or so people in the bar and by the time my speech ended they had all turned their chairs and bar stools around and were a part of my audience, clapping, cheering and whistling right along with everyone else.
It was an absolutely remarkable thing. To see my fellow citizens react to and connect with me in that way was something akin to a religious experience.
Please Watch the Video of My Speech. I want you to see and feel what I saw and felt that night.
No media showed up to cover the event.
Was I disappointed?
Sure.
I worked hard to pull that off and did so with grace and splendor. It was REAL and the media should have been there to feel that power.
I was under the impression that the media had agreed to cover all of these forums and it was a real surprise to me to be literally blacked out.
Up until I officially launched my campaign for Governor I had great relations with the media in Alabama. In the last 3 and a half years I have had 105 letters and articles about my work published. Many of those have been in Alabama print media. I have done numerous radio and TV interviews and appearances as well.
I wrote the editor at one of the papers and asked him why his paper blacked me out.
He responded with "let me see your official papers to be on the ballot."
Gee, since when did newspaper editors start sounding like Homeland Security Officers?
He and I went back and forth for a few emails. In the end he apologized and said he would cover any future events I do in that area.
Another supporter of mine wrote him and told him how wonderful an event he missed and this same editor told him it was due to a staffing problem. Wonder why he indicated to me that it was because I do not yet have ballot access?
One friend joked that I have become so powerful that I have developed the ability to actually keep the media away.
But, enough about the failures of Alabama media...let's look to what lies ahead for the rest of this month.
As I stated earlier, I will be spending much of this month recruiting patients, family members of patients and physicians to testify. If any of you reading this can help me in any way in this regard please contact me via email.
I have spent much of the last two weeks contacting the League of Women Voters in Alabama, student government associations at the state's Universities and other places that normally sponsor candidate debates and do not exclude third parties from participating. I have asked to be included in any debates for this election. I will keep all posted on the status of those requests.
I have made a wonderful contact in North Alabama who has an internet radio station and wonderful contacts within the music community in legendary Muscle Shoals. This gentleman has offered to provide free campaign advertising on his station. He will even record the ads for me. He is also contacting the Drive By Truckers about playing a possible fundraiser for my campaign and getting other bands in the area together to play a fundraiser as well.
This gentleman has also printed out ballot access petitions and is circulating them in his area.
He is a former prison guard.
We have never met. He is one of the people who saw the video of my speech at the VFW and that won him over. He is re-broadcasting my entire speech on his station in the very near future.
Some of the other things that I have planned this month are more time in the legislature watching the following bills.
HB233: Chemical endangerment of exposing a child to a methamphetamine laboratory, crime of established, penalties, Sec. 26-15-3.2 added; Sec. 26-15-2 am'd.
HB414: Firearms, sale or delivery to nonresidents and acceptance of delivery by residents, authorized in and from all states, Sec. 13A-11-58 am'd.
HB301: Pardons and Paroles Board, discretionary medical or geriatric release of inmates, procedures for applications and review of applications, Alabama Medical and Geriatric Release Act
HB1: Defensive deadly physical force, justification further provided for, no requirement for retreat from aggressor intruding in a dwelling, residence, or vehicle, immunity, Secs. 13A-3-20, 13A-3-23 am'd.
HB283: Sentencing Commission, voluntary sentencing standards for certain felony offenses adopted by commission, approval by Legislature
HB284: Probation, revocation by trial court, modification of sentence and sanctions further provided for, certain provision re credit for intermittent sentence and home detention further provided for, Sec. 15-18-8, 15-22-54 am'd.
HB312: Schools, arrest without warrant authorized when officer has reasonable cause, based upon word of authorized school employee, to believe a misdemeanor has been committed in the presence of the employee by person arrested, Sec. 15-10-3 am'd.
HB328: Federal law enforcement officers, arrest powers for felonies in state under certain conditions, Sec. 15-10-1 am'd.
HB432: Death penalty, moratorium on imposition and execution not to exceed three years, procedure for administering
SB24: Adult bookstores, adult movie houses, adult video stores, or other adult-only enterprise, location restricted and license denial authorized under certain conditions, appeal
Those are just a few of the sessions I will be sitting in and reporting on.
Also this month I plan to have more campaign materials made including signs and printer literature. I will make a trip to North Alabama and try to facilitate a speaking engagement/fund raiser working with the gentleman at the radio station.
In mid to late February the Compassionate Care Act will be reintroduced in the House Judiciary Committee and I, of course, will be there for all of those proceedings.
Through the Libertarian Party a string of "supper club" speaking engagements are being set up for me and I will need money to get to and from those places.
Today is Feb. 6, 2006, the first day I am allowed by state campaign finance law to resume campaign fundraising activities. Everyone seeking state elected office was required to stop soliciting and accepting campaign contributions from Jan. 10 until Feb. 6 for the first 30 days of the regular legislative session.
Due to January and the first few days of Feb. being very busy for me my funds are extremely short right now.
My fundraising goal for February is $5000 and most of that will be spent for radio and television ads in addition to travel expenses to and from Montgomery and other places in Alabama, campaign signs and literature.
Please make a contribution today. If you have friends and family members that live outside of Alabama but might be willing to contribute then please pass this along to them. Any US citizen can legally make a contribution to my campaign for Governor.
I am required by law to record the name and address of all donors and I have to report all donations exceeding $100. If you make a contribution please include your name and address.
I would like to offer all of my contributors the opportunity to also become fundraisers for this campaign. I will pay you ten percent of whatever you bring in. If there is any interest in this please contact me for further information.
Thank you all for your continued support of my campaign for Governor of Alabama. Look for updates in your inbox throughout this month.
Your Compatriot in the Fight for Liberty,
Loretta Nall
Vote Nall Y'all...It's Just Common Sense
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