Nall Answers Debate Questions

Dear Alabama and everyone else watching from around the world,

These are my answers to the gubernatorial debate questions presented to the two Command and Control candidates during last night's debacle....I'm sorry...I meant debate. I am missing a question between Immigration and a Constitutional Convention. APTV went black for a few minutes. I do not know what the question was. If anyone else does please pass it along to me so I can include it in my answers.

You'll notice that I actually attempt to answer the questions, which is something I didn't see either of my opponents do last night. It was more like an 'I Love Lucy' episode with Lucy acting the part of a chiding wife because she didn't get invited to any press conferences and Riley saying, 'Awww...Lucy you just don't understand', but with a Bubba accent instead of a Ricky Ricardo one. They are both a POX on our state and I hope to provide you with an alternative candidate to cast your vote for on November 7. You'll have to write me in.

1. Education

What are your top goals for public education? What will it cost to implement them and where will you find the money?

My top priority for public education is to opt out of No Child Left Behind and any other unfunded federal mandates we do not like or that do not work for us. I have traveled this state for the last year and I have yet to meet an educator who believes that NCLB is useful in any way. It will not cost anything to implement opting out of unfunded federal mandates and will actually save us money that can be better used according to the needs of teachers in the classrooms because they are the ones who know best the needs of their students.

I also support teaching foreign languages in our public school system. If we started in first grade then in a little more than a decade we would have a bi-lingual workforce. If we ever hope for our children to be able to compete on a global scale we must teach them to communicate in other languages.

Additional funding for public education could be provided by cutting a huge piece from the bloated prison budget. Alabama spends only $6,000 per child on education but $12,000 to lock up someone for smoking pot. We spend $134,400,000 a year to incarcerate non-violent drug and alcohol offenders. That is just to house them. That is $134,400,000 that could be saved and used for things that make people's lives better instead of worse...starting with a good education. We should also have legal lottery and casino gambling run by private enterprise in this state with the state collecting the taxes and earmarking some of it for education.

2. General Fund Budget

Plans for the general fund budget. Prisons, state trooper shortage, congested highways, gas and social services. What are the highest priorities for the GF budget? What will it cost? Where will you get the money?

We have 28,000 prisoners in a space built for 12,000. 40% of them are people who we are simply mad at but who are not really dangerous. Releasing all non-violent drug and alcohol offenders from prison would save our state $134,400,000 a year in housing costs. Passing laws that bring the illicit drug market under regulation would prevent many of these people from returning to prison and continuing to be a burden on society. It would also reduce the cost incurred by the taxpayers to fight disease and health problems associated with drug use. Drug and alcohol addiction are health and social problems not criminal justice ones. Dealing with it from a criminal justice standpoint creates more problems that taxpayer’s foot the bill for. We are spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year and getting negative returns on it. If someone gets a criminal record for smoking marijuana that person is barred from financial aid for higher education, decent employment opportunities, public housing and food assistance. With no way to better themselves they usually become a life-long burden on taxpayers. That is a negative return on our investment. The failed war on drugs is an un-funded federal mandate just like NCLB and I say we opt out and replace it with something that makes basic common sense and works for Alabama.

As for state troopers...if Governor Riley wasn't so intent on federalizing them and ordering them to double as Immigration officers maybe they would have the time and resources necessary to make our highways safer.

Gas - I support the research and development of alternative fuel sources. I am of the mindset that gas prices will rise again after the election and with no peace in sight in the middle east I don't really ever see them dropping down to under $2 a gallon again and holding at that price. Our environment will also benefit from alternative fuel development and once we become self-sufficient in the production we will no longer have to sacrifice our children in illegal wars for oil.

Congested Highways - Its a good time to bring in the private sector to fix the problem if feasible. Public transportation in our major cities would also help to alleviate congested highways but I would prefer we leave any development to the private sector.

Social Services - I support returning as many social services as possible to the private sector. Comparing Red Cross to FEMA during the Hurricane Katrina aftermath taught me that private charities can do a much better and more efficient job that the government will ever be able to provide.

3. Taxes

What are your proposals pertaining to the taxes paid by individuals? How would they effect the revenue required to fund important public services?

I propose that we eleminate sales tax on food, prescription and over the counter medications. I also propose that we do away with annual property tax reappraisals. It's almost like you can never actually own property. You buy it but then have to pay rent on it every year to the government. I support lower taxes, the more uniform the better. I would stop Riley's yearly property tax increases and threaten to veto all bills that even hint at new taxes. I will not threaten business in any way, especially with taxes, and I would prevent any new taxes or burdensome regulations on business. If you protect property rights, businesses will create the new jobs.

To make up for this loss in revenue I propose that we regulate the marijuana market and allow lottery and casino gambling run by private enterprise which would fatten state coffers.


4. Economic Development Plan

Creating good job climate. How will you approach economic development? What are your proposals to increase the number and the quality of jobs for Alabamians. Please tell us if they include major tax incentives, spendature of state funds and what the revenue sources would be?

One way to increase the quality and number of jobs in Alabama is to begin teaching our children a foreign language as soon as they enter the school system. If we start foreign language in the first grade in a little more than a decade we will have a bi-lingual workforce . I say we start with Chinese, due to the fact that the bond debt to them is so high that they almost own us now anyhow. Might as well be able to talk to them.

In order to attract businesses to Alabama we must provide a consistent, stable and certain business climate with no threats of higher taxes. That encourages businesses to settle, invest, and expand and that brings jobs.


5. PAC to PAC transfers and Lobbyist spending

Do you think Pac to pac transfers and spending by lobbyists should be fully reported? Please tell us what proposals you have on these issues and any related issues.

Yes I think PAC to PAC transfers and lobbyist spending should be fully reported. The voters have a right to know which corporations are controlling the candidates. For the record I have accepted no PAC money nor have I accepted any lobbyist money. Every donation I have received in my campaign has come from individuals who believe in what I say and wish to see me elected Governor of Alabama. I have no corporate ties and if elected Alabama will not be a corporate controlled government.

6. Government Accountability

What do you think are the most important issues related to improving accountability in government and what proposals do you have to address them in the next four years?

Competition in elections is the best accountablity we can hope for. The reason there is so little accountability is because voters often have only the two command and control party candidates to vote for. So, many of those interested in liberty often don't even go out to vote. Remember, Libertarians set a record in the last election because those who actually knew there was an alternative came out and voted... still those eligible to vote that DIDN'T totaled 40%.

Proposal: Ditch all the anti-competitive ballot access laws so the Republicans and
Democrats have to run with the Black Panther, Green, Libertarian, Natural Law, Reform, Constitution and other parties. Then at least elections will convey some information about the electorate. Votes over Turkey Poop v. Chicken poop do generate a winner - just not much information.

Additionally, the government becomes more unaccountable when it gets its hands on more money. I would propose that Alabama adopt that Colorado law that limits spending increases and returns any additional money to the people or lowers tax rates. I haven't studied this much, but it seems like a good band aid.

7. Immigration

What additional state laws and enforcement tools will you propose to deal with the immigration issue in Alabama?

No additional state laws or enforcement tools will be used under my administration for immigration. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 10 million jobs will be unfilled in 2010, when the first wave of boomers retire.
Immigrant labor contributes to the economy. Many industries would struggle and some would even close were it not for immigrant labor.

Building a wall is a stupid idea as the vast majority of illegal immigrants come across the border by automobile. It is a 'feel good' piece of legislation that does nothing to address the issue and truthfully I am more afraid of being walled in than walling Hispanics out.

Deporting immigrants is also a stupid and fiscally irresponsible idea. Until we gain control of the border and have the ability to inspect every automobile that comes across all of the people deported would just come back.

Imprisioning immigrants who are breaking no law other than being here is inhumane and the most fiscally irresponsible proposal of all. Why take someone who is contributing to the economy, cage them and add them to the taxpayer tab at $12,000 a pop?

My plan is naturalize immigrants and add them to the tax base to increase state coffers. When the labor shortage hits in four years Alabama will be prepared.

8. Constitutional Convention

I support removing the racist language from the Alabama Constitution. I worry that a constitutional convention would not be proportionally represented by third parties, independent thinkers and average citizens. I fear that it would be controlled by special interest groups much like everything else in out state government is. If someone from the private sector presented a plan that would make it fair I would support a convention. If that can't be done then I am open to other ideas to remove the embarassing racist language from the constitution.

Nall on the Matt Murphy Show Today at 3 pm CST

UPDATE: This has been postponed until 3:30
Stay tuned

I will be answering the debate questions live today at 3 pm on The Matt Murphy Show. If you are in the 101.1 FM The Source listening area tune in on your radio. If you are outside the listening area and have access to the internet you can stream the show from either of the website linked above.

NYT - Libertarians and the Reefer Vote

JOHN TIERNEY
Published: October 31, 2006
As usual, Republicans are hoping that righteous voters will come through for them on Election Day. But this year looks like the revenge of the sinners.

Skip to next paragraph

Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
John Tierney.

E-Mail John Tierney
Columnist Page
by John Tierney
New York Times


The sinners aren’t easy to count, since they don’t spend a lot of time doing grass-roots politicking. There is no Washington lobby for the Coalition of the Damned. They don’t like to confess their urges to pollsters. But there are enough of them, particularly in places where Republicans are struggling, to cast doubt on the party’s long-standing strategy.

Why did Republicans assume there was a Moral Majority? Where in the Bible does it say that the virtuous outnumber the wicked? When you define wickedness the way Republicans do, the numbers are daunting.

One of the G.O.P. Congress’s few achievements this year was a law to crack down on Internet gambling, an industry that counted eight million American customers last year — about four times the membership of the Christian Coalition. The new law hasn’t stopped the online gamblers from betting, but it will give them second thoughts about voting Republican.

The Republican war on marijuana — the chief priority of the current drug czar — isn’t playing any better in the heartland. More than 40 percent of people over the age of 12 have tried marijuana, and more than three-quarters of Americans support legalizing it for medical purposes. The White House and the Justice Department have had little luck in their attempts to stop states from legalizing medical marijuana, but they have succeeded in alienating voters.

These federal intrusions are especially scorned by independent voters in the Western states where Republicans have been losing ground, like Colorado, Nevada, Arizona and Montana. Western Democrats have been siphoning off libertarian voters by moderating their liberal views on issues like gun control, but Republicans have been driving libertarians away with their wars on vice and their jeremiads against gay marriage (and their attempt to regulate that from Washington, too).

Libertarian voters tend to get ignored by political strategists because they’re not easy to categorize or organize. They don’t congregate in churches or union halls; they don’t unite to push political agendas. Many don’t even call themselves libertarians, although they qualify because of their social liberalism and economic conservatism: they want the government out of their bedrooms as well as their wallets.

They distrust moral busybodies of both parties, and they may well be the most important bloc of swing voters this election, as David Boaz and David Kirby conclude in a new study for the Cato Institute. Analyzing a variety of voter surveys, they estimate that libertarians make up about 15 percent of voters — a bloc roughly comparable in size to liberals and to conservative Christians, and far bigger than blocs like Nascar dads or soccer moms.

They’re especially prevalent in the West, where half a dozen states have legalized medical marijuana. When Californians approved one of the first medical marijuana laws, in 1996, drug warriors were so convinced it would lead to a catastrophic spike in illegal use by teenagers that they sponsored a study to document the damage. But there was no catastrophe: after the law, marijuana use by teenagers actually declined in California.

In the decade since, as the Marijuana Policy Project documented in a recent study, popular support for legalized medical marijuana has increased in California and in virtually every other state with a similar law. Last year it was favored by 78 percent of respondents in a Gallup poll.

Yet these realities still haven’t registered with Republicans in Washington. This year the White House drug czar, John Walters, and his minions have been out campaigning in Nevada, Colorado and South Dakota, which have marijuana initiatives on the ballot. The drug warriors are still sounding the discredited alarms about youths turning into potheads. Their fervor’s not surprising — they may even believe their own hype.

What’s surprising is the political stupidity of the meddling. Westerners, no matter what they think of marijuana, don’t appreciate sermons from federal officials on how to vote. In 2002, when the White House campaigned against another marijuana ballot initiative in Nevada, the state’s attorney general said it was “disturbing” to see the federal interference in a state election.

This year, with Republicans in so much trouble in the West, the missionaries from Washington aren’t doing them any favors. They need every sinner’s vote they can get.

Damn...After Watching the Debate...

I might actually win this thing. What a complete embarassment both candidates were.

Can you imagine how much more interesting it would have been had I been included? I wonder how many other Alabamians thought the same thing?

I will be working into the night transcribing the questions...I won't bother with the 'candidate answers' becuse I didn't hear one single answer to one question asked the entire hour from either candidate.

Political Ads Gone Wild

This article is from Brand Week Magazine a national marketing firm which names my ads the "Most Honest of the Political Season".

Political Ads Gone Wild
October 30, 2006

Michael J. Fox's pitch for stem cell research included, this year's elections have sparked several unusual attempts to woo voters. In North Carolina, Democratic challenger Heath Shuler spent $10,000 to have his name on the race car driven by Brad Keselowski in the Dollar General 300 race held Oct. 14 in Charlotte. Shuler, who is trying to unseat Republican Rep. Charles Taylor, has a narrow lead in the polls and, if it holds up, Nascar would finally have a winner. In 2004 and 2005 two other candidates tried the same tactic but neither got the checkered flag.

The campaign around a Colorado ballot initiative on the minimum wage has reached new lows. A "Stop 42" ad opens with a close-up of a toilet paper roll and an announcer saying an increase to the minimum wage sounds like a "feel good idea." The next shot is of a cheese grater wrapped around the toilet paper roll. The announcer adds "the feel-good idea will quickly turn painful" and "grate" the state's economy. "Vote no on Amendment 42 and wipe out a very painful future." Perhaps feeling they hadn't alienated enough people, Stop 42 also has a spot in which God and Moses (with the tablets of the 10 Commandments in hand) denounce the amendment.

Yet, the most honest ad belongs to Loretta Nall, the Libertarian candidate for governor of Alabama. Nall's Web site features a cartoon picture of the candidate; when people donate money to the campaign it is pushed into her décolletage. The more you donate, the more you get to see. For enough money, she removes her blouse to reveal a tank top with a picture of her opponents on it and the words: "The biggest boobs in Alabama politics." Nall e-mailed: "I think the ads and the T-shirts have been so effective because it bares [sic] all the markings of mocking the authorities. It brings humor to an otherwise dull, boring, same old, same old political season . . . People love an underdog." And boobs. —CVH

For those of you who still haven't seen the ads they are available free of charge at the following links
$2 ad
$20 ad
$50 ad

My Friends in North Carolina

Just got this wonderful from my friend and fellow Drug Policy Reformer and candidate for office Jeam Marlowe up in NC and thought I would share it with y'all. I've had a number of interviews today asking what the reception of the media coverage has been like. This should give some indication.

Hey Girlfriend!

Guess who was the topic of discussion at our Democratic Women’s Club Luncheon today? Yes ma’am, it was little ole Loretta Nall.

The ladies were laughing at your tee-shirt and saying how we need more women like you in our party.

I told them I ordered one of those tee-shirts and we all got a laugh.

One lady said, I would really like to meet that girl. So I told them, I have the privilege of calling you friend and if you come and visit for the weekend, we’ll have a party and invite them to meet you.

What do you think about that?

You keep up the good work,

Yea, Boob Power!

Love ya girl,

Jean

Jean,

I love it!! I'll be due a nice relaxing weekend in the mountains of North Carolina if I live through this election!! Are the leaves pretty where you are?

Thanks NBC 13 & WAKA 8

Last night NBC 13 News in Birmingham aired parts of an interview with me that we did last Tuesday when all of the big media hit. It was a superb piece and I just wanted to thank Chris Pollone and the editors publicly for doing such a great job. I couldn't have purchased advertising that good. I recorded this on my VCR but have no way to transfer it to the computer at the moment as my video camera isn't working.

I also have a clip from a spot last week on WAKA Channel 8 News in Montgomery. I was a guest on TalkBack for the third time. It was also a spectacular show. TalkBack is filmed live with me taking calls from viewers in between questions from either Monica Allen or Stephanie Hicks. The whole news crew at WAKA Channel 8 is just magnificent. They have provided more TV coverage than any other station in Alabama and it has all been good. In fact, they have been covering me since my first protest on the steps of the state capitol in 2003. Jabari Preuitt, the evening news producer, is wonderful. I always have such a good time when I am at Channel 8. They all seem like old friends.

A funny thing happened to me on this visit. The camera guy was micing me up and he said, "Yesterday Lucy Baxley was in the studio and I wasn't aware of it. I was over on the other side of the room talking politics with another guy and I told him, "I'm voting Nall Y'all" and Lt. Governor Baxley heard me. My buddy elbowed me and pointed...she sure looked funny."

To the crew at Channel 8....the t-shirts and other campaign goodies will be on the way Wednesday.

As soon as I figure out a way to transfer both of these videos I will post them.

Contact info for today

If you need to reach me today please call me at 251-650-2271

Nall Endorsed by TalkLeft

On the 28th of October Jeralyn Merrit over at TalkLeft endorsed me for Governor of Alabama. Thanks Jeralyn.

I am also doing very well with the crowd at Democratic Underground.

Vote Nall Y'all...It's Just Common Sense

Oh Stop Whining Lucy!!

This article from The Decatur Daily featuring Lt. Governor Lucy Baxley is a real whiner.

If I may be so bold as to offer up that this kind of 'poor pitiful me' attitude put forth to the public is the real reason Lt. Governor Baxley won't win this election. It simply doesn't inspire people. No one wants a weak, whiney, candidate who is asking for a sympathy vote.

From the article:

Baxley said her campaign is struggling in part because of what she sees as an effective undercurrent of sexism by the Riley campaign.

"They love to throw in, 'Well, she doesn't understand,' " Baxley said. "I take every bit of that as a way of saying, 'Well, she's a woman; how could she know?' I take offense to these little innuendoes.

"They don't dare come out and say, 'She's a woman, how could she know?' But they get their little subtle hints in there," Baxley continued. "I doubt he's had three conversations with me (as lieutenant governor) about state business. He talks to the menfolk."

Lt. Governor Baxley, you are a female...what else are people suppossed to refer to you as? Being called 'she' is not a sexist remark. If you want an incidence of sexism in this campaign check this out. But, I took it all in stride and even turned it to my advantage. Additionally, if you are concerned about sexism then it seems you would have been here yesterday.

"And for the past year I've been clamoring, saying, 'Hey, newspapers, cover what I'm doing. Cover my issues,' with very minimal, almost no, free press. He's out there every day. Then, he has tons of money.

As for press coverage....I've managed to do ok without millions of dollars...or even the $25,000 required to file. I was doing very well in state media before this last week in the national spotlight. Both you and Governor Riley have more money than I do by far so it couldn't be lack of money for advertising that you are so far behind in the polls. But saying your gonna get your ass kicked in the debate is.

Baxley said she was apprehensive about a Monday debate with Riley on Alabama Public Television.

"Now won't I be mismatched? I've never had a debate lesson in my life," Baxley said. "I'm the underdog in this. I'm apprehensive. He's slick. Promises and glib remarks slide off his tongue. He's pretty confident about his ability to fool people."

Geez Louise....at least you got invited to the debates. If you'd like to bow out between now and tomorrow evening and offer me your spot give me a call at 251-650-2271.

You can read the rest of this article here.

This is not an endorsement of Riley....not by a long shot. They're both scoundrels in my book. Vote them OUT!
Vote Nall Y'all...It's Just Common Sense

NOW Takes Stand on State Issues

Wheeler at Alablawg Welcomes Twins

Awwww....they're sooo sweet!!!! CONGRATS WHEELER & FAMILY!!!

Political Levity is a Good Thing

From the Tuscaloosa News

Please exercise your right to vote

Pete Kinnear
Tuscaloosa
October 26. 2006 3:30AM

Dear Editor: What do the following political candidates have in common: Nancy Worley, Loretta Nall, Kinky Friedman? Answer: They all make me laugh, though for different reasons. This election has brought out the worst in campaign tactics; the usual mudslinging, local and national, has turned to out-and-out lies and vicious character smears. Karl Rove’s tactics have been embraced by so many that they have become the style du jour. Not being registered to vote in Texas I am unable to boost “The Kinkster’s" chances there. I can, however, help the other two. We desperately need a little humor these days! Please, please vote Nov. 7 (a Tuesday this year).
---------------

Thanks Pete Kinnear. I enjoyed reading this letter. I wonder just how many people I have made laugh over the course of the last week? Laughter is a powerful political weapon. In these times when all the messages from those seeking elected office are about terrorism, war, terrorism, war and terrorism and war a little laughter is just what people need and may prove to be a far more deadly political weapon than the fear tactics and smear campaigns employed by other candidates.

See you at the polls!

Nall on FOX NEWS Big Story Weekend Sunday

UPDATE: This segment has been canceled. There is a possibility that it will be rescheduled for next weekend. I will keep everyone posted.

On Sunday, Oct. 29 at 4:40 p.m. CST I will be a guest on FOX Cable News Channel's Big Story Weekend

Nall on NBC 13 News Sunday Night

If you are in the NBC 13 News broadcast area (BHAM and surrounding areas) be sure and watch this evening at 10 pm as they will be airing a candidate profile interview of me that we did last week.

To the Media: Get The Story STRAIGHT

Ok, so I have been enjoying the national and international media coverage over the last week. But I am becoming increasingly unhappy with all of the stories that make it seem as though I one day decided to whup out 'the twins' and start campaigning with them. So this post is to set the record straight.

In March of this year an Alabama political columnist named Bob Ingram wrote a smear piece dismissing my campaign and me as a candidate. I was not contacted before this article ran for an interview or given an opportunity to state my platform. I had never met and still have not met Mr. Ingram although we have talked on the phone.

In that article he used a picture of me which was obtained by the editor of The Montgomery Independent. The editor, instead of contacting my campaign for a campaign photo, decided to search Google images and the photo he used was from a few years ago....long before I formally announced my campaign for Governor of Alabama.

The next week after this article ran Mr. Ingram again referred to me in his column stating that,
"In 55 years of political writing no women had ever displayed cleavage in his column."

I got HOT about it and called him up and asked him what on earth he was thinking. How could he possibly form an opinion about me or my campaign since we had never met.

So, I wrote The Montgomery Independent asking why they ran a photo that has nothing to do with my campaign and expressing dismay at two well respected journalists discussing my anatomy instead of my platform. After all, they never discussed the fact that Lucy Baxley also has breasts and they did not dig up any old photos of her to run in a smear piece.

Then I made the t-shirts and other items that are all the rage today and shortly after one of my campaign workers came up with the idea of a "Flash for Cash" animation which you can view free of charge at the following links.
1 ($2)
2 ($20)
3 ($50)

So, please, if you are the media GET THE STORY RIGHT if you plan to report on me.

Candidate Talks Issues, Not Good Looks

By Adam Jones
Staff Writer
Tuscaloosa News
October 28. 2006 3:30AM


Loretta Nall is the Libertarian candidate for governor.


TUSCALOOSA | She’s garnered national attention for her cleavage, but in a speech at the University of Alabama Friday, Loretta Nall wore a shirt buttoned to the neck.

Nall is running for governor as the Libertarian Party nominee, though the party failed to get enough signatures to win a spot on the ballot. To win – which she admits is a long shot – voters will have to write her name on the ballot.

“I’m not your typical candidate," she told a small gathering of students Friday. “I wasn’t genetically engineered to be a politician, bred to run for governor their whole lives."

It was a photo of Nall in a low-cut shirt that displayed a fair amount of cleavage that first brought her fame. The photo was blasted by state columnist Bob Ingram, giving her an opening to turn the notoriety into a fund-raising opportunity. She offered those who gave $50 “the biggest boobs in Alabama politics." Donors get a T-shirt displaying photos of her gubernatorial opponents.

The column and fundraiser led state and national media to pick up the story about a candidate using her chest to get votes. She’s appeared on Fox News, is scheduled to appear on NBC’s Today Show and has been mentioned in countless newspapers, she said.

The photo that led to the controversy in the first place was pulled from the Internet, she said.

“It wasn’t really my fault, but I’ve welcomed the attention," she said.

Nall said her biggest concern, and a staple of her campaign platform, is revamping federal and state policies on illegal drugs, which she claims is hurting the country.

Legalizing drugs such as marijuana, then regulating and taxing the industry, would free law enforcement from spending time and resources tracking those who use and sell the drugs, she said. It would also reduce the number of prisoners in an already crowded state prison system.

“I’m not saying it’s OK to do drugs, but our prison system was not set up to deal with this," said Nall, who admits to occasionally using marijuana.

If elected, Nall said she would not require Alabama schools to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which she said forces teachers to focus on standardized tests rather than individual learning.

“The teachers know better how to teach our kids than some yahoo up in Washington," said Nall, a mother of two. “The federal government only supplies 6 percent of our education budget, and I don’t think that’s enough incentive to continue with No Child Left Behind."

Reach Adam Jones at adam.jones@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0230.

Nall to Speak at the University of Alabama Today

I will be a guest speaker at the University of Alabama today as part of their election blitz. The festivities begin at 2 pm at the Heritage rm 322. If you are in or around Tuscaloosa come out and join us.

Loretta Nall #1 On Countdown with Keith Olbermann

T-Shirts, Stash Boxes & Artwork

I am getting hundreds of requests for t-shirts, stash boxes and the artwork used. Since I do not have time right now to email an individual response to everyone I am re-posting that information here.

Order T-Shirts here

Order stash box here

Update

I am way behind. If you are sending me emails I thank you so much and love you all for your support. Please keep them coming. I am reading each and every one. I will respond as soon as I am able.

Here is the Olbermann Video

I will also be on three ABC radio shows in New York as well as WAKA Talk Back in Montgomery.

I also did a 30 minute interview with NBC 13 here in BHAM this afternoon as well as shorter a one with ABC 3340.

My personal thanks to Blue Gal for accompanying me to the stusio tonight.

There is so much more to tell but I gotta get some sleep. Y'all keep the love coming.

Loretta Nall

Fox & Friends Video

Click the title link and scroll down until you see my mug.

Nall on Keith Olbermann TONIGHT!!

Watch MSNBC tonight at 7 pm Central. I will be a guest on Keith Olbermann.

The Slippery Nipple

It appears I have had a drink named after me called The Slippery Nipple

God...I love it!!

And So It Begins

Thursday media

I will be a guest on on The Drew & Mike Show out of Detroit at 10 a.m.

Wednesday Media

I will be a guest on WVMI AM Biloxi, MS at 7:10 am

I will be a guest on FOX & FRIENDS Live at 750 am

I will be a guest on 106.9 FM the John and Leilia Morning show Wednesday morning at 530 am central.


Tuesday Media

I am going to be a guest on KRLD Dallas in about 10 minutes.

I just did a spot on CBS Radio

I will be a guest on MTV Canada today at 530 pm

I will be a guest on the Stan & Terry Show out if CHicago at 10:15 am

I will be a guest on KTYD 99.9 FM Santa Barbara, CA at 9:45 A.M. this morning.

I will be a guest on The Tommy & Rumble Show Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 5:30 a.m.

Yes I know it is early....but, if you happen to be up at that hour you can tune in here.

I expect there will be many media requests in the next few days. I'll keep this post updated as things progress.

Media Contact Information

If you are a member of the media and are trying to contact me please call me at 251-650-2271 or send me an email.

For all of you wondering about the shirt and how that design came about, please read this and this and finally this.

You can view the "Flash for Cash" ads free of charge at the following links.
1
2
3
If you haven't done so recently...please leave a tip in my campaign jar.

If you'd like a shirt or other campaign item with this logo

on it you can get it HERE

Emails

My inbox is crammed full of letters , of support from people across the state, the nation, the globe and tons of military personnel who want to get the hell out of Iraq.

Thought I'd share some.

While I am a Georgia resident, your approach to politics have me thinking of relocating to Alabama! Thanks for the great work!
230th Sustainment Brigade
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I am not a citizen of Alabama. I reside in Georgia, but I would be the 1st to vote for you if I could. I think that you would be the perfect person to hold office. You make great points on your web page. I wish you luck!
--
How are you today? I hope all is well. I’m just writing to say that you are a very active candidate. I went to your website, and was overwhelmed by all the media coverage on you, and all the issues you have written about. You write very well, I like reading you. I just had a short time to look over some of them and I have to say I’m very impressed with the way you take a strong stance on so many issues.
I just can’t understand one thing. Why haven’t you been able to garnish enough signatures to be put on the ballot? You seem to be a shoe in, If I lived in Alabama, you would have my vote!
If I lived in Alabama, I would volunteer for your office in a second, and do all I could to get you in office. I wish you luck Ms. Nall. I know you are not one to give up, so I know we’ll see you around for a while, I will keep coming back to your site to see what’s going on with you.

Take Care
--
I would like some your campaign material. Saw you on Drudge. I will be voting for you.
--
but I don't live in Alabam! close, in Carroll County, GA, right across the
line. I do send my best wishes for this campaign, knowing that you are
tilting at a windmill. Maybe, the next go round, you'll take the windmill down.

I read a few of your articles, really enjoyed the prison panty
rebellion.....a friend of mine was Commissioner of Georgia's Corrections
Dept.....he told me that the difference between the folks on both sides of
the bars was indetectable.....pretty solid indictment of the level of
"humanity" who pass themselves as guards.

looked for the cleavage pix, never found them. Sad about that as I do love
ladies' cleavage! doesn't matter, I think I found the way to contribute a
bit to your campaign and am going to do so, without cleavage!

keep going, sooner or later, I think you'll kick ass and take names!
--
Hello,

I saw a story about you posted on reddit.com from a british newspaper
site. I have to say I'm disappointed I missed you at the capital Friday.
I'm in the military and am registered to vote in Georgia, but as a fellow
libertarian I wanted to wish you luck!
--
Dear Ms. Nall:
I wish I could vote for you, but I live in California. I support
your entire platform and would like to contribute to your campaign, and
I would dearly like to get a couple (two) of your stash boxes with your
picture on them. How can we work this out? What would be a reasonable
donation (to cover the donation and boxes/shipping/handling)? I'm not
rich, but I give my time and what I can afford to the causes that I
believe in, e.g. Sierra Club, public radio, PBS, political candidates,
free tutoring, etc.
Thanks and good luck,
--
If I was still living in Alabama, I would vote for you. I like your views on marijuana laws. But, thats a hard sell to all the good ole' boys there.

Its a shame that the lives of a lot of yound people are ruined because of a weed that grows naturally in the wild and needs no other processing other than being dried out.

Keep at it.
--
Dear Ms. Nall,

I am a registered Democrat from Boston, and recently came across your website from an article in the Guardian Unlimited. First, I read the article that talked about your cleavage and the give-aways of stash boxes. Then, I went to your website.

I must say that I am impressed by your from-the-hip style of writing. (Obviously, being up here in Massachusetts, I would not have had occasion to attend a function where you are speaking!) It is hard to find a candidate that does not resort to the same type of mudslinging that so many big-party candidates do. (Seriously - I am sure you have heard of all of the brouhaha surrounding my state's gubernatorial race!) Not only that, but your views regarding pulling out of Iraq, tax credits for sending children to private school or homeschooling, and legalization of marijuana are spot-on!

Anyway, writing a letter like this is not usual for me, in that I normally don't give a lot of thought to state-level government outside of MA. (That's not really something to be proud of, I know!) However, I did want to write to you and wish you the best of luck with your campaign.

Best regards,
--
Hi Ms. Nall:
I found your website via www.fark.com, a news aggregator. I wish that I
still lived in Alabama (something I haven't said since 2000 when I
relocated from Huntsville to Blacksburg, Virginia) simply so that I
could vote for you in the upcoming election. I love your platform and
admire your moxy in your campaign efforts (what I wouldn't give for one
of those shirts!).

I too am disheartened by the United States' "Drug-on War", do not
believe the Patriot Act makes one iota safer, do not want a Real ID act
passed, and am disheartened by the people our public schools churn out
(I work in a college bookstore, so I come in contact with them daily).

Anyway, I think everything you say makes good solid sense, and wish you
best of luck on the campaign trail.

Warmest Regards,
--
hello from the hoosier state, wish you the very best, its time democrats and republicans get it handed to them....you are just the person to do it!! how can we help?? you go girl.... indiana...
--
Good evening, Ms. Nall. I found your site after reading an article at Earthlink (under "Strange News," for some reason) - it's at this link: http://my.earthlink.net/article/str?guid=20061023/453c3e40_3ca6_155262006102334416838

I've read through your site - I'm on a dial-up so I can't watch the videos - I have to say you've made a new fan. I don't know if there's anything I can do to help you out in your campaign, but I would like to add a link to your site.
--
Finally. A reason to vote.

When you win, please see about having that dumb ass sex toy ban repealed. What an embarrassment.
--
CAN I SEE YOUR TITS?
GOOD LUCK!!

(My response to this one..."No, you can't see my tits unless you are from Playboy and have a huge check in one hand and an airbrush artist in the other, but thanks for writing."
--
Dear Ms Nall,

I regret that I can't vote for you since I'm a resident of Illinois,
but I just made a contribution to your campaign and I wish you the best
of luck.

--
You are quite cute. Would you be willing to bare more for your cause?

Curiousity

(My response: Playboy?)
--
Hi Loretta, my name is ***** ****** and I am from Florence, Al. I agree with your platform, but it"s a damn shame these hypocritical REPUBLICANS have a stranglehold on Alabama politics. YOU do have my vote!!!!!
--

Alabama Gubernatorial Hopeful Campaigns on Cleavage

By PHILLIP RAWLS
Associated Press Writer

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- Loretta Nall, the Libertarian Party's write-in candidate for governor of Alabama, is campaigning on her cleavage and hoping that voters' eyes will eventually refocus on her platform.

"It started out as a joke, but it blew up into something huge," Nall said.

Nall, who spoke in an interview Friday on the Capitol steps, realizes that's about as close as she is going to get to the governor's office. But her "anything goes" style of campaigning - including campaign gear showing her smiling in a low-cut dress - has helped her attract attention not normally enjoyed by write-in candidates in Alabama, including spots on conservative radio talk shows and speeches at staid civic clubs.

Nall said that once she gets voters' attention, they eventually notice her campaign platform, which calls for tax credits for sending children to private school and home schooling, opting out of the No Child Left Behind Act, legalizing marijuana, and not complying with the Patriot Act and the Real ID Act.

Nall said one issue in her platform that seems to be getting lots of positive response is trying to withdraw the Alabama National Guard from Iraq.

"When people in Alabama get tired of kicking the ass of brown people, it's time to pull out," she said in her characteristically over-the-top style.

Campaigning for Nall has been difficult.

The Libertarian Party couldn't collect the 40,000 signatures from voters that were needed to get her name on the ballot as a regular candidate, and she hasn't reached the $25,000 threshold in campaign contributions that would require her to file a campaign finance report with the state.

Despite the political handicaps, the 32-year-old with dyed blond hair knows how to get plenty of free attention.

Early in her campaign, she talked about how her misdemeanor arrest for marijuana possession in 2002 caused her to start the U.S. Marijuana Party and become an advocate for decriminalizing marijuana.

Then she entertained readers of her campaign Web site with lots of information about her personal life, including a discussion of why she doesn't wear panties.

Now her campaign is offering everything from T-shirts to marijuana stash boxes adorned with a photo of her in a dress with a plunging neckline and the words: "More of these boobs."

Below that are pictures of other candidates for governor - including Republican incumbent Bob Riley and Democratic Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley - along with the words: "And less of these boobs."

Nall, who designed the campaign art work, said the idea came to her after a weekly newspaper columnist wrote about her campaign one week and then wrote an apology the next week for the paper accompanying his column with a picture of Nall that showed lots of cleavage.

Nall said she was offended at first that her neckline was being discussed in the newspaper, but then realized that when a campaign budget runs lower than a neckline, "you have to be outrageous to get attention."

No matter how far back Nall finishes on Nov. 7, that won't be the last that voters will see of her. She's already making plans to run against Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in Alabama's 3rd Congressional District in 2008.

"I enjoy this," she said.




Dear Newcomers to the Nall for Governor site....my campaign website is down due to extrodinarily heavy traffic generated from this story. Hang out here on the blog in the meantime or head over to LorettaNall.com and have a look around. Be sure to click "Greatest hits" at the top of the page to read my stories about being a drug policy and prison reformer in Alabama.

For all of you wondering about the shirt and how that design came about, please read this and this and finally this.

You can view the "Flash for Cash" ads free of charge at the following links.
1
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3

If you haven't done so recently...please leave a tip in my campaign jar.

If you'd like a shirt or other campaign item with this logo on it you can get it HERE

This story wasn't suppossed to hit until tomorrow, however it is out today. Apparently it has gone global having been picked up by The Seattle Post Intelligencer, L.A. Times, Forbes, FOX NEWS, Washington Post, and the UK Guardian to name a few.

I do not care for the headline although I know it will attract a lot of readers. I have not campaigned on my clevage. Two Alabama journalists decided to discuss my anatomy instead of my platform and I responded that we will talk about boobs if they like but we will not be talking about mine. The picture they used in the original disucssion which started all of this was never intended to be a campaign photo and they never had permission to use it. But...I'm not bitter. Being able to turn the tables on them and interjecting a tad of levity into an otherwise excruciatingly dull political season in Alabama has been absolutely priceless.

Campaign Events

Dear Supporters,

I have a busy schedule during the final two weeks of the campaign for Governor of Alabama.

Monday Oct. 23 - I meet with my new lawyer. That isn't strictly campaign related but in a way it is. The original arrest and charges were the foundation for this campaign to begin with. Politics have become a means of self defense.

Tuesday, Oct. 24 - On Friday I did an interview and photo shoot with Phillip Rawls and Rob Carr of The Associated Press on the steps of the state capitol. Look for that article in newspapers statewide on Tuesday.

Thursday Oct. 26 - I'll be a Guest on WRJX Wiregrass Radio in Jackson, AL. I'll be in studio for that. I will have 22 minutes to answer questions from the host and listeners about my plans for Alabama.

Friday, Oct. 27 - I will be speaking at the University of Alabama at The Heritage room 322 at 2 p.m. as part of the campus election blitz. If you are in or around Tuscaloosa please come out and join us.

Monday, Oct. 30 - We will be protesting my exclusion from the gubernatorial debates at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival Theatre. Please come out and join us.

Tuesday, Oct. 31 - Guest on the Kevin Elkins Show in Montgomery to answer the debate questions. I will also be a guest on the Matt Murphy Show in Birmingham at 3 p.m. to answer the same questions.

Late last week I got an invite from the Troy State Libertarian's to speak there on the 24th. However, there were no facilities available for that evening and we are trying to reschedule it sometime before the election.

The UAB Debates have been canceled due to the other candidates not bothering to respond to a participation request and the University of Montevallo appearance was canceled due to the sponsoring organization dissloving.

Please make a final contribution to my campaign to help cover the cost of travel to the remaining events.

Hope to see you on the campaign trail.

Loretta Nall

Full Inclusion for All in Alabama

Howard Bayless who is one of the founders of Equality Alabama has a great editorial in today's Press Register entitled Full Inclusion for All in Alabama.

Connecticut's Color Barrier: No Greens Allowed

Connecticut's Color Barrier: No Greens Allowed
By Cliff Thornton

The Connecticut state Capitol may as well have two water fountains, one for the Greens and minor parties, and one for the Republicans and Democrats. The ghost of Jim Crow haunts us all on this gubernatorial campaign. He passed through the television studios of WVIT-30 in West Hartford Friday, Oct. 13, and the injustice is to all our detriment.

NBC-30 Reporter Tom Monahan invited me onto his Newsmakers show, which airs at 6:30 on Sunday mornings, as a booby prize for my exclusion from the real prize: the prime-time debate between Republican M. Jodi Rell and Democratic challenger Mayor John DeStefano Wednesday, Oct. 18, which Monahan moderated.

Waiting in the front foyer of WVIT, I read a newspaper story about polls showing that DeStefano's performance in the first debate moved some voters from Rell to undecided.

Pondering the article's fraudulent premise, where not all candidates were included in the debate and the poll, I looked up to see Derek Slap, the debate negotiator for DeStefano. A minute later, Herb Shepardson, his GOP counterpart, walked in.

We all shook hands, and Monahan led me into the studio for our taping, and an NBC-30 staffer ushered Slap and Sheperdson into a different room to discuss the main event. I wanted to go with them, but I knew why I had been isolated: the two parties fear threats to their power, so they ostracize voices like mine. In the process, they harm the electorate.

The bigotry left a bitter taste, like I had just been turned away from a lunch counter. Throughout this campaign, in subtle and overt ways, political prejudice has reared its ugly head.

Early on, one Web development company told my campaign manager that our money wasn't good because we weren't Republicans.

Just last week, organizer Martin Yanofsky of the Emmanuel Synagogue Brotherhood in West Hartford called my campaign to cancel the Synagogue's traditional gubernatorial candidate forum because DeStefano and Rell said no. When candidates refuse to meet and discuss issues, voters suffer. How can we trust leaders so afraid of talking?

Only legislation can address this inequity. The Civil Rights Act helped end segregation, and it can work for candidate's rights, too. The words President John F. Kennedy used to introduce the Civil Rights Act to Congress, January 28, 1963 ring true today.

"No action is more contrary to the spirit of our democracy and Constitution - or more rightfully resented by a Negro citizen who seeks only equal treatment - than the barring of that citizen from restaurants, hotels, theaters, recreational areas and other public accommodations and facilities," Kennedy said.

How might that great Democrat respond to his party keeping me from the first debate stage at New London's Garde Arts Center? Kennedy could probably be persuaded that equal participation in the electoral process would qualify as "public accommodations."

If that failed, I could argue that WVIT's television studio, which beams its signals along publicly-owned airwaves, is a public "facility." Although some would contend that the exclusion of a live voter audience from the debate, which I consider inappropriate as well, renders that moot.

To remedy these ills and prevent any future unfairness, I call on leaders like Rep. James Amman, the speaker of the House, and Sen. Donald Williams, the president pro-tem of the Senate, to practice justice where Gov. Rell won't.

They should introduce a bill mandating that all candidates certified for the ballot have access to all debates and be included in all polls. There should be no fewer than eight televised debates where all certified candidates participate.

If there are more than six candidates, we should investigate possibilities like round-robin debates, where only four candidates take the stage at any one time.

Because of the lack of participation among youth, I propose that these debates should be held exclusively on college campuses and in high school auditoriums. The law should protect this structure by setting up an independent body to monitor, plan and moderate these debates.

Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura attributed his third-party victory to factors unique to Minnesota, like Election Day registration and open debates. Minnesota blazed another electoral trail this year with online debates. Chris Bigelow of the blog CTLocalPolitics tried to initiate that in here this year, but again, Rell and DeStefano shunned his invitation to public discourse.

If we are serious about democracy, serious about hearing many voices, and serious about the perpetuation of self-government, we must be creative, take risks, and be willing to admit mistakes as we search for the optimal conditions for vigorous political inquiry.

Until that moment where fairness and courage overcome favoritism and cowardice, Connecticut's electorate will remain trapped in a time where the absurdity of separate but equal dominates, despite our knowledge and conviction that it is wrong.

Cliff Thornton is the Green Party candidate for governor.
----------------

Cliff Thornton is a very close friend of mine who I met working in drug policy reform. This is a fabulous piece. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Madison County candidate arrested on cocaine charge

Montgomery Advertiser

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) -- Greg Goodwin, a Republican candidate for Madison County coroner, has been arrested on a charge of cocaine possession, but is staying in the race, his attorney says.

Goodwin was arrested Thursday by the Madison-Morgan County Strategic Counterdrug Team after patrol officers stopped him in a vehicle.

Huntsville Police Chief Rex Reynolds said the 38-year-old Goodwin was booked at the Madison County jail and released on $1,000 bond.

Goodwin's attorney, Robert Patterson, said said his client will enter a not guilty plea and stay in the race against four-term incumbent Bobby Berryhill, a Democrat.

Goodwin's court date will likely be held after the Nov. 7 general election.

Madison County Republican chairman John Noel said no attempt will be made to replace Goodwin on the ballot unless he is convicted.

After Pat’s Birthday

Editor’s note: Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat in 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Kevin, who was discharged in 2005, has written a powerful, must-read document

It is Pat’s birthday on November 6, and elections are the day after. It gets me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we joined the military. He spoke about the risks with signing the papers. How once we committed, we were at the mercy of the American leadership and the American people. How we could be thrown in a direction not of our volition. How fighting as a soldier would leave us without a voice… until we get out.

Much has happened since we handed over our voice:

Somehow we were sent to invade a nation because it was a direct threat to the American people, or to the world, or harbored terrorists, or was involved in the September 11 attacks, or received weapons-grade uranium from Niger, or had mobile weapons labs, or WMD, or had a need to be liberated, or we needed to establish a democracy, or stop an insurgency, or stop a civil war we created that can’t be called a civil war even though it is. Something like that.

Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.

Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly torturing them. Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few “bad apples” in the military.

Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a five-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas, or slapping stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an extra pad in a helmet. It’s interesting that a soldier on his third or fourth tour should care about a drawing from a five-year-old; or a faded sticker on a car as his friends die around him; or an extra pad in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED throws his vehicle 50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin melts to the seat.

Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes.

Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground.

Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.

Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.

Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.

Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is tolerated.

Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated.

Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.

Somehow torture is tolerated.

Somehow lying is tolerated.

Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense.

Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world.

Somehow a narrative is more important than reality.

Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.

Somehow the most reasonable, trusted and respected country in the world has become one of the most irrational, belligerent, feared, and distrusted countries in the world.

Somehow being politically informed, diligent, and skeptical has been replaced by apathy through active ignorance.

Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous, malicious criminals are still in charge of this country.

Somehow this is tolerated.

Somehow nobody is accountable for this.

In a democracy, the policy of the leaders is the policy of the people. So don’t be shocked when our grandkids bury much of this generation as traitors to the nation, to the world and to humanity. Most likely, they will come to know that “somehow” was nurtured by fear, insecurity and indifference, leaving the country vulnerable to unchecked, unchallenged parasites.

Luckily this country is still a democracy. People still have a voice. People still can take action. It can start after Pat’s birthday.


Brother and Friend of Pat Tillman,

Kevin Tillman

Go Dick Clark! Vote Clark for House Dist. 79

UPDATE: Listen to the Audio

Libertarian Party Chairman and candidate for House Dist. 79 Dick Clark, participated in a candidate debate last night at Opelika Middle School. Today's Opelika/Auburn News has some great coverage.

If you are in House District 79 please consider voting for Dick Clark on Nov. 7, 2006. If you are outside District 79 but would still like to help Dick win please visit his website and make a contribution.

There will be video of last night's debate later today which I will post here.

Dear Secretary of State Worley

The following letter was sent via email yesterday to Secretary of State Nancy Worley. I received a read receipt but no actual response as of yet. I will mail it with a return receipt request by regular post today.
Date: October 17, 2006

From: Loretta Nall, Libertarian Candidate for Governor of Alabama (WRITE-IN)



To: Alabama Secretary of State Nancy Worley



Subject: Write-in Votes in the 2006 General Election



The purpose of this letter is to request that my write-in votes be counted and included in the official election results in the 2006 general election.

As the Libertarian candidate for Governor I have campaigned across the state despite not having ballot access and many thousands of Alabamians plan to write my name on the ballot and they all expect their votes to be counted, tallied and reported on Nov. 7 along with the results of the major party candidates.

Although the law doesn't explicitly say that write-ins must be counted, because write-ins are legal it is core doctrine of constitutional law that they must be counted. “There is more to the right to vote than the right to mark a piece of paper and drop it in a box or the right to pull a lever in a voting booth. The right to vote includes the right to have the ballot counted.” South v. Peters, 339 US 276, 279 (1950). “The court has consistently recognized that all qualified voters have a constitutionally protected right to cast their ballots and have them counted at congressional elections. ... Every voter’s vote is entitled to be counted once. It must be correctly counted and reported. As stated in United States v. Mosley, ‘the right to have one’s vote counted’ has the same dignity as ‘the right to put a ballot in a box’.” Gray v. Sanders, 372 US 368, 380 (1964). “Having once granted the right to vote on equal terms, the state may not, by later arbitrary and disparate treatment, value one person's vote over that of another.” Bush v Gore, 531 US 98 (2000).

It is possible that our candidates could win the election by write-in vote. Nationwide, 6 candidates have been elected to U.S. Congress at by write-in. Strom Thurmond was elected to the U.S. Senate by write-in in 1954. Therefore, failure to count and report write-in votes would be a fundamental abuse of constitutional process and breach of voter trust. Further, because minor party status statewide and major party status in counties is determined by whether party candidates achieve a certain percentage of the vote, failure to count and report write-in votes would be a violation of the law.

As a candidate who is running on a write-in candidacy I expect the Secretary of State to provide a statewide count and county by county breakdown of my votes. County boards of elections and local precinct judges of elections should be instructed to count all write-in votes for me as the Libertarian candidate for Governor and report their totals. In addition, we request that these tallies be included in the official state election returns of November 2006.



For Alabama to tally some legal votes, and not others, is unconstitutional.

Sincerely,

Loretta Nall
Libertarian Candidate for Governor of Alabama



4633 Pearson Chapel Rd
Alexander City, AL 35010
251-650-2271
334-415-9174
cnall1@charter.net

From my Inbox

Thought I'd share some excerpts from supporter emails in my inbox.


The Republican
"Hello,

"As a registered Republican, I am seriously considering writing
your name in when I vote in November.Are you still
supporting the idea of a write-n candidacy? Please let me know.
I am also teetering on the brink of switching to the "L" party.
Please let me know if you still seek votes."
--
The Sports Fan

"Now Loretta, you should know that Auburn won that game with the same
expertise they utilized in the Auburn/LSU game; bullshit SEC officiating.
That's right, that's Tubby paying off the officials to win, too bad he
didn't pay enough in the Arkansas game! Hey, I am writing in your name on
the ballet come Nov. even though you are a War Beagle.
An LSU Fan in AL"
--
The One Who Got Polled (I've got a bunch of these)

"I just got a call on the phone asking if i was going to vote for Bob or Lucy
for governor.I'm not sure who was doing the polling though. I said ,neither,
I'm voting for the Libertarian party Loretta Nall as a write-in. Then they
asked if i was going to vote straight democrate or republican. I told them
neither. Love it!!!!!!! Peace"
--
And my favorite one

The I've Never Voted Before

Dear Loretta,
"I am 36 years old and have never set foot in a voting booth due to the fact that I think politicians are so corrupt. I will register and finally cast my vote thanks to you being an option. I think Alabama needs you desperately and trust me, I'm going to talk to all my friends and family about voting for you. Best of Luck! You've got my vote!"
--

Got hundreds more with varying messages of support but it's the ones from people of all age groups that say, "You have inspired me to register and vote for the first time in my life" and the ones that say, "I just registered to vote I am proud to be casting my first vote for you" that really satisfy me the most.

USA Today Covers Nall Campaign!!

USA Today Elections Blog

Vote Nall, y'all -- she's smokin'...


Although she is running as Alabama's Libertarian write-in candidate for governor, Loretta Nall says she gets more coverage for her role as President of the United States Marijuana Party .

“The media always expects me to come in smoking this big joint and looking like Cheech and Chong,” says Nall, who admits to recreational marijuana use. But she says voters who familiarize themselves with her other platforms, which include calls for tax cuts and education reform, take her seriously.

An Alabama native with a thick drawl, Nall says the marijuana party has grown to include 35 state chapters since she started it in 2002. In 2004, she says she was named a drug policy adviser for Dennis Kucinich's presidential campaign.

Nall says she regrets the “sad reality of Alabama politics” that requires candidates like Republican Gov. Bob Riley and Democratic Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley to “out-Jesus” one another. Religion, says Nall, is a “private, family matter.” But in the land of Roy Moore, Alabama’s infamous "Ten Commandments Judge," Christianity is campaign currency.

Undeterred, her campaign t-shirt features a picture of the buxom candidate next to the phrase "More of these boobs." Below, wrapped around smaller images of Riley, Baxley, Moore and former governor Don Siegelman is the phrase “and less of these boobs!"
-------------------


For all of you wondering about the shirt and how that design came about, please read this and this and finally this.

You can view the "Flash for Cash" ads free of charge at the following links.
1
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3

If you haven't done so recently...please leave a tip in my campaign jar.

If you'd like a shirt or other campaign item with this logo on it you can get it HERE

Is it just me...or?

Are Bob Riley and Lucy Baxley two of the dullest individuals alive? Take this article for instance.

ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz

No wonder these kids neither know nor care to know who is running for office in this state.

I think they are dull on purpose because they do not want people to be too interested in what they are doing. Voter apathy is good for the career politician...after all, if people were really interested and paying attention then politicans would have to work much harder to earn a vote.

NAACP to Monitor Elections in Alabama

From USA Today Blog

NAACP to monitor elections

The NAACP plans to monitor voting next month by dispatching observers to polling sites, taking voters' complaints and notifying the Justice Department of any major problems, reports the Associated Press.

NAACP representatives will monitor polls in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. Those ten states were chosen based on a variety of factors, including concentration of black voters and history of polling problems.
In a statement released before today's press conference in Baltimore, NAACP President Bruce Gordon said, "While the NAACP will take steps to counter obstacles to voter participation, we are encouraging our communities to cast their votes even if it requires extra effort."
Gordon said the NAACP is working hard to ensure a greater African-American presence at the polls this November. The organization recently launched its "Arrive with Five" campaign, which aims to increase black voter turnout by 5% over 2002.

Join Facebook

Dear Supporters in Alabama,

I have been included in the FaceBook poll and I am currently picking up 4.44% of the vote.

If you are in Alabama, plan to vote for me, and have a facebook account please go to this link and click 'Support this Candidate' on the second option (has an American Flag beside it)

If you are in Alabama, plan to vote for me, but do not have an account on FaceBook please consider registering an account so you can cast your vote for me.

I have gotten numerous emails and phone calls in the last week from supporters who said they have been included in the poll being conducted right now (I do not know who is conducting it) and they have stated they will be writing my name in on Nov. 7. My numbers are not being reported by whoever is conducting the poll and FaceBook is a way for me to get more accurate numbers.

Thank you all for your continued support.

Loretta Nall

Libertarian Write-in Candidate for Governor of Alabama

Candidates Get Face Time

Candidates get face time

Some teenagers and young adults use a popular networking Web site for more than just keeping in touch with friends and discussing the latest trends in fashion and entertainment.

They also use it as a place to promote their political views.

On www.thefacebook.com, students have created groups in support of both Republican incumbent Alabama Gov. Bob Ri ley and his opponent, Democrat Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley .

As of Wednesday, the "I love Lucy," group had 58 members. Riley's group "Students for Riley" had 1,066 members. Messages posted on the groups' homepages include topics such as abortion and the minimum wage, as well as a request for volunteers for a campaign event.

Facebook users not only join these groups to show their support, some also update their own personnel profile to show for whom they plan to vote.

According to the site's "Election pulse," based on the number of users supporting each candidate in their profiles, about 61.8 percent supported Riley and about 33.5 percent supported Baxley and 4.5 percent supported Loretta Nall , a Libertarian write-in candidate.

(h/t to Don Seibold)

Tigers Eat...du du du du....Gator Meat!!

27-17

Who knew that beating Florida had healing qualities? Stomach flu all gone. What a game!!! I was ready to turn it off at half-time but decided to give it a few more minutes in the 3rd quarter and I am so glad I did. If I had been in the stands Auburn would have gotten penalized for my excessive celebratin'. When we blocked that punt and ran it in for a touchdown I showed out so bad that my son said "Mom you should have been an Auburn cheerleader....I have never seen any of them do what you just did." Then he proceeded to imitate me for the rest of the night. It was quite comical and he is never likely to let me live it down. But that's OK for I am not ashamed.

War Damn Eagle!!!

Stomach Flu

Due to a sudden bout of what appears to be stomach flu I will not be able to attend and speak at the prison reform rally planned for Montgomery today. I hope that if you were planning to go and hear me speak that you will continue with those plans in my absence.

Loretta

Campaign Updates

Dear Friends and Supporters,

It has been a busy week here at the Nall for Governor camp. Beginning last Saturday in Montgomery, on Oct. 7 I registered ex-felons to vote and spoke at the NAACP State Convention. On Tuesday, Oct. 10 I addressed the Birmingham Sunrise Rotary Club. And Thursday night I was a guest speaker at Auburn University. Tomorrow I will be a guest speaker at a Prison Reform Rally at Oak park in Montgomery, AL. Please come out and join us if you are able.

The Sunrise Rotary Club event was very nice. They ain't kiddin' about the Sunrise part neither, as this event began at 7 a.m. YAWN!! I am used to getting out of bed at 4:30 a.m. every morning to get my children ready for the bus at 6:00. On Tuesday I had to get up at 3 a.m. and drive the hour and a half into Birmingham. At least, traffic was light. The audience was not the usual crowd of common folks that I am used to addressing. I remember when John Goodwyn first invited me to speak he said "I feel the need to tell you that this audience will be largely well-to-do Republican's with a Democrat thrown into the mix here and there." I told him, "The Libertarian Party in Alabama is so small that all of my audiences are either mostly Republican or Democrat with one or the other thrown into the mix here and there."

I think he meant his original statement as a warning. Having never spoken to a Rotary Club before I really didn't know what to expect. The crowd of about 60 was just what he said it would be. Successful, well-to-do business people, in very nice suits. Think Hugo Marx. He was the first person I met after I arrived. Mr. Marx told me that he believed in smaller government and personal freedoms. He said his son is a very active Libertarian and that he was looking forward to hearing what I had to say.

I spoke for around 15 minutes about my platform and then took questions. The audience asked some very good questions like:

Q: "If the state legalizes marijuana and collects sales tax wouldn't that be in violation of the federal law and wouldn't we find ourselves in a situation like the one in California?"

A: "Yes we would be in violation of federal law. However, Alabama has a long history of not really caring what the Federal government thinks. Granted States Rights have not always been applied in the proper way but this is one instance where federal government mandated drug policy is clearly not working and under states rights we as a state have the right to try something else. Another option would be to set maximum fines for growing, selling and possessing at $1 so as to make it unprofitable for the police and courts to waste resources on."

Q: "If we make marijuana legal for adults age 18 and over what happens to the kids under 18 who get caught with it?"

A: "That should be left up to their parents. What happens to kids who get caught with alcohol and tobacco before they reach the legal age? They aren't sent to jail or prison and teens caught with marijuana shouldn't be either."

Q: "You are so up front about your position on drug policy...have the police harassed you since you announced your run for Governor?"

A: "No. Although I did get a visit from the FBI a few years back. I have found that a great many law enforcement officers are in agreement when it comes to marijuana not really being a problem. They feel it is a waste of resources and would rather be out fighting real crime like murder, which I understand there is a very high rate of here in Birmingham. And, regardless of what Annetta Nunn says it has nothing to do with Satan. It has a great deal to do with the complete misuse of police resources spent targeting non-violent drug users."

Q: "I am mostly Libertarian and I agree with what you have said this morning. People such as William F. Buckley Jr., Milton Freedman and others have long said the same thing. It was even on the front page of National Review. But I have to ask if you think your radical positions on drug policy make the Libertarian party more of a fringe party...doesn't it scare people away?"

A: "I haven't found that to be the case. I have traveled the state of Alabama in the last year and the three preceding years and no matter what audience I am speaking to I rarely run into opposition on this issue. I have found that most people feel the way I do and are very happy to finally hear someone say it out loud. People are sick of politician sound bytes that don't mean anything. Also, the drug policy issue is one of the main issues that seperate Libertarians from Republicans and to shy away from it is plain yellow in my opinion. It is the main cause of the serious erosion of our Constitutional Rights and Civil Liberties and Libertarians seem to be the only ones with the testicular fortitude to address it."

Q: "You didn't mention anything in your talk on Illegal Immigration. What is the Libertarian Party's stance on that issue."

A: "The Libertarian party is rather split on that issue. My personal feeling, as well as my platform plank, is that if this is really an issue of illegal immigrants not paying taxes then the only fiscally sound idea is to naturalize them and add them to the tax base. Building a wall is a horrible idea. Most (in the 90%+ range) who cross the border illegally do so in automobiles. So why wall off a peaceful neighbor when that isn't where the problem is? Deportation is also a pretty dumb idea. If we do not have control of the border then those who are deported will come back again. I feel that arresting a person, who is working to support their family and not causing any problems, just for the simple act of being here is both fiscally irresponsible and cruel. Why take someone who is working and contributing to the economy and place them in a cage and charge the taxpayers of Alabama $12,000 a year to house them?"

I was really surprised to see the majority of heads nodding up and down during my comments on immigration. But, as business people they really understand what would happen to the economy if we took all the Hispanic people out of the jobs they currently hold.

A couple of other questions were asked and then it was time to close up shop at 8 so everyone could get to work. I was presented with a "Thank You" plaque handmade by a little girl named Kristina who is a mamber of the YMCA that the Rotary Club sponsors. Many people took my info cards and a good number also commented on the courage it takes to do what I am doing. I don't know if any of them will vote for me but I am very honored and happy to have had the opportunity to share my ideas with them. Hopefully the seeds I planted in that distinguished group of business leaders in Alabama's largest city will take root and they will join my efforts to correct some of the major wrongs being perpetuated by Government in this state.

The Auburn event went off without a hitch as well. I am a huge Auburn Tiger football fan and am always a little in awe when I speak at Auburn University, an institution which has been long revered in my family. The Auburn College Libertarian's led by Ms. Grace Toles, sponsored and hosted this event. About 30 people attended with a few being from the community and not college students. One attendee was an elderly black woman who appeared to be suffering from cancer and taking chemo treatments. She told me she had heard about my platform and was excited to hear me speak. It meant a great deal to me that an elderly woman in frail health would come out at night to a college campus just to hear me. It was very moving and inspiring.

The Auburn Libertarians have gotten a great deal of press in the last couple of weeks. First the Auburn College Republicans got SMACKED DOWN for their decision to exclude College Libertarians from the campus debates. Then, the Auburn College Democrats did the ethical thing and pulled out of the debates because the Libertarians were not included. I am very proud of the leadership of the campus Democrats and think that this move speaks volumes for the future leadership of the Democratic party. Now, if only the state party would follow the lead of those bright young'uns down on the Plains and pull out of the gubernatorial debates over my exclusion we might actually get somewhere.

Also, earlier this week, the campus Libertarians were threatened with arrest while attending a Republican sponsored voter registration concert. I tell you...Republicans are just plain mean and corrupt. FORCE is all they understand. Even their youth are corrupted.

I am very proud of both the campus Libertarians and the campus Democrats for all of their hard work in bringing the issue of exclusion to light. Slowly but surely people are coming to realize that their choices are being limited by those already in power. I feel the rumbling undercurrent of change fast approaching.

Once again please join me at Oak park in Montgmery, AL tomorrow for a Prison Reform Rally with live entertainment and speakers. The fun begins at 9 a.m. and I hope to see you there.

I have a lot more traveling to do between now and Nov. 7 so please keep that gas money coming in .
Those of you wishing to mail a contribution may mail it to

Loretta Nall for Governor Campaign
4633 Pearson Chapel Rd
Alexander City, AL 35010

I'll see you on the campaign trail.

Loretta Nall

Prison Reform Rally in Oak Park Oct. 14

Join Family Members of Inmates, TOPS,The Loretta Nall for Governor Campaign, The Patrick Crusade, and The Hip Hop Community at Oak Park located at 1010 Forest Ave. in Montgomery Alabama beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006 for a day of empowerment, protest and political action.

Speakers will cover topics such as;

ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF “CORRUPTIONS” – DRUG LAWS – VOTING RIGHTS
HABITUAL OFFENDER – FAMILY MEMBERS RIGHTS IN ALABAMA – LONG AND UNFAIR SENTENCES-
STOP LOCKING UP CHILDREN – DRUG ADDICTS NEED TREATMENT NOT INCARCERATION

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT FROM THE HIP HOP COMMUNITY:

SMALLTYME BALLERS – LIL CHAPPY – GME (ORLANDO) MR. BIGGS(MOBILE)-C-VILLA-(BHAM)TROUBLESHOOTERS(BHAM) DRAME KAMI(TALLEDEGA)-LIL BOO(BHAM)-KILO(BHAM)-334 MOBB(BIBB CO) KAYNO KAYNE(BHAM)LETT LETT(ELBA) AND MANY MORE.

Riley on Pot

One of my supporters recently sent a letter to Governor Riley expressing his opinion on marijuana. I do not know what the letter said. Here is what Governor Riley had to say in response.



As you can see, it doesn't say anything bad....it really doesn't say much of anything at all. However, I agree with Governor Riley that making your opinions known is important. I hope that more people follow the example set by this supporter and write Governor Riley a letter as well.

Political Debate Canceled at Auburn over Libertarian Exclusion

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- A political debate scheduled for Tuesday between Democrats and Republicans at Auburn University got canceled because the Democrats didn't like the Libertarians being left out.

Brandon Costerison, campaign director for the College Democrats, said his organization pulled out of next week's debate for ethical reasons.
He said the Democrats will take part in a debate only if the Republicans allow the College Libertarians to participate or agree to debate the Libertarians before the Nov. 7 election.

"The goal of our organization is to educate voters, and that cannot be done in the format of the debate that we had been forced into," College Democrat President Jeffrey Ioimo said.

The campus political groups hold debates annually to inform students of the issues by party. But Kristy Cottrell, chairman of the College Republicans, said last year's three-party debate was "too confusing" and students had a hard time understanding where each party stood.

To avoid any confusion this year, Cottrell said Republicans argued for three two-party debates. No one else agreed, so the Republicans planned to face just the Democrats on Oct. 17, while the Libertarians and Democrats agreed to debate Oct. 26.

College Libertarian President Grace Toles told the Opelika-Auburn News that Republicans were invited to the latter debate as well but declined the offer.

Cottrell said Republicans plan to debate the Libertarians but not until February, three months after the general election. She said there was no need to debate them before Nov. 7 because there is no Libertarian candidate on the ballot for any statewide office.

The Libertarian Party does have a candidate on the ballot for House District 79, which covers part of Lee County. Dick Clark faces Republican incumbent Mike Hubbard and Democrat Carolyn Ellis, both of Auburn.

Cottrell said Republicans didn't see that race as reason for a debate because not all Auburn students will be able to vote in that contest.

Costerison called that reasoning "pathetic."

"As an organization, we cannot and will not sit idly by while the AU GOP excludes a political party with candidates running for office right here in our district," he said.
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I am glad to see the AU College Democrats showing some testicular fortitude in this matter. It makes the Democratic Party as a whole look more appealing. Now, if only the state Democratic Party as a whole would follow the lead of these bright young'uns and pull out of the main debate because I was excluded then we might get somewhere. But, hell...I'm dreaming. Perhaps this situation at Auburn will herald in a new era where all those seeking elected office are included in election events like debates, forums and ballot access.

I am speaking at Auburn University tonight (Oct. 12, 2006) at 7 p.m. in room 202 of the Foy Student Union Bldg. Y'all come!