Loretta Nall Needs Your Help

Dear Friends, Supporters and Readers,

While I normally write things that are meant to be humorous, things about drug policy and prison reform, my crazy adventures doing that kind of work in Alabama, or giving advice to those who find themselves in trouble with the law, today I find myself writing to ask for your help for personal reasons.

Here is the situation. I do non-profit work from private grants and right now I am in between grant checks. There won't be another one until September or October. While I have been and still am looking for work to supplement my family's income I have found it virtually impossible to get anyone in the small town where I live to hire me because of my advocacy and my background as a radical drug policy reformer. That is one of the consequences of doing this kind of work in small town Alabama. Traveling to another town is not possible due to having only one vehicle operational. And the power steering went out on it last week.

Two weeks ago my husband had major back surgery. While we are fortunate enough to have major medical coverage we could not afford supplemental coverage that takes care of things like food and the power bill should my husband be out of work for any extended period of time. When you bring home less than $200 a week after taxes and insurance for four people to live on you literally cannot afford the extra supplemental stuff. Since he has been at this job less than a year he did not have enough sick time built up to be paid while he is out. And what was suppossed to be two weeks off for recovery has turned into six weeks off due to complications. This is just the beginning of the third week.

We are literally broke! I have five one dollar bills to my name. The power bill is due and the cupboards are near bare. We try to grow as much of our own food as possible to get through these lean times and it helps, but not quite enough.

It is true that I could go and apply for food stamps..could have been on them for years truth be told..but you all know how I feel about that. If it comes down to it then I'll have to do what I'll have to do to feed my kids....but I am begging you to help take care of one of your own so that I can avoid the humiliation that the state workers drag you through when asking for anything. It matters not that our taxes go to support these programs, when we try and utilize them we are subjected to dehumanizing practices, personal questions and outright scorn and disgust from some holier-than-thou government sanctioned asswipe. They get totally involved in your life and I can't abide that. I just got them out after nearly five years and am willing to do almost anything to see that they never have a reason to invade my life and the life of my family ever again.

While it is true that I have written and asked you for money before it was because I was running a campaign for Governor, working on medical marijuana legislation, trying to help cancer patients who were having to choose between medication and food or some other worthy project. It was never for my personal use. I find it very difficult to humble myself and ask my friends for help. I am a giver by nature and not a taker and that makes it hard to suck it up and say, "Hey, could you help me out?" But not as hard as it would be to ask the state for assistance. Please help me avoid that by helping take care of your own. I am not asking for a lot from each individual that recieves this. If you have $2, $5, $10 or can spare more then please help me out. You can send your contribution via PayPal

Or, if you would prefer to mail it in the form of check or money order, you can send it to

ACU
PO Box 504
Alexander City, AL 35011

Your Humble Compatriot in the Fight for Freedom,
Loretta Nall