Garden Bounty

We are starting to get a little bit here and there from the garden. This first pic is of a spaghetti squash, tomatoes and a cucumber. I made spaghetti squash pancakes with the one in the picture later on. They ROCK!! Try some.





This picture is of a type of cauliflower called Romanesco Veronica and the part of it you eat looks amazingly like an alien math fractal. I think it is neat-o!


Another yummy tomato just waiting for the right ripeness to be plucked!


And finally a couple of zinnias.



While I was out taking these shots I met up wit a snake and I damn near shit my pants. It was a big black one with yellow stripes on his belly so I know it wasn't posionous. That matters not when you turn around and there it is wiggling its tail as though it were a rattle snake. That is what this one did. Wiggled it just as pretty as you please. I said AHHHHHH! and backed away. Had my camera in my hand but it didn't occur to me to take a pic of the damn thing. I was too busy trying to get away.

When I came back in I told my husband that I had met a snake in the yard and he asked me, "Was it a big black one with yellow on'im?"
"Yes. You must have seen him before," I said.
He said, "Well, actually I caught him the other day and everything was fine til he shit all over me so I let him go. Snake shit is rough!"

Acknowledging the role Pharmaceutical Drugs Play in Addiction

The Birmingham News has two articles out today on the surge in deaths from pharma drugs and the problem of too many addicts and too few treatment beds.

I am very happy to see both stories, although it pisses me off royally that the likely reason the BHAM News is running these stories is because of the high profile bust of Brandon Scrushy for possession of pharmaceuticals while out on bond for the same thing and the arrest of Al Gore III for possession of pharmaceutical drugs. I guess all the regular people that make up the majority of numbers of people caught and people who die because of pharma drug addictions just ain't that fucking important.

The second article says some really great things though like;

"We're such a drugged society," said Jack Kalin, a head toxicologist at the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, an agency that analyzes blood from drug deaths. "I thought we were drugged back in the'60s, but that was illegal drugs," Kalin said. "That doesn't hold a candle to what we're dealing with today. There are serious problems with illegal drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine, he said. "But the sleeper problem is multiple legal drugs. "You go on television and there's a pill for every ailment we have, and some ailments you never even knew you had," Kalin said. Medication has become sustenance, he said. "We're sending bad messages, that medicine is the cure for everything."

."

I do believe Jack Kalin has some sense boys and girls.

Meanwhile there is a shortage of treatment beds and facilities for people addicted to pharma drugs and all other drugs for that matter.

Chris Retan, executive director of the Aletheia House, said his 100-bed drug treatment center in Birmingham is able to offer treatment to only 20 percent of the people who come in seeking help.

The rest are turned away, and often end up in prison, committing crimes or dead.

"If you don't want people dying ... you've got to provide them with drug treatment," Retan said. "It's just the right thing, not just for them but for the community that wants to be saferStudies have shown that communities get a seven-fold return on dollars spent for drug treatment. It's an investment that drops crime, lowers prison costs and reduces public health problems such as HIV infections, Retan said.

Retan said Aletheia House constantly gets telephone calls from judges saying they have defendants who need treatment, and if they don't get it, they are going to jail.

"Well, we say, `I'm sorry, your honor, but we can't make you that offer,'" Retan said. "So the overcrowding of the prisons to over 200 percent capacity is directly related to our inability to provide drug treatment in a meaningful amount."

Crime statistics from 2005 show that 17,867 people were arrested in Alabama on drug charges. About 90 percent of those arrests were for possession, and 10 percent for dealing, according to the Alabama Justice Criminal Information Center.

Here is my take on the pharmaceutical drug companies. They are the largest, most powerful and best funded lobby in the US. They have lobbied to pass laws that say we will do their drugs for whatever ails us, or we can go to jail. When we become addicted to those same drugs and can no longer get them in a legal manner then we can still go to jail.

I read a story recently in Forbes Magazine that said pharmaceutical companies spend more on advertising and marketing than they do on research for the drugs they are pushing. In the case of Lamasil, which is used to treat yellow toenail fungus which has never been known to cause the death of anyone, federal regulators have linked the drug to 16 cases of liver failure, including 11 deaths. Studies show that Lamasil only worked in 38% of cases.

Talk about drug pushers. Read the rest of the FORBES article linked above.

One other thing I noticed about both in the BHAM News articles is that neither of them mention marijuana. The reason for that is because marijuana in NOT ADDICTIVE and WILL NOT KILL YOU. Maybe these news folks are starting to wise up and push away from the ONDCP propaganda trough and be a little more honest about where the real dangers with drugs lie.

Smart People Are Cool!

I've just returned home from speaking to the MENSA folks and, I have to tell ya, those genius types are really a suberb bunch! I was worried about speaking to a room full of geniuses. In fact, before I got there, I thought it might be kinda like being the bug that gets pinned to the board and examined under a microscope. But, it was nothing like that at all.

Some of you are no doubt wondering how exactly I came to be invited to speak at the annual gathering of US geniuses. Well, here's how it happened. I have a friend and fellow drug policy reformer named Suzy Wills who also happens to be a MENSA member. She loves the articles I write on drug policy reform, the courts and my life in general and she thought I would make a good speaker, so she recommended me to the committee. The rest is in the bag.

I arrived around 3:30 and met up with my friend and fellow reformer Dawn who I invited to stay and hear me speak. We found our way to the sign-in desk where I got my speakers badge. The MENSA folks have something called speaker shepherds who escort speakers to their designated rooms. My speaker sherherd was none other than Gordon Maddox, who is also the treasurer of the Alabama Libertarian Party. I said, "Well I'll be it's a small world ain't it....Gordon I never knew you were a MENSAN." Gordon said, "Well it's not something I brag about." I said, "Hell, I would."

In the main ballroom there were a bunch of people partying, drinking beer and wine and eating good. Gordon offered me a beer a couple of times before I spoke but I declined. I usually save the good stuff for celebration afterwards, although when I spoke at the Wetumpka VFW back in Jan. 2006 I'll admit to having a double shot of Jim Beam before speaking. It was my first big event on the campaign trail and I was a nervous wreck. And, for once in my life, whiskey made me calm instead of making me want to kill people. Go figure.

My friend Suzy Wills saw me and came over and after a round of introductions we made our way to the Medical Forum B where I was to speak. Suzy had told me a few months back that it was important to have a lively description of my talk printed in the program. She said MENSAN's love to laugh and the better my program blurb was the more people would be lured into the room as opposed to the competition's rooms as there were many competing speakers at the same time.

My blurb in the program said:

A Dope Smoking Country Girl's Run For Governor Of Alabama

Loretta Nall will discuss her run for Governor of Alabama and politics from a woman’s perspective, the events that surrounded her entrance into Alabama politics and share the ever popular stories of why she does not wear panties and how her cleavage became an overnight sensation during the election.

My room was packed out, standing room only. There were probably 200 people sitting and a few standing. It was an impressive crowd. I would have never suspected that many MENSAN's were interested in drug policy reform, boobs, panties and Alabama politics. My friend Dawn kept asking me, "Ain't you nervous...I'd be a nervous wreck." "No, I get off on this kind of stuff...I am an attention fiend and this is my first speaking engagement since the election," I said.

I don't know why I like public speaking so much. Five years ago wild horses couldn't have dragged me in front of a crowd of people to say Boo! But, after I became involved in activism and spoke to a few hundred people in Atlanta in 2003 for the first time, I knew I liked it. No. I LOVED IT! I guess it fulfills the part of me that always wanted to be a rock star when I was a kid. It also gets me very high on natural brain chemicals.

I have no formal public speaking training....not even standing before a high school class and reciting a poem that I can remember. Yet, people often tell me that I act as if I have been doing it all my life. Yesterday was no different. My audience gave me their rapt and undivided attention. The organizers told me that I could expect people to come in and out throughout the hour, but I only saw people coming in. No one left until it was over.

Gordon introduced me and I began to weave my web of words for my audience. I had known about this event for months and kept meaning to sit down and write a speech worthy of such inltellectual minds. But, in the last five years I have learned that the best way for me to fuck it up and give a bad presentation is to write word for word what I am going to say, memorize it and try to deliver it like it sounds in my head. It always comes off sounding memorized and where I forget parts I stumble over words and lose my place on the page. It sounds canned and fake and without any emotion. It doesn't inspire anyone, doesn't make anyone think and most importantly it doesn't make anyone laugh. Laughter, to me, is one of the most vital components of public speaking. I gotta have it in order to feel like my speech was successful.

So, instead of writing pages and pages of words I simply wrote one page of topics starting with the helicopter raid in 2002, winding through my resulting activism and subsequent run for Governor, various events from the election including the boob story. I also told them about the prison panty adventure and about my alcoholic brother Randy being given the work release job of loading Budweiser trucks back in 1996. The laugh-o-meter tells me that the Randy story was tehir favorite followed by the boob story and then the prison panty story.

At one point they were laughing so hard that someone from the next room came over and said, "We can't hear in the room next door" to which some smartass after my own heart piped up and said, "Well, y'all come over here."

I tried to tone my voice down...really I did....but I am a loud person. I have a very rich voice that naturally carries and with a microphone and a little stimulation from my audience I can be heard for miles away. My apologies to the folks next door I didn't mean to cut in on whatever they were talking about. Afterwards though a gentleman came up to me and told me that he and his wife were in the room next door and that after they heard everyone having such a good time she told him to go next door and listen to the woman who doesn't wear panties so he could tell her about it later.

My time slot for speaking was for one hour which was divided into 30 minutes for speaking and 30 minutes for questions. It wound up that I spoke for over an hour as there was no one coming in directly after me and my audience wanted to to carry on longer than 30 minutes. I did have a question and answer period though and all of the questions were good. One person asked me after all I had been through with DHR and the complete rearrangement of my life if I thought it was all worth it. And the answer is yes, it is all absolutely worth it and I would do it all over again a million times.

After I wrapped up people from the audience swarmed the podium with more questions, to get pictures and business cards and a way to make a contribution to my work on medical marijuana and to offer their thanks for such an enjoyable talk. I mean the praise was rich, the best I have ever received anywhere and I felt like I was on top of the world. One lady who came to the podium introduced herself as a prosecutor from another state and she said, "I retire in 426 days and the first thing I am going to do is write a book about the absurdity of the drug war with emphasis on marijuana laws. Can I call on you for help?" And folks, that simply was the icing on the cake. Nothing makes me happier than seeing someone cross enemy lines and join the fight for good. I told her of course she could call on me for help with her book and I made sure she was familiar with LEAP. She plans to join them on the day she retires.

After we cleared out of the room we made our way down to the ballroom where it was feedin' time. The lines were long so I skipped the food but did finally take Gordon up on that offer of a beer. It was tasty and slaked my big thirst after an hour and a half of running my mouth. I socialized a little more, answered a few more questions and then took my leave.

All in all I'd have to say it was a stellar day. I miss public speaking and I want some more.

Loretta Nall to Address Annual MENSA Gathering

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Loretta Nall

Telephone Number: 251-650-2271 or 256-625-9599

Email Address: lorettanall@gmail.com

Web site address: http://nallforgovernor.blogspot.com

Drug Policy Reformer and 2006 Alabama Gubernatorial Candidate, Loretta Nall to address MENSA Gathering

Alexander City, AL, July 6, 2007 — 2006 Libertarian Gubernatorial candidate and widely known drug policy reformer, Loretta Nall, will address members of MENSA today at 4 p.m. during their annual gathering taking place at the Sheraton Hotel in Birmingham, AL.

MENSA, most widely known as the club for really smart people, was founded in England in 1946 by Roland Berrill, a barrister, and Dr. Lance Ware, a scientist and lawyer. They had the idea of forming a society for bright people, the only qualification for membership of which was a high IQ. The original aims were, as they are today, to create a society that is non-political and free from all racial or religious distinctions. The society welcomes people from every walk of life whose IQ is in the top 2% of the population, with the objective of enjoying each other's company and participating in a wide range of social and cultural activities.

Loretta Nall will discuss her run for Governor of Alabama and politics from a woman’s perspective, the events that surrounded her entrance into Alabama politics and share the ever popular stories of why she does not wear panties and how her cleavage became an overnight sensation during the election.

For more information please conact us at 256-625-9599 or via email at lorettanall@gmail.com

Appeals court says Alabamians can only vote for state sanctioned candidates

By PHILLIP RAWLS
Associated Press Writer

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- Three independent candidates lost a challenge to Alabama's ballot access laws, which are among the toughest in the nation.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 3-0 ruling saying the state's ballot access laws are reasonable and do not violate the constitutional rights of independent candidates.

Johnny Swanson of Birmingham, who tried unsuccessfully to run as an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2002, said he was disappointed by the ruling. He said it takes 30,000 to 40,000 valid signatures of voters for an independent candidate to qualify for a statewide office, and achieving that takes more volunteers and money than most independent candidates have.

Read the rest HERE

Surprised? No.
Disgusted? You bet.

Add this to the list of things we are worst at.

But, this just means there will be many more Larry Darby-ish infiltrations of both state sanctioned parties and therefore many more shits and giggles for me. I'll be running again in 2010 against Betty Carol Graham for the House Dist. 81 seat. And, I'll be running as a Libertarian because that is what I am and I refuse to don the colors of either party just to defeat their silly, discriminitory rules. It won't take to terribly many signatures to get on the ballot as a Libertarian for a house race. I could probably get that many signatures in a couple of days.

Gettin By With a Little Help From My Friends

A few days ago I had to swallow my massive pride and put out a call for financial help on the internet. I was not sure what kind of response I would get. True, I was able to raise enough money to run for Governor in 2006, help others low on cash and having to make decisions that no terminally person should have to make like food or medicine, raise money for activist trips and things of that nature, but I had never had to put out a personal call for myself and therefore, had no idea what the response would be.

Today, a mere three days later I have to tell you that I have more friends willing to help me out than I ever knew about. I have been overwhelmed with the sheer number of people willing to extend their hand with everything from $5 to $500. People I know personally and people I have never met or communicated with before, people from MySpace and people from blogs across the US and Canada. I know that a lot of people know who I am, but I had no idea that they cared about whether I could feed my kids and pay my bills for a month. They do.

The fact that they do humbles me. More than humbles me...I really don't have a word for what this outpouring of support means to me. I guess it means I have made a name for myself and built a reputation that is solid, or else no one would give me a penny. It means that people want my work to continue even if they have to support me personally with their own hard earned cash once in a while to ensure that it does, that they do not want me and my family to go without food and the other basic necessities of life and that they do not want to see me on the state welfare roster.

Today I realize that, in some ways, I am richer than Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Oprah Winfrey combined, despite being money-poor. I possess the richness of generous, kind-hearted friends, both known and unknown, willing to give whatever they can afford to help me make it through this tough time. And the friendships will remain long after the money is gone.

So, my heartfelt thanks to all of you who have given what you could to help my family out until we get back on our feet again. Thanks also to all of you who would like to give money but are unable to because your budget just can't be stretched any further. A number of you tight on cash have sent food (some of it home canned ....YUMMY!) and I want you to know that I appreciate it just as much as I do the donations of money.

I hope that I continue to live up to your expectations and remain worthy of your friendship and that one day I will somehow, in someway be able to repay all of you for the incredible kindness that you have shown to me when I needed a helping hand.

Your Humble Servant,
Loretta Nall

Scrushy's Son Arrested for Drugs

Dang, these folks are having a rough couple of weeks. I notice young Mr. Scrushy has not been bailed out of jail yet. His family is either broke or practicing 'tough love.'

Montgomery Advertiser

Scrushy son jailed on drug charges

INVERNESS -- Brandon Scrushy, son of HealthSouth founder Richard Scrushy, was one of four people arrested in a drug bust where authorities found about 3,000 prescription painkillers.

Three of the four lived at a home on Blue Bell Lane in Inverness where the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force made the bust Tuesday, The Birmingham News reported on its Web site Wednesday.

Philip Thomas Camarada, 21, is charged with unlawful distribution and unlawful possession of a controlled substance; Brittany Edwards, 18, of Cahaba River Park is charged with unlawful distribution; Brandon Marin Scrushy, 22, is charged with unlawful drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia; and Kayla Lynn Sellers, 19, is charged with unlawful possession.

Edwards was released Wednesday on $10,000 bond. The others remained in Shelby County Jail on Wednesday afternoon. Bond was $30,000 for Camarada, $11,000 for Scrushy and $10,000 for Sellers

Survey Says

If you weren't already aware, a recent Cato analysis indicated that libertarians constitute a significant portion of the swing vote – even larger than the fabled `soccer moms' and `NASCAR dads.' While their work took a look at who libertarians are and how they voted in the past, we'd like to do something a bit different.

LibertarianLists is sponsoring an online survey to determine the presidential preferences of libertarians for the 2008 presidential elections. It also asks about various political issues to see how they will play in the upcoming election. It asks about name recognition of obscure candidates as well as favorability factors for most of the known or anticipated presidential candidates. It also measures the level of support Ron Paul is receiving from the libertarian community.


Please take a moment, if you are so inclined, and complete the survey here.

Ok...Someone Explain This To Me

DUI Task Force announces checkpoints

Posted by Staff reports July 04, 2007 6:00 AM

The Huntsville Police Department says its DUI Task Force will set up checkpoints throughout the city tonight to catch drunk drivers during the Fourth of July holiday.

Police at the checkpoints will also be looking for motorists who are not wearing a seat belt, don't have a valid driver's license or don't have proof of insurance.

Tonight's checkpoint will be from 11:30 p.m. to Thursday 3:30 a.m. at Bob Wallace Avenue and Patton Road, Mastin Lake Road and Pulaski Pike, and Bailey Cove Road and Mountain Gap Road.

Isn't the whole point of having DUI checkpoints to catch people by surprise by the police being somewhere drunk drivers do not expect them to be? You know, the element of surprise? Now everyone who is planning on getting smashed and driving will just go around the checkpoints.

I wish they would be so generous with their information and extend this announcing trend to when they were planning helicopter flyovers looking for weed or perhaps the next time they plan to kick in my door they could give me a courtesy call beforehand, ya know? I'd damn sure appreciate it.

Car Insurance

Did you know that of the few bills that came before our legislature this session that managed to pass both the house and senate and make it to the governors desk was a bill raising the minimum amount of liability insurance coverage that motorists are required to have in Alabama?

A bill that costs the citzens of Alabama more money, while making the insurance companies richer and therefore able to pay more lobbyists to control our government so they'll keep passing laws like these.

Gee, thanks y'all.

Governor Riley blocked the increase in auto insurance rates, not because he thought the government should mind its own business and not be in bed with the insurance companies, but because he didn't think the bill allowed for enough time for citizens to change their coverage and be in compliance with the law. It's a bad law but ignoring it will only get you sent to jail. Been there, done that.


Here is what the new increases will look like once the increases take effect.

$25,000 in coverage for one injury or death, $50,000 for multiple injuries or deaths, and $25,000 for property damage. The current requirements are $20,000, $40,000 and $10,000, respectively.

Since we are all going to have to adjust our coverages I thought I would post this car insurance website where you can compare quotes from all the top agencies by filling out just one form. Yiou can also either buy online or use the call center to buy via phone.

My monthly premium is rising from around $38 a month to $57.80 a month. How much are your rates going up?



(NOTE: This is a sponsored post)

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

Oh Please!

I almost skipped this story. I was disgusted enough when Gov. Riley designated by official proclomation June 30-July 7 as "Pray for Rain" week. That didn't really surprise me you know, but this new story outright offends me.

Alabama gets rain during "Days of Prayer for Rain."

Is the Riley administration actually trying to take credit for the rain? Are they so arrogant as to think that because they and some citizens of this state offered up some words to their invisible God that this same God, who suppossedly created the world (which means he has lots of power) and is a God of love, would set aside all the suffering in the world, like the genocide in Darfur, the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan, all of the starving and homelessness, to literally take time out of what must be a very busy week for The Almighty, and send some rain to Alabama?

It's true that the drought is hurting farmers. But their losses are taken care of by emergency assistance checks from the federal government due to most of Alabama being declared a disaster area. Also, no farmers are going to starve to death in one year due to lack of rain and, while it may cost more to eat, the fact is that people in Alabama will still be able to eat even if the drought continues. I can assure you that the poor suffering souls in Darfur have no such government assistance programs to come to their aid, nor can they drive to Wal-Mart for tomatoes. I can almost guarantee you they have prayed for an end to their suffering much more than Alabamians have prayed for rain.

I'm very happy for the rain that has fallen at my house today....but I think God might need to reorganize his priorities and that the Riley administration might be a little less arrogant and insulting to the citizens. I also bet that the Riley admin watched the 7 day forecast last week and saw that rain was coming. I believe it was Mark Twain who said, "It's best to consult the weatherman before praying for rain."

Fried Green Tomatoes

The garden is coming along quite nicely. We have already had a mess of green beans, loads of spaghetti squash, sweet banana peppers and even a few tomatoes. The tomatoes we have had so far have been out of this world. They are a variety called Brandywine and if you have never tasted one then you have not lived. They grow funny, with humps, sections and lumps on them....but they have more taste than any tomato I have ever eaten. I think when breeders began to breed out the funkiness in shape of brandywine they also bred out the true tomato taste.

The tomatoes are doing far better than anything else and I decided that today I would try fried green tomatoes. I hated them when I was a kid and haven't eaten them since. But, I also hated okra and friend squash when I was a kid and I love them now so I thought I'd give them a go to see if my taste buds ever acclimated to them. For the record.....they did not. I still think they are nasty! But other members of the Nall clan seem to enjoy them, which is good, or else I would have a whole plate of them wasted today.

I took some photos during the process and thought I would do a photo tutorial on cooking fried green tomatoes.

First you need 4-6 medium sized green tomatoes like these.

A few of those were actually smaller than I would have liked. One of them got knocked off when I was picking another one and the other two small ones were on a vine that just wasn't doing well so I thought I'd salvage them.

Wash core and slice your tomatoes.


Add salt and pepper to your liking and then batter the tomatoes in cornmeal.


Then fry them in hot bacon grease or vegetable oil until golden brown on both sides. I used a mixture of some grease from a pork roast I cooked yesterday and vegetable oil.


Place on paper towels to drain then serve to whoever will eat them.

A couple of new blogs

First, my good friend Stephen Gordon was elected Chairman of the Alabama Libertarian Party at their convention a few weeks ago. I am very happy that Stephen will be returning home to the fold very soon. He has a new blog called Gordon Unleashed that everyone should check out and link up.

Welcome home Stephen.

Second there is another new blog in town that I think my readers will find very interesting. This blog is called Legal Schnauzer and is described as,

One couple's encounter with corrupt judges, slimy lawyers, and incompetent prosecutors in Alabama. . . and how you can avoid being cheated by the vermin who make a mockery of our justice system.

I'm in. This blog will go along well with the Court Watch program I am helping to create and trying to find funding for.

"Excuse me, Uh...Which Ways Hooter's?"

On June 27, 2007 people from all over the U.S. began to gather in downtown Atlanta, Ga, for the 2007 US Social Forum. This forum is basically a gathering of social justice activists, from all over the US, working on a broad range of social issues. They meet, march, network and share their experiences, strateies and ideas on how to make everything from homelessness to the enviornment better.

It is my experience that most people at these particular types of events are of the communist/socialist persuasion and, while I can say I agree with them on some of the issues that we need to address, I do not agree with them on how to address said issues. For instance, (and this was a big theme during the march) socialized medicine. I agree that everybody needs healthcare. But, turning our current healthcare system into a bureaucratic, red-tape, cluster-fuck, government run nightmare is not the way to address that problem. Just look at the VA system and how our vets returning from war are treated to see what socilaized medicine looks like. No thanks.

So, anyway, I was invited to this event for the first day and the first part of the event was a loooooooooooooooooog march through downtown Atlanta. I met up with Rev. Kenny Glasgow of The Ordinary People Society (pictured below) out in front of the hotel and hitched a ride with him and his crew to the Capitol Bldg where the march began.



Even though I knew I was going to be marching I, for some reason, did not go prepared to march. I forgot my hat, forgot my activist clothing, wore flip-flops and a skirt. I am going to attribute my forgetfulness to about a weeks worth of insomnia and stress related to my husbands back surgery. That will wear you out and come near to making your forget your name.

Anyway, Rev. Glasgow happened to have some extra TOPS shirts, which are emblazoned with
on the front.

And this on the back.



Now, everyone knows I am a devout Atheist, and Rev. Glasgow thought it very comical that I had on his "Get High on Jesus" shirt. He took lots of photos and gathered his whole flock around to bear witness for future testifyin', even got some video tape of me wearing it so that he can forever cherish and relive the moment. I found it rather comical myself. It get's better though.

The march got started around 2 p.m. and, while I was in no position to do a scientific crowd estimate, I'd say at least a couple thousand people marched. There were people there supporting socialized medicine, affordable housing, keeping Grady Hospital open, immigrant workers rights, the environment, prison reform, women's rights, unions....you name it and somebody had a sign and a flag for it. There was a large truck with a rap band riding on back providing non-traditional marching music.



Behind the truck were some mimes on stilts. You know, general Atlanta/big city type folks. This was a great event for vouyers.



So, we marched, and marched and marched some more. I believe afterwards someone said it was 15 blocks. Now, you might be inclined to think that 15 blocks is an easy go...I'd beg to differ on that. It isn't so much that 15 blocks is a huge distance to travel on foot and the terrain was level for the most part.... It was just extraordinarily hot on the asphalt in downtown Atlanta. And heat like that will suck the life right out of you. I'd put the temp at close to 100 degrees. I didn't have my hat. There were organizers walking through the crowd handing out water and misting folks down....but it was dreadfully hot. I drank some water...but apparently not enough. I got really tired by the end of the march and rested for about half an hour in the shade before deciding to try and drag my half-dead ass back to my hotel.

It was after I got started walking back to the hotel that trouble began. I had asked for directions and was told to go up Piedmont and take a right at "Hooters" onto Andrew Young Int. Blvd. I set out thinking I would only have to go a few blocks. I started out walking with a friend who had parked in the same direction. She and I parted ways at her turnoff and within a minute I found myself lost in downtown Atlanta and on the verge of a heat stroke. I think I may have actually had a small one. I began to get cold chills and started shivering. My vision started blurring, I got dizzy and I felt like I was going to collapse. My heart was literally about to beat out of my chest and the beat was irregular. I was really scared and had to seek out shade a couple of times and rest.

After the second time I rested I decided it was time to ask for directions. Now, picture this. I had forgotten the name of the street the hotel was on and all I could remember was to turn right at "Hooters." So, looking like I am a crazed, red-faced, sweaty lunatic, hair all wild and tangled and sopping wet, wearing a skirt that the wind keeps managing to undo the buttons on (and you know I wasn't wearing drawers either) and a shirt that said "GET HIGH ON JESUS" I began to walk up to people and ask, "Excuse me, uh....which ways Hooters?"

It didn't occur to me at the time exactly what I must have looked like or what the poor souls I encountered might have thought of me. My mind was far from seeing any humor in what was fast becoming a desperate situation not to pass out on the streets of downtown Atlanta wearing no drawers and a shirt that said GET HIGH ON JESUS. Talk about doing in one's own reputation. Yee Haw!! I can see the headline now, "Drawerless Woman Wearing a Shirt Promoting Gettin' High on the Good Lord Goes face down ass up Downtown. Can you help us identify her?" at which point they would show the photo of me facedown on the asphalt with that crazy shirt and my white ass shinin' (blurred of course) in hopes of getting some leads.

After the fourth or fifth person I queried with "Excuse me, uh... which ways Hooters?" someone finally pointed me in the right direction and after about an hour an a half of being lost I finally found my sanctuary. Needless to say when I got to my room I drew a cold bath and soaked myself for an hour head to toe and drank at least a gallon of water and two 7 Ups.

Luckily, I have some friends in Atlanta and last night I had made plans for dinner with one of them. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it, but didn't want to miss it eitehr so I went. My friend had some very high quality cannabis genetics on hand and I partook like mofo. After all, there is scientific proof that if you smoke pot within an hour of having a stroke or heart attack that it prevents brain damage....so I'd have to say that this was a medical necessity and a medical emergency. I felt much better afterwards even though today I feel like someone took a sledgehammer to all of my muscles. I imagine it would have been much worse without last nights relief.

There are a few of things to be learned from this story.

1. Marching in the summer heat....that shit is for the birds.

2. If you are gonna do it anyway....put your damn drawers on and wear pants or else you will get "galded." If you need an explanation of what "galded" means email me.

3. Try to find another landmark for recognizing where your hotel is...asking for Hooters (especially if you are a woman wearing a Get High on Jesus shirt) makes people look at you real funny.

I am glad to be able to see humor in this today...but all joking aside please take extra precautions if you are going to be out in the heat for any extended period of time. That stuff is no joke.

I wish I could have stayed for some of todays events....but after I woke up feeling like the inside of my body was made of sand I figured the very best thing for me to do was get my ass to the house and recover.

Here are a few more shots from the march.







Until my next adventure....y'all be good.

Insomnia

Oh! How I do hate it with a fierce passion. I think I'd rather be beaten or perhaps boiled in oil than for my own traitorous mind to deprive me of a good night's sleep. I just got up and slugged back a bunch of Nyquil with a huge hope of knocking myself out. Insomnia makes me want to destroy shit. Just smash, break, pulverize to dust. Not good.

Brainstew
by Green Day

I'm having trouble trying to sleep
I'm counting sheep but running out
As time ticks by
And still I try
No rest for crosstops in my mind

On my own... here we go

My eyes feel like they're gonna bleed
Dried up and bulging out my skull
My mouth is dry
My face is numb
Fucked up and spun out in my room

On my own... here we go

My mind is set on overdrive
The clock is laughing in my face
A crooked spine
My sense is dulled
Passed the point of delerium

On my own... here we go

My eyes feel like they're gonna bleed
Dried up and bulging out my skull
My mouth is dry
My face is numb
Fucked up and spun out in my room

On my own... here we go

Erotic Asphyxiation Anyone?

There is a very odd story coming out of the Montgomery Advertiser about a Baptist preacher at an East Montgomery Church being found dead of asphyxiation while his wife was out of town.

The original story with reader comments is here.

My first thought when I read the original story was erotic asphyxiation (possibly auto...possibly not) and the more I read about this case the more convinced I become that this is how the guy died. That makes it uber-scandalous because he was a BAPTIST preacher.

In the second story out today it makes it look like maybe someone else was involved, but hadn't meant to kill the guy. Perhaps there was a little adulterous sex-play going on while wifey was out of town and Preacher Aldrige popped a vein when he got his rock and his buddy fled in fear?

You know...I generally mistrust preachers more than I do cops. Think about it. They are in a position to learn your family secrets, to gain your trust, to be around your kids unsupervised and never have anyone think ill of them because they are 'men of God." Never have anyone suspect them because they can quote some verses from an obscure book, deliver a eulogy at a funeral and eat Sunday dinner at your table. It's the perfect cover for child molesters and other weirdo's who have such perverse desires and fantasies that if they didn't become a preacher they would be found out and ostracized from the community. Makes me wonder what Roy Moore is hiding in his closet!?

Now, I know of no child molestation connected with this preacher and I do not think ill of people who have strange sexual desires that they act out with other consenting adults....what turns my stomach is the fact that for 15 years this guy more than likely preached against sins of the flesh OFTEN while engaging in that very thing everytime his wife's shadow was out of the door.

I don't know if we will ever get the whole story on this. I have my doubts because if my husband was a Baptist preacher and died while engaging in strange adulterous sex play while I was out of town I would not want anyone to know. And you know the Baptist congregation will be so humiliated that they will do everything in their power to cover up the truth behind this.

Friday Farm Blogging

Not a lot of time to blog today but wanted to share some pictures of the garden this week. Everything continues to grow and add beauty to life on the Nall farm. Enjoy!

Snoot conducting surveillance of his kingdom from the safety of the airconditioning.


Arizona Sun Blanket Flowers



Dahlias



Sunflowers just beginning to open up. Gonna be stunning.



Cauliflower


Spaghetti Squash




Tomatoes



An almost ripe spaghetti squash