Thursday, March 30, 2006

Alabama House passes sentencing reform bill

Montgomery Advertiser

A bill to change the way criminals are sentenced in Alabama is on its way to the governor.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Marcel Black, D-Tuscumbia, called the a bill that gives judges voluntary sentencing standards the “lynchpin” of a package that has been backed by the Alabama Sentencing Commission and Gov. Bob Riley.

The sentencing reform bill, sponsored by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, passed the House this morning, and could go to the governor if the upper chamber agrees to a cosmetic change made in the House.

“In Alabama ... we criminalize a whole lot of offenses that probably ought not to be criminalized,” said Rep. James Buskey, D-Mobile.

AMEN Brother Buskey!!

April Campaign Events

Dear Friends and Supporters,

April is going to be an extremely busy month for us at the Nall for Governor Campaign HQ. The following is a list of events currently on my calendar.

On April 8 the Alabama Libertarian Party will hold its annual convention where I will hopefully receive the LP nomination to run for Governor of Alabama. If you are an Alabama resident and you support my candidacy for Governor I implore you to come to the convention. I need a full house to show the LP and the media how much support there is for my campaign. The details are at the link above.

I have to be in court on April 10 unless my attorney is able to get that changed.

On April 11th I am holding a news conference on the steps of the Capitol to formally announce my candidacy and kick off the campaign. Your attendance at the press conference is vital. I'll help you get there if that is needed.
Please let me know.

On April 20th I am speaking to the Mobile County Landowners Association at their candidate meet & greet.

On April 21st I'll be at the other end of the state participating in the the PTA Candidate forums in Huntsville.

On April 28th I will be speaking to the Alabama Forest Owners Association in Montgomery.

And on April 29th I am flying to Vancouver for the International Harm Reduction Conference. The tab for this is being picked up by the DPA because it involves the other legislative work I am currently working on.

Please MAKE A CONTRIBUTION to ensure that I will be able to meet my committments in the month of April.

Also, campaign ad season is about to open and, since it is unlikely that I will have ballot access, most of my resources will be directed to a hard-hitting ad campaign. Please help ensure that I have the resources I need to continue to be a factor in this election. With your help we will achieve major strides toward freedom in Alabama.

I have campaign signs and large info cards available to any Alabama volunteers who would like them. Please send me your name and address and how many of each you would like and I will get them out to you. I need people willing to place signs and distribute the info cards in every county in Alabama. This campaign depends in large part on grassroots networking and word of mouth advertising. Campaign signs and cards are also available at the Libertarian Party HQ located at 2330 Highland Ave. in Birmingham.


In Liberty,
Loretta Nall
Vote Nall Y'all...It's Just Common Sense

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Our Kids?

"Our first priority is to keep our kids safe, that they need to be back in school," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said after meeting with Romer, Bratton and Sheriff Lee Baca this afternoon. "And it's important for parents to understand that beginning today we will be strictly applying our truancy laws."

OUR kids?
Excuse me...OUR KIDS?

You see....this is what public school leads to. The government is convinced that they own our children because many of us have no choice but to send them to public school.

In San Pedro, about 500 students marched along a stretch of the Harbor (110) Freewayleading toward the Vincent Thomas Bridge, Bratton said. Police managed to herd the youths off the freeway before they reached the bridge and cited about 100 of them for truancy.

"herd the youths off"

As if our children are cattle or sheep or some other pack animal.

I think next year....homeschool is in the works.

Drug Prohibition, Alice in Wonderland, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons

Drug Prohibition, Alice in Wonderland, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons

A great piece over at Hammer of Truth

Monday, March 27, 2006

Bitter Old Punk

The boob and panty escapade has brought me another friend and fellow Alabama blogger....BitterOldPunk who is a bartender in Birmingham.
When BlueGal and I get together for that beer soon we will be joining him at his bar.

As you can tell from this hilarious and ongoing narrative about BitterOldPunk's run-in with the local narcotics task force he is definitely one of us.

From BOP's Blog

Brainwashing, Peeing On Demand, and Other Indignities

Some time ago I got crosswise with a couple of musclebound asshats with badges from the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, No Fun Allowed Division. I was charged with possession of a whopping three grams of that deadliest of drugs, marijuana, and I spent thirty days in an orange jumpsuit at the Columbiana Spa and Resort. During this time I annoyed my fellow inmates with my snoring, developed a taste for beans, and was frequently forced to defend my Jell-O (unless it was lime -- then I traded it for Snickers bars). In addition, I paid a hefty fine. You'd think that would be it, right?

Wrong.

Part of my sentence was to undergo counseling and drug testing. I was also mandated to attend 36 AA/NA meetings. "Counseling" consists of sitting around in an uncomfortable circle with a group of men and women whose lives have fallen into various states of disrepair. Each session is an exercise in futility, as we try and repeatedly fail to convince the group moderator that we're all better now, having found Jeebus and admitted we were powerless over [insert something fun here].

Being neither powerless, nor addicted, nor enamored of Jeebus, I am not proving to be the most compliant group member. From what I've gathered so far, the line for expressing one's feelings honestly and openly (which we are repeatedly encouraged to do by our Care Bear Inquisitors) ends well before "this is Kafkaesque bullshit" and "how can the state legally make me attend quasi-Christian cult meetings?"

Of course, I am simply in denial, because I wouldn't be there if I didn't have a drug problem, right? Actually, I wouldn't be there if Alabama's drug laws weren't so draconian and the Shelby County Narcotics Division hadn't needed to justify their existence that week. I wouldn't be there if I hadn't treated the narcs as human beings, instead of the soulless tools of state oppression that they really are. In a county AWASH in OxyContin, methamphetamine, child abuse, alcoholism, and property crime, it was considered a valid use of resources to send two agents to my house to bust me with three grams of weed. Christ on a fucking crutch.

Yes, I broke the law. I did my time, I paid my fine, I learned my lesson. But that's not enough. Now I have to suffer through this Orwellian nightmare twice a week, attend cult meetings with booze-addled losers, and check in once a month with the county referral officer to make sure I'm not out peddling smack to the local middle school.

Enough for now. It's almost morning and I haven't slept yet, and I have to be fresh as a daisy at ten-thirty when the next brainwashing session starts. Oh, and I must remember to bring twenty bucks for the privilege of having my privacy violated and my personhood demeaned so they can watch me pee. If you're reading this, guys, I'm telling you now -- it's clean. I'm a good little monkey. Can I go home now?

Drug-free school area ineffective, report says

Three-mile zone called expensive, racially biased
Monday, March 27, 2006
CARLA CROWDER
News staff writer

A new national report says that drug-free school zone laws fail to shield school children from drugs, and instead contribute to racial disparities in prison and to skyrocketing prison costs.

Alabama's "drug-free" zones, which extend three miles from every school, college and public housing project, are the largest in the country, researchers found. Most of Birmingham lies in the zone, which mandates an additional five years in prison for convicted drug sellers and sweeps up hundreds of people whose drug activity occurs in private homes.

"No other state approaches the scale chosen by lawmakers in Alabama. ... Each zone covers an area of more than 27 square miles," according to "Disparity by Design: How drug-free zone laws impact racial disparity - and fail to protect youth," a report issued last week by the Justice Policy Institute, a nonprofit that advocates less incarceration.

Nearly all states have enhanced penalty laws, with the typical zone extending 1,000 feet from a school. Recent research in Massachusetts and New Jersey has shown that most zone-related cases don't involve sales to youth, prompting several states to tweak their laws or tighten the zones to 200 feet.

"There is no evidence, nor has any come up since the report's been released, showing any deterrent affect as a result of the laws," said author Kevin Pranis. "The evidence that we found all points in the other direction, no deterrent effect."

Authors looked at whether drug arrests and teen drug use declined within the area protected by large zones. It did not, Pranis said.

The report cites a study by the New Jersey Sentencing Commission that found "giant, unbroken" zones dilute the special protections they were intended to give. An assistant attorney general in New Jersey acknowledged they failed to create the intended "safe harbors" for kids.

"The larger the zone, the less protection afforded to places that are supposed to be protected," Pranis said. "Alabama's three-mile zones are probably the least effective drug-free zones the country."

University of Alabama research has found that teen drug use has increased since the law passed. In 1988, about 15 percent of boys and 10 percent of girls reported having used drugs, according to the most recent Alabama Adolescent Survey available. By 2001, 32 percent of boys and 17 percent of girls said they had used illegal drugs.

In 1987, then-Gov. Guy Hunt first pushed for the drug-free zones. Lawmakers passed a bill creating a one-mile zone, then expanded it to three miles in 1989 under a bill pushed by Sen. Roger Bedford.

READ MORE

Sunday, March 26, 2006

They don't have vaginas!!

Two Alabama legislators have introduced bills that would ban almost all abortions in the state, except those performed to save women's lives.

The bills are similar to legislation banning abortion that passed in South Dakota last month and was signed on March 6 by Republican Gov. Mike Rounds.

"I thought if South Dakota can do it, Alabama ought to do it because we are a family-friendly state," said state Sen. Hank Erwin, R-Montevallo, who has introduced a bill in the Senate that would even ban abortions in cases where a woman became pregnant because of rape or incest.



"I don't think you need to penalize the unborn child when something like that happens," Erwin said.

A similar bill has been introduced in the House by Rep. Nick Williams, R-McIntosh.


Both bills have been assigned to committees, but no further action has been taken. The bills would make it a felony crime to perform abortions in Alabama.
----------------------------

"I don't think you need to penalize the unborn child when something like that happens," Erwin said.

As if growing up inbred, deformed and retarded isn't a penalty when something like "that" happens. I went to school with a whole family of inbred kids in Clay County. I know they had a very hard life.

Hank Erwin is a really sad case. Someone please run against this dufus in the Senate.

Isn't it funny how men have introduced these pieces of legislation? What makes them think they have any right to legislate anything to do with my vagina, uterus, ovaries or breasts? I'd say until they have vaginas they have no business trying to legislate anything having to do with them.

Additionally, the government should not be in charge of abortion. We let them be in charge of the war on poverty and poverty has increased drastically. We let them be in charge of addressing drug use and now we have the drug war and drug use has risen drastically. If we let them be in charge of abortion in five years MEN will be having abortions.

If you don't want to have an abortion....then don't have one. It's very simple.

Friday, March 24, 2006

Boobs & Panties.....Who Knew?

Over the last two weeks my web traffic here, and at the U.S. site and on the campaign site has skyrocketed.

This is all due to the mere mention of boobs and panties. For the complete story please READ THIS.

I have been attempting to keep up with the numerous sites that are carrying this story. I know there are others out there running it and I wanted to say thanks for the coverage and Welcome to the new readers.

I have a simple request.

If you are reading this blog and the stories about the boobies and panties made you laugh then make a $1 contribution to my campaign.
If everyone reading over the last two weeks had contributed $1 then I would have enough money to finance ballot access and the rest of my entire campaign for Governor of Alabama. It really is that simple.

So, if you read about my adventures and laughed, if you just discovered that I exist and you support my run for Governor, like my ideas or simply enjoyed looking at my boobs then help a sister out.

Contributions above one dollar are also greatly appreciated. Anyone wishing to use regular post may send contributions to:

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

In Liberty,
Loretta Nall
Vote Nall Y'all...It's Just Common Sense

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Nall Court Update

I am back from court. Nothing happened today.
I have to be back in court on April 10, 2006 at 9 a.m. with my attorney.

Transcript of Loretta's Trial in 2004

TRANSCRIPT

I go back to court this morning. For those of you who have not read the transcript of my trial I strongly recommend it.

In my opinion this transcript shows that the School Resource Officer was clearly lying. The scenario he describes is not only implausible, it is also physically impossible. I was jailed for expressing a political opinion on the editorial page of the Birmingham News. The police lied in court in an attempt to cover up their misdeed.

I almost feel sorry for the SRO. It really seemed like he got punked out pretty bad by his comrades. As if it wasn't humiliating enough being assigned kindergarten cop duty, then he had to go to court and take full responsibility for a scheme that I seriously doubt he cooked up by himself. He was quickly reassigned to another county.

This transcript is the result of our having hired a court reporter and obtained the services of a good lawyer. These are two things that you normally don't have in this court.

I don't expect anything to happen today in court. When I last spoke with my attorney on Friday he had not even received his notice to appear in court today. This is spring break and he is out of town with his family.

That has been a reoccuring problem with the Tallapoosa County court system. Our side has asked that we be notified a month in advance because my attorney is from out of town and he is also one of the premiere capital punishment defense attorneys in the state. This being Alabama you can damn well guess that his plate stays pretty full.
However, for the last oh say 22 months, we have never gotten more than a weeks notice despite our repeated requests for an advance date.

So, if the past is any indication I will have to sit in court all day long only to be told my case has been continued. If nothing else perhaps they will provide me enough material for part two of My Day In Court.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

City fees waived for DEA

Wednesday, March 22, 2006
JOSEPH D. BRYANT
Birmingham News

The Birmingham City Council agreed Tuesday to waive a fee for developers of the new Drug Enforcement Agency building downtown.

The developers of the combined office building for the federal Drug Enforcement Agency and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives asked the city to waive its $29,000 fee for vacating a 2,200-square-foot portion of 10th Avenue and Ninth Court North.

The land was required to meet security specifications for the new building.

Building developers were joined by Michael Calvert,president of Operation NewBirmingham, who said the request would help the effort to bring the three-story, 38,400-square-foot building to downtown Birmingham.

The cost of the vacated land was unanticipated and was not budgeted, they said.

However, some council members questioned the waiver.

"I am not inclined to waive $29,000 for any special entity to come into the city of Birmingham unless we do it for everyone," said Councilman Joel Montgomery.

Bill Gilchrist, the city's director of planning, engineering and permits, said it is common to waive fees for nonprofit groups and government agencies.

A motion to waive the fee passed with Montgomery casting the lone no vote.

Go Joel Montgomery Go!!

Colorful contenders in governor's race

Brewton Standard

In years of yore in past governor's races we would have colorful run for the fun of it candidates, the most notably being the legendary Shorty Price.

Price's antics could fill a book of its own. We have been short of these fun candidates in the past few decades.

However, this year we will have on the ballot one Loretta Nall who will be the pro marijuana candidate.

She will be the Libertarian Party candidate for governor on the November ballot. Nall is president of the U.S. Marijuana Party.

We have developing a true Price prototype in one Harry Lyons. Lyons is making his ninth statewide run for the fun of it race rivaling Price. His demeanor and candor are similar to Price.

He appeared recently before the Alabama Press Association at their gubernatorial candidates' forum and stole the show.

He runs every time there is an election, usually for different offices under a different party almost every time.

He will be fun to watch.

The Republicans would like to take control of the House but as stated earlier it is difficult because there are popular veteran incumbent conservative Democrats sitting in Republican leaning seats.

Therefore they may have to wait until they retire or pass on to take these seats.

They will get a shot at three of these seats this year. Tommy Carter of Limestone will retire after 32 years. In addition, Nelson Starkey of Florence and Jack Venable of Tallassee both 30-year House veterans passed away late last year.

Venable's Elmore County seat will likely fall to the Republicans in this heavily Republican county. A Republican won the recent special election, but it will be interesting to see how the two Tennessee Valley seats of Carter's and Starkey's go.

Starkey's should remain Democratic. Carter's district will be worth watching.

A topic of conversation on Goat Hill is whether an endorsement from the Christian Coalition will be an albatross to candidates.

Rumor is that candidates will use this endorsement against their opponent.

The Coalition headed by John Giles was discredited last year when it was revealed that the group was supported financially by Indian gambling interests.

It is expected that candidates will run last minute ads against their opponents who are endorsed by the Christian Coalition saying the candidate is supported by out-of-state gambling interests by virtue of the fact that the Coalition has been financed by gambling.

There was talk of starting a New Christian Coalition and labeling the group headed by Giles, the Old Christian Coalition with the Old Christian Coalition, being the group cloaking their real agenda as being pro-gambling.

They would also expose the group's mean spirited approach as being more like Old Testament philosophy of “an eye for an eye” and ignoring and ridiculing the poor.

Whereas the new group would be for loving your neighbors and helping the poor, more like what Christ taught.

It doesn't help the old group's image either that their primary advocate in the Legislature is one nutty, irrelevant, back bench, freshman Senator named Hank Erwin who made national news with his beliefs that God directed Hurricane Katrina to attack the Gulf Coast to destroy the people of New Orleans and Mississippi because they were sinful.

You can expect lots of negative advertisements and plenty of dirty tricks this year because sadly they work.

We have a history of bitter campaigns in Alabama. A newly released book by author Kerwin Swint, titled “Mudslinger. The Top 25 Negative Political Campaigns of All Time,” lists the George Wallace vs. Albert Brewer 1970 governor's race as the number one nastiest campaign of all times.

It will be an interesting campaign year in Alabama.

See you next week.

Steve Flowers' column appears weekly in 60 Alabama newspapers. Flowers served 16 years in the state Legislature. You can visit his website HERE

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

A Life of It's Own

Every so often one of my writings hits it big on the internet and takes on a life of it's own.

Such has happened with the Great Boobie Flap of the 2006 Alabama Election.

Yesterday BlueGal posted a write-up about it at BlueGal Red State and crossposted it at DailyKos. Then Steve over at Hammer Of Truth posted it as did June over at Wasted Days Wasted Nights and I just got an email from BlueGal directing me to yet another pick-up at Crooks & Liars.

Reason Magazine Online

Great World Debate

LiveJournal

Ameilorations

If you see it linked somewhere else let me know so I can link it here.

Not only has this whole thing brought me extra media exposure it has also given me the opportunity to meet another saucy, southern gal as BlueGal and I will be getting together next time I am in Birmingham for a beer. Looking forward to that!!

Monday, March 20, 2006

Montgomery Independent Responds

Mr. Bob Martin at the Montgomery Independent was kind enough to run my letter in response to the boobie flap in this weeks edition.
I am very happy to note that Mr. Martin took this letter in the humorus context in which it was meant to be taken and I apologize for calling him a sexist. It even appears that Mr. Martin is a possible supporter.

Bob...I'll drop you a yard sign by when I am in Montgomery later this week. Would you like your sign with or without cleavage? :)

I also want to point out again that I have spoken to Mr. Bob Ingram since I sent this letter last week and we worked it out.





Contribute to Loretta's Campaign for Governor of Alabama

Gubernatorial Candidate Loretta Nall Heads Back to Court

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Nall for Governor Campaign
Contact Person: Loretta Nall
Telephone Number: 251-650-2271
Email Address: cnall1@charter.net
Web site address: NallforGovernor.com

Alabama Gubernatorial Candidate, Loretta Nall, Heads Back to Court

Alexander City, AL, March 20, 2006 — Alabama Gubernatorial candidate, Loretta Nall, will appear in Tallapoosa County Circuit Court, located in downtown Alexander City, at 9 A.M. on March 24, 2006 to continue the appeals process in her misdemeanor marijuana possession case.

Mrs. Nall, who had no prior arrest record and maintains her innocence, was arrested in a November 2002 raid on her home less than a week after her Letter to the Editor of the Birmingham News was published.


The affidavit in support of the warrant to search Nall's home used that letter as probable cause.
The Tallapoosa County Narcotics Task Force, which conducted the raid on Nall's home, alleges that the raid yielded 0.87 gram of marijuana.

Nall was convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession and possession of paraphernalia in February, 2004.

After her trial in Feb. 2004 Mrs. Nall filed a complaint with the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission alleging misconduct on the part of Judge Kim Taylor after he commented about the facts of her case to the local media. The Judicial Inquiry Commission sided with Mrs. Nall and reprimanded Judge Kim Taylor for his actions.

In March of 2005 Mrs. Nall again appeared in court for her appeal. The prosecution offered her a plea bargain of 8 months in prison without the possibility of probation or parole in exchange for her guilty plea. Mrs. Nall refused to plea out and instead demanded a jury trial. She wrote a scathing article about her court experience which was published at LewRockwell and one week later she was visited by the F.B.I.

Loretta Nall, 31, wife, mother of two children living in her native Alabama, became involved in drug policy reform in September of 2002, after enduring a terrifying helicopter raid by local, state and federal agents looking for marijuana.

Since that time Mrs. Nall has founded and organized 35 state chapters of the US Marijuana Party, interviewed The Rev. Jesse Jackson and Congressman Dennis Kucinich in regards the drug war in America. Loretta Nall has appeared in Rolling Stone Magazine, lewrockwell.com, and numerous daily newspapers across North America on behalf of her campaign to reduce the destructive effects of prohibition. In 2004 she visited war-torn Colombia, South America where she studied the affects of aerial fumigation on the food crops of peasant farmers as carried out under U.S. Plan Colombia. Currently, she is assisting in guiding a medical marijuana bill through the Alabama state legislature in concert with the Drug Policy Alliance.

She is a candidate for Governor of Alabama in the 2006 election and she is seeking the
Libertarian Party nomination. For more information about her campaign including video clips of recent candidate speeches, photos, campaign updates and more please visit
the campaign website.

To schedule an interview please call the Nall for Governor campaign headquarters at 251-650-2271 or email them

###

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Overfilled prisons taint rivers

Montgomery Advertiser
By Samira Jafari
The Associated Press


Prison overcrowding has taken a toll on inmates, guards, infrastructure and budgets, but there's a victim that gets little attention: Alabama's rivers.

With the growth of the state inmate population, several prisons at times dump nearly twice the amount of allowable raw sewage byproducts into Alabama's tributaries -- putting aquatic life and humans at risk.

"Nobody wants raw sewage in the rivers. It's a big, stinky mess," said Nelson Brooke, head of the Black Warrior Riverkeeper, a pollution watchdog group that monitors sewage dumpers along the river, running from west Alabama to north of the Birmingham area.

Prison officials say the sewage levels have gotten out of hand because the prisons aren't designed to handle the brimming population -- now at more than double capacity with 28,000 inmates -- and they don't have the funding to update their self-operated wastewater management facilities.

The "wastewater treatment facilities are aging and were built to accommodate original design capacities," said Brian Corbett, spokesman for the Alabama Department of Corrections. "Inmate populations in excess of designed capacity place enormous stress and maintenance requirements on all areas of ADOC infrastructure, including wastewater treatment plants."

The prisons are dumping extremely high levels of toxic ammonia and fecal coliform, parts of raw sewage that produce dangerous levels of bacteria, suck up oxygen and result in heavy algae, according to Alabama River Alliance. Untreated sewage carries dangerous infectious bacteria, viruses, parasites and toxic chemicals.

Raw sewage is supposed to flow into wastewater treatment plants. But aging sewage collection systems, like those operated by the prison system, are riddled by broken, leaking or overloaded pipes that allow untreated sewage to be dumped into the environment, according to the New York-based Natural Resources Defense Council.

"This poses a problem for people who swim in these waters and aquatic life," said April Hall, watershed protection specialist for the Alabama River Alliance.

"Raw sewage needs oxygen to break down," she added. "Dissolved oxygen is a very important way to look at the health of water. ... It affects all those critters that live in the bottom of the creek and plant life."

Concerns by water conservationists spurred two lawsuits by the attorney general's office against the prison system on the river pollution issue. However, environmentalists and the state's attorneys say they don't want to penalize the Department of Corrections, which has violated wastewater permits for years.

"We're mainly interested in solving the problem, not punishment," said Assistant Attorney General William Little, who filed the lawsuits on behalf of the state and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.

The Black Warrior Riverkeeper led the fight against the prison system's poor waste management when it filed a November 2004 complaint with ADEM, alleging that since 1999, Donaldson prison in Jefferson County committed 1,060 violations of the Clean Water Act by discharging sewage into Big Branch and Valley Creek, a tributary of the Black Warrior River.

At its worst, Donaldson dumped 808,000 gallons of wastewater in one day, when its permit only allowed 350,000 gallons of treated wastewater and the plant only could handle 270,000 gallons, said Brooke.

Donaldson, built to hold 990 inmates, has held around 1,500 prisoners, since 2001.

The attorney general's office took over the complaint in January 2005, suing the Department of Corrections to avoid federal intervention, and found that several other prisons were committing similar violations, said Little.

A second lawsuit was filed last August, alleging similar violations by wastewater facilities at St. Clair, Draper, Elmore, Fountain/Holman and Limestone prisons and at DOC's Farquhar Cattle Ranch and Red Eagle Honor Farm.

Little said the most recent lawsuit was taken off the trial docket in Montgomery County so DOC can come up with a solution without facing stiff fines.

"We're in the process of working out some sort of settlement," Little said. "We're well aware of their problem. Everybody knows the Department of Corrections is under tremendous pressure."

St. Clair, Draper and Elmore prisons, named in the second lawsuit, already have been confronted by ADEM before, and consent orders were issued in each case that eased the permit standards. But the prisons violated the new standards, too.

The best option for Alabama's prison system may be to turn over their wastewater facilities to private operators, as Donaldson did last year. The prison contracted its treatment plant to Alabama Utility Services, which spent some $400,000 to upgrade the facility, said manager Chris Matthews.

Donaldson prison currently is in compliance with its ADEM wastewater permit, and Matthews said Alabama Utility was interested in taking over the prison system's other treatment facilities.

Corbett said prison officials are exploring options to deal with excess wasterwater, ranging from contracting with private companies to seeking funding to build new facilities.

"Obviously, (privatization) is working at Donaldson," he said. "I think you're going to have to examine each facility on a case-by-case basis. We're certainly eager to resolve these issues, no matter how it's done."

Friday, March 17, 2006

Union Springs man accused of bootlegging

By Topher Sanders
Montgomery Advertiser

The brother of the former owner of Alabama's official spirit was arrested on bootlegging charges Tuesday, Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board officials said.

William "Billy" May, 41, was driving south on U.S. 231 when he was pulled over in Midland City for not having a taillight.

Midland City police officer J. Culbreth discovered May was transporting approximately 70 gallons of moonshine. The Union Springs resident was also in possession of a .357-caliber handgun without a permit and a small amount of marijuana.

"The illegally manufactured liquor, moonshine, is sold at a high profit margin, which makes it an attractive investment for the modern-day bootlegger," said Jeff Rogers, assistant director of ABC enforcement.

May was charged with transportation of prohibited liquors, unlawful possession of marijuana and carrying a concealed weapon. He was taken to the Dale County jail.

May's brother, Kenneth May, was convicted in January 2005 for selling alcohol to a minor and selling alcohol without a license.

Kenneth May was the previous owner of Conecuh Ridge Whiskey, which is known as the official "State Spirit."

Rogers said further arrests and seizures could be made in the case.

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Two students arrested Thursday

Montgomery Advertiser
On Thursday two Montgomery Public Schools students were arrested.

Dean McWhorter, 18, of 323 Columbia Ave., was arrested on the campus of Sidney Lanier High School and charged with possession of marijuana.

According to a Montgomery police report at 10:30 a.m. McWhorter “was found in possession of a clear plastic bag containing a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana” while on the school’s campus.

Montgomery Public School spokesman Tom Salter confirmed that there was a sweep conducted on Lanier’s campus on Thursday, but could not provide information on McWhorter because he had been identified by police.

Also Thursday, a Halcyon Elementary School student was found to be in possession of a 3-inch hunting knife.

According to a police report the 10-year-old boy was found with the knife at 7:35 a.m. It was not used in a threatening manner.

He was arrested an released to his parents. Salter said the boy was suspended for one day.

Speaking in Atlanta Saturday

I have canceled my appearance due to the flu.


On Saturday, March 18, I will be the featured speaker at the 3rd Annual G.O.P. Lobby Buds-B-Q in Atlanta, GA.
Visit the link for more information and if you are in or around Atlanta come out and join us for the evening.

Monday, March 13, 2006

New Private Prison in Perry County No Help to State Prison System

WSFA-TV 12
March 13, 2006, 10:59 AM

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The grand opening for a newly constructed private prison in Perry County is less than a month away, but its 625 beds may remain empty for a while -- even though there are hundreds of state inmates ready to fill it.
About 600 state inmates are backlogged in county jails, forcing a circuit judge in Montgomery to consider a contempt charge against prison Commissioner Richard Allen. The new prison, constructed by Louisiana based LCS Corrections, appears to offer an immediate solution.

But prison system officials say they don't have enough money to pay the private lockup to hold its overflow of inmates. Brian Corbett, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections, is unsure how much it will cost to house the inmates. He said the informal talks with Perry County and LCS have not addressed the cost.

The Perry County lockup, scheduled to open April third, is one of the recommendations of Governor Bob Riley's task force on prison overcrowding that the Department of Corrections is charged with implementing.

The prison is designed to house low to medium security inmates and will offer drug treatment and other rehabilitative programs.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Boobs, Pointless Panties and other Nall for Governor Campaign Updates

Dear Readers and Supporters,

It has been quite busy around the Nall for Governor Headquarters for the last few weeks. In that time I have spoken in Huntsville and made the front page of The Huntsville Times, which is one of Alabama's largest daily newspapers.

About a week after the Huntsville engagement I got a call from the Alabama Conference of Black Mayors inviting me to address them in Selma, AL as they prepared to commemorate the 41st Anniversary of Bloody Sunday. I only got about 15 hours notice and had to really hammer away at writing my remarks for the engagement. This was my first opportunity to be presented with the other candidates and a big chance to add credibility and legitimacy to my campaign in the eyes of the voters. Here is the text of my speech here is the video and here are my reflections on the event.

I spent some time in Montgomery last week doing many things. I looked around for office space and I have found one place that is very nice, in a great location and only two blocks from the Capitol Building, which would enable me to keep my eye on the prize. The rent is $850 a month and the suite includes three offices, a reception area and a conference room. I have another colleague who is looking for office space as well and we may go in together and lease that space for a year. Please help me with that if you can.

On Thursday of last week I met with my friend Rachel Kurtz of the King County Bar Association and Pastor Kenneth Glasgow of The Ordinary People Society for lunch and to discuss future plans for drug policy and prison reform in Alabama. After lunch Pastor Glasgow invited us to head over to S.K.I.P, which stands for Saving Kids of Incarcerated Parents, to watch him teach his weekly class to the kids.

Pastor Glasgow, simply put, is a human dynamo!! A real mover and shaker. I have been impressed by his work since I met him last year in Huntsville, AL at a Town Hall meeting and we have stayed in touch and sometimes worked together on projects since then. However, I have never been more impressed with Pastor Glasgow than I was that afternoon at SKIP. There were about 10 kids there that afternoon and naturally all of them had parents in prison, the majority for drugs. The kids ranged in age from 6-14 and the amount of knowledge they held about their communities, the problems and the solutions was astounding. One 14-year-old girl left my jaw on the floor with her ideas and her grasp. They all talked about how they felt about their parents being in prison. When asked if they thought prison would help their parents they all said NO because jail won't help sick people. Even at 6-years-old kids understand that basic premis.

One little 7-year-old boy, (who was so precious I could have gobbled him right up) began to tell us about Dr. Martin Luther King and he started out with the words, "Several years ago..."
I thought I'd fall out of my chair laughing at that. The center director clapped her hands together and said "No he didn't". It was priceless. This same little boy led us in a closing prayer to boot and even this Atheist was moved at his confidence and courage and surprised by the quality of his prayer.

I decided as we left that I want to be a part of that. So, I talked to one of the directors and asked what I can do. Once a week when my schedule allows I will be volunteering a couple of hours at SKIP in Montgomery, AL. Those kids are spectacular and if I can do anything to lessen their chances of following in their parents footsteps then I will do it.

When I arrived home that afternoon I had received an invitation in the mail to attend and address the Alabama Forest Owners Association in late April. This is a group of Alabamians who own large tracts of lan and, hate the fact that the taxes they pay for that land go to a public education system that fails year, after year, after year. They are anti-fed for the most part, believe in property rights and want to be left completely alone.
I think my address to them will go over very well. The other candidates will be in attendance there as well and we each get ten minutes to speak.

On a more somber note my dear friend Roberta Franklin lost her son last Monday. Roberta's son had been sick since last August with heart problems. Before we marched on Washington D.C. in August last year he had to have a pace maker put in. Then a month or so later he had to go back and have a defibilator put in. A few months later he was still very sick and so they went back in and put in some sort of patch on an artery or valve. Well that patch infected everything else so the doctors went in and removed the pace maker and defibilator but left the patch. Damon kept spitting up blood. So about three weeks ago he is placed back in the hospital in ICU and the doctors said that whatever was bleeding was behind the patch but the patch had attached itself to Damon's heart and lung and in order to get it out they would have to remove a piece of each.

They sent him home to wait for the surgery.
On Monday Roberta sent me an email saying that Damon came into her room around 3:30 something AM pouring blood from his nose, mouth, ears and eyes and begging her to help him. She said she got him in the bathroom and the medics were called at 3:37. By the time they got there at 3:41 Damon had bled to death ....in front of his mother and little sister (who slipped in his blood in the hall and is traumatized, of course.)

I lost a child back in 2000....but not is such an awful way. I spent much of last week with Roberta. I feel so sorry for her....and she goes to prison tomorrow for six months. The state are some real heartless fuckers (scuse my French).....Christain family values my ass. A mother will greive the loss of her son behind bars while her 10 year old daughter, who witnessed the death, will be shipped off to a relatives house to deal with both the loss of her brother and her mom....all over $232 worth of food stamps.

Makes me want to claw my eyes out.

I attended the funeral. Man I hate funerals, especially the funeral of someone so young and someone that I knew and liked.

And I tell you what....I am not religious....but Rev. Nettles, who preched the service....that man flat got down....and the black women in the chior....all I can say is I want a black chior to sing me out of here and I hope they sing at my funeral like they sang on Saturday at Damon's ....I've still got chill bumps and am thinking about becoming a frequent visitor to Freewill Missionary Baptist Church in Montgomery,AL just to hear that singing.

Roberta is doing about as well as can be expected. I spent a lot of time with her last week. I've lost a child too and am glad that I was able to be nearby during what has to be one of the most difficult and painful things a human being can experience.

On Saturday I encouraged her to talk with her lawyer about filing for a hardship case.
Keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

Another strange thing that occured last week was discovering two prominent media people in Alabama discussing my cleavage in the newspaper. Needless to say I was SHOCKED! It appears that Mr. Bob Ingram wrote a smarmy little column about me and my campaign. I had never spoken directly with Mr. Ingram, or anyone affiliated with him, so I was surprised that any journalist would write about my campaign without calling me for information and a quote or two. Not only did he not call me he asked the editor of another newspaper to find a picture to run with the column. That editor searches the internet and finds the only picture where I am showing cleavage. It was done deliberately to make me look bad....but I think they failed at that.

I wrote to both men and said, "Now that you and the rest of Alabama have been introduced to the twins perhaps you would like to meet the rest of me. I'll don my burka so y'all won't be offended and then perhaps we can discuss the other planks in my platform since you only covered one.

I have spoken to Mr. Ingram since then and and he assures me that he wrote the column but had nothing to do with the selection of the photo. He and I talked for about 20 minutes. I asked him why he had decided that I was a "just for the fun of it candidate" when he and I had never actually met or spoken. He said, "I have been in politics 55 years and I know what I am talking about. You are a one issue candidate."

I told him he couldn't possibly know that because he had never visited my campaign website. I knew this because they printed the wrong URL with the article. He admitted as much and asked me what else I stood for. By the time I was done he had changed his opinion of me somewhat and seemed to be impressed with my grasp of other critical issues we face in this state. He even agreed with me on many issues. He and I will talk again and he promised to call me next time he is writing either about me, drug policy or prisons for his column which appears weekly in over 40 Alabama newspapers.

I find it amazing that journalists often complain about the quality of candidates available to the voters, ask why the "tough issues" like prison reform aren't being addressed, complain about how politicians never actually say anything and don't seem to have positions on any issues and along I come, being the very thing that they claim to want in a politician and the first thing they do is try to trash me by showing a photo of me in a low-cut shirt.
Go Figure!!?

On Saturday, March 11, I was able to visit my brother Randy in prison for the first time in two years. Some of you will remember that the last time I attempted that myself and my sweet Christian mother were denied entry because we weren't wearing panties.

My brother was recently transferred to a work release camp that is closer to home than the last place he was in and has much more relaxed rules. The men live in doublewide trailers (although there are 50 people to a trailer and that has to be incredibly trying for even the most polite of people).

We had planned this visit a week in advance and last night my mother (God she is a riot!) called to remind me to wear panties. That incident has become something of a family joke.

The conversation went a little something like this.

"Hello"

"Hey it's mama. Y'all still plannin on goin tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I'm picking Teresa up at 9:45 in the morning." (Teresa is my brother's wife)

"Well, don't forget to put panties on."

"I won't mom. I'll probably have to go buy some...I don't think I own any."

"Well go to the dollar store and get you a pair."

"I'll wear panties mom...I can stop and get some at Wal-Mart in Sylacauga."

"Don't go to Wal-Mart they'll charge you four-dollars. Go to the dollar store."

"Mom there isn't a dollar store between here and there. I'll just stop at Wal-Mart and get some if I have to."

"No.... I'll just brang you a pair of mine."

(Oh Jesus)

"No mom really...I think I can spring four bucks for a pair of new panties...although I appreciate the offer. And by the way, YUCK!"

"Well...I only wear them to church on Sunday and only then to keep my dress from sticking in my behind...you know you never see a woman in stand up in church that don't reach back there."

Oh god, my mother is such a scream!!
She is so funny because she is being genuine when she says these things and she doesn't realize how hilarious the things she says and does are. I love her so much and dread the day that I no longer have her to brighten my life with little momisms like the one above. Bless her...she is precious.

So, anyway, I had arranged to pick up my sister-in-law in a little town called Millerville in Clay County. It is the county where I grew up. As usual I am always early. I strive to always be on time and really hate to be late to anything.
I had been sitting in the parking lot of a convenience store that is closed down for about 15 minutes when I see a Sheriff's car coming very slowly down the road. I know he is going to turn in and question me about sitting there so I just rolled down my window and waited for him to pull even with me.

I wasn't a bit scared. Clay County, Alabama is stil very much Mayberry, USA and a lot of the cops are lifelong residents with family histories going back generations. Everybody knows everybody and it ain't unheard of for the local cops to drive you home instead of giving you a DUI.

"Hi Deputy, how you doin' today?" (I recognized him...he has been a Clay County cop for a very long time. I couldn't recall his name though and couldn't see his tag.)

"I'm alright...say do you know anything about somebody fixin' to open this store back up? I saw somebody down here yesta-d and I was wonderin'."

"I don't know. I live in Alex City and I am waiting on my sister-in-law to meet me here."

"You got people here?"

"Yep. She lives in Cragford."

"What's her name?"

(I had to smile before I said her name as my sister-in-law and my brother have a very long history with Clay County law enforcement.)

"Ah...you'll recognize this one....you know her well..Teresa Sapp."

"Heh...yep I reckon we do know her pretty well. That means you Randy's sister."

"Yes."

"I always liked Randy. He always respected me and never gave me a minutes trouble. How is he doin' now?"

"Well, he's in prison again. We're actually going to visit him today at Childresburg Work Release."

"He in for drankin again?"

"Of course."

"So what are you doin' now?"

"I am running for Governor with the Libertarian Party."

"You for real?"

I reached in the back seat and grabbed one of my info cards (they are really nice) and passed it through his window to him.

We began to talk about the drug war and he said right off the top that marijuana should be regulated like alcohol and tobacco and that it causes no problems.

I told him only an honest cop will say that and he must be an honest cop.

I asked him what kinds of problems Clay County is having with meth and he said they were pretty bad. It is an extremely rural, remote and sparsely populated county. I asked him if he thought all of the new laws restricting the sale of cold medicine had had an effect and he said no. I then asked him if he thought enforcement was working and he said no. Then I asked him what he thought should be done.

"I think they should make penalties stiffer. People on that stuff get a slap on the wrist, or a fine or a few months in jail and get right back out and go right back to it. I say make it tougher on them."

"Well...look at all the enforcement that has gone into the drug war already. Has it worked?"

"No."

"Seems to me like it always morphs into something else."

He sat ther for a minute or so and then said,
"You know you're right. First we had cocaine, then crack and now meth."

"Did you know that you could get meth by prescription from a doctor?"

"You kiddin' me?"

"No sir. And here is what I think we should do. Open meth clinics...just like the ones they have for opiate addicts, and get them on a clean prescription dose. Then that gets them off the streets and the cook houses out of the neighborhoods. We could also offer treatment to them because as you said many drug users begin using drugs again once they get out of jail...so prison isn't a cure right?"

"That makes the most sense of anything I've heard so far."

He and I continued to discuss other political issues and in the end he looked at me and said,

"You make more sense than anyone I have heard in a long time. I'm voting for you. Tell your brother and your mom I said hello and I hope Randy gets to come home soon. All the luck to you in the election...I'll spread the word."

Wow!! It isn't often one can say they are glad to attract the attention of the law.

My sister-in-law arrived and we headed down to C'Burg to try and get past the guards and visit Randy. On arrival we spotted my mom and my other brother John. They came over to us and the first thing out of mom's mouth is, "Did you get you some panties?"

I thought for one horrified second before I could answer that she was about to pull a pair out of hers out of purse in front of God and everybody, but I was spared that humiliation.

"Yes mom...I got it covered."

We proceed up to the gate and get in line. We had been told to be there at 10:45. There were already a lot of people standing in line and after we had been standing there about 20 minutes a guard announced that they were cutting visits off until 11:30. We wound up not getting in until closer to 12 and my brother John, who recently spent six weeks on life support, got very sick having to stand in the sun for that long. It was hot too...about 85 and there was no shade and no where to sit down.

While standing in line some people behind us started talking about the relatives they were there to visit and one of them said their son was there because of pot. I listened to the story without turning around for a few minutes and then, when I could stand it no longer, I joined in. I introduced myself and told them I am running for Governor and that part of my platform is drug policy and prison reform.

The rest of the people waiting in line crowded around. There were about 100 people or so out there. I began to talk a little politics and before I knew it everyone was telling their story and they were all very similar. Non-violent drug offenders, failed piss-tests, couldn't pay the probation officer and so on. Outrageously long sentences. One guy has been in there for six years for a failed drug test.

Everyone wanted information about my campaign and so I told them I had info cards in my car. I said I would hand them out but only after we went in because I didn't want to piss off the guards and lose anyone their visitation for that day. This camp allows you to bring in food from the outside and I knew the delicious smells wafting from bags of KFC, Mickey D's and boxes from Pizza Hut must be maddening to the prisoners and to be denied after being subjected to the smell would be a terrible thing.

Finally we were allowed in. I was prepared to proudly show my drawers to the guard but all she wanted was my keys, ID and sunglasses. In effect, I had donned those offensive things for nothing. I gave her the items she requested and she placed them in a box, gave me a number and told us to enjoy our visit. Not even a pat down. I was pleasantly surprised to be treated like a free human instead of an inmate. What a change.

It was really great to see my brother. He looks good and is doing well. He has a good job and will have good insurance for him and his wife in 30 days. He wants to come home of course, and we all want him home..but where he is now beats where he was a few months ago by a long country mile.

We were able to take folding chairs outside the fence and sit in the shade.
While we were visiting Randy mentioned the panty incident. Some of you will remember that in the aftermath of that story a bunch of women from all over the US and Canada all bought panties and mailed them to Elmore Correctional with notes saying "These are spares...please keep them for the next time someone shows up to visit their loved one without any on."

Although I had gotten an acknowledgement from the DOC spokesman that some panties were received, I never knew just how many of my fellow girly girls actually sent a pair. Randy told me that a few weeks after all of that happened he asked one of the female kitchem employees he had made friends with at Elmore about it. She said she hadn't heard anything but would check it out that night when she clocked out.

As it turns out there were many hundreds of pairs of panties sent in to Elmore Correctional.
So thank ya Girls for that awesome stunt!! It will not soon be forgotten.

We were able to visit for about two and a half hours and it was a very pleasant day. After two years it was really good to see my brother and to see him looking so well. I hope he comes up for parole soon and is allowed to go home. My mom needs help taking care of my other brother who is still very sick.

At 2:30 the guards announced that time was up and everyone began to make their way to the guard office to retrieve their keys and ID. Then they all went out and waited for me to get my info cards. I wound up giving out over 100 cards and 20 yard signs at the prison camp.
I think I will make work camps regular campaign stops. I don't have to win over the people standing in those visiting line....I simply need to inform them that I am here.

All in all it was a day well spent.

Here is what I have coming up in the next month.

On Tuesday March 13, I will be meeting with a writer for High Times in Montgomery to be interviewed for an article covering my campaign.

On Saturday March 17, I will be speaking at a fundraiser in Atlanta being hosted by Georgians Opposed to Prohibition.

On April 8, the Alabama Libertarian Party will be holding their annual convention where I am hoping to officially receive their nomination to run for Governor. Please join us if you are an Alabama resident and interested in casting your vote to confirm my nomination. Information about the convention is available at the above link.

On April 21, I will be participating in the Alabama Parent Teacher Assoc. Gubernatorial Candidates Forum.

On April 28, I will be speaking to the Alabama Forest Owners Association during their "Candidate Meet & Greet".

On April 30, the airwaves open up to candidates for campaign advertisements. Please make a donation to ensure as many Alabamians as possible hear my message of sanity and plans for a better future.

I will also need contributions to continue printing campaign materials such as signs, info cards and flyers as well as money for travel expenses to get to all of the upcoming events I have on my plate and the ones that will come up at the last minute.

So far, with your generous contributions, I have had over 300 campaign signs printed, over 1500 info cards printed and 5000 business cards printed. This money also goes to pay for the website and office expenses such as paper, ink, stamps, envelopes, phone and internet. Every penny you send helps me meet basic operating costs and ensures that I will continue to be a viable candidate in this election and that the opposition will be continually forced to address issues that they would otherwise never be pressed publicly on. It's a BEAUTIFUL thing.

This is how change happens and progress is made. Please do what you can to ensure that change and progress continue to be made in Alabama, one of the places where it is needed most.

Your Compatriot in the Fight for Liberty,
Loretta Nall

Friday, March 10, 2006

Join Us For International Women's Day

From the Alabama chapter of NOW
Please join us tomorrow in Montgomery, Alabama.

For Immediate Release Contact Kim Adams, 205-387-2368
March 7, 2006 President, Alabama NOW
alabamanow@hotmail.com
Local Contact:
Cheryl Sabel, Acting President, Montgomery NOW
(334) 303-4456

SPEAK OUT FOR WOMEN
JOIN ALABAMA National Organization for Women (NOW)
IN CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
Where: Capital Steps, Montgomery
When: March 11, 2006
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.


Since 1975, March 8 has been celebrated as International Women's Day, “to commemorate the historic struggle to improve women's lives.” It is celebrated around the world at local and national levels.

The theme of International Women's Day for 2006, "Women in decision-making: meeting challenges, creating change," is central to the advancement of women around the world, and to the progress of humankind as a whole.

Join Alabama National Organization for Women as we celebrate International Women’s Day by speaking out for women.

Featured speakers include: Dr. Entisar Mohammad Ariabi, who will talk about the deteriorating health care system in Iraq. Dr. Ariabi arrived in the U.S. on March 5th with a delegation of Iraqi women who want to tell their stories to the American public and urge U.S. and U.N. officials to create a peace plan to end the escalating cycle of violence. Dr. Ariabi is a pharmacist at the Yarmook Teaching Hospital in Baghdad, where she lives with her husband and five children. She is involved in providing medical and food emergency relief to families in villages and towns devastated by war. She is especially concerned about the lack of medicines and medical supplies and destruction of hospitals.

Other speakers and topics include Dr. Mike Wilson, Associate Professor of Sociology, UAB, "What We Are Facing and Why We Need to Get Serious about It"; Monica Ramirez, Southern Poverty Law Center, Project Director, Esperanza: The Immigrant Women’s Legal Initiative, gender discrimination against immigrant women; Barbara Evans, Alabama Watch, poverty and its impact on women and children; Ekta Saroha will relate the story of a Pakistani heroine; Trish O’Kane, Loyola University, impacts of Hurricane Katrina; Jenny Ingram, violence against women in U.S. and throughout the world; Sharon Tounzen, Huntsville NOW, mother and children’s rights in Alabama; Joshua Frazier, Amnesty International, treatment of female prisoners; Jill Bates, Alabama Equality Board Member, equal marriage/lesbian rights/the hate crimes bill; Georgette Norman, Director, Troy University Rosa Parks Museum, racism; Joi Miner, sexual assault; Lillian Zaworski, Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Letter to Bob Martin and Bob Ingram

I sent the following letter to both Bob's who partook in the tacky stunt of discussing my breasts in public.

Dear Mr. Martin,

Earlier this week it came to my attention that you had supplied a photo of me for use in Mr. Bob Ingram's column. While I missed the first column I happened to catch the second one containing Mr. Ingrams apparent surprise at discovering the fact that I have breasts. GASP!

"Allow me to express a personal note of appreciation to Bob Martin, the editor of this newspaper, for finding a picture of gubernatorial
candidate Loretta Nall to run with my column last week. I am sure it attracted a lot of readers.
In 55 years of political writing, that was a first for me—-a picture in my column of a woman displaying cleavage. I can only hope that my mother...and I know for a fact where she ended in the after life...didn’t see that column. She wouldn’t have approved of that picture."

It was quite shocking to me to see my breasts being discussed in the context of my gubernatorial election campaign and by a highly respected political columnist.
Why, I'm even thinking of changing my campaign slogan to "Less Bob....More Boob!"

I stopped by your office yesterday morning in hopes of discussing this matter with you in person but you were not in yet. I purchased a copy of the paper to see what all the uproar was about and discovered the photo you had used was from at least two years ago and on a website that has nothing to do with my campaign.

While I am in no way ashamed of the photo, a little cleavage never hurt anyone after all, I have to question your decisions of not contacting me for a photo and using information from a website other than my campaign website, which is located at http://www.nallforgovernor.com .

I also question why you chose that particular photo out of about 200 available on the internet, many of which were more suitable for the political nature of the article in which the photo appeared. It doesn't seem to be a decision that a person of your journalistic credibility and background would make.

On the up side, my web traffic has been through the roof....I guess nothing drives people to website quite like a shot at seeing some high profile boobies. If nothing else, you have secured me the "horny guy" vote that exists among your readers.

I left a phone message with Mr. Ingram to discuss the column with me but he has not called back. He might be tough with a pen and paper but apparently he is no match for a set of boobs.

I'd like the opportunity to dispel the myth being perpetuated in the media that I am a one issue candidate and that my campaign, as Mr. Ingram so ignorantly opined, is merely for fun. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is very little that is fun about opening your entire life to the public for a fine-tooth-comb inspection. I wonder if either of you have ever dared the same undertaking?

While Mr. Ingram seemed to imply that my campaign is whimsical and self-indulgent, Alabama's current prison crisis says otherwise. It is an issue that makes headlines almost daily and negatively affects tens of thousands of Alabamians. Everyone in the state knows this and trying to diminish the seriousness of my campaign by showing my cleavage is tacky, disrespectful and more of a bad mark against your journalistic credibility than the credibility of my campaign. At the very least, you both owe to your readers the facts that I never sent you that photo and you never asked me if it was ok to use it nor did you request another one. You should also apologize to your female readers for engaging in such a sexist stunt.

I'd like to extend the following invitation to both of you.
Now that you and the rest of Alabama have been introduced to "the twins" perhaps you'd like to meet the rest of me.
I'll don my Burka, so y'all won't be distracted, and perhaps we can discuss the other planks in my platform, since Mr. Ingram saw fit to only discuss one.

Feel free to print my letter and also pass it along to Mr. Ingram as I have been unable to locate anything other than a phone number for him. I hope to hear from both of you very soon and I hope that you both appreciate that thus far I have maintained my sense of humor about this incident. Here's hoping you will both be gentlemen and do the right thing.

In Liberty,
Loretta Nall
http://www.nallforgovernor.com
Vote Nall Y'all...It's Just Common Sense
cnall1@charter.net
251-650-2271

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Gee...Guess I'll don my Burka



Apparently Alabama's premiere political columnist ran a picture of me in his column last week in which I was showing cleavage.

Allow me to express a personal note of appreciation to Bob Martin, the editor of this newspaper, for finding a picture of gubernatorial
candidate Loretta Nall to run with my column last week. I am sure it attracted a lot of readers.

In 55 years of political writing, that was a first for me—-a picture in my column of a woman displaying cleavage. I can only hope that my mother...and I know for a fact where she ended in the after life...didn’t see that column. She wouldn’t have approved of that picture.


Not sure what is wrong with cleavage as all women have it....even Bob Ingram's mom had it surely. Additionally, any picture taken before September 29, 2005 was not actually for campaign purposes.

It would be ever so nice if Mr. Ingram had instead contacted me about a photo to run with his column, which I only learned about through this column and have yet to read.

I guess maybe it is time to release the "Every naughty-girl thing I ever did" book to the media so people like Mr. Ingram won't have to waste time digging for what I would readily tell them if only they would bother to ask.

On the up side my web traffic has been through the roof....I guess nothing drives people to website quite like a shot at seeing some high profile boobies.

If I ever get Mr. Ingrams contact information I think I'll start by saying,
"Now that you and the rest of Alabama have been introduced to the twins perhaps you'd like to meet the rest of me."

Mr. Ingram, if you are reading this please contact me at your earliest convenience.

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Judicial panel urges sides in felon voting rights suit to settle

The Birmingham News

A panel of three judges presiding over a lawsuit involving whether some felons have a right to vote encouraged both sides in the case Tuesday to try to settle the issue.

The suit, filed in December by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, contends that Alabama Secretary of State Nancy Worley and some county registrars are violating Alabama’s constitution by requiring all felons to apply to the Board of Pardons and Paroles to have voting rights restored. The NAACP argues the state constitution provides that people convicted of certain felonies such as DUI and drug possession that do not involve moral turpitude — unlike rape, robbery or murder — do not lose their voting rights and do not need to apply for an eligibility certificate from the board.

Charles Wilson, a visiting judge with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, asked if there have been negotiations to end the case without going to trial.

“It looks like a case where settlement ought to be possible,” Wilson said during a pre-trial conference in Birmingham’s federal court with William Acker Jr. and Lynwood Smith Jr., both district court federal judges.

But plaintiffs lawyers said past settlement talks with lawyers for the defendants, which include Worley and voter registrars in Jefferson and Houston counties, already have been unsuccessful.

“It’s not been fruitful,” Edward Still, a Birmingham lawyer handling the suit locally.

Monday, March 06, 2006

Death of a Friend

Roberta Franklin just informed me that her son Damon died
this morning at 3:30

She said he woke up hemorraging from his eyes, ears, nose and mouth and that he died in front of her.
I'll be going down today to help her get through this.
I've lost a child and there is simply no worse thing on earth for a mother to go through.

Please send her an email or give her a call at 334-220-4670 and let her know you are thinking about her.
If you are the praying kind I'd recommend that as well.

Roberta was suppossed to turn herself in today to begin her prison sentence. I only hope they have the compassion to let her bury her baby first.

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Reflections on Selma Experience

Dear Readers,

A very pleasant and exciting surprise came my way last week when on Thursday I received an unexpected invitation to address the Alabama Conference of Black Mayors in historic Selma, Al during the annual celebration and reenactment of Bloody Sunday. The four Democratic contenders for Governor were also in attandance and gave addresses as well.

There were no Republican contenders in attendance. I have confirmed that they were invited to attend.

I arrived and two of my supporters were already in attendance as well as three people I work with on drug policy and prison issues. It was good to see some familiar faces in the room. I placed my things at the table with my supporters and set up my camera. Also at this table was Harry Lyon an attorney and frequent candidate for public office and his girlfriend. I had some oversize postcards with me to distribute and Harry's girlfriend picked one up and began to read it. When it dawned on her who I was she looked at Harry and said, "I've been with you ten years, you are a wonderful man and I love you...but I am voting for Loretta." I must say that was a hell of a way to start the day.

I began to place my cards on every table in the room and suddenly a young white man comes up to me and says, "You're the candidate that wants to change the drug laws...I saw your front page article in the Huntsville Times and I agree with you and plan to vote for you...by the way I am the campaign manager for (name left blank to protect the job of this gentleman)."


I must say I was floored that in the space of five minutes I had stolen the support of a longtime girlfriend of one democratic candidate and the campaign manager of another. That sort of thing does a great deal for ones confidence.

Soon it was time to take my seat at the head table. Mr. Nathan Mathis who is also a democratic contender was seated next to me. I have to say I like the guy. A big hearty fellow who is a peanut farmer in South Alabama. He had a great sense of humor and he and I shared a number of laughs as the day unfolded. He gave an entertaining speech as well.

Current Lt. Governor Lucy Baxley made her way to the table and, if I may say so, looked genuinely surprised and a tad put out to find that I was in attendance. I introduced myself and said that it was nice to meet her, which it really was. She is an important woman in Alabama politics and just because I am running against her doesn't mean that I do not respect the work she has done to get where she is. Alabama politics don't have a reputation for being overly welcoming to women and she certainly has my respect for her accomplishments. I still intend to beat her pants off come November 7, 2006 though. I think that may be much easier to do due to her remark at the beginning of her speech that referred to the event as a "variety show". How incredibly arrogant and distasteful. I heard afterwards that many in attendance were very unhappy about that remark and that she lost points for thinking she deserves more respect and consideration when the guest list is compiled.

After lunch was served the event began in earnest when former Governor Don Siegelman was called to the mic. Former Gov. Siegelman has the bad habit of claiming in the media that he already has the black vote, which I find to be snide, disrespectful and condescending to the black community. While it is true that he has a history of black community support that does not mean that they will support him this time around. He is in a lot of trouble and while I will not pass judgement on his innocence or guilt that trouble is looking more and more like excess baggage that will prevennt him from winning the Democratic party nomination.

Don's speech was sad to me. Disrespectful too. He seemed to be trying to pull off a white boy version of the "I Have A Dream Speech" while throwing out things like "Every Alabamian has a right to a good job" whatever the hell that means and talking about how "the struggle goes on." Don Siegelman has never personally known human struggle in his life, and especially not the kind that African Americans endured in the South during the civil rights movement. To imply that his "struggle" to beat the second round of indictments against him in any way compares to theirs is the height of disrespect, in my humble opinion.

Next up was yours truly. Being that I only received the invitation the day before the event I did not have much time to prepare what I would say to this very important and distinguished group of black leaders. Since this weekend is such a special time that deals specifically with voting rights and the struggle to obtain them I decided I would focus solely on how the drug war has stripped voting rights away from many African Americans and how they need to join in the fight to get them back.

The text and video of my speech and others speeches is located HERE. I wasn't really nervous until it was my turn, then all of a sudden my gut knotted and the temp in the room seemed to rise 20 degrees and the gravity and importance of the situation finally sank in.

Here I am, for the first time being given equal time with those considered to be "major candidates" in this election, about to address a room of roughly 300 politically active African American Alabamians 54 of which are current mayors in places like Birmingham, Mobile, Selma and Tuskeegee. Wow! I am humbled and awed.

I know that what I am about to say will not be anything at all like what the other candidates there will say and in fact may be something only two or three people in the room have ever heard anything like before. I knew that my words had to leave an impression and that I had to shock them if I could. And I think I achieved that if nothing else. When the other candidates speak there is laughter and interaction from the audience. Generally that is included in my speaking as well but not this time. When I spoke the room was so slient you could hear a pin drop. I was nervous and could not get the shake out of my voice. Looking back at it now I think the nervousness I displayed could be seen as a sign of respect to those I was addressing. I also get emotional near the end of the speech when I begin talking about the Christmas for Kids of the Incarcerated event and the thousands of little kids whose parents are in prison.
That deserves some emotion if you ask me.

When I was done loud, extended applause broke out. I must say the silence throughout the speech had me a little scared about whether there would be any clapping when I was done. I hadn't come with pork chops around my neck, nor with a hundred empty promises of things I would give away if elected. I came with the message that there is serious trouble afoot and that the civil rights leaders of the past would not have stood for what the drug war has done to the black community and that if they really cherish their voting rights then they, as black leaders, have a lot of work to do.

Next up was Mr. Mathis whose sole campaign is to legalize lottery and casino gambling. He promised to allow black people to own four casinos out of fifteen. My question is "Why only four and how come he gets to decide who owns what in a free-market?" He also stated that he would use some of the money collected in taxes from casinos to build more prisons. He had balls to get up and say that after what I just said.

After Mr. Mathis it was Mr. Lyon's turn and the only thing that stuck with me from his speech is how he wants to implement mandatory student drug testing for all high-school students and send them through the court system if they fail a drug test. I began to shake my head NO at that point and tuned the rest of his talk out.

Finally it was Lt. Governor Baxley's turn and her speech consisted of her being a farm girl, a good Christian, a successful politician with nothing embarassing on her track record and a liberal in the example of Jesus Christ. She didn't really say what her plans for Alabama are but asked for the support of the black community as we all did.

And then it was done. As I exited the building many older people in attendance approached me and told me how wonderful it was to hear my words and to really shake up the people in attandance and remind them what voting rights are all about. They wanted information cards and a few even wanted campaign signs which I gladly gave them.

Later that night after I returned home I called a black minister friend of mine who was in attendance and asked him what his perspective on my speech was. He said, "Girl you kicked them in the mind....they're not used to a white woman saying what you said and you made each and every one of the black leaders today think. They won't forget you soon and after today you might well gain enough black support to win this election."

I am honored to have been asked to address the Alabama Conference of Black Mayors and I hope to be working with them a great deal in the future. Even if they do not vote for me I hope that they took my words to heart and will become more active in preserving and restoring the right to vote.

Saturday, March 04, 2006

Video of Loretta's & Other Candidates Speeches to Black Mayors Conference



On March 3, 2006 in histroic Selma, Alabama, Loretta Nall and the four Democratic contenders for Governor addressed the Alabama Black Mayor's Conference.

Watch the video HERE (windows media file - 38 minutes)

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Nall to Address Alabama African American Mayors Association

I just received the following in my email and I have accepted.

Please accept this e-mail as an invitation to speak to a group of African American mayors from across the state of Alabama on tomorrow, March 3,2006 at 12 Noon in Selma, Alabama.
We apologize for the lateness of this correspondence,however, we just learned that you were running for governor.

Former Governor Don Siegeleman, Lt. Governor Lucy Baxley, Mr. Nathan Mathis and
Attorney Harry Lyon will be in attendance.


This weekend is the annual "March Across Edmund Pettus Bridge" re-enactment
in Selma and civil rights leaders from across Alabama and the nation
will be in attendance.

All of the Democratic hopefuls will be in attendance as well.
We will each have 10-15 minutes to speak.

This event will take place on Friday March 3 beginning at 12 noon at
the Selma Convention Center located at 211 Washingtoin St. in downtown
Selma. The event is open to the public.

A much-needed scolding

The Birmingham News
Thursday, March 02, 2006

Every now and then, a good scolding is a good thing. Stern words from a parent to a misbehaving child may be just what's needed, short of the woodshed, to convey the message that enough is enough. Government, too, sometimes needs to be told it isn't doing what it should be doing.

Tuesday, a state judge overseeing a jail crowding case sent the Alabama Department of Corrections a much-needed, strong message. Montgomery County Circuit Judge William Shashy dressed down prison officials for not using more than 800 empty slots in work-release centers to make room for 600 state prisoners sitting in county jails in violation of a 2002 court order. Under that order, the state is supposed to pick up newly convicted prisoners within 30 days.

"What I see is 800 beds we're not using. ... There's something wrong with this picture," Shashy said.

State prison officials' response was less than satisfactory. New prisons Commissioner Richard Allen said inmates can't be transferred to work release centers unless they are considered a low security risk. The vast majority of inmates in prisons and jails are not.

Even granting Allen that point, he was unconvincing. There are more than 27,000 prisoners under the Department of Corrections' supervision. It's hard to believe prison officials can't find 600 inmates who aren't security risks.

What's easier to believe is that the state isn't taking its obligation under the court order seriously enough.

Certainly, prisons are overcrowded. They have twice as many inmates as they are designed to hold, and the prison population is growing by more than 100 a month.

The answer, though, isn't to dump prisons' problems onto the counties. But that's exactly what the state is doing in leaving prisoners in county lockups longer than they should - and, with it, shifting the costs of housing and feeding the prisoners to the counties as well.

Long term, the state must create more space for prisoners or slow the number of prisoners flooding into prisons through alternatives such as drug treatment and community corrections.

Short term, the state needs to find ways to live up to its legal obligations.

With more than 800 free beds in work-release centers going unused even as more than 600 prisoners wait in county jails beyond the court-imposed time limit, it doesn't look like prison officials are trying very hard.

If strong words by the judge don't get prison officials' attention, maybe it is time to take them to the woodshed.


That's a great "woodshed" line. I have not yet met Mr. Allen and truthfully I was holding out hope that he would come into the prison system and actually help to fix things.

But, like the B'Ham News, I do not believe for one nano-second that 600 prisoners in 27,000 cannot be found to fill the work release beds. Considering that 500 Alabama citizens a year are sent to prison for simple possession of marijuana I dare say there are THOUSANDS of people in prison who could fill those beds.

Give them rehab, not jail, preacher urges

Thursday, March 02, 2006
By PATRICIA C. McCARTER
Huntsville Times
Contact Patricia Mccarter

Forum addresses issue of nonviolent drug offenders

Bob Harrison is a businessman; he doesn't have a background in law enforcement or drug treatment.

But the Madison County commissioner grew interested in drug rehab versus incarceration for nonviolent drug offenders when he studied the county's budget for corrections.

"We spend $15 million every year to lock up 900 people, with most of them drug offenders," Harrison said Wednesday morning at a two-day forum about ex-felons assimilating back into society.

That's more money per person than it would cost to attend a good college, the commissioner said.

"Then when they leave our jail, we give them $14 and a bus ticket," he said.

"Look at the numbers. We here today might not know what will work, but we do know what hasn't. This isn't working."

A man with a scarred face and a minister's collar told the gathering what will work. The Rev. Kenneth Glasgow, who said he had an 18-year crack cocaine addiction and a decade of jail time for drug dealing and thievery, said the key is for people to show they care about the incarcerated.

"It trips me out how we all go to church and say we love Jesus, but we aren't producing anything," said Glasgow, director of a prison/homeless ministry in Dothan. "How can you call yourself a productive citizen if you aren't producing citizens?"

Glasgow, who hatched the idea to form The Ordinary People's Society, or TOPS, while still in prison, said getting sent to prison in Florida was the best thing that could've happened to him because Florida had rehabilitation programs. In an Alabama prison, he said, "I would've rotted."

Glasgow began crying as he implored the 25 people in attendance to get involved. He told them to write or visit prisoners, ask them what they need and work to get laws changed so that drug offenders get treatment instead of jail time.

"You've been to college," he said. "Got those degrees. Sitting up in church hollering, 'Hallelujah!' ... and letting folks rot in jail.

"They're crying out to you. Where are you?"