AL Tour: Advocates Launch Historic Drive to Register Eligible Voters

For Immediate Release: Contact: Rev. Ken Glasgow 334-791-2433
Gabriel Sayegh 646-335-2264
September 15, 2008
Advocates Launch Historic Drive to Register Eligible Alabama Voters, Including Those Convicted of Felony Drug Possession

Families, Formerly Incarcerated People, Religious Leaders, Treatment and Sentencing Experts Declare: Don’t Criminalize People with Drug Problems, Provide Treatment and Restoration

Voter Drive to Include Town Hall Events in Five Cities across Alabama:
“Voter Disfranchisement and the War On Drugs:
What’s Civil Right’s Got to Do With It?”

In Alabama, nearly 250,000 people have been stripped their voting rights due to a felony conviction. But in a 2006 court ruling in Alabama, a judge found that only those persons convicted of felonies of “moral turpitude” lose their right to vote. The judge found that certain felonies—such as drug possession—do not constitute crimes of moral turpitude, and therefore individuals convicted of those crimes do not lose their right to vote, even during incarceration.

Alabama-based The Ordinary People’s Society and their national partner the Drug Policy Alliance estimate that over 50,000 people convicted of non-moral turpitude felonies in Alabama have been wrongly denied their right to vote, or believe they do not have that right due to a conviction. An additional 6 – 7,000 more people currently incarcerated in Alabama state prisons may also be eligible to vote.

Join Dothan-based The Ordinary People’s Society and their national partner the Drug Policy Alliance on their statewide tour to discuss Alabama’s drug war and its impact on democracy.

What: “Voter Disfranchisement and the War On Drugs: What’s Civil Right’s Got to Do With It?”

When: 9/15 – 9/19. Each event begins at 6 p.m .
Where: 9/15 in Huntsville; 9/16 in Birmingham; 9/17 in Mobile; 9/18 in Dothan; 9/19 in Montgomery. Each event begins at 6 p.m. Call for event locations.

Who: Rev. Kenneth Glasgow. Founder and Executive Director, The Ordinary People’s Society (TOPS). (Dothan, AL)
Daris Johnson. Director, TOPS Young People’s Project. (Enterprise, AL)
Gabriel Sayegh. Director, Organizing and Policy Project, Drug Policy Alliance (New York, NY)

Alabama is facing a crisis. The state has the 6th highest rate of incarceration in the U.S. A prison system designed for 12,500 people now holds nearly 30,000. As a result of the drug war, non-violent drug offenses make up approximately 30% of all felony convictions in Alabama, and people convicted of non-violent drug and property offenses comprise nearly half of the state’s prison population. Nearly 50% of prisoners are serving prison time for a drug related crime. And over 250,000 people are barred from voting due to felony disfranchisement laws. A recent court ruling, however, found that people convicted of drug possession, among other offenses, do not lose their right to vote. This change could have an impact on nearly 70,000 Alabamians, including nearly 10,000 currently incarcerated in state prisons.

While drug use is equal across all racial groups, Black people are incarcerated for drug crimes at higher rates than whites. Blacks make up only 26% of Alabama’s population, but are nearly 60% of the prison population. And for every white person in an Alabama jail, there are about 4 Black people.

Alabama is spending millions to incarcerate people when treatment is more effective and far cheaper. The average cost to keep a person in prison in Alabama is almost $13,000 per year. The average cost of a full treatment program per client is approximately $4,300. Over time, the savings from treatment are significant: Studies by the RAND Corporation have shown that every additional dollar invested in substance abuse treatment saves taxpayers $7.46 in societal costs.

“We’ve got to start restoring people’s lives, by providing treatment, by restoring the right to vote,” said Reverend Kenneth Glasgow, Executive Director of The Ordinary People’s Society and state coordinator of the New Bottom Line Campaign. “When a person get’s a felony conviction, they can lose more than their voting rights, they can lose public assistance, public housing, financial aid for school. The drug war became a war on people and we spend more on incarceration than on treatment. Why do we spend more on producing criminals than producing citizens? We need a new bottom line.”


In 2005, according to the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services, the substance abuse statistics for the state of Alabama stated:

Alcohol
• 246,000 people had alcohol dependency
• Total admissions for alcohol rehabilitation and treatment was 2,427
• Less than 1% (actually.009%) of Alabamians received treatment for alcohol

Other Drug Abuse
• 113,000 people had drug dependency other than alcohol
• Total admissions for drug rehabilitation and treatment was 12,645
• 11% of those needing treatment were provided with treatment


The New York Times

March 2, 2008 Sunday

Fighting to Regain Right Some Felons Never Lost

BYLINE: By SHAILA DEWAN

LENGTH: 1200 words

DATELINE: DOTHAN, Ala.


The Rev. Kenneth Glasgow, onetime criminal and founder of a ministry called
The Ordinary People Society, spent years helping people with criminal records
regain the right to vote in Alabama, where an estimated 250,000 people are
prohibited from voting because of past criminal activity.

Then he discovered that many of them had never actually lost the right.

Because of a quirk in its Constitution, Alabama disqualifies from voting
only those who have committed a ''felony involving moral turpitude.'' Those who
have committed other felonies -- like marijuana possession or drunken driving --
can cast ballots even if they are still in prison, according to the state
attorney general.

But it has been slow work cajoling public officials to enforce and
publicize the law. Until Friday, the secretary of state's Web site advised,
incorrectly, that those with any kind of felony conviction could not register
unless they had served their time and their right to vote had been restored by
the Board of Pardons and Paroles.

Because neither the Legislature nor the attorney general has offered a
definitive list of crimes involving moral turpitude, there is no way of knowing
how many inmates are eligible to vote. But state agencies generally agree that
those convicted of drug possession -- at least 3,000 of Alabama's 29,000 prison
inmates and thousands more on probation -- are eligible. Most felons and former
felons, however, assume that they have lost the right to vote.

''This is an issue that's never come up before,'' said Richard F. Allen,
the commissioner of corrections. ''I would think that if there were any latent
feeling out there that they wanted to vote, they would have expressed it by
now.''

Mr. Glasgow, who is the half-brother of a far less obscure crusader based
in New York, the Rev. Al Sharpton, believes that not only do inmates and former
convicts want to vote, but also that their ballots could alter the political
landscape in this Republican-leaning state, adding that his group has
registered more than 500 people by visiting a handful of county jails.

''There would be a lot of difference in our legislators, our elected
officials and our presidents that we've had,'' he said. ''It would definitely
change the political spectrum of Alabama.''

Republicans agree. They railed against a statute passed in 2003 that made
it easier for some former felons to regain their voting rights by side-stepping
a lengthy and backlogged pardon process.

''There's no more anti-Republican bill than this,'' said Marty Connors, the
chairman of the state Republican Party, according to news reports at the time.
''As frank as I can be, we're opposed to it because felons don't tend to vote
Republican.''

In the two years after the 2003 statute took effect, more than 5,500 former
felons had their rights restored, and interest in the November presidential
election is running high, said Sarah Still, manager of the pardons department.
In January, Ms. Still received more than 280 applications for voting rights, up
from an average of 140 a month last fall.

Nationally, 5.3 million people are barred from voting because of their
criminal history, according to a 2004 estimate cited by the Sentencing Project,
a criminal justice policy group. In the last decade, as criminals who were swept
into prison during the drug war have been released and the difficulty of
re-integrating them into society has become clear, at least 16 states have made
it easier for former felons to vote.

But in the South, where restrictions on former convicts are among the most
severe and in many cases date to Jim Crow laws, there have been fewer changes.
Last Monday the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit in protest of a 2006
Tennessee law that requires former convicts to pay back child support before
regaining the right to vote. In Alabama, the Republican attorney general, Troy
King, has proposed a constitutional amendment that would delete the moral
turpitude clause, prohibiting all felons from voting.

Though he is an active Democrat, Mr. Glasgow, 42, says his main goal is not
to aid his party but to help former inmates become productive members of
society.

But for most of his own life he was hardly an exemplar of civic engagement.
Mr. Sharpton, in his memoir, ''Go and Tell Pharaoh,'' says his parents'
marriage was wrecked when his father, Al Sharpton Sr., had an affair with his
mother's teenage daughter from a previous marriage, resulting in the birth of
Kenneth.

By the time Kenneth was a teenager, his mother had taken him to her
hometown, Dothan, Ala., where he began to get in trouble for selling drugs,
became addicted to crack cocaine and did time in Alabama and Florida for armed
robbery and other crimes.

It was during his longest stint in prison, nine years, that the genes of
activism and oratory that run in Mr. Glasgow's family emerged and he began to
preach. When he was released in 2001, the bondsman who had repeatedly bailed him
out of jail became treasurer of The Ordinary People Society and paid for Mr.
Glasgow to attend seminary.

Mr. Glasgow opened a soup kitchen, held church services under a white tent
and began to help former convicts like Anna Reynolds, a recovering addict,
regain the right to vote -- a process often made onerous by the moral-turpitude
clause.

As a legal concept, moral turpitude refers to conduct that would be immoral
even if it were not illegal, unlike, say, speeding. The delegates to the 1901
constitutional convention who used the term also took away voting rights for
other infractions that they believed blacks were more likely to commit, like
wife beating, adultery and vagrancy. In 1985 the United States Supreme Court
struck down most of the law on the grounds that it was racially discriminatory,
but the moral-turpitude clause remained.

Most officials in Alabama were unaware of the clause until 2005, when it
came to light after a man on probation tried to vote in St. Clair County. The
parole board requested clarification, and the attorney general responded with an
incomplete categorization of felonies based largely on previous court decisions.

The opinion leaves a large gray area, said Ms. Still of the pardons
department. It says, for example, that rape is a crime of moral turpitude and
that assault is not, but offers no clarification on variations like statutory
rape or assault with intent to kill.

The parole board settled on a policy of treating drug possession and drunk
driving as crimes devoid of moral turpitude, but that has not put an end to the
confusion, Mr. Glasgow said.

Initially Ms. Reynolds, 52, was told by the local registrar that she could
not vote because of a conviction for drug possession. She applied to the parole
board, which told her that it could not restore her right to vote because she
had never lost it. Finally, The Ordinary People Society helped cut through the
red tape.

On Feb. 5, Ms. Reynolds stood outside the public library handing out sample
ballots before casting her own. ''Voting, that's part of getting back to normal
life,'' she said. ''I've been out of the loop for a long time, and it was good
to have help getting back into the loop.''

MOOOOOOOOOO!

CHICAGO (AFP) -

Republican vice presidential pick Sarah Palin faced accusations Sunday of handing jobs to friends while serving as Alaska state governor, as the presidential campaign grew increasingly negative.

The New York Times reported that Palin had given the 95,000-dollar-a-year directorship of the state division of agriculture to a high school classmate, Franci Havemeister, who cited her childhood love of cows as a qualification for running the agency.

By Gum...Now Here's A Weird One For You

Me and Alabama State Senator Hank Erwin (R)- Montevallo. Hank Erwin is my nemisis in Alabama politics.

Palin vs. Nall

ALModerate has up a post comparing how I handled 'sexism' in my campaign with how the McCain/Palin ticket has handled 'sexism'. I'd thought about posting something similar but she beat me to it.

Palin vs. Nall GO READ IT!

Here is the video of my appearance on Countdown with Keith Olbermann back during the 2006 election.



Here's how the McCain campaign handled percieved sexism from the Obama campaign.



I swear none of these people are creative and apparently do not possess a sense of humor.

LIARS!

Remember a few days ago when I posted about the Prichard inmate who was beaten to death? Well, in the first couple of articles the cops at the jail said Mr. McDevitt died after he was punched once and hit his head when he fell. The hospital says otherwise....waaaaaaaaaaaaay otherwise.

Mobile Press-Register

Frank Travis McDevitt was treated for multiple brain injuries, a skull fracture, a dislocated rib and three crushed vertebrae after an Aug. 31 altercation in the Prichard jail, according to medical information provided by the man's mother.

Officials say that those injuries, which proved to be fatal, were caused when another inmate delivered a single punch to McDevitt's face that knocked him down and caused him to hit his head.

McDevitt's mother, Marie-Reine McDevitt, said she doesn't believe her 42-year-old son's injuries could have possibly been caused by a single punch.

"I just don't know what to think. But it just doesn't seem possible," said McDevitt, who showed a reporter a description of the injuries for which her son was treated at the University of South Alabama Medical Center.

I'm with mom. It would be near impossible to get those kinds of extensive injuries from a single punch and a fall...unless you fell down a flight of stairs. No stairs have been mentioned in connection with this death (MURDER).

And another interesting thing....

The current charge against Watson (the other inmate who supposedly delivered the fatal punch) is based on evidence presented by Prichard police, who reported that McDevitt was hit only once, Tyson said.

Prichard Chief Lawrence Battiste didn't return a call to his cell phone Thursday afternoon, nor did he respond to an e-mail asking him to explain what evidence he had to support the official "one punch" account of the altercation.

Tyson said Prichard didn't present any video evidence of the altercation.

So, the cops say that there was only one punch, but presented no video evidence of that and now the chief of Police won't return phone calls or emails asking him to explain this guys injuries. Hmmmmmmm.....one can't help but wonder if the cops didn't beat the guy and then offer the other inmate some sort of special treatment or favor to take the wrap...or perhaps they enjoyed watching Mr. McDevitt get beat to death and didn't do anything to break up the fight. Either way they are complicit in this mans death and I sincerely hope they get what is coming to them.

Unpaid traffic tickets and a few misdemeanors are not deserving of the death penalty.

More Dishing on the Palin Family

From the National Enquirer (NOTE: I do not consider the NE as anything even remotely close to the most credible journalism out there...but I do remind folks that they were right about John Edwards and Michael Dukakis with the Monkey Business)

The ENQUIRER has learned exclusively that Sarah's oldest son, Track, was addicted to the power drug OxyContin for nearly the past two years, snorting it, eating it, smoking it and even injecting it. And as Track, 19, heads to Iraq as part of the U.S. armed forces, Sarah and her husband Todd were powerless to stop his wild antics.

THE ENQUIRER also has exclusive details about Track's use of other drugs, including cocaine, and his involvement in a notorious local vandalism incident.

“I’ve partied with him (Track) for years,” a source disclosed. “I’ve seen him snort cocaine, snort and smoke OxyContin, drink booze and smoke weed.”

The source also divulged the girls would do anything for Track and he’d use his local celebrity status to manipulate other guys “to get them to steal things he wanted.”

“He finally did what a lot of troubled kids here do,” the source divulged. “You join the military.”

And as Gov. Palin has billed the state of Alaska for various expenses related to her children, as reported by The Washington Post, The ENQUIRER's investigation reveals that she was so incensed by 17-year-old Bristol's pregnancy that she banished her daughter from the house.

Another family friend revealed pre-prego Bristol was as much of a hard partier as Track was.

“Bristol was a huge stoner and drinker. I’ve seen her smoke pot and get drunk and make out with so many guys. All the guys would brag that the just made out with Bristol.”

When Sarah found out the teen was pregnant by high schooler Levi Johnston, she was actually banished from the house. As part of the cover-up, Palin quickly transferred Bristol to another high school and made her move in with Sarah’s sister Heather 25 miles away!

There's More

Now, I'm sure that this will be turned around so that people 'feel sorry' for the Palin family and relate to them because they are 'just like us' (NOT!). I remind people that other folks kids go to prison for doing the things this article claims Track did. So, if you want your kids to keep filling prison beds and these kids to fill White House beds then by all means vote your conscience.

Olbermann RULES!!

If you saw his show tonight (I watch every night!) then you already know why.

Long live Keith Olbermann!

THAT"S Who Sarah Palin reminds me of!

Every since Arctic Storm Sarah Palin came avalanching onto the political scene I've been trying to place her annoying voice and coming up short. Then today, it came to me like a sharp, freezing icicle through the brain! Sarah Palin's voice is like the mom from Bobby's World.

They even look alike! All Bobby's mom needs is a pair of Kawasaki glasses and a poof hair-do.

Don't believe me? Then watch the first minute of this clip!



The person actually doing that voice is Gail Matthius who got her start on SNL.

S.J. SLAYS Me!

S.J. over at Give Me the Booger busts out with this gut clutucher of a comparison between "The Hockey Daddy" in the Palin Pregnancy drama and what we would hear if the daughter in question was Obama's, what the baby's father might say and how that would be viewed by voters in this election....plus some other great stuff. Here are the money lines

Mister Period
"I'm a fuckin' redneck who likes to snowboard and ride dirt bikes. But I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing, shoot some shit and just fuckin' chillin' I guess. Ya fuck with me I'll kick ass."

Status: "In a relationship."

Children: "I don't want kids."
-------------------------------

As we hopefully all know by now, this is the actual 'prose' on the hockey daddy's myspace page. The kid being publicly forced into a shotgun wedding at 17 with the daughter of the smug, cretin VP nominee woman. Wow. I bet they live happily ever after, don't you?

Let's point out again, if one of Barack Obama's daughters had a thug boyfriend who wrote, "Yo, yo, whatup muthafuckas, I'll pop a cap in yo ass you fuck wit me and my boyz, word, muthafucka." The election would be over.

You gotta READ THE REST

It's Amazing How Often Pigs Become Part of the Political Discourse

Obama says McCain/Palin is just lipstick on a pig and I agree with him.

It's interesting to note how often pigs become part of our political discourse in this country. A few months ago we had our own version of Lipstick on a pig. And here are more references to
Pigs in Alabama Politics.



I think the poor little pigs get a bad wrap that they do not really deserve.

Mentally Ill Man Beaten to Death at Prichard Jail

This is really horrible.
Inmate dies after beating at Prichard Jail. Sunday morning, he died, his mother at his side. McDevitt was serving time for unpaid fines related to traffic tickets and misdemeanor arrests.

McDevitt was denied a psychiatric evaluation even though he had a long history of mental illness.

The judges in the case are doing this...

Judges in McDevitt case blame each other

And now hopefully the judges will both be in real trouble if the following is applied.

Imprisonment for Failure to Pay Fines

Constitutional and statutory bars against incarcerating indigent individuals for failure to pay fines are clear. In Bearden v. Georgia, the United States Supreme Court held that a court cannot imprison an individual for a failure to pay excessive fines unless that failure to pay is willful or incarceration is the only option.238 The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has held that Bearden applies to restitution payments.239 In Alabama, Rule 26.11(I)(2) provides that “[i]n no case shall an indigent defendant be incarcerated for inability to pay a fine or court costs or restitution.” In addition, Alabama Code section 15-18-62, as amended in 2002, restricts the amount of time for which individuals can be incarcerated for willfully failing to pay fines. The restrictions range from ten days imprisonment for charges totaling less than $250 to a maximum of thirty days imprisonment for charges totaling up to $1000, with four additional days for every $100 after that.

Federal Attorney Bill Dawson sued the city of Birmingham earlier this year for jailing defendants for inability to pay fines and WON the case. Birmingham agreed to stop the practice. I don't have the case number but am working on getting it. I hope that Mr. McDevitt's mama sues the absolute dog shit out of the incompetent fucks whose 'bureaucratic mistake' cost this man his life.

She's Back!

After an incredibly long hiatus our good friend Alabama Moderate is back to blogging.

Welcome Home Sister!

J.D. Crowe Kills Me!!

From CroweBlog

Move over, Chik-Fil-A cows....these guys have a beef with Sarah Palin.

'New-Clear' Weapons?

This was no accident. 'New-clear' makes it sound as though this is a more earth-friendly, life-friendly type of nuclear weapon. What a horrible and glib way to think of the most destructive weapon on earth.



Oh yeah, Sarah Palin has the most annoying voice EVER! Even worse than Hillary's. Who wants to hear that for the next four years?

Code Pink ROCKS!

I am only vaguely familiar with CODE PINK but I must say that what they did tonight ROCKED!!



From the AP

Protesters interrupt McCain speech
54 minutes ago

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Anti-war protesters briefly interrupted John McCain's acceptance speech Thursday night at the Republican National Convention. The nominee told supporters "don't be diverted by the crowd noise and the static."

One male protester and two female protesters were removed from the hall by security officers. The male demonstrator had a sign that read "You can't win an occupation" on one side, and "McCain votes against vets" on the other side.

The crowd tried to drown them out with chants of, "USA, USA."

"My friends, my dear friends ... please, please don't be diverted by the crowd noise and the static," McCain said. "I'm going to talk about it some more, but Americans want us to stop yelling at each other."

What happened to the person that the security guard seemed to be brutalizing before the camera turned away?

It takes a lot of courage to do what they did and a lot of really in depth planning to get past security under those conditions.

Isn't freedom wonderful!!

Nationalist? Socialist? Or National Socialist?

I've been watching the political convention circus since last week when the Democrats led out and finished up last night after the introduction of Sarah Palin to America. I won't be watching tonight. I simply can't take one more viewing of John McCain sticking his thumbs out like Fonzie from Happy Days.


See what I mean? It's just too much!

It seems after watching most of both conventions that citizen's have only one choice in this country when it comes to voting.

You can vote for the Socialist Party (Democrats), which wants the government to control everything. But, in a 'nice' socialist sort of way. They love them some big government do the Democrats. What I fail to understand is why they think they can have this huge government yet still protect the individual rights and liberties of the citizens. I don't want the government in charge of my healthcare. Skip on down to your local VA hospital if you want to know why socialized medicine is a bad idea. I don't want the government in charge of educating the youth of this country. All they are turning out is a bunch of lemming statists who know nothing about the real history of this country or even what the Constitution says or means. A government that controls everything teaches people to be dependent on it....unable to care for themselves. We saw this play out in the saddest and most embarassing way after Hurricane Katrina. So, I'll pass if it's all the same to you.


Then we have the Nationalist Party (Republicans) and they want to make war with every other country on earth it seems. They love them some big government too, though to hear them talk you'd think otherwise. The last 8 years should dispel any myths about that. Watching those scary, bible-thumping, war mongering bastards in St. Paul this week I seriously considered moving to China. I mean honestly...it couldn't be any worse could it? Everywhere you looked were the words "Country First" and "Service". Well, bump that. I'll decide what comes first in my life and the lives of my children. I'll serve, or not, at my own leisure. I'll believe in whatever god or gods I want...or none if it suits me. I certainly don't need Jesus waving an American flag crammed down my throat by a bunch of people who don't lead the life of the man they claim to hold above all else (except Country).

I found it repulsive that Guiliani and then Palin took swipes at community organizers. Without community organizers women still probably wouldn't be allowed to vote, much less run for VP of this country. Hell, just last week right before they picked Palin for the VP most Nationalists (Republicans) thought the proper place for women was barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. To take the national stage and ridicule those who are in large part responsible for the very fact that you have a national stage defies all logic. Wadda Bitch! And not a very smart one either. She believes God sent us to Iraq and asked ministry students to pray for a $30 billion Alaskan pipeline. And to top it all she said the following about 'Under God' in the Pledge:

"If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its good enough for me and I’ll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance."

Uh, the founding fathers didn't write the pledge of Allegiance. The writers of the Pledge of Allegiance didn't include the words 'Under God'.

If you are going to run for VP then it is best to know just a tad about the history of the country you will be one heart beat away from running (God forbid)....isn't it?

In short both major political parties SUCK! They pretend to be against each other....but behind closed doors they are the same. A vote for one is no better or worse than a vote for the other because either way what you wind up with is the National Socialist Party. Now, where have you heard that before?

Hmmm.....wonder who that could be??

Looking at my traffic stats today I came across someone searching for my children...which immediately sent up red flags, as it would for any mom.

8 Referring URL: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=alex nall&btnG=Google S
Sep 3, 2008 09:53:46 AM 204.29.75.130

9 Referring URL: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=active&rlz=1T4DMUS_e
Sep 3, 2008 09:50:56 AM 204.29.75.130

So, I did a search on the IP address which is

204.29.75.130

And guess what I found?

NetName: ALALINC-NET
IP Address 204.29.75.130
UNITED STATES ALABAMA ASHLAND 33.2143
-85.8209 36251 -06:00
Net Speed ISP Domain
- ALABAMA SUPERCOMPUTER NETWORK AL.US

Now, I wonder who in Ashland, AL with access to the Alabama Super Computer Network would be searching for my kids? Who could that be?

Sarah Palin..The Would-Be Book Banner

From TIME Magazine

Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. "The librarian was aghast." That woman, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor.

Cindy McCain looks like a......

Giant bottle of French's Mustard in that dress. All she needs is a pointy, little, yellow cap.




Does the thought of her being First Lady just scare the absolute daylights out of anyone else? She looks like one of the reptilian characters who played on V.

Sara Palin's Unmarried Daughter is Pregnant

The rumors going around the blogosphere are that the youngest child of Sara Palin is actually her grandchild.

Now Reuters is reporting that Sara Palin announced that her daughter, Bristol Palin, is 5 months pregnant in hopes of dispelling rumors that Bristol is the real mother of Trig.

The McCain camp knew this when they picked Palin to be the VP running mate.

This is getting really weird!

You Know What Sara Palin Is?

Sara Palin is a stalking horse. McCain chose her moreso to get the Libertarain votes than to get the Hillary votes. In every election cycle the Republicans try to pull this stunt. Their candidates always sound like they want a small, unintrusive, constitutional administration. One that respects freedom and individual rights. One that upholds the Constitution. One that will let states decide what is best for their people without interference from the feds. One that supports a free market economy. One that believes that we should be a non-interventionist country that should only fight back when attacked. In other words...none of this pre-emptive strike shit.

In short, the Republicans always steal the Libertarian party platform....because it sounds much better than the Republican one of legalized torture, destruction of habeus corpus, obliteration of the Constitution, legalized spying on Americans, illegal wars on countries that have not attacked us, keeping women barefoot and pregnant with babies created through rape and incest, expansion of jails and prisons so more Americans can be locked up for smoking pot, and turning our form of government from a Democratic one to a THEOCRATIC one....the list goes on and on and on.

So, to make themselves more palatable to the American people they pretend to be Libertarian in public. And too many fools fall for it. Every. Single. Time.

So, I don't buy that Palin is 'a Libertarian'. Just because she was the mayor of a small government in Wasilla, AK doesn't mean she believes in small government. Just because she was Governor of a very sparsely populated state doesn't mean she is small government. Just because she supports the Second Amendment and is pro-home school doesn't mean she is Libertarian. Just because there are a lot of Libertarian minded people in Alaska doesn't mean she is Libertarian.

I have a question for her. She stated already that she smoked pot (while pointing out that it is legal to do so in her state) but that she didn't like it. As VP will she continue to support policies that put those who DO LIKE IT in prison?

You gotta be effin kiddin me #@!!?

So, John McCain picks a hottie, former beauty queen as his VP running mate in hopes of snagging some Hillary supporters. That might have been a good idea if this woman actually shared any of the political ideology of Hillary supporters. But she doesn't. She's pro-gun,which is great, because I am too. She's pro-home school, which is great, because I am too. But she is also RABIDLY PRO-LIFE and she loses me there. She lost Hillary's supporters way back there with pro-gun.

But her largest and most glaring drawback is that she lacks any hint of foreign policy experience, which is a big, big, HUGE deal because we are currently engaged in two wars in the Middle East and trying to start third and fourth ones (Iran and Russia/Georgia).

And what do the Republicans have to say about her lack of foreign policy experience?

"Uh...she lives next door to Russia and they haven't invaded Alaska."

No shit....that is what they are saying in her defense! I heard it all day yesterday on talking head cable news, then Dax Swatek said it, with a straight face, (which I can't even keep typing it) on FTR and then late night TV had a damn field day with it.

Well, I live next to a bank...does that make me bank President material? There are some homeless people who live near the White House in Washington D.C. Does that qualify them to be President? There are baggage handlers who live near the airport. Does that qualify them to fly your plane?

Why, hell no! And living near Russia doesn't qualify Sara Palin to be one heartbeat away from being the President of our country. That's one finger away from THE RED BUTTON!

This isn't coming from an Obama supporter nor a die-hard Democrat. This is coming from me, Loretta Nall, the small Libertarian voice in the political wilderness of Alabama politics.

It's LUNACY I tell you. L-U-N-A-C-Y! The next eight weeks of the national media raking her over the coals should be an interesting viewing experience. I almost feel sorry for her.

More Troy King Rumors

Just when I was starting to get a little concerned that this thing had run out of gas along comes THIS!

H/T Left in Alabama

I love Bill Clinton

That's really all I have to say.

Bill Maher is HYSTERICAL!

In case you missed Bill Maher's cameo last night on MSNBC's election coverage........



I can't believe he was allowed to speak that much truth on TV.

John Alexander Rochester Case Update

I've learned from my sources that the Clay County Grand Jury will meet Monday, August 25 and will be presented with the John Alexander Rochester drug trafficking case. I won't be able to make it for the handing down of the indictments, but, if everything goes as planned there will be at least one reporter there, on my tip, to get the information out to the public. I'll also be monitoring the Clay Times Journal to see if they will set politics aside and step up and fulfil the role of an actual newspaper.

Will update everyone when I know more.

Troy King Alert!

Two pieces about Troy King today.

First this piece from Huffington Post

Alabama Attorney General Seeks End of "Bunny Bliss" -- Will Launch Rabbit Hunt
(This article has some inaccuracies. Everything said about Troy King being gay is still a rumor at this point. Troy will neither admit nor deny so most people have already made up their minds that he is, in fact, gay, but that isn't proof. Also, he has not resigned from John McCain's campaign as Alabama Chair. Troy was in Mobile last week campaigning for McCain.)

Then for some serious laughing our friend J.D. Crowe, editorial cartoonist for the Mobile Press-Register, has another toon tease posted involving Troy King. The actual toon will be posted on his website later today.

UPDATE: The toon is now posted.

And they wonder why no one respects police anymore

Blain Barnett aquitted in brutal attack on motorist

A McIntosh police officer videotaped Tasering and beating a man he dragged from a pickup truck during a traffic stop in March was cleared of criminal charges this week.

A Washington County grand jury found that the allegations of assault and harassment against Blaine Barnett were not sufficient to warrant prosecution, according to District Attorney Spencer Walker

In May, Barnett was placed on administrative leave after he fired a gun at a motorcycle during a police chase. The bike never wrecked and the driver was not injured. Barnett's current status with the department was unclear Thursday.

Mr. Barnett has an upcoming date with KARMA. I hope it's caught on video tape.

You've Got My Vote

Alexander City Mayoral Candidate Arrested for Marijuana

Jackson’s Gap authorities arrested and charged an Alexander City mayoral candidate with a number of charges, including attempting to elude police.

Timothy Wayne Kellum, who is running against incumbent Alexander City mayor Barbara Young, was taken into custody Thursday afternoon when police officials found him parked in his car in the middle of a road.

“He was charged with driving under the influence of drugs, attempting to eude and possession of marijuana in the second degree,” said Jackson’s Gap police chief Mike Keyes.

Keyes said the traffic stop happened on Blackwelder Road in Jackson’s Gap and Kellum was the vehicle’s only occupant.

“He was stopped in the middle of the road out in the middle of nowhere,” Keyes said.

Keyes said he stopped to do a routine investigate stop to see what was going on.

“Upon talking to him, I had him exit the vehicle,” Keyes said. “I went back to my vehicle to run his driver’s license when he jumped back in his vehicle and sped off.”

Keyes said he followed Kellum, who was driving a Chevrolet Tahoe, for about three-fourths of a mile before Kellum stopped again. Keyes then took him into custody.

Keyes said he also confiscated three weapons from Kellum — two shotguns and a handgun.

Well, well, well....seems I'm not the only person with political ambition and an affinity for tasty green plant material. I hope Mr. Kellum doesn't drop out of the race. Going green is no reason to drop out of a political race. After all, I ran an entire gubernatorial campaign based on my false arrest for weed. In fact, I think I will contact him and encourage him to stay in. We could use someone friendly to the cause as Mayor of Alexander City.

Baby Raping Bama Cop Caught in Washington State

Birmingham News

Wednesday, August 20, 2008
VAL WALTON
News staff writer

A former police officer facing first-degree rape and sex abuse charges involving a child has been arrested in Washington state after leaving a note at the Birmingham airport saying law enforcement officers would not find him.

Ronald L. Whitworth Jr., 35, had been listed as one of the U.S. Secret Service's most wanted fugitives before he was caught at an apartment near Tacoma on Monday night. Whitworth was wanted on a federal warrant stemming from federal charges of possessing child pornography and transporting a minor across state lines, authorities said.

Shelby County sheriff's investigators arrested Whitworth, a former Vestavia Hills police officer, in April on charges of child endangerment, sexual abuse of a child under 12, rape and sodomy. He made bond a week later.

A search of his home on May 2 by the Secret Service's Birmingham Electronic Crimes Task Force turned up images of child pornography, including 250 movie files on Whitworth's computer, authorities said.

Finally, a PROPER use of law enforcement resources. My question is why he was ever granted bond in the first place?

Former Prison Guards Sentenced for Smuggling Drugs

I posted about this a couple months back.

Daily Home


By David Atchison
08-19-2008

ASHVILLE — Two former state correctional officers were sentenced to 5-year split sentences Monday for smuggling drugs into a prison.
St. Clair County Circuit Court Judge Charles Robinson sentenced Tommie Borden, 34, of Gadsden and Mark Clark, 27, of Anniston to each serve two years in prison, followed by three years of probation.

In June, a St. Clair County jury found both former correctional officers guilty of second-degree promoting prison contraband. The correctional officers smuggled a small amount of marijuana into the St. Clair Correctional Facility in Springville.

Before the sentencing, Assistant District Attorney Joey Stevens told Robinson this case wasn’t about the small amount of marijuana, but about the betrayal of the public’s trust by officers who were sworn to uphold the laws of the state.

“They earned a prison sentence,” Stevens said.

“They say there’s more dope in prison than there are out on the streets,” Judge Robinson said.

And therein lies the rub. What is the point of sending someone to prison over drugs? To keep them from getting more drugs? That obviously doesn't work. To prevent others from doing drugs? Well, that hasn't worked either. To hope that one day the government will lock up every 'drug user' 'drug dealer' in the U.S.? Laughable. Nearly every citizen in the US would then occupy a prison cell.....if enough cells could be built and tax dollars collected to house them.

The drug war is an abject failure. Let's scrap it and move on.

Australian town mayor pleads for 'ugly women'

CNN

Mayor John Molony found himself under attack Monday over comments he made to a local newspaper that read: "May I suggest if there are five blokes to every girl, we should find out where there are beauty-disadvantaged women and ask them to proceed to Mount Isa."

To which the women of Mount Isa responded...

Several local women said there aren't a lot of gems to be found among Mount Isa's men, either.

"We've got a saying up here that the odds are good, but the goods are odd," 27-year-old Anna Warrick told The Brisbane Times.

God I love a smart ass!!!

More from the Rochester Peanut Gallery

I love rattling folks cages....especially when the folks in question are powerful judges or attorney generals. Judging from the responses the Rochester Peanut gallery is leaving on this blog and my other blog I'd say I've rattled them so hard their teeth are about to fall out. Here is the latest comment from the Alabama Court Watch Blog....peanut gallery in bold/italics and mine follow.


Just to let you know- so you don't have to take credit for anything. I believe that I told you that George and the DA would be stepping down.

Nonsense. Prove that you told me or my readers that. I remember a comment on my other blog where some anonymous person (perhaps it was you) said Judge Simpson DID step down and DID NOT handle the bond hearing. Which was a lie. I have the paperwork to prove it. The DA didn't step aside til things started getting a little hot and not until after I began talking about it on the radio.

Believe me it had nothing to do with your letter writing and calling campaign- that's really not an effective way of handling things anymore.

Sure, sure. Except that most people are smart enough to figure out that if the Judge and D.A. were going to do the right thing and step aside then they would have done it at the beginning and never handled the bond hearing. That they didn't do it until after I started talking about this case tells everyone reading this blog and following this story all they need to know about what happened and why.

As to whether or not calling and writing is an effective way to handle things this day and time....well it was obviously effective for this purpose because it got you scurrying around like a rat trying to cover your ass.


Especially when it comes from a mentally unstable, druggie, that complains about everything and everybody.

Now that's about the pot calling the kettle black ain't it? I admit an affinity for weed and make no bones about it. I also advocate for changes in the drug laws that, if implemented, would have prevented John Alexander Rochester from being arrested in the first place. If that makes me a 'druggie' then what does trafficking meth, trafficking cocaine, pills and marijuana make John Alexander Rochester? And you for supporting his free ride through the legal system?

Mentally unstable? How so? I'm obviously mentally stable enough to bust your ass for tinkering with my justice system.

Complains about everything and everybody? Oh, you mean since I am not a Democrat or Republican and go after both instead of towing a party line that I complain about everybody? You'd be right about that. You are all fair game in my book and at least I am consistent.

Oh yeah, personal attacks (mentally unstable druggie) only show everyone that you have no real argument or defense for your actions.

It's hard to take you serious anymore. It's like the little boy that cried wolf. You've cried wolf too many times. Most people around the state think you're a joke.

Where and when have I cried wolf before and not been vindicated? Please provide some examples with documentation. Further....there are just over 4 million people in this state...your statement implies that you have talked to ALL OF THEM and that, in your opinion, they think I am a joke. We all know that cannot be true. If you want people to believe you then you have to post things that remotely resemble HONEST.


Alex's trial is coming up. A new judge will take over. Alex will plead to something, hopefully he will serve no time to 5 years because this is his first offense. He's been in rehab for 6 months now with limited privileges and drug tested weekly.

It is my understanding that this is not his first offense. And, it must be really nice to spend six months in treatment when you are charged with drug trafficking. It is unheard of in anyone elses case that they are granted bonds as low as John Alexander Rochester was for the same offenses. Ahhh the elite and priviliged. Must be nice. You should tell JAR to enjoy the comforts of treatment while he can....prison won't be nearly as posh and gentle.

Judge Rochester will be retiring in a year to two years- so don't think you're running him off.

Good. One less corrupt, holier-than-thou, asshole on the bench. Not that I have much faith that his replacement will be any better. Further...Judge Rochester might want to consider moving that retirement date up a bit....else he will leave the bench with some nasty black smudges on his record.

Be sure to read the comments on yesterday's post. The last 5 are really good.

It was me...I admit it

I farted in the post office.

If I had known they were gonna call in the cavalry I would have stepped outside....wait a minute....no I wouldn't have.

The Rochester Peanut Gallery

Sometimes I get comments that are so retarded on this blog that they deserve a whole post of their very own. Such is the case with the most recent comment left by a supporter of John Alexander Rochester and his daddy, Judge John E. Rochester. Their comments are in bold/italics and mine follow.

I'm sure that the fact that he has stepped down probably won't stop you from saying that whatever the verdict is unfair.

You're probably right on that front. There are only about 53 judges in Alabama for 67counties. It's a small circle of folks who are as tightly knit as the boys in blue. I may be able to change the players in this case but probably not the outcome. But that will only add more credence to the claim that the judicial system in Alabama is anything but fair if you are just a regular person whose daddy isn't a judge. Not that too many folks have doubts about it. I don't know Rumsey, the former D.A. of Talladega Co. who will be prosecuting the case, so I don't know what to expect from him. Hopefully, he will surprise me and treat John Alexander Rochester like any other alleged drug trafficker by asking for the maximum sentence with enhancements....but I won't hold my breath.

It appears that you are out to get this young man because of his dad. The only reason we are discussing this is because of who his father is.

I've stated over and over again that I don't think anyone should go to jail or prison for any non-violent drug offense. That includes John Alexander Rochester. I've made a career out of reforming the drug laws in this fucked up, ass backwards state. But, if everyone else has to go to jail/prison under the current law then, by God, John Alexander Rochester does too. He doesn't get a free pass because of who his daddy is. My tax dollars help pay for the criminal justice system, the judges salaries and everything to do with the court system. I pay for it to be fair and work the same regardless of who ones parents happen to be. Further, if Judge John E. Rochester, Judge George Simpson and D.A. Freddy Thompson had OBEYED the law, (yeah those same laws they demand others obey) and let this thing run its course without trying to rig it in favor of John Alexander Rochester then I would never have become involved in the first place. The blame lies squarely at the feet of John Alexander Rochester for allegedly trafficking drugs at the city park and the two judges and the DA for thinking regular citizen's are too stupid to figure out that they are being screwed.

You say that you want things equal, but it's you Mrs. Nall that have chosen to discuss this so public. You are a public figure and you are choosing to talk about one that's not. You've turned him into one because of his father, but not because he is a public figure and you are calling him out.

Every private citizen in Clay County and every other county in Alabama who is accused of the same things that JAR stands accused of immediately becomes a public citizen becase their names and the lurid details of their alleged crimes are printed in the newspapers. It is a matter of public record. The local fishwrapper of a newspaper decided (for obvious political reasons) to only run the police blotter on this story and not an actual informative piece like they would have for anyone else who is not the judges son. Like they did for the little hispanic guy who got drugs from the post office and the guy who was taking a whiz in the woods that the cops busted for possession of meth. If the newspaper won't report in a fair and unbiased way then the only ones left to do it are people like me. Private citizens with a very public persona.

He was a regular private citizen and you've turned him a public figure- someone to taunt and tear apart every small thing. I've seen you do it time and time again.

When John Alexander Rochester chose to do what he allegedly did in the park he gave up his right to privacy. I didn't make him sell drugs. Had nothing to do with him selling drugs. He made that decision all on his own. Now he has to suffer the consequences of a very bad decision. No one is to blame but him. Additionally, I have not pegged him as someone to taunt and tear down. I have never met him and know nothing about him other than what I have reported in this case. I've simply reported the story and the underlying unfairness of the judicial system for folks who don't have an immediate family member on the bench. You're not mad at me because I am reporting this story you are mad because you and others got caught doing things you should not have been doing. Plain and simple you are pissed because you got BUSTED.

I agreed with the Troy King thing, but this is ridiculous. Poor guy. And you want drugs legalized, but you don't want innocent until proven guilty. SHAME ON YOU!!

Very few people disagreed with me on the Troy King thing. That you were one of the ones that agreed says you have some sense. Why can't you see and admit that what is happening in the JAR case is plain wrong?

Yes. I want drugs legalized. All drugs. Legalized. Who says I don't want innocent until proven guilty? I haven't said he is guilty. I have simply reported what is in the police reports and the case action summaries. That is neither a testament to his guilt nor his innocence. Just the facts as they have come to me from the courts. Additionally, and I know you already know this, the innocent until proven guilty bit is total bullshit. It is the exact opposite in our system despite what we are raised to believe. When you are arrested and dragged into court you are GUILTY until proven INNOCENT. Ask anyone who has ever been arrested and tried in court if they were treated like they were innocent until proven guilty. I can nearly bout guarantee you won't find anyone who will tell you that is the case.

YOU'RE NOT WELCOME IN CLAY COUNTY!

Oh, really? Do you own Clay County now? No. In fact, I think I will come to Clay County today just to piss you off. I don't need to have your welcome or blessing. What will you do if I come to Clay County and you find out about it? Nothing except maybe run your ignorant mouth. But,let's put that theory to the test. You give me your phone number and I will call you personally when I make my next trip to Clay County (I'm there fairly often). I'll tell you what road I will be coming in on and give you my itenirary while I am there. Hell, I'll even buy you a cup of coffee at Maggie's on the square if you possess the testicular fortitude to show up. I'm putting my money on "Won't show up" though.

Stories like this just tear me up!

Sara Baysinger of La Salle, Colorado, and her 2-year-old son, Lane, reunite with their German shepherd, Cash.

Loyal dog guards owners body for 6 weeks

GREELEY, Colorado (AP) -- A dog stood guard over her owner's body for up to six weeks after the man committed suicide on the remote northeastern Colorado plains, authorities said.

The body of 25-year-old Jake Baysinger of La Salle, Colorado, was found Sunday on the Pawnee National Grasslands about 75 miles northeast of Denver, Colorado. Cash, his German shepherd, was found beside him, thin and dehydrated but still alive. The dog had apparently survived by eating mice and rabbits, authorities said.

Baysinger was reported missing June 28. An extensive search failed to locate him, but Kip Konig, a rancher, saw the dog last weekend, went to investigate and discovered Baysinger's body and his pickup.

He said Cash kept running back to the pickup and jumping into the front seat.

"I got the sense she was trying to tell me where her master was," Konig said.

Cash was reunited Monday with Sara Baysinger and her 2-year-old son, Lane. She said her little boy is "very close to that dog" and happy to see her again.

Investigators said the dog probably kept coyotes away from the body.
---------------------

Now that my friends is pure, unadulterated love and loyalty and if it didn't make you tear up or at least get a funny feeling in your stomach then you have no soul. German Shepherds are the absolute best dogs on earth. I won't ever own another breed....or more accurately I won't ever be owned by another breed.

Tuscaloosa News compares John Edwards story to Troy King story

Journalists must find a fair way to report on rumors

John Edwards has emerged as a world-class sleazebag, admitting to a sexual affair with a campaign aide in 2006 as his wife, Elizabeth, dealt with breast cancer.
"................."
A somewhat similar situation has developed in Alabama with the controversy swirling around Attorney General Troy King. Blogs and Internet sites have been ablaze for weeks with rumors about King's sex life. But there has been almost nothing about the controversy in the mainstream media.

GO READ THE REST

Thanks T-Town News for throwing some much needed accelerant on this fire!!

Troy King Story Makes Huffington Post

The John Edwards Story Invites Us to Seek Out the Skeletons In Republican Closets

As for hypocrisy, check out Alabama's chief law enforcement officer, who says the state can put someone in jail for up to one year for selling a sex toy. "I took a little bit of pride in the state being first in something that is good, decent and right," said Attorney General Troy King in 2004, when Alabama became the first state to refuse recognition a same-sex marriage begun in Massachusetts. That year, he reaffirmed an editorial he wrote as a law student in the early 1990s in the University of Alabama student newspaper. "The existence of the GayLesbian Alliance on this campus is an affront to the state of Alabama, its citizenry, this university and its students," he wrote. So would an Attorney General who conducted a homosexual affair with a subordinate in betrayal of his wife and three children be an affront to the state of Alabama and its citizenry? King isn't talking.

READ THE REST

A Happy/Sad Birthday To Me

Today is my 34th birthday. It is also the day my firstborn son leaves home for Alabama School of Math and Science. Having a child accepted to ASMS is about as good a birthday present you can get. We are so proud of him for all of his amazing academic achievements. A 29 on his ACT. A 4.0 grade average. Having to turn loose of him on today, of all days, is beyond hard. I am a crying wreck and I am gonna miss my boy so bad that mere words will never be able to adaquately describe the empty ache left in Mama's nest.

I know we will adjust eventually but the first little bit is gonna be so hard on his little sister, dad, mom and Snoot who adores Alex like he is the sun and moon.

I love you kid. I know you will study hard and do well, but regardless of what happens from here on out please know that I am already proud of you.

The John Edwards Saga

I don't normally cite tabloids in the things I write and I am not a reader of the National Enquirer, although I admit to glancing at it while in the check out line....but sometimes the NE breaks a real news story that MSM won't touch until AFTER NE breaks it. Such is the case with John Edwards, the former Senator from North Carolina and 2004 - 2008 presidential candidate. He has been accused of having an affair with a campaign staffer and fathering her child. The National Enquirer has been covering this story for months but the mainstream media has largely left it alone.

Until now and because of this....

BUSTED!

From McClatchy and Mark Johnson of the Charlotte Observer

RALEIGH, N.C. — Former Sen. John Edwards has a deadline to save his spot on the national stage.

With two weeks to go before their national convention, a number of Democrats are saying that Edwards needs to publicly address National Enquirer stories that have alleged he had an affair with a campaign worker and fathered her baby.

If Edwards fails to clear up the story in short order, he risks party officials deciding not to have him speak or, if they do, creating a distraction from a week focused on Barack Obama accepting the nomination.

"If there is not an explanation that’s satisfactory, acceptable and meets high moral standards, the answer is 'no,' he would not be a prime candidate to make a major address to the convention," said Don Fowler, a former Democratic National Committee chair.

"He absolutely does have to (resolve it). If it's not true, he has to issue a stronger denial," said Gary Pearce, the Democratic strategist who ran Edwards’ 1998 Senate race. "It's a very damaging thing. …

"The big media has tried to be responsible and handle this with kid gloves, but it's clearly getting ready to bust out. If it's not true, he's got to stand up and say, 'This is not true. That is not my child and I'm going to take legal action against the people who are spreading these lies.' It's not enough to say, 'That’s tabloid trash,' " Pearce said.

Edwards' political currency declines with each day the story goes unresolved, Fowler and other Democratic strategists said.

Read the rest

There are so many parallels between this story and the Troy King/JW Godwin Gay story. What Democratic operatives are saying Edwards should do is what many people in Alabama think Troy King should do about the rumors still circulating concerning him and JW Godwin. Either deny it or fess up. But Troy is keeping his silence and apparently employing the same strategy as Edwards. Troy has even referred to blogs as tabloid internet websites in the past. Sounds like they have the same person giving them bad advice.

I think most of us agree that Troy King's political currency declines the longer this story is out there without any response. But, that isn't a bad thing if you ask me. The smaller the chance of him holding some future elected office that has any power over my life the better my life will be.

Atta boy Troy!! SHHHHHHHH!!!

Sex Toys for Troy King makes Huffington Post

WOOT!

Sex Toys: Find out which states still outlaw them

The creators of Ms. Piglet, an inflatable blow-up sex doll, probably had many uses in mind when they conceived of her, but chances are they never thought she'd grace the floors of an Attorney General's office--at least not as a political ploy.

But in November 2007, Ms. Piglet was sent to Troy King, the Alabama Attorney General, as part of the "Sex Toys for Troy" campaign. The brainchild of Loretta Nall, a former libertarian gubernatorial candidate and political activist, the campaign is in protest to the state's Anti-Obscenity Enforcement Act, which prohibits the sale of any device that is used "for the stimulation of human genital organs."

Yes, that's right dear lovers of Rabbits, Magic Wands, Power Dancers, and Ms. Piglets, the Heart of Dixie wants to make the electrical orgasm illegal.

Read the rest here

Troy King Round-Up August 7

WZTV Nashville
Alabama AG seeks stronger cockfighting law
The headline was just too good to pass up. Of all the things to take a stand on right now this would have to be the absolute worst. Cockfighting? Oh Dear God you couldn't make this stuff up! Is Troy going PETA on us?

Montgomery Advertiser
King Pay Practices Questionable

Who's Running for Gov. in 2010?
An editorial in the Wetumpka Herald names names of the potential candidates for gov. in 2010...compares Troy King to Barney Fife. I don't think Barney deserved that! Mentions Kaye Ivey who is a hateful, intolerant old bat that I wouldn't vote for dog catcher after this.

I heard from a source in the Attorney General's office that none of the other staff knew about JW Godwin's enormous salary, that most are very upset about it and that the morale in the office is very low because of it. I also heard from this same source that Troy King and JW Godwin haven't been to the office in a while....they've just kind of disappeared.

Tomato. Sandwich. ADDICT!

Above is a picture of my coveted Brandywine tomatoes. Since they started coming in about three weeks ago I have become a total tomato sandwich addict. It's a very pleasant seasonal affliction that only comes round once a year for about three months. A tomato sandwich is all I want to eat. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. In between meal snacks and for dessert. They are soooo yummy! Easy to make too and preparation doesn't heat up the house. Slice a slab of mater off, lather some mayo on a slice of bread, add tomato slice, salt, pepper and the other bread slice and eat up! I can't get enough.

One slice of my brandywine is so large that you almost have to mash the bread slice out to fit the tomato. They are so juicy that when you bite into it the juice runs down your chin.

I wish I could share with y'all...but I'm greedy when it comes to my Brandywine's.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Daily Dixie, my favorite Alabama blog, calls it quits!

I wish you well Dan...but no matter what your reason for throwing in the blogging towel it still SUX!

Senator Barron Explains his Side of the Story

Today in the Dekalb Co. Times Journal Senator Lowell Barron explains his side of the speeding ticket story.

In Florida near the state line, I came up on a motorcycle and passed the motorcycle.

“The motorcycle came right up on me with his high beams on. I drove a ways and tapped my break lights to try and get him to back off and he would not. I sped up and he sped up. I sped up and he sped up some more.”

“This was a very isolated area,” Barron said. “I became concerned for my safety and maintained my speed. Finally when I got to Andalusia I was relieved to be at a town. When I got to Andalusia, I was pulled over by three or four officers.”

Barron said he was pulled over by Andalusia officers. The plain clothes man on the motorcycle started yelling at him, Barron said.

“He said, ‘if you’re not going to give him a ticket, I will,’” Barron said. “He comes up and chews me out a second time. I listened and did not respond. The Andalusia police did not write me a ticket. This plain clothes officer wrote me two tickets. I don’t know what his jurisdiction is. I have an attorney working on that.”

Barron said he learned the plain clothes man was Blaine Wilson, and an elected official told him Wilson was a former police office but now is a radio disc jockey.

Wilson said Monday he quit the Andalusia police department in December to take over ownership of the radio station. He also said he is a part-time police officer for the city.

However, Deborah Spivey, human resource officer with the city of Andalusia, said Wilson resigned as an officer in December. Andalusia Police Chief Wilbur Williams said Wilson should have been transferred to part-time but that never happened. Wilson is not employed by the city.

Williams said he believes the tickets will stand.

If Senator Barron's recounting of what happened is accurate then I do not blame him for not pulling over. I wouldn't have either.

Co-hosting Larry Barton Show today

This morning from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. I will be co-hosting the Larry Barton radio show "In the interest of the people" in Talladega, AL.This show is broadcast on 89.7 fm and 1230 am. Today's topics will cover police corruption, judicial corruption, state politics and other topics of interest. We will be taking live calls from folks who have had bad experiences with law enforcement and judges.

If you are in the listening area tune in!

Sen. Lowell Barron tries to outrun Hell's Angels...sort of

WSFA 12
By Eileen Jones - bio | email

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - One of the most powerful members of the Alabama legislature has a court day in Covington County. State Senator Lowell Barron was caught speeding late Sunday night right outside of Andalusia. WSFA 12 News has learned that Barron was issued two traffic tickets and police say one of the incidents could have been far more serious than it seems.

Andalusia's Chief of Police says Senator Barron was driving at speeds so excessive they went beyond receiving a regular speeding ticket. Instead, Barron was ticketed for reckless driving. Because that's still a serious charge, it means the senator must go before a judge and according the Covington County Clerk's office that violation also carries an automatic suspension of his driver's license.

Barron also received a ticket for running a stop sign and a warning for reckless endangerment. According to the Chief of Police, that warning means he came close to endangering the lives of others and that would have been criminal violation.

Barron said he was speeding at excessive speeds because he was trying to get away from someone who looked like he was a member of Hell's Angels. He said the officer was in plain clothes, had his high beams on, pursued him for 30 or 40 miles and because he was in a deserted isolated area Barron said he was afraid to pull over for fear he might have a gun. So, Barron said, he decided to speed up.

Police say no alcohol was involved. Barron is set to appear before a Covington County judge on September 16th.

Ummm....I didn't know we had Hell's Angels in Alabama. Wow...you learn something new every day. One has to wonder how the police officer could have been mistaken for a Hell's Angel. Was he wearing leather and spikes and riding a Harley? From reading the story I deduced that the officer was driving a patrol car. After all, I have serious doubts that cops in rural Covington Co. have motorcycles. I could be wrong on that....but I'd be real surprised if I was. And how do you see what someone driving the car behind you looks like at night?

I won't fault Sen. Barron for not pulling over on a desolate stretch of road at night....I wouldn't either....but his explanation is just bizarre.

H/T Danny

The kind of beer loyalty that every brewer yearns for

Alabama Man Stabs Friend over Wrong Beer

MOULTON -- Authorities say a dispute over cheap beer left one man in the hospital with stab wounds and another man charged with assault.

Lawrence County sheriff's officials said Friday that 64-year-old Grady "Skip" Wilburn Dollar of Trinity is accused of stabbing 37-year-old Mickey Joe Hill during a dispute early Thursday.

Sheriff's Sgt. Mark Richard said the two men had been drinking together when Dollar gave Hill $10 and told him to go to the store for more.

Richard said Hill brought back only four cans of Natural Light, a low-cost brand, and Dollar got mad because he didn't get more for the money.

The victim then asked for one of the four beers, leading to the stabbing.

Hill remains hospitalized but is expected to recover. Dollar is free on $5,000 bond.

Troy King Roundup August 1

Anniston Star
Something's just not right: King's hiring practices

Decatur Daily
King Plays Fast and Loose with Taxpayer Money

Gadsden Times (July 31)
Salaries out of line in King's office

And just for fun go back and listen to Troy King on Dale Jackson's show yesterday.

I have some follow-up questions for Troy on his comments yesterday. I know he won't answer me directly....he doesn't have that much courage....but for my friends in the media who are reading this blog, should you get the chance, please ask Troy King the following questions.

1. You stated that your 'team of advisors and chiefs of staff' make recommendations to you. Who, exactly made the recommendation that you hire JW Godwin into a position he is unqualified for and at a pay grade that is way above his experience level? Ditto Chris Bence and his promotion into a position he has had no training for.

2. Exactly what were those recommendation's based on?

3. What exactly, in very specific, terms does JW Godwin do that makes him so indispensable? Saying he is worth the money doesn't answer the many questions raised by his meteroic rise to the near top of the food chain in the AG's office.

The public has a right to know. It is our tax money after all that pays all of the outrageous salaries in the AG's office.

I still contend that Troy King isn't denying these rumors because they are true and someone out there somewhere has the goods and is just waiting for Troy to deny it so they can publicly humiliate him ....even more so than what he is experiencing now.



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Loretta Nall on the Larry Barton Show

Last Thursday evening I was a guest for the second time on the Larry Barton show "In the Interest of the People" where we discussed the banking and mortgage crisis, the Troy King rumors, the John Alexander Rochester case and a whole host of other topics.



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D.A. in John Alexander Rochester Case Steps Aside

I got word last night from a source close to the case that Clay County District Attorney Freddy Thompson has recused himself from prosecuting the John Alexander Rochester drug trafficking case. The Alabama Attorney General's Office has now taken over.

I don't know if it had anything to do with my publicizing this case so heavily, but I like to think it did and I feel like it did. If the D.A. had wanted to do the right thing then he would have stepped aside at the preliminary level and would not have been the DA at the bond hearing. That he waited until after the heat was on to step aside tells me about all I need to know.

I understand Rod Giddens, of neighboring Talladega County, will be representing John Alexander Rochester and that the D.A. prosecuting the case and the judge hearing the case will be chosen by the Attorney General's office.

I mailed the judicial inquiry complaint against Judge George C. Simpson last week and am waiting for word from them as to what they plan to do. I'll keep you all posted on the outcome. I am currently working on one against Judge John Rochester because, according to the Canon of Ethics he is responsible for making sure everyone in his court follows the law and the Canon of Ethics. Ultimately it was his duty to make Simpson step aside and he didn't do that.


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AUDIO: Troy King on Dale Jackson

In case you missed it......Attorney General Troy King appeared on WVNN with Dale Jackson this morning where Dale asked him about his hiring and promotion practices within the AG's office and also about the rumors that have dogged him for over three weeks now. King was there to talk about the Thomas Arthur case. I have edited the audio so that it only contains his answers to his hiring and promotion practices and the rumors.



Troy once again scurried for cover by stating that he does not address rumors. But, that isn't exactly true. When it was rumored that he wore a flak jacket underneath his shirt King went so far as to ask a reporter if they wanted to see under his shirt to dispel that particular rumor.

His answer about his hiring and promotion practices came directly from a commenter at J.D. Crowe's blog about the editorial cartoon in yesterday's Press Register. Strangely, the commenter was anything but 'Pro-Troy'. There again he's paying Chris Bence $104,000 a year and the best Bence can do is steal comments off of a blog to use in King's defense. Can't come up with a single, original statement of his own.

Troy King's answer to whether or not he can justify his hiring and promotion practices reminded me of 'Scar' in the Lion King when Scar said "I AM THE KING AND I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT!!"

Hats off to Dale Jackson for getting Troy to appear on the show and for asking him these questions. Well done Dale Jackson!!

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Loretta Nall on Matt Murphy Show

This is from my appearance on Matt Murphy earlier this week.



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Troy King on Dale Jackson Thur. 8 A.M.

RED ALERT!!! RED ALERT!!!

According to the new Attack Machine Blog Troy King will be on WVNN Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 8 A.M.

You can and should listen live here!!!

No word on whether Troy has the testicular fortitude to take live calls. If he does the number is 1-866-494-9866

Pass it on!!

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