Not Being in Jail is Cool
posted by Loretta Nall at
12:01 PM
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0 comments
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Brownsville man arrested on drug charges
By LAURA B. MARTINEZ
The Brownsville Herald
09/21/06
Septebmer 21, 2006 - A 43-year-old Brownsville man was arrested by police on multiple charges including endangering of a child after some marijuana was found in the house where his 15 month-old daughter was sleeping.
Because Ricardo Gregory Agard had been smoking marijuana at his home on El Arbol Street when police arrived, authorities determined he was not in “any condition to care” for the toddler, according to a Brownsville police report.
Agard was arrested on one count of possession of marijuana and one count of endangering a child. He was arraigned before Mu-nicipal Court Judge Ben Neece who set a $10,000 bond on each charge.
The Brownsville Herald
09/21/06
Septebmer 21, 2006 - A 43-year-old Brownsville man was arrested by police on multiple charges including endangering of a child after some marijuana was found in the house where his 15 month-old daughter was sleeping.
Because Ricardo Gregory Agard had been smoking marijuana at his home on El Arbol Street when police arrived, authorities determined he was not in “any condition to care” for the toddler, according to a Brownsville police report.
Agard was arrested on one count of possession of marijuana and one count of endangering a child. He was arraigned before Mu-nicipal Court Judge Ben Neece who set a $10,000 bond on each charge.
posted by Terry at
4:48 PM
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2 comments
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
State laws create roadblock to ballot access
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
By SEAN REILLY
Press Register-Washington Bureau
Loretta Nall is running for governor this year, but voters won't find her name on the November ballot.
As a third-party contender, the Libertarian from Alexander City was unable to clear some of the nation's highest hurdles to get on that ballot. Instead, she has had to stake her hopes on a write-in bid.
"It's a huge obstacle," Nall said, referring to Alabama's requirement that third-party or independent candidates running statewide this year collect more than 41,000 signatures.
As of Tuesday, a half-dozen independent and third-party candidates are certified for the Nov. 7 ballot, according to the Secretary of State's office, and all are running for local posts or the Legislature.
Alabama is just one of four states this year -- New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and New Mexico are the others -- that have no such candidates seeking statewide office, said Richard Winger, editor of Ballot Access News, a California-based publication that tracks legal developments in that arena.
In Mississippi, where the rules are far less restrictive, three third-party candidates ran in the state's last gubernatorial election in 2003, and at least six more were on the ballot for other statewide offices.
Although they rarely pose an electoral threat, such candidates contribute "to the free flow of ideas, which is important in a democracy," said William Stewart, a University of Alabama political scientist.
To get on the ballot in Alabama, a 1995 law requires all independent and third-party contenders -- except independents seeking the presidency -- to collect signatures of registered voters equal to 3 percent of the number who cast ballots in the previous governor's race.
For a statewide election this year, that translates into more than 41,000 signatures. Such a candidate seeking to represent the six-county 1st Congressional District in south Alabama would have to gather some 5,500 signatures
Those obstacles don't appear to be a pressing concern for either Democratic or Republican lawmakers.
"Parties seem to have some self-serving interest, and I guess it would be logical" to try to muffle potential competition, said state Sen. Wendell Mitchell, a Luverne Democrat who chairs the Senate's elections committee.
(The politicians are there to "serve the people" not themselves.)
"I don't think it ought to be easy to gain access," said state Sen. Steve French, R-Birmingham, who also sits on the same panel.
(Of course you don't. However, Senator French, YOU have never had to lift one finger to gain ballot access. It's easy to make rules you don't have to follow yourself. You, because you aligned with the Republican party, were granted automatic ballot access and, in my book, that certainly qualifies as EASY! If you really believed what you were saying then you would work to make ballot access requirements the SAME for all political parties. Since you won't do that you obviously have some double standards and you lack the courage of your convictions in both ballot access and your platforms. If I am no threat then why am I excluded?)
Here my fellow Alabamians are two Senators who believe it is perfectly alright to send your children off to die in Iraq fighting to bring 'Democracy and fair and free elections' when they will not allow them here....do everything in their power, in fact, to keep elections from being fair and free in Alabama. Remember that Iraq had 75 political parties and 111 candidates in their last election.....our soldiers fought and died to ensure that Iraqi's would have that many choices...Yet, you only have two.
I just sent this letter to the editor of the Press Register. I'd like to suggest that you do the same.
Dear Editor,
I’d like the opportunity to respond to the comments made by Senators Wendell Mitchell (D)- Luverne and Steve French ( R ) – BHAM, in the article by Sean Riley “State Law Creates Roadblock to Ballot” (9/20/06)
Senator Mitchell stated that it makes sense for politicians to stifle competition in their own self-interest. But aren’t elected officials supposed to serve the interest of the people and not themselves?
Senator French stated that he didn’t think it should be easy to gain ballot access, yet he never had to lift a finger to get his name listed on the ballot because he aligned with one of the two major parties.
It's easy for Republicans and Democrats to make rules that they themselves don't have to follow. If Sen. French really believed what he said then he would work to make ballot access requirements the SAME for all political parties. Since he won't do that then he obviously has some double standards and he lacks the courage of his convictions.
Alabama’s ballot access laws are an insult to every voter in this state. To stifle the free exchange of ideas by having such strict ballot access requirements means that Republicans and Democrats fear allowing voters access to all information because they think voters are too stupid to make the choice for themselves.
If Democrats and Republicans believed in their policies then they would never seek to limit an opposing view. After all, if they are as right as they claim then they have nothing to fear from me, right? If they believed in the ability of Alabamians to hear all possible options and make a choice on election day then ballot access would not be an issue. But, they neither believe in their own policies nor in the ability of citizens they are asking for their vote to make a choice so they must pass laws that take away a citizens right to vote for someone other than them.
Alabama’s ballot access restrictions amount to nothing more than state-sanctioned hand-holding.
What an insult to Alabama voters.
Respectfully Submitted,
Loretta Nall
Libertarian Candidate for Governor (Write-in)
4633 Pearson Chapel Rd
Alexander City, AL
35010
251-650-2271
cnall1@charter.net
http://www.nallforgovernor.com
READ MORE
By SEAN REILLY
Press Register-Washington Bureau
Loretta Nall is running for governor this year, but voters won't find her name on the November ballot.
As a third-party contender, the Libertarian from Alexander City was unable to clear some of the nation's highest hurdles to get on that ballot. Instead, she has had to stake her hopes on a write-in bid.
"It's a huge obstacle," Nall said, referring to Alabama's requirement that third-party or independent candidates running statewide this year collect more than 41,000 signatures.
As of Tuesday, a half-dozen independent and third-party candidates are certified for the Nov. 7 ballot, according to the Secretary of State's office, and all are running for local posts or the Legislature.
Alabama is just one of four states this year -- New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and New Mexico are the others -- that have no such candidates seeking statewide office, said Richard Winger, editor of Ballot Access News, a California-based publication that tracks legal developments in that arena.
In Mississippi, where the rules are far less restrictive, three third-party candidates ran in the state's last gubernatorial election in 2003, and at least six more were on the ballot for other statewide offices.
Although they rarely pose an electoral threat, such candidates contribute "to the free flow of ideas, which is important in a democracy," said William Stewart, a University of Alabama political scientist.
To get on the ballot in Alabama, a 1995 law requires all independent and third-party contenders -- except independents seeking the presidency -- to collect signatures of registered voters equal to 3 percent of the number who cast ballots in the previous governor's race.
For a statewide election this year, that translates into more than 41,000 signatures. Such a candidate seeking to represent the six-county 1st Congressional District in south Alabama would have to gather some 5,500 signatures
Those obstacles don't appear to be a pressing concern for either Democratic or Republican lawmakers.
"Parties seem to have some self-serving interest, and I guess it would be logical" to try to muffle potential competition, said state Sen. Wendell Mitchell, a Luverne Democrat who chairs the Senate's elections committee.
(The politicians are there to "serve the people" not themselves.)
"I don't think it ought to be easy to gain access," said state Sen. Steve French, R-Birmingham, who also sits on the same panel.
(Of course you don't. However, Senator French, YOU have never had to lift one finger to gain ballot access. It's easy to make rules you don't have to follow yourself. You, because you aligned with the Republican party, were granted automatic ballot access and, in my book, that certainly qualifies as EASY! If you really believed what you were saying then you would work to make ballot access requirements the SAME for all political parties. Since you won't do that you obviously have some double standards and you lack the courage of your convictions in both ballot access and your platforms. If I am no threat then why am I excluded?)
Here my fellow Alabamians are two Senators who believe it is perfectly alright to send your children off to die in Iraq fighting to bring 'Democracy and fair and free elections' when they will not allow them here....do everything in their power, in fact, to keep elections from being fair and free in Alabama. Remember that Iraq had 75 political parties and 111 candidates in their last election.....our soldiers fought and died to ensure that Iraqi's would have that many choices...Yet, you only have two.
I just sent this letter to the editor of the Press Register. I'd like to suggest that you do the same.
Dear Editor,
I’d like the opportunity to respond to the comments made by Senators Wendell Mitchell (D)- Luverne and Steve French ( R ) – BHAM, in the article by Sean Riley “State Law Creates Roadblock to Ballot” (9/20/06)
Senator Mitchell stated that it makes sense for politicians to stifle competition in their own self-interest. But aren’t elected officials supposed to serve the interest of the people and not themselves?
Senator French stated that he didn’t think it should be easy to gain ballot access, yet he never had to lift a finger to get his name listed on the ballot because he aligned with one of the two major parties.
It's easy for Republicans and Democrats to make rules that they themselves don't have to follow. If Sen. French really believed what he said then he would work to make ballot access requirements the SAME for all political parties. Since he won't do that then he obviously has some double standards and he lacks the courage of his convictions.
Alabama’s ballot access laws are an insult to every voter in this state. To stifle the free exchange of ideas by having such strict ballot access requirements means that Republicans and Democrats fear allowing voters access to all information because they think voters are too stupid to make the choice for themselves.
If Democrats and Republicans believed in their policies then they would never seek to limit an opposing view. After all, if they are as right as they claim then they have nothing to fear from me, right? If they believed in the ability of Alabamians to hear all possible options and make a choice on election day then ballot access would not be an issue. But, they neither believe in their own policies nor in the ability of citizens they are asking for their vote to make a choice so they must pass laws that take away a citizens right to vote for someone other than them.
Alabama’s ballot access restrictions amount to nothing more than state-sanctioned hand-holding.
What an insult to Alabama voters.
Respectfully Submitted,
Loretta Nall
Libertarian Candidate for Governor (Write-in)
4633 Pearson Chapel Rd
Alexander City, AL
35010
251-650-2271
cnall1@charter.net
http://www.nallforgovernor.com
READ MORE
posted by Loretta Nall at
6:06 AM
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0 comments
Monday, September 18, 2006
Ethan Nadelmann on Russ & Dee in Alabama
MONDAY GUEST:Ethan Nadelmann is the founder and executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, the leading organization in the United States promoting alternatives to the war on drugs.
Ethan was born in New York City and received his BA, JD, and PhD from Harvard, and a Masters degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics. He then taught politics and public affairs at Princeton University from 1987 to 1994, where his speaking and writings on drug policy -- in publications ranging from Science and Foreign Affairs to American Heritage and National Review -- attracted international attention. He also authored the book, Cops Across Borders, the first scholarly study of the internationalization of U.S. criminal law enforcement. A new book, co-authored with Peter Andreas and entitled Policing the Globe: Criminalization and Crime Control in International Relations, will be published by Oxford University Press in 2006.In 1994, Ethan founded the Lindesmith Center, a drug policy institute created with the philanthropic support of George Soros. In 2000, the growing Center merged with another organization to form the Drug Policy Alliance, which advocates for drug policies grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights. Described by Rolling Stone as "the point man" for drug policy reform efforts, Ethan is widely regarded as the outstanding proponent of drug policy reform.
Ethan Nadelmann will be with Russ and Dee Monday morning at 8:00 a.m.
Listen live by visiting the Russ & Dee website and clicking "Listen Live" at the top of the page.
Ethan was born in New York City and received his BA, JD, and PhD from Harvard, and a Masters degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics. He then taught politics and public affairs at Princeton University from 1987 to 1994, where his speaking and writings on drug policy -- in publications ranging from Science and Foreign Affairs to American Heritage and National Review -- attracted international attention. He also authored the book, Cops Across Borders, the first scholarly study of the internationalization of U.S. criminal law enforcement. A new book, co-authored with Peter Andreas and entitled Policing the Globe: Criminalization and Crime Control in International Relations, will be published by Oxford University Press in 2006.In 1994, Ethan founded the Lindesmith Center, a drug policy institute created with the philanthropic support of George Soros. In 2000, the growing Center merged with another organization to form the Drug Policy Alliance, which advocates for drug policies grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights. Described by Rolling Stone as "the point man" for drug policy reform efforts, Ethan is widely regarded as the outstanding proponent of drug policy reform.
Ethan Nadelmann will be with Russ and Dee Monday morning at 8:00 a.m.
Listen live by visiting the Russ & Dee website and clicking "Listen Live" at the top of the page.
posted by Loretta Nall at
3:46 AM
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0 comments
Prohibition and the Economists
This article is excerpted from The Economics of Prohibition.
Mark Thornton
lewrockwell.com
Posted 06/16/06
Mark Thornton teaches economics at Auburn University. He is a senior resident fellow at the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama, and is the Book Review Editor for the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics.
Mark Thornton
lewrockwell.com
Posted 06/16/06
Mark Thornton teaches economics at Auburn University. He is a senior resident fellow at the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama, and is the Book Review Editor for the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics.
posted by Terry at
3:34 AM
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0 comments
Sunday, September 17, 2006
The War on Terrorism looks a lot like the War on Drugs
Redlands Daily Facts, CA
Op/Ed
C. Alton Robertson, retired University of Redlands professor, holds a master's degree in international affairs and a master's degree in political science from Columbia University
09/16/06
George W. Bush declared the War on Terrorism five years ago in response to the events of 9/11.
Richard Nixon declared the War on Drugs 38 years ago in response to the large number of drug-addicted Vietnam veterans returning to the States.
Once again, in his speech to the nation on 9/11/06, Bush reiterated his position that the War on Terrorism is unique, that we have never fought a war like it before. Yet, when one recognizes the similarities between the War on Terrorism and the War on Drugs, one gains a new perspective, and the War on Terrorism is put into a proper context. [...]
Op/Ed
C. Alton Robertson, retired University of Redlands professor, holds a master's degree in international affairs and a master's degree in political science from Columbia University
09/16/06
George W. Bush declared the War on Terrorism five years ago in response to the events of 9/11.
Richard Nixon declared the War on Drugs 38 years ago in response to the large number of drug-addicted Vietnam veterans returning to the States.
Once again, in his speech to the nation on 9/11/06, Bush reiterated his position that the War on Terrorism is unique, that we have never fought a war like it before. Yet, when one recognizes the similarities between the War on Terrorism and the War on Drugs, one gains a new perspective, and the War on Terrorism is put into a proper context. [...]
posted by Terry at
7:12 AM
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0 comments
Pass law to give sheriffs more enforcement powers
Allentown Morning Call, PA
Op/Ed
Monroe County Sheriff Todd A. Martin, president of the Pennsylvania Sheriffs' Association
09/17/06
A number of important issues face our state lawmakers as they return to Harrisburg following the summer recess. One is a proposal that would give nearly 2,500 deputy sheriffs with extensive law enforcement training the authority to fully participate in protecting our communities from crime and drugs.
A ruling this year by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court created confusion over what types of law enforcement activities can be performed by deputy sheriffs. The court ruled that, under current Pennsylvania statute, sheriffs and deputy sheriffs were not ''investigative or law enforcement officers.'' Based on that decision, the Office of Attorney General has temporarily suspended the involvement of about 75 deputy sheriffs who served on Drug Task Forces throughout the commonwealth. Attorney General Tom Corbett told the sheriffs at our annual conference that it was one of the toughest letters his office had to write.
The court acknowledged the need for legislation that would resolve the issue of whether deputy sheriffs are investigative or law enforcement officers. The Pennsylvania Sheriffs' Association, along with other local, county and state organizations, is working with state lawmakers to draft legislation that would address the court's concerns. [...]
Op/Ed
Monroe County Sheriff Todd A. Martin, president of the Pennsylvania Sheriffs' Association
09/17/06
A number of important issues face our state lawmakers as they return to Harrisburg following the summer recess. One is a proposal that would give nearly 2,500 deputy sheriffs with extensive law enforcement training the authority to fully participate in protecting our communities from crime and drugs.
A ruling this year by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court created confusion over what types of law enforcement activities can be performed by deputy sheriffs. The court ruled that, under current Pennsylvania statute, sheriffs and deputy sheriffs were not ''investigative or law enforcement officers.'' Based on that decision, the Office of Attorney General has temporarily suspended the involvement of about 75 deputy sheriffs who served on Drug Task Forces throughout the commonwealth. Attorney General Tom Corbett told the sheriffs at our annual conference that it was one of the toughest letters his office had to write.
The court acknowledged the need for legislation that would resolve the issue of whether deputy sheriffs are investigative or law enforcement officers. The Pennsylvania Sheriffs' Association, along with other local, county and state organizations, is working with state lawmakers to draft legislation that would address the court's concerns. [...]
posted by Terry at
6:55 AM
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0 comments
Friday, September 15, 2006
Big Week...Help Me Out
All,
I have a very busy week coming up beginning Sunday Sept. 17
I have been invited to attend the National TASC Conference. A very close friend of mine works at the TASC program at the University of Alabama Birmingham and he has helped many thousands of people in Alabama and in states across the US avoid jail and prison for drug violations. TASC stands for Treatment Alternatives to Street Crime. This friend also works with me on the medical marijuana legislation and other social justice oriented projects.
Also next week Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance Dr. Ethan Nadelmann, will be in Birmingham for the conference and I have been tapped to arrange media coverage for him. On Monday he will be a guest on The Russ & Dee Show beginning at 8 am. On Monay afternoon he will be in Montgomery being interviewed by Tim Lennox at For the Record. That show will air on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 6:30 and 11:00 pm on Alabama Public Television. On Tuesday afternoon Dr. Nadelmann will be doing an interview on The Matt Murphy Show in Birmingham, AL.
Also next week a coalition which includes participants from the Drug Policy Alliance, TASC, Alabamians for Compassionate Care, Justice Stratagies, and the Southern Poverty Law Center will be holding our second meeting to lay out what legislative bills we intend to introduce in the 2007 session. These bills include medical marijuana, a bill to end denial of food stamps to those convicted of drug offenses bills for indigent defense.I need gas money.
Birmingham is 65 miles from my home base in Alexander City an I have to be in Birmingham 5 days next week an in Montgomery 2 days.
If you can spare a few dollars I swear to put it to very good use. Please click here to make a contribution.
Your Compatriot in the Fight for Liberty,
Loretta Nall
I have a very busy week coming up beginning Sunday Sept. 17
I have been invited to attend the National TASC Conference. A very close friend of mine works at the TASC program at the University of Alabama Birmingham and he has helped many thousands of people in Alabama and in states across the US avoid jail and prison for drug violations. TASC stands for Treatment Alternatives to Street Crime. This friend also works with me on the medical marijuana legislation and other social justice oriented projects.
Also next week Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance Dr. Ethan Nadelmann, will be in Birmingham for the conference and I have been tapped to arrange media coverage for him. On Monday he will be a guest on The Russ & Dee Show beginning at 8 am. On Monay afternoon he will be in Montgomery being interviewed by Tim Lennox at For the Record. That show will air on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 6:30 and 11:00 pm on Alabama Public Television. On Tuesday afternoon Dr. Nadelmann will be doing an interview on The Matt Murphy Show in Birmingham, AL.
Also next week a coalition which includes participants from the Drug Policy Alliance, TASC, Alabamians for Compassionate Care, Justice Stratagies, and the Southern Poverty Law Center will be holding our second meeting to lay out what legislative bills we intend to introduce in the 2007 session. These bills include medical marijuana, a bill to end denial of food stamps to those convicted of drug offenses bills for indigent defense.I need gas money.
Birmingham is 65 miles from my home base in Alexander City an I have to be in Birmingham 5 days next week an in Montgomery 2 days.
If you can spare a few dollars I swear to put it to very good use. Please click here to make a contribution.
Your Compatriot in the Fight for Liberty,
Loretta Nall
posted by Loretta Nall at
9:08 AM
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0 comments
Saturday, September 09, 2006
NAACP: Drug raid mishandled in Utica
Cassaundra Baber
Observer-Dispatch
09/09/06
UTICA — The Oneida County branch of the NAACP raised concerns Friday about how police handled an Aug. 15 drug raid that led to 15 arrests.
About 25 African-Americans gathered at the morning press conference in front of St. Paul's Baptist Church on Leah Street to complain that police used excessive force and caused unnecessary damage.
"We are officially letting it be known that we are well aware that police brutality and harassment is very common in our community, and we are here today to take a stand against it," NAACP president Roy Duhart said.
The NAACP called for steps including the dropping of charges against five of the suspects, an apology and repairs to some of the houses involved in the raids.
Drug-related charges should be dropped against Tamieka M. Hill, 21, Veneisha A. Brown, 19 and Rakeisha M. Elliott, 18 and George A. Garrett and Nate Garrett, Duhart said.
Lt. Nicholas Loconte of the Oneida County Drug Enforcement Task Force said what occurred in the Aug. 15 raid happens in every raid.
"Our procedure would be everyone is taken down in the home and secured, and that's for their safety as well as ours," Loconte said.
The Rev. Tenolian Bell, pastor of St. Paul's Baptist Church, asked for equal treatment regardless of race or class.
"If that's standard policy, let's see where they've done that in white homes in South Utica or North Utica," Bell said. "Show us evidence where these same kinds of things have been done there."
Observer-Dispatch
09/09/06
UTICA — The Oneida County branch of the NAACP raised concerns Friday about how police handled an Aug. 15 drug raid that led to 15 arrests.
About 25 African-Americans gathered at the morning press conference in front of St. Paul's Baptist Church on Leah Street to complain that police used excessive force and caused unnecessary damage.
"We are officially letting it be known that we are well aware that police brutality and harassment is very common in our community, and we are here today to take a stand against it," NAACP president Roy Duhart said.
The NAACP called for steps including the dropping of charges against five of the suspects, an apology and repairs to some of the houses involved in the raids.
Drug-related charges should be dropped against Tamieka M. Hill, 21, Veneisha A. Brown, 19 and Rakeisha M. Elliott, 18 and George A. Garrett and Nate Garrett, Duhart said.
Lt. Nicholas Loconte of the Oneida County Drug Enforcement Task Force said what occurred in the Aug. 15 raid happens in every raid.
"Our procedure would be everyone is taken down in the home and secured, and that's for their safety as well as ours," Loconte said.
The Rev. Tenolian Bell, pastor of St. Paul's Baptist Church, asked for equal treatment regardless of race or class.
"If that's standard policy, let's see where they've done that in white homes in South Utica or North Utica," Bell said. "Show us evidence where these same kinds of things have been done there."
posted by Terry at
9:33 AM
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1 comments
Police deny giving special treatment to deputy's son
No charges have been filed
BY J.D. GALLOP
FLORIDA TODAY
09/09/06
The 19-year-old son of a Brevard County Sheriff's top deputy remains under investigation nearly two weeks after a Titusville traffic stop uncovered a small amount of cocaine in his shoe and his father's personal handgun in his car.
Jonathan Michael Lewis of Port St. John, son of Chief Deputy Mike Lewis, was given a warning ticket Aug. 25 -- because his Honda Civic had dark-tinted windows -- when he was stopped with three friends on U.S. 1 at Riveredge Drive. He has not been charged with any drug or weapons violations.
Titusville police said Lewis was not given any special treatment because of his father's law enforcement status.
The handgun was not department-issued, officials said.
The officer who stopped the car wrote in a report that he smelled marijuana coming from the car. He ordered Lewis to step out of the car and asked if he had any drugs or weapons.
Lewis said no but also refused the officer consent to search the car. Theofficers then used a drug-sniffing dog and that led officers to marijuana inside the car, reports show.
Officers then searched Lewis and found a small plastic bag with what later was determined to be 2 grams cocaine, and they found a loaded .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun under the driver's seat.
BY J.D. GALLOP
FLORIDA TODAY
09/09/06
The 19-year-old son of a Brevard County Sheriff's top deputy remains under investigation nearly two weeks after a Titusville traffic stop uncovered a small amount of cocaine in his shoe and his father's personal handgun in his car.
Jonathan Michael Lewis of Port St. John, son of Chief Deputy Mike Lewis, was given a warning ticket Aug. 25 -- because his Honda Civic had dark-tinted windows -- when he was stopped with three friends on U.S. 1 at Riveredge Drive. He has not been charged with any drug or weapons violations.
Titusville police said Lewis was not given any special treatment because of his father's law enforcement status.
The handgun was not department-issued, officials said.
The officer who stopped the car wrote in a report that he smelled marijuana coming from the car. He ordered Lewis to step out of the car and asked if he had any drugs or weapons.
Lewis said no but also refused the officer consent to search the car. Theofficers then used a drug-sniffing dog and that led officers to marijuana inside the car, reports show.
Officers then searched Lewis and found a small plastic bag with what later was determined to be 2 grams cocaine, and they found a loaded .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun under the driver's seat.
posted by Terry at
8:53 AM
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0 comments
Friday, September 08, 2006
Rumsfeld Meets Hussein
Donald Rumsfeld sells weapons of mass destruction to Saddam Hussein
posted by Terry at
3:29 PM
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0 comments
Cops Are Not Doctors/Let My People Go
Animation with text set to techno. Anti-Drug War message.
35 seconds Google Video
posted by Terry at
12:28 PM
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0 comments
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Roane County judge sentenced to federal prison
WBIR-TV, TN
AP
09/07/06
A federal court in Knoxville today sentenced a former Roane County judge to 42 months in prison.
Former General Sessions Court Judge Thomas Alva Austin earlier pleaded guilty to extortion charges, saying his wife's affair with a woman made him distraught and led him to take kickbacks from two driving schools where he sent traffic offenders.
Federal District Court Judge Thomas Phillips pronounced sentence this morning.
Austin resigned after his arrest in January. He could have been sentenced to as much as 20 years in prison on the three federal charges.
AP
09/07/06
A federal court in Knoxville today sentenced a former Roane County judge to 42 months in prison.
Former General Sessions Court Judge Thomas Alva Austin earlier pleaded guilty to extortion charges, saying his wife's affair with a woman made him distraught and led him to take kickbacks from two driving schools where he sent traffic offenders.
Federal District Court Judge Thomas Phillips pronounced sentence this morning.
Austin resigned after his arrest in January. He could have been sentenced to as much as 20 years in prison on the three federal charges.
posted by Terry at
4:10 PM
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0 comments
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
My Son With The Drug Problem Is Coming Home
Letter to the editor
The Chattanoogan, TN
Brenda Washington
09/05/06
The Chattanoogan, TN
Brenda Washington
09/05/06
posted by Terry at
3:32 AM
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0 comments
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
The Prohibitionist Police State
by Becky Akers
lewrockwell.com
09/05/06
lewrockwell.com
09/05/06
posted by Terry at
3:55 AM
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0 comments
Monday, September 04, 2006
Evo Morales interviewed by DER SPIEGEL
ZNet, MA
09/04/06
excerpt:
SPIEGEL: Bolivia is an important narcotics producer. Your predecessors had illegal coca plantations destroyed. Do you intend to do the same thing?
Morales: From our standpoint, coca should be neither destroyed nor completely legalized. Farming should be controlled by the state and by the coca farmers' unions. We have launched an international campaign to legalize coca leaves, and we want the United Nations to remove coca from its list of toxic substances. Scientists proved long ago that coca leaves are not toxic. We decided on a voluntary reduction in the amount of acreage being farmed.
SPIEGEL: But the United States claims that the majority of the coca harvest ends up in the cocaine trade.
Morales: The Americans say all kinds of things. They accuse us of not fulfilling the conditions of their development aid. My pro-capitalist predecessor administrations supported the massacre of coca farmers.More than 800 campesinos died in the war on drugs. The United States is using its war on drugs as an excuse to expand its control over Latin America.
SPIEGEL: The American Drug Enforcement Agency, the DEA, has agents stationed in Bolivia who advise the military and the police in their efforts to combat the drug trade. Will you be sending them home now?
Morales: They're still here, but they are no longer in uniform or armed, as they were before.
SPIEGEL: How is your relationship with the United States? Do you plan to travel to Washington?
Morales: A meeting with (US President) George W. Bush is not planned. I do intend to travel to New York to visit the UN General Assembly. When I was still a member of parliament, the Americans didn't let me into the country. But heads of state don't need a visa to travel to the UN in New York.
09/04/06
excerpt:
SPIEGEL: Bolivia is an important narcotics producer. Your predecessors had illegal coca plantations destroyed. Do you intend to do the same thing?
Morales: From our standpoint, coca should be neither destroyed nor completely legalized. Farming should be controlled by the state and by the coca farmers' unions. We have launched an international campaign to legalize coca leaves, and we want the United Nations to remove coca from its list of toxic substances. Scientists proved long ago that coca leaves are not toxic. We decided on a voluntary reduction in the amount of acreage being farmed.
SPIEGEL: But the United States claims that the majority of the coca harvest ends up in the cocaine trade.
Morales: The Americans say all kinds of things. They accuse us of not fulfilling the conditions of their development aid. My pro-capitalist predecessor administrations supported the massacre of coca farmers.More than 800 campesinos died in the war on drugs. The United States is using its war on drugs as an excuse to expand its control over Latin America.
SPIEGEL: The American Drug Enforcement Agency, the DEA, has agents stationed in Bolivia who advise the military and the police in their efforts to combat the drug trade. Will you be sending them home now?
Morales: They're still here, but they are no longer in uniform or armed, as they were before.
SPIEGEL: How is your relationship with the United States? Do you plan to travel to Washington?
Morales: A meeting with (US President) George W. Bush is not planned. I do intend to travel to New York to visit the UN General Assembly. When I was still a member of parliament, the Americans didn't let me into the country. But heads of state don't need a visa to travel to the UN in New York.
posted by Terry at
6:50 AM
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0 comments
Sunday, September 03, 2006
St. Phillips Boys' drug case
By Victor Inge
The Selma Times-Journal
09/03/06
MOBILE - The number of defendants labeled as the "St. Phillips Boys" by federal prosecutors has risen to 15, and all of them have been named in a "superseding indictment" charging they operated as a street gang.
The indictment will allow prosecutors to seek a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years to life in prison if the defendants are convicted in federal court. The indictment revealed why more than 150 agents from Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the ABI, Selma Police Department, Dallas County Sheriffs Department and the Fourth Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force used the show of force they did to serve indictments and search warrants.
In a scene unfamiliar to Selma, helicopters provided air support as officers on the ground closed in using percussion grenades and flash bombs to hit four homes simultaneously during the early morning raid. Since then, a federal magistrate has ruled each defendants be held without bond.
-------------------------------------------
04 Mar 2006
This Alabama Black Mayors conference was held in Selma in conjunction with the annual bridge-crossing reenactment.
This video of the conference features Don Siegleman, Loretta Nall, some other people, and then Lucy Baxley at the end.
The Selma Times-Journal
09/03/06
MOBILE - The number of defendants labeled as the "St. Phillips Boys" by federal prosecutors has risen to 15, and all of them have been named in a "superseding indictment" charging they operated as a street gang.
The indictment will allow prosecutors to seek a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years to life in prison if the defendants are convicted in federal court. The indictment revealed why more than 150 agents from Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the ABI, Selma Police Department, Dallas County Sheriffs Department and the Fourth Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force used the show of force they did to serve indictments and search warrants.
In a scene unfamiliar to Selma, helicopters provided air support as officers on the ground closed in using percussion grenades and flash bombs to hit four homes simultaneously during the early morning raid. Since then, a federal magistrate has ruled each defendants be held without bond.
-------------------------------------------
04 Mar 2006
This Alabama Black Mayors conference was held in Selma in conjunction with the annual bridge-crossing reenactment.
This video of the conference features Don Siegleman, Loretta Nall, some other people, and then Lucy Baxley at the end.
posted by Terry at
7:30 AM
|
0 comments
Opium Crop Rises Record 60 percent in Afghanistan
FOX News
AP
09/03/06
KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.N. anti-drugs chief announced Saturday a "staggering" 60 percent rise in opium cultivation in Afghanistan this year, and demanded the government arrest scores of major traffickers and remove corrupt officials and police who are profiting from the trade.
The record crop yielded 6,100 tons of opium -- enough to make 610 tons of heroin -- outstripping the demand of the world's drug users by a third.
AP
09/03/06
KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.N. anti-drugs chief announced Saturday a "staggering" 60 percent rise in opium cultivation in Afghanistan this year, and demanded the government arrest scores of major traffickers and remove corrupt officials and police who are profiting from the trade.
The record crop yielded 6,100 tons of opium -- enough to make 610 tons of heroin -- outstripping the demand of the world's drug users by a third.
posted by Terry at
5:47 AM
|
0 comments
Saturday, September 02, 2006
The Last 8 Weeks of the Campaign
(links fixed)
Dear Friends and Supporters,
The last 8 weeks of the 2006 campaign season are upon us. To me it does not seem like a year has already passed since I formally announced my intention to run for Governor of Alabama. So many wonderful things have happened and I have met so many new and wonderful people traveling the great state of Alabama. I guess it’s true that time flies when you are having fun. A very big part of me wishes that there were still another year at least before the election.
Despite not attaining ballot access I have not been ignored by the media in this election. The following is a list of articles and news coverage I have received in this election.
Campaign Appearances & Speeches
First Campaign Speech in Wetumpka
Speech to National Conference of Black Mayors in Selma
Candiate Forum at Annual PTA Convention
Speakers Corner Birmingham
Thursday Night Happy Hour in Roanoke
Media Coverage (Video) - There has been a great deal more televised media coverage than what is presented below, however, I have not been able to record or otherwise acquire copies of every piece.
TalkBack Live
Nall more excited about campaign than Baxley
For the Record
For the Record 2
For the Record 3
For the Record 4
WAKA Channel 8
MSNBC Coverage
Kim Hendrix Interviews Loretta Nall & Joe Copeland
Hoover Metro Kiwanis Club Recap
Audio-
Kevin Elkins Show
Don Markwell Show
Lee Davis Show
90.7 New Rock Radio
Nall on 96 ROCK
Free Talk Live
Joe & The Poor Boy
Alan Colmes Show
WRMN Elgin, IL
Freedom Works Radio
WRMJ Wiregrass Radio
Nall Campaign Ads
Nall of KPFT Houston
Loretta Nall & Dick Clark on WAUD Auburn
Loretta Nall on the Bob Kincaid Show
Print Media
Local Hopes Run Will Influence Candidates
Get to Know Your 2006 Candidates
Nall Enters Alabama Governors Race
Marijuana Advocate Joins Race for Governor
Marijuana Party Head Seeks Governors Office
Election Buzz Heating Up
Archive of print media about me
Pot Bust Lights Fire Under State Candidate
Alabama Journalists Discuss my Anatomy
I Discuss Their Unprofessional Tactics
Colorful Candidates to fill 2006 Slate
Nall Still Running…Maintains Innocence
News Conference
Woman to Head Libertarian Ticket
Libertarians make it Official
Candidates Share Ideas on Schools, Taxes, Criminals
Gubernatorial Hopeful Flashes for Cash
Columbia School of Journalism
Boobs, Panties & Courage How Honest Elections Could Change Alabama
Nall #1 on Technorati for 48 Hours Top Ten for Over a Week
Birmingham Free Press
Once in a Lifetime
Nall Opposes Guard Troops on Mexican Border
More or Less
Drug Reformers Take Third Party Path in Bids for State Office
Nall; "I’m Not Dropping Out!"
Nall Looks to Ride Colorful Campaign
How I have Influenced the Debate
Weigh Changing Marijuana Law
Community Corrections an Investment in Future
Addicted to Prison
Crowded Prisons
Prison Commissioner Resigns
Tuskegee Sheriff; "Nall Right on Drug Policy!"
Prohibition Discussed on For the Record
There has been additional coverage by newspapers, TV and radio that is not available online but this list shows that I have had a major impact and that the media is very interested in my campaign and my ideas for Alabama. I have a number of other major events coming up in the month of October.
Oct. 10, 2006 - Speaking at the Sunrise Roatry Club on Highland Ave in Birmingham
Oct. 12, 2006 - Speaking at Auburn University
Oct. 14, 2006 - Speaking at a Prison Reform Rally in Montgomery
Oct. 24, 2006 - Univeristy of Alabama Birmingham Gubernatorial Debates
Oct. 29, 2006 - Speaking to University of Montevallo Progressive Alliance
Oct. 30, 2006 - Alabama Gubernatorial Debates in Montgomery. I have been completely excluded from participation so I will be setting up my laptop and video camera in the parking lot and answering the questions in Real Time over the internet. Thanks to modern technology it will really be impossible to exclude me completely.
Oct. 31, 2006 - Since I was excluded from participation in the debates the #1 Talk Radio Station in Alabama is giving me two hours on their morning show which reaches all of North and Central Alabama and has a very large audience. They do not like Riley or Baxley and this opportunity could give me a large boost at the polls on Nov. 7.
There will likely be a number of events and engagements in September as well. Many times I get last minute invites. I know that I am being profiled in the Opelika-Auburn News sometime before the election and I am also being profiled in General Surgery News on my stances on healthcare.
I have also found someone willing to make an in-kind contribution in the form of campaign ads which will stream from my website. These will be along the lines of "Celebrity Death Match...South Park" and will hold no punches when it comes to the other candidates in this race. I need your financial help to ensure there is enough bandwidth on the website for these ads as well as to air them on television if finances permit.
I hope that all of you who have made contributions, financial or otherwise, are proud of your candidate and the things that I have been able to accomplish with your support. Please consider making another contribution to this campaign and help me make the most of the remaining opportunities still ahead in this election.
If you would rather mail your contribution you may mail it to:
Loretta Nall for Governor Campaign
4633 Pearson Chapel Rd
Alexander City, AL 35010
I'll see you on the campaign trail.
Loretta Nall
Vote Nall Y'all...It's Just Common Sense
Dear Friends and Supporters,
The last 8 weeks of the 2006 campaign season are upon us. To me it does not seem like a year has already passed since I formally announced my intention to run for Governor of Alabama. So many wonderful things have happened and I have met so many new and wonderful people traveling the great state of Alabama. I guess it’s true that time flies when you are having fun. A very big part of me wishes that there were still another year at least before the election.
Despite not attaining ballot access I have not been ignored by the media in this election. The following is a list of articles and news coverage I have received in this election.
Campaign Appearances & Speeches
First Campaign Speech in Wetumpka
Speech to National Conference of Black Mayors in Selma
Candiate Forum at Annual PTA Convention
Speakers Corner Birmingham
Thursday Night Happy Hour in Roanoke
Media Coverage (Video) - There has been a great deal more televised media coverage than what is presented below, however, I have not been able to record or otherwise acquire copies of every piece.
TalkBack Live
Nall more excited about campaign than Baxley
For the Record
For the Record 2
For the Record 3
For the Record 4
WAKA Channel 8
MSNBC Coverage
Kim Hendrix Interviews Loretta Nall & Joe Copeland
Hoover Metro Kiwanis Club Recap
Audio-
Kevin Elkins Show
Don Markwell Show
Lee Davis Show
90.7 New Rock Radio
Nall on 96 ROCK
Free Talk Live
Joe & The Poor Boy
Alan Colmes Show
WRMN Elgin, IL
Freedom Works Radio
WRMJ Wiregrass Radio
Nall Campaign Ads
Nall of KPFT Houston
Loretta Nall & Dick Clark on WAUD Auburn
Loretta Nall on the Bob Kincaid Show
Print Media
Local Hopes Run Will Influence Candidates
Get to Know Your 2006 Candidates
Nall Enters Alabama Governors Race
Marijuana Advocate Joins Race for Governor
Marijuana Party Head Seeks Governors Office
Election Buzz Heating Up
Archive of print media about me
Pot Bust Lights Fire Under State Candidate
Alabama Journalists Discuss my Anatomy
I Discuss Their Unprofessional Tactics
Colorful Candidates to fill 2006 Slate
Nall Still Running…Maintains Innocence
News Conference
Woman to Head Libertarian Ticket
Libertarians make it Official
Candidates Share Ideas on Schools, Taxes, Criminals
Gubernatorial Hopeful Flashes for Cash
Columbia School of Journalism
Boobs, Panties & Courage How Honest Elections Could Change Alabama
Nall #1 on Technorati for 48 Hours Top Ten for Over a Week
Birmingham Free Press
Once in a Lifetime
Nall Opposes Guard Troops on Mexican Border
More or Less
Drug Reformers Take Third Party Path in Bids for State Office
Nall; "I’m Not Dropping Out!"
Nall Looks to Ride Colorful Campaign
How I have Influenced the Debate
Weigh Changing Marijuana Law
Community Corrections an Investment in Future
Addicted to Prison
Crowded Prisons
Prison Commissioner Resigns
Tuskegee Sheriff; "Nall Right on Drug Policy!"
Prohibition Discussed on For the Record
There has been additional coverage by newspapers, TV and radio that is not available online but this list shows that I have had a major impact and that the media is very interested in my campaign and my ideas for Alabama. I have a number of other major events coming up in the month of October.
Oct. 10, 2006 - Speaking at the Sunrise Roatry Club on Highland Ave in Birmingham
Oct. 12, 2006 - Speaking at Auburn University
Oct. 14, 2006 - Speaking at a Prison Reform Rally in Montgomery
Oct. 24, 2006 - Univeristy of Alabama Birmingham Gubernatorial Debates
Oct. 29, 2006 - Speaking to University of Montevallo Progressive Alliance
Oct. 30, 2006 - Alabama Gubernatorial Debates in Montgomery. I have been completely excluded from participation so I will be setting up my laptop and video camera in the parking lot and answering the questions in Real Time over the internet. Thanks to modern technology it will really be impossible to exclude me completely.
Oct. 31, 2006 - Since I was excluded from participation in the debates the #1 Talk Radio Station in Alabama is giving me two hours on their morning show which reaches all of North and Central Alabama and has a very large audience. They do not like Riley or Baxley and this opportunity could give me a large boost at the polls on Nov. 7.
There will likely be a number of events and engagements in September as well. Many times I get last minute invites. I know that I am being profiled in the Opelika-Auburn News sometime before the election and I am also being profiled in General Surgery News on my stances on healthcare.
I have also found someone willing to make an in-kind contribution in the form of campaign ads which will stream from my website. These will be along the lines of "Celebrity Death Match...South Park" and will hold no punches when it comes to the other candidates in this race. I need your financial help to ensure there is enough bandwidth on the website for these ads as well as to air them on television if finances permit.
I hope that all of you who have made contributions, financial or otherwise, are proud of your candidate and the things that I have been able to accomplish with your support. Please consider making another contribution to this campaign and help me make the most of the remaining opportunities still ahead in this election.
If you would rather mail your contribution you may mail it to:
Loretta Nall for Governor Campaign
4633 Pearson Chapel Rd
Alexander City, AL 35010
I'll see you on the campaign trail.
Loretta Nall
Vote Nall Y'all...It's Just Common Sense
posted by Loretta Nall at
8:48 AM
|
1 comments