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Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Nall Campaign Heats Up, Riley Gets Bad News



Libertarian Loretta Nall's bid for the Governor's mansion in Alabama is heating up today, reaping the benefits of the national spotlight brought to her campaign from yesterday's AP news story. The Alabama native has been all over the airwaves today as Nall has granted interviews to news outlets as diverse as small radio stations in Alabama, to large, metropolitan broadcasters in California and Chicago.

The exposure has brought new interest in the Nall campaign at a very critical time in the race. Today marks the countdown--two weeks left until the November elections. It is to be hoped that the media spotlight will lead to a spark in the interest of voters in Alabama, who are clearly increasingly wary of the two major parties in the state.

It is unfortunate that Nall has received billing as 'the candidate who campaigns on cleavage,' although the candidate graciously maintains that if this initial interest leads to a serious consideration of her views, then she is satisfied.

A serious look at Nall's views is imperative. Contrary to what some writers are saying, Nall is NOT promoting the use of illegal drugs. Some bloggers and news outlets seize upon her involvement in the Marijuana Party as evidence that she is just another dope pushing druggie. This is far from the truth. Nall's platform is one of advocating a change in U.S. Drug Policy, an idea whose time has come with the gross failure of America's 'war on drugs' and the waste of billions of the taxpayers' money. Even William F. Buckley, revered longtime conservative leader, has called for an end to the war on drugs and a legalization policy that will end the crime riddled black market overnight, similar to what happened with the end of Prohibition.

As I have stated many times such a view is worth a try, given the fact that after all these years and billions of dollars wasted on a 'drug war' that clearly did not work, the country can now implement a more reasonable approach of legalization, decriminalizing non-violent drug offenders, and initiating a program of detox and rehab for those held in the grip of addiction. These persons are victims of a serious, life-threatening malady, not criminals who belong in jail.

More on Nall's campaign platform can be found at www.lorettanall.com, and at her blog at www.nallforgovernor.blogspot.com.

Nall's opponent in this race is Alabama Governor Bob Riley, who is running for a 2nd term. Riley has taken another hit in the news of late with a story in the AP about the Cato Institute's rating for U.S. Governors. The Cato Institute is an important libertarian and conservative think-tank. Riley has received a grade of 'F' primarily for his tax policies.

This bad news comes on the heels of another major story in the AP concerning Riley's membership in the racist Grand Lodge of Alabama. You can find several stories about this matter here on The Liberty Sphere.

Polls in Alabama show that Riley leads his closest rival, Lt. Governor Lucy Baxley, 57% to 36%. This is difficult to believe and yet not difficult to understand given the Alabama media's complicity in burying negative stories about Riley. The polls could well be wrong for that reason alone.

With the Nall campaign hitting its stride and the Riley campaign limping from a double-whammy in the national news, this race could well get very interesting in the last two weeks of the campaign.

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