Blackberrys, the fruit, not the PDA

Monday I noticed what has become an Alabama tradition in my mind. Our State Fruit, The Blackberry, was in full bloom. This of course means nothing to the uninitated, but to those of us who spend many May and June mornings plucking this bounty from the thorn, it means 3 weeks or so until the red berrys began tempting us. Browsing some of the literature on this berry that can't be stopped I was amazed to find its nutritional value higher than other berries in its class, and its Cancer fighting potential a whopping 40% over its nearest rival.

No wonder as we move away from the land that nourishes us, we weaken and develop "new" diseases. I wonder what else the Native American's didn't have time to tell us before we "colonized" this "New World".

And speaking of Tart little berries that are better for you than the government wants you to know... I hope everyone is out getting petitions signed for the upcoming ballot. We have to get those signatures in so Mrs. Nall can rightfully be presented to the people of Alabama. If we can get her out there by word of mouth, and on the ballot, I think Alabama just might pick the "Common" berry, and leave the rest of the fruits on the "Bush" for the birds.

Tired of the Same old Song and Dance

As my first Blog ever, I want to sort of establish a precedence for all of the Future Blogs. Some will be political, some will deal with Energy issues, and generally on anything I find that is wallowing in a "Conservative" bog of old Ideas.

I won't even promise you to have answers in these rants (blogs?)... just acknowldgement of the Tired Ideas, and present new thoughts I or others may have on them.

Currently we face an election cycle in Alabama (my native soil), and it seems appropriate that the topic that lead me here toss out the first spade full of dirt for the Grave of an old Idea who faces true grit and honesty this year.

It seems the political machine has resorted to established names and faces for the most part this year. Slick names for these opponents roll off the tounges of their detractors... "Teflon Don", "Billion Dollar Bill" or "Wiley Riley", the "I Love Lucy" or "Bashful Baxley"... and others even less flattering.

Tactics are also tired and practiced to the point of dull eyed participation by both the voters and votee's. Stay above the fray and shake rich hands until enough money falls out to buy publicity (TV$). Pull all of your strings to tie up opponents in legal difficulties and questionable aquaitnences... then "Rise above it all" as the only choice for "Moral" leadership.

Yet fate provides a bright if slim hope for Alabama Politics this year. Lorreta Nall is an Alabamian who has had enough. Like so many before her, she has taken disrespect after disservice from the hands of state employees or law enforcment giddy on excessive power of search and legal entanglement. Like some brave souls before her, she has said enough is enough, and taken it into her head to change the system.

Yet like very few before her, she has created her own platform and risen to from happy homemaker to an Established 3rd Party candidate for the governer's seat of Alabama, and in my humble opinion, the only real candidate with new and solid approaches to issues that the old hats have failed to touch in 30 years of "Bi-partisian" checks and balances.

Please check her and her opponents out, become informed, AND VOTE!! Vote your concious, vote your political affiliation, just vote for the future, not for the tired old has been ideas that have failed us for so long.