Notes from the Hustings
(April 22, 2010) It’s So Simple
Chelene Nightingale, the American Independent Party candidate for governor of California, is a big believer in breakfast. Real breakfast. Ortega omelette, home fries, salsa. Mama’s, the downtown Eureka diner, turned out to be an inspired backdrop for an interview — classic Americana, but with a touch of Humboldt-style funkiness and — crucially, for this candidate — a wide selection of hot sauce to choose from. (On a tip, she went with a bottle of local Weitchpec Chile.)
Comfort food sauced up to kick; Nightingale’s candidacy in a nutshell. This was Thursday morning, a few hours before she was scheduled to speak at the Tax Day Tea Party Rally at the Humboldt County Courthouse. A Los Angeles-based anti-illegal immigration activist in her mid-40s, a former actress and model, she spent an hour that morning stumping heatedly over her plate. Her pitch is exactly what voters want to hear, Nightingale says, and she intends to win.
“All I am is a liberty candidate,” she says, a few moments after ordering. “That’s all I talk about — liberty, freedom, the economy, the things that people want to talk about these days.”
Over the course of an hour, Nightingale talked about many things — agriculture, environmentalism, the economy, marijuana, the state legislature, the existence or nonexistence of Barack Obama’s birth certificate, Bilderberg-led plots to depopulate the world and consolidate power — but underlying all her vehement policy particulars was a strong political philosophy: America, she stated many times, faces a choice between “Marxism” and “the Constitution.” More often than not, sadly, it chose Marxism. The cure for our ills is simple: choose “the Constitution” instead.
For example. Agricultural interests in the Central Valley are suffering from water shortages, even while water is allowed to flow downstream in the name of Sacramento Delta salmon preservation. Solution? Easy: Simply authorize local law enforcement agencies to turn on the spigot to the fields, and arrest and incarcerate any federal agent who tries to insist otherwise. “People are more important than fish,” she says. “Period.” Nightingale hadn’t heard anything about the Klamath River crisis or the proposed settlement, but she is certain that a solution would likewise be simple to find so long as the feds were barred any role in the negotiations.
Bottom line: In Nightingale’s version of things, the only thing holding us back from realizing all our dreams is to reject the globalist agenda that she believes has taken over the federal government, much of which is unconstitutional and illegitimate, anyway. Abolish the income tax. Secure the borders. Reassert state’s rights. Just get rid of all the craziness that’s been going on in this country, and get back to basics.
“The sky is the limit,” Nightingale says. “I don’t know why I’m thinking of Donald Trump right now, but look how wealthy he is. He uses his own money. He goes and he builds. He has employees. He could be a country within himself. And I think that’s an example we need to follow.”
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44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
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EIGHT Comments
Comment / By Steven Nigell / April 22, 11:03 a.m.
Interesting piece about Chelene Nightingale for governor 2010, but pretty much a waste of time. She does not fully grasp what it takes to be in an important position like that of Governor of CA! Some people are looking for their 15 minutes of fame..I think her time is over. Extremist taking advantage of the Teaparty movement. Sounds more like sedition to me.
Comment / By AyatollahGondola / April 22, 4:39 p.m.
Typical Nightingale,
She claims to be a liberty candidate, however she did not practice liberty when she had operational control of SaveOurState.org. Anyone who did not pledge allegiance to her, Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin, or whomever else she forged alliances with was ostracized and then banned from participation. Then, in an effort to cover up all of her past bizarre behavior, religious rantings, and near collapse of her support group, she had the entire five year forum removed from the internet. There is so much she has hidden now. Ask her why there is so little hard evidence of the claims she makes about her history as it pertains to what she has done in the past. Her “vice presidency of a distribution co”, “Managing director of a 501C3”, etc. Ask HER where’s the certificate?
Comment / By Stan Feldsine / April 22, 6:51 p.m.
Thanks for the article on Chelene. I was not aware she was running for governor until I read this.
Her web site lists what feels to me like common sense solutions to problems that our state government would apparently like us to think are insurmountable. They are certainly insurmountable to the current set of folks that are running the state.
It’s time to throw in the towel on this current crop of solution providers and try something else, and while I don’t know much about Chelene, I like her solutions.
Comment / By John campani / April 24, 11:25 a.m.
She doesn’t stand a chance against Meg Whitman, or Brown..She does not have the knowledge or expertise to handle running the STATE of california. We don’t need amateurs AT THIS TIME IN our Statehood. She should run for city gov….to get her feet wet. Rookies need to gain experience, and she has not yet shown by background that she has what it takes. Many people in coffee shops have great ideas for Government…but, the chat goes no further. Maybe she should start at the coffee shop and work on it for about 5 years. Just my opinion.
Comment / By Thirdeye / April 26, 2:26 p.m.
Gallegos is toast.
Comment / By Paul Zaharis / April 27, 1:14 p.m.
The facts are these: Ms. Chelene Nightingale for governor 2010/ aip/constitution party is trying to tie her string to the “teaparty patriots.” Ms Nightingale is with the constitution party whose platform is NOT what the teaparty patriots are all about.
Her piggybacking on “our” cause distracts from our common message and gives ammunition to those who wish to question our legitimacy.
Further, her “conspiracy tinged” speeches discredit our true teaparty message. I am against backing these discredited publicity seekers.
ty, pzsocalteapartypatriots
Comment / By Citizens For A Better Veterans Home / May 23, 11:14 p.m.
FACTS there is no current California Constitution Party FACTS she says one thing, does another, and retells it a third FACTS she lost a civil trial as a defendant in a fraud case
Comment / By Citizens For A Better Veterans Home / July 13, 12:41 a.m.
Nightmare Nightingale Ally Gary Odom State Bar of California, 180 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
Tuesday, July 13, 2010 State Bar Gary Robert Odom - #77617 Current Status: Resigned and may not practice law in California.
Bar Number 77617 Address 3900 Market St #240 Riverside, CA 92501
Phone Number (951) 788-9045 County Riverside Law School Southwestern Univ SOL; Los Angeles CA Present Resigned 4/6/2003 Resigned 2/2/2002 Not Eligible To Practice Law 10/30/2001 Active 9/1/2001 Not Eligible To Practice Law 12/21/1977 Admitted to The State Bar of California Actions Affecting Eligibility to Practice Law Effective Date Description Case Number Resulting Status Disciplinary and Related Actions 4/6/2003 Resignation with charges pending 02-Q-12984 Resigned 6/24/2002 Vol.inactive(tender of resign.w/charges) 02-Q-12984 Not Eligible To Practice Law 2/2/2002 Discipline w/actual suspension 99-O-12302 Not Eligible To Practice Law Administrative Actions 9/1/2001 Suspended, failed to pay Bar membr. fees Not Eligible To Practice Law
Explanation of common actions California Bar Journal Discipline Summarily
February 2, 2002
GARY ROBERT ODOM [77617], 50, of Riverside was suspended for three years, stayed, placed on three years of probation with an actual two-and-a-half year suspension and until he makes restitution and proves his rehabilitation. He was ordered to take the MPRE and comply with rule 955. The order took effect Feb. 2, 2002.
Odom stipulated to 17 counts of misconduct in 18 consolidated cases. Six counts involved failure to maintain client funds in trust, six involved moral turpitude for misappropriating client money, two additional counts of moral turpitude were the result of issuing checks against insufficient funds, two counts were for failing to pay out client funds properly and one count was for failing to cooperate with the bar’s investigation. Many of the counts, however, involved multiple clients. For instance, in one count alone, Odom admitted that he allowed the balance in his client trust account to fall below the amount he was required to maintain for 20 different clients. He also wrote numerous checks against insufficient funds.
The misappropriation of client funds totaled more than $117,000.