On Friday, June 10, 2016, at approximately 9:02 p.m. there was a wakeup call heard throughout the Alabama Legislature. And, I can assure you, every member of the Alabama House of Representatives clearly heard the alarm. Alabama Speaker of The House Mike Hubbard, the man who had “Stormed The State House” during the 2010 election, had been convicted of 12 felony charges of Public Corruption by a jury of his peers in a Lee County court room. As the first GUILTY verdict was called out the undisputed most powerful political figure in the Alabama State House was REMOVED from Alabama Politics and escorted to a jail booking desk.

I feel sure that the Alabama House Members who had pledged their BLIND Loyalty to Speaker Mike Hubbard, for a Position, Committee Appointment, or Committee Chairmanship, were experiencing a panic attack like someone who wakes up and realizes they have just missed the bus. To be honest, that’s a bus I believe several of my colleagues now wish they had missed several years ago. I am so thankful that bus eventually sped away and left me with a feeling of isolation, searching for answers. (Please allow me to explain.)

In 2010 I prayerfully made the decision to retire from a Law Enforcement career I loved for almost four decades and run for an elected office in the Alabama State House. I truly felt that God was giving me an opportunity to help more Alabamians with the knowledge I had been allowed to obtain as a public servant in the field of Law Enforcement. (Thoughts of having a greater opportunity to serve the people of House District 15 and citizens throughout Alabama was my motivation.) It had absolutely nothing to do with Party Politics or Conservative Values. But, in the Alabama Two-Party political system, you must quickly decide which ballot you want your name on.

{From the start of my first political campaign in 2010 I have consistently stated: “I am a Christian, Conservative member of the

Alabama Republican Party.” I have stressed that it is in that exact order that I will continue to humbly and respectfully serve.}

When I was first elected to the Alabama House of Representatives I immediately had to rent a Post Office Box at the McCalla Post Office to handle all of the correspondence I began to receive. People and organizations I had never heard of began to send me information and request my assistance. Heck, I was now being referred to as THE HONORABLE Representative Allen Farley. (Almost four decades being a public servant in the line of fire and all of a sudden THE POLITICIAN is referred to as THE HONORABLE.)

{If a politician isn’t careful, and doesn’t have a wife that constantly reminds him of the reasons for God’s Blessings, and HIS reasons for your increased responsibilities, a person might begin to think they are more important than those you were elected to serve.}

Ephesians 3:8 (NLT) Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.

It didn’t take long for all of us HONORABLES to be called to a December, 2010 “Ethics Reform” Special Session by outgoing Governor Bob Riley. Immediately the tone of the Riley-Hubbard HONORABLES was Anti-AEA. The intensity caught me off guard. You could almost imagine the smell of Napalm in the air around the Alabama State House. (Soon I would have the opportunity to imagine more than just the smell as I voted against one of the Riley-Hubbard Ethics Bills.)

My very first Legislative Session, (The 2010 “Ethics Reform” Special Session), taught me there was only ONE PERSON driving the bus filled with the Republican “HONORABLES” in the Alabama House of Representatives. It was THE SPEAKER, Mike Hubbard. (And, TOTAL LOYALTY, to Mike Hubbard was the only way to get a seat on that bus.)

As the “Ethics Reform” legislation began to come to the House Floor for a vote, the tension began to build throughout the “HONORABLES” in the House Republican Caucus. (Who would be riding on THE SPEAKER’S BUS and who would be walking?) Which “HONORABLE” would dare to turn their back on the school children of Alabama and support a self-serving AEA Union Boss like Dr. Paul Hubbert?

My first Legislative Wake-Up Alarm started sounding with the introduction of Senate Bill 2 during the 2010 “Ethics Reform” Special Session. Looking back, I obviously did not see the lasting effects of those “HONORABLE” Republican votes cast in that Special Session. I later realized those votes were probably reviewed and used like a Security Check Point to identify THE SPEAKER’S TEAM before deciding the seating assignments on THE SPEAKER’S BUS. (Needless to say, I soon bought me some comfortable walking shoes.)

SB-2 was legislation to stop public schools from deducting AEA union dues from employment checks. This was seen as a means to quickly reduce the lobbying resources available to the teacher’s union. (However, I quickly began to receive telephone calls from Police Officers and Fire Fighters about collateral damage.)

The Alabama FOP and Fire Fighter’s Union also desperately depended on payroll deductions from their Public Service employees. So, after talking to Speaker Hubbard, I made it very clear I would not be supporting the broad reaching SB-2. (Well, suddenly I was made aware of some of the duties some of my “HONORABLE” Republican colleagues were obviously willing to perform to get reserved seats on THE SPEAKER’S BUS.)

While sitting at my desk on the House Floor during the 2010 “Ethics Reform” Special Session, I received cellphone calls from both Governor Bob Riley and his son Rob. They were calling to urge me to vote for SB-2. Each time, (Rob called more than once), I explained the reasons I could not vote for that particular legislation. Then, I had a personal visit from one of my “HONORABLE” veteran Republican

House colleagues. (This particular “HONORABLE’” colleague was also a retired Law Enforcement Officer.) He knelt beside my desk on the House Floor and explained that he had been sent by THE SPEAKER to ENCOURAGE me to vote for SB-2. As I looked my “HONORABLE” colleague in the eyes, I questioned how he could turn his back on his fellow Alabama Law Enforcement Officers? He plainly stated: “Well, I guess I’m The Speaker’s Whore.” (Yep, there it is. Possibly the #1 requirement for an “HONORABLE” to reserve a seat on THE SPEAKER’S BUS.)

Following the 2010 “Ethics Reform” Special Session the Speaker’s Office passed out Committee Assignments and Offices. My committee assignments weren’t all that bad, but my office assignment was interesting. I was assigned an office at the very end of the hall the longest distance away from the House Chamber. Oh yeah, I was also next door to the State House Custodial Staff. (Really, Muriel and I loved it. I had the cleanest office in the Alabama State House.)

{My first term as a member of the Alabama House of Representatives actually smoothed out following the 2010 “Ethics Reform” Special Session. I continued voting my conscience, but I never forgot being lobbied by The Riley’s and The Speaker’s Whore.}

On October 21, 2014, (after receiving a telephone call from a member of The Speaker’s staff), I drove to Auburn, Alabama to show that I believe a person “Is Innocent Until Proven Guilty.” Why was I called and asked to attend? I really don’t know. But, I was, and I did. The “Honorable” Republican House Caucus Members had been told for months about the unquestionable innocence of THE SPEAKER. We were told this was a political move by AG Luther Strange to keep the architect of “Storming The State House” from becoming Alabama’s Governor at the 2018 elections. (NO, I shouldn’t have gone to Auburn. But, at that point in my legislative career, I knew one thing for certain: The Alabama House Speaker was in total control of the Alabama State House and the political effectiveness of every House member wanting to represent their constituents.)

{Being a ruthless politician didn’t make Mike Hubbard a criminal, but I should have thought more about why I received a phone call requesting me to go to Auburn.}

A few weeks after Mike Hubbard was indicted on 23 felony charges he won another election to keep his House seat. Obviously, the 58% who voted for him must have believed the same information about the indictments that myself and my “HONORABLE” Republican House colleagues had been told. (For me, that was about to change!)

In January 2015 the Alabama House of Representatives welcomed the newly elected members. New Committees Assignments and Offices were announced. I must admit, I was assigned a slightly bigger office with a much shorter walk to the House Chamber. (I didn’t have a seat on THE SPEAKER’S BUS, but it appeared I was standing at the bus stop.) Then, several months later, I became aware of personal email correspondence from SPEAKER / LOBBYIST Mike Hubbard

the Lee County court had released. I spent three days studying all the email court evidence. I was nauseated, embarrassed, and mad at the same time. (How could I have not been aware of those emails?)

I began to write Newspaper articles and blogs about the tremendous power of the Alabama House Speaker, and the incredibly telling email evidence that was available for everyone with internet access. Almost instantly I began to sense a large number of the House Republican “HONORABLES” turning their heads as THE SPEAKER’S BUS sped out of sight. (Yes Lord, I hear you. But, why have YOU allowed me to be lead into this desert to watch a group called “HONORABLE” leave me and drive away?)

During the 2016 Legislative Session I only sponsored one bill. (I did co-sponsor legislation to remove any member of the Legislature from a leadership position when indicted. I also co-sponsored legislation to establish a three term-limit for a legislator to serve in any one House of the Alabama Legislature.) The bill I sponsored was actually brought to me by the Alabama Attorney General’s Office. It would have made it easier for Alabama Law Enforcement to prosecute a pedophile found in possession of nude photographs of children. Needless to say, nothing with my name on it was ever discussed in a House Committee. (I was even denied a request to speak during a debate on the House Floor. I had my Speak Light on for approximately one hour, but the House Speaker refused to acknowledge me.)

What have I learned after serving in the Alabama House of Representatives for the last six years? First, we must change the House Rules of Procedure and remove some of the Speaker’s Power and give it to the elected House members to better represent their constituents. One person should not be in total control of assigning committees, chairmanships, offices, and parking places. (House Rule 51 states that the Speaker must first acknowledge a House Member before they are allowed to go to the podium and speak.) Currently the Alabama House of Representatives is not “The Voice of The People.” It is “The Voice of The Speaker.”

I believe a great deal of the power of corruption has been built over the years into the Alabama House Speaker’s position. Obviously, over the years, the lobbyists have found it very convenient to just have to deal with ONE MEMBER of the Alabama House of Representatives. I suppose you could say that Lobbyists and Special Interests provide the fuel for THE SPEAKER’S BUS. (Make no mistake, we’re talking about a TOUR BUS with all the latest “HONORABLE” features. This bus should never be confused with PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.)

So, what will the ‘HONORABLE” members of The Alabama House of Representatives decide? Will it be a window seat on a Tour Bus driven by a dictator with a fetish for power and control? Or, will it be Public Service? Who will they serve?

Matthew 6:24 (NLT) “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

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God Bless America!!!

Allen Farley serves portions of Jefferson and Shelby Counties in the Alabama Legislature’s House District 15. Representative Farley can be contacted at allenfarley@bellsouth.net, or (205)-960-7526.

Representative Farley’s blogs can be viewed at allenfarley.wordpress.com

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June 13, 2016

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