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Spokane Vigil leads
 About 30 'vigilizers' braved the cold weather in front of the Spokane County Courthouse to bring our message to the people. I was interviewed by the local ABC television-affiliate, and our vigil was the lead-in story on the 11 p.m. news. Our banner reading, There is no justice in the war on drugs was shown prominently. The Channel 4 report then featured the captain of the local jail awkwardly defending drug prohibition to the interviewer. The story then gave news about a Mexican cartel's $200,000 bounty on U.S. border agents, followed by mention of the $1.6 billion bankrolled to Colombia for continued military actions against the peasants in coca-growing areas. The segments ended by asserting that cocaine-exports from this bloodied and beleaguered country have doubled in the last four years. Perhaps unintentionally, the report still served as a scathing indictment of the Drug War. Several passersby chose to join our vigil, and many cars honked as they motored by, their drivers yelling support. We made several new contacts, including a young woman who hopes to start a chapter of 'Students for a Sane Drug Policy' at Gonzaga University. All in all, it was an exhilarating and rewarding experience. Tom Murlowski, Spokane Vigil Leader  |