From 1965 through 2021, more than 29 million Americans have been arrested for simple marijuana possession, mostly for violating state laws. But thousands were convicted of federal offenses.

The Baha’i canon includes original scriptures handwritten by the Bab and Baha’u’llah, as well as authoritative interpretations by Baha’u’llah’s son ‘Abdu’l-Baha and great-grandson, Shoghi Effendi. Much of this canon was written in Arabic and Farsi. These original writings are available for research by scholars. Because the Baha’i Faith places great value on independent investigation, Baha’i administration oversees authorized translations into both mainstream and indigenous languages globally.

As for Walker, he seems to be surviving on the strength of those most fervent upholders of religion and morality, the white evangelicals of Georgia, who are unwilling even to suggest they might have a problem voting for a man who is accused of persuading his girlfriend to get an abortion (and paying for it). 

Travis McAdam, a Montana-based activist whose efforts to combat white supremacy and other forms of hate have generated regional, national and global impact, and a Spokane-based organization, Muslims for Community Action and Support (MCAS), are this year’s winners of the Eva Lassman “Take Action Against Hate” Awards presented by the Gonzaga University Center for the Study of Hate.

Just as churches offer their facilities as polling places, religious believers should step up and become poll workers. They should do it with a firm conviction that discrimination, lying and stealing are sins in any circumstances, and making it difficult for some people to vote, stealing votes and lying about election results are especially serious sins.

SpokaneFāVS is hosting their third book club this fall and will be reading, "Torn: Married to a White Supremacist" by Christine Eddy, who was married for 27 years to a neo-Nazi.