Well, it was a pretty exciting weekend in St. Louis.  In case anyone hasn’t seen any already, here are a few nice pictures and a diary from the 100,000+ person Obama rally.

Before getting to this week’s events, I’d like to make a pitch to those people who are not already busy on election day.  The message I’m passing on is non-partisan, as is the group, but I’m going to give a bit of a partisan explanation for why you should care about it.  All of this noise being generated in recent days from Republicans about ACORN is a distraction from real problems.  If you want a fuller picture, you can read this, but the basic point is that though there have been many instances of voter *registration* problems (and in fact there almost have to be given the way the law is set up), there have been very few to no recent cases of actual voter fraud.  On the other hand, there have been quite a lot of cases in recent elections of voter suppression, where people who are eligible to vote are discouraged or tricked into not voting.  This is why, in a state like Missouri where the polls show a tight election, it is extremely important that we have knowledgeable poll monitors at all of the voting sites who can tell people what their rights are.  So if you’re not already busy on election day, please consider being a poll monitor: the more poll monitors there are, the less chance there will be of people who are eligible to vote being told that they can’t.   And, in case you didn’t go for my mildly partisan pitch, here is the completely non-partisan pitch, which includes information about how to get involved:

“Your help is needed to ensure that all voters can cast a ballot on Election Day! Volunteers are needed to serve as poll monitors to provide voters with information about their rights and overcome obstacles they may face at the polls – confusion over requirements, problems with registration rolls, long lines or intimidation. Election Protection is the nation’s largest nonpartisan voter protection effort, providing information to voters, documenting problems and helping voters on the ground — our goal  is to ensure that all voters are able to cast a ballot and have their ballot count. Flexible morning or afternoon shifts available. Trainings are being held weekdays at 5:30, Saturdays at 10 a.m. Sundays from 4-6 at the Omega Center, 3900 Goodfellow. A special training session will be scheduled on Washington University’s campus. For more information or to sign up please contact Marquita Bradshaw at mbradsha@aflcio.org or Denise Lieberman at: denise@deniselieberman.com.”

So, with no further ado, here are this weeks events:

Monday, Oct. 20.  SPEAKER ON VOTER SUPPRESSION

Speaking of voter suppression, the St. Louis Ethical Society is hosting an author who documented many of the problems that went on in Ohio in 2004. Richard Phillips will be speaking at 7 PM about his book “Witness to a Crime: A Citizen’s Audit of an American Election,” and you can get the full details at this link.

Also Monday, PEACE ACTIVIST JOHN DEAR SPEAKS

Peace Activist and Jesuit Priest John Dear will be speaking at Left Bank Books about his book “A Persistent Peace.” You can get the full details  here.

Tuesday, Oct. 21. MOVIE ABOUT MOTHER JONES

“Mother Jones: America’s Most Dangerous Woman” will be showing at this week’s Labor Learn Film Series.  The movie starts at 6:45 at IBEW Local 1, 5840 Elizabeth Ave and you can get the full details at the IOW calendar.

Also Tuesday. PANEL ON GUANTANAMO BAY

Amnesty International at WashU is hosting a panel of legal and military experts to talk about the effects of torture at Guantanamo Bay.  The event starts at 7 PM and I believe is in Wilson Hall, room 214, on the WashU campus, but keep checking back on this page to get the full information.

Also Tuesday. STOP THE HATE VIGIL AT WASHU

There’s been a lot of divisiveness and hate at McCain/Palin rallies in the past two weeks, and I regretfully report that some of that nastiness is coming to WashU.  Anti-Islam author Daniel Pipes is going to be on campus speaking at 9 PM.  There is a counter-protest organized at the same time calling on them to “Stop the Hate”, and everyone is welcome to attend.  You can find out more here.

Wednesday, Oct. 22.  NATIONAL DAY AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY

St. Louis is one of the few cities in the country where local citizens have no say over who the police commission is (it’s controlled by the state government).  This and other issues will be the focus at the rally on Tucker and Market at 4:30.  Full details are at this link.

Also Wednesday, GROWING AMERICAN YOUTH PARTY

Pride St. Louis is hosting a party at Attitudes Nightclub.  A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Growing American Youth.  The party starts at 9 PM and you can get the details here.

Thursday, Oct. 23.  E. BENJAMIN SKINNER ON MODERN-DAY SLAVERY

E. Benjamin Skinner went undercover to infiltrate the world of modern slavery.  He wrote about his experiences in the book, “A Crime so Monstrous,” and will be discussing them in person at the Missouri History Museum.  The event starts at 6 PM and you can RSVP at this facebook page.

Also Thursday, LGBTQA COMMUNITY FORUM

The Diversity Awareness Partners are hosting an LGBTQA Community Forum at 7 PM at the Schlafly Branch Library on Lindell and Euclid.  You can get the details here.

Also Thursday IMMIGRATION 101

I-squared, the youth network of the International Institute of St. Louis, is hosting a informational event on the ins and outs of immigration.  You can find out more by going to this link.

Friday, Oct. 24 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL MIDWEST REGIONAL CONFERENCE

Amnesty’s International conference starts today, and is accompanied by a life-size replica of a Guantanamo Bay Cell.  To check out the conference, with lots of great trainings and information, go here , and to find out more about the cell go to this link.

Saturday, Oct. 25. WASHU AMNESTY POETRY SLAM WITH BIG POPPA E

WashU Amnesty has put together a great lineup for a poetry slam at the Gargoyle.  The event starts at 8 PM and you can get the full details at their facebook page .  

Also Saturday PERSIAN MUSIC AND POETRY

In case slam poetry isn’t your style, the St. Louis Ethical Society is hosting a night of poetry and music from Iran.  Professor Fatemeh Keshavarz will be reading the poetry of Rumi accompanied by world class music.  You can get the full details of th
e 8 PM event at this link.  

Have a fun and meaningful week,

Adam