Didn't know what to expect. Turned out to be a large room full of nicely dressed people, most of whom were new to me.

Religious leader after religious leader explained "A problem with voting for the lesser evil is you get evil. As Muslim-Americans we are taking a strong stand against genocide by supporting Jill Stein and the Green Party in this election." One was strategic enough about it to point out that here in California the Republican is a non-factor, so everything we can do to give Jill Stein a bigger platform with votes will only add credibility to the message.

The Civil Rights Lawyer said one thing that's different about Muslims is that "We fast voluntarily if that's what we have to do for everybody to get by." There was a murmur of "That's right!" that went through the crowd.

Butch Ware talked about reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X and the Koran in the same general time frame. Malcolm's line that went something like "To decolonize your world you have to start by decolonizing your own heart." rung true for him, and has been a central tenant of his activism since. There was much more, but I gotta get my memory jogged to write it down.

Jill Stein talked about how as a previous Green Party candidate she had felt some responsibility to find a candidate for this year. She thought she had the answer in Dr. Cornell West, but he hadn't examined the idea of a political party enough to go for the Green Party nomination this year. With three weeks (or was it days?) before the nomination deadline the only hope for a Green Party Candidate was getting on the ballot herself. The Green Party needs a Presidential candidate because many States grease the skids for political parties that have one. It also helps with down ticket races in many ways. That day had lead to this, and she was honored to be standing in front of us spreading the Green Party message. She explained that really fixing the border situation will require cutting the military budget drastically. For one thing, that will free up money to spend on domestic needs. For another it will cut way back on the ruin we are raining down on other countries, mostly ones with exploitable resources. That alone will cut into the tide of refugees. One thing she will do on day one is stop the genocide of Palestinians by Israelis. Stein grew up in a family of holocaust survivors, and it is in her blood to do what she can to stop the carnage. A vote for her is a vote for peace and justice.

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