As Wall Street Vultures Circle, Demands for Immediate Puerto Rico Debt Relief

As Wall Street Vultures Circle, Demands for Immediate Puerto Rico Debt Relief

 www.commondreams.org/news/2017/09/29/wall-street-vultures-circle-demands-immediate-puerto-rico-debt-relief

Friday, September 29, 2017

"Washington must abandon its austerity agenda and support the removal of all manmade obstacles to Puerto Rico's recovery and reconstruction."

Jessica Corbett, staff writer

While Wall Street vultures circle amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis and try to entice Puerto Rico with "relief" offers in the form of more debt, advocates for economic justice are demanding immediate debt relief and federal stimulus spending to rebuild the island's devastated infrastructure.

  "Puerto Rico needs immediate humanitarian assistance before many more lives are lost thanks to America's latest climate catastrophe, and reconstruction aid to help them rebuild their infrastructure," Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, wrote for Common Dreams on Friday. She continued:

The hurricane only made a bad situation much, much worse: Puerto Rico has been reeling from austerity measures for years that were put in place by Wall Street, which has been calling to recoup the debt. One of Donald Trump's first responses to the mounting humanitarian crisis was to remind people of the "billions of dollars" the territory owes to the bank, "which must be dealt with"—signaling what the priorities will be.

   "Instead, we should consider forgiving Puerto Rico's debt and federally fund its reconstruction," Hauter added. "It's important to demand federal funding for our precious water infrastructure before disasters happen as well; indeed, this funding was cut off to Puerto Rico because of its debt, making a bad situation much worse when the hurricane hit."

   Since Hurricane Maria struck the island last week, nearly half of the commonwealth's 3.4 million residents remain without access to potable water and 97 percent remain without electricity—which its governer has warned may not be fully restored for up to six months.

   Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, as Common Dreams reported Tuesday, has continuously offered assurance that the recovery efforts are "doing well" while also suggesting the government can offer only limited assistance because of Puerto Rico's debts.

   "For the president to bring up Puerto Rico's economic crisis and its debt to corporate America during a time of tremendous suffering is shocking, even for Trump."
—Sonali Kolhatkar, Truthdig

   "For the president to bring up Puerto Rico's economic crisis and its debt to corporate America during a time of tremendous suffering is shocking, even for Trump," Sonali Kolhatkar wrote for Truthdig on Thursday. "The fact that he accompanied this statement with very little action to actually help Puerto Ricans intensified the cruelty of his words."

   Trump has faced intense criticism for his response to the disaster, and though on Thursday he finally caved to mounting pressure and temporarily suspended the Jones Act—a shipping restriction that prevents countries from docking at island ports to directly deliver aid—many are already drawing comparisons to how former President George W. Bush poorly handled Hurricane Katrina.

   Though Kolhatkar notes how the government's "botched response to hurricane damage in New Orleans caused devastation that the city never fully recovered from," she warns that Puerto Rico now "faces a proportionately larger dilemma."

   Unlike New Orleans—Louisiana's coastal city that was destroyed by Katrina in 2005—Puerto Rico, is a U.S. commonwealth with a complex colonial history, which has not only complicated disaster relief efforts but also helped create the economic crisis that hobbled the island even before the hurricane hit.

  "Just as it is impossible to separate Puerto Rico's economic crisis from its status as a U.S. territory," Kolhatkar notes, "it is impossible to disentangle the devastation of the hurricane from the man-made disaster stemming from the island's subservient relationship with the U.S."

  "Puerto Rico's vulnerability to such a disaster is the result of putting bondholder interests over those of Puerto Ricans—now, urgent debt relief is necessary."

—Mark Weisbrot, Center for Economic and Policy Research

   And while the federal government, under Trump, refuses to commit federal funds to rebuild Puerto Rico's decimated infrastructure, some profit-motivated creditors are trying to benefit from the bankrupt island's dire situation, as David Dayen reported for The Intercept this week.

   "A group of bondholders, who own a portion of Puerto Rico's massive $72 billion debt, has proposed what they are calling relief—but in the form of a loan," Dayen reported. On Wednesday, the PREPA (Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority) Bondholder Group offered the island $1 billion in new loans and to replace $1 billion in existing bonds with a new $850 million bond.

   The bonds would have had top priority for repayment, "and between that increased value and interest payments after the first two years, the bondholders would have likely come out ahead on the deal, despite a nominal $150 million in debt relief," Dayen explained.

   Officials with Puerto Rico's Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority said as much when they determined that the offer was "not viable" and would harm recovery efforts. In addition to rejecting the offer, Dayen reported, officials "suggested that profit motive rather than altruism was the bondholder group's real goal."

  "Puerto Rico's vulnerability to such a disaster is the result of putting bondholder interests over those of Puerto Ricans," said Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR). "Now, urgent debt relief is necessary to allow for the rebuilding of the island's infrastructure and to stimulate growth."

   On Friday Weisbrot demanded not only debt relief for the commonwealth but also "a significant fiscal stimulus package to fund the recovery efforts and jump-start the austerity-ravaged economy; allowing Puerto Rico the same Medicaid funding as U.S. states, and the permanent abolition of the Jones Act."

As Jake Johnston, CEPR research associate, concluded: "Washington must abandon its austerity agenda and support the removal of all manmade obstacles to Puerto Rico's recovery and reconstruction."

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"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs

California Court of Appeal Rejects State's Approval of Bee-Killing Pesticides

Published on Alternet (https://www.alternet.org)

California Court of Appeal Rejects State's Approval of Bee-Killing Pesticides

Beyond Pesticides [1]

September 28, 2017, 12:00 PM GMT

  The First District California Court of Appeal issued an opinion [2] last week in a lawsuit challenging a California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) decision to approve additional uses for two bee-killing pesticides without disclosing the impact on honeybees.

Pesticide Action Network, Center for Food Safety, and Beyond Pesticides, represented by Earthjustice, filed the underlying lawsuit in 2014, seeking to halt DPR’s practice of approving ever more uses for neonicotinoid pesticides pending completion of the agency’s languishing scientific review of the evidence linking agricultural use of neonicotinoids to a global honeybee die-off. DPR began its scientific review in early 2009 after it received evidence that neonicotinoids are killing bees, but DPR has yet to complete its review or take meaningful action to protect bees. Instead, DPR has continued to allow increased use of neonicotinoids in California.

   “DPR acknowledged almost 10 years ago that neonicotinoids are killing bees, yet the agency has approved more and more uses for these toxic pesticides every year since,” said Earthjustice attorney Greg Loarie, who represented the groups. “It’s time for DPR to do its job and protect honeybees and the multi-billion dollar agricultural economy that bees make possible in this State.”

   At issue in the lawsuit was DPR’s decision to expand the use of two powerful neonicotinoid insecticides—sold under the trademarks Venom Insecticide and Dinotefuran 20SG—despite the agency’s still-pending review of impacts to pollinators. The case underscores larger problems with DPR’s unwillingness to comply with laws enacted to ensure that pesticides do not threaten human health, agriculture, or the environment.

“This ruling is welcome news, given the crisis facing bee populations in California and across the country, along with the resulting impacts on farmers and our food system,” said Paul Towers, Organizing Director and Policy Advocate at Pesticide Action Network. “We applaud the court for confirming that the state must evaluate the impacts not only of these two pesticides, but also the toxic combination effect of multiple pesticides, as well as meaningfully consider alternatives to their use. This is a win for public health, the environment—and in particular honeybees.”

   A growing body of independent science links the class of pesticides called neonicotinoids to bee declines, both alone and in combination with other factors like disease and malnutrition. Twenty-nine independent scientists conducted a global review of 800 independent studies and found overwhelming evidence of pesticides linked to bee declines.

   “Unless halted, the use of these pesticides threatens not only the very survival of our pollinators, but the fate of whole ecosystems. DPR has a responsibility to step in and say no. Particularly in the current political climate, it is all the more important to continue to hold all regulators accountable and to have states step up and protect beekeepers and the environment,” said Rebecca Spector, West Coast Director at Center for Food Safety.

“An overwhelming body of scientific literature calls for regulatory action to protect vulnerable pollinator and other non-target species from toxic pesticide use,” said Jay Feldman, Executive Director of Beyond Pesticides. “This court decision enforces regulatory responsibility to assess the full range of impacts caused by the indiscriminate pesticide poisoning in order to preserve essential ecological services that are critical to sustaining life.”

   One in every three bites of food depends on bees for pollination, and the annual value of pollination services worldwide are estimated at over $125 billion. In the United States, pollination contributes $20-30 billion in agricultural production annually. And in California alone, almonds crops—entirely dependent on bees for pollination—are valued at over $3 billion.

Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@alternet.org'. [3]

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Source URL: https://www.alternet.org/environment/california-court-appeal-rejects-states-approval-bee-killing-pesticides

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[2] https://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/files/Neonicotinoids%20Opinion.pdf
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Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs

New Bill Will Show Which Lawmakers Support 'Indiscriminate Bombings of Schools, Marketplaces, Hospitals'

New Bill Will Show Which Lawmakers Support 'Indiscriminate Bombings of Schools, Marketplaces, Hospitals'

 www.commondreams.org/news/2017/09/29/new-bill-will-show-which-lawmakers-support-indiscriminate-bombings-schools

Friday, September 29, 2017

Bipartisan resolution calls for U.S. military to stop aiding Saudi-led coalition's bombing campaign in Yemen

Andrea Germanos, staff writer

Boys hold a large piece of twisted metal near homes that were destroyed in an air strike, in Okash Village, near Sana’a, the capital of Yemen. (Photo: UNICEF/Mohammed Hamoud)

   As the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Yemen continues to deepen, with the number of cholera cases on track to hit one million by year's end, a new bipartisan bill aims to stop the U.S. from fueling Saudi Arabia's assault on the impoverished and imperiled nation.

   Introduced by four lawmakers in the House on Wednesday, the legislation cites the War Powers Resolution, declaring that Congress has never given authorization for U.S. forces to be involved in the conflict so the intelligence and refueling assistance to the Saudi-led coalition's years-long aerial bombings is based on "no provision of law." It also calls the war counterproductive to the stated aim of defeating Al Qaeda.

   It calls for removal of U.S. military forces aiding the coalition's campaign within 30 days "unless and until a declaration of war or specific authorization for such use of United States Armed Forces has been enacted."

   "We aim to restore Congress as the constitutionally mandated branch of government that may declare war and retain oversight over it," Democratic sponsors Rep. Ro Khanna (Calif.) and Rep. Mark Pocan (Wis.) wrote in a letter to colleagues, according to Foreign Policy.

   The Republican co-sponsors are Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Rep. Walter Jones (N.C.).

As Paul Kawika Martin, senior director for policy and political affairs at Peace Action noted, "Most American taxpayers don't realize they've been footing the bill for mid-air refuelings of Saudi coalition warplanes that regularly bomb civilian targets in Yemen. With U.S. support, the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen has helped give rise to one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes ever, and this resolution offers a chance to end that support."

   The U.S. also helps drive the conflict with billions in arms to Saudi Arabia, which many observers say makes the nation risk complicity in the coalition's possible war crimes.

   According to Kawika Martin, "This privileged resolution will force members of Congress to go on record, many for the first time, on the question of whether or not we should be backing a coalition that's demonstrated an intractable disregard for human rights and the most basic laws of war. To vote for continuing U.S. support is to vote for more indiscriminate bombings of schools, marketplaces, and hospitals in one of the world's poorest nations, and at the expense of American taxpayers and U.S. national security interests."

   Addressing such bombings, the United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday said it would send a group of "eminent experts" to Yemen to "carry out a comprehensive examination of all alleged violations and abuses of international human rights" committed in the conflict and try "to identify those responsible."

That probe, the mandate of a resolution adopted by consensus, "is a victory for Yemenis whose suffering at the hands of all parties to the conflict has been overlooked by the international community. The resolution offers hope for those seeking justice and can serve as a stepping stone towards accountability," said Anna Neistat, senior director for research at Amnesty International.

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Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs

By Trying to Stop Catalonia’s Referendum, They’ve Sparked Something Much Bigger

Published on Portside (https://portside.org)

By Trying to Stop Catalonia’s Referendum, They’ve Sparked Something Much Bigger

http://www.redpepper.org.uk/by-trying-to-stop-catalonias-referendum-theyve-sparked-something-much-bigger/

September 27, 2017

Ignasi Bernat and David Whyte

Friday, September 22, 2017

Red Pepper

   Across Barcelona and the towns and cities of Catalonia, spontaneous demonstrations are breaking out, with people chanting ‘No Pasaran’, ‘We are not afraid’ and singing anti-Francoist resistance hymns. If this feels distinctly like a scene from Spain dark past, that’s because political repression of this scale has probably not been witnessed in Catalonia since Franco.

   It has been a remarkable week in which the Guardia Civil (Spanish police) have seized leaflets, pamphlets and ballot papers in their million, to try to stop Catalonia’s independence referendum on 1 October.

   Government buildings have been forcibly entered and senior government officials arrested and charged. In some places, like Vitoria in the Basque Country, police have raided and terminated meetings addressed by Catalonian politicians.

The Guardia Civil have closed down websites that provide information or commentary on the referendum, and Spanish judges have ordered mobile phone networks Vodafone and Movistar to block access to the official referendum website ref1oct.eu. The repression has even extended to the Spanish Post Office, ordered to open ‘suspicious’ mail to check if it contains referendum-related material.

Tanks on standby

  The political repression has been quite deliberately directed at politicians and has explicitly sought to prevent the Catalan government from functioning. The Spanish Cabinet has unilaterally taken control of the payment of Catalonia’s creditors, to prevent any expenditure relating to the organisation of the referendum.

   712 town mayors have been charged with ‘assisting the referendum’ and many have been detained for questioning by the police. The Spanish government has also issued a direct threat to place Catalan premier Carles Puigdemont under arrest.

   Pictures of army vehicles transporting tanks into Catalonia circulating on social media on Monday were met with a deafening silence in the international media. It is not clear precisely what the purpose of moving those tanks is, but the pictures seem to indicate a military confrontation in preparation.

   If the question of why this remains almost unreported remains unanswered, another question is raised by the possibility of tanks on the streets: how far is the Spanish state prepared to go to prevent the referendum?

   Even if it is not prepared for a fully blown military confrontation, the scale of the measures taken add up to a counter-productive political strategy. It is likely that the government miscalculated that police intervention on this scale could be used to isolate the left from the broader independence movement. After all, despite the fact that a large proportion of the ruling elite in Catalonia are nationalist, they also have a great deal to lose in any major social upheaval. By using exceptional force against the centrist government, the Spanish government calculated that it would be forced to back down, leaving the left vulnerable.

   In recent weeks, the left had been increasingly under pressure from the Spanish political parties, media and police. The governing party in Spain, the conservative PP, taunted the Catalonian government by accusing it of being under the influence of extremists. By this they meant the left-independent party in the regional parliament, the Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP).

 Invoking the traditional Spanish demagoguery about Basque ‘terrorism’, PP politician Pablo Casado warned of ‘the batasunisation of CUP and the Catalan process’. (Batasuna was a political party that was banned over alleged links to ETA.) The strategy has been to characterise the demand for a referendum in Catalonia as left extremism – and in doing so, to marginalise and demonise the left.

  The current repression has a parallel aim: to provoke violent confrontation with left activists. The protests have, so far, not been provoked and have been exceptionally restrained and disciplined.

The people united

   Whichever way we interpret this – irrational brinkmanship or a clumsy attempt to isolate the left – it has spectacularly failed. Some sections of left political and social movements were initially lukewarm about the referendum, but in the past few days, resistance to the Spanish government and the Guardia Civil has produced what looks like a very significant moment of unity.

   Spontaneous demonstrations this week saw 60,000 people gather in Barcelona, and around 10,000 in four other cities, to defend public spaces and demand the release of detained political prisoners. There were a total of 32 solidarity demonstrations outside Catalonia.

   Those demonstrations have been highly successful in reasserting popular control over public spaces and buildings. When the Guardia Civil surrounded CUP headquarters in Barcelona on Wednesday, the community response was too much for the police to deal with. Around 2,000 people arrived to protect the CUP offices and after five hours the police left without being able to complete the raid. All over Catalonia, people took to the streets to oppose the arrests and the other police tactics in unprecedented numbers.

   Workers may be ready to strike against political repression, a very rare thing in Europe indeed. When the Spanish interior ministry docked two 600-berth ferries in Barcelona and Tarragona to accommodate the extra police sent to Catalonia, the Stevedores at those docks immediately refused to assist them. As we write this piece, 50 trade unions and community organisations are meeting to build support for a general strike.

   A government that has set out to stop a referendum may well have inadvertently sown the seeds of something much bigger and more likely to threaten the order of power in Catalonia than a vote for independence.

   Red Pepper is an independent, non-profit magazine that puts left politics and culture at the heart of its stories. We think publications should embrace the values of a movement that is unafraid to take a stand, radical yet not dogmatic, and focus on amplifying the voices of the people and activists that make up our movement. If you think so too, please support Red Pepper in continuing our work by becoming a subscriber today [1]. 

Source URL: https://portside.org/2017-09-27/trying-stop-catalonia%E2%80%99s-referendum-they%E2%80%99ve-sparked-something-much-bigger

Links:

[1] http://www.redpepper.org.uk/subscribe

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs

Baltimore Activist Alert - September 29 - October 1, 2017

37] Peace vigil at White House – Sept. 29

38] WIB peace vigils – Sept. 29

39] Black Lives Matter vigil – Sept. 299

40] Cuban Dinner & Che Brigade Send Off – Sept. 29

41] KIDS WHO KNOW EVERYTHING – Sept. 29

42] Ballroom Dancing – Sept. 29

43] Co-op Festival – Sept. 30 – Oct. 1

44] March for Racial Justice – Sept. 30

45] Peace Academy – Sept. 30

46] 1-Day Movement Politics Campaign Training  – Sept. 30

47] Rising Up Summer Day of Organizing #3 – Sept. 30

48] West Chester peace vigil – Sept. 30

49] New Carrollton Community Day – Sept. 30

50] Stop the Drone War Command Center in Horsham, PA – Sept. 30

51] Talk about the Congo – Sept. 30

52] Earthsave Veg Dinner – Sept. 30

53] Support the Wheeler family who lost their home in a fire

54] Sign up with Washington Peace Center

55] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records

56] Do you need any book shelves?

56] Join the Global Zero campaign

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37] – On Fri., Sept. 29 from noon to 1 PM, join the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in a vigil urging the powers that be to abolish war and torture, to disarm all weapons, to end indefinite detention, to close Guantanamo, to establish justice for all and help create the Beloved Community! This vigil will take place at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Contract Art @ artlaffin@hotmail.com or at 202-360-6416. 

38] – On Fri., Sept. 29 from noon to 1 PM, join a Women in Black peace vigil. A vigil will take place in McKeldin Square at the corner of Light and Pratt Sts. Another one is at Roland Park Place   830 W. 40th St. 21211.  Stay for as long as you can. Wear black. Dress for who knows what kind of weather. Bring your own poster or help with the "NO WAR IN MY NAME" banner.  When there are others to stand with, you don't need to carry the burden alone. Do this to be in solidarity with others....when everything around us says “Be afraid of the stranger.” Carpool and parking available. Just send an email that you need a ride [mailto:wibbaltimore@peacepath911.org].  Peace signs will be available. 

Welcome Neighbor Yard Signs now available at the Inner Harbor Vigil.  Meet Maureen, and she'll bring them to city for $6. Email her at mmkeck@comcast.net.

39] – There is usually a silent vigil on Fridays, from 5 to 6 PM, sponsored by Homewood Friends Meeting, outside the Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St.  The next scheduled vigil is on Sept. 29. Black Lives Matter.  

40] – On Fri., Sept. 29 at 6 PM at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, check out KIDS WHO KNOW EVERYTHING with HOST VALENCIA CLAY and SPECIAL GUEST D. WATKINS.  Huey P. Newton said, "The revolution has always been in the hands of the young. The young always inherit the revolution." Yet in 2017, we hear less and less from the voices that matter most! Kids Who Know Everything is a new show that gives a voice to the future leaders and change agents of our world. Join in a as pilot episode will be shot at Red Emma's.  The topic: Don't Save Us! The special guest: Bestselling Author, D. Watkins. The host Valencia D. Clay. The panelists are Teens from Baltimore!  Call 443-602-7585.  RSVP at http://www.redemmas.org.

41] – Come to a Cuban Dinner & Che Brigade Send Off, hosted by Socialists4Baltimore on Fri., Sept. 29 at 6:30 PM at the Harriet Tubman Solidarity Center, 2011 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218. This dinner is to help raise funds to cover the cost of Baltimore youth who are attending the International Brigade in Cuba to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Che Guevara. This will be a first trip for all of them. Meet the group and enjoy a delicious Cuban Dinner including Cuban style black beans and yellow rice, fried sweet plantains, green salad, rolls, sweet tea and desert. Also available will be a cash bar.  The requested donation is $10 to $20, but no one will be turned away. Donate at https://www.youcaring.com/baltimoreyouthactivistsattendinginternationalbrigade-948550, and visit https://www.meetup.com/Socialists4Baltimore/events/243713429/?rv=md1.

The final goal is $5,000. If you would like to send checks or money orders, make it out to the Solidarity Center (earmark Che trip) and mail it to the Solidarity Center, 703 E. 37th St., Baltimore 21218. Call 410-218-4835.

42] – There is an opportunity to participate in ballroom dancing, usually every Friday of the month, in the JHU ROTC Bldg. at  8 PM.  Turn south on San Martin Dr. from the intersection of Univ. Parkway and 39th St.  Drive on campus by taking the third left turn. The next dance will be on Sept. 29. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

43] – On Sat., Sept. 30 and Sun., Oct. 1, attend the Co-op Festival on the National Mall.  This is a free event to celebrate the diversity and impact of co-op businesses. Try co-op products from Ocean Spray, Cabot Cheese, Organic Valley and others, learn about this inclusive business model through games and demonstrations with America's Credit Unions and Co-ops Build a Better World. There will be virtual reality farm tours, a passport quest for a "Co-op Patch" for Girls and Boys Scouts, and live music. Learn more and plan your visit at www.coopfestival.coop Thanks to our Premier Partner - Ocean Spray Thanks to our Gold Partners: Credit Union National Association , America's Electric Cooperatives (NRECA), Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC) Thanks to our Silver Partners: Twins Ace Hardware - Arlington, Cabot Creamery Co-op.

44] – On Sat,, Sept. 30 at 10 AM, there is a March for Racial Justice in Lincoln Park, WDC. Sign up at https://www.m4rj.com/.  We all deserve to be treated with fairness and dignity -- and for our democracy to work, it must reflect each and every one of us. But as we move towards a democracy that works for all of us, racism in our institutions and our society stands in the way.  We must dismantle the ways that those with power hold onto it at the expense of everyone else -- whether it’s the corrosive influence of a few (mostly white) wealthy donors on our politics, deliberate assaults on the right to vote, racial gerrymandering to dilute the political power of communities of color, or huge media & telecom companies boxing out marginalized voices. Together, we can dismantle the barriers that shut people out of the democratic process, and build a more just and equitable society. Email karen@commoncause.org.

45] – Join Little Friends for Peace [LFFP] on Sat., Sept. 30 from 10 AM to 2 PM at the Peace Academy, 128 M St. NW, WDC 20001!  Participants will have the opportunity to earn CEU credits and also become Peace Ambassadors in their local community! The cost is $25.  To earn CEU credits, the price is $50.  Scholarships are available.  Register at https://form.jotform.com/peacecamp/70718244871157.  Call 240-838-4549 or go to http://www.lffp.org/.

46] – On Sat., Sept. 30 at 10 AM, there is a 1-Day Movement Politics Campaign Training  at Progressive MD Headquarters in Silver Spring. RSVP at http://www.progressivemaryland.org/calendar?utm_campaign=cxtowkmemsep18&utm_medium=email&utm_source=progressivemaryland#show%20more%20content.

47] – On Sat., Sept. 30 at 10:30 AM at 2640 St. Paul St., Baltimore 21218-4531, join in Rising Up Summer Day of Organizing #3.  As we build power for United Not Blighted: Baltimore’s 20/20 Vision for affordable housing, jobs, and a healthy environment, there is a need to get the message out to neighbors across the city. We must change our city's priorities so that democratic institutions for development puts communities in the driver's seat. At the previous Days of Organizing, there were 45 new petitioners and some 800 petition signatures!  On Saturday sip some coffee and get petition training from 10:30 to 11:30 AM, and then gear up and go out in groups in East, Central, South and West Baltimore. If you would like to be trained to gather petitions in your neighborhood, please come! Make sure you wear sunscreen and comfy shoes.

48] – Each Saturday, 11 AM – 1 PM, Chester County Peace Movement holds a peace vigil in West Chester in front of the Chester County Courthouse, High & Market Sts. Go to www.ccpeace.org. Email ccpeacemovement@aol.com.

49] – On Sat., Sept. 30 from 11 AM to 5 PM, get involved in New Carrollton Community Day,  8511 Legation Road, New Carrollton, MD.  Enjoy crafts, games, vendors, music, and food. Go to http://www.newcarrolltonmd.gov/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC= {2F35FB5B-B486-4767-83D4-F06DD3E1D59A}.

50] – Ignite Peace. And Stop the Drone War Command Center in Horsham, PA. Stop Trump Craziness on Sat., Sept. 30 from noon to 2 PM.  Protest the drone war command center at Horsham Air Guard Station. Route 611/Easton Road & County Line Road. STAND UP.  BE THERE.  IGNITE PEACE! This demo is on the last Saturday of the month. It is recommended to park in the Regal Cinemas Warrington Crossing on Rout 611 just beyond County Line Road.  Dress according to the weather and bring an umbrella. Call 484-574-1148 or visit www.brandywinepeace.com.

51] – Come to St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church, 1525 Newton St. NW, WDC, on Sat., Sept. 30from 1 to 4 PM for a discussion about the Congo.  From the Congolese American Foundation: "In the course of his work, the first African American missionary in Congo, Rev William Henry Sheppard of Waynesboro Virginia, joined his faith to his courage to denounce the atrocities committed by King Leopold II of Belgium in his newly acquired property. Indeed, from 1885 to 1908, stirred by a zealous desire to massively exploit 'The Bloody Rubber,' King Leopold used harsh practices that led to the first untold colonial genocide. Thanks to the actions of missionaries like Rev William Sheppard, Lapsley and William Morrison, that horrendous genocide was stopped after claiming the lives of more than 10 million Congolese.  Coincidentally, the rush to plunder coltan and many other minerals in Congo since 1996 has led to crimes against humanity of the same proportion as during King Leopold II era. A U.N report released on October! 2010 notes that the “crimes committed in Congo can be characterized as genocide”. Astonishingly, from Beni to the Kasai numerous mass graves continue to be discovered much to the chagrin of hopeless fellow Congolese Christians. Should Christians remain silent in face of such degrading, dehumanizing and humiliating atrocities? Shouldn’t one’s faith and moral conscience compel people to take action and advocate for peace and democracy in Congo as clearly stipulated in the DRC Relief, Security and Democracy Promotion Act of 2006?"  Call 540 830 7459.

52] – Check out the monthly Earthsave Veg Dinner Series events that are normally held on the last Saturday, Sept. 30, from 6 to 8 PM at Towson Presbyterian Church, 400 Chesapeake Ave. in Towson. The dinners are vegan and often attract a group of 40 to 70 attendees. See http://earthsavebaltimore.org/. 

53] – Activists Joyce and Tim Wheeler now live in Sequim, Washington, but their son, Morgan and his family have lived in the Wheeler’s Baltimore home, 816 Beaumont Avenue for some time.  Tragically, at 3 AM on February 4, the home was burned beyond recognition.  Morgan was able to get his family out, but the house and its contents are totally destroyed.  Morgan's daughter, Erin, has created a Go Fund Me page which you can access below.  Anything you are able to contribute to support Morgan and his family would be greatly appreciated. Go to https://www.gofundme.com/a7y7m-fire-leaves-family-with-nothing?ssid=904794688&pos=2.

54] -- The Washington Peace Center has a progressive calendar & activist alert! Consider signing up to receive its weekly email: info@washingtonpeacecenter.org.

55] -- If you would like to get rid of books, videos, DVDs, records, tarps and table cloths, contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski at verizon.net.

56] -- Can you use any book shelves? Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net.

57] -- Join an extraordinary global campaign for the elimination of nuclear weapons: http://www.globalzero.org/sign-declaration. A growing group of leaders around the world is calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons and a majority of the global public agrees.  This is an historic window of opportunity.  With momentum already building in favor of Zero, a major show of support from people around the world could tip the balance. When it comes to nuclear weapons, one is one too many.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

“One is called to live nonviolently, even if the change one works for seems impossible. It may or may not be possible to turn the US around through nonviolent revolution. But one thing favors such an attempt: the total inability of violence to change anything for the better" - Daniel Berrigan