15] Preventing Electoral Violence in Asia -- Feb. 26
16] Janus v. AFSCME – Feb. 26
17] Uyghur Religious Freedom and Cultural Values Under Siege – Feb. 26
18] Maryland Sierra Club Lobby Night – Feb. 26
19] Fight for $15 -- Feb. 26
20] Film on DOLORES HUERTA – Feb. 26
21] A Carbon Fee & Rebate in DC? – Feb. 26
22] "Live With a Nuclear North Korea" – Feb. 26
23] Housing in Takoma Park – Feb. 26
24] PeaceSeekers Meeting – Feb. 26
25] "Nuclear Risks in Northeast Asia" – Feb. 26
26] One More Vote Rally – Feb. 27
27] Fight for $15 hearing – Feb. 27
28] Hearing on Water Liens – Feb. 27
29] Peace Vigil – Feb. 27
30] Rally in Annapolis for School Funding – Feb. 27
31] No more Drone Research at JHU – Feb. 27
32] Enjoy the Rohingya Refugee Musicians – Feb. 27
33] Nature for All – Feb. 27
34] Interfaith Vigil for Immigrant Rights – Feb. 27
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15] – From Mon., Feb. 26 at 8 AM through 5 PM, take the course Preventing Electoral Violence in Asia, hosted by the United States Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave. NW, WDC 20037. Tickets are available at www.usip.org. Both fragile and established democracies in Asia report various forms of electoral violence, ranging from opposition intimidation in Cambodia, to street protests in Thailand, to extremist attacks against election candidates and facilities in Pakistan. With important elections on the horizon in 2018 and 2019, this course will examine specific examples from cases across the region. Not only do these countries have a history of tense and sometimes volatile elections, but their stability is important to their respective regions and the international community at large. In this course, learners will identify options for violence prevention through effective strategic planning and early intervention. This 3-day course aims to increase the capacity of practitioners and policymakers to identify triggers of electoral violence and, importantly, to help these actors develop evidence-based strategies to help stem the risk of violence. The design of the course walks through various phases of the election cycle–before, during and after Election Day–as well as the underutilized time between elections. Making linkages between actual implementation examples from Asia and the unexplored possibilities can help inform international, national and local efforts to promote peaceful elections. Apply at https://www.usip.org/education-training/courses/preventing-electoral-violence-asia-tools-practitioners-and-policymakers. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/158617191438693/.
16] – On Mon., Feb. 26 the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Janus v. AFSCME―a case that could profoundly affect the ability of public sector workers to improve their wages and working conditions. Join a rally outside at 9 AM calling for strong unions that give us a voice and respect on the job. But we won’t be alone; the other side, led by the conservative Heritage Foundation, will be out in full force pushing its lies about what this case is actually about. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/2051074578438687.
The Koch brothers, the DeVos family and other wealthy, anti-union corporate interests are attempting to use the Supreme Court to try to take away the voice of the union. In swift sequence, once Trump’s nominee to the court, Neil Gorsuch, was confirmed, anti-union activists moved the Janus case onto the docket, confident of the outcome in light of Gorsuch’s long history of siding with corporations over workers. The current ideological composition of the court suggests that one person’s complaint—without any evidence of harm—could undermine the interests of millions of workers by depriving their unions of the funds they need to function. That’s not an unintended consequence—it’s the entire point of these assaults on unions. Unions fight for a better life for working people; and the right wing sees that as a threat.
17] – On Mon., Feb. 26 from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM, catch the talk Uyghur Religious Freedom and Cultural Values Under Siege, hosted by UNPO in the Cannon House Office Building, WDC 20003. Religious freedom and cultural values are under siege in East Turkestan, the homeland of the Uyghurs. Advanced technologies are being deployed against the Uyghurs in the name of security, creating what amounts to the world’s most advanced police state, with serious implications for the future of China and the world. Chinese authorities consider religious diversity a threat to the country’s stability and, as a result, implement an autocratic monopoly over freedom of religion. The Uyghurs’ language and culture are also being systematically marginalized and actively suppressed by the Chinese government. Under the pretense of “anti-terrorism," Chinese authorities crackdown ruthlessly on Uyghur communities across East Turkestan, depriving them of their fundamental human rights. Under the pretense of their culture and religious practice being a security threat, a security crackdown has intensified in recent months, with more than 120,000 of Uyghurs being detained in re-education camps, study abroad students being forced to return home for political assessment, with widespread political campaigns and militarization creating a climate of fear. See https://www.facebook.com/events/1769490039780799.
18] – Get over to the 2018 Maryland Sierra Club Lobby Night on Mon., Feb 26 from 4 to 8 PM at 6 Bladen St, Annapolis 21401. Contact Mark Posner at legislation@mdsierra.org or 301-277-7111. Tickets Available sierra.secure.force.com. Each year, the Maryland Sierra Club hosts one of the biggest grassroots lobby events of the legislative session. Come out to protect our forests, ban foam packaging, create more transparency around gas infrastructure proposals, and secure dedicated funding for Metro so that the system continues to successfully serve millions of Marylanders! RSVP at https://sierra.secure.force.com/events/details?formcampaignid=7010Z000001P2JaQAK&_ga=2.51465135.708408478.1513631931-151809630.1497466406.
19] -- On Mon., Feb. 26 from 5 to 8 PM, rally for the Movement Lobby Day, hosted by Fight for $15 Maryland and Progressive Maryland in Lawyers Mall, 100 State Circle, Annapolis 21401. Rally for a minimum wage increase! Food and transportation will be provided. Buses will depart from Red Emma's, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore at 5:30 PM. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/142897373045351/. Other issues of concern are Bail Reform, Workplace Protections, Closing Tax Loopholes, -Fairness in Scheduling Practices in the Workplace and Protecting the ACA while and pushing for Single-Payer. CONTACT Beth Landry at beth@progressivemaryland.org. Go to http://www.progressivemaryland.org/progressivemdlobbynight?utm_campaign=wkmemfeb518&utm_medium=email&utm_source=progressivemaryland.
20] – On Mon., Feb. 26 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, see the film DOLORES HUERTA, followed by a Panel Discussion, hosted by the Center for Student Diversity in the Towson Student Union, 8000 York Road, Towson 21252. Dolores Huerta is among the most important, yet least known, activists in U.S. history. An equal partner in co-founding the first farm workers unions with Cesar Chavez, her enormous contributions have gone largely unrecognized. Dolores tirelessly led the fight for racial and labor justice alongside Chavez, becoming one of the most defiant feminists of the twentieth century—and she continues the fight to this day, at 87. The film will be shown in UU 315-316. See https://www.facebook.com/events/1998177477065882/.
21] – On Mon., Feb. 26 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, the issue is Climate & Environmental Justice: A Carbon Fee & Rebate in DC? It will be hosted by Put A Price On It DC at the Petworth Library, 4200 Kansas Ave. NW, WDC 20011. Metro DC DSA will feature Danielle J. L. Meitiv, climate scientist & DSA-endorsed candidate for Montgomery County Council, and Camila Thorndike, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network’s "Put A Price On It DC” campaign (carbonpricedc.org)!
Danielle will wonk out about her work in climate research and how the science should inform our understanding of the urgent crisis we face, and how the movement to restore a safe climate for all is shaping up in Montgomery County, Maryland. Camila will present the grassroots effort to get DC City Council to introduce and pass a bill this year for a local carbon fee-and-rebate policy, which is designed to tackle climate change and inequality at once by cutting greenhouse gas emissions 20% by 2032 while also laying the groundwork for a universal basic income. In the proposed Climate and Community Reinvestment Act of D.C., companies that buy and sell fossil fuels in the District would pay a steadily-rising fee on each ton of heat-trapping pollution they cause. The majority of the money raised would be returned—through a quarterly “rebate”—to every D.C. resident, with additional support to low-income District residents. Strategic investments would also be made to accelerate D.C.’s transition to a clean energy economy in a way that is just and equitable—the bill has been modified from the original draft in order to minimize costs to local low-income residents and communities of color.
There will be an open discussion and Q&A period about the policy & the campaign to get it passed—if you can think of any questions or concerns ahead of time that you'd like to see discussed at the meeting, please submit them in this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12dnNAnJNyDPaY5FUC2Pq-r0kwhqnJbgqCQ3mcZRD6ik/viewform?edit_requested=true.
22] – On Mon., Feb. 26 at 6:30 PM, David Sanger, New York Times, Helene Cooper, New York Times, and Jake Sullivan, former national security adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, will discuss "Live With a Nuclear North Korea" at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC. Register at https://nuclearnorthkorea.splashthat.com/?gz=5dee6c0f085f32ad0f27706c98ad385e. Mark Landler, a White House correspondent and former bureau chief in Hong Kong and Frankfurt, will moderate the discussion.
President Trump, like many of his predecessors, has said that it would be “intolerable” to live with a nuclear-armed North Korea that can strike any American city. He’s argued that conventional nuclear deterrence, once used to contain the Soviet Union, will not work. Is he right? What is the risk of disarming an unpredictable regime, known for blackmail and coercion? Is there any military option that would not endanger the entire region? What would war on the Korean Peninsula look like? How does history inform our understanding of volatile, nuclear-armed nations? The cost of admission is $25.
23] – On Mon., Feb. 26 from 7 to 9 PM, get over to Housing in Takoma Park - Providing Diverse Housing Opportunities, hosted by City of Takoma Park, MD - Municipal Government, 7500 Maple Ave., Takoma Park 20912. Are you a renter, a homeowner, landlord, housing advocate or just interested in local housing issues? Continue the conversation on how to address the Takoma Park City Council’s interests in providing diverse housing opportunities to residents throughout the community. Representatives from Mullin & Lonergan, one of the firms working on the City’s upcoming strategic plan, will provide background information on current conditions in Takoma Park and the region, give an overview of the feedback gathered from local housing representatives, and discuss the housing recommendations included in the draft Strategic Plan. Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions and provide comment to the City Council. Unable to attend? Weigh in on the discussion on Facebook Live https://www.facebook.com/events/2068136310128961/ or provide your feedback online at bit.ly/2jnK1fV.
24] – On Mon., Feb. 26 from 7 to 8:30 PM, there is a PeaceSeekers Meeting: Next Steps Activism at Pacem in Terris office, 401 N. West St., Wilmington, DE. Go to https://www.facebook.com/Wilmington-Peacekeepers-724864260963028/.
25] – On Tues., Feb. 27 from 10:30 AM to 2 PM, hear a talk about "Nuclear Risks in Northeast Asia" at the Carnegie Endowment, 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC. RSVP at http://carnegieendowment.org/events/forms/?fa=registration&event=6814&lang=en.
26] – Join the ‘#OneMoreVote Rally’ to Save Net Neutrality at the US Capitol Building, East Capitol St. NE & First St. SE, WDC 20004 on Tues., Feb. 27 at 11 AM. Meet outside the Capitol Building, between the dome and the Russell building, on the dome side of Constitution Ave. A Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to reverse the FCC’s disastrous move that gutted net neutrality is just one vote away from passing in the senate. This is a crucial time for activists in DC, and across the country, to show up in force. RSVP at http://act.demandprogress.org/event/team-internet_attend/2783. Check out the Facebook page for this event: http://bit.ly/2ERPQeh.
27] – On Tues., Feb. 27 from noon to 3 PM, come to the Maryland Fight for $15 Legislative Hearing, hosted by Fight for $15 Maryland in Annapolis. Please come out and show your support for raising Maryland's minimum wage to $15 per hour by the year 2023! The Maryland General Assembly will be holding a legislative hearing in Annapolis. Call for a raise for the wages for 573,000 Maryland workers who are struggling to make ends meet! Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/334042003769003/. The hearing for HB664 - Fight for $15.
28] – Attend a hearing on the Baltimore City - Tax Sales of Real Property - Water Liens (Water Taxpayer Protection Act) (HB1409) on Tues., Feb. 27 at 1 PM in the House Ways and Means Committee. This bill would ensure no occupied properties will be sent to tax sale for unpaid water bills alone. It would also ensure water bills will never trigger a tax lien certificate sale, even if it is not the sole outstanding charge owed to the city. Visit http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmMain.aspx?stab=01&pid=billpage&tab=subject3&ys=2018rs&id=HB1409
29] – Each Tuesday from 4:30 - 5:30 PM, the Catholic Peace Fellowship-Philadelphia for peace in Afghanistan and Iraq gathers at the Suburban Station, 16th St. & JFK Blvd., at the entrance to Tracks 3 and 4 on the mezzanine. The next vigil is Feb. 27. Call 215-426-0364.
30] – On Tues., Feb. 27 from 5 to 8 PM, join the Rally in Annapolis for School Funding, hosted by City Neighbors Hamilton, 5609 Sefton Ave., Baltimore 21214. The Baltimore Education Coalition and fellow public school advocates from across our city will rally in Annapolis. This year, ask the State to support facilities funding for Baltimore City schools and to make a strong down payment on the Kirwan Commission plans – plans to significantly re-work the state funding formula to make a much greater investment in education. Buses will leave the City Neighbors Hamilton parking lot around 5 PM (exact time yet still to be determined) and will return between 8 to 9 PM. Students are welcome and encouraged to participate with their parents. RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/city-neighbors-baltimore-education-night-in-annapolis-tickets-43007280935. Contact Mike Chalupa at mchalupa@cityneighbors.org.
31] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. Join this ongoing vigil on Feb. 27 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Contact Max at mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net or 410-323-1607.
32] – On Tues., Feb. 27 from 6:15 to 8:30 PM, enjoy the Rohingya Refugee Musicians In Bangladesh, hosted by Music in Exile at the District Distilling Co., 1414-1418 U St. NW, WDC 20009. Come listen to live music, have some drinks, and support Music in Exile, a DC-based nonprofit, as it gets ready for the next trip to document the music and stories of displaced musicians! Help with the funding to record refugees in BANGLADESH. The music, photos, and video will be published on musicinexile.org. More than 700,000 Muslim Rohingya have fled violence in Burma. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1875548249402485/.
33] – On Tues., Feb. 27 from 6:30 to 9:30 PM, enjoy Nature for All, hosted by Latino Conservation Week at the National Aquarium, 501 E Pratt St., Baltimore 21202. Tickets are available at www.aqua.org. Lend your voice and get to know the leaders of a growing movement working to connect diverse communities to the outdoors, inspiring them to care for and protect our ocean planet. In honor of Black History Month, join the National Aquarium for an evening centered on diversity in conservation, with experts reflecting on the challenges, trends and progress shaping this movement. Our featured speaker for the event is Dr. Mamie Parker, the first African American Regional Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A conservation trailblazer, she will reflect on her experiences working toward a more just and fair future that ensures everyone can access the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of nature in Baltimore and beyond.
The evening begins with a complimentary reception featuring community groups on the ground connecting their communities to nature, environmental careers and championing action. Mingle with representatives of these local and regional organizations and discover ways you can get involved. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/197601594155511/.
34] – Our friends from The Columbia Jewish Congregation is sponsoring an Interfaith Vigil for Immigrant Rights on Tues., Feb. 27 at 7:30 PM at Oakland Mills Interfaith Center, 5885 Robert Oliver Place, Columbia 21045. The holiday of Purim is celebrated that week. Purim is a joyous holiday celebrating the heroism of Queen Esther in preventing a pogrom against Jews in the Persian Empire. The Fast of Esther precedes the celebration. As Esther asked all Jews to fast and pray for their deliverance, we too will pray for the deliverance of our friends and neighbors awaiting to see how safe they truly are.
Maryland is currently considering three bills that will protect Maryland residents in different ways. Jews United for Justice (JUFJ), a group in solidarity with CASA of MD, will be discussing these bills, and share what we can do to help get them passed. Donate money saved during the fast to CASA and other immigrant rights groups. Email tikkunolam@columbiajewish.org. See http://dev.columbiajewish.org/content/interfaith-vigil.
To be continued.
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
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