Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Baltimore Activist Alert - February 6 - 13, 2018

24] Our Revolution meeting – Feb. 6
25] Free film on Black Colleges -- Feb. 7
26] How to Interpret Nuclear Crises – Feb. 7
27] National Day of Action Against Trump’s White Supremacy – Feb. 7
28] Cannabis Legalization Rally – Feb. 7
29] No tax on diapers – Feb. 7
30] Becoming a Citizen Activist -- Feb. 7
31] My Sister’s Place Women’s Center Networking Event – Feb. 7
32] Healthy and Safe – Feb. 7
33] Lobby training – Feb. 7
34] Canvass Participant Recruitment Phone Bank – Feb. 8
35] War Power Act – Feb. 8
36] Affordable Housing – Feb. 8
37] Homeless Youth – Feb. 8
38] Public Hearings on the Prince George's County budget -- Feb. 8 & 13
39] Tyranny of Metrics -- Feb. 8
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24] – The Baltimore Chapter of Our Revolution will decide on its first set of candidate endorsements on Tues., Feb. 6 at 6 PM at Johns Hopkins University, Homewood Campus, Remsen Hall, Room 233, Baltimore 21218. The entire meeting will be dedicated to voting on the first set of candidate endorsements! BRING A LAPTOP OR SMARTPHONE to follow along during the endorsement proceedings. From 6:15 PM to 7:45 PM, consideration of endorsements in five races will take place, including Mary Washington, Maryland Senate District 43 - Mary Washington.  Then from 7:45 to 8 PM, there will be closing statements and chapter updates. All votes will be conducted by paper ballot. Anyone who has attended one chapter meeting or donated to Our Revolution Maryland is eligible to vote on the endorsements. Our Revolution Baltimore can info@actionnetwork.org.

25] – In celebration of Black History Month, join The Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum, WETA TV 26 and The Anacostia Coordinating Council for a free screening and discussion of "Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities" on Wed., Feb. 7 at 11:30 AM at the Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Place SE, Program Room, WDC 20020. The film explores the pivotal role historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have played over the course of 150 years in American history, culture and identity, and will air on WETA TV 26 as part of Independent Lens on Mon., Feb. 19 at 9 PM. The film runs 60 minutes, and was done by Stanley Nelson and Marco Williams.  The film explores the pivotal role historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have played over the course of 150 years in American history, culture, and identity. This film reveals the rich history of HBCUs and the power of higher education to transform lives and advance civil rights and equality in the face of injustice. RSVP at ACMrsvp@si.edu or 202-633-4875.

26] – The Stimson Center's South Asia Program is hosting How to Interpret Nuclear Crises: From Kargil to North Korea on Wed., Feb. 7 from 12:15 to 2 PM at The Stimson Center, 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW, 8th Floor, WDC 20036.  This is an on-the-record discussion with Mark Bell on how to think about nuclear crises, and implications for South Asia as well as U.S.-North Korea tensions. Lunch will be served. RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSen4dnzyWuVsi0oPwOM_jwBWGJnPWGP1NM_g58pIYreOAd1Ow/viewform. Bell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Minnesota. He studies issues relating to nuclear weapons and proliferation, international relations theory, and U.S. and British foreign policy and grand strategy.

27] –    On Wed., Feb. 7 from noon to 3 PM, get involved with the National Day of Action Against Trump’s White Supremacy, hosted by the Women's March at 1st St. NE and Constitution Ave. NE, WDC 20001.  Join a broad coalition of leaders to march to the halls of Congress and stand with immigrant youth!  From day one, Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda has ripped families apart. His latest proposal, crafted by political advisor Stephen Miller, pits immigrant youth against their parents, their family members, and other immigrant community members. See https://www.facebook.com/events/877004879138672/.

28] – On Wed., Feb. 7 from 1 to3 PM, join a Cannabis Legalization Rally #LegalizeMD, hosted by Charm City Cannabis Connoisseurs at Lawyers Mall, Annapolis 21401.  Show your support to help #LegalizeMD in 2018! Bring your signs, your loud voices and your passion! Bring your stories, your pictures of loved ones lost to this senseless drug war. Members from local activist groups will be on hand inside the capitol lobbying to free the plant. So, as a sign of solidarity toward the cause, let's get some heads on that lawn! RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cannabis-legalization-rally-tickets-42757751586.

29] – There will be a hearing on Wed., Feb. 7 at 1 PM in the Ways and Means Committee for Sales and Use Tax - Diapers - Exemption (HB 345), co-sponsored by Del. Waldstreicher et al. This bill would exempt diapers from the Sales and Use Tax, in order to alleviate some of the cost of an already expensive resource vital for mothers and families to keep their babies healthy.

30] – On Wed., Feb. 7 at 5 PM at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, turn out for Becoming a Citizen Activist with Nick Licata.  In a special early-evening event, author & activist Nick Licata joins us to speak about how the organizing principles that are illustrated in his book Becoming A Citizen Activist can assist citizen activists in stopping Trumpism (the spread of white nationalism, voter suppression, sex discrimination and the corporatization of democratic institutions) through providing progressive alternatives to white and minority working families. He will be joined by Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, co-directors of Popular Resistance, in leading a discussion on organizing strategies. Licata is a former 5-term Seattle City Council Member; founding board chair of Local Progress, A National Municipal Policy Network, and named by the Nation as Progressive Municipal Official of the Year in 2012. Call 443-602-7585. RSVP at http://www.redemmas.org

31] – On Wed., Feb. 7 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM,  attend My Sister’s Place Women’s Center Networking Event, hosted by Catholic Charities of Baltimore at Venable LLP, 750 E. Pratt St., Baltimore 21202.  Go to www.cservice.catholiccharities-md.org.  Meet our community of leaders, donors and civic-minded individuals and learn more about My Sister's Place Women's Center, serving women and their children who are living with homelessness and poverty in our city. Make new connections, engage in lively conversation and enjoy food and drink.  RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/176841592918539/.

32] – On Wed., Feb. 7 from 6 to 7:45 PM, hear Healthy and Safe: how can design help us build systems that work for everyone?  This is hosted by D center Baltimore and the Neighborhood Design Center at The Motor House, 120 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201. As individuals and communities, we are embedded in systems that intend to help us and our families stay healthy and safe. But what happens when these systems fail us? In this Design Conversation, we will hear from two social designers from the MICA Center for Social Design on their inquiries building bridges between people in Baltimore City and the complex systems that impact our lives in profound ways.

From the MICA Center for Social Design, Mike Weikert will introduce the role of social designers in systems. Ashley Eberhart will introduce a recently-launched healthcare project that explores how to keep patients healthy and safe by improving communication between all caregivers, from family members to clinical teams. Next, Smile Indias will discuss her ongoing work, a design-driven approach to supporting and building trust between Baltimore Neighborhoods and Baltimore Police. The speakers will share their human-centered design process, speak candidly about the challenges of community-engaged work on entrenched systemic injustices, and welcome active engagement, ideas, and stories from the audience. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1998177347112717/.

33] – On Wed., Feb. 7 from 7 to 9 PM, get involved with GCAN Renewable Energy Bill lobby training.  This year in Annapolis two bills propose big increases in Maryland's renewable energy output. The Greenbelt Climate Action Network offers lobby training in one of them at its meeting at the Greenbelt Community Center, 15 Crescent Road, Greenbelt 20770. The training is hosted by Chesapeake Education, Arts, and Research Society (CHEARS). Go to https://www.facebook.com/pg/chearsorg/events/.

The CCAN Action Fund, alongside the Maryland Climate Coalition, has embarked on a visionary campaign! The Clean Energy Jobs Act aims to double renewable energy in Maryland by 2030, while phasing out dirty sources of energy and investing in workforce development and creating family-sustaining new jobs. The training will prepare you for a Lobby Night in Annapolis on Feb. 19 to tell our legislators that Marylanders want an equitable, progressive renewable energy future!  Also attend the Feb. 12 Greenbelt City Council Meeting to ask for the council's support of this legislation.

Liz Lee is CCAN Action Fund’s Director of Maryland Volunteer Outreach. Still inspired by the perseverance of all Marylanders during the historic fracking ban campaign, she continues to mobilize and empower communities to stand up for clean, renewable energy. As always, the last portion of the evening is for announcements and updates on local and national issues. Contact Lore Rosenthal, Greenbelt Climate Action Network, at lore@simplicity-matters.org or 301-345-2234.

34] – There is a Canvass Participant Recruitment Phone Bank hosted by Progressive Maryland for the February 24th Monthly Mass Canvass!  On Thurs., Feb. 8 from 5 to 8 PM, you will need a charged WiFi-capable laptop and mobile phone, with charging cords as needed. The reference link for all of the canvass locations is HERE: http://www.progressivemaryland.org/feb2018canvass.  RSVP to receive the auto-dialer URL link to canvass remotely from Beth Landry at beth@progressivemaryland.org.

35] – The COMMITTEE FOR THE REPUBLIC is hosting A War Power Debate between John Yoo & Bruce Fein, moderated by Boyden Gray on Thurs., Feb. 8.  The debate is from 5:15 to 6:30 PM, followed by a reception until 7:30 PM at the Atlantic Council, 1030 15th Street NW, 12th Floor, WDC.  RSVP at James@CommitteefortheRepublic.org. Nuchhi Currier, president of the Woman’s National Democratic Club, will participate in the question and answer period. Currier just entered the 2018 race for the Maryland House of Delegates from District 16 in Montgomery County.

  Committee Board member Bruce Fein, the 2012 and 2016 senior policy advisor to presidential candidates Ron Paul and Gary Johnson, associate deputy attorney general in the Reagan administration, and research director for the Republicans on the Joint Congressional Committee on Covert Arms Sales to Iran and John Yoo, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel in the Bush Administration, will square off to debate the Constitution and foreign policy.

The United States has been at war for seventeen successive years with no end in sight. Tensions are mounting with North Korea, China, Iran, and Russia. Members of Congress fiercely resist debate or votes on war despite the far-reaching ramifications for national solvency, civil liberties, due process, the separation of powers, and the risk of blow-back. Presidents have eagerly filled the power vacuum.  Fein will argue the unconstitutionality of the 9 presidential wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Syria and against Al Qaeda and ISIS. Fein will maintain that the President today exercises more unchecked power than King George III at the time of the American Revolution. The President is endowed with unreviewable power to wage war virtually anywhere. Fein will further argue that the treaties like NATO that commit the United States to war without a congressional declaration are unconstitutional.

Yoo will defend executive primacy in foreign affairs, including the 3 presidential wars waged by the Bush administration and the 9 presidential wars waged by the Trump and Obama administrations. He will also defend the legality of the bulk collection and analysis of electronic communications of American citizens.

36] –  More than a year has gone by since 180,000 city voters approved the creation of an Affordable Housing Trust Fund- a dedicated funding source to meets our need for healthy, safe and affordable homes. Since the fund was passed, Mayor Pugh has expressed support for the 20/20 Campaign twice, received more than 20,000 signed petitions for the campaign at her Budget Office, and was advised by Housing Commissioner Braverman that "we are not meeting the need." We know that we need to keep putting the pressure on to ensure that this year's budget is not another moment that passes us by with the promise of "a more equitable budget next year."

Join United Workers at 2640 Saint Paul St., Baltimore 21218, for a Campaign Conversation, hosted by Baltimore Housing Roundtable, on Thurs., Feb. 8 from 6 to 8 PM  to discuss next steps in the campaign, and ways for each of us to make sure our city works for us! Dinner will be provided.  Do you need childcare or transportation? Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/223676168176884/.

37] – On Thurs., Feb. 8 from 6 to 8 PM, there will be a Loving Arms Inc. Community Meeting at 1303 Orleans St. This event, "The Change for 2018," will bring together community leaders, parents, and youth who want to collaborate and use resources to help Baltimore's homeless youth. In 2017, there were more than 1,400 youth identified as homeless in Baltimore City, according to Youth Reach Baltimore. Sign up at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/loving-arms-inc-community-meeting-tickets-41782544716?aff=efbneb.

38] – On Thurs., Feb. 8 at 7 PM and Tues., Feb. 13 at 7 PM, attend Public Hearings on the Prince George's County budget. Go to https://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/2404/Budget-Listening-Sessions.  The first hearing will be held at 7 PM at Prince George's Community College, Rennie Forum, 301 Largo Road, Largo. The second hearing will be held on Tues., Feb. 13 at 7 PM at Laurel High School, Spartan Hall, 8000 Cherry Lane, Laurel.  How Do I Register to Testify?  People who are interested in testifying must call 301-952-4547 [Monday thru Friday 8:30 AM to 4 PM]. Testimony will be limited to 3 minutes per presenter and one speaker per organization. Written testimony will be accepted in lieu of, or in addition to, oral comments.

39] – On Thurs., Feb. 8 at 7:30 PM at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, turn out for JERRY Z. MULLER PRESENTS THE TYRANNY OF METRICS.  Today, organizations of all kinds are ruled by the belief that the path to success is quantifying human performance, publicizing the results, and dividing up the rewards based on the numbers. But in our zeal to instill the evaluation process with scientific rigor, we've gone from measuring performance to fixating on measuring itself. The result is a tyranny of metrics that threatens the quality of our lives and most important institutions. In this timely and powerful book, Jerry Muller uncovers the damage our obsession with metrics is causing--and shows how we can begin to fix the problem. Call 443-602-7585. RSVP at http://www.redemmas.org

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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