Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Baltimore Activist Alert -- September 11, 2019


47] Medicare For All – Sept. 11
48] What’s Next for U.S.-China Relations? – Sept. 11
49] Future of Yemen -- Sept. 11
50] The Human Costs of War – Sept. 11
51] Baltimore Welcomes Trump -- Sept. 11
52] Shut down D.C. – Sept. 11
53] “The Making of a Democratic Economy” – Sept. 11
54] “River of Redemption: Almanac of Life on the Anacostia” – Sept. 11
55] A Just Transition from Coal in Maryland – Sept. 11
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47] – On Wed., Sept. 11 from 5 AM to 9 PM, get over to Welcome Back Congress: Medicare for All!  This event is hosted by the Campaign for New York Health at the United States Capitol, WDC.  Join with the Center for Popular Democracy and friends to Welcome Back Congress to D.C. and demand Medicare for All. The movement for Medicare for All is reaching new heights, and this day of action will help build momentum, educate members of Congress, and hold our legislators accountable. Sign up at this link https://tinyurl.com/yyjl9ngc to make history for #MedicareForAll!  Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/386505212249171/.

48] – On Wed., Sept. 11 from 9 to 10 AM, look at Forty Years On: What’s Next for U.S.-China Relations? The event is hosted by United States Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave. NW, WDC 20037.  Get your tickets at www.usip.org.  No relationship will be as significant in the years ahead as the one between the U.S. and China. Forty years ago, Washington and Beijing established diplomatic relations, setting the stage for the defining bilateral relationship of the 21st century. Today, the trajectory of the U.S-China relationship has ripple effects throughout the global economy and plays a critical role in a host of security, trade, political, technological and environmental issues, among others. Amid rising tensions over tariffs and more, discussion about U.S. policy toward China is needed now more than ever. To explore some of the key issues facing the U.S.-China relationship today, USIP will host a conversation with Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL) and Congressman Rick Larsen (D-WA), co-chairs of the House U.S.-China Working Group.

Congress has an important role to play in managing rising tensions and facilitating engagement between the two countries. The House of Representatives' bipartisan U.S.-China Working Group (USCWG) provides a platform for frank and open discussions between the U.S. Congress and China, and educates members of Congress and their staffs. The USCWG has conducted more than 10 successful missions to China, focused on a variety of topics including the global economy and trade relations, intellectual property rights, military-to-military relations, energy cooperation, and environmental stewardship. Rep. LaHood and Rep. Larsen most recently led a bipartisan member delegation to China in March 2019. RSVP at https://www.usip.org/events/forty-years-whats-next-us-china-relations.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/385468818829522/.

49] – On Wed., Sept. 11 from 9:30 to 11 AM, get over to the Future of Yemen: Internal Divisions & External Interference, hosted by Arab Center Washington DC at the National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor, WDC 20004.  Get your tickets at arabcenterdc.org.  Join a discussion about the future of Yemen in light of the UAE's announcement of its withdrawal, the current developments on the ground, the future of the Saudi-Emirati relations, and the prospects of the US-brokered talks. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/956175584715918/.

50] – On Wed., Sept. 11 from noon to 1:30 PM, check out The Human Costs of War: Assessing Civilian Casualties since 9/11, hosted by The Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC 20001.  Tickets are at www.cato.org.  On September 11, 2001, al Qaeda terrorists killed nearly 3,000 innocent men, women, and children in four coordinated attacks, the deadliest such incident in history and the bloodiest day on American soil in over a century.  Since that time, the Pentagon says more than 7,000 Americans have been killed in the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Greater Middle East, as well as in other military operations associated with the War on Terror.  Many Americans still recall the trauma of 9/11 and are aware of the scale of death and destruction wrought that day. Some have a sense of the numbers of U.S. troops killed in wars since. Very few, however, are aware of the others who have died in these wars.

For example, the Costs of War Project counts at least 244,000 civilian deaths in just three countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Much higher estimates may be derived from episodic reporting of incidents involving noncombatants killed as a result of U.S. military action worldwide.  At this special policy forum, a distinguished panel of experts—Daphne Eviatar, Director, Security with Human Rights at Amnesty International USA; Dan Mahanty, Director, U.S. Program at Center for Civilians in Conflict; Emily Manna, Policy Analyst at Open the Government; and Christopher Preble, Vice President for Defense and Foreign Policy Studies at The Cato Institute—will explore the nature of these casualties, why the U.S. military’s efforts to limit harm to innocent men, women, and children sometimes fail, how and if recent congressional oversight has helped to shed light on the issue, and whether the U.S. media’s inconsistent coverage of noncombatant deaths is a symptom or a cause of the public’s relative ignorance of the true costs of America’s ongoing wars.

REGISTER TO ATTEND: https://www.cato.org/events/human-costs-war-assessing-civilian-casualties-since-911.  If you can’t make it to the event, you can watch it live online and join the conversation on Twitter using #CatoFP. Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/2418823471722540/.

51] – Starting on Wed., Sept. 11 through Sat., Sept. 14, Baltimore will welcome Trump.  Here is a list of events:

SEPT 11 Wed. 3:30 PM · Press Conference for Baltimore Welcoming Committee -- Corner of Aliceanna and E Falls Road, Baltimore

SEPT 12 Trump out of Baltimore! Rally & Protest
Thurs. 4 PM Christopher Columbus Monument Baltimore Inner Harbor

SEPT 12 Anti-corruption light projections Thurs. 7 PM 720 Fleet St., Baltimore 21202

SEPT 13 Musical Labor Protest at the GOP House retreat! Fri. 5 PM Corner of East Falls Road and Aliceanna Street, Harbor East

SEPT 13 Human Rights Light Projections Fri. 7 PM 720 Fleet St, Baltimore 21202

SEPT 13 LGBTQ+/Allies Dance Party at the GOP House Retreat! Fri. 7 PM Corner of East Falls Ave and Aliceanna in Harbor East

SEPT 14 Apocalypse is Now Sat. 1:30 PM ·700 Aliceanna St., Baltimore 21202

SEPT 14 Environment/Climate Change light projections Sat. 7 PM · 720 Fleet St., Baltimore 21202.

52] – On Wed., Sept. 11 from 6 to 8:30 PM, join the Shut Down DC-Climate Strike Orientation & Spokes Council Meetings at the Friends Meeting of Washington, 2111 Florida Ave. NW, WDC.  Youth leaders from around the world have called for a climate strike and global week of action from September 20th-27th. They have been taking the lead so far, but now they are calling on all of us to take action. In Washington, DC we will be answering the call and building on the momentum of the youth climate strikes in a major way by shutting down D.C. on Sept. 23.

Over the next several weeks affinity groups will be formed to take responsibility for shutting down business as usual. If this is your first meeting, come at 6 PM so you can get up to speed on the action plan and organizing structure so you can hit the ground running when the spokes council meeting starts at 7 PM.  The Shut Down DC spokes council is the organizing and decision making body of the ShutDownDC action. It’s open to anyone but priority is given to coordination and joint decision making between working groups and affinity groups that have been working to make ShutDownDC. Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/1251858704985070/?event_time_id=1251858711651736.

53] – On Wed., Sept. 11 from 7 to 9 PM, get over to Ted Howard + Marjorie Kelly: “The Making of a Democratic Economy,” hosted by The Democracy Collaborative and The Next System Project at Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St. NW, WDC 20009.  We live in a world where twenty-six billionaires own as much wealth as half the planet's population. The extractive economy we live with now enables the financial elite to squeeze out maximum gain for themselves, heedless of damage to people or planet. But Marjorie Kelly and Ted Howard show that there is a new economy emerging focused on helping everyone thrive while respecting planetary boundaries.  At a time when competing political visions are at stake the world over, this book urges a move beyond tinkering at the margins to address the systemic crisis of our economy. Kelly and Howard outline seven principles of what they call a Democratic Economy: community, inclusion, place (keeping wealth local), good work (putting labor before capital), democratized ownership, ethical finance, and sustainability. Each principle is paired with a place putting it into practice: Pine Ridge, Preston, Portland, Cleveland, and more.

Ted Howard is the Co-founder and President of The Democracy Collaborative, an international research and development lab for the democratic economy.  Marjorie Kelly is the Senior Fellow and Executive Vice President of The Democracy Collaborative, where she is the cofounder of Fifty by Fifty, a network initiative to catalyze 50 million employee owners by 2050. See https://www.facebook.com/events/484073785747827/.

54] – On Wed., Sept. 11 from 7 to 8:30 PM, get over to a talk about “River of Redemption: Almanac of Life on the Anacostia”, hosted by Audubon Naturalist Society, 8940 Jones Mill Road, Chevy Chase 20815. Tickets are at anshome.org.  Hear from an award-winning photographer and author Krista Schlyer who will share her breathtaking photos and insightful reflections on the transformation of the Anacostia River.  She is a D.C.-based conservation photographer and filmmaker.  During her presentation, Schlyer will share her experiences with the beleaguered but resilient Anacostia watershed and its wildlife, as well as stories of the champions and challenges that will ultimately decide the river's fate.  Learn more about Krista at kristaschlyer.com.

The Audubon Naturalist Shop will be open with a special 20% discount on the book. Pick up your copy so Krista can sign it!  Tune in at https://www.facebook.com/events/567737757096036/.

55] – On Wed., Sept. 11 from 7 to 9 PM, get with the Greenbelt Climate Action Network for A Just Transition from Coal in Maryland, a conversation with Matt Dernoga, Maryland Sierra Club Beyond Coal rep, about Maryland's six remaining coal fired power plants. Discuss their impacts on public health and the climate, and how to lead the way in Maryland with a just transition to clean energy.  The conversation is at the Greenbelt Community Center, Room 114, 15 Crescent Road, Greenbelt.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/878344449197887/.  Contact Lore Rosenthal, Greenbelt Climate Action Network, at lore@simplicity-matters.org or 301-345-2234.

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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