Baltimore Activist Alert – November 8 – 9, 2020

Baltimore Activist Alert – November 8 – 10, 2020

"I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours." -Martin Luther King Jr.

Friends, this list and other email documents which I send out are done under the auspices of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center.  Go to www.baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com. 

If you appreciate this information and would like to make a donation, send contributions to Max Obuszewski, BNC, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Max Obuszewski can be reached at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net.

1] Books, buttons and stickers

2] Web site for info on federal legislation

3] Get involved with NCNR   

4] Try meditation – Nov. 8

5] Transforming Moment: What is Next? – Nov. 8

6] Enjoy a conversation with recently released Ubai Aboudi. – Nov. 8

7] Maryland 2021 Statewide Legislative Kickoff – Nov. 8

8] Celebrate Nuclear Disarmers, the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 – Nov. 8

9] Healthcare Emergency Town Hall – Nov. 8

10] Black Lives Matter Vigil – Nov. 8

11] Pentagon Peace Vigil – Nov. 9

12] Post-election webinar – Nov. 9

13] What's next for climate policy? ‌ – Nov. 9

14] Film NUCLEAR SAVAGE – Nov. 9

15] Our Revolution meeting – Nov. 9

16] Get Money Out of Maryland – Nov. 9

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1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available.  “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Call Max at 410-323-1607.

2] –To obtain information how your federal legislators voted on particular bills, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/.  Congressional toll-free numbers are 888-818-6641, 888-355-3588 or 800-426-8073. The White House Comment Email is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.

3] – THE ORGANIZING LIST will be the primary decision-making mechanism of the National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR].  It will be augmented by conference calls and possibly in-person meetings as needed.  It will consist of 1 or 2 representatives from each local, regional, or national organization (not coalitions) that wishes to actively work to carry out the NCNR campaign of facilitating and organizing nonviolent resistance to U.S. wars.

To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email address to mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.  Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe.  

4] - Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 2521 St. Paul St., Baltimore 21218, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion at 10:30 AM.  On Sun., Nov. 8, the platform address is “Mediation: ‘We’re Looking for Trouble.’” This interactive talk will focus on the work of the Baltimore Community Mediation Center and the various ways the Center addresses many types of conflict; kinds of conflict that might be appropriate for mediation; and conflicts that might specifically arise during the pandemic. Claudia Leight is a volunteer mediator with the Baltimore Community Mediation Center. She has worked for over 40 years as a counselor at Morgan State University before being trained in mediation.  She has been involved in social justice movements for many years and lives in Baltimore city. See https://bmorethical.org/.  

5] – Get with a Transforming Moment: What is Next? Mark Solomon on Sun., Nov. 8 from 11 AM to 1 PM will speak. The defeat of Donald Trump augurs well for a democratic transformation. How do we, the progressive majority, seize the moment to deliver a fatal blow to reaction and usher in a new era of progress, equality and peace? Solomon is the Professor Emeritus of History at Simmons University, Boston who holds a B.A. degree in History from Wayne State University, an M.A. in History from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in The History of American Civilization from Harvard University. He has written scores of articles on African American history, race and racism, U.S. foreign policy, globalization, and war and peace issues. Check out this online event at http://masspeaceaction.org/event/a-transforming-moment-what-next-with-mark-solomon/?emci=a5b2e440-9f1c-eb11-96f5-00155d03bda0&emdi=6c1a708a-101d-eb11-96f5-00155d03bda0&ceid=269591.  

6] – Enjoy a conversation with recently released Ubai Aboudi on Sun., Nov. 8 from 1 to 2 PM.  Scientists for Palestine is extremely proud to announce an entire webinar dedicated to celebrate the return to his family of its colleague Ubai.  Visit http://masspeaceaction.org/event/a-conversation-with-recently-released-ubai-aboudi/?emci=a5b2e440-9f1c-eb11-96f5-00155d03bda0&emdi=6c1a708a-101d-eb11-96f5-00155d03bda0&ceid=269591.  He will touch upon his experience in a military jail, the prospects of education and research in Palestine and many other topics. The meeting will be convened and moderated by Haynes Miller, Professor of Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  This event will be Livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/Scientists4Palestine/.  Palestinian-American researcher Ubai Aboudi, Director of the Bisan Center for Research and Development, is finally free after almost a year spent in Israeli jails. Brutally abducted from his home by Israeli military forces on the night of Nov. 13, 2019, Ubai has spent nearly two of the twelve months of imprisonment in Administrative Detention (i.e. detention without charges). At the time of his abduction, Ubai was highly involved in organizing Scientists for Palestine’s International Meeting for Science in Palestine at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (which took place in January 2020) and his arrest sparked an international outrage which led hundreds of scholars worldwide, including Nobel laureate George Smith and world renowned Noam Chomsky, to call for his immediate release.

7] –Get with the Maryland 2021 Statewide Legislative Kickoff on Sun., Nov. 8 from 3 to 5:30 PM ET. Since the abrupt end of the 2020 Maryland legislative session, Jews United for Justice have been working to make sure elected officials support vulnerable Marylanders during this pandemic. Join a Zoom conference for a statewide legislative kickoff, and help choose how to focus advocacy efforts. If you’re new to JUFJ’s work in Annapolis, join in from 3 to 3:30 PM for JUFJ 101 session, and the main event will start at 3:30 PM for experienced folks. You will receive call-in instructions via email after you RSVP.  RSVP at https://jufj.org/event/md-kickoff-2021/?emci=44b1c08f-6a15-eb11-96f5-00155d03bda0&emdi=ee2f9063-5218-eb11-96f5-00155d03bda0&ceid=3403859.

8] – Celebrate Nuclear Disarmers, the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 in a Virtual "Festival of Hope" on Zoom --https://www.codepink.org/kingsbay_plowshares_webinar?utm_campaign=kingsbay_ithaca_webinar&utm_medium=email&utm_source=codepink, or YouTube-- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSTEGsYwuvPpwjtIufg7gzA, and Facebook Live --https://www.facebook.com/Kingsbayplowshares/ on Sun., Nov. 8 at 4 PM EST. The last four of the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 defendants, Mark Colville, Clare Grady, Martha Hennessy, and Carmen Trotta, will be sentenced by Federal Judge Lisa Godby Wood on November 12th and 13th for their nonviolent witness against nuclear weapons. The festival webinar will feature: Poor People's Campaign co-chair, Rev. Liz Theoharis; German activist Marion Kuepker, from Nonviolent Action Group for the Withdrawal of US Nuclear Weapons from Buchel AFB; Martha Hennessy doing a reading from her grandmother, Dorothy Day, who would be enjoying her 123rd birthday; OREPA activist Ralph Hutchison working on Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; and others.

9] – Register to join the Progressive Democrats of America Healthcare Emergency Town Hall on Sun., Nov. 8 at 4 PM ET. It’s been a most painful week. Not only did we see the second #BlueWave that so many of us had been eagerly awaiting somehow disappear before it even materialized despite record voter turnouts, but also, we’re seeing #COVID19 numbers like never before. This second wave of the pandemic, or third wave in some states and some communities, is already wreaking havoc on our most vulnerable, precisely because we don’t have a system like #MedicareForAll that would provide for all of the pandemic care, and general medical care that would lower the risk for individuals due to the virus. Hear first from the PDA National Board and Healthcare Issue Team members, and then open it up to all participants to ask questions and share their perspectives on this idea. Email mikefox@pdamerica.org. Guests joining Dr. Bill Honigman include Donna Smith, PDA National Advisory Board Chair; Michael Lighty, PDA National Board Member; Kristin Cabral, PDA National Advisory Board Member; Dr. Paul Song, PDA National Advisory Board Member; and Randy Shannon, PDA National Board Secretary.

10] – On Sun., Nov. 8 from 4 to 5 PM EST, there will be a Black Lives Matter Vigil at the Governor Warfield Parkway and Windstream Drive.  These Sunday vigils will continue through June 2021.  This is hosted by Black Lives Activists of Columbia and it occurs the second Sunday of each month. Please plan to wear masks, observe physical distancing, and bring your own signs. Visit https://www.facebook.com/BLAColumbia.

11] – There is a weekly Pentagon Peace Vigil from 7 to 8 AM on Mondays, since 1987, outside the Pentagon Metro stop.  The next vigil is Nov. 9, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker.  Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649.  The vigil will be outside the Pentagon's south Metro entrance and in the designated "protest zone" behind bicycle fences across from the entrance to the Metro.  By Metro, take Yellow Line and get out at the "Pentagon" stop. Do not go to the Pentagon City stop! Go up south escalators and turn left and walk across to protest area. By car from D.C. area, take 395 South and get off at Exit 8A-Pentagon South Parking. Take slight right onto S. Rotary Rd. at end of ramp and right on S. Fern St. Then take left onto Army Navy Dr. You can "pay to park" on Army Navy Dr.,  and there is meter parking one block on right on Eads St. Payment for both of these spots begin at 8 AM.  No cameras are allowed on Pentagon grounds. Restrooms are located inside Marriott Residence Inn on corner of S. Fern and Army Navy Dr.  

12] – Join Coalition on Human Needs on Mon., Nov. 9 at 1 PM ET for a special post-election webinar including U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Jared Bernstein, a Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities who was Chief Economist and Economic Adviser to Vice President Joe Biden in the Obama Administration, and other leaders. RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vwMxqWVQTnOlacQJ8kfM-g?link_id=2&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-join-chns-webinar-featuring-senator-sherrod-brown-on-monday&email_referrer=email_988690&email_subject=join-chns-webinar-featuring-senator-sherrod-brown-on-monday.

13] – What's next for climate policy? ‌ ‌ Come celebrate and learn with Bill McKibben, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Andre Jimenez of Green 2.0 and the CCAN Action Fund on Mon., Nov. 9 at 7 PM ET. The “climate arsonist” Donald Trump is toast. Another four years of Trump would have wrecked our global atmosphere — period. Now Joe Biden can quickly rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, rebuild the US EPA, and bring science and facts back to policy. Like Obama, Biden can take executive actions to lower carbon emissions nationwide while giving federal support to specific state initiatives everywhere from California to Virginia.  Sign up https://act.ccanactionfund.org/page/23556/data/1?utm_medium=email&utm_source=engagingnetworks&utm_campaign=utm_ftv&utm_content=FTV-PostElectionVictory-1120-c4&ea.url.id=649982.

14] – The second film in the Prevent Nuclear War/Maryland film series is Nuclear Savage. It documents how the U.S. Government exploded a 15 megaton thermonuclear bomb in the Marshall Islands, irradiating the inhabitants of the island of Rongelap, and then studied them for generations as ‘nuclear guinea pigs.’  The film takes its name from a U.S. propaganda film where the narrator introduces Rongelap elder, John Anjain, thusly: “John is a savage, but a happy, amenable savage… John is mayor of Rongelap Atoll. John reads, knows about God and is a pretty good mayor.” John Anjain later became a global leader in the nuclear disarmament movement.

Professor Glen Alcalay will lead the discussion as an advocate for justice for the Marshall Islanders for over 50 years, and is one of the world’s foremost experts on nuclear testing in the Pacific. Professor Alcalay will be joined by Dennis Nelson, with his wife Denise, Director of SERV (Support & Education for Radiation Victims). Dennis is a Downwinder from St. George, Utah.

The idea is to watch the film before the discussion: https://www.nuclearsavage.com/. The discussion will take place on Mon., Nov. 9 at 7 PM ET. Join the Zoom Meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86867041366. Dial in 301 715 8592 868 6704 1366#.  Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

15] – Join Our Revolution [mailto:info@ourrevolution.com] on Mon., Nov. 9 at 8:30 PM EST to celebrate its 2020 election wins, analyze the results, and discuss what is needed to do next to continue the political revolution! RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/ourrevolution/event/265253/?akid=790.8252965.-RGKgd&rd=1&t=9. Focus on how Our Revolution members carried out our 4-POINT PLAN to fight for a progressive future by #1) Defeating Trump; #2) Electing more progressives to Congress; #3) Building a down-ballot bench; and most critically, #4) Organizing a powerful grassroots movement to win transformative change after the election! Hear from Keith Ellison, Attorney General of Minnesota, and Larry Cohen, National Board Chair of Our Revolution.

16] – Join the Get Money Out of Maryland Teleconference on Mon., Nov. 9 from 8:30 to 9:30 PM.  There are two ways to join the conference: Dial 1 929 205 6099, and then use meeting ID: 512 862 260. Or Click on your device if you have downloaded the app from Zoom. The focus will be on organizational sign-ups, public relations, and logistics for lobbying in Annapolis.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Baltimore, MD 21212.  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