Baltimore Activist Alert – May 9 - 10, 2021

Baltimore Activist Alert – May 9 - 10, 2021

"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] Volunteer with a Catholic Worker house  

5] Max is looking for tips on a garage or a storage suggestion.

6] House cleaner needed

7] Mother’s Day Brunch – May 9

8] “Being Wrong: The Virtues of Humility and Doubt” – May 9

9] Healthcare Town Hall – May 9

10] Celebrate Dan Berrigan’s birthday – May 9

11] Pentagon Peace Vigil – May 10

12] Support Steven Donziger – May 10

13] US Sanctions and Venezuela’s Economy --- May 10

14] Poor Peoples Campaign Prince George’s County meeting – May 10

15] Conversation on Motherhood in the Nuclear Age – May 10

16] What is Next for Peace in Korea? -- May 10

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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] - Suzanne Fontanesi and Jeff Ross are in the beginning stages of renovating the basement of their house for purposes of bringing in a volunteer (targeting young adults in discernment mode), starting next fall. They are trying to grow a Catholic Worker House in Irvington (West Baltimore). In a nutshell, there is a lot that a volunteer could do in that neighborhood/Baltimore, in addition to prayer and daily community living and in addition to plugging into all the good work that people are already doing in and around Baltimore (and beyond).  If you think you might know of anyone who might be interested in starting a conversation with them about becoming such a volunteer/community member, please contact Jeff/Suzanne at 443-690-6872.

5] – Max is in need of a garage or a storage space.  Any suggestions would be welcome.  Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

6] – Is there a woman in the Baltimore area who does house cleaning?  This assignment would be on an irregular basis with several hours per week.  Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

7] – On Sun., May 9 at 9 AM ET, enjoy a Mother’s Day Brunch at the Franciscan Center of Baltimore, 101 W. 23rd St., Baltimore 212128. The Franciscan Center has been blessed in many ways and by many people and organizations.  If you like to volunteer for this event or would like to partner on this event, email Angela Hall at AHall@fcbmore.org. Visit https://www.facebook.com/fcbmore/.

8] – 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., May 9, get with “Being Wrong: The Virtues of Humility and Doubt.”  We all like to be right, but should we get more comfortable being wrong? So often we make truth claims and proceed to stake so much on them: our ego, our reputation, our power. Given that every person’s knowledge is limited, shouldn’t we let go of certainty and embrace our painstaking collective construction of wisdom? After all, doubt is what launched the freethought movement. Hugh Taft-Morales explores the liberation that comes when one embraces intellectual humility and doubt.  He serves as Leader of the Philadelphia Ethical Society and the Baltimore Ethical Society and is a member of the Ethical Action Committee of the American Ethical Union (AEU).  Email PRESIDENT@BMORETHICAL.ORG for INFORMATION.

9] – Mike Fox for Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] needs your attention as there is Healthcare Emergency Town Hall on Sun., May 9 at 4 PM ET.  This event is a way of Honoring Mothers around the World. The town halls are a weekly event to address COVID-19 and to help make America a healthier place for all in general.  What better way to honor mothers than to help make sure their children are as healthy as possible? The special guest this week is Dr. Chuck Pennacchio, Ph.D., reporting on the soon to be re-introduced legislation known as the State Based Universal Health Care (SBUHC) Act, and there will be a COVID update. Register at https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tceuhrzsvHdymeeZRwb-i7X50FJa-HMR4.

10] – Sunday, May 9 marks the 100th anniversary of Daniel Berrigan’s birth and also the publication launch of Celebrant’s Flame: Daniel Berrigan in Memory and Reflection by Bill Wylie-Kellermann. You are invited to a celebration of both, a zoom gathering of music, art, and word at 7:30 PM ET. Participants include the author, Kateri Boucher, Frida Berrigan, Kathy Kelly, John Bach, troubadour Charlie King, Eric Martin, John Dear, Jim Reale and Fa Terrence Moran. RSVP here to request the Zoom invitation and link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/celebrants-flame-book-launch-tickets-153236607819.

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 May 10 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] – Our Revolution is joining hands with environmental groups - including the Sunrise Movement, Amazon Watch, and others - in support of environmental hero Steven Donziger.  Donziger led a legal team that won a multi-billion dollar verdict in Ecuador against Chevron for despoiling the Amazon in 2011. Since then, he has been under constant assault by Chevron and its minions.  Steven is being prosecuted by a private law firm with financial ties to Chevron in a trial overseen by a Federalist Society Judge who also has ties to Chevron.  The trial begins on Mon., May 10 in US District Courthouse, 500 Pearl St., NYC, NY 10007. Rally and livestream from 8:30 to 10 AM ET: https://www.mobilize.us/ourrevolution/event/388572/?akid=1524.8252965.Qcposf&rd=1&t=20.

13] –   US Sanctions and Venezuela’s Economy will be examined on Mon., May 10 from 3:30 to 4:30 PM ET.  Register at https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEld-uvrj4sHdGWcTHTGUj_t_CjXgxxYXQt. As of January 22, 2021, the Treasury Department had imposed sanctions on roughly 166 Venezuelan or Venezuelan-connected individuals and the State Department had revoked the visas of more than 1,000 individuals and their families. A 2019 study by economists Jeffrey Sachs and Mark Weisbrot found that economic sanctions led to more than 40,000 deaths in Venezuela from 2017 to 2018. The current argument in the United States, even among those on the left, has to deal with whether or not it is advisable to pull these sanctions away from Venezuela, with many advocating that the U.S.-led sanctions are not helping Venezuela’s current economic crisis. While one side seeks to bring about the humanitarian crisis as an argument, the other side sees it more as an act of political caution. UMass Boston economics student Tyrin Douangvichit, who is also a MAPA intern this spring, will present his research.

14] – On Mon., May 10 at 6 PM, the Maryland Poor Peoples Campaign Price George’s County Region is holding its monthly meeting.  Plan for a meeting with PG County Department of Social Services, which will focus on Homelessness and Housing Issues. RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcpcOGuqD8oGtAyLeyjsGqBRYhL799ya5-t?link_id=3&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-maryland-poor-peoples-campaign-md-ppc-weekly-update-3&email_referrer=email_1156317&email_subject=maryland-poor-peoples-campaign-md-ppc-weekly-update.

15] – The Ploughshares Fund, Emma Belcher [president@ploughshares.org] is hosting a Conversation on Motherhood in the Nuclear Age. Women and mothers have been protesting, advocating and leading local and global nuclear disarmament movements and initiatives for decades, in so many ways, all across the globe.  The Ploughshares Fund is celebrating this Mother’s Day with a panel of women who are, each in her own way, trying to leave a legacy of a non-nuclearized world for our kids and grandkids on Mon., May 10 at 7 PM ET.  Register for Moms Drop Truth Bombs: A Conversation on Motherhood in the Nuclear Age, the 2nd annual Women's Initiative event: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_z8d4S1LcRaawzk5MS365Lg.

16] – What is Next for Peace in Korea? It will be discussed on Mon., May 10 from 7 to 8 PM ET.  The Biden administration has not fully engaged with Korea peace issues, but the initial signs are worrisome, wrote Timothy Shorrock in The Nation on February 15.  What is the status of inter-Korean peace talks, of US-South Korean war games, and of the regional situation with the US, Japan, and China? At the same time, the humanitarian and economic situation in North Korea has worsened significantly in the past year, due to lockdowns and economic disruptions since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.   What do we know about the situation of the North Korean people?  What is the impact of UN and US sanctions on the delivery of humanitarian aid and the difficulty of obtaining licenses, and is Congress doing anything to address those problems? Hear from a panel of activist observers: Dr. Kee Park is Director of the Korea Health Policy Project at Harvard Medical School.  Tim Shorrock has been a correspondent for The Nation since 1983. Katerina Parsons is Legislative Associate for International Affairs at the Mennonite Central Committee. Register at https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYuf-Gqqj4rG91tZMtgvN0yR8yuKkipBrGP.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, 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