Baltimore Activist Alert – November 14 - 16, 2021

Baltimore Activist Alert – November 14 - 16, 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] Welcome an Afghan Family to Baltimore!

7] Support Drone Whistleblower Daniel Hale

8] See the film FALSE ALARM – through Nov. 30

9] Road Ahead after the Biden-Moon Summit -- Nov. 14

10] Freedom to Vote: Time to Act – Nov. 14

11] Humanists and Prayer -- Nov. 14

12] PPC Weekend Outreach – Nov. 14

13] Freedom to Vote: Time to Act – Nov. 14

14] Knock on Doors for Brooke Lierman -- Nov. 14

15] Town Hall: Labor and Economic Justice for All – Nov. 14

16] Make calls for the Freedom to Vote Act.  – Nov. 14 – 16

17] Town Hall about Medicare for All California Style -- Nov. 14

18] Film in the Dark of the Valley -- Nov. 14

19] Protest at the Pentagon – Nov. 15

20] Support Build Better Back Act – Nov. 15

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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] – St. Matthew, Blessed Sacrament, and the IOSC are partnering to welcome an Afghan Family to Baltimore! Are you interested in serving our new immigrant family? If you are interested, you will be trained in how you may serve, you will be guided and scheduled at your convenience by the Lead volunteer coordinator, you may also make donations through the IOSC to assist the family in the transition process in order to: Purchase food & Purchase clothes for winter and other necessities. Contact the IOSC at info@IOSCbaltimore.org, call the office at 410-323-8564 and leave a message for Nathalie.

7] – There is a Call to Action to support Drone Whistleblower Daniel Hale. He was transferred to horrific prison:  abuse, silencing and continued punishment for being a truth-teller. Please write letters and organize something in your community. See what JOHN KIRIAKOU has written about this travesty: Drone Whistleblower Thrown in Pen with Terrorists -- https://consortiumnews.com/2021/10/19/john-kiriakou-drone-whistleblower-thrown-in-pen-with-terrorists/. The Daniel Hale Support Team @TeamDanielHale indicated he was placed in the Communications Management Unit at Marion, IL. Please send him letters: Daniel Everette Hale, 26069-075, USP Marion, U.S. Penitentiary, P.O. Box 1000, Marion, IL  62959.

8] – Nick Lyell <njlyell@gmail.com> will released his new documentary, False Alarm on Mon., Nov. 1 for one month only. The focus of the documentary is the 2018 false alarm that people in Hawai'i received about an imminent nuclear attack, and it explores both what that experience was like and the larger system that makes things like that possible.  See it on Vimeo On-Demand: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/falsealarm. The film chronicles the surreal, traumatic, and revelatory fallout from the morning when everyone on Hawai'i thought a nuclear missile was imminent.

9] – On Mon., Nov. 15 at 9 AM ET, get with the ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum 2021: The Road Ahead after the Biden-Moon Summit.  This is the 6th annual Forum, a premier international forum that brings together officials, policymakers and experts to discuss issues important to the U.S.-ROK alliance. This is a timely discussion on issues critical to U.S.-Korea relations, including what U.S.-China competition means for the alliance, whether there is a way forward for denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula, and the future of trilateralism and the alliance in the Indo-Pacific region. The event is sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and The Korea Foundation. Sign up at https://www.csis.org/events/rok-us-strategic-forum-2021-road-ahead-after-biden-moon-summit.

10] – Get involved with Freedom to Vote: Time to Act on Sun., Nov. 14 from 10 AM to 6 PM.  Extremist politicians have spent the year putting up barriers to voting in one state after another and are now drawing districts to benefit themselves.  Sign up at https://www.mobilize.us/dfadcoalition/event/426906/?followup_modal_context=newsletter. The Time is Now to urge the Senate to act swiftly to pass robust national standards for federal elections, and to use every lever of power and influence to get this done.

11] – 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. 14, the subject is “Humanists and Prayer: Who Are You Talking To?” Whether before a meal, in times of despair, or to begin a new session of Congress, the words “let us pray” often surprise non-theistic humanists. For many of us, calls for collective religious behavior can be difficult to navigate. The balance between respectful tolerance and hypocritical submission to group norms is tricky.  Would it be easier if we asked that we replace the word “prayer” with “invocations” or “blessings” or “benedictions”?  Hugh Taft-Morales explores the civic omnipresence of prayer and suggests ways to deal with it with integrity. 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).  The Zoom link and more info can be obtained at PRESIDENT@BMORETHICAL.ORG.

12] -- The Maryland Poor People's Campaign (MD PPC) [aryland@poorpeoplescampaign.org] needs your help on Sunday, November 14 for Weekend Outreach.  There are two opportunities in Montgomery County:  in Gaithersburg from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM for tabling and door-to-door canvassing to provide COVID relief and MD PPC information; and Oxon Hill from 1 to 3 PM for tabling at Giant Food to provide COVID relief and MD PPC information.  Email montgomery@mdpoorpeoplescampaign.org. There is also an opportunity in Hagerstown from 1 to 5 PM for door-to-door canvassing on/near Jonathan St. Email MD PPC Western Region western@mdpoorpeoplescampaign.org.

13] – On Sun., Nov. 14 at 1:30 PM ET check out Impacts from Privatization of Space: Environmental, Conflicts over celestial claims, and War.  ICSS Marxist Library (San Francisco Bay area) is sponsoring this webinar with Bruce Gagnon from the Global Network as speaker. This talk will include the plans by the nuclear industry to establish nuclear rockets to Mars and nuclear-powered mining colonies on the planetary bodies. Included will be a review of US attempts to destroy the United Nations Outer Space and Moon Treaties as Obama in 2015 signed a new law giving US corporations the 'right' to make land claims for mining the sky in violation of those treaties. This will result in moving the war system into space as other nations will not allow the US to act as the 'Master of Space.' Email globalnet@mindspring.com or call (207) 389-4606 to get log in information.

14] – Knock on Doors for Brooke Lierman for Comptroller on Sun., Nov. 14 from 2 to 4 PM EST at 3820 Fernside Road, Randallstown 21133. Canvass the community and share Brooke's vision to transform the Comptroller's office to work for every Marylander. Once you sign up our team will follow up with everything you need to knock on doors! Visit https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/397538/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_more_events_of_type.

15] -- Mike Fox for Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] hopes you will attend the weekly PDA Sunday Progressive Town Hall: Labor and Economic Justice for All on Nov. 14 at 4 PM ET. There are many ways to slice and dice American history, but one thing for certain about the last 100 years: the mid-20th century American middle class, the largest and most prosperous in history at the time, was brought to you by the U.S. Labor Movement.  Furthermore, the decline of the labor movement over the past four decades has led to the erosion of the middle class. The conclusion is clear: within the market-driven economic system of our constitutional democracy, labor unions are essential for the welfare of workers, and thus for society in general.

The special guests are renowned historian Harvey J Kaye—who believes there is no way forward for the progressive movement, and thus for American society, without a re-invigorated labor movement; and Staff Writer and Activist for Labor Notes Sarah Hughes who will give an update on strikes across the country. Register at https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tceuhrzsvHdymeeZRwb-i7X50FJa-HMR4.

16] – Join activists around the country at a virtual phonebank to urge voters in key states to demand their senators’ support the Freedom to Vote Act.  Work together to demand bold changes to our democracy to create a government that represents all of us, not big corporations or special interests. Call on voters in targeted states and connect them to their Senators to support the Freedom to Vote Act, and to eliminate the filibuster. These phone banks are subject to change based on variables. Our democracy is in crisis: with redistricting around the corner and hundreds of voter suppression laws being introduced in states across the country, we do not have time to wait. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/pfaw/event/376178/?utm_source=PFAW to call on Sun., Nov.  14 from 6 to 8 PM ET, Mon., Nov. 15 from 4 to 6 PM and 6 to 8 PM ET and Tues., Nov. 16 from 3 to 5 PM ET.

17] – Alan Minsky for Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] hopes you will join a Town Hall about Medicare for All California Style on Sun., Nov. 14 at 7 PM ET. This is a Town Hall brought to you by PDA-California in support of Assembly Bill 1400, to establish a universal single-payer healthcare system in our country’s largest state. RSVP at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZErd-ygqDosGNEjAqJMxG8YbBfqfxMTyjB6.

If passed into law, A.B. 1400 would not only bring humane healthcare to 40 million Californians, it would all but shatter the corporate healthcare industry’s iron-clad death-grip on the entire US system. This jam-packed, star-studded Town Hall includes all three Assemblymen who introduced the bill: Ash Kalra, Andy Lee, and Miguel Santiago; as well as the author of the bill Councilwoman Carmen Comsti; and LA mayoral candidate Kevin DeLeon, who helped pass a similar bill when he was the head of the California Senate. S.B. 562, however, failed to pass the US Senate. Kenya Taylor, a San Diego-based activist and licensed therapist, will be emceeing the event.

18] –On Sun., Nov. 14 at 10 PM ET on MSNBC see the award-winning feature documentary In the Dark of the Valley. The film follows the story of Melissa Bumstead and other local mothers whose children have been diagnosed with rare cancers and are fighting for Santa Susana Field Laboratory to be fully cleaned-up. Meet the people exposing the truth about the worst nuclear disaster in US history. See the trailer at inthedarkofthevalley.com/trailer.

19] – 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. 15 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.  

20] –   Maryland Poor People's Campaign (MD PPC) [maryland@poorpeoplescampaign.org] needs you to be at the US Supreme Court, 1 First Street NE, WDC 20543 on Mon., Nov. 15 at noon ET.  This is a PPC Moral Monday-Build Back Better from the Bottom Up event, as Congress comes back to DC. Demand they Build Back Better from the Bottom Up and pass voting protections to save our democracy from coordinated attacks across the country.  RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/moral-monday-nov-15?&link_id=0&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-ppc-moral-monday-build-back-better-from-the-bottom&email_referrer=email_1355465&email_subject=ppc-moral-monday-build-back-better-from-the-bottom-reminder.

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