Baltimore Activist Alert – November 29 – December 2, 2021

Baltimore Activist Alert – November 29 – December 2, 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] A friend needs a house or an apartment to rent

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

10] Protest at the Pentagon – Nov. 29

11] Make calls for the Freedom to Vote Act.  – Nov. 29 – 30

12] Emergency Election Protection Coalition -- Nov. 29

13] Stop $650 million in Raytheon Missiles to Saudi Arabia – Nov. 29

14] Slavery by Another Name – Nov. 29

15] Oxford Union Debate on Human Security -- Nov. 30

16] "Inflation Truths: Why Build Back Better Will Help, Not Hurt" -- Nov. 30

17] Say No to weapons research at JHU – Nov. 30

18] Phone Bank for Brooke Lierman – Nov. 30 & Dec. 2

19] Conversation with local journalists -- Nov. 30

20] Read and discuss Mansoor Adayfi's new Gitmo memoir – Nov. 30

21] Maccabees vs the Torah of Nonviolence – Nov. 30

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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] – A friend, Brendan Walls, has to move out of a rented home on March 1.  So he is looking for housing and wants to live south of the Baltimore beltway, east of US 95 and north of Route 214.  Do you know of a house or apartment in the Annapolis area with as much peace and quiet as I can get for no more than $1800 a month? He does not mind pet sitting, house sitting, keeping someone company or community living.  Let me know if you have a lead on a home or apartment for Brendan to rent.  Thanks for giving this your consideration.

9] – 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.

10] – 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. 29 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.  

11] – Join the Freedom to Vote Act Phonebank with Common Cause on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Work together to demand bold changes to our alleged democracy to create a government that represents all of us, not big corporations or special interests. Call voters in targeted states and connect them to their Senators to support the Freedom to Vote Act and eliminate the filibuster. These phone banks are subject to change based on variables outside of our control (i.e. a Senator's mailbox is full). On Mon., Nov. 29 from 4 to 6 PM and 6 to 8 PM and 6 to 8 PM EST connect AZ voters to Sen. Kelly to ask that they do everything possible to pass the Freedom to Vote Act including fixing the filibuster. On Tues., Nov. 30 from 4 to 6 PM ET, connect AZ voters to Sen. Sinema to ask that they do everything possible to pass the Freedom to Vote Act including fixing the filibuster.  Register at https://www.mobilize.us/dfadcoalition/event/376178/?followup_modal_context=newsletter.

12] – The Emergency Election Protection Coalition is hosting a symposium: Defending Democracy and Voting Rights on Mon., Nov. 29 at 5 PM ET with the Honorable Keith Ellison, Minnesota Attorney General, Andrea Miller, Executive Director, Center for Common Ground, and Raymond McClendon, Political Action Chair, Atlanta NAACP. Register for the Zoom meeting in advance: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYldumtrjIiH9L7_KfcFV1n8ynuO3anTGwp. Please submit any questions to: Solartopia@gmail.com. Progressive Democrats of America are part of the coalition.

13] – Block the Sale! Stop $650 million in Raytheon Missiles to Saudi Arabia. Joe Biden pledged to stop U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Now he's selling them missiles and missile launchers made by Raytheon Technologies.  Congress has a chance to block these sales. As early as Tuesday, November 30th every US Senator will vote on whether they support or oppose this weapons deal. Join in on Mon., Nov. 29 at 7 PM ET to hear from policy experts, journalists, and an expert eyewitness reporting back on the conditions in Yemen.

 The Biden Administration's approval of $650 million worth of Raytheon air-to-air missiles is a betrayal of President Biden's promise to stop selling weapons to Saudi Arabia during its war on Yemen. The war and blockade have created manmade famine and disease, the world's worst humanitarian crisis according to the U.N.  While the State Department and the Pentagon are classifying these weapons as "defensive" in nature, the difference between offensive and defensive weapons depends on how you use them. These missiles have very clear offensive uses. The blockade of Yemen isn't just by sea, it's an air blockade as well. These missiles can be used to shoot down aircraft flying into Yemen, including planes carrying food, medicine, and other humanitarian aid.  Do you sell pariahs missile launchers?  Prominent Democratic Senators are buying into this false narrative from the White House. It's time to find Register at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0sdumqqT4uHdUItUjStvWVxSPit46Io2tc?emci=a87b88cc-8950-ec11-9820-c896653b26c8&emdi=84a79800-9c50-ec11-9820-c896653b26c8&ceid=269591.

14] – Maryland Public Television (MPT) <outreach@mpt.org> is doing Standing against Racism - Programming in November. On Mon., Nov. 29 at 9 PM ET, watch Slavery by Another Name, a Sundance Film Festival selection for 2012. This documentary is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Wall Street Journal senior writer Douglas A. Blackmon, and explores the little-known story of the post-Emancipation era and the labor practices and laws that effectively created a new form of slavery in the South that persisted well into the 20th century. 

To engage in a deeper conversation, please contact us at standingagainstracism@mpt.org.

15] –UNFOLD ZERO [info@unfoldzero.org] wants you to know on Tues., Nov. 30 at noon ET there will be an Oxford Union Debate on Human Security. Humanity faces critical challenges for which national responses are too narrow. New levels of cooperation are required for success. Every person is impacted by issues relating to the climate, biodiversity, nuclear weapons, the health of the oceans, equitable sustainable development, wildlife trafficking and pandemics, for example. Dr. Jane Goodall DBE– ethologist and conservationist - is one of the world's most influential scientists and inspiring humanitarians, known for her groundbreaking research into wild chimpanzees in Gombe, Tanzania. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977 and is a United Nations Messenger of Peace.  Jonathan Granoff is President of the Global Security Institute and Representative to the United Nations of the World Summits of Nobel Peace Laureates. He serves as Senior Advisor to the Committee on National Security of the International Law Section of the American Bar Association, and received their 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award.  They will debate about a feasible and necessary alternative to security based on the threat or use of force and in particular the morally indefensible nuclear weapons.  Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tGmbqu1dRQuTlvPEeEDYHg.  This webinar is for users with a Zoom account. New to Zoom? Sign up free at https://us02web.zoom.us/signup.

16] – Nicolai Haddal, Coalition on Human Needs [info@chn.org] is telling us about a Webinar: "Inflation Truths: Why Build Back Better Will Help, Not Hurt" on Tues., Nov. 23 at 2 PM ET.  Rising prices on food and essential goods affect everyone, but they have a disproportionately high impact on people with low incomes. With recent inflation higher than it’s been in decades, some have pointed the finger at government spending and worry President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda will contribute to further price increases. But the facts tell a different story. Join the Coalition on Human Needs for a webinar that explains the inflationary moment we are in now: its causes, solutions, and government actions to alleviate current hardships. Hear from Jared Bernstein, an economist for President Biden who is serving on the White House Council of Economic Advisers, Josh Bivens, Director of Research at the Economic Policy Institute, and Rakeen Mabud, chief economist at the Groundwork Collaborative. You'll learn how we can address concerns over inflation as we continue the push for truly transformational investments in health care, housing, child care, protecting against climate change, and much more. RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7ZBXD2moQieEPxuR7nO-xw?link_id=1&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-chn-webinar-inflation-and-build-back-better-the-straight-story&email_referrer=email_1365956&email_subject=chn-webinar-inflation-and-build-back-better-the-straight-story.

17] – Join us in challenging Johns Hopkins University -- Say No to Weapons Contracts at 33rd and N. Charles Sts. on Tues., Nov. 30 from 4:30 to 5:30 PM. Contact Max at mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net or 410-323-1607.  You may consider contacting President Ron Daniels and telling him that the university should reject all military contracts, including those for killer drone and nuclear weapons research.  The president’s mailing address is Office of the President, 242 Garland Hall, The Johns Hopkins University, and 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, Maryland 21218.  You can also reach his office by Phone: (410) 516-8068, Fax: (410) 516-6097 or email: president@jhu.edu.

18] – Phone Bank for Brooke Lierman by canvassing the community and share Brooke's vision to transform the Comptroller's office to work for every Marylander. Once you sign up the team will follow up with everything you will need to phone bank! Phone bank on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 8 PM ET. Participate on November 30 and December 2 by signing in at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/397560/.

19] – The University of Maryland, Baltimore County will host a conversation with local journalists on Tues., Nov. 30 from 6:30 to 8 PM ET at Red Emma’s Bookstore Coffeehouse, 1225 Cathedral Street, Baltimore.  As local news continues to undergo a crisis, newsrooms throughout the U.S. are working on ways to reimagine local media.  Discuss how local media outlets can reimagine journalism and work with scholars to provide information to the public.  Two Baltimore-based journalists, Lisa Snowden and J. Brian Charles, will participate, along with two journalists based in Detroit and Chicago. Snowden is an independent journalist in Baltimore and the founder of the Baltimore Beat. J. Brian Charles is a Baltimore-based reporter for The Trace, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to reporting on gun violence in the U.S. He has recently written about the defund the police movement in Baltimore and the city’s recent investment in the Department of Recreation and Parks. The conversation will also include Sarah Alvarez, founder of Detroit-based Outlier Media, and Andrew Herrera, director of network growth at City Bureau, a Chicago-based journalism lab. RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/scholarly-reportage-and-the-end-of-extraction-tickets-207886954477.

20] – Join Witness Against Torture to read and discuss Mansoor Adayfi's new memoir, Don’t Forget Us Here: Lost and Found at Guantánamo.   This is happening at 7 PM ET on Tuesdays, Nov. 30, Dec. 14 and 28 and Jan. 4. Order the book from your library, independent bookstore or online. It was published by Hachette Books for $15.99; hardcover, EBook and audio. Sign up by emailing witnesstorture@gmail.com with the subject line "Mansoor Book Group." 

21] – Get with Rewriting Hanooka: Maccabees vs the Torah of Nonviolence WEBINAR on Tues., Nov. 30 from 8 to 9 PM ET.  On this third night of Hanukkah, join Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb for an interactive conversation that envisions Hanooka beyond Zionism and gendered violence. Unpack Zionist and rabbinic uses of the Festival of Lights. Narratives matter. Narratives determine how communities self-define: are we porous or exclusionary? Do we invest in stories that glorify militarism or nonviolence as a force more powerful? 

Lynn Gottlieb is “a visionary” rabbi, human rights advocate, master storyteller, educator, and visual artist. Next year will be her rabbinic Jubilee year! She is on the rabbinic council of Jewish Voice for Peace, board chair of Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, organizing team member of Grassroots Reparations Campaign, and founder and director of BackYard Mishkan. She is very funny. Find out Rabbi Lynn's radical spin on Hanooka (her spelling!)  Register at https://act.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/a/rewriting-hanooka?emci=0faf84bb-8550-ec11-9820-c896653b26c8&emdi=ded030d2-8b50-ec11-9820-c896653b26c8&ceid=237778.

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