Baltimore Activist Alert – June 25 to July 4, 2023

Baltimore Activist Alert – June 25 to July 4, 2023

"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 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] Need help in archiving activist material    

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

5] Support the Pratt Workers United

6] Get the book Surely Goodness and Mercy by Murphy Davis

7] Get the book Male Supremacy in the Catholic Church: An Insider’s View by Roy Bourgeois

8] Commemorate the life of Robert White – June 25

9] The Unknown Artists – June 25

10] Pride in the Plaza – June 25

11] Global Town Hall – June 25

12] Take Cuba off the list – June 25

13] UPS Teamsters United Solidarity Rally – June 25

14] Honor Dan Ellsberg – June 25

15] Common Cause phone bank – June 28 & 30, July 4

16] Protest at the Pentagon – June 26

17] Torture Advocacy Days – June 26 & 27

18] Diaspora Russian War Resisters and Evaders Speak Out – June 26

19] Support Rent Stabilization – June 26

20] Keep Our Water Out of Corporate Hands – June 26

21] Election and Climate Protection Zoom – June 26

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1] – Buttons, bumper stickers 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] –  Janice Sevre-Duszynska needs some assistance in archiving her activist material.  If you are interested in this project, contact Max at 410-32301607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

4] – 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.

5] – The workers at the Enoch Pratt Free Library have started a drive to organize a union calling themselves Pratt Workers United.  Go to https://www.prattworkersunited.org/. There is a letter of support for community members to sign at https://www.prattworkersunited.org/community-letter-support.

"Pratt Library workers are forming a union, Pratt Workers United. We are seeking pay equity for all, safer working conditions, benefits for part-time workers, and a voice in decisions that affect our work.” The workers voted to unionize

6] – Consider getting HOSPITALITY, the newsletter of OPEN DOOR: A prophetic discipleship community honoring the Black Jesus, Dorothy Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. The September/October 2022 issue contains a wonderful review by Claire Schaeffer-Duffy of Surely Goodness and Mercy by Murphy Davis, reprinted from The Catholic Worker, March-April 2022.  Davis, a co-founder of the Open Door Community, died in 2020.   You can subscribe to the newsletter or buy a copy of the book by calling 404-290-2047 or by emailing opendoorcomm@bellsouth.net.

7] – Another book to consider purchasing is Male Supremacy in the Catholic Church: An Insider’s View by Roy Bourgeois. His new book is both memoir and position-paper, and it makes the case that the Roman Catholic Church is a corrupt system that spits out truth-tellers. The crime he was excommunicated for was attending the ordination ceremony of Janice Sevre-Duszynska in Lexington, Kentucky, in August 2008. The ordination was under the auspices of the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests.  The Vatican’s response has been to excommunicate any woman who has the audacity to see herself as a priest equal to a male priest. You can purchase a copy from Amazon or by Kindle.

  Here are two quotes to contemplate: “I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men. She is to keep silent.” – Timothy 1, 2:12-13.  “If the patriarchy that dominates the church is not dismantled and women are not treated as equals, the church will continue to diminish and, eventually, die.” – Roy Bourgeois.

8] – The Takoma Park Mobilization [info@tpmobilization.org] wants you to join in on Sun., June 25 at 10 AM ET to commemorate the life of Robert White and mark the Silver Spring Justice Coalition's 5th Anniversary. Gather at the Christ Congregational Church, 9525 Colesville Road, Silver Spring 20901. RSVP at bit.ly/SSJC-June25.  Email silverspringjustice@gmail.com.

9] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 2521 St. Paul St., Baltimore 21218, meets on Sundays, and usually there is a platform address at 10:30 AM ET.  On June 25, the discussion will be about The Unknown Artists.  Every true artist’s dream is to give to the world a body of work that can speak to everyone who encounters it, and see their life reflected in each piece. Just because an artist comes from a certain background shouldn’t be a barrier to their ability to create works that are universal.

We live in an art world that hyper focuses on the artist themselves, to the exclusion of the community they came from. This exclusion of the wider public from the artist’s story has cast into oblivion many artists who don’t fit the line genius mold. We lose a lot because of this neglect. In this program, Kimberly Sheridan introduces four of these artists. How did they embark on their art journey, who encouraged them, and how does their art speak to all of us today? The speaker hopes that this introduction whets the mental appetite to explore these artists more thoroughly than a bare outline can give you. Perhaps the artists themselves would welcome this. CONTACT President@bmorethical.Org for ZOOM LOGIN INFORMATION.

10] – On Sun., June 25 from noon to 8 PM ET, get over to Pride in the Plaza — Montgomery County's annual celebration of diverse LGBTQIA+ communities! Go to Veterans Plaza, 1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring 20910. Pride in the Plaza is a space where everyone can come together to celebrate love and living as our most authentic selves!  Visit https://liveinyourtruth.org/pride-in-the-plaza?emci=478e18ab-ab0f-ee11-907c-00224832eb73&emdi=5477067b-b20f-ee11-907c-00224832eb73&ceid=136680.

11] –  Metta Spencer [project@tosavetheworld.ca] is inviting you on Sun., June 25 from 2 to 4 PM ET to a Global Town Hall hosted by Project Save the World.  Sign up at https://zoom.us/j/9108970203.  On the last Sunday of every month, there is an open meeting on Zoom for activists worldwide who are addressing issues of militarism (especially nuclear weapons), global warming, famine, pandemics, radioactive contamination, and/or cyber risks. Visit https://tosavetheworld.ca. Also check out the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1304564053827970. Project Save the World is sponsored by Peace Magazine.

12] –  The Solidarity Collective [cuba@solidaritycollective.org] needs you to be in D.C. on Sun., June 25 from 2 to 4 PM ET for a protest at the White House to demand the Biden administration take Cuba off the list of “State Sponsors of Terrorism!” 

Members of the Maryland CPUSA [md@cpusa.org] will be in D.C. on Sun., June 25 from 2 to 4 PM ET at the White House to demand that the Biden administration lift the embargo against the Cuban people and take Cuba off the state sponsors of terror list. Some members will be leaving from Penn Station on the 11 AM Marc train, returning on the 4:30 or 5:30 PM train. Call Margaret for more information at 443-413-8758. Visit https://www.codepink.org/offthelist_cuba.

13] – There is an UPS Teamsters United Solidarity Rally on Sun., June 25 from 4 to 8 PM ET.  Come out to Sonny’s Pizza, 3120 Georgia Ave. NW, WDC for an afternoon of fundraising, raffles and solidarity. Over a quarter of a million Teamsters are battling UPS for a fair contract and winning — management has already tentatively given in to union demands for air conditioning in trucks. Sign up for the rally at  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtYfElZanP__DezeSSm12nZ8obR2MzdnVC6pkyFE52Y5YxCg/viewform?link_id=17&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-june-9-2023&email_referrer=email_1959226&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-june-16-2023.

14] – Alan Minsky for Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] hopes you will attend on Sun., June 25 at 4 PM ET a Town Hall: Testifying Against Medicare Advantage, Celebrating Daniel Ellsberg, & Defending Julian Assange. Hear from allies from Be a Hero, who are collecting testimonials about how Medicare Advantage is harming seniors across the country, then honor Daniel Ellsberg and heed his wish to defend Julian Assange and all whistleblowers. Hear from Lisa Dekker, co-Vice President of Outreach for Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA), who will share the exemplary work they're doing at the state level to protect Medicare from corporate greed—a great example for PDAers to emulate in other states! In the second hour, celebrate the life of Daniel Ellsberg with testimonials from PDAers across the country. As part of that celebration, there will be an update from the Julian Assange Defense Committee, since one of Daniel's strongest final requests was for people to come together in defense of Assange as they commit to protecting whistleblowers going forward. Daniel Ellsberg, Presente! RSVP at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tceuhrzsvHdymeeZRwb-i7X50FJa-HMR4#/registration.

15] – Join a virtual Common Cause phone bank. Work together to demand bold changes to our democracy to create a government that represents all of us, not big corporations or special interests. Register for a shift to make calls and help strengthen the phone bank team to protect our democracy. Make calls from 4 to 6 PM ET on Wed., June 28 or Fri. June 30 or Tues., July 4. These shifts will also always include training for first-timers before you make calls, so if this is your first time, no worries! This will continue through August 28, 2024. Sign up at https://www.mobilize.us/dfadcoalition/event/376178/?followup_modal_context=organization_newsletter_custom_recommendations.

16] – 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 June 26, 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.  This vigil will honor the visit to the area of the anti-nuclear ship the Golden Rule.

 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 begins at 8 AM.  No cameras are allowed on Pentagon grounds. The restrooms are located inside Marriot Providence Inn on corner of S. Fern and Army Navy Dr.

17] –   On Mon., June 26 and Tues., June 27 from 9 AM to 5 PM ET, join in Advocacy Days on Capitol Hill organized by the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition (TASSC). Meet at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 202 E. Capitol ST. NE, WDC. Sign up at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HLF5pY9bD36_B46_Gb2UXvcnwpnxMDbK/view?mc_cid=3dd3292b35&mc_eid=5ae22dbd02. Each day from 9 to 10:30 AM ET, there will be a training before heading to Capitol Hill.

18] – Michael Beer, Nonviolence International [info@nonviolenceinternational.net] indicates that the group is hosting a webinar to listen to Diaspora Russian War Resisters and Evaders Speak Out on Mon., June 26 at 11 AM ET. RSVP at https://www.nonviolenceinternational.net/webinar_registration_russian_war_resisters?utm_campaign=ws_adrienne_wynd_at_un&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nonviolenceinternational.  Go to http://www.nonviolenceinternational.net/.

19] – The Metro DC DSA [info@mdcdsa.org] needs your help on Mon., June 26 at 1:30 PM ET.  Join the HOME Act Coalition for a Montgomery County Council Rent Stabilization Work Session. Council members stated that they were prepared to discuss a rent stabilization rate and come to a compromise on both rent stabilization bills — the HOME Act and its developer-supported rival — in the next committee work session on June 26. Turn out with HOME Act signs to show that strong rent stabilization has the support of the people! RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYYZPjeSws3NIshrgJuXHwwhZblolfNqVIKDgwJH3r5-Ie5w/viewform.

20] – On Mon., Jun 26 from 4 to 5 PM ET,  Food & Water Watch will hold a press conference outside Baltimore’s City Hall, 100 Holliday St., Baltimore 21202 calling on the City Council to Keep Our Water Out of Corporate Hands. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/568332/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_closest. Voice your concerns over the Baltimore Water Regional Governance Task Force and the threat of water privatization. Mayor Brandon Scott will be appointing members to a task force which could potentially sell Baltimore's water system to a private corporation. So far, the city has not been transparent about the intentions of this task force and whether or not only public options will be considered. Privatizing Baltimore's water could potentially raise rates, bring back water shutoffs, and end the city's income-based water billing program. Urge Mayor Scott to keep for-profit interests away from our water

21] – Mike Hersh for Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] wants you to join the Election and Climate Protection Zoom on Mon., June 26 at 5 PM ET.  There are attacks on our democracy, and climate chaos threatens us. Since its founding in 2004, PDA has mobilized for open, clean, and fair elections and for stopping global warming. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqfuygpjIiHtc20uIOxdeqYRiAicjSLWUc.

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