Baltimore Activist Alert – October 1 to 2, 2023

Baltimore Activist Alert – October 1 to 2, 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] Alan Barysh has an audio book

9] Takoma Park Festival – Oct. 1

10] Affirmative Action – Oct. 1

11] Wheat pasters needed – Oct. 1

12] DSA meeting – Oct. 1

13] Organized Labor Rising – Oct. 1

14] Free Assange – Oct. 1

15] Turn Virginia blue – Oct. 1

16] Call to support the UAW – Oct. 1

17] Film Mediterranean Fever – Oct. 1

18] Electoral Working Group meeting – Oct. 1

19] Protest at the Pentagon – Oct. 2

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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 is looking for a helper 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] – Alan Barysh  [magoo1917@earthlink.net] hopes that you will purchase his audio book -- Shipyard Days and Nights and Other Baltimore Stories (Mostly true).  It's on amazon.com. Should this book hit the big time, Mr. Barysh says he will donate money to the Shipyard Retirees Association.

9] – On Sun., Oct. 1 from 10 AM to 5 PM ET, get over to the annual Takoma Park Street Festival on Carroll Ave. NW! Enjoy a full day of music, local makers and vendors, community groups and kids activities. You can also pick up some fresh goodies from the Takoma Park Farmers Market, which will run during its normal hours, from 10 AM to 2 PM. Organizers recommend that you walk or Metro as congestion may be high and parking limited. Visit https://www.instagram.com/p/Cxtbx4FxeKv/?img_index=4&link_id=39&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-september-22-2023&email_referrer=email_2062296&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-september-29-2023

10] – 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 Oct. 1, the discussion will focus on “Affirmative Action.” Dr. Fred Pincus will describe how race-based affirmative action policies in higher education worked prior to the June 2023 Supreme Court decision. What does the decision mean for the future of affirmative action?

Fred L. Pincus is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County where he taught about race relations and diversity for 44 years. He is the author of Reverse Discrimination: Dismantling the Myth (2002) and the essay “Affirmative Action: Not the Harsh Impact on Whites That Some Assume” in Impacts of Racism on White Americans in the Age of Trump (2021) Visit https://bmorethical.org

11] – The Metro DC DSA [info@mdcdsa.org] on Sun., Oct. 1 at 1 PM ET is doing a wheat pasting event for Political Education #2 at DuPont Circle NW, WDC 20036. Sign up to join a group wheat pasting leading up to the upcoming Big Tech and Capitalism: DC Walking Tour and Mt. Pleasant Socialist Night School.  Put up posters around the D.C. area. Wheat pasting involves anchoring posters on walls and light poles around town with a homemade organic glue -no experience needed! Sign up at https://forms.gle/gaWjmdfX5TApwNsH8

12] – The Metro DC DSA [info@mdcdsa.org] is holding a General Body Meeting on Sun., Oct. 1 at 2 PM ET. The meeting convenes all chapter members bi-monthly. Workgroups, caucuses, committees, and leadership provide key updates on campaigns and other activities. Members may also propose and vote on business. Members, potential members, and supporters alike are welcome to attend. This event is open to both DSA Members and supporters. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/general-body-meeting-october-1-2023?clear_id=true&link_id=5&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events-121&email_referrer=email_2058493&email_subject=nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events

13] – Alan Minsky for Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] wants you to attend a Town Hall on Sun., Oct. 1 at 4 PM ET -- Organized Labor Rising. Focus on the dynamic rebirth of Organized Labor, and celebrate the excellent contract won by the striking Writers Guild of America.  Discuss the political and economic significance of the moment; and most importantly get ready for PDA's solidarity actions in support of striking UAW workers!

Hear from Scott Houldieson, a labor union and PDA activist from Indiana, who will give an update on the ongoing auto workers' strike, and screenwriter Howard Rodman, a longtime member of the WGA negotiating team, to share his thoughts on the importance of the writers' victory for all workers. RSVP at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tceuhrzsvHdymeeZRwb-i7X50FJa-HMR4#/registration.

14] –  Ann Wilcox [ann1.wilcox@gmail.com] on behalf of DC Action for Assange wants you to know about a vigil on Sun., Oct. 1 from 4 to 5 PM at the White House, 1600 Penn Ave. NW.  The vigils will continue on Oct. 15 and each 1st and 3rd Sunday.  Call Ann Wilcox (202-441-3265).

15] – On Sun., Oct. 1 from 6 to 8 PM ET, the Democratic National Committee is organizing VIRTUAL PHONE BANKS FOR THE VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES- TO TURN VA BLUE! RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/569453/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_most_popular_virtual. This event will continue on Sundays from 6 to 8 PM ET THROUGH November 5.  Call voters in Virginia to get them out to vote in the November election. NO EXPERIENCE is NECESSARY. Get TRAINING and hear from COACHES TO HELP ALL ALONG THE WAY.

16] – Working Families Party [reply@workingfamilies.org] indicates that this is a historic moment, as the UAW is taking on all three auto companies.   And the fossil fuel companies and Trump want to pit auto workers against electric vehicles (EVs) and climate activists and prey on the insecurities of workers in the EV transition. Get on a call on Sun., Oct. 1 at 6 PM ET to discuss how to help UAW workers on strike with some of the biggest climate and environmental groups including Sunrise, Greenpeace, Sierra Club, and others: https://actionnetwork.org/events/standupuaw-solidarity-call/

17] –  Palestine Just Trade is pleased to co-present online MEDITERRANEAN FEVER at the 2023 Toronto Palestine Film Festival (TPFF) on Sun., Oct. 1 from 7 to 9 PM. The online screening will be available for on-demand viewing from the theatre launch date until Oct. 4, 11:59 PM ET.

The film is in Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles. Waleed lives in Haifa with his wife and children and dreams of a writing career while suffering from chronic depression. He develops a close relationship with his neighbor, a small-time crook, with an ulterior plot in mind. While the scheme turns into an unexpected friendship between the two men, it leads them into a journey of dark encounters. RSVP at https://www.tpff.ca/program-guide-2023/mediterranean-fever?link_id=7&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-just-peace-advocates-is-pleased-to-co-present-tomorrows-freedom-at-the-2023-toronto-palestinian-film-festival&email_referrer=email_2057752&email_subject=palestine-just-trade-is-pleased-to-co-present-mediterranean-fever-at-2023-toronto-palestine-film-festival-tpff  Email info@justpeaceadvocates.ca

18] – The Northern Virginia Democratic Socialists [novabranch@mdcdsa.org] are holding on Sun., Oct. 1 at 7 PM ET an Electoral Working Group Meeting. A link to attend this virtual event will be emailed upon RSVP. The plan is to continue to do research on the Virginia Election for the upcoming November General Election. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/nova-electoral-working-group-meeting-4/?link_id=12&can_id=3fcd7916f2ff367c3b859d45270fd1d5&source=email-nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events-117&email_referrer=email_2042256&email_subject=nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-

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 Oct. 2, 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.

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