Baltimore Activist Alert -- January 17 - 22, 2024

35] Rally for the Climate – Jan. 17

36] Importance of Science and Justice at COP28 – Jan. 17

37] Honor those journalists killed by the IDF – Jan. 17

38] Timmon Wallis will discuss his book Warheads to Windmills – Jan. 17

39] Common Cause Election Protection phone bank – Jan. 17 & 19

40] Phone bank to promote the Vote in Pennsylvania – Jan. 17 & 18

41] Join Team ENOUGH – Jan. 17

42] Join DSA – Jan. 17

43] Cultivate Peace – Jan. 17

44] Gaza webinars – Jan. 17 - 18

45] Dept. of Peacebuilding Campaign Call – Jan. 17 

46] Join protest at Northrop Grumman – Jan. 22

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35] – The Maryland LCV [info@mdlcv.org] is holding a virtual rally on Wed., Jan. 17 at 11:30 AM.  Join in by advocating for strong and effective implementation of Maryland’s Climate Pollution Reduction Plan.  RSVP at https://www.mdlcv.org/event/18690?emci=b83ecef9-e2ab-ee11-bea1-0022482237da&emdi=767e9de0-68ae-ee11-bea1-0022482237da&ceid=578562

36] -- The Union of Concerned Scientists [action@ucsusa.org] wants you to know about the Importance of Science and Justice at COP28. On Wed., Jan. 17 at 2 PM, join a discussion with UCS experts to learn about what happened at the UN annual climate talks and what's next for climate advocacy efforts. Register for the webinar at https://secure.ucsusa.org/a/2024-1-17-importance-science-and-justice-cop28?contactdata=VV00m9Nc9wDElfUmvurr9C7pgCRbOGcDJrh9ac48TqoGDRiIya3+zPX395RgsDMIiED4jVC27vxbo0Y2cJQHvBK2d5%2fCzvn6prv1MywUfHqUeU%2fuKzHQxXgO5c5wWcP5ZpjP+I4SRdzrktabqS+6ttulIjsCwUIMJz8T8gl5VmMFE9TtyVbX0KN%2fIAu76YDV5lC%2fZALp15KCCAtemFdGnSiuv7ai%2fBbyRu4I7OYfkob3DQyE2ajxthF%2fJjGErhGyB8+MQee9EpfoUNlkBKJ0LA%3d%3d&utm_campaign=email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email&emci=8d51cb61-4dab-ee11-bea1-0022482237da&emdi=aa903b40-06ac-ee11-bea1-0022482237da&ceid=1507036

37] – Defending Rights & Dissent [action@rightsanddissent.org] is encouraging you to join a vigil on Wed., Jan. 17 at 5:30 PM ET honoring those journalists killed by Israel during the Gaza War.  Rashida Tlaib will be the featured speaker at the rally at the U.S. Capitol. The war in Gaza is the deadliest conflict in history for journalists. Since its start, Israel has killed over 100 journalists despite the fact that deliberate attacks on journalists are a war crime. And the US government by arming Israel and ensuring its impunity is complicit in these crimes. 

38] –  Timmon Wallis, NuclearBan.US [timmon@nuclearban.us] will do a book event on Wed., Jan. 17 at 6 PM ET at Busboys and Poets, 14th & V Sts., 2021 14th St. NW, WDC, 20009. Register at https://www.busboysandpoets.com/events/th-evt-36787519/.

Timmon will discuss his book Warheads to Windmills: Preventing Climate Catastrophe and Nuclear War with activist Medea Benjamin. Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Wallis will be signing following the program. He is the national coordinator of the Warheads to Windmills Coalition.

39] – On Wed., Jan. 17 from 6 to 8 PM and Fri., Jan. 19  from 4 to 6 PM ET, there is a Common Cause organized Election Protection 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. These shifts will also always include training for first-timers before you make calls, so if this is your first time, no worries! Register at https://www.mobilize.us/dfadcoalition/event/376178/?followup_modal_context=organization_newsletter_custom_recommendations.

40] – On Wed., Jan. 17 and Thurs., Jan. 18 from 6 to 8 PM ET, join a virtual phone bank and promote the Vote in Pennsylvania. This phone bank will continue through Feb. 13 at 10 AM.  There's a Special Election in Bucks County, HD-140 on Tues, Feb 13, 2024! Reach out to these voters! RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/597485/

41] –  Are you a young person between 13 and 25 years old who is interested in taking action around preventing gun violence? On Wednesdays, including Jan. 17, from 6 to 7 PM ET, join a Team ENOUGH welcome session to learn more about the different ways you can engage.  Team ENOUGH is a youth-led program whose mission is to educate young voices about gun violence and mobilize them to take meaningful action against it. Supported by Brady United, it harnesses the expertise and experience of today’s youth to advance intersectional work across the country. This event will continue through Dec. 18. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/425528/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_closest

42] –  The Metro D.C. Democratic Socialists of America [info@mdcdsa.org] wants you to know about Why You Should Join DSA / New Member Orientation on Wed., Jan. 17 at 7 PM ET. Curious about DSA? If so, this event is for you! You'll learn about DSA, and how you can get involved in the fight for a brighter future. You will find out about chapter's structure and campaigns, branches, and caucuses. This chapter covers the DMV area, including the District, Northern Virginia, and Montgomery County and Prince George's County in Maryland. RSVP for Zoom link at https://actionnetwork.org/events/why-you-should-join-dsa-new-member-orientation-118?link_id=40&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-january-5-2024-2&email_referrer=email_2168601&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-january-12-2024

43] – CODEPINK [peaceeconomy@codepink.org] on Wed., Jan. 17 at 7 PM ET wants you to learn more about Cultivating Peace NOW! CODEPINK is excited to introduce The Local Peace Economy Workbook - an interactive guide to help peacemakers like you cultivate the seeds of peace right in your communities. As we begin this New Year, with our hearts aching from the violence we are witnessing in the world, our legs aching from the miles we have walked together in protest, we must continue to cultivate peace even as we ring the alarms of genocide. Our hearts break and ache, and our sense of powerlessness against the psychopathic Netanyahu, who has managed to hold off 7 million citizens calling for a ceasefire, is more than we have ever had to hold. Yes, we must continue to do all we can to end this madness and all the madness that is behind the military industrial complex that steals our tax dollars to murder black and brown people while destroying the planet.  Join this webinar to learn how to cultivate peace in your community: https://www.codepink.org/lpe117?utm_campaign=lpe_1_17_workbook_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_source=codepink

44] – MAPA [info@masspeaceaction.org] is hosting two Gaza webinars.  The first is on Wed., Jan. 17 at 7 PM ET with Trita Parsi, and the second is with Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh on Thurs., Jan. 18 at 3 PM ET. Parsi is the executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, and Qumsiyeh is a Palestinian author and scientist at Bethlehem University. 

  For the Parsi webinar, RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEude-rrDkqEt1G5T7EF_AJYaumN22vUxYm?emci=bb49b8e7-a4b4-ee11-bea1-0022482237da&emdi=7adedb73-b1b4-ee11-bea1-0022482237da&ceid=269591#/registration  For the Qumsiyeh webinar, RSVP at  https://secure.everyaction.com/r4R08jSFrUmIft6bA4uxxQ2?emci=bb49b8e7-a4b4-ee11-bea1-0022482237da&emdi=7adedb73-b1b4-ee11-bea1-0022482237da&ceid=269591

45] –   The Peace Alliance [Karen.Johnson@interpublic.com] needs you on Wed., Jan. 17 at 8 PM ET for a Dept. of Peacebuilding Campaign Call about the Beloved Community and the Study and Practice of Kingian Nonviolence.  Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. means continuing his work to create the Beloved Community as we continue our actions to influence the enactment of policies that reflect his teachings.  Justice, Peace and Democracy are verbs that we each need to embody, embrace, and enhance.  Join in to share inspiration and discuss an understanding of his teachings together. Also hear about progress with the Campaign for a Department of Peacebuilding and actions we can take to support that effort. Join by Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/464735321?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=4c280796-a209-44ec-a160-4747ef7dc57c#success

46] -- According to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, the $43.7 billion spent by the U.S. on nuclear weapons in 2022 means that, every minute, $83,143 was diverted from healthcare, housing, and other needs in our country! And the leading nuclear weapons contractor in the U.S. is Northrop Grumman which in September 2020 was selected by the U.S. Air Force under a $13.3 billion contract awarded for the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent [sic] (GBSD) program. Northrop Grumman is the third largest weapons contractor in the world taking in $32 billion in 2022 for military hardware.

According to the watchdog site Investigate, Northrop Grumman “supplies the Israeli military with a wide variety of weapons, including various missile systems. The company’s technologies are also integrated into Israel’s main weapon systems, including its fighter jets, missile ships, and trainer aircraft.” The company has provided Israel weapons for decades and, says Investigate, “these weapons have repeatedly been used against Palestinian civilians, resulting in numerous casualties as well as mass destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and water and electric systems.” It has also supplied the Israeli Navy with Sa'ar 5 warships, which have participated in the assault on Gaza. 

Since 2017, Prevent Nuclear War/Maryland activists have celebrated the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The TPNW opened for signature at the United Nations in New York on 20 September 2017 and entered into force on 22 January 2021. As of 19 September 2023, the TPNW has 69 states parties while 28 further states have signed but not yet ratified.

 Pope Francis in the annual Christmas message condemned war and weaponry provided by the global arms industry. This year’s message also included condemnation of the ongoing slaughter in the Gaza Strip, as he mourned the children killed, which he called the "little Jesuses of today."

 Prevent Nuclear War/Maryland activists, on January 22 for the annual speak out in favor of the TPNW, will gather outside a Northrop Grumman complex to leaflet workers. The leaflet will explain that producing nuclear weapons is a theft from the poor, and that any military contractor supplying weapons to Israel will be complicit in the war crimes being committed in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.  As part of the visit to Northrop Grumman, a letter would be delivered to Kathy Warden, CEO. The time and the site will be decided at a further date.  Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net if you are interested in challenging Northrop Grumman. 

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