Baltimore Activist Alert -- February 25 to 26, 2024

Baltimore Activist Alert – February 25 to 26, 2024

"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] Get the book A Bag of Stones

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

7] Baltimore activist selling her home

8] Vigil commemorates two years of war on Ukraine – Feb. 25  

9] Anti-eviction canvass – Feb. 25

10] DSA Happy Hour – Feb. 25

11] DSA Internationalism working group meeting – Feb. 25

12] Meet candidate Trone – Feb. 25

13] Town Hall with Rep. Jamie Raskin – Feb. 25

14] Protest at the Pentagon – Feb. 26

15] Economics of Nuclear Aggression – Feb. 26

16] Press freedom briefing on Assange – Feb. 26

17] Election Protection – Feb. 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 410-323-1607 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] – Barry Lee Burnside, a gaggle of great writers and copy editors are finishing up “A Bag of Snakes: Selected Writings on Prisons and the Death Penalty by Murphy Davis and Eduard Loring. Edited by Barry Lee Burnside.” Ed indicates the book will be available for sale on April 13, and is asking you to pre-order your copy. Your donation will provide a needed financial boost for the printing costs. The suggested donation is $20 for one copy; and $30 for your copy and an additional copy for a prisoner or someone in need. Any donation is appreciated. More or less you will receive the book.  Barry and the team have spent over two years putting this book together. It begins with outlines and notes found in the boxes of materials Murphy left when she ascended. The work is a work of love, and all involved are proud of the fruit borne by seeds nourished in good soil.

  A Bag of Snakes will be available at a gathering at First Iconium Baptist Church. Celebrate the life of Murphy Davis and The Open Door Community along with presenting the book. Also enjoy an Open Door Supper—vegetarian chili, Willie Dee Wimberly cornbread, salad and chocolate chip cookies.

  To order by postal mail, make your check to Open Door Community.  Send it to Open Door Community, PO Box 10980, Baltimore 21234.  For any questions, contact David Payne at 404-290-2047 or davidpayne@opendoorcommunity.org.

6] – 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.

7] – A home in Baltimore is for sale on a dead-end street in the Lauraville neighborhood, with three bedrooms, and one bath. The yard backs into a field and then a forest. There is a serene and quiet setting with an abundance of wildlife. The owner will be asking a reasonable amount for the property but it will not be overpriced. Contact her by text only at 443 500 6733. On the text, leave your name and phone number, and she will get back to anyone that reaches out. 

8] – The Baltimore Nonviolence Center is hosting a Vigil to commemorate two years of war against Ukraine on Sun., Feb. 25 from noon to 1 PM at 2401 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore 21224 in Patterson Park across from St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a violation of international law, as it is a war of aggression. This has been affirmed by the United Nations. The war is continuing to wreck horrific impacts on human lives, public infrastructure, cultural & residential property and the environment in Ukraine, as well as severe impacts on civil liberties in Russia and Belarus. The Baltimore Nonviolence Center believes it is important to speak out against Putin’s aggression. So a few activists plan to vigil. Contact Max at mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net or 443-761-5899.

9] – The Northern Virginia Tenant Organizing working group will be embarking on an anti-eviction canvass in Alexandria on Sun., Feb. 25 at 1 PM ET. Canvassers will inform tenants facing eviction of their rights in court and gauge interest in new building organizing. Canvassers will meet at the Shops at Mark Center, 1468 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria, VA 223110 in the parking lot in front of Starbucks. Before heading out to canvass, there will be a short training to explain why these canvasses are necessary, how to talk to tenants about their upcoming eviction suits, and how to fill in walk-sheets.  RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScvhthflteVEDuhdydbqrUMw7hze-j3JLyEFTroltVnNV5BJg/viewform?link_id=44&can_id=3fcd7916f2ff367c3b859d45270fd1d5&source=email-nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events-117&email_referrer=email_2042256&email_subject=

10] – Socialists and workers will convene for a happy hour on Sun., Feb. 25 at 2:30 PM ET. Metro DC DSA’s labor working group will be hosting a Labor Notes happy hour at Sonny’s Pizza, 3120 Georgia Ave. NW, WDC 20010.  Workers and socialists will be discussing and sharing organizing tactics in the DMV area, connect with fellow workers, and also fundraise scholarships for local workers planning to attend this year’s upcoming Labor Notes conference. Members of Metro DC DSA, members of regional labor unions, or those interested in organizing their workplace are invited to attend. RSVP at  https://actionnetwork.org/events/labornotes-happy-hour?link_id=12&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-february-16-2024&email_referrer=email_2217264&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-february-23-2024

 Labor Notes has been the voice of union activists who want to put the movement back in the labor movement since 1979. The Labor Notes Conference is the largest gathering of labor activists in the country, and this year it is expect that more than 4,000 will attend with over 250 workshops and panels and plenty of opportunities to meet with activists from across the labor movement in the US and beyond!

11] – The Metro DC DSA Internationalism working group is meeting on Sun., Feb. 25 from 3 to 4 PM ET. Comrades interested in being part of restarting the chapter’s Internationalism working group are invited to join a virtual meeting, where the vision for the working group will be discussed and interested volunteers can sign up to be part of a coordinating crew. Discuss the vision for the working group, and seek volunteers to be part of a coordinating crew. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/mdc-dsa-internationalism-regrouping?link_id=9&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-february-16-2024&email_referrer=email_2217264&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-february-23-2024

12] – Candidate David Trone will be in Towson on Sun., Feb. 25 from 3 to 4:30 PM ET.  Join the Blue & Gold Democratic Club for a "Love of Democracy" party!  The special guest, Congressperson David Trone, will be taking questions at the Baltimore County Democratic Party HQ, 301 Allegheny Ave., Towson 21204. For questions, email info@blueandgolddems.com. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/volunteerblue/event/605833/

13] – Alan Minsky for Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] wants you to attend on Sun., Feb. 25 at 4 PM ET a Town Hall with Rep. Jamie Raskin, one of the most influential progressives in Congress. Raskin, is not only a progressive champion and one of the leading defenders of American democracy, he is also an incisive analyst of American society.  Jamie doesn't minimize the threat that Trump and MAGA represent.

 In the second hour of the Town Hall, meet David Mandel, a PDA-endorsed candidate running for the U.S. House of Representatives in California's 7th district. RSVP https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tceuhrzsvHdymeeZRwb-i7X50FJa-HMR4#/registration

14] – 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 Feb. 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. 

 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.

15] – ICAN [admin@icanw.org] needs you on Mon., Feb, 26 at 10 AM ET for Beyond the Mushroom Cloud: the Economics of Nuclear Aggression.  RSVP at https://www.linkedin.com/events/beyondthemushroomcloud-theecono7163171053299580929/

16] – Catch an urgent press freedom briefing with Amnesty International Secretary General, Agnes Callamard, on Mon., Feb. 26 from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM ET in the Cannon House Office Building, Room 401, WDC. This briefing will focus on press freedom issues in the United States. The in-person briefing brings international experts to the U.S. to advise Congress on the human rights and press freedom costs of prosecuting Julian Assange. This briefing comes at a critical time as a UK court just concluded hearing final extradition appeals. 

Callamard currently leads Amnesty International and serves as the human rights organization’s primary spokesperson. She previously served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions. In that role, she investigated the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Also appearing will be Jennifer Robinson, a human rights attorney who is a member of Assange’s legal team and Jodie Ginsberg, Committee to Protect Journalists. Email Sue Udry at<sue@rightsanddissent.org>.

17] – Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] want you to participate with the Green Grassroots Emergency Environment and Election Protection (GREEP) Zoom on Mon., Feb. 26 at 5 PM ET. Hear from leading activists, elected officials, and others committed to union organizing as well as cleaning up our elections and the environment, and other critically important issues. RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqfuygpjIiHtc20uIOxdeqYRiAicjSLWUc#/registration

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