Saturday, November 30, 2024

Baltimore Activist Alert – December 2 – 3, 2024

Baltimore Activist Alert – December 2 – 3, 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] Get the book A Bag of Stones

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

6] Baltimore activist selling her home

7] Worth Fighting For – Dec. 2

8] Training on fundraising – Dec. 2

9] Russia threatens to use nukes – Dec. 2

10] Jews United for Justice -- Dec. 2

11] Election Protection Zoom – Dec. 3

-------

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] – Barry Lee Burnside, a gaggle of great writers and copy editors are making available “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.

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.

5] – 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.

6] – 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. 

7] – There is a Call to Organize Community Gatherings via a virtual phone bank on Mon., Dec. 2 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM ET. Following Donald Trump's election, over 10,000 people have signed up as community leaders to host "Worth Fighting For" community gatherings. We need to call them and let them know about an upcoming training for hosts.  RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/744177/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_more_events_of_type

8] – On Mon., Dec. 2 from 7 to 8 PM ET, the Maryland Democratic Party is organizing a Young Democrats of Maryland training series: Reaching Your Fundraising Goal.  Join from anywhere. This training will provide an overview of how to build a strong fundraising strategy and the best practices for raising financial support for initiatives. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/712257/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_closest

9] – The Campaign for Peace, Disarmament & Common Security [joseph@cpdcs.ccsend.com] on Mon., Dec. 2 at 7 PM ET is holding a webinar with Anatol Lieven of the Quincy Institute -- UKRAINE– NUCLEAR WAR OR DIPLOMACY?  It is sad that the Campaign claims there is a possibility of a Nuclear War with regard to the illegal invasion of Ukraine.  Putin will not use nukes, as that will result in suicide.  Any use of nukes in Europe will boomerang on Russia and Belarus. The real question is what will bring a just peace in Ukraine?  Will Russia pay for war damages and war crimes? Register at https://secure.everyaction.com/pWnQreDr-UiXFrqr8Ml6dA2

 With President Biden’s authorization for Kyiv to attack Russian territory with U.S. made longer range missiles and U.S. assistance, Moscow’s doctrinal threshold for possible nuclear weapons use first announced in September has been crossed. And note Putin did not detonate any nuclear weapons. Is Putin waiting until after Christmas? Learn what are the diplomatic off ramps.

10] – On Mon., Dec. 2 at 7 PM ET, Jews United for Justice are coming together for a Baltimore Action Team (BAT) meeting! A special guest, Loraine Arikat, of 1199 SEIU, will explain the With Us, For Us Coalition and campaign to hold the largest tax-exempt institutions in Baltimore accountable to paying their fair share. Hear about the work and discuss ways the team will help build momentum for the campaign! All folks are welcome, whether you are new to the work or a regular at the BAT meetings.  You will receive call-in instructions via email after you RSVP: https://jufj.org/event/bat-1202/?emci=c0088de3-2da8-ef11-88d0-6045bdd62db6&emdi=1c978737-58a8-ef11-88d0-6045bdd62db6&ceid=3403859

11] – Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] wants you to participate with the Green Grassroots Emergency Environment and Election Protection (GREEP) Zoom on Mon., Dec. 3 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, and 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

 


Baltimore Activist Alert -- November 30 -- December 2, 2024

34] Community Friendsgiving – Nov. 30

35] Maryland Fair Share – Dec. 1

36] DSA MOCO meeting – Dec. 1

37] Release Leonard Peltier – Dec. 1

38] What do the Democrats need to do? – Dec. 1

39] Solidarity with Palestinians Dec. 1

40] Stop Project 2025 – Dec. 1

41] Death Penalty Action – Dec. 1

42] Vigil at the Pentagon – Dec. 2

43] Write to anti-nuke protesters

44] Baltimore activist selling her home

45] Medical supplies are needed in Ukraine

46] Read Dave Eberhardt’s book "For All the Saints- a Protest Primer"

47] Tell JHU president to renounce nuclear weapons contracts

48] Do you need a doctor?

49] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records

50] Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil

-----

34] – The Metro DC DSA [info@mdcdsa.org] on Sat., Nov. 30 from 5 to 8 PM ET will hold a Community Friendsgiving in Columbia Heights, WDC 20010. This is for comrades who are staying in town during Thanksgiving weekend. Members are encouraged to bring friends, family, or DSA-curious acquaintances and to contribute a dish to share. There will be games, drinks, and plenty of food for everyone. The venue has a large fridge, oven and sink available for guests to use. RSVP for the address: https://actionnetwork.org/events/metro-dc-dsa-community-friendsgiving?link_id=68&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-november-8-2024-2&email_referrer=email_2538174&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-november-22-2024

35] – The Baltimore Ethical Society invites you on Sun., Dec, 1 at 10:30 AM to the following presentation by Zoom: “Maryland Fair Share.” Maryland’s tax code is full of loopholes, created by special interests, which allow the wealthy and powerful few to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. As a result, tax responsibilities are upside-down—allowing the wealthiest to avoid making the same contributions as the rest of us. Smart reforms to Maryland’s tax system can close these loopholes, adequately fund our public services, help our state thrive and be competitive, and deliver tax relief to over 1 million working families. As our state faces a staggering budget deficit, the Fair Share for Maryland Plan provides a roadmap to raising revenue for essential programs and services by ensuring the corporations and the wealthiest residents pay their fair share.

 Matan Zeimer is the Maryland Policy Director at Jews United for Justice, a member organization of the Maryland Fair Share Coalition. Matan joined JUFJ in June 2020 as a Baltimore Community Organizer, then a Maryland Senior Organizer, before becoming the Maryland Policy Director in early 2024. Prior to joining JUFJ staff, Matan served on JUFJ’s Baltimore Leadership Council, as a Co-Chair of the Baltimore Action Team, and was a 2018-2019 Jeremiah Fellow. As a Maryland Community Organizer, Matan focused on working with JUFJ’s leaders and partners to advance state-wide campaigns, with a primary focus on labor and housing justice, and court and prison reform. He attended Oberlin College where he graduated with a major in Sociology. To receive a Zoom invitation, email president@bmorethical.org.

36] – The virtual DSA Montgomery County Branch Meeting is happening on Sun., Dec. 1 at 2 PM.  The meeting will include a brief introduction to the MoCo branch, updates on ongoing campaign work, and discussion over ideas for branch campaigns for 2025. Current proposal submissions include: passing rent stabilization in the city of Rockville, dropping county funding for the Maryland Israel Development Corporation, and advocating for an anti-austerity “People’s Budget” that would include multiple budget demands, including dropping the MIDC. There will also be an optional social happy hour from 4:30 – 5:30 PM at World of Beer in Rockville. These monthly branch meetings are for all DSA members who live, work, or organize in Montgomery County, as well as for anyone curious about DSA. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/december-montgomery-county-dsa-branch-meeting?link_id=9&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-november-22-2024&email_referrer=email_2544843&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-november-29-2024

37] –DC Action for Assange [www.assangedefense.org.] wants you to join a vigil to call for the release of Leonard Peltier on Sun., Dec. 1 & Sun., Jan. 5 at the home of AG Merrick Garland in Bethesda, MD, from 3 to 4 PM.  After January, the location will be reevaluated -- 5100 block Edgemoor Lane, two blocks from the Bethesda Metro station).

38] – Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] on Sun., Dec. 1 at 4 PM ET will hold its weekly Town Hall. The theme is How Progressives Can Save the Democratic Party? The Democratic Party is at a crossroads. What steps should progressives take to make sure the Party chooses the right direction? RSVP at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tceuhrzsvHdymeeZRwb-i7X50FJa-HMR4#/registration

39] – On Dec. 1 at 6 PM ET, the Freedom Church of the Poor community and partner organizations come together for this "Winter Offensive" this season which is called Advent of a Revolution (Advent) & Birth of a Movement (Epiphany) to expose the lies of the candy-cane Christmas; to revive the revolutionary power of the ancient story of Christmas; to reconnect to the God who Mother Mary praised, the one that “casts down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly;" and to give strength and unity to the movement of our people in these troubled times.   FOSNA National Organizer Rev. Chad Collins will be preaching in honor of International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Register at https://zoom.us/j/99251980056?pwd=cnU4ZXhUTUVlV1lRVDlxN3RMZGl3QT09&link_id=6&can_id=e6c580ef449a08d118d35bf71eda4525&source=email-freedom-church-of-the-poor-who-are-our-leaders&email_referrer=email_2533067&email_subject=freedom-church-of-the-poor-advent-of-a-revolution-2024-2025#success

40] – On Sun., Dec. 1 and Wed., Dec. 4 from 7 to 8 PM ET, the People Power United have organized a virtual STOP Project 2025 Training: Mobilize for Change.  RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/692184/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_most_popular_virtual

 Are you concerned about the direction our country is headed and the far-right agenda threatening our future? Now is the time to stand up and take action! Join this one-hour training, designed to give you the knowledge and tools to fight back against a plan that could reshape our society in ways that affect us all. 

41] – Join Death Penalty Action for a review of the issues and action opportunities surrounding the next several executions scheduled in the United States. This project of Death Penalty Action recurs (normally) on the first Sunday of each month. Take action at DeathPenaltyAction.org. Join Death Penalty Action and leaders from impacted states on Sun., Dec. 1 at 9 PM ET on the monthly look at upcoming executions on THE FORECAST. This occurs each Sunday through Nov. 2, 2025. Register https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GQi-Z-U0QyyvyVOoYaL3nA#/registration?link_id=8&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-missouri-execution-in-eight-days&email_referrer=email_2541901&email_subject=missouri-execution-in-eight-days

42] – 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. 25, 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.

43] Two anti-US nuclear weapons in Germany activists are serving time in a German prison.  Should you want to write the women, use these addresses: Susan Crane or Susan van der Hijden, JVA Rohrbach, Peter-Caesar-Allee 1 55597 Wöllstein, Germany. Visit this website -- www.noelhuis.nl/kernwapensweg

44] – 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. 

45] -- If you are able to donate any kind of surplus medical supplies for field hospitals in eastern Ukraine, please email Brendan.walls@seaseton.org or call 410-721-70 x231.  There is a colleague whose father is a medic on the front line. One container is shipped every month to the Donbass region. Donations can be picked up in Baltimore and Columbia every Thursday, and on other days in Annapolis and Crofton.

46] – David Eberhardt was a member of the Baltimore Four with Father Philip Berrigan, Tom Lewis and Rev. James Mengel.  The group poured blood on draft files on October 27, 1967.  They would be convicted and sentenced to prison.

He has written a book "For All the Saints- a Protest Primer"- documenting the Baltimore Four action and many others up to and including the most recent Plowshares action – Kings Bay Plowshares 7.  Dave printed new copies of For All the Saints, a Protest Primer- 250+ pp w photos-therefore #'s 351-400 making it o so collectable with two Berrigan book reviews added. The books are signed, and the price remains $25. Will send free if need be- he is not in it for the money! If you want one, send him a check, or contact Dave Eberhardt, 4 Hadley Square North, Baltimore, MD 21218 by email at 1941mireille@gmail.com

47] -- This is A PLEA TO CONVINCE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY TO OBEY INTERNATIONAL LAW. The world reached a historic milestone on January 22, 2021: The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons [TPNW] entered into force and become binding international law -- https://www.icanw.org/the_treaty.

Prevent Nuclear War/Maryland has called attention to the growing danger of nuclear war and the outrageous $1.7 trillion dollars we are spending to upgrade the nuclear arsenal. On July 18, 2017, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, a U.S. Navy - affiliated research center received a seven-year, $92 million contract to continue its systems engineering and research-and-development services for the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center. Help convince JHU to renounce nuclear weapons contracts. Contact the president, Ron Daniels, to urge him to reject all nuclear weapons contracts: Office of the President, 242 Garland Hall, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, Maryland 21218.  Call his office at (410) 516-8068 or email president@jhu.edu.

48] – Yousef Zarbalian [yzarbali@gmail.com] started his own medical practice in December before the pandemic hit. It is called East-West Medicine and Rheumatology, and its website is EastWestMD.com.  Yousef is licensed in Maryland and Virginia. He is doing primary care as well as rheumatologic care (focusing on joint problems and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and sjogren's).  He is offering telemedicine visits, and he has very reasonable rates for uninsured individuals.  He makes use of herbs (which can be sent directly to patients from the herbal dispensary) as well as prescribing medications to their local pharmacy if needed.  

49] -- If you would like to get rid of books, videos, DVDs, records, tarps and table cloths, contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at comcast.net.

50] -- A Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil takes place every day in Lafayette Park, 1601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 24 hours a day, since June 3, 1981. Go to http://prop1.org; call 202-682-4282.

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, and 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

“One is called to live nonviolently, even if the change one works for seems impossible. It may or may not be possible to turn the US around through nonviolent revolution. But one thing favors such an attempt: the total inability of violence to change anything for the better" - Daniel Berrigan


Friday, November 29, 2024

Resist: How To Keep ‘It’ From Happening Here

Published on Portside (https://portside.org/)

Resist: How To Keep ‘It’ From Happening Here

Barton Kunstler

November 26, 2024

Nation of Change

https://portside.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/field/image/REsistfist.jpg

“In the year 2025, if man is still alive, if woman can survive, [we] may find…”

Yes, the reckoning has come 500 years earlier than Zager and Evans predicted singing “In the Year 2525”, which reigned for 6 weeks at Number 1 during the summer of Woodstock. The futuristic lyrics contained a great historical truth: the forces that suck a society into a dystopian vortex go far beyond the machinations of individual politicians, the worst of whom are only the sores on the surface of the body politic, symptoms of a deeper disease.

Resistance to the Republicans’ assault on legitimate government appears daunting, given their control of all three branches of the federal government, a majority of state legislatures, and a following of fanatical true believers and docile sleepwalkers. The crusading zeal that marks rising authoritarian movements makes resistance an apt term for the position that half of Americans find themselves in—and more if one acknowledges that issue by issue, many Trump voters disagree with the Republican platform.

But what does “resistance” mean in these circumstances? Certainly more than quixotic or token gestures. What constitutes effective political action that works without our toppling into chaos? Highly complex societies are funny. They have built-in redundancies and adaptations that cushion shocks that would overwhelm smaller and simpler communities. Yet when “fail-safe” systems fail, as they always eventually do, an entire society can collapse, whether literally overnight (solar storm that fries the entire electric grid), in a human-driven panic (financial collapse), or over time (a slow burn of alienation and neglect). The United States faces environmental, economic, and social stresses whose solutions require a balancing act between what really works and the gratuitous gesture, between policies that revitalize democracy and those that plunge us into the violence and disintegration that marks a society’s decline.

Resistance is just another word for constructive policy

Here are general suggestions for keeping authoritarian government from happening here.

1. Coordinated job and community actions: Twenty one states now have laws restricting teaching of the civil rights movement, the history of American racism, issues related to gender and sexuality, or otherwise “divisive concepts” (secular philosophy? Freudian psychology? causes of the Civil War? critiques of US foreign policy? history of religion?). In other words, critical thinking about history, society, psychology, social relations, race, sex. What’s left? 

Those laws should outrage anyone with any understanding of education and citizenship. In response, teachers’ associations can organize state-wide presentations of banned units. It is a creative alternative to strikes and walk-outs. States would either have to arrest or fire teachers en masse for teaching, or close down schools. Similar actions by community leaders addressing community-police relations, childhood hunger, or inadequate health care could trigger a new activism among suppliers of vital services. At some point, it is humiliating to realize that the work to which you devote your life has become a meaningless political charade. Such implicit contempt for one’s basic values has been as compelling a call to action as wages and benefits.

2. Strong rhetoric backed by solid argument: Do not solely argue over a woman’s right to choose an abortion. Raise the specter—already here in some states—of pregnant women being arrested at state lines because they are suspected of seeking abortions. Argue that unlike virtually every other law, abortion bans apply only to women; thus, male legislators and judges should have no part in determining abortion access. Are these iron-clad arguments? No, but they are legitimate with emotional resonance that counters the anti-choice hysteria that overturned Roe vs. Wade.  Similarly, when campaigning for gun control show that you know the difference between deer-hunting rifles that load up a total of 4 or 5 bullets with a couple of seconds between shots and automatic rifles that release hundreds of rounds a minute.

Do not argue over Republican talking points or allow them to define the terms of the issue. Gun control, for instance, does not mean taking everyone’s guns away. Call out anyone who distorts your view while pinpointing what they have to gain by misleading the public about it. Challenge the source of the power and the ugliness of policies that cut services to the poor and infirm. Consistently address the agenda behind the malevolence and lies: who profits and how much. Build it and they will come. Or at least vote.

3. Organize locally and nationally: Grass roots efforts strengthen the bones of a party; national and regional messaging extends its connective nervous system. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has proven itself not only inept at both, but obstructive. The DNC needs to be fixed in a way that distinguishes between political tactics and political positions. Recognize that the immediate challenge is resisting extremism. Fight hard and even a bit dirty. Later on, when a measure of equilibrium is restored, you can resume fighting one another.

4. Pressure mainstream media: Even corporate-based publishers are capable of shame when they abandon or violate the core mandates and values of traditional journalism. Pressure mainstream newspapers and networks to acknowledge the danger posed by the incoming regime. Email and phone campaigns, public critiques, cancellation of subscriptions—whatever works. A lot of incredible investigative reporting is still being done on subjects that timid major outlets refuse to pursue. Let’s use social media to publicize corruption, rights violations, or environmental destruction until the national media is compelled to report it, not one token violation at a time but by identifying the broader interests behind damaging policies and political manipulation.

5. Publicize effective programs: Focus constantly on policy outcomes and what they mean to individuals and families. Publicize programs that are working and grassroots initiatives that created positive results for communities.

6. Resistance starts NOW. Fair electoral processes may not even be in place by 2026. Lining up one’s ducks for “later” while Republicans aggressively push their agenda now is politically clueless. Nor can the environment stand two more years of gleeful fossil fuel bonfires. We don’t have two years to waste.

7. Complacency is complicity. Complacency might have worked in the 50s, 70s, or 90s. But today, bemoaning the latest outrage or sending an occasional check to worthy causes won’t cut it. We each have to find a way to allocate time and energy to politics, despite busy lives and perhaps feeling uncomfortable doing so.

8. Forget Trump. Trump is a reality TV host. Republican policies, not Trump, are what hit people where they hurt. Effective resistance and reform happens at the nuts and bolts of power. The Republican strategy—as it was under Reagan—aims to roll back socially beneficial programs simultaneously on every front. The Democrats react with confusion and distraction, playing whack-a-moley with each new threat. Yet there are clear consistencies across Republican policies and clear winners and losers, the latter being the great majority of Americans. Lay bare the common agenda behind all these assaults on the common good: who profits, why, and how much, and the disinformation campaigns that support them.

9. Demonstrations alone are inadequate. The power structure is adept at deflecting mass expression of will. Million man and multi-million woman marches feel great but like weekend binges, the high wears off. That is not a reason not to protest, but it does show why relying on demonstrations obeys the law of diminishing returns.

These efforts do not need to sway “the other side” or even 90 percent of it, only to galvanize non-voters and 5-10 percent of those who voted Republican. Efforts at resistance can also solidify into renewed vision and inspiration that has a permanent impact on the nation and its political culture. We have to start turning it around now. 

To join the resistance, Americans are urged to mobilize to protect those at risk if Trump achieves his worst impulses.


Source URL: https://portside.org/2024-11-26/resist-how-keep-it-happening-here

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

 

 

Thursday, November 28, 2024

Baltimore Activist Alert -- November 29 -- December 14, 2024

30] Power Half-Hour for Gaza Nov. 29 through Dec. 14

31] Free Leonard Peltier – Dec. 1

32] PDA Town Hall – Dec. 1

33] Team ENOUGH – Dec. 4

-----

30] –Jewish Voice for Peace is doing a Power Half-Hour for Gaza: Channel grief & outrage into action to stop a genocide.  A year into the genocide in Gaza, we are overwhelmed with sorrow and rage. There are no words to describe the devastating pain of the past year in which the Israeli military has killed over 44,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including more than 17,000 children. The International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court have both declared that Israel must stop the genocidal acts being committed on the Palestinian people. And the U.S. government is actively supporting the Israeli military as it wreaks devastation on the over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza. JVP continues to come together as a political community in its daily half-hour to take action, Monday through Friday, for the past year. Join in and take collective action to demand an arms embargo to Israel, immediate end to the genocide, a lasting ceasefire and an end to Israeli siege, apartheid, occupation, and oppression of Palestinians and Lebanon. All are welcome. All are needed. Get involved at 3 PM ET on Fri., Nov. 29, Dec. 2-6 and Dec. 9--14.  Visit https://jvp-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Un0Lupy1SFObVVXJaZO5UQ?_x_zm_rtaid=8L0JUS3pQkenMGtx9ha3mQ.1732760660364.03949df73aedc7035fc618f76c52fc75&_x_zm_rhtaid=249#/registration

31] –DC Action for Assange [www.assangedefense.org.] wants you to join a vigil to call for the release of Leonard Peltier on Sun., Dec. 1 & Sun., Jan. 5 at the home of AG Merrick Garland in Bethesda, MD, from 3 to 4 PM.  After January, the location will be reevaluated -- 5100 block Edgemoor Lane, two blocks from the Bethesda Metro station). 

32] – Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] on Sun., Dec. 1 at 4 PM ET will host the weekly Town Hall. Discuss how we combat Trumpists/MAGA and Project 2025 with progressive policy positions and progressive candidates, and continue the struggle for peace around the world, and at home. RSVP at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tceuhrzsvHdymeeZRwb-i7X50FJa-HMR4#/registration

33] –On Wed., Dec. 4 from 6 to 6:30 PM ET, get with a virtual Team ENOUGH Welcome Session (For Young People under 26).  RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/425528/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_closest

Are you a young person between 13 and 25 years old who is interested in taking action around preventing gun violence? 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 its intersectional work across the country. This event will continue on Wednesdays, December 4, 11 & 18 from 6 to 6:30 PM ET.

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

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Baltimore Activist Alert -- November 27 to December 2, 2024

23] Healthcare NOW – Nov. 27

24] Community Friendsgiving – Nov. 30

25] Solidarity with Palestinians Dec. 1

26] Death Penalty Action – Dec. 1

27] Training on fundraising – Dec. 2

28] Nuclear War can’t happen in Europe Dec. 2

29] Jews United for Justice -- Dec. 2

-----

23] – Healthcare NOW [info@healthcare-now.org] on Wed., Nov. 27 from 8 to 9 PM ET: Strategic Communications. These trainings will continue through Dec. 4 at 8 PM ET. Register at https://www.healthcare-now.org/trainings/?

 24] – The Metro DC DSA [info@mdcdsa.org] on Sat., Nov. 30 from 5 to 8 PM ET will hold a Community Friendsgiving in Columbia Heights, WDC 20010. This is for comrades who are staying in town during Thanksgiving weekend. Members are encouraged to bring friends, family, or DSA-curious acquaintances and to contribute a dish to share. There will be games, drinks, and plenty of food for everyone. The venue has a large fridge, oven and sink available for guests to use. RSVP for the address: https://actionnetwork.org/events/metro-dc-dsa-community-friendsgiving?link_id=68&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-november-8-2024-2&email_referrer=email_2538174&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-november-22-2024

 25] – On Dec. 1 at 6 PM ET, the Freedom Church of the Poor community and partner organizations come together for this "Winter Offensive" this season which is called Advent of a Revolution (Advent) & Birth of a Movement (Epiphany) to expose the lies of the candy-cane Christmas; to revive the revolutionary power of the ancient story of Christmas; to reconnect to the God who Mother Mary praised, the one that “casts down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly;" and to give strength and unity to the movement of our people in these troubled times.   FOSNA National Organizer Rev. Chad Collins will be preaching in honor of International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Register at https://zoom.us/j/99251980056?pwd=cnU4ZXhUTUVlV1lRVDlxN3RMZGl3QT09&link_id=6&can_id=e6c580ef449a08d118d35bf71eda4525&source=email-freedom-church-of-the-poor-who-are-our-leaders&email_referrer=email_2533067&email_subject=freedom-church-of-the-poor-advent-of-a-revolution-2024-2025#success

26] – Join Death Penalty Action for a review of the issues and action opportunities surrounding the next several executions scheduled in the United States. This project of Death Penalty Action recurs (normally) on the first Sunday of each month. Take action at DeathPenaltyAction.org. Join Death Penalty Action and leaders from impacted states on Sun., Dec. 1 at 9 PM ET on the monthly look at upcoming executions on THE FORECAST. This occurs each Sunday through Nov. 2, 2025. Register https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GQi-Z-U0QyyvyVOoYaL3nA#/registration?link_id=8&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-missouri-execution-in-eight-days&email_referrer=email_2541901&email_subject=missouri-execution-in-eight-days

27] – On Mon., Dec. 2 from 7 to 8 PM ET, the Maryland Democratic Party is organizing a Young Democrats of Maryland training series: Reaching Your Fundraising Goal.  Join from anywhere. This training will provide an overview of how to build a strong fundraising strategy and the best practices for raising financial support for initiatives. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/712257/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_closest

28] – The Campaign for Peace, Disarmament & Common Security [joseph@cpdcs.ccsend.com] on Mon., Dec. 2 at 7 PM ET is holding a webinar with Anatol Lieven of the Quincy Institute -- UKRAINE– NUCLEAR WAR OR DIPLOMACY?  It is sad that the Campaign claims there is a possibility of a Nuclear War with regard to the illegal invasion of Ukraine.  Putin will not use nukes, as that will result in suicide.  Any use of nukes in Europe will boomerang on Russia and Belarus. The real question is what will bring a just peace in Ukraine?  Will Russia pay for war damages and war crimes? Register at https://secure.everyaction.com/pWnQreDr-UiXFrqr8Ml6dA2

 With President Biden’s authorization for Kyiv to attack Russian territory with U.S. made longer range missiles and U.S. assistance, Moscow’s doctrinal threshold for possible nuclear weapons use first announced in September has been crossed. And note Putin did not detonate any nuclear weapons. Is Putin waiting until after Christmas? Learn what are the diplomatic off ramps.

29] – On Mon., Dec. 2 at 7 PM ET, Jews United for Justice are coming together for a Baltimore Action Team (BAT) meeting! A special guest, Loraine Arikat, of 1199 SEIU, will explain the With Us, For Us Coalition and campaign to hold the largest tax-exempt institutions in Baltimore accountable to paying their fair share. Hear about the work and discuss ways the team will help build momentum for the campaign! All folks are welcome, whether you are new to the work or a regular at the BAT meetings.  You will receive call-in instructions via email after you RSVP: https://jufj.org/event/bat-1202/?emci=c0088de3-2da8-ef11-88d0-6045bdd62db6&emdi=1c978737-58a8-ef11-88d0-6045bdd62db6&ceid=3403859

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