Baltimore Activist Alert -- May 1 - 2, 2026

58] Peace vigil at White House – May 1

59] Women in Black vigil – May 1

60] Support the people of Gaza – May 1

61] May Day potluck – May 1

62] Workers over Billionaires Solidarity March – May 1

63] May Day Strong – May 1

64] Silence gives consent – May 1

65] May Day at McKeldin Square – May 1

66] May Day in Pikesville – May 1

67] Rally and celebration – May 1

68] Peace vigil at Homewood Friends Meeting – May 1

69] Dance Party – May 1

70] Festival of Resistance – May 1 & 2

71] Dorothy Day film – May 1

72] Patterson Park clean up – May 2

73] Harford Mall sign waving -- May 2

74] Northern Virginia Fiber Arts Group meeting – May 2

75] Tesla Takedown – May 2

76] Start a union -- May 2

77] Winning divestment for Palestine – May 2

78] Donations needed for the Silent Fallout project

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

80] Tell JHU president to renounce nuclear weapons contracts

81] Do you need a doctor?

82] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records

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58] – There is a weekly vigil at the White House on Fridays from noon to 1 PM sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker.  Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649. 

59] – Every Friday from noon to 1 PM, Baltimore Women in Black vigil for peace with men and women who live in Roland Park. WIB invites all to join, and any peace sign is welcome, such as "Defuse Nuclear War."  The vigil takes place outside Roland Park Place at 830 West 40th Street and Elm Street. Parking is free at RPP or at the Rotunda across the street. Contact Ann Vinup at annvinup@gmail.com.

60] – The American Friends Service Committee holds an Action Hour every Friday at noon ET.  You’ll get updates from AFSC staff in Gaza, hear what’s happening on Capitol Hill, and get resources for your activism. Together, contact Congress to demand an arms embargo on Israel, and fully funded humanitarian aid for Palestinians. Our elected officials need to keep hearing from us. RSVP at https://afsc.org/actionhour?emci=822f3fb8-241a-f011-8b3d-0022482a9fb7&emdi=20221eff-f41a-f011-8b3d-0022482a9fb7&ceid=764241

61] – The Northern Virginia DSA on Fri., May Day from noon to 2 PM in Arlington, Virginia.  This May Day, say NO to business as usual and YES to local organizations fighting for justice! Walk out of work or school and join in for a community potluck in the park! There will be food, arts and crafts, literature and zines, and a short “speed dating” program where you can hear from local movement organizations and “strike a match” with the org(s) you want to join. If you’ve been wondering how to plug in to local organizing work, this is a great opportunity to do so! No ICE, No War, Free Palestine - Workers over Billionaires - Families come first, tax the rich! - Expand democracy, not corporate power. Event location will be shared after you RSVP: https://www.mobilize.us/mayday/event/941809Metro DC DSA [info@mdcdsa.org] wants to inform about several May Day events.  The Trump regime and billionaire class are using our region as a testing and training ground for the violence they roll out all over the country. Enough is enough. This May Day demonstrate our power. Join for a mass day of action where workers, students, and communities unite to demand justice, dignity, and a world beyond capitalism.

62] –  Get with a Workers over Billionaires Solidarity March starting at the Washington Monument, 2 15th St. NW, WDC 20024  on Fri., May 1 from noon to 3 PM.  Led by the workers who have been directly impacted by this administration’s campaign of terror and destruction, this will be the largest event of the day. Participants will then march past the White House to Franklin Square.  RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/may-day-2026-noon-march-and-rally?link_id=2&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-take-action-this-may-day&email_referrer=email_3209364&email_subject=take-action-this-may-day&&

63] –  On Fri., May 1 from 2:30 to 6:30 PM get with May Day Strong and call for an End to the Wars and to Stop at Druid Hill Park, Swann Drive & Druid Park Lake Drive, Baltimore 21217. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/939704/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_more_events_of_type

As the US ruling class attempts to wage endless wars abroad, and sends ICE into our communities, as funding for all of the things we actually need are cut, and working and oppressed people across the country and world are struggling. Community programming starts at 2:30 PM, followed by a rally/march at 4 PM.

64] – Join RESIST - Silence Gives Consent, a visibility event organized for Indivisible, will take place on Fridays, including May 1, from 3 to 5 PM. at on an overpass at 9706 Gorman Road, Laurel 20723.  This event will next take place on May 8, and will continue through June 5.  Protest this Trump administration and to protect our democracy. If you too feel a need to speak out and use your freedom to protest, then this is your opportunity to join like-minded people who believe in our constitution and in humanity. This is a fun way to do something useful - lots of honking and affirmation from the 20K+ cars below. Wear your character costumes. Bring your flags, small signs (for local traffic) and large signs for the 95 traffic below. Or just bring yourself and friends too of course. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/891474/

65] –On Fri., May 1, MAY DAY, at 3 PM, gather at McKeldin Plaza, Light & Pratt Streets. On 5 PM, there will be a Citywide March. Bring tables, chairs, banners, signs & noisemakers. Bring your family, your friends, your coworkers, your classmates. Bring everyone.

66] – On Fri., May 1 from 4 to 5:30 PM at Reisterstown Road & Old Court Road, Pikesville 21208, gather because when the billionaires break every rule, it’s going to take more than a rally to stop them.  Tax the rich so our families, not their fortunes, come first. - No ICE. No war. No private army serving unchecked federal power. - Expand democracy, not corporate power. Hands off our vote. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mayday/event/935848/

67] – There will be a Rally & Celebration at the AFL-CIO, 815 16th St. NW, WDC on Fri., May 1 from 5 to 8 PM.  Enjoy a concert and a speaking program to hear from workers about their successful struggles for power in the DC area. You will also hear from musical guests, dance, and celebrate the beauty and power of DC’s people, workers, and communities. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/may-day-2026-evening-celebration?link_id=3&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-take-action-this-may-day&email_referrer=email_3209364&email_subject=take-action-this-may-day&&

68] – Sarah Bur <clerk@homewoodfriends.org> wants you to know that a Peace Vigil will occur every Friday from 5 to 6 PM at Homewood Friends, 3107 N. Charles Street, Baltimore 21218. Signs are available. There is comfort and empowerment found in coming together as a community to witness against war.  Children welcome. 

69] –  On Fri., May 1 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, join a Workers Over Billionaires May Day Dance Party at Baltimore Penn Station, 1500 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21201. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/930591/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_more_events_of_type

Because when the billionaires break every rule, it’s going to take more than a rally to stop them. At the May Day Dance Party, skip school, stop work and DANCE IN THE STREETS!  Tax the rich so our families, not their fortunes, come first. No ICE. No war. No private army serving unchecked federal power. - Expand democracy, not corporate power. Hands off our vote.

70] – On Fri., May 1 from 6 to 10 PM at The Compound, 2239 Kirk Ave., Baltimore 21218, join a the Festival of Resistance, which will feature a screening of Palestine 36 at 1 PM on Sat., May 2. The festival will also include food, poetry, music, art, DJ sets & more! Proceeds will be donated to the Palestine Women’s Legal Aid and Counseling Center. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mayday/event/945022/

71] – Kathy Boylan [kathyboylan5@gmail.com] is inviting you on Fri., May 1 at 7:30 PM at the Dorothy Day House, 503 Rock Creek Church Road NW, WDC 20010 for a celebration of the 93rd anniversary of the Catholic Worker Movement. See a screening of REVOLUTION OF THE HEART: The Dorothy Day Story, a documentary about Dorothy Day, one of the most extraordinary and courageous women in American history. This will be followed by a community-sharing session. 

72] –Join a Habitat Team in Patterson Park on Sat., May 2 from 8 to 9:30 AM at the Patterson Park Habitat Gardens, South Rose St. & Eastern Avenue, Baltimore21224. Help build bird habitat in Audubon’s native plant gardens in Patterson Park! Need volunteers to make sure they remain healthy habitats for the park’s birds and butterflies, as well as safe spaces for learning and exploring. Come to weed, mulch, and/or plant while spending the morning outdoors with friends, family, and Audubon. For questions, email baltimore@audubon.org. Meet at the wetland garden, uphill & northwest of the boat lake in Patterson Park. Please note, there is no driving in the park.  RSVP ay https://www.mobilize.us/audubon-mid-atlantic/event/906415/?emci=7032b97e-ed0c-f111-a69a-000d3a57593f&emdi=4dae1a51-0f0d-f111-a69a-000d3a57593f&ceid=2504878

73] – On Saturdays, May 2 & 9.from 10 AM to noon  at the Harford Mall, 696 Belair Road, Be Air 21014, do a sign waving to save democracy.  There is parking closest to the intersection of Rt. 1 and Rt. 24. Join every Saturday at the Harford Mall in Bel Air, MD from 10AM-12PM. Park at the closed Macy’s parking lot close to the intersection at Rt.1 and Rt. 24. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/dfadcoalition/event/913370/?followup_modal_context=organization_newsletter_custom_recommendations

74] –On Sat., May 2 from 11 AM to 2 PM, the Northern Virginia Fiber Arts Group will do a Park Day at the Ben Brenman Park, 4800 Brenman Park Dr., Arlington , VA 22304. This group aims to promote, celebrate, and build community around the fiber arts, including knitting, crocheting, sewing, embroidering, felting, and needle-punching. Develop fiber skills, mitigate burnout, and connect organizers who normally work in different realms. Discuss plans for skill building and projects for helping the community. Knit/crochet hats, blankets etc. Everyone is encouraged to bring their current projects. If you don't have a current project, make hats! Extra supplies are provided! Bring any items to be donated (finished hats, blankets, socks, etc.) for the next NoVA Mutual Aid WG distribution event. Email novamutualaid@mdcdsa.org. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/may-2026-nova-fiber-arts-park-day?link_id=4&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-04232026-nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events&email_referrer=email_3217430&email_subject=04302026-nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events&&

75] – On Sat., May 2 from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM, get with a Tesla Takedown, Tesla Silver Spring, 2320 Broadbirch Dr., Silver Spring 20904. This nonviolent rally outside of the Silver Spring Tesla showroom is to remind the community that Elon's lawless actions are dangerous and won't be tolerated. This will continue each Saturday through June 27. https://www.mobilize.us/dfadcoalition/event/771738/?followup_modal_context=organization_newsletter_custom_recommendations

76] – The Progressive Maryland Team [info@progressivemaryland.org] on Sat., May 2 from 2 to 5 PM is telling you about Harford County: How to Start a Union and a "Union" documentary screening. This will take place at Charm City Books, 426 W. Franklin St., Baltimore 21201, and is organized by the Working Families Party Maryland Wolf Pack.  The presentation on how to start a union at your workplace is by Progressive Harford County founder and union organizer Zack Frink, and will be followed by a screening of Union. Register at https://www.mobilize.us/workingfamilies/event/940326/?emci=2ad3202e-7c42-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=cab98b2e-8142-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=136680

77] – On Sat., May 2 from 3 to 4:30 PM ET attend the webinar: Winning Divestment for Palestine at the State Level in the US. A virtual link will be communicated before the event.  Activists from the state of Washington will share insights from their recent successful effort to push the state Treasurer to divest from Caterpillar, due to the company’s longstanding involvement in Israel’s grave human rights violations against Palestinians. Also hear from organizers in California who are building a broad, union-centered coalition to target the state’s pension funds and advance divestment efforts. And hear from activists in Minnesota, who successfully pressured the state to sell off most of its Israel Bonds. Register at https://actionnetwork.org/events/webinar-winning-divestment-for-palestine-at-the-state-level-in-the-us?utm_source=weekendreading0425&utm_medium=email&ms=EMA26WR0425&emci=702ea8d9-e83f-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=57025383-a240-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=764241

78] – Hideaki Ito [silentfalloutproject.org@gmail.com] wants to give you an update about the Silent Fallout Project. 2025 was a successful year. The film started streaming on Amazon in the US on March 10 this year -- https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0GD8QSDHZ/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r?tag=usalinktagdefault-20&geniuslink=true

 Now there are plans for 2026. Make a donation at https://www.silentfalloutproject.org/donation

 79] – 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. 

 80] -- 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.

 81] – Yousef Zarbalian [EastWestRheum@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.  

 82]- 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.

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

The Sun rejected Max's op-ed

Friends,

I am a strong believer in supporting your local newspaper. However, it was a challenge to subscribe to The Baltimore Sun after it was purchased by two right-wing business people, David Smith and Armstrong Williams. Nevertheless, I did subscribe, and after the takeover Janice and I have managed to get a few of our letters published.

On March 23, Janice and I accepted an invitation from The Sun to attend a dinner and conversation at a restaurant in Perry Hall, MD. I jumped at the chance to offer my critique of the paper, and my main concerns were the awful right-wing op-eds and the Fox News focus on crime hear and far.  At the dinner, Smith said, “Write an op-ed.”  The editor-publisher gave me his card as we departed that evening.  I did submit a proposed op-ed, but it was not published.  Below is what I submitted.  Kagiso, Max

Making of a peace activist

 My journey began during the Vietnam War.  As an engineer with the Pennsylvania Electric Company, I had a deferment.  I vividly remember hearing the news that there were four dead at Kent State University, and that event was immortalized in the haunting "Ohio" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. I engaged in  leafletting, signing petitions and attending protests. Sadly, two friends from my neighborhood in Erie, PA were killed.  One had a scholarship to go to law school at Notre Dame University, but instead through ROTC went to that war-torn country as a Second Lieutenant.

After I received a Master’s degree in Business Administration, I joined the Peace Corps in September 1977 and became a volunteer helping set up small businesses in Botswana, a front-line state in the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa. Our group landed in Johannesburg, a week after Steve Biko was assassinated, and the military had control of the airport in a State of Emergency.  The following day we flew to Gaborone, Botswana where I lived until 1981.

This region of the world was consistently in the international headlines.  For example, in 1979, while Jimmy Carter was president, a U.S. satellite detected a double flash of light caused by a joint South Africa-Israel ocean-surface test of a nuclear device.  This was the apartheid bomb.

A friend and I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and took the Chinese-built train back to Lusaka, Zambia.  We hitchhiked back to Botswana.  I recall traveling in the back of a track with refugees fleeing a civil war in Angola and sharing my food and drink with them.  I was reading John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, and years later saw John Ford’s classic film of the novel. In a bravura performance, Henry Fonda plays Tom Joad who tells Ma goodbye: “Then I’ll be all aroun’ in the dark. I’ll be everywhere — wherever you look. Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there.” That is my mantra.

After I returned to the USA, I joined the burgeoning Nuclear Freeze movement, attended the June 12, 1982 No Nukes rally in New York City and helped get a referendum on the ballot in Erie in support of a Nuclear Freeze.  In November 1982, sixty percent of Erie voters supported a Nuclear Freeze. By then I was doing a human rights internship in New York City with the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility. One of the issues we worked on was challenging corporations profiting from apartheid.  I was in Boston when the State of Massachusetts passed its South African divestment legislation, the first state in the country to do so.

  I arrived in Baltimore in May of 1983 to work for Nuclear Free America.  Baltimore became a Nuclear Free Zone in 1992. I became a member of the Baltimore Anti-Apartheid Coalition.  We were able to get divestment legislation passed in the City Council and at the State level. 

 I soon found out that there was a Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory which engaged in weapons of mass destruction research. In 1984 I became involved in an organization that commemorated the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. For decades, we brought Hibakusha, those who experienced the atomic bombs, to speak in Baltimore.  One of them was Setsuko Thurlow who accepted the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. In August, we will again commemorate the atomic bombings.

 Baltimore’s Jonah House was founded to protest nuclear weapons. I eventually met founders Phil Berrigan and Elizabeth McAlister, and this lead to many protests in Baltimore, Washington and elsewhere around the country. Phil’s last Plowshares protest was against depleted uranium..

 A group of us, organized by the Jonah House and the Viva House Catholic Worker, demonstrated each week for fifteen years against the death penalty about a block or so from the building which housed Maryland’s execution chamber.   On May 2, 2013, Gov. Martin O’Malley signed the legislation repealing Maryland’s death penalty. The ACLU said it all at the time: “The death penalty in Maryland was broken - costly, biased and risked executing the innocent.”

In 1989 I was part of an American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee human rights delegation to Israel/occupied Palestine.  We met Israelis and Palestinians in our travels through the Holy Land including to Gaza and the West Bank. 

 I was employed with the American Friends Service Committee, the Quaker social justice organization, from 1990 until 2008.  AFSC during those years was the office for Baltimore’s peace with justice movement.  Each U.S. war from Panama through Iraq was protested.

 Much of my work today is focused on the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 which threatens our flawed democracy by emulating authoritarian tactics seen in Hungary, Turkey and India. I never could have imagined that the threat of fascism would be an issue in this country.  Sadly, it is real.

 Project 2025 also fosters wealth inequality. The Institute for Policy Studies did an analysis of Forbes Real Time Billionaire data, and this was the conclusion. As of January 1, 2026, the collective net worth of America’s top 12 billionaires now surpasses $2.7 trillion. Their combined wealth has more than quadrupled, up from $608 billion on March 18, 2020.

 According to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, the National Debt is at $39 trillion.  In 1981, it was less than a trillion dollars.  This is a result of an outrageous military budget, the cost of the nuclear arsenal, tax cuts for the oligarchs and interest on the national debt.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the nuclear arsenal will cost a total of $946 billion over the 2025–2034 period, or an average of about $95 billion a year. These are weapons which cannot be used.  It terrifies me that the president has sole authority to launch a nuclear weapon. 

Enough with the doom and gloom. Though it may be an impossible task, considering the current state of affairs, I sense We the People will seize the moment and rise up and rescue the constitution from being shredded.

Max Obuszewski is with the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, and can be reached at mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

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

Baltimore Activist Alert -- April 30 - May 1, 2026

50] Olney stands for democracy – April 30   

51] Throwdown Thursday phone bank -- April 30

52] District 43 Town Hall – April 30

53] Supreme Court racist decision – April 30

54] Campaign to Victory call – April 30

55] Join the nurses on the picket line – May 1

56] Bike Breakfast – May 1

57] Teachers Play Day – May 1

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50] –   On Thurs., April 30, from 6 to 7 PM, Indivisible Olney will stand up for Democracy at Georgia Avenue & Maryland 108, Olney 20832.  Park in the Walgreen's parking lot and follow the sound of the music! RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/dfadcoalition/event/878084/?followup_modal_context=organization_newsletter_custom_recommendations

Stand with your neighbors for democracy, for justice, and for an economy that works for all of us, not just billionaires. Stand for science, the rule of law, a working government, kindness and common decency. Oppose fascism, tyranny, the lawless cruelty of ICE, the epic corruption, the reckless attacks on science, the idiotic tariffs, and call out the spineless elected officials who are bending their knees to a clown who thinks only of himself. This event will continue through May 28.

51] -- Janay Fenner [janay@progressivemaryland.org] on Thurs., April 30 from 6 to 8 PM ET is Throwdown Thursday. Help build the Progressive Wave. It’s how to reach voters, have real conversations, and make sure people show up. Call voters virtually each Thursday as this primary matters more than people realize. This primary election is one of the biggest opportunities to elect real progressive leadership. The kind of leadership that actually fights for working families, housing justice, and equity in our communities. You will be trained and given a script. This phone bank will continue through June 18. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/progressivemaryland/event/936457/?emci=8ff53fa1-3643-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=ea90bf5a-3f43-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=136680

52] –The Office of Delegate Regina T. Boyce [regina.boyce.ind@house.state.md.us] on Thurs., April 30 from 6 to 8 PM is inviting you to a Town Hall at the Next One Up Facility, 5911 York Road, Suite 300. Get updates from the 90-day legislative session, share a meal, compete at trivia, and celebrate this amazing community. RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdOuQDiUeUtOWh56pXgqZ8HpnYZHjRb565ARokVPONuJ1g6tQ/closedform

53] – Get with a Callais Decision Update on a Rapid Response Call on Thurs., April 30 from 8 to 9 PM ET. Join the No Kings Coalition to get a break down of the ins and outs of the Callais decision, what this means for you, and the future. You will hear from leaders from LDF, ACLU, and more. By registering for this event, you agree: (1) that Indivisible and ACLU can contact you about No Kings and other ways to take action or support their organizations and otherwise use any data collected from or about you on this form according to the applicable privacy policy: Indivisible Privacy Policy (https://indivisible.org/privacy-policy) and ACLU's Privacy Statement (https://www.aclu.org/about/privacy/statement); and (2) subject to its privacy policy, Indivisible may also share the information you provide to other No Kings partner organizations, which may also contact you. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/947503/?utm_source=indivisible

54] – On Thurs., April 30 at 9 PM ET, join a Progressive Democrats of America Campaign to Victory call. Keep the momentum building, identify where the next victories will be coming from in the primaries on May 5, and discuss ways we can all make a real difference at the polls and in the streets, like with the huge MayDayStrong events, nationwide. Plus hear from a surprise guest or two to help all get pumped up and ready to go. Register and the machine will email you a secure link: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrcuGgrDItHdeYV7F9QQsruFMypvcMt5Fc?emci=60cf6a5a-3311-f111-a69a-000d3a57593f&emdi=177b4617-9111-f111-a69a-000d3a57593f&ceid=2907617#/registration

55] –National Nurses United announced its support for the St. Agnes Nurses picket on May Day: Workers Over Billionaires on Fri., May 1 from 7 to 10 AM at the Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital, 900 S. Caton Ave., Baltimore 21229. The demands for May 1st are Tax the rich so our families, not their fortunes, come first. - No ICE. No war. No private army serving unchecked federal power. - Expand democracy, not corporate power. Let the fascists know that regular working people will stand up if they continue to undermine our democracy. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mayday/event/944176/

56] – Bikemore [jed@bikemore.net] on Fri., May 1 from 8 to 9:30 AM is hosting a Bike Month Kickoff Bike Breakfast at the Courtyard behind Sophomore Coffee, 2223 Maryland Ave., Baltimore 21218. Bike Breakfast is Bikemore’s monthly informal get together. Share what you've been working on, hear from the community, and see familiar faces.

57] –The Baltimore Rapid Response Network [info@email.actionnetwork.org] on Fri., May 1 from 10:30 AM to 1 PM wants you to get involved with the Baltimore Teachers Union Walk In and Play Day at the Hope Garden, 625 N. Carey St. You are invited to the May Day Play Day. Enjoy the fun, solidarity, and a clear message: teachers united can win the resources, respect, and public school conditions we all need.

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

No Guardrails for Trump’s Dark Triad

Friends,

We live in perilous times, and this is compounded by a narcissist in the White House.  Surely his mental acuity is declining rapidly.  He tells lies and made-up stories, and this is only going to get worse.  Will the Republican party dare to tell him, as happened to Nixon, time is up?

Kagiso, Max 

- CounterPunch.org - https://www.counterpunch.org -

No Guardrails for Trump’s Dark Triad

By Melvin Goodman on April 17, 2026 

 

Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair

     Donald Trump’s instability and insanity have finally provoked discussion of two possible Constitutional guardrails that would allow for his removal from power: the impeachment power and the 25th Amendment.  On a theoretical basis, either guardrail could prove capable of addressing the terrible—even apocalyptic—problem that the nation—and the world—currently face.  But on a practical level, neither tool is likely to succeed.

     Trump could be the poster child for the Dark Triad, which refers to a cluster of three overlapping yet distinct personality traits linked to manipulative, self-centered, and socially harmful behavior.  The triad refers to narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism, which help to explain toxic behavior in personal and professional settings.  The symptoms associated with these traits include moral hypocrisy, arrogance, poor impulse control, a lack of empathy, and a lack of accountability.  Sadly, unlike his first term, Trump has surrounded himself with loyalists who have no interest in limiting or countering these behaviors.

     The more progressive members of the Democratic Party, such as Representatives Jamie Raskin of MD and Al Green of TX, are leading the charge for impeachment or the invocation of the 25th Amendment.  Raskin even wrote the White House physician to demand a “comprehensive cognitive assessment” of the president, arguing that “we have indisputably entered the realm of profound medical difficulty and concern.”  Trump’s recent remarks on Iran (“a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again”) and the Pope (“Leo should get his act together as Pope…and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician”) have even led Trump’s former allies—such as Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene—to raise alarms regarding the president’s fitness to serve as commander in chief.

     The 25th Amendment will go nowhere.  It was ratified in 1967 after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, but the congressional debates at that time indicated that the amendment was concerned primarily with the temporary incapacitation of a president, and not the removal of a president because of his dangerous mental state.  In any event, the requirements for removal, even temporary removal, present a very high bar for success.  The Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet or “such other body as Congress may by law provide” would be needed for the vice president to “assume the power and duties of the office as Acting President.”  This is highly unlikely.

     Successful constitutional impeachment is an even more difficult process where the House of Representatives impeaches by simple majority, but the Senate tries the case, requiring a two-thirds majority to convict and remove the president.  The House has the sole power to impeach; the Senate has the sole power to convict.  The Republican-led bodies and the pathetic fealty of the Republican members ensure that Trump could possibly be impeached, but certainly never convicted.  There have been four impeachment of presidents (Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump twice), but all received acquittals from the Senate.  Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 to avoid an impeachment that probably would have led to conviction.

     Ironically, the Constitution has a third process to prevent someone from serving as a president, which would be the 14th Amendment.  Under the 14th Amendment, any person who has engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States is disqualified from holding office.  In view of Trump’s role in the January 6th insurrection, the legal mechanism of the 14th Amendment should have blocked Trump from running—let alone winning—in 2024.

     It is time for the minority members of the Congress to act because the nation and its voters must confront the gravity of the situation that finds an unstable president holding the codes to the nuclear arsenal.  Gaining the majority in the House and/or Senate would give Democrats the political leverage to slow down Trump’s destruction of foreign and domestic policies, but there is still time for the president to further damage U.S. credibility and influence at home and abroad.  The mainstream media doesn’t appear to recognize the desperate times that we are facing as a nation, but the public seems to have recognize it.  The public was ahead of the media in protesting the Vietnam War 60 years ago.

     That our president and our secretary of defense [sic] claim that the war they have started is God’s war, should be setting off sirens blaring that “attention must be paid.”

 Article printed from CounterPunch.org: https://www.counterpunch.org

URL to article: https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/04/17/no-guardrails-for-trumps-dark-triad/

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

Baltimore Activist Alert -- April 29 - 30, 2026

42] Release Palestinian & Lebanese prisoners – April 29

43] May Day meeting & art build – April 29 & 30

44] Why did Trump attack Iran? – April 29

45] Meet Ro Khanna – April 29

46] No immunity for Big Oil – April 29

47] Property Insurance profiteering – April 30

48] What’s the Plan? – April 30

49] On the overpass – April 30

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42] – CODEPINK [info@codepink.org] on Wed., April 29 at 2:30 PM for a Calling Party for Gaza. Tell the American Medical Association to use its power to demand the release of Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners! Email makayla@codepink.org. RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83997491756

43] – Join a pre-May Day Celebration at the next Mobilizers Meeting on Wed., April 29 from 6 to 7:30 PM at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Lehr Hall, 1900 St. Paul St., Baltimore 21218—park in church lot off 20th Street on the right. Bring a dish to share if you can. But if not? Just your appetite + your fighting spirit.

On Thurs., April 30 from 5 to 8:30 PM get over to a May Day Art Build & Phone Banking at the Harriet Tubman Solidarity Center, 2011 N. Charles St., Baltimore.

44] – Massachusetts Peace Action [info@masspeaceaction.org] on Wed., April 29 at 7 PM thinks you may be interested in this webinar -- Iran, the United States, and Why this War Matters. Did Iranians come into existence in 1979 and start shouting “Death to America”?  Iran is one of the most consistently demonized nations in U.S. discourse. U.S. officials, and media, frequently use obscene, dehumanizing, and misleading language with regards to Iran. The main presenter, Bahar Sharafi, is an Iranian-American activist, born in Tehran with family there.   Now living in Dorchester, she is a MAPA board member and co-chair of the MAPA-initiated Stop the US War on Iran committee.  A second presenter will explain actions you can take and how to get involved. Bahar is the narrator of the short film “A Glimpse of Iran“, which shares sights, sounds and reflections from her last trip to Iran, and describes what it feels like to live in America while it wages an illegal war on her homeland. RSVP at https://masspeaceaction.org/event/iran-the-united-states-and-why-this-war-matters/

45] – Peace Action [info@peaceaction.org] on Wed., April 29 at 7:30 PM is hosting Congressperson Ro Khanna LIVE.  Last month, as Trump’s war in Iran continued to escalate, Representative Ro Khanna worked alongside anti-war Republican Thomas Massie to force a vote on a War Powers Resolution to end the war. Indeed, Rep. Khanna has been vocal opponent to all wars during his time in office. He has called for a ceasefire in Gaza from the start, condemned Trump’s actions in Venezuela, voted against a trillion dollar Pentagon budget, and has led House efforts to end this latest Iran War. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vn5OQ4n-Rba-onFfJYXsJw?emci=6efbffdc-263f-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&emdi=dd2f2741-293f-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=218683#/registration

 Ro is now facing a primary challenger backed by billionaire donors and special interests. Ro’s calls to tax the rich threaten the billionaires growing their wealth at the expense of working families. And his efforts to spotlight the genocide in Gaza and hold Israel accountable threatens AIPAC’s (American Israeli Public Affairs Committee) pro-Israel agenda. These groups have joined forces to challenge Ro. 

46] – People vs. Fossil Fuels [info+build-back-fossil-free-info@email.actionnetwork.org] on  Wed., April 29 from 8 to 9 PM ET wants you to join an Action Hour against Big Oil Immunity.  Representative Hageman and Senator Cruz introduced legislation in the House and Senate that would offer oil and gas companies total immunity from climate laws and lawsuits. If passed, these bills would undermine all efforts across the United States to hold the oil and gas industry accountable for knowingly fueling the climate crisis.

 Learn more about the grassroots campaign to stop Big Oil immunity and take action with hundreds of other people together in real-time. This proposed bill is a sign that oil and gas CEOs have seen the growing grassroots movement across the country to hold polluters accountable for the climate destruction their products cause – and they’re scared.  A virtual link will be communicated before the event. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/action-hour-no-big-oil-immunity?link_id=3&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-tell-congress-no-immunity-for-big-oil-8&email_referrer=email_3207232&email_subject=join-an-action-hour-against-big-oil-immunity&&

47] – Americans for Financial Reform [info@ourfinancialsecurity.org] on Thurs.., April 30 at 1 PM ET will hold a webinar How to Stop Property Insurance Profiteering. While people are struggling to pay rising insurance bills and climate change is causing increasing property damage, insurance companies are generating record high profits. What can we do to shift this equation so the insurance industry actually provides adequate coverage to people and communities at rates they can afford?  Learn about the origins of insurance rate regulation and how states can strengthen present day protections to make insurance affordable. Explore the various ways insurance companies are skirting accountability, passing rising costs from the climate crisis on to their policy holders, spending billions on advertising and executives and padding their profits. RSVP at  https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/8817767961962/WN_xld-qEXVSUCmcILSorrryQ?link_id=1&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-rsvp-to-save-your-spot&email_referrer=email_3208058&email_subject=rsvp-to-save-your-spot&&#/registration

48] -- On Thurs., April 30 from 3 to 4 PM ET, check out virtually What's the Plan with Leah and Ezra. The chaos out of the White House is meant to overwhelm us. The antidote is community. Join Indivisible co-founders Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin to break down the week’s biggest political stories, answer your questions, and map out strategies for taking action. This is people-powered politics in real time. Questions can be submitted via the Q&A function during the live event. This event will next happen on May 7 and will continue through Dec. 17. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/874938/

49] – On Thursdays, including April 30, from 4 to 5:30 PM, join an Overpass Extravaganza at Ridgley Ave. Overpass, 599 Ridgely Ave., Annapolis 21401, hosted by Chesapeake Indivisible. Help hoist a huge message on the Ridgley Avenue Route 50 overpass to reach about 40K commuters headed eastbound on Route 50 in Annapolis, and wave signs for drivers traversing Ridgley Avenue. Contact Nora Terres at noratprotests@gmail.com. This will continue each Thursday, and end on May 28. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/929425/

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