Bobby Zirkin refuses to dialogue

 Friends,

 

 One of the columnists for The Baltimore Sun, Bobby Zirkin, will not admit that what is happening in Gaza is genocide.  So I wrote to him and challenged his perspective.  His response was "There is so much to disagree with in this letter I would not know where to begin."  That is a classic cop-out.  Below is the email I sent to him.

 

Since I have not had much success in getting a letter-to-the-editor published about the genocide in Gaza, I am challenging your perspective--"No Mr. Vance, Israel did not cause Republicans' midterm beatdown." I was surprised as I agreed with much of what you wrote.

 

However, where we part ways is that you failed to indicate how Prime Minister Netanyahu played President Trump like a drum and convinced him to attack Iran.  Then later when you got to the Iran War, you failed to mention that Obama's Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2015 solved the issue, until Trump abrogated it.

 

Finally, another issue you ignored was that the voters wanted to get money out of politics.  As you know, AIPAC has been buying members of Congress for decades.  And in Michigan, the voters clearly made it clear they were tired  of lobbyists carrying suitcases filled with cash. As Open Secrets reported, Haley Stevens in 2024 got $100,000 from AIPAC, and the person she endorsed, Mike Rogers, got in that same year  more than $515,000 from AIPAC. 

 

I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana from 1977 to 1981, and I saw South African apartheid.  Note that Israel assisted the white minority  government in South Africa in obtaining a nuclear arsenal.

 

In 1989 I was part of a human rights delegation to Israel/Occupied Palestine and witnessed Israeli apartheid.  In those days, we were able to travel to Gaza, and I visited many of the sites there now turned into rubble.  On my day of departure, I was taken into custody by Shin Bet and interrogated.  During the interrogation, I had to remove my clothes except for my boxer shorts.

 

I trust you would be in opposed to any country which worked with the apartheid government to develop nuclear weapons.  Also I presume you would disagree with a decision to interrogate a human rights activist. Kagiso, Max

 

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Ph.: 443-761-5899; 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

Janice's letter to the editor was never published.

 Janice's letter to the editor was never published.

 

Letters to the Editor

 

THE SUN

 

Talkback@baltimoresun.com

 

To the editor:

 

I am a retired teacher of English as a Second Language to high school students from 65 countries and a peace with justice activist who strongly objects to the Baltimore County Council — including my council member — voting for a $210 million tax break for a weapons contractor. [November 4, 2026, The Baltimore Sun]

 

Anduril is claiming they are going to produce 3,100 good-paying jobs. I seriously doubt that will happen and it will not happen unless guarantees are part of the tax break. However, according to the article, there are no guarantees. How is this possible?

 

Regarding tax breaks, I want a corporation that will be life-giving and not death-dealing. These to be built submarines could carry nuclear weapons, which I firmly oppose. I seriously doubt the wish made by Tim Fazenbaker, a Republican candidate for County Council.  He is hoping that admirals and California billionaires will move into this area near a waste treatment plant with bad roads. And they will convince the powers-to-be “to make things happen around here.” Let the Council take care of the problematic waste treatment plant and the bad roads.  Then seek out a corporation which will benefit Baltimore County without tax breaks.

 

Janice Sevre-Duszynska

 

 1557 Cottage Lane

 

 Towson, MD 21286

 

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Ph.: 443-761-5899; 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 10, 2026

 Join a vigil on Tues., Nov. 10 from noon to 1 PM at Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles, 14750 Conference Center Drive, Chantilly, VA 20151.  Come and stand in prayer and witness for peace and join a call on the Church to embrace nonviolence and speak out against war. This is the inaugural Catholic Military Conference.   Email Kathy Boylan at kathyboylan5@gmail.com

 Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility is one of 22 chapters in a great national organization. For 65 years, PSR has been the leader in mobilizing health professionals and grassroots activists to address the gravest threats to health and survival. Strategically timed following the midterm elections, PSR's 65th Anniversary Virtual Celebration will rally our nationwide community of health professionals and advocates and deliver inspiring messages of hope from leading experts in health, climate, and peace.

 

You are invited to the Physicians for Social Responsibility 65th Anniversary Virtual Celebration on Tues., Nov. 10 from 7 to 8:30 PM ET.  Get your free ticket at https://psr.org/65th-anniversary-virtual-celebration/?emci=cbb7a4bf-b8d4-f111-bf5b-000d3a54442e&emdi=59380231-bcd4-f111-bf5b-000d3a54442e&ceid=185524

 

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Ph.: 443-761-5899; 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 6 - 7, 2026

 You are warmly invited to a November Clarification of Thought gathering, where Frank Panopoulos will present “Magnifica Humanitas: Calling Out the AI Principality.” Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical considers the global and spiritual effects of artificial intelligence and how to safeguard what is human. Frank, a peace and social justice advocate, human rights attorney, teacher, and veteran of nonviolent civil disobedience since 1978, will review its key points, assess AI's current state, and critique its shortcomings.

 

The gathering will take place on Fri., Nov. 6, 2026, at 7:30 PM at the Dorothy Day House, 503 Rock Creek Church Road NW, DC 20010.  Contact Kathy Boylan <kathyboylan5@gmail.com,

 

 The People Over Data Centers - MD Action Summit will take place on Sat., Nov. 7 from 9 AM to 5 PM at the Baltimore Maryland Convention Center, 1 W. Pratt St., Baltimore 21201. Email aaron@chesapeakeclimate.org. Jamie Raskin and Bill McKibben headline the conference. Get your ticket at https://actionnetwork.org/ticketed_events/people-over-data-centers-statewide-conference/

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Ph.: 443-761-5899; 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 3 - 4, 2026

 Thank you for signing Baltimore Nonviolence Center on the October 20th nationwide Day of Action. Rallies in communities across the country sent Congress a clear message: Block the funding, enforce the constitution, investigate war crimes, and support a peace deal: the American people want this war to end.

 

To keep our organizing moving forward, we're launching a running No Iran War / United for Just Peace Coalition Call. We'll meet every other Tuesday including Nov. 3 at 11 AM ET on Zoom. 

 

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84283375888?pwd=AJD53SxkmTbVbrGBvgfmeNd2m5xTgp.1

 

Each call will feature coalition experts from Washington, D.C. and around the country sharing:

 

• On-the-ground updates
• Legislative priorities and where key votes & vehicles stand
• Grassroots planning for our next large in-person action & small actions
• Emergency response planning if the situation escalates

Thank you for everything you and Baltimore Nonviolence Center are doing for peace & justice. Etan Mabourakh 

 

NIAC | Senior Advisor for Organizing

 

Brooklyn For Peace| Executive Director

 

DMV advocates for Guantanamo inmates and survivors will vigil on Wed., Nov. 4 at noon at the White House. Email Helen at h.schietinger@verizon.net.

 

CCAN <info@chesapeakeclimate.org> is inviting you to a FREE Book Talk on Big Tech's data center threat at Red Emma's, 3128 Greenmount Ave., Baltimore 21218, on Wed., Nov. 4 at 7 PM. Data centers are, quite possibly, THE top issue this election season. Their out-of-control expansion in Maryland and across the country threatens to increase electricity demand and drive-up utility bills, hijack precious water and land resources, and increase pollution from dirty energy. Come hear about the forces behind the AI data center boom from author Paris Marx’s new book, Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Big Tech's Data Empires. RSVP at https://withfriends.co/event/31017084/paris_marx_presents_hyperscale_the_ambition_and_excess_of_big_techs_data_empires_in_conversation_w_dillon_mahmoudi

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Ph.: 443-761-5899; 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

Vasily Arkhipov Day: After 64 Years, The Nuclear Threat Returns

 Vasily Arkhipov Day: After 64 Years, The Nuclear Threat Returns

A Virtual Teach-In on the Current Nuclear Crisis

Tuesday, October 27, 7 to 9pm

 

Dear Friends,

 

Tuesday, October 27 marks the 64th anniversary of the day Vasily Arkhipov single-handedly saved the world from nuclear annihilation. Off the coast of Cuba, the US Navy was attacking the nuclear torpedo equipped Soviet submarine B-59 with depth charges. The ship’s captain gave the order to fire the torpedoes at the Navy flotilla. As the flotilla commander, Vasily Arkhipov countermanded the order, thus preventing a likely thermo-nuclear exchange. Today, Vasily Arkhipov is known as “The Man Who Saved the World.”

 

According to many experts, the World is again on the verge of nuclear war. The immediate causes are the Ukraine War bringing Russia and the US/NATO to the precipice of direct military confrontation, and the rapidly spreading conflagration in Southwest Asia. And, the issues of climate disruption, resource depletion, a rapidly changing geo-political landscape, and the danger of impending world-wide economic collapse greatly exacerbate the threat. The Doomsday Clock is currently set to 85 seconds to midnight, the closest ever!

 

On Thursday, October 27, Vasily Arkhipov Day, the Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Committee is sponsoring a Virtual Teach-In on the Renewed threat of nuclear war. We are fortunate to have an outstanding panel to discuss the situation:

 

Peter Kuznick: Professor of History and Director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University, and co-author with Oliver Stone of The Untold History of the United States.

 

Ray McGovern: Retired CIA officer and founding member of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity.

 

Arjun Makhijani: President (retired) of the Institute for Energy & Environmental Research and Co-Founder of the Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Committee. Arjun is the Principal Editor and co-author of Nuclear Wastelands, co-author of Target Japan, and other books.

 

John Steinbach: Long-time community activist and organizer for the Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Committee will moderate the discussion.

 

Following the presentations, there will be community time for comments and questions. The program will be recorded and posted on the Committee website <hiroshimapeacecommittee.net>

 

Please use the Zoom link to participate.

 

John Steinbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

 

Topic: Vasily Arkhipov Day Zoom Meeting

 

Time: Oct 27, 2026 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

 

Join Zoom Meeting

 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83666215427

 

Join and take notes

 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83666215427?mynotes=on

 

Meeting chat link

 

https://us02web.zoom.us/launch/jc/83666215427

 

Meeting ID: 836 6621 5427

 

---

 

One tap mobile

 

+13052241968,,83666215427# US

 

+13092053325,,83666215427# US

 

 

---

 

Join by SIP

 

• 83666215427@zoomcrc.com

 

Join instructions

 

https://us02web.zoom.us/meetings/83666215427/invitations?signature=jlxGbl-gRVhQWjDemKCDLNWgS1hyLzRz9LFtE7lgg0I

 

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Ph.: 443-761-5899; 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

You

Mon 10/26/2026 11:06 PM

Vasily Arkhipov Day: Aefter 64 Years, The Nuclear Threat Returns A Virtual Teach-In on the Current Nuclear Crisis Tuesday, October 27, 7 to 9pm Dear Friends,