Sunday, June 20, 2021

Baltimore Activist Alert -- June 21 - 22, 2021

19] War and the Environment – Part 2 – June 21

20] Conversation with Sherrod Brown – June 21

21] Rally at the North Carolina General Assembly – June 21

22] Public Financing -- June 21

23] Reel & Meal Film Screening of THIRD HARMONY-- June 21

24] Organize to Win Call – June 21

25] Care Corner Food Pantry June 22

26] Film FREE THE VOTE – June 22

27] Public Hearing on Local Policing Bills – June 22  

28] Protest JHU’s weapons research – June 22

29] CALL WEST VIRGINIANS. June 22

30] Talk with Col. Larry Wilkerson about the Summit -- June 22

31] Animal Bereavement Support Group – June 22

32] Building Equity, Justice and Climate Resilience June 22

33] Online picket against the US blockade of Cuba June 22

34] Life under Sanctions in Iran and Venezuela – June 22

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19] – Sign up for War and the Environment, an Online Course continuing on Mon., June 14 from noon to 1 PM EDT through Sun., July 18 from noon to 1 PM ET.  This is a six week online course will provide participants an opportunity to learn from, dialogue with, and strategize for change with World BEYOND War experts, peer activists, and changemakers from around the world. The cost is $100, but you can pay less or more.  Contact Phill at education@worldbeyondwar.org.  Week #3 will be led by Henrique Gorbino. Visit https://www.peace-ed-campaign.org/event/war-and-the-environment-online-course-by-world-beyond-war/.

20] – The Nation [emails@emails.thenation.com] wants you to join the conversation on Mon., June 21 at noon ET with Sen.  Sherrod Brown.  The focus will be on Making America Work for Workers.  Sign up at https://www.thenation.com/events/senator-sherrod-brown-american-jobs-plan/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_campaign=nation-events-brown&sourceid=1066515&ms=EMM062020212A&utm_content=EMM062020212A&utm_term=master_promotions.  Also joining the will be John Nichols and Katrina vanden Heuvel. A lifelong Ohioan, Senator Sherrod Brown has spent his career fighting for the Dignity of Work. As one of the Senate’s most effective advocates of working people and labor rights, he has argued that to stop the business model of moving production overseas, we must raise labor standards in every country we trade with–and ensure they’re enforced. He’s also a student of the Senate, who has called for the immediate abolition of the filibuster, among other urgent reforms.  Tickets are $10 and proceeds go directly to supporting The Nation’s journalism. Email events@thenation.com.

21] –  On Mon., June 21 at 5 PM, join low-wage workers, moral and faith leaders and advocates online simultaneously with a socially-distant rally at the North Carolina General Assembly in Raleigh, NC for a National Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers Assembly. The hybrid online/in-person mass assembly will include over 40 state coordinating committees, 200+ organizing partners, and thousands of moral and faith leaders in our Prophetic Council.  From June 21, the Poor People’s Campaign will launch a one year campaign fighting forward every day towards a massive, generationally-transformative Moral March on Washington and Poor People’s & Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly. RSVP at https://www.3rdreconstruction.org/toolkit/?link_id=10&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-md-ppc-weekly-update-6&email_referrer=email_1197922&email_subject=md-ppc-weekly-update.

   Carley, CODEPINK [info@codepink.org] wants you to join the Poor People's Campaign.‌ ‌ ‌RSVP to join the hybrid online/in-person National Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers' Assembly at https://www.codepink.org/06212021?utm_campaign=3rd_reconstruction_followup&utm_medium=email&utm_source=codepink. CONTACT Ally Hermes · ally@codepink.org.

22] – Jacob Kravetz & Sheila Ruth [info@email.actionnetwork.org] want to talk about Public Financing on Mon., June 21 from 5:30 to 7 PM ET.  Have a conversation about why small dollar financing is important for our Democracy to work and how it allows candidates to run campaigns without having to rely on corporate and lobbyists money. Also participating will be Julian Jones, Baltimore County Council Chair and Chair of the Baltimore County Fair Election Fund Workgroup; and Joanne Antoine, Executive Director, Common Cause Maryland.  RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/269476/?link_id=0&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-time-to-public-finance&email_referrer=email_1209989&email_subject=time-to-public-finance.

23] – On Mon., June 21 from 6:30 to 9 PM ET, tune in to the Reel & Meal Film Screening.  This month’s Reel & Meal film program features Third Harmony, a 2020 documentary that draws on interviews with veteran political and civil rights activists, scientists, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and others to help portray what nonviolent protest is and how it works. This is sponsored by the Prince George’s County Peace and Justice Coalition. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMscOytqTIoHtGQQNFjkY587n7RPv72KJO2?emci=dfb9e9ac-cdc7-eb11-a7ad-501ac57b8fa7&emdi=5b78a238-d7c7-eb11-a7ad-501ac57b8fa7&ceid=136680.

24] – Our Revolution [info@ourrevolution.com] wants you to be on the National Organize to Win Call on Mon., June 21 from 8:30 to 9:30 PM ET, featuring Sen. Jeff Merkley, lead sponsor of the For the People Act in the Senate; State Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who led the fight to defend voting rights in Texas; and Barbara Arnwine of the Transformative Justice Coalition; and Cynthia Nixon, activist & actress, and Manhattan DA candidate Tahanie Aboushi! SIGN-UP at https://www.mobilize.us/ourrevolution/event/148017/?akid=1661.8252965.nFdDQB&rd=1&t=8. Join call here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/993867009 or here https://www.facebook.com/events/493143908744775/.

25] – On Tues., June 22 from 9:30 to 11:30 AM ET, get over to the Care Corner Food Pantry at the Pasadena United Methodist Church, 61 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena. This will continue each Tuesday through June 29.  Food bags are available for individuals and families in need. Food bags are first-come, first-served each week.  Volunteers are needed each week to help distribute the food. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0c49acae2b0-care. All COVID safety measures are followed, including outdoor distribution, mask-wearing and social distancing. 

26] -- Free the Vote, ACLU of Maryland's new documentary, was selected for the Columbia Film Festival! See a SCREENING AT THE COLUMBIA FILM FESTIVAL starting on Tues., June 22 at noon ET.  You'll have three days and 11 hours to start watching. Once you begin, you'll have 48 hours to finish watching.  Voting is one of the most fundamental rights of our nation and it should never be taken away from anyone. The right to vote gives citizens a voice in our democracy. No one's voice should be stifled. A democracy that does this is not a true democracy. In Free the Vote, you'll hear why restoring the right to vote to people who are incarcerated is so important and vital to a democracy. You'll also hear directly from people who are formerly incarcerated and actively advocating for the rights of people who are currently and formerly incarcerated. Get your ticket today: https://watch.eventive.org/columbiafilmfestival/play/6058f39ff7034500b4739692.

27] -- Come to a Montgomery County Watch Party to discuss a Public Hearing on Local Policing Bills on Tues., June 22 from 1to 3:30 PM ET. Join Jews United for Justice and partners to watch the virtual public hearing about three upcoming policing bills, which will impact the future of training, body-worn cameras, and county responses to litigation against the police.  The watch party will begin at 1 PM with an overview about the legislation, and screen sharing will begin once the hearing begins at 1:30 PM.  You will receive call-in instructions via a separate email after you RSVP at https://jufj.org/event/mc-policing-bills-2021/?emci=edde018d-c3c7-eb11-a7ad-501ac57b8fa7&emdi=38435c72-3bc9-eb11-a7ad-501ac57b8fa7&ceid=3403859.

28] – There is a Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" at 33rd and N. Charles Sts. on Tuesdays from 5 to 6 PM. Contact Max at mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net or 410-323-1607.  You may consider contacting President Ron Daniels and telling him that the university should reject all military contracts, including those for killer drone and nuclear weapons research.  The president’s mailing address is Office of the President, 242 Garland Hall, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, Maryland 21218.  You can also reach his office by Phone: (410) 516-8068, Fax: (410) 516-6097 or email: president@jhu.edu.

29] – We Have a Do-or-Die, Time-Limited Chance to Defeat White Supremacy and Big Money. If you want equal protection so that every voter counts the same regardless of color, income, age, or neighborhood, now is the time to act. If you want freedom from the influence of big money, now is the time to act. In the next months, action by people like you can create a groundswell to pass three major bills (see details in box below). One of them (S. 1) would provide sweeping reforms to end special-interest corruption in our government. Congress must act early this summer or partisan redistricting – based on a flawed census – will have happened. The House of Representatives has the votes to pass these bills, and they can pass the Senate, too - but only if We the People let our senators know how we feel.

  If these bills do not pass, action by some state legislatures will reduce the freedom to vote for targeted populations. Get Money Out – Maryland (GMOM) founded For the People – Maryland with 20 other groups to fight for these principles in the U.S. Congress.  Therefore, the filibuster rule will need to change to allow these bills to pass with a simple majority.

 While there are several Senators who haven’t formally committed, people in-the-know say if we can convince WV Senator Joe Manchin, the others will come along. Opponents are putting lots of money into WV, and we need to fight back. WV residents tell us that Manchin is often willing to do a 180 degree turn if he gets enough pressure. Volunteers asking his constituents to contact him could trigger the biggest reform since the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Make calls to WV residents on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Please sign up to call on Tues., June 22 from 5:30 to 8 PM ET and try to convince one friend to do so also!  There is good training and support throughout!  Go to https://www.mobilize.us/vopropros/event/389987/.  CALL WEST VIRGINIANS.

30] – On Tues., June 22 from 7 to 8:30 PM ET, get with the Animal Bereavement Support Group at the Baltimore Humane Society, 1601 Nicodemus Road, Reisterstown 21136. This will continue each Tuesday, through August 3. See https://www.facebook.com/BMOREHUMANE/.  The loss of an animal can be a devastating blow. Our friends are often loved as a member of our family, and we believe their passing should be treated with the same respect. RSVP to vvanhof@bmorehumane.org

31] – On Tues., June 22 at 7 PM ET, talk with Col. Larry Wilkerson on President Joe Biden's recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Register at https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0kcuqqrD0sHdJVfIDY8V3Pc2oMdtcjBJag?emci=66a234ea-71d0-eb11-a7ad-501ac57b8fa7&emdi=1e9b953e-83d0-eb11-a7ad-501ac57b8fa7&ceid=269591.

US-Russia “disarmament discussions have been pushed to the back burner. Instead, treaty compliance disputes have dominated bilateral engagements. Meanwhile, each side is rushing to replace and upgrade its bloated nuclear arsenal,” writes Daryl Kimball in Arms Control Today.  Meanwhile, the U.S. is intensifying technological and economic competition with China and using US-China military tension to justify an increased Pentagon budget. Congress is preparing to pass Sen. Robert Menendez’ Strategic Competition Act of 2021 (S.1169), which constitutes a de facto declaration of a New Cold War with the People’s Republic of China. It would codify a comprehensive, and systematic strategic competition with China as the organizing principle for U.S. domestic, foreign, and defense policies, and possibly for other nations as well.

Col. Lawrence Wilkerson is a distinguished professor of government and public policy at the College of William and Mary and was Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell from 2002 to 2005.   He was the Keynote Speaker at Massachusetts Peace Action’s annual meeting in March 2019.  Wilkerson is a critic of the US invasion of Iraq, the ongoing War on Terror now in its 18th year, and the turn to a new nuclear arms race. He asserts the U.S. is not a democracy but a war state that forces its will on the global community, and in 2020 worked on bipartisan projects to prepare for the possibility that a defeated Donald Trump would refuse to leave office.

32] – On Tues., June 22 from 7 to 8:30 PM EDT, get with Building Equity, Justice and Climate Resilience Together online. Under-resourced communities experience the greatest impacts when a crisis occurs. The COVID pandemic brought much of this to light. Food insecurity, risk of eviction, reduced access to health care, transportation challenges, and financial insecurity have all been exacerbated since the pandemic began and will become more so as the climate crisis deepens.  What solutions can be implemented to address these problems simultaneously? What can we all learn from underserved communities about how they organize during a crisis? How can we scale these solutions more quickly so that communities are better prepared and resilient?  Learn from community leaders and from one another, through large and small group conversations, about the opportunities strengthening community resilience.

 Register online without a donation - https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZUrcOiuqzwoGtELLLY9tIIGna5dP....  Or register online with a donation - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/158317133809. Or call 443-

33] – The Alliance for Global Justice [afgj@afgj.org] wants you to join the online picket against the US blockade of Cuba. Visit http://canadiannetworkoncuba.ca/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=adea408c-6375-4b2c-b21f-5b8432316bb9.  This Online Picket begins on Tues., June 22 at 8 PM ET through Wed., June 23 at 10 PM ET. The last two hours will be a Special Celebration & Wrap-up.  Join the event on Facebook at https://tinyurl.com/24hr4Cuba or at https://fb.me/e/yYDFvmDF.  Many groups are co-sponsoring this event, including Peace Action Montgomery.

34] – Marcy Winograd [marcy@codepink.org] wants you to attend on Tues., June 22 at 8 PM ET Life under Sanctions in Iran and Venezuela. Guests Assal Rad and Alex Main will discuss the devastating impact of US sanctions on Iran and Latin America. Dr. Rad, senior research fellow with the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), works on research and writing related to Iran policy issues and U.S.-Iran relations. Main, director of international policy at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) in D.C., monitors economic and political developments in Latin America. The Biden administration's new guidelines to ease delivery of face masks and COVID vaccines to Iran, Venezuela, and Syria, all countries under debilitating U.S. sanctions, comes as welcome news, but we must push for the State Department to re-evaluate broad sanctions that constitute another form of warfare.  Take action: Demand Biden and the State Department re-evaluate broad sanctions on dozens of countries suffering from lack of food, medical care, and infrastructure parts. Promote diplomacy, not another form of war. Email the White House at https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ and the State Department at https://register.state.gov/contactus/ContactUsForm. RSVPat https://www.codepink.org/06222021?utm_campaign=cp_congress_6_22_21&utm_medium=email&utm_source=codepink.

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

 

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