Baltimore Activist Alert – December 5 – 6, 2021

Baltimore Activist Alert – December 5 – 6, 2021

"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 Obuszewski 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] Get involved with NCNR   

4] Volunteer with a Catholic Worker house  

5] Max is looking for tips on a garage or a storage suggestion.

6] House cleaner needed

7] Welcome an Afghan Family to Baltimore!

8] Support Drone Whistleblower Daniel Hale

9] A friend needs a house or an apartment to rent

10] Beyond Afghanistan: Patriotic Dissent against U.S. Militarism – Dec. 5

11] “Cancer care in the Occupied Palestinian Territories” – Dec. 5

12] Knock on doors for Brooke Lierman – Dec. 5

13] "Journey from Afghanistan" – Dec. 5

14] Tree of Knowledge program – Dec. 5

15] Healthcare Emergency Online Town Hall -- Dec. 5

16] Make calls for the Freedom to Vote Act.  – Dec. 5, 6 & 7

17] Celebrate Chanukah virtually with Jews United for Justice -- Dec. 5

18] HISTORY of an IRAQI JEWISH MEAL – Dec. 5

19] Protest at the Pentagon – Dec. 6

20] Maryland General Assembly special legislative session – Dec. 6 - 10

21] “Debriefing COP 26 with Climate Reality – Dec. 6

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1] – Buttons, bumperstickers 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] – THE ORGANIZING LIST will be the primary decision-making mechanism of the National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR].  It will be augmented by conference calls and possibly in-person meetings as needed.  It will consist of 1 or 2 representatives from each local, regional, or national organization (not coalitions) that wishes to actively work to carry out the NCNR campaign of facilitating and organizing nonviolent resistance to U.S. wars.

  To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email address to mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.  Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe.  

4] - Suzanne Fontanesi and Jeff Ross are in the beginning stages of renovating the basement of their house for purposes of bringing in a volunteer (targeting young adults in discernment mode), starting next fall. They are trying to grow a Catholic Worker House in Irvington (West Baltimore). In a nutshell, there is a lot that a volunteer could do in that neighborhood/Baltimore, in addition to prayer and daily community living and in addition to plugging into all the good work that people are already doing in and around Baltimore (and beyond).  If you think you might know of anyone who might be interested in starting a conversation with them about becoming such a volunteer/community member, please contact Jeff/Suzanne at 443-690-6872.

5] – Max is in need of a garage or a storage space.  Any suggestions would be welcome.  Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

6] – Is there a woman in the Baltimore area who does house cleaning?  This assignment would be on an irregular basis with several hours per week.  Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

7] – St. Matthew, Blessed Sacrament, and the IOSC are partnering to welcome an Afghan Family to Baltimore! Are you interested in serving our new immigrant family? If you are interested, you will be trained in how you may serve, you will be guided and scheduled at your convenience by the Lead volunteer coordinator, you may also make donations through the IOSC to assist the family in the transition process in order to: Purchase food & Purchase clothes for winter and other necessities. Contact the IOSC at info@IOSCbaltimore.org, call the office at 410-323-8564 and leave a message for Nathalie.

8] – There is a Call to Action to support Drone Whistleblower Daniel Hale. He was transferred to horrific prison:  abuse, silencing and continued punishment for being a truth-teller. Please write letters and organize something in your community. See what JOHN KIRIAKOU has written about this travesty: Drone Whistleblower Thrown in Pen with Terrorists -- https://consortiumnews.com/2021/10/19/john-kiriakou-drone-whistleblower-thrown-in-pen-with-terrorists/. The Daniel Hale Support Team @TeamDanielHale indicated he was placed in the Communications Management Unit at Marion, IL. Please send him letters: Daniel Everette Hale, 26069-075, USP Marion, U.S. Penitentiary, P.O. Box 1000, Marion, IL  62959.

9] – A friend, Brendan Walls, has to move out of a rented home on March 1.  So he is looking for housing and wants to live south of the Baltimore beltway, east of US 95 and north of Route 214.  Do you know of a house or apartment in the Annapolis area with as much peace and quiet as I can get for no more than $1800 a month? He does not mind pet sitting, house sitting, keeping someone company or community living.  Let me know if you have a lead on a home or apartment for Brendan to rent.  Thanks for giving this your consideration.

10] – Hear from Danny Sjursen: Beyond Afghanistan: Patriotic Dissent against U.S. Militarism on Sun., Dec. 5 from 11 AM to 1 PM EST.  Sjursen will begin with exploring the Afghanistan withdrawal and the failure of the war effort there. He will explain the scope and scale of ongoing U.S. military operations – a new “American Way of War” waged in the shadows as a nearly invisible campaign of abstraction. It pivots towards an acknowledgment that war is now waged for profit, profiting a select few–now loaded with blood money; blood, however, that’s on all of our hands. Sjursen is a retired U.S. Army officer, the director of the Eisenhower Media Network (EMN), a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy (CIP), and he co-hosts the podcast “Fortress on a Hill.” Follow him on Twitter @SkepticalVet. Go to  http://masspeaceaction.org/event/danny-sjursen-beyond-afghanistan-patriotic-dissent-against-u-s-militarism/?emci=7fa7f891-d139-ec11-9820-c896653b26c8&emdi=c2e8ae37-5b3a-ec11-9820-c896653b26c8&ceid=269591.

11] – Alice Rothchild, JVP Health Advisory Council [info@jewishvoiceforpeace.org] wants you to join in on Sun., Dec. 5 at 1 PM ET to hear about “Cancer care in the Occupied Palestinian Territories” with Marium Husain and Noor Assi. This is an in-depth conversation on what it means to have cancer and live under occupation. Hear first-hand stories of cancer care from Physicians for Human Rights Israel. Register for https://act.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/a/hac-webinar-cancer-care?emci=66af8a71-8a53-ec11-94f6-0050f2e65e9b&emdi=47a231ca-a753-ec11-94f6-0050f2e65e9b&ceid=237778.

12] --On Sun., Dec. 5 from 2 to 4 PM ET, knock on doors for Brooke Lierman for Comptroller starting at 3820 Fernside Road, Randallstown 21133.  Sign up at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/397538/ https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/397538/. Canvass the community and share Brooke's vision to transform the Comptroller's office to work for every Marylander. Once you sign up the team will follow up with everything you need to knock on doors!

13] – Tysons Interfaith <revtrish.cslmetro AT gmail.com> wants you to know about "Journey from Afghanistan" on Sun., Dec. 2 at 2 PM EST.  This is the perfect time to expand our understanding of the immigrant experience as we open our hearts to the oneness of humanity - to welcome our new neighbors from Afghanistan.  Register at tinyurl.com/5mc6jb24. Go to https://tysonsinterfaith.org/.

14] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 2521 St. Paul St., Baltimore 21218, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion at 10:30 AM.  However, on Sun., Dec. 5 at 2:45 PM, join Margaret Downey and Hugh Taft-Morales for their annual Tree of Knowledge program.  This year they are hosting Phill Zuckerman, author of What It Means to be Moral, The Nonreligious, Living the Secular Life, and other works. Zuckerman is also the Executive Director of Humanist Global Charity. You’ll also be treated to a musical performance by performer Gary Stockdale, a two-time Emmy-nominated composer, song-writer and singer.  You’ll have a chance to say who you are, why you like the book, and what you learned from it. Join the Zoom athttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/84941089132 or call in at 929-205-6099 (Meeting ID: 849 4108 9132).

15] -- Dr. Bill Honigman for Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] is inviting you on Sun., Dec. 5 at 4 PM ET to a Healthcare Emergency Online Town Hall with Wendell Potter, the iconic health insurance whistleblower, author and advocate. Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) proudly stands for Healthcare as a Human Right, and as such continues to support #MedicareExpansion in the #BuildBackBetter (BBB) Act that was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last month, now awaiting passage by the U.S. Senate. The BBB Act must include expanded benefits at lower out-of-pocket costs for seniors and the disabled to receive essential medical services, as a significant step toward fully expanded and improved #MedicareForAll. Only with a #SinglePayer system of #UniversalHealthcare, that brings everybody in and leaves nobody out, can we be assured that the response of this country to future pandemics and other public health crises, especially those expected with rising global temperatures, will be met with appropriate efficiency and equity. Otherwise, we are doomed to repeat the outrageous inadequacies that we have seen with #COVID19, or worse.

There will be an update on the Omicron variant and how we can stay healthy during the holidays. Register for this town hall at https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tceuhrzsvHdymeeZRwb-i7X50FJa-HMR4.

16] – Join the Freedom to Vote Act Phonebank with Common Cause on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Work together to demand bold changes to our alleged democracy to create a government that represents all of us, not big corporations or special interests. Call voters in targeted states and connect them to their Senators to support the Freedom to Vote Act and eliminate the filibuster. These phone banks are subject to change based on variables outside of our control (i.e. a Senator's mailbox is full). On Sun., Dec. 5 from 6 to 8 PM ET, connect AZ voters to Sen. Sinema to ask that they do everything possible to pass the Freedom to Vote Act including fixing the filibuster.  On Mon., Dec. 6 from 4 to 6 PM and 6 to 8 PM EST, connect AZ voters to Sen. Kelly to ask that they do everything possible to pass the Freedom to Vote Act including fixing the filibuster. On Tues., Dec. 7 from 4 to 6 PM ET, connect AZ voters to Sen. Sinema to ask that they do everything possible to pass the Freedom to Vote Act including fixing the filibuster.  Register at https://www.mobilize.us/dfadcoalition/event/376178/?followup_modal_context=newsletter.

17] – Celebrate Chanukah virtually with Jews United for Justice on Sun., Dec. 5 from 6 to 7 PM ET. Gather together over Zoom for candle lighting, fun activities like sharing your favorite latke (potato pancake) and sufganiyot (doughnut) recipes, and building community together during the festival of lights.  You will receive call-in instructions via email after you RSVP at https://jufj.org/event/chanukah-2021/?sourceid=1020679&utm_campaign=followup&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ea&emci=aa70b8e8-ab53-ec11-94f6-0050f2e65e9b&emdi=e444f061-6354-ec11-94f6-0050f2e65e9b&ceid=3403859.

18] – Melissa Nussbaum Freeman [info@jewishvoiceforpeace.org] invites you to Hanukkah against Apartheid. Hanukkah means rededication. Visit jvp.org/hanukkah-against-apartheid for more details. On Sun., Dec. 5 from 7 to 8:30 PM ET, understand DECONSTRUCTING THE POLITICAL HISTORY OF AN IRAQI JEWISH MEAL with Awafi Kitchen & RAWI (Radius of Arab-American Writers). Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_purtV9w6SlOXMt-nh6t9vA?emci=0faf84bb-8550-ec11-9820-c896653b26c8&emdi=ded030d2-8b50-ec11-9820-c896653b26c8&ceid=237778.

19] – 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 Dec. 6 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. Restrooms are located inside Marriott Residence Inn on corner of S. Fern and Army Navy Dr.  

20] – The Maryland General Assembly is meeting for a special legislative session in December from the 6th through the 10th. Join Jews United for Justice, CASA, and other partners outside the Maryland Statehouse, 100 State Circle, Annapolis 21401, every morning at 9 AM to talk to legislators about priority issues for the special session, including paid family and medical leave for all Marylanders. Sign up for as many days as you like, and remember to wear your JUFJ shirt and bring your JUFJ signs! An organizer will be in touch to let you know exactly where to go on the days you choose, and how to get yourself a shirt or a sign if you don't have one yet. RSVP at https://jufj.org/event/mdga-special-session/?sourceid=1020679&utm_campaign=followup&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ea&emci=aa70b8e8-ab53-ec11-94f6-0050f2e65e9b&emdi=e444f061-6354-ec11-94f6-0050f2e65e9b&ceid=3403859.

21] – The Climate Reality Project [info@climatereality.com] on Mon., Dec. 6 at noon ET is holding a “Debriefing COP 26 with Climate Reality.” What seems to be working, and what could use improvement? And perhaps most importantly, where do we go from here?  RSVP at https://www.climaterealityproject.org/debriefingcop26?utm_campaign=webinar&utm_medium=email&utm_source=advocacy&utm_content=COP26webinar-email-1&ms=COP26webinarEmail1221&emci=d553077a-2b52-ec11-9820-a085fc31ac93&emdi=e6257e7e-e552-ec11-9820-a085fc31ac93&ceid=1393885.

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