Saturday, December 24, 2022

Baltimore Activist Alert – December 25 to 31, 2022

Baltimore Activist Alert – December 25 to 31, 2022

"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] Get involved with NCNR   

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

5] Support the Pratt Workers United

6] Get the book Surely Goodness and Mercy by Murphy Davis

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

8] Are you joining Witness against Torture in D.C. in January?

9] PDA Holiday Celebration – Dec. 25

10] Social media training – Dec. 25 – 26

11] Watch the film The Bishop’s Wife – Dec. 25

12] Protest at the Pentagon – Dec. 26

13] Phone bank for a Democrat – Dec. 26 – Dec. 31

14] Election debrief – Dec. 26

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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] – 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] – 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.

5] – The workers at the Enoch Pratt Free Library have started a drive to organize a union calling themselves Pratt Workers United.  Go to https://www.prattworkersunited.org/. There is a letter of support for community members to sign at https://www.prattworkersunited.org/community-letter-support.

"Pratt Library workers are forming a union, Pratt Workers United. We are seeking pay equity for all, safer working conditions, benefits for part-time workers, and a voice in decisions that affect our work.” The workers voted to unionize

6] – Consider getting HOSPITALITY, the newsletter of OPEN DOOR: A prophetic discipleship community honoring the Black Jesus, Dorothy Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. The September/October 2022 issue contains a wonderful review by Claire Schaeffer-Duffy of Surely Goodness and Mercy by Murphy Davis, reprinted from The Catholic Worker, March-April 2022.  Davis, a co-founder of the Open Door Community, died in 2020.   You can subscribe to the newsletter or buy a copy of the book by calling 404-290-2047 or by emailing opendoorcomm@bellsouth.net.

7] – 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.

8] – Witness against Torture [contact@witnessagainsttorture.com] is announcing that the annual Fast for Justice will be in person in D.C. from January 8 through Jan. 11.  Organizers need to know who is coming. SO IF YOU'RE COMING, SEND AN EMAIL to witnesstorture@gmail.com.  Send your name, dates you will be there (Sun. night Jan. 8, Mon Jan. 9, Tues., Jan. 10 and/or Wed. Jan. 11), and if you need housing.

9] – The Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] is holding a special Holiday Celebration replacing the regular Town Hall on Sun., Dec. 25 at 4 PM ET. RSVP at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tceuhrzsvHdymeeZRwb-i7X50FJa-HMR4. PDA hopes that you and yours are having a glorious holiday season, and in keeping with that spirit, the group is holding a community-building event for those who do not already have plans.  Share inspirational stories, together, focusing on events and experiences that will make all smile. Did something good happen in your life this past year? Share it! Do you have a favorite holiday experience from years past? What inspires you?

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tceuhrzsvHdymeeZRwb-i7X50FJa-HMR4.

10] – Get with Social Media Best Practices virtually, hosted by The Democratic National Committee on Sundays and Wednesdays from 7 to 8 PM ET.  Maximize your impact within your social network and join the social media best practices training. Whether you're just getting started on social media or already have an online presence, this training will provide you with the tools necessary to ensure you are reaching your full potential as an online organizer. Learn the essentials for utilizing platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram for political story telling. Email williamsak@dnc.org to schedule a presentation for your staff/volunteers or with any queries about co-presenting at one or more of these events. Get trained on Dec. 25 and 26.  Then the next training will be on Jan. 1 and 4.

11] – Watch a 1947 film starring Cary Grant, David Niven and Loretta Young, “The Bishop’s Wife.”  It is the story of a troubled Episcopal bishop who prays for guidance.  The movie ends on Christmas Eve with the bishop’s sermon:

Tonight I want to tell you the story of an empty stocking.

Once upon a midnight clear, there was a child's cry, a blazing star hung over a stable, and wise men came with birthday gifts. We haven't forgotten that night down the centuries. We celebrate it with stars on Christmas trees, with the sound of bells, and with gifts.

But especially with gifts. You give me a book, I give you a tie. Aunt Martha has always wanted an orange squeezer and Uncle Henry can do with a new pipe. For we forget nobody, adult or child. All the stockings are filled, all that is, except one. And we have even forgotten to hang it up. The stocking for the child born in a manger. It’s his birthday we're celebrating. Don't let us ever forget that.

Let us ask ourselves what He would wish for most. And then, let each put in his share - loving kindness, warm hearts, and a stretched out hand of tolerance. All the shining gifts that make peace on earth.

12] – 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. 26, 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 Marriott Residence Inn on corner of S. Fern and Army Navy Dr.  

13] –Phone bank for Aaron Rouse for Virginia State Senate on Mon., Dec. 26, Tues., Dec. 27, Wed., Dec. 28, Thurs., Dec. 29, Fri., Dec. 30 and Sat., Dec. 31 from 6 to 8 PM ET. The phone bank will continue through Tues., Jan. 10.   Sign up at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/544489/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_most_popular_virtual.

 14] – Common Cause [causenet@commoncause.org] is doing an Election Debrief on Mon., Dec. 26 at 8 PM ET which will continue through June 28.  Join the Debrief with Common Cause's voting and elections experts. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/commoncause/event/428300/?link_id=0&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-thursday-election-debrief&email_referrer=email_1732655&email_subject=thursday-election-debrief. The Common Cause team will share the latest updates from our largest-ever midterm mobilization, discuss the results and what they mean, and chart out a path for our campaign work in 2023, 2024, and beyond.

 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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