Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Baltimore Activist Alert -- December 7 - 8, 2022

33] Be at the Supreme Court – Dec. 7

34] South Korean Foreign Policy in the Indo-Pacific -- Dec. 7

35] Reverberations of Multiple Crises – Dec. 7 - 8

36] Clinicians as Human Rights Defenders – Dec. 7

37] For the Love of Birds -- Dec. 7

38] Rally for the Railway Workers – Dec. 7

39] Russia's Invasion of Ukraine – Dec. 7

40] Tenant Organizing campaign -- Dec. 7

41] 2023 Maryland Legislative Session -- Dec. 7

42] Climate, Conflict & the Search for Peace – Dec. 7

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33] – An ongoing Supreme Court case called Moore v. Harper now threatens to undermine our votes by giving unchecked power to hyper-partisan state legislatures to gerrymander, suppress the votes, and make election administration partisan. The Republican majority in the North Carolina legislature says that their power to make federal election rules cannot be checked by the state's Governor or Judiciary, even though its power to make rules about state elections is so limited and even though the power of Congress to regulate federal elections is checked by the President and the Supreme Court. Charlie Cooper wants you to go to Washington, D.C. on Wed., Dec. 7 from 9 AM to noon ET as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in this attempted power grab. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/commoncause/event/543337/?link_id=1&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-our-revolution-baltimore-citycounty-updates-4&email_referrer=email_1758431&email_subject=our-revolution-baltimore-citycounty-updates.

  Our Revolution Baltimore Steering Committee member Charlie Cooper is president of Get Money Out -- Maryland (GMOM), an all-volunteer force seeking to get big money out of our political system and make elections fairer. The group was founded in 2013 and has worked to overturn Citizens United v. FEC, the 2010 Supreme Court decision that said that for-profit and nonprofit corporations have a First Amendment right to spend unlimited money to influence elections. GMOM mobilizes citizens to expand and secure voting rights for all citizens. It also works to reserve constitutional rights to human beings (not corporations) and to impose transparency and limits on billionaire, corporate, and foreign influence in politics. In 2020-22, it worked to influence Congress to pass fair elections legislation, but the unwillingness of Sen. Kirsten Sinema (D, AZ) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D, WV) to break the filibuster rule led to disappointment. In the 2022 midterms we were part of a spontaneous and successful grassroots movement to expose and defeat election deniers running for state-level offices who sought to undermine fair elections. Marylanders phone banked, texted, wrote letters, and donated to help win three out of four races for Governor and Secretary of State in Arizona and Nevada.

34] – Find out about South Korean Foreign Policy in the Indo-Pacific [online] on Wed., Dec. 7 from 9 - 9:55 AM EST. The Yoon Suk-yeol government will officially release South Korea’s first Indo-Pacific strategy by the end of 2022. What role will South Korea play in the Indo-Pacific? To what extent does Washington and other U.S. allies see South Korea as an important regional strategic partner? How will the Yoon government navigate U.S.-China competition as Washington imposes strict export controls against Beijing? What challenges and opportunities lie ahead for South Korean foreign policy as the Yoon government rebrands the country as a “global pivotal state”? The webinar will also discuss findings from a recent Brookings report published by Brookings Senior Fellow Andrew Yeo on South Korean foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific era.  The sponsor is the Brookings Institute, and you can register at https://www.brookings.edu/events/south-korean-foreign-policy-in-the-indo-pacific/.

35] – On Wed., Dec. 7 at 12:30 PM ET, register for Reverberations of Multiple Crises: What to Expect in 2023 [online]. The annual conference will continue on Thurs., Dec. 8, hosted by the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center. The conference will consist of ten discussions that will be available online, and that will focus on the most significant and challenging global issues for the upcoming year. The topics of discussions will cover current developments as they relate to the global economy; the interrelated nature of climate change, conflict, and food security; populist trends around the world and the rise of authoritarianism; the effects of increased competition among global superpowers in space; the shifting power dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region; and the dynamics among Middle East regional players, including their alliances, proxy wars, and regional tensions. Sign up at https://carnegie-mec.org/2022/12/08/reverberations-of-multiple-crises-what-to-expect-in-2023-event-7936.

36] – Physicians for Human Rights [web@email.phr.org] are hosting a webinar on Wed., Dec. 7 at 1 PM ET -- Clinicians as Human Rights Defenders.‌ ͏‌ ͏How can clinicians act as human rights defenders in times of crisis? PHR will host an online conversation about how health professionals can use their unique skills, expertise, and platforms to document and call attention to human rights violations.  Sign up at https://phr-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9oe7gsPPQhqbuvc299pdPg?CID=7015G000000O6UcQAK&ms=FY23_EOY_EmailInvite_FullFile_Event&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=FullFile&utm_content=EmailInvite&utm_term=Event&utm_campaign=FY23_EOY&dm_i=4GV7,IVDX,1TO2EP,22SZR,1. The event will highlight how clinicians navigate medical ethics challenges such as “dual loyalty” and promote accountability in the United States. Panelists will highlight how clinicians can act to defend human rights in response to the overturn of Roe v. Wade, the misuse of public health policy to undermine the legal right to seek asylum, and mounting threats and attacks against health professionals.

37] – The Trust for Public Land [parkbenchchat@tpl.org] is holding  webinar on Wed., Dec. 7 at 2 PM ET – For the Love of Birds.   While the popularity of birding is soaring, our beloved feathered friends have never faced more obstacles. Leading ornithology and birding experts Alvaro Jaramillo, Kimberly Kaufman, and Corina Newsome will be sharing how to safeguard the future of birds and birders and create a more inclusive birding community for all. You’ll also learn about great birding spots TPL has protected and tips to up your bird-watching game. Register at https://tpl.zoom.us/webinar/register/2916675922800/WN_DEAZptxOSD2gBmsauscNhA?utm_source=digital&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=parkbenchchat&utm_content=pbc17_email1_button.

38] – The Maryland CPUSA [md@cpusa.org] announced that on Wed., Dec. 7 at 4:30 PM ET there will be a Rally for the Freight Railroad Workers as they demand Sick Leave, a basic human right.  The Rally, sponsored by the Baltimore Ad Hoc Coalition to Support Freight Railroad Workers, will be at McKeldin Square, Baltimore. Call 443-604-2298.

39] – On Wed., Dec. 7 at 6 PM ET, tune in to Russia's War in Ukraine: What's at Stake and What We Should Do About It, sponsored by Stanford University. Hear from Kristjan Prikk, Estonia's Ambassador to the U.S.; Rose Gottemoeller, Former Deputy Secretary General of NATO; and Steven Pifer, Brookings Institution. Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine has brought about the most serious reassessment of the European security realities since the end of the Cold War. The epic clash of political wills, the magnitude of military operations, and the scale of atrocities against the Ukrainian people are beyond anything Europe has seen since World War II. The past nine months have forced many to reassess what is possible and impossible in international security A.D. 2022. What is this war about, after all? What's at stake in this – to paraphrase former British PM Chamberlain – "quarrel in a faraway country, between people of whom most Americans know nothing?"

  What should be the lessons for U.S. strategists and policymakers? What are the wider implications for U.S. national security interests, particularly those related to the Indo-Pacific? How has the Alliance supported Ukraine since the war started? What should the end of this war look like and how to get there? Sign up for https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/events/russias-war-ukraine-whats-stake-and-what-we-should-do-about-it.

40] – On Wed., Dec. 7 from 6 to 7 PM ET, there is a meeting for those involved with the Northern VA Tenant Organizing campaign or who would like to learn more about this    You will get updates on activities and ways to get involved. You will get answer to your questions. Email novabranch [at] mdcdsa.org. Help fight exploitative landlords! RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/nova-dsa-tenant-organizing-meeting-dec?link_id=41&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-nov-25-2022&email_referrer=email_1755740&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-dec-2-2022.

41] – On Wed., Dec. 7 at 7 PM ET, Our Revolution Maryland leader and State Delegate Sheila Ruth is moderating a one-hour conversation with five other progressive Maryland lawmakers about the top issues coming up in the 2023 Maryland Legislative Session. RSVP HERE https://www.mobilize.us/ourrevolution/event/544563/?link_id=1&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-what-are-the-critical-issues-in-the-md-2023-general-assembly&email_referrer=email_1755355&email_subject=what-are-progressive-legislators-prioritizing-in-the-md-2023-general-assembly.

42] – World BEYOND War [maya@worldbeyondwar.org] is inviting you on Wed., Dec. 7 at 7:30 PM ET to a webinar -- Climate, Conflict & the Search for Peace.  Hear from Tamara Lorincz as she reports back from her time at the UN COP27 climate summit in Egypt this November, as well as a tour of Russia, Finland, Latvia, Poland, and Romania. Register at https://actionnetwork.org/events/webinar-climate-conflict-the-search-for-peace-first-hand-observations-from-cop27-russia-and-eastern-europe?clear_id=true&link_id=1&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-youre-invited-climate-conflict-the-search-for-peace&email_referrer=email_1750066&email_subject=youre-invited-climate-conflict-the-search-for-peace.

Tamara was on the delegation of the Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF), which is a member of the Climate Action Network International and the Women Gender Constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. After Egypt, Tamara went on a tour of Russia, Finland, Latvia, Poland, and Romania to learn more about these countries and to talk with people about their perspectives on the war in Ukraine and NATO expansion. She was invited to speak at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) and at a public event in Helsinki. Her tour was motivated by citizen diplomacy, peace-building, and strategic empathy.

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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