Baltimore Activist Alert -- August 8 - 11, 2023

41] Swing Left looks for letter writers – Aug. 8

42] Letter writing on Zoom – Aug. 8

43] The bomb will drop – Aug. 8

44] Nagasaki Day at the White House – Aug. 9

45] Common Cause Election Protection phone bank – Aug. 9 & 11

46] Commemorate Nagasaki – Aug. 9

47] In person letter writing to voters – Aug. 9

48] Defund police meeting -- Aug. 9

49] Remembering Dan Ellsberg – Aug. 9

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41] – On Tues., Aug. 8 from 7 to 8:30 PM, Swing Left Howard County is doing an IN-PERSON letter writing to Voters.  This event will start the in-person evening with a 10-15 minute status update that will also be on the other zoom event. Then the letter writing will take place. The letters will be printed. You will bring a blue pen, 20 envelopes, and 20 first class stamps. You will write letters using an award-winning, proven tactic to reach potential voters in important upcoming elections. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/564439/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_closest. The next Swing Left takes place on Tues., Oct. 10 from 7 to 8:30 PM DT.

42] – On Tues., Aug. 8 from 7 to 8:30 PM ET, Swing Left is organizing Virtual Letter Writing. This monthly status update event is on ZOOM. When available from Vote Forward it will be followed by letter writing on your own. There are separate events to attend in-person letter writing.

  The evening will start with a 10-15 minute status update. When letters are available from Vote Forward, you will dive into writing letters. You can stay on Zoom to be connected to the in-person meeting or drop off and write at your own pace. Sign up as a volunteer on Vote Forward at votefwd.org/swingleft. It takes a day or so to get approved as a volunteer, so plan to sign up 3-4 days ahead of the event. Download 20 letters to write at the event and gather your materials. You will need 20 stamps, a blue pen, and 20 #10 business envelopes. Swing Left’s “Write Letters from Home” page has step-by-step information to help you get set up on Vote Forward and download letters. Swing Left is a national network that helps people find high impact ways to support Democratic candidates. This will contain on various Tuesdays through October 10. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/552516/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_closest.

43] – The Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Committee will gather on Tues., Aug. 8 at 9:45 PM ET on Pennsylvania Ave. outside the White House for the annual candlelight commemoration of Nagasaki. Email johnsteinbach1@verizon.net.

44] – Art Laffin <artlaffin@hotmail.com> announced that the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker on Wed., Aug. 9 at noon will hold a Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration witness at the White House. The Biden Administration is committed to the modernization of U.S. nuclear forces, spending over $43 billion this year and proposing to spend over $56 billion in 2024.  The U.S. nuclear arsenal upgrade now underway is estimated to cost $1.7 trillion over the next several decades, while poverty increases, the climate crisis worsens and basic human needs go unmet. 

45] – Join a virtual Common Cause phone bank. Work together to demand bold changes to our democracy to create a government that represents all of us, not big corporations or special interests. Register for a shift to make calls and help strengthen the phone bank team to protect our democracy. Make calls from 4 to 6 PM ET on Wed., Aug. 9 and Fri. Aug. 11. These shifts will include training for first-timers before you make calls, so if this is your first time, no worries! This will continue through August 28, 2024. Sign up at https://www.mobilize.us/dfadcoalition/event/376178/?followup_modal_context=organization_newsletter_custom_recommendations.

46] –   The Hiroshima Nagasaki Commemoration Committee will continue its 39th annual remembrance of the 1945 atomic bombing on August 6 of Hiroshima and on August 9 of Nagasaki.  The groups involved in the Commemoration Committee are the Baltimore club of CPUSA, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility, First & St Stephen's United Church of Christ, Homewood Friends Meeting, Maryland Peace Action and Prevent Nuclear War/Maryland. 

To help build up people power, on August 6, Hiroshima Day, the Committee held a 7th Congressional District Nuclear War Awareness Town Hall at Homewood Friends Meeting in Baltimore. This town hall was in Kweisi Mfume’s legislative district.  The vigil on Charles Street allowed many passing vehicles to honk in support. Once inside, around 7 PM, participants were informed of Baltimore’s long history of antinuclear weapons endeavors.  And a number of organizations made powerful statement about the threats created by these weapons of mass destruction. Baltimore City Councilmember Odette Ramos pointed out that she grew up in New Mexico and was very much in support of anti-nuclear weapons organizing.  She added that her door was open should there be interest in bringing any initiatives before the City Council.

 The commemoration will continue on August 9 with a 2nd Congressional District Nuclear War Awareness Town Hall at First & St. Stephen’s United Church of Christ, 6915 York Road, Baltimore 21212.  This town hall which will be in Dutch Ruppersberger’s legislative district will start at 6 PM with a commemoration vigil outside the church. Once inside, around 7 PM, a short film will be shown about the Marshall Islands. From 1946-1958 the United States detonated 67 nuclear weapons on Bikini and Eniwetok Atolls in the Marshall Islands, which resulted in forced relocation, culture loss tied with loss of lands, as well as biological and ecological consequences, which are ongoing.

  After the film, participants will gather for a brainstorming strategy session.  The idea is to get as many groups together to plan future activities to challenge our government’s nuclear weapons policies.  For example, Rep. David Trone, who is running for senator, is refusing to co-sponsor H. Res. 77 which promotes the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.  This is what his communications director wrote: “Congressman Trone supports a nuclear-free world and firmly believes in the ideals behind House Resolution 77. Today, as millions of Ukrainians fear for their lives and mourn those killed by Putin’s brutal invasion, Congressman Trone recognizes the need to support and defend the sovereignty of Ukraine and the safety of its people, and so will refrain from signing onto Congressional resolutions that could preempt the Administration’s diplomatic efforts to end the war.” Note 37 members of Congress have co-sponsored H. Res. 77, which has had no effect on preempting any of the Biden administration’s diplomatic efforts.  As part of the strategy session, participants will discuss a possible response to Rep. Trone and other matters relating to the dangers of living in a world with nuclear weapons. 

 Also participants will engage in a discussion about possibly arranging a meeting with City Councilmember Ramos.  Over the years, Baltimore peace and justice activists have worked with members of Baltimore’s City Council, and now may be the time to strategize on new initiatives. Could we, for example, get City Council to consider divestment from banks which fund nuclear weapons contractors?  Share your thoughts and ideas about steps to take towards a nuclear-free world. Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or at mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net. 

47] –. On Wed., Aug. 9 from 7 to 8:30 PM ET, Swing Left wants you to know about a Catonsville IN-PERSON letter writing to Voters in Howard County, MD. Register at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/568278/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_closest. There is a separate zoom event for a monthly status update and letter writing on your own. At this event, the evening will start with a 10-15 minute status update that will also be on the other zoom event.  Then dive into letter writing. The letters are printed. You bring a blue pen, 20 envelopes, and 20 first class stamps. Write letters using an award-winning, proven tactic to reach potential voters in important upcoming elections.

48] –.The Metro DC DSA [washingtonsocialist@mdcdsa.org] wants you to know about a Defund the Police Northern Virginia DSA working group meeting on Wed., Aug. 9 at 7 PM ET. The Defund Police working group works to challenge oppressive institutions and imagine the capacities for community care that might grow instead. If you’re interested in getting involved, fill out the interest form in advance: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfEcShQX51IL2Z1sNff7bqiYz68vAtPjUxpTuIrfvAK8iBDqA/viewform?link_id=1&can_id=3fcd7916f2ff367c3b859d45270fd1d5&source=email-nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events-80&email_referrer=email_1819087&email_subject=nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events&link_id=4&can_id=3fcd7916f2ff367c3b859d45270fd1d5&email_referrer&email_subject=nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events&link_id=10&can_id=1fa1c3a36a20576b182f8a8edc4fa21c&email_referrer=email_1860255&email_subject=nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events&link_id=49&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&email_referrer=email_2008149&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-august-4-2023.

49] – The Vietnam Peace Commemoration Committee [reachout.ffrd@gmail.com] wants you to know about a webinar  Remembering Dan Ellsberg, Nonviolent Activist on Wed., Aug. 9 at 7 PM ET.  Hear from Ken Butigan, Patricia Marx Ellsberg, David Hartsough, Tarak Kauff and others. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iPMc7xp8QEO1QWNu8lRcYg#/registration.

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

Oppenheimer and the Birth of the Nuclear-Industrial Complex

Published on Portside (https://portside.org/)

Oppenheimer and the Birth of the Nuclear-Industrial Complex

William Hartung

July 30, 2023

Tom Dispatch

            Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past few months, you’re undoubtedly aware that award-winning director Christopher Nolan has released a new film about Robert Oppenheimer, known as the “father of the atomic bomb” for leading the group of scientists who created that deadly weapon as part of America’s World War II-era Manhattan Project. The film has earned widespread attention, with large numbers of people participating in what’s already become known as “Barbieheimer” by seeing Greta Gerwig’s hit film Barbie and Nolan’s three-hour-long Oppenheimer on the same day.

            Nolan’s film is a distinctive pop cultural phenomenon because it deals with the American use of nuclear weapons, a genuine rarity since ABC’s 1983 airing of The Day After about the consequences of nuclear war. (An earlier exception was Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, his satirical portrayal of the insanity of the Cold War nuclear arms race.)

            The film is based on American Prometheus, the Pulitzer Prize-winning 2005 biography of Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin. Nolan made it in part to break through the shield of antiseptic rhetoric, bloodless philosophizing, and public complacency that has allowed such world-ending weaponry to persist so long after Trinity, the first nuclear bomb test, was conducted in the New Mexico desert 78 years ago this month.

            Nolan’s impetus was rooted in his early exposure to the nuclear disarmament movement in Europe. As he said recently:

            “It’s something that’s been on my radar for a number of years. I was a teenager in the ‘80s, the early ‘80s in England. It was the peak of CND, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, the Greenham Common [protest]; the threat of nuclear war was when I was 12, 13, 14 — it was the biggest fear we all had. I think I first encountered Oppenheimer in… Sting’s song about the Russians that came out then and talks about Oppenheimer’s ‘deadly toys.’”

            A feature film on the genesis of nuclear weapons may not strike you as an obvious candidate for box-office blockbuster status. As Nolan’s teenage son said when his father told him he was thinking about making such a film, “Well, nobody really worries about nuclear weapons anymore. Are people going to be interested in that?” Nolan responded that, given what’s at stake, he worries about complacency and even denial when it comes to the global risks posed by the nuclear arsenals on this planet. “You’re normalizing killing tens of thousands of people. You’re creating moral equivalences, false equivalences with other types of conflict… [and so] accepting, normalizing… the danger.”

            These days, unfortunately, you’re talking about anything but just tens of thousands of people dying in a nuclear face-off. A 2022 report by Ira Helfand and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War estimated that a “limited” nuclear war between India and Pakistan that used roughly 3% of the world’s 12,000-plus nuclear warheads would kill “hundreds of millions, perhaps even billions” of us. A full-scale nuclear war between the United States and Russia, the study suggests, could kill up to five (yes, five!) billion people within two years, essentially ending life as we know it on this planet in a “nuclear winter.”

            Obviously, all too many of us don’t grasp the stakes involved in a nuclear conflict, thanks in part to “psychic numbing,” a concept regularly invoked by Robert Jay Lifton, author of Hiroshima in America: A History of Denial (co-authored with Greg Mitchell), among many other books. Lifton describes psychic numbing as “a diminished capacity or inclination to feel” prompted by “the completely unprecedented dimension of this revolution in technological destructiveness.”

            Given the Nolan film’s focus on Oppenheimer’s story, some crucial issues related to the world’s nuclear dilemma are either dealt with only briefly or omitted altogether.

            The staggering devastation caused by the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is suggested only indirectly without any striking visual evidence of the devastating human consequences of the use of those two weapons. Also largely ignored are the critical voices who then argued that there was no need to drop a bomb, no less two of them, on a Japan most of whose cities had already been devastated by U.S. fire-bombing to end the war. General (and later President) Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote that when he was told by Secretary of War Henry Stimson of the plan to drop atomic bombs on populated areas in Japan, “I voiced to him my grave misgivings, first on the basis of my belief that Japan was already defeated and that dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary.”

            The film also fails to address the health impacts of the research, testing, and production of such weaponry, which to this day are still causing disease and death, even without another nuclear weapon ever being used in war. Victims of nuclear weapons development include people who were impacted by the fallout from U.S. nuclear testing in the Western United States and the Marshall Islands in the Western Pacific, uranium miners on Navajo lands, and many others. Speaking of the first nuclear test in Los Alamos, New Mexico, Tina Cordova of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, which represents that state’s residents who suffered widespread cancers and high rates of infant mortality caused by radiation from that explosion, said “It’s an inconvenient truth… People just don’t want to reflect on the fact that American citizens were bombed at Trinity.”

            Another crucially important issue has received almost no attention. Neither the film nor the discussion sparked by it has explored one of the most important reasons for the continued existence of nuclear weapons — the profits it yields the participants in America’s massive nuclear-industrial complex.

            Once Oppenheimer and other concerned scientists and policymakers failed to convince the Truman administration to simply close Los Alamos and place nuclear weapons and the materials needed to develop them under international control — the only way, as they saw it, to head off a nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union — the drive to expand the nuclear weapons complex was on. Research and production of nuclear warheads and nuclear-armed bombers, missiles, and submarines quickly became a big business, whose beneficiaries have worked doggedly to limit any efforts at the reduction or elimination of nuclear arms.

The Manhattan Project and the Birth of the Nuclear-Industrial Complex

            The Manhattan Project Oppenheimer directed was one of the largest public works efforts ever undertaken in American history. Though the Oppenheimer film focuses on Los Alamos, it quickly came to include far-flung facilities across the United States. At its peak, the project would employ 130,000 workers — as many as in the entire U.S. auto industry at the time.

            According to nuclear expert Stephen Schwartz, author of Atomic Audit, the seminal work on the financing of U.S. nuclear weapons programs, through the end of 1945 the Manhattan Project cost nearly $38 billion in today’s dollars, while helping spawn an enterprise that has since cost taxpayers an almost unimaginable $12 trillion for nuclear weapons and related programs. And the costs never end. The Nobel prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) reports that the U.S. spent $43.7 billion on nuclear weapons last year alone, and a new Congressional Budget Office report suggests that another $756 billion will go into those deadly armaments in the next decade.

            Private contractors now run the nuclear warhead complex and build nuclear delivery vehicles. They range from Raytheon, General Dynamics, and Lockheed Martin to lesser-known firms like BWX Technologies and Jacobs Engineering, all of which split billions of dollars in contracts from the Pentagon (for the production of nuclear delivery vehicles) and the Department of Energy (for nuclear warheads). To keep the gravy train running — ideally, in perpetuity — those contractors also spend millions lobbying decision-makers. Even universities have gotten into the act. Both the University of California and Texas A&M are part of the consortium that runs the Los Alamos nuclear weapons laboratory.

            The American warhead complex is a vast enterprise with major facilities in California, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. And nuclear-armed submarines, bombers, and missiles are produced or based in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, North Dakota, Montana, Virginia, Washington state, and Wyoming. Add in nuclear subcontractors and most states host at least some nuclear-weapons-related activities.

            And such beneficiaries of the nuclear weapons industry are far from silent when it comes to debating the future of nuclear spending and policy-making.

Profiteers of Armageddon: The Nuclear Weapons Lobby

            The institutions and companies that build nuclear bombs, missiles, aircraft, and submarines, along with their allies in Congress, have played a disproportionate role in shaping U.S. nuclear policy and spending. They have typically opposed the U.S. ratification of a Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban treaty; put strict limits on the ability of Congress to reduce either funding for or the deployment of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs); and pushed for weaponry like a proposed nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missile that even the Pentagon hasn’t requested, while funding think tanks that promote an ever more robust nuclear weapons force.

            A case in point is the Senate ICBM Coalition (dubbed part of the “Dr. Strangelove Caucus” by Arms Control Association Director Daryl Kimball and other critics of nuclear arms). The ICBM Coalition consists of senators from states with major ICBM bases or ICBM research, maintenance, and production sites: Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. The sole Democrat in the group, Jon Tester (D-MT), is the chair of the powerful appropriations subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, where he can keep an eye on ICBM spending and advocate for it as needed.

            The Senate ICBM Coalition is responsible for numerous measures aimed at protecting both the funding and deployment of such deadly missiles. According to former Secretary of Defense William Perry, they are among “the most dangerous weapons we have” because a president, if warned of a possible nuclear attack on this country, would have just minutes to decide [whether] to launch them, risking a nuclear conflict based on a false alarm. That Coalition’s efforts are supplemented by persistent lobbying from a series of local coalitions of business and political leaders in those ICBM states. Most of them work closely with Northrop Grumman, the prime contractor for the new ICBM, dubbed the Sentinel and expected to cost at least $264 billion to develop, build, and maintain over its life span that is expected to exceed 60 years.

            Of course, Northrop Grumman and its 12 major ICBM subcontractors have been busy pushing the Sentinel as well. They spend tens of millions of dollars on campaign contributions and lobbying annually, while employing former members of the government’s nuclear establishment to make their case to Congress and the executive branch. And those are hardly the only organizations or networks devoted to sustaining the nuclear arms race. You would have to include the Air Force Association and the obscurely named Submarine Industrial Base Council, among others.

            The biggest point of leverage the nuclear weapons industry and the arms sector more broadly have over Congress is jobs. How strange then that the arms industry has generated diminishing job returns since the end of the Cold War. According to the National Defense Industrial Association, direct employment in the weapons industry has dropped from 3.2 million in the mid-1980s to about 1.1 million today.

            Even a relatively small slice of the Pentagon and Department of Energy nuclear budgets could create many more jobs if invested in green energy, sustainable infrastructure, education, or public health – anywhere from 9% to 250% more jobs, depending on the amount spent. Given that the climate crisis is already well underway, such a shift would not only make this country more prosperous but the world safer by slowing the pace of climate-driven catastrophes and offering at least some protection against its worst manifestations.

A New Nuclear Reckoning?

            Count on one thing: by itself, a movie focused on the origin of nuclear weapons, no matter how powerful, won’t force a new reckoning with the costs and consequences of America’s continued addiction to them. But a wide variety of peace, arms-control, health, and public-policy-focused groups is already building on the attention garnered by the film to engage in a public education campaign aimed at reviving a movement to control and eventually eliminate the nuclear danger.

            Past experience — from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament that helped persuade Christopher Nolan to make Oppenheimer to the “Ban the Bomb” and Nuclear Freeze campaigns that stopped above-ground nuclear testing and helped turn President Ronald Reagan around on the nuclear issue — suggests that, given concerted public pressure, progress can be made on reining in the nuclear threat. The public education effort surrounding the Oppenheimer film is being taken up by groups like The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the Federation of American Scientists, and the Council for a Livable World that were founded, at least in part, by Manhattan Project scientists who devoted their lives to trying to roll back the nuclear arms race; professional groups like the Union of Concerned Scientists and Physicians for Social Responsibility; anti-war groups like Peace Action and Win Without War; the Nobel Peace prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons; nuclear policy groups like Global Zero and the Arms Control Association; advocates for Marshall Islanders, “downwinders,” and other victims of the nuclear complex; and faith-based groups like the Friends Committee on National Legislation. The Native American–led organization Tewa Women United has even created a website, “Oppenheimer — and the Other Side of the Story,” that focuses on “the Indigenous and land-based peoples who were displaced from our homelands, the poisoning and contamination of sacred lands and waters that continues to this day, and the ongoing devastating impact of nuclear colonization on our lives and livelihoods.”

            On the global level, the 2021 entry into force of a nuclear ban treaty — officially known as the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons — is a sign of hope, even if the nuclear weapons states have yet to join. The very existence of such a treaty does at least help delegitimize nuclear weaponry. It has even prompted dozens of major financial institutions to stop investing in the nuclear weapons industry, under pressure from campaigns like Don’t Bank on the Bomb.

            In truth, the situation couldn’t be simpler: we need to abolish nuclear weapons before they abolish us. Hopefully, Oppenheimer will help prepare the ground for progress in that all too essential undertaking, beginning with a frank discussion of what’s now at stake.

Copyright 2023 William D. Hartung

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Source URL: https://portside.org/2023-08-01/oppenheimer-and-birth-nuclear-industrial-complex

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

Baltimore Activist Alert -- August 6 to 9, 2023

26] Vote NO phone bank – Aug. 6 - 8

27] Restorative Justice Circles – Aug. 6

28] Hiroshima vigil in Annapolis – Aug. 6

29] Free Assange – Aug. 6

30] More OPPENHEIMER – Aug. 6

31] Organizing the Unorganized training – Aug. 6

32] REBUILD the 1982 ANTI-NUKE MOVEMENT– Aug. 6 & 9

33] Phone bank for Virginia – Aug. 6

34] Northern Virginia Electoral Working Group meeting – Aug. 6

35] Protest at the Pentagon – Aug. 7

36] Support Starbucks workers – Aug. 7

37] Election and Climate Protection Zoom – Aug. 7

38] NextGen 0rganizing – Aug. 8

39] Internet Voting – Aug. 8

40] Russia Out of Ukraine – Aug. 8

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26] – There is a Vote NO Campaign virtual phone bank and training, hosted by Ohio Democratic Party. Join other pro-democracy callers on phone banks run by the Ohio Democratic Party to help ensure that the 60% threshold to pass a citizen-led constitutional amendment never, ever becomes Ohio law. Call as many voters throughout Ohio as humanly possible to turn them out to vote. At the outset of a phone bank, you will be trained on how to make phone calls using a dialer! After you attend a training and the phone bank afterwards, you'll be equipped to make calls anytime that works for your schedule in the future.  The phone bank times are as follows on Sun., Aug. 6 from 10 AM to noon, 1 to 3 PM & 5 to 7 PM, Mon., Aug. 7 from 10 AM to noon, 1 to 3 PM & 5 to 7 PM and on Tues., Aug. 8 from 9 to 11 AM, noon to 2 PM, 4 to 5 PM & 5 to 7 PM ET. Sign up at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/563286/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_most_popular_virtual.

27] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 2521 St. Paul St., Baltimore 21218, meets on Sundays, and usually there is a virtual platform address at 10:30 AM ET.  On Aug. 6, hear about Restorative Justice Circles.  These Circles can be used for community building as well as conflict resolution. After a brief overview, participants will practice in one or more virtual groups, with a focus on one or two principles of Ethical Culture. Come and experience this new addition to a “toolbox for ethical living.” Email PRESIDENT@BMORETHICAL.ORG for Zoom login information.

28] –  The Annapolis Friends (Quaker) Meeting and Anne Arundel Peace Action will co-sponsor a vigil & meeting on Sun., Aug. 6 at 2 PM ET at the Annapolis City dock. The 150,000+ mostly-civilians killed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were too many. But, with recent nuclear treaties being abandoned and with now-threatened use of much more powerful nuclear weapons by Russia, North Korea and unsettled U.S. policy as to "first strikes," citizens need to express concerns before millions more share a similar fate. AFM will bring pop up tents, ice water, folding chairs, some signs and fliers to hand out.  RSVP to Phil Caroom <pcaroom@gmail.com>.

29] – Gather near the home of US Attorney General Merrick Garland on Sun., Aug. 6 and Aug. 20 from 4 to 5 PM ET for a peaceful vigil calling for the US to drop the extradition request and drop all charges on Julian Assange. Go to the 5,000 Edgemoor Lane in Bethesda by a fence at Sidwell Friends Lower School, two blocks from the Bethesda Metro station. Contact Ann Wilcox ann1.wilcox@gmail.com.

30] – Alan Minsky for Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] will take off during its Town Hall on Sun., Aug. 6 at 4 PM ET with the film OPPENHEIMER and the horror of nuclear weapons. The Special Guest is Helen Caldicott, who will address 78 Years Later, the Ongoing Threat of Nuclear Annihilation. RSVP at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tceuhrzsvHdymeeZRwb-i7X50FJa-HMR4#/registration.

31] – The Metro DC DSA [info@mdcdsa.org] indicates that there is an “Organizing the Unorganized” training on Sun., Aug. 6 from 5 to 7 PM ET at the Northern Virginia Labor Federation, 4536 B John Marr Drive, Annandale, VA 22003. There has been an increase in new union organizing in Northern Virginia recently, but more needs to be done. All union members and friends of labor are welcome to attend this training with Chris Townsend, retired organizing director of the Amalgamated Transit Union. Pizza will be offered! Contact Chris Townsend at 703-341-9446 and cwtownsend52@gmail.com. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/organize-the-unorganized-northern-va-union-organizing-school-novadsa/?link_id=13&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-july-21-2023&email_referrer=email_2002368&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-july-28-2023.

32] –    The Hiroshima Nagasaki Commemoration Committee will engage in its 39th annual remembrance of the 1945 atomic bombing on August 6 of Hiroshima and on August 9 of Nagasaki.  The groups involved in the Commemoration Committee are the Baltimore club of CPUSA, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility, First & St Stephen's United Church of Christ, Homewood Friends Meeting, Maryland Peace Action, Our Revolution and Prevent Nuclear War/Maryland.  Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2002 at Comcast dot net.

 To help build up people power, the Committee is hosting two Town Halls. On August 6, there will be a 7th Congressional District Nuclear War Awareness Town Hall at Homewood Friends Meeting, 3107 N. Charles Street, Baltimore 21218. This town hall is in Kweisi Mfume’s legislative district.  It will start at 6 PM with a commemoration vigil outside the meetinghouse. Once inside around 7 PM participants will be informed of Baltimore’s long history of antinuclear weapons endeavors.  Organizations will be encouraged to make a statement about the threat created by these weapons of mass destruction.

  On August 9, there will be a 2nd Congressional District Nuclear War Awareness Town Hall at First & St. Stephen’s United Church of Christ, 6915 York Road, Baltimore 21212.  This town hall which will be in Dutch Ruppersberger’s legislative district will start at 6 PM with a commemoration vigil outside the church. Once inside, around 7 PM participants will be informed about all of the activities taking place to confront the threat of a nuclear war.

33] –  On Sun., Aug. 6 from 6 to 8 PM ET, the Democratic National Committee is organizing VIRTUAL PHONE BANKS FOR THE VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES- TO TURN VA BLUE! RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/569453/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_most_popular_virtual. This event will continue on Sundays from 6 to 8 PM ET THROUGH November 5.  Call voters in Virginia to get them out to vote in the November election. NO EXPERIENCE is NECESSARY. Get TRAINING and hear from COACHES TO HELP ALL ALONG THE WAY.

34] – On Sun., Aug. 6 from 7 to 8 PM ET, there will be a Northern Virginia Electoral Working Group meeting. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/nova-electoral-working-group-meeting-2/?link_id=47&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-july-21-2023&email_referrer=email_2002368&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-july-28-2023. A link to attend this virtual event will be emailed upon RSVP Join the NoVA Electoral Working Group and begin research on Virginia Election for the upcoming November General Election.

35] – 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 Aug. 7, 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.  This vigil will honor the visit to the area of the anti-nuclear ship the Golden Rule.

 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 Marriot Providence Inn on corner of S. Fern and Army Navy Dr.

36] – Support Starbucks Workers on the National Day of Action, Mon., Aug. 7 at 9 AM ET. Starbucks workers have organized unions in over 335 Starbucks stores in less than two years--an historic wave fueled by the call for Starbucks to uphold their own stated values by respecting workers’ right to organize. The Virginia Interfaith Center on Public Policy will support Starbucks workers calling for their right to organize free from intimidation. VICPP will host two adopt-a-shop events in Richmond where the group will spend an hour or so canvassing customers. Register at https://virginiainterfaithcenter.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=288 or https://virginiainterfaithcenter.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=289.  You can also host an event of your own at https://sbworkersunited.org/adopt-a-store to sponsor a shop near you. 

37] – Mike Hersh for Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] wants you to join the Election and Climate Protection Zoom on Mon., Aug. 7 at 5 PM ET.  There are attacks on our democracy, and climate chaos threatens us. Since its founding in 2004, PDA has mobilized for open, clean, and fair elections and for stopping global warming. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqfuygpjIiHtc20uIOxdeqYRiAicjSLWUc.

38] – Get with NextGen Organizing for a Freedom to Vote Act virtual Text Bank on Tues., Aug. 8 from 1 to 3 PM ET. The Freedom to Vote Act was reintroduced this summer as a bicameral bill to expand access to the ballot box, modernize voter registration, ensure fair maps, and much more. Now is the time to take action and ensure your representatives support this bill. Choose a time that works for you, and you will get the script, texting platform, guides, and a community to connect with other NextGen volunteers!  RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/573369/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_most_popular_virtual.

39] – Susan Greenhalgh [contact@freespeechforpeople.org] is inviting you to a briefing on internet voting on Tues., Aug. 8 at 4 PM ET hosted by Free Speech for People.  Join leading computer security and internet voting policy experts to discuss questions and misinformation surrounding online voting. ‌ ‌RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aMudhU08RKWP2MfCMNK5fg?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=0c19590c-9a29-43b0-a1db-6e786a3df759#/registration.

40] -- Join the Baltimore Nonviolence Center on Tues., Aug. 8 from 4:30 to 5 PM ET at 33rd and N. Charles Sts. The invasion of Ukraine has the potential to become a war extending throughout Europe.  Putin has destroyed Aleppo and Grozny and has threatened the use of nuclear weapons.  Russian soldiers were sent into the area around the contaminated and still radioactive Chernobyl nuclear plant. Now they are stationed in the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe.   People who believe in peace and justice should come forward and take the risks of peace. The burial sites continue to expose ruthless war crimes by the invaders, Contact Max at mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net or 410-323-1607.

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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Baltimore Activist Alert - August 6 - 8, 2023

20] More OPPENHEIMER – Aug. 6

21] Vote NO Campaign – August 7 & 8

22] Election and Climate Protection Zoom – Aug. 7

23] NextGen 0rganizing – Aug. 8

24] Internet Voting – Aug. 8

25] Russia Out of Ukraine – Aug. 8

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20] – Alan Minsky for Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] will take off during its Town Hall on Sun., Aug. 6 at 4 PM ET with the film OPPENHEIMER and the horror of nuclear weapons. The Special Guest is Helen Caldicott, who will address 78 Years Later, the Ongoing Threat of Nuclear Annihilation. RSVP at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tceuhrzsvHdymeeZRwb-i7X50FJa-HMR4#/registration.

21] – There is a Vote NO Campaign virtual phone bank and training, hosted by Ohio Democratic Party. Join other pro-democracy callers on phone banks run by the Ohio Democratic Party to help ensure that the 60% threshold to pass a citizen-led constitutional amendment never, ever becomes Ohio law. Call as many voters throughout Ohio as humanly possible to turn them out to vote. At the outset of a phone bank, you will be trained on how to make phone calls using a dialer! After you attend a training and the phone bank afterwards, you'll be equipped to make calls anytime that works for your schedule in the future.  The phone bank times are as follows on Mon., Aug. 7 from 10 AM to noon, 1 to 3 PM & 5 to 7 PM and on Tues., Aug. 8 from 9 to 11 AM, noon to 2 PM, 4 to 5 PM & 5 to 7 PM ET. Sign up at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/563286/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_most_popular_virtual.

22] – Mike Hersh for Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] wants you to join the Election and Climate Protection Zoom on Mon., Aug. 7 at 5 PM ET.  There are attacks on our democracy, and climate chaos threatens us. Since its founding in 2004, PDA has mobilized for open, clean, and fair elections and for stopping global warming. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqfuygpjIiHtc20uIOxdeqYRiAicjSLWUc.

23] – Get with NextGen Organizing for a Freedom to Vote Act virtual Text Bank on Tues., Aug. 8 from 1 to 3 PM ET. The Freedom to Vote Act was reintroduced this summer as a bicameral bill to expand access to the ballot box, modernize voter registration, ensure fair maps, and much more. Now is the time to take action and ensure your representatives support this bill. Choose a time that works for you, and you will get the script, texting platform, guides, and a community to connect with other NextGen volunteers!  RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/573369/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_most_popular_virtual.

24] – Susan Greenhalgh [contact@freespeechforpeople.org] is inviting you to a briefing on internet voting on Tues., Aug. 8 at 4 PM ET hosted by Free Speech for People.  Join leading computer security and internet voting policy experts to discuss questions and misinformation surrounding online voting. ‌ ‌RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aMudhU08RKWP2MfCMNK5fg?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=0c19590c-9a29-43b0-a1db-6e786a3df759#/registration.

25] -- Join the Baltimore Nonviolence Center on Tues., Aug. 8 from 4:30 to 5 PM ET at 33rd and N. Charles Sts. The invasion of Ukraine has the potential to become a war extending throughout Europe.  Putin has destroyed Aleppo and Grozny and has threatened the use of nuclear weapons.  Russian soldiers were sent into the area around the contaminated and still radioactive Chernobyl nuclear plant. Now they are stationed in the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe.   People who believe in peace and justice should come forward and take the risks of peace. The burial sites continue to expose ruthless war crimes by the invaders, Contact Max at mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net or 410-323-1607.

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