Friday, March 8, 2019

Wabtech Union in Erie Wins


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

Wabtech Union in Erie Wins

Jessica Corbett
March 7, 2019
Common Dreams
https://portside.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/field/image/ue3719.jpg

  After union workers at a locomotive plant in Erie, Pennsylvania struck a 90-day deal with Wabtec Corporation late Wednesday—ending the largest manufacturing strike of the Trump era—Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said the victory "should send a message to corporate CEOs across the country."
"It is absolutely unacceptable for profitable corporations to provide obscene compensation packages to executives, while ripping off workers and their families," the senator and 2020 presidential candidate said in a statement.

  "Their victory is not only a win for the workers at Wabtec, but for workers all around America who are sick and tired of seeing their standard of living decline as a result of corporate greed," he added.
Sanders helped thrust the nearly two-week strike into the national spotlight by pledging his support for the striking workers and inviting union leader Scott Slawson to speak at his first 2020 presidential rally in Brooklyn on Saturday.

   This campaign is telling bosses everywhere that they can't continue to keep us in fear on the job
They're stealing from us, and we're here to take what's ours

  Watch @ueunion 506 Pres Scott Slawson explain why they're ON STRIKE again Wabtec
TWEET solidarity to #Solidarity4UE pic.twitter.com/OXLyFbuvAr
— People for Bernie (@People4Bernie) March 6, 2019

   "The example that Sanders is setting is vital, not just for his 2020 campaign but for all the Democrats who are contending for the nomination," John Nichols wrote for The Nation ahead of the rally. "Union struggles are essential, not just for Democrats but for the fight for economic justice in a country where the gaps between CEO pay and worker salaries, and between rich and poor, has reached epic proportions."

   The strike in Erie kicked off on Feb. 26, when more than 1,700 members of the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE) Locals 506 and 618 walked off the job as Wabtec took control of the plant. Last year, Wabtec merged with GE Transportation, which had operated the facility for more than a century and maintained a contract with UE the past eight decades.

  Wabtec has refused to honor GE's contract—which, UE spokesman Jonathan Kissam told In These Times, has provided generations of workers with "good, Rust Belt jobs."

   Those jobs have afforded the plant's employees a more stable lifestyle, with wages that average $35 per hour, and a Monday through Friday work schedule that Kissam says has allowed UE members to be active participants in life outside of the plant. "Our members are very involved in the Erie community as Little League coaches, at churches and with veterans' causes," Kissam asserted in an interview with In These Times.

   It is this quality of life, and this connection to the broader Erie community, that UE members are trying to protect for themselves and future generations by going on strike, Kissam says.

  "People would rather work than be on strike," Kissam added, "but they're not willing to hand every aspect of their life over to the boss, and they're not willing to create a permanent underclass of low wage workers."

   Under the new deal, workers are set to return to the plant on Monday. According to a statement from UE, as talks continue to establish a new contract, workers and Wabtec agree to:
  • Maintain wage rates for existing employees;
  • Maintain Wabtec's competitive benefits package;
  • Voluntary scheduled overtime with the company's ability to use non-bargaining Wabtec employees to meet customer commitments;
  • 90-day moratorium on hiring new bargaining unit employees;
  • No plant closure or permanent layoffs during the term of the agreement;
  • Grievance procedure with binding arbitration; and
  • No strikes or lockouts.
"Both parties are optimistic," the statement said, "that a mutually beneficial collective bargaining agreement can be reached to position the Erie facility for future growth, stability, and success."

   While congratulating the union workers "for their successful effort in standing up for justice and dignity," Sanders urged Wabtec "to sit down at the bargaining table and negotiate a fair contract with its union workers."

   Congratulations to UE Locals 506 and 618 for their successful effort in standing up for justice and dignity.

   This is a victory for workers across the country who are sick and tired of seeing their standard of living decline as a result of corporate greed. https://t.co/rSp1E6jeLP
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) March 7, 2019

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License



Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  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 -- March 8 - 9, 2019


45] Make a donation to Food Rescue Baltimore – March 8 & 9
46] Breaking the Silence – March 8
47] Stop Subsidizing Pollution – March 8
48] WIB peace vigils – Mar. 8
49] White House vigil -- Mar. 8
50] Protest at the Saudi embassy – March 8
51] We Were There – March 8
52] Anti-War Speak Out – March 8
53] Black Lives Matter – March 8
54] THE BATTLE FOR RANKED CHOICE VOTING – March 8
55] Film EATING ANIMALS -- Mar. 8
56] White Supremacy – Mar. 8
57] Ballroom Dancing – Mar. 8
58] Vigil to End the Nuclear Danger – March 9
59] Peace Vigil – March 9
60] Volunteer to organize with ANSWER – March 9
61] Protest Mano Swartz Furs – Mar. 9
62] Come to a former CCC WWII Conscientious Objectors Camp -- Mar. 9
63] Computer Literacy classes for immigrant women – Mar. 9
64] Housing & the Comprehensive Plan – Mar. 9
65] In the Name of the People – Mar. 9
66] Kings Bay Plowshares are hiring
67] Emergency Demonstration against an attack on Venezuela or Iran  
68] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records  
69] Do you need any book shelves?
70] Join the Global Zero campaign
71] Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil
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45] – On Fri., Mar. 8 you can make a donation at www.foodrescuebaltimore.org.  Food Rescue Baltimore currently recovers and redistributes over 5,000 lbs. of food across nine different struggling Baltimore neighborhoods per week. With every dollar of your support, the group is able to provide a full week's worth of groceries to one struggling Baltimore resident.  On Sat., March 9, the director Matthew Burke will be competing in the Bel Monte 50 -- a 52.4 mile endurance run in the mountains of Northern VA -- in order to raise awareness and funds for Food Rescue.  A contribution of $52 (a dollar per mile) can help bring food security to a struggling individual for an entire year. See https://www.facebook.com/events/430454464363945/.

46] – On Fri., Mar. 8 from  10 AM  to noon, come to Forum Breaking the Silence, hosted by DC Mayor's Office on Latino Affairs, 2000 14th St. NW,  2nd Floor, WDC 20009.  “Breaking the Silence, Being a Latina in the District of Columbia” aims to address the challenges of being a Latina in the District of Columbia, raise awareness, and propose solutions to overcome those challenges. See https://www.facebook.com/events/1500165933451604/.

47] – On Fri., Mar. 8 from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM, speak out to Stop Subsidizing Pollution, hosted by Clean Water Action Maryland at the Miller Senate Office Building, 1 West Wing, 11 Bladen St., Annapolis 21401.  Burning trash is not clean energy - but Maryland subsidizes it as though it were. The BRESCO trash incinerator in Baltimore City and Covanta incinerator in Montgomery County receive millions of dollars in state subsidies every year, subsidies that should go toward real climate solutions like wind and solar. The House Economic Matters Committee will hold its public hearing on House Bill 961: part of a bipartisan initiative to remove trash incineration from the Tier 1 classification of the Renewable Portfolio Standard and take away its subsidies. Speak out in Annapolis to tell the House of Delegates: no more cash for burning trash! Rides will be available from Baltimore — sign up here to join a carpool or to offer a ride: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScsL6FMdrJL2Pg5d93TeSyLFsZXSxezOGbVCjCNVDX5N2mF2w/viewform. See https://www.facebook.com/events/254695265448067/.

48] – On Fri., Mar. 8 from noon to 1 PM, join a Women in Black peace vigil. A vigil will take place in McKeldin Square at the corner of Light and Pratt Sts.  STAY FOR LUNCH at Baba's Kitchen.  Warm-up, dry off, and enjoy a vegetarian chili lunch and lots of good conversation. Bring a side or topping for the chili.  There are still places at the table; invite a friend to come along with you.

Another vigil is at Roland Park Place, 830 W. 40th St, Baltimore. 21211. However, if weather is iffy, contact Anne at awyattbr@gmail.com.  Lunch will take place at 1 PM at the RPP CafĂ©, 830 W. 40th St., Baltimore 21211.

A third vigil will be in Chestertown, Kent County at Memorial Park at Cross Street and Park Row.  This vigil is looking for more peace bodies on the Eastern Shore.  Welcome to the network, Chestertown Women in Black.

Wear black. Dress for who knows what kind of weather.  Peace signs will be available. When there are others to stand with, you don't need to carry the burden alone. Do this to be in solidarity with others....when everything around us says “Be afraid of the stranger.” Carpool and parking available. Just send an email that you need a ride to: wibbaltimore@peacepath911.org.

49] – On Fri.,  Mar. 8 from noon to 1 PM, join the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in a vigil urging the powers that be to abolish war and torture, to disarm all weapons, to end indefinite detention, to close Guantanamo, to establish justice for all and help create the Beloved Community! This vigil will take place at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Contract Art @ artlaffin@hotmail.com or at 202-360-6416.

50] – On Fri., Mar. 8 from  noon to 1 PM, there is an International Women's Day Protest at Saudi Embassy, hosted by CODEPINK: Women For Peace, 601 New Hampshire Ave. NW, WDC 20037.  Protest against the detainment of Saudi women's rights activists.  Honor these women who have challenged the repressive policies of Saudi Arabia and demand for their immediate release! Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1736178646527005/.

51] – On Fri., Mar. 8 from 3 to 5 PM, hear We Were There, hosted by Labor Heritage Foundation at the AFL-CIO, 815 16th St. NW, WDC 20006.  This is a multi-media women's labor history project featuring voices, songs and projected images depicting our sisters' struggles from abolitionist Sojourner Truth, fighting for women's rights to Dolores Huerta fighting on behalf of the farmworkers of today. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/477339219420931/.

52] –The Philly Anti-War Reach-Out takes place at the 30th Street Train Station, the corner of 30th & Market Sts., Philadelphia 19104, on Fri., March 8 from 4 to 5 PM. There will be banners, signs and leaflets. Reach-Out to people because only we can stop endless war and the drone war command center in Horsham.  Only we can stop Trump, the hate, the  violence and militarism of the these deadly times  epitomized in the U.S. record high Pentagon budget, more  nuclear weapons in the hands of Commander-in-Chief Trump, and his plan to set up a new separate STAR FORCE command in space (i.e. to assure U.S. military dominance in the militarization of space),  Reach-out to people, our neighbors, as they head home, some to homes in Bucks and Montgomery Counties, and Horsham – home to the drone war command center at the Horsham Air Guard Station and in King of Prussia, Lockheed Martin, #1 war profiteer from drone to nuclear warfare.  Reach the Brandywine Peace Community at 484-574-1148 or www.brandywinepeace.com. These 2nd Friday of the month  ‘Reach-Outs’ in Philadelphia alternate between the 30th Street Train Station corner at 30th & Market Sts and the SEPTA entrance at 15th & Market Streets, across from Phila. City Hall west side.

53] – There is usually a silent vigil on Fridays, from 5 to 6 PM, sponsored by Homewood Friends Meeting, outside the Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St.  The next scheduled vigil is on Mar. 8. Black Lives Matter.  

54] – On Fri., Mar. 8 from 5 to 7:30 PM, get involved with The Battle for Ranked Choice Voting at Carnegie Institution for Science, 1530 P St. NW, WDC 20005.  Tickets are at www.brownpapertickets.com.  See the DC Premiere of THE BATTLE FOR RANKED CHOICE VOTING at the DC Independent Film Festival, along with the feature, THE FEMINIST. After the films there will be will be a panel discussion with Cynthia Terrell (RepresentWomen), Rob Richie (FairVote) and the filmmakers, followed by a celebration of Women in Film with WIFV! Get over to https://www.facebook.com/events/366337987523707/.

55] – On Fri., Mar. 8 from  6 PM  to 8 PM, seethe film EATING ANIMALS, hosted by The Humane League – DC at JHU, Wolman Theatre, 3339 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218-3223. CARE (Compassion, Awareness, Responsible, Eating) at Johns Hopkins University is hosting the screening of a film which raises awareness of factory farming. Vegan snacks will be provided!  See https://johnshopkins.campuslabs.com/engage/event/3164689.

56] – Hear about White Supremacy and Sacred Disobedience in Charlottesville with Eric Martin on Fri., March 8 at 7:30 PM at Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, 503 Rock Creek Church Rd. NW, WDC. 20010.  In response to the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville on August 12, 2017, the local clergy worked with Anarchist People of Color, Black Lives Matter, and other local groups to witness against white supremacist ideology and block the event from occurring. This talk will be one angle of the ongoing story of people of faith leading and following the leadership of others as the town confronts racist individuals and systems, from the lead-up to the rally through the present.

When the University of Virginia's library gave a private study space to Jason Kessler, who organized the violent rally and led a mob onto campus that beat students and faculty with flaming torches, Eric occupied his space and read a book. He was arrested, banned from campus, ordered to deliver all his library books to the police department, and received a thirty-day suspended sentence with two years of probation. He is currently appealing and a jury trial is set for April 29.

Eric is a graduate student at Fordham University and co-editor of The Berrigan Letters, Orbis Books, 2016. He is an aspiring Catholic Worker and lives with the Charis community in Charlottesville, Virginia.  Contact the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker: 202-882-9649, artlaffin@hotmail.com. See this link to an article about Eric Martin's arrest at UVA: https://www.ncronline.org/news/justice/catholic-activist-who-resisted-white-supremacist-charlottesville-faces-jail-time.

57] – There is an opportunity to participate in ballroom dancing, usually every Friday of the month, in the JHU ROTC Bldg. at 8 PM.  Turn south on San Martin Dr. from the intersection of Univ. Parkway and 39th St.  Drive on campus by taking the third left turn. The next dance will be on Mar. 8. Call Dave Greene at 301-570-3283; or email eneergdivad@gmail.com.

58] –The Vigil to End the Nuclear Danger, hosted by Consistent Life, will be on Sat., March 9 from 10 to 11:30 AM at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., WDC 20500.  Invite other people and groups who might be interested in participating or co-sponsoring.  There is increasingly ominous news from the recent collapse of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty to the Trump administration's pursuing new "low-yield" nuclear weapons, which sadly makes the witness more necessary than ever. The United States and Russia’s recent decisions to abandon the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty has dramatically increased the likelihood of a new arms race. This approaching arms race, together with the new US-Russian Cold War, rising US-China tensions, and unresolved conflicts with North Korea and Iran, makes nuclear war a real danger today. In the face of this growing global danger, reject nuclear weapons and the catastrophe they threaten.

The new UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, signed and ratified by over 20 nations to date, provides a perfect opportunity to renew work against the mortal threat to humanity nuclear weapons pose. Peace activists everywhere should join together in this common work. Support the efforts of peace activists such as the Kings Bay Plowshares and the Nobel Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1214692845345422/.

59] – Each Saturday, 11 AM – 1 PM, Chester County Peace Movement holds a peace vigil in West Chester in front of the Chester County Courthouse, High & Market Sts. Go to www.ccpeace.org. Email ccpeacemovement@aol.com. 

60] – On Sat., March 16, thousands of people will march in Washington, D.C. against the Trump administration’s effort to engineer a coup in Venezuela and a new devastating war. On Sat., Mar. 8, International Women’s Day, from noon to 3:30 PM, come to the Answer Coalition, 617 Florida Ave. NW, WDC 20001 and join volunteers who will take to the streets to spread the word about the rally and march. Use the Shaw/Howard Metro (Green/Yellow Lines). Meet other local volunteers and activists, and organize to help build the crucially important Hands Off Venezuela National March on D.C. into a success! See https://www.facebook.com/events/297362127568521/.

61] -- On Sat., Mar. 9 from noon to 2 PM, protest the evil fur trade @ Mano Swartz Furs, 10801 Falls Rd., Lutherville 21093, hosted by Stand Up For Liberation. Innocent animals are trapped, anally electrocuted and skinned. Join us to protest the evil fur industry. Be their voice. See https://www.facebook.com/events/230368501107115/.

62] – Come to a former CCC WWII Conscientious Objectors Camp and hike and learn on Sat., Mar. 9 at 1 to 2:30 PM or Sat., Mar. 30 at 1 to 2:30 PM at Patapsco Valley State Park - Avalon Area, Shelter 1, Elkridge, MD.  Learn about Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) and the very first WWII Conscientious Objectors Camp in the country. Walk where these industrious workers once lived and worked, explore the Ridge and Valley View Trails. This walk will be moderate in difficulty. Dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes. This program is in partnership with Patapsco Heritage and Greenway. Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/802033340142061/?event_time_id=802033343475394.

63] –  Beginning on Sat., Mar. 9 from 1 to 4 PM, the Immigration Outreach Service Center will hold its second cohort of Computer Literacy classes for immigrant women. This is a great opportunity for women with some English skills to learn how to use a computer and how to search for jobs online.  Classes will be held at the St. Matthew Rectory, 5401 Loch Raven Blvd., Baltimore 21239 for three hours every Saturday through May 11th, with the exception of Easter weekend, April 20th. Email info@ioscbaltimore.org or call 410-323-8564.

64] – On Sat., Mar. 9 from 1:30 to 4 PM, get over to Housing & the Comprehensive Plan, hosted by DC Grassroots Planning Coalition at First Baptist Church, 712 Randolph St. NW, WDC 20011-5911. This is two blocks north on New Hampshire from the Petworth Metro.  This will deal with how to achieve deeply, permanently affordable housing for families by strengthening and enforcing DC's Comprehensive Plan. Defend DC's public housing, which is at-risk of privatization. RSVP to Parisa at Empower DC, parisa@empowerdc.org or (202) 234-9119 x 100.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/2303470299978573/.

65] – On Sat., Mar. 9 from 7 to 9 PM, the Liaisons Collective presents "In the Name of the People" at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 1225 Cathedral St., Baltimore 21201.  In the Name of the People is an analysis and reflection on the global populist surge, written from the local forms it takes in the places we inhabit: the United States, Catalonia, France, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Mexico, Quebec, Russia, and Ukraine. The upheaval and polarizations caused by populist policies around the world indicates above all the urgency to develop a series of planetary revolutionary interpretations, and to make the necessary connections in order to understand and act in the world.

Populism has now become familiar as a global phenomenon: from the eruptions of the far right in the West to the populist capture of the movement of the squares—Syriza in Greece, Podemos in Spain, the Five Star Movement in Italy, or Our Revolution in the United States—to the electoral victories of Rodrigo Duterte, Recep Tayyip ErdoÄźan, Narendra Modi, Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and Brexit, all alongside large populist gains in every European country. While disparate in many ways, these dynamics all share an appeal to combat the rule and sensibility of the elites, with the help of a figure that can channel the affective energies of discontent through operations of identification and exclusion. And yet, from the Narodniki to the Black Panthers and Zapatistas, to the emancipatory political movements which expressed themselves as the authentic people—Nuit Debout, the 99%, the indignados—history reminds us of revolutionary populisms.

More than a collective, less than a world, Liaisons is an inclination, a tangent, a crossroads of confrontations, encounters, and links, with authors from the United States, France, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Mexico, Quebec, Russia, and Spain. Liaisons is born from a need to share connections, experiences, ideas, and strategies; to refine what is common in our perceptions of the age; and to share a language with friends, from Seoul to Moscow, and from Atlanta to Barcelona. More than ever, today's crises take on a transnational scope: from the repercussions of wars that take place at the most local and global of scales, to the real-time global administration of the algorithms which make up our lives it is evident that today's political configurations and tendencies cross borders just as much as migrants and pipelines. Call (443) 602 7611 or go to https://www.redemmas.org/. See https://www.facebook.com/events/382884212505161/.

66] – The Kings Bay Plowshares 7 are looking for a SHORT-TERM PAID ORGANIZER.  Go to https://www.kingsbayplowshares7.org/help-wanted/ or contact Sarah Cool at 404.449.7893.

67] – It is a violation of U.S. law for us to attack a country that has not attacked us, as only Congress can declare war. The Trump administration is nevertheless beating the war drums for war against Iran and Venezuela. The Mueller investigation is tightening the vise, and could cause Trump to attack those countries in order to divert attention from Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Such a military strike would demand an immediate and unequivocal response from us to show that we will not tolerate his abuse of power.

Let's mobilize to show that we the people will not tolerate another military adventure, which would be bound to have profound negative consequences. If a preemptive military strike against Iran or North Korea takes place, then meet outside the War Memorial, 101 N. Gay St., Baltimore, MD 21202. If the attack is before 2 PM local time, then events will begin at 5 PM, local time. If the attack occurs after 2 PM local time, then events will begin at noon, local time, the following day. Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

68] -- If you would like to get rid of books, videos, DVDs, records, tarps and table cloths, contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at comcast.net.

69] -- Can you use any book shelves? Contact Max at 410-323-1637 or mobuszewski2001 at comcast.net.

70] -- Join an extraordinary global campaign for the elimination of nuclear weapons: http://www.globalzero.org/sign-declaration. A growing group of leaders around the world is calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons and a majority of the global public agrees.  This is an historic window of opportunity.  With momentum already building in favor of Zero, a major show of support from people around the world could tip the balance. When it comes to nuclear weapons, one is one too many.

71] – A Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil takes place every day in Lafayette Park, 1601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 24 hours a day, since June 3, 1981. Go to http://prop1.org; call 202-682-4282.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

“One is called to live nonviolently, even if the change one works for seems impossible. It may or may not be possible to turn the US around through nonviolent revolution. But one thing favors such an attempt: the total inability of violence to change anything for the better" - Daniel Berrigan


Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Baltimore Activist Alert -- March 6 - 28, 2019


25] Maryland Food Bank Benefit – through Mar. 28
26] Come to Witness Wednesday – Mar. 6
27] Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform Lobby Day – Mar. 6
28] Hate Has No Home Here Coalition -- Mar. 6, 7 & 19
29] School of Food and Food Rescue Baltimore – Mar. 6
30] India's Energy and Climate Policy – Mar. 6
31] Film “Naila and the Uprising” – Mar. 6
32] Volunteer for National March on Washington: Hands off Venezuela! -- Mar. 6
33] How to Start and Maintain a Nonprofit – Mar. 6
34] Celebrate the Baltimore Clean Air Act – Mar. 6
35] Health Disparities and Other Inequities – Mar. 6
36] Feminism for the 99% -- Mar. 6
37] Beatrice Fihn, the executive director of ICAN, at Johns Hopkins – Mar. 6
38] Korea Arts -- Mar. 7
39] Support the Ulster Project Delaware Spring Social & Fundraiser – Mar. 7
40] Students Against Private Police – Mar. 7
41] Film “Cubanas: Mujeres en RevoluciĂłn” – Mar. 7
42] Celebrate Eddie Conway – Mar. 7
43] Film NOWHERE TO HIDE – Mar. 7
44] Progressive Cheverly's monthly forum – Mar. 7
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25] – On Wed., Mar. 6 through Sun., Mar. 31, 2019, there is a Maryland Food Bank Benefit, hosted by The Admirals Cup - Fells Point, Baltimore, 1647 Thames St., Baltimore 21231. Do we give so we shall receive, or give because it feels good?  Giving has never felt better or made a more significant impact than this unique opportunity. The Maryland Food Bank and Harbor Magic Hotels presents “HOLIDAY GIVEBACK.”   Experience the adventures of the Fells Point at one of the two beautiful Harbor Magic Hotels: The Admiral Fell Inn or the Inn at Henderson’s Wharf.  Gracefully awaken to the aromas and tastes of a fabulous breakfast and set sail on your day in one of the most amazing places in America. Harbor Magic is donating 10% of dollars generated from this promotion to benefit the Maryland Food Bank. BOOK NOW at https://www.admiralfell.com/en-us/packages/maryland-food-bank-holiday-giveback-special?page_id=4266673. Call (410) 534-5555. See https://www.facebook.com/events/349755175583179/.

26] – On Wed., Feb. 20 from 9 to 11 AM, come to Witness Wednesday at Friends Committee on National Legislation – FCNL,  245 2nd St. NE, WDC 20002.  Tickets are at act.fcnl.org. Be at the Quaker Welcome Center every Wednesday for Witness Wednesday!   On Wednesday mornings, people can participate in a lobby training and talk to an FCNL staff person who will be on hand to help people prepare for lobby visits. RSVPs are strongly encouraged.  Then from 5:15 to 6 PM, there will be silent reflection.  This is in keeping with the Quaker practice of silent worship. The Quaker Welcome Center is located through the garden to the right of FCNL's office building. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/170498007153740/?event_time_id=170498023820405.

27] -- On Wed., March 6 from 10:15 AM to 1 PM, join the Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform Lobby Day.  Meet in House Office Building Room 142, 6 Bladen St, Annapolis 21401. RSVP at https://mailchi.mp/bb7da029ca6b/lobby-day-2019-march-6th?e=7c13ef6760.

28] – On Wed., Mar. 6 from 1 to 2 PM, Thurs., Mar. 7 from 6:30 to 8 PM, and Tues., Mar. 19 from 9 to 10:30 AM, come to House Meetings & Meals hosted by the Hate Has No Home Here Coalition at the Maryland Presbyterian Church, 1105 Providence Road, Towson 21286. Share a meal and organize ahead of the meeting with the County Executive about how to respond to increasing hate crimes and bias incidents in Baltimore County. Choose one event to attend, and RSVP by emailing Pastor David at david@mpchurch.org. Vegetarian and Vegan options will be provided. Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/392986831486000/?event_time_id=392986841485999.

29] – On Wed., Mar. 6 at 2 PM, and every Wednesday until July 24, 2019, School of Food and Food Rescue Baltimore will give out food at 1412 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore 21213. Bring a bag, bring a friend, and take delicious, nutritious, free rescued food. See https://www.facebook.com/events/2105994779640314/.

30] –  On Wed., Mar. 6 from 5 to 7 PM, find out about India's Energy and Climate Policy, hosted by ERE - Energy, Resources & Environment and Johns Hopkins SAIS Asia Programs in the Bernstein-Offit Building, 1717 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Room 500, WDC 20036. Hear from Johannes Urpelainen, Director, Energy, Resources, and Environment Program and Founding Director, Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy (ISEP) and Charles K. Ebinger, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council; former director, Energy Security Program, Brookings and former SAIS Adjunct.  India is the third largest CO2 emitting country in the world behind the U.S. and China. Its population is growing rapidly and is forecast to surpass that of China in 2022. India relies on coal for most of its power generation. Despite impressive economic growth rates, a large part of India’s population lives in poverty and 300 million people have no access to electricity. Historically, this has led India to give priority to economic growth over environmental concerns.  However, India did sign the Paris Agreement and has pledged to reduce greenhouse gases. Its INDC includes ambitious goals to expand renewable energy, energy efficiency and nuclear power. But reliance on fossil fuels will continue.   RSVP is required. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/293715727960340/.

31] – On Wed., Mar. 6 from 5:30 to 8:30 PM, see the film “Naila and the Uprising” at Busboys and Poets Brookland, 625 Monroe St. NE, WDC 20017.  Tickets are at www.classy.org. In celebration of International Women's Day, the film will be followed by a discussion with Just Vision's Executive Director, Suhad Babaa, and Anera Board Member, Sanaa Abouzaid.  The documentary shows that a nation-wide uprising breaks out in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and a young woman in Gaza must make a choice between love, family, and freedom. Undaunted, she embraces all three, joining a clandestine network of women in a movement that forces the world to recognize the Palestinian right to self-determination for the first time. The film chronicles the remarkable journey of Naila Ayesh and a fierce community of women at the frontlines, whose stories weave through the most vibrant, nonviolent mobilization in Palestinian history – the First Intifada in the late 1980s.
The film was directed by award-winning filmmaker and Just Vision’s Creative Director, Julia Bacha, director of BUDRUS, and produced by Just Vision’s Education and Public Engagement Manager, Rula Salameh and Rebekah Wingert-Jabi. See more at https://www.facebook.com/events/640785876339766/.

32] – Volunteer for the National March on Washington: Hands off Venezuela!  The Work Session will occur Wed., March 6 at 6 PM at the Justice Center, 617 Florida Ave. NW, WDC 20001.  Use the Shaw/Howard Metro (Green/Yellow Lines).  Join the ANSWER Coalition to continue organizing and working toward the National March: Hands Off Venezuela on March 16! See https://www.facebook.com/events/1788488964584140/.

33] – On Wed., Mar. 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, be at How to Start and Maintain a Nonprofit Organization, hosted by the Community Law Center, Inc., Second Floor Conference Room, Baltimore 21211.  The cost is $75.  The two hour workshop includes a copy of the manual: How to Start a Nonprofit in Maryland and is taught by an attorney with experience in nonprofit law. Class sizes are small to allow time for individual attention. PLEASE DO NOT PURCHASE TICKETS FROM INDIVIDUALS CLAIMING TO HAVE EXTRA TICKETS. That is very likely a scam, and only tickets to be purchased directly from our office or through Eventbrite will be honored. Call 410-366-0922 and visit www.communitylaw.org. See https://www.facebook.com/events/331005597507227/.

34] -- Celebrate the Baltimore Clean Air Act and also plan the next steps -- for a Just Transition to Clean Energy and Zero Waste from 6:30 to 9:30 PM on Wed., Mar. 6 at Thrive Baltimore, 6 E. Lafayette Ave., Baltimore 21202.  RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/362215127843312/. Feel free to bring refreshments to share. Drinks and snacks are available.  The Baltimore Clean Air Act will likely force the closure of the city's two large waste incinerators, possibly as soon as September 2020. Discuss how to use this opportunity for a just transition to clean energy, zero waste, and the many more jobs that come with it! Read more about the Act, info debunking Wheelabrator's lies, and tons of media coverage at www.cleanairbmore.org/cleanairact/.

35] – On Wed., Mar. 6 from 7 to 8:30 PM, join a Discussion Forum: Health Disparities and Other Inequities Among, hosted by the Woman's Democratic Club of Montgomery County, Maryland at the 1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring 20910.  Hear from two leading experts on the grave disparities for women in Montgomery County from Dr. Travis Gayles, County Health Officer and Chief of Public Health Services and Diana Rubin, 2nd Vice President, Montgomery County Commission for Women.  Montgomery County faces stubborn and, in some cases, worsening patterns of inequity across race, economic status, gender, and geography. Two troubling reports that detail uneven access and unequal outcomes across core issues such as health, education, economic security, and more. Read the population health report here (https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/HHS/Resources/Files/Reports/PopHealthReportFINAL.pdf) and the status of women report here -- https://stat.montgomerycountymd.gov/stories/s/2018-Status-of-Women-in-Montgomery-County/as7x-56qj/.  The presentation will be followed by a moderated Q&A, and suggestions for engagement on these critical challenges to the community. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/315935942391526/.

36] –  On Wed., Mar. 6 from 7 PM to 8:30 PM, get involved with Feminism for the 99%, hosted by Baltimore Socialists - International Socialist Organization and JhToo - A Call to Action against Sexual Violence at Johns Hopkins.  This is happening at 526 Mergenthaler Hall, Johns Hopkins Homewood Campus. Are you interested in socialism or feminism? Come learn more about both from organizers in the feminist movement!  With International Women's Day taking place on Fri., March 8, the hosts want to encourage everyone to learn about and get involved in organizing on feminist issues, whether or not you are a socialist (though we think you should be one, too!).  JhToo - A Call to Action against Sexual Violence at Johns Hopkins led to a historic decision by the Homewood Academic Council to revoke Professor Juan Obarrio's tenure and terminate his employment with Johns Hopkins University after he assaulted and sexually harassed a student last May.

Speakers will include Haley Swenson, member of the International Socialist Organization, as well as Heba Islam from #JHToo. They will share their experiences on organizing on and off the Johns Hopkins campus, as well as how feminism must be central to all our struggles against oppression and exploitation. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/239730756979587/.

37] - On Wed., March 6 from 7 to 8:30 PM at JHU’s Shriver Hall, 3400 North Charles St., Baltimore, the Foreign Affairs Symposium will be hosting Beatrice Fihn, the executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). In 2017, ICAN was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to "draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons." It is free and open to the public.  Call 443-997-9906 or email jrosen@jhu.edu.

38] – On Thurs., March 7 from 2 to 3:30 PM, get over to “Paintings, Songs, and Board Games: Travels to KĹ­mgangsan in Late ChosĹŹn Korea (1600-1900)”at Elliott School of International Affairs Room 505, the George Washington University, 1957 E St. NW, WDC 20052. As part of the GWIKS Lecture Series, the speaker is Maya Stiller, Assistant Professor of Korean Art and Visual Culture at the University of Kansas.  KĹ­mgangsan, also known as the Diamond Mountains, has a vibrant and rich history as one of the most famous mountains in Korea. In the late ChosĹŹn period, sophisticated knowledge about the mountain was a prerequisite to being considered cultured. Therefore, (aspiring) elite groups used a variety of virtual options such as travel accounts, folding screens, board games and songs to travel to the mountain and acquire knowledge about KĹ­mgangsan. These forms of virtual travel have an organizing principle in common that reveals pre-modern understandings of the arrangement of places and their histories to optimize the memorization of important cultural sites. Combining the study of visual, literary, sonic, and haptic dimensions of KĹ­mgangsan, this research complements previous art history scholarship which focused primarily on the mountain’s depiction in landscape paintings. Register at https://gwiks.elliott.gwu.edu/2019/01/15/mayas/.

39] – On Thurs., March 7 from 6 to 9 PM, support the Ulster Project Delaware Spring Social & Fundraiser with jive music at Dead Presidents Restaurant, 618 N. Union St., Wilmington. Order your shamrock at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe3_CTrMvWxoiZUdnAwGBXV-UhJ2S3hkmlrBYrehZlXC3f0Pg/viewform.

40] – On Thurs., Mar. 7 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, check out Alternatives: A Community Panel and Meeting, hosted by Students Against Private Police at Space 2640, 2640 Saint Paul St., Baltimore 21218.  The panel will discuss alternatives to policing in Baltimore City. Discussants will address the proposed Hopkins police. This event will provide students, faculty, staff and neighborhood residents the opportunity to hear from the leaders of progressive political and social movements serving Baltimore’s neediest communities and pioneering innovative solutions to unemployment, mass incarceration, criminal justice reform and youth violence. Panelists will present their work, followed by questions, testimonies, and conversation. Lawrence P. Jackson, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor and Director of the Billie Holiday Project, will moderate.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/601252770300507/.

41] – On Thurs., Mar. 7 from 6:30 to 9 PM, see the film “Cubanas: Mujeres en RevoluciĂłn,” hosted by Institute for Policy Studies at the True Reformer Building, 1200 U St. NW, WDC 20009.  Tickets go from free to $15. See www.eventbrite.com. On the eve of International Women’s Day, don’t miss the DC Premiere of this documentary by Maria Torrellas. It is a 90 minutes film with English subtitles. This film evokes the continuous role of women in the Revolution, both in the guerrilla struggle and in the construction of the new Cuban society, through the testimonies of heroines such as Vilma EspĂ­n, Celia Sánchez and HaydĂ©e SantamarĂ­a, the founding figures of the Revolution, and also of contemporary women from different sectors of Cuban society.  A donation is requested, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Reserve your ticket at https://cubanasmovieindc.eventbrite.com.

The film will be followed by a dynamic panel of internationalist women moderated by Violeta Curiel, IPS Development Assistant. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/2257393730972540/.

42] – On Thurs., Mar. 7 from 7 PM to 9 PM, celebrate 5 years of freedom for Eddie Conway!  This is hosted by Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 1225 Cathedral St., Baltimore 21201.  Conway spent four decades behind bars. A member of the Baltimore chapter of the Black Panther Party, he was incarcerated in 1971 after he was convicted of killing a police officer. During his prison time, he was an organizing force behind bars, agitating for the rights of prisoners and building networks of mentorship, education, and healing with the Friend of a Friend initiative. Released in 2014, he continued this organizing work, as a leader in the Tubman House project to reclaim land for community self-determination in West Baltimore, and as a producer for the Real News Network. See https://www.facebook.com/events/343279572952523/.

43] –  On Thurs., March 7 from 7 to 9:30 PM, see the film NOWHERE TO HIDE, as part of the Social Justice Film Series at Haverford College, VCAM Screening Room. The event is hosted by Center for Peace and Global Citizenship and asks the question How Do Survivors of Violence and Wars Narrate their Experiences through Documentaries? This documentary follows nurse Nori Sharif through five years of dramatic change, providing unique access into one of the world’s most dangerous and inaccessible areas – the “triangle of death” in central Iraq. Initially filming stories of survivors and the hope of a better future as American and Coalition troops retreat from Iraq in 2011, conflicts continue with Iraqi militias, and the population flees accompanied by most of the hospital staff.

Nori is one of the few who remain. When ISIS advances on Jalawla in 2014 and takes over the city, he too must flee with his family at a moment’s notice, and turns the camera on himself. Contact Stephanie Keene at sdkeene@haverford.edu. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/288959701800451/.

44] –  On Thurs., March 7 at 7 PM, Progressive Cheverly's monthly forums resume with a discussion on policing in Cheverly with Sgt. Jarod J. Towers, Acting Police Chief since October 2018. He will share his vision for Cheverly and its Police Department, followed by a Q&A. All are welcome. Light refreshments will be served. The forum will be at the Hoyer Education Center (cafeteria), 2300 Belleview Ave. Visit https://www.progressivecheverly.org/.

To be considered

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  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


Sunday, March 3, 2019

Trump's 'Axis of Evil': Pompeo, Bolton & Abrams


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

Trump's 'Axis of Evil': Pompeo, Bolton & Abrams

Common Dreams staff
January 26, 2019

https://portside.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/field/image/un-venezuela-01-26-2019.jpg

  US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on countries to "pick a side" on Venezuela, urging them to back opposition leader Juan Guaido in a Saturday speech at the UN Security Council in New York.
"Now, it is time for every other nation to pick a side. No more delays, no more games. Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or you're in league with Maduro and his mayhem," Pompeo told the Security Council.

  Russia accused Washington of plotting a coup attempt and had tried to stop the meeting requested by the United States. "Venezuela does not represent a threat to peace and security. If anything does represent a threat to peace, it is the shameless and aggressive action of the United States and their allies aimed at the ouster of the legitimately elected president of Venezuela," Russia's UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, told the UN Council.

    On Friday, neoconservative Elliott Abrams was appointed US special envoy for Venezuela.
“Elliott will be a true asset to our mission to help the Venezuelan people fully restore democracy and prosperity to their country,” Mr Pompeo said, according to Reuters.

    “It’s very nice to be back. This crisis in Venezuela is deep and difficult and dangerous,” Abrams said Friday. “And I can’t wait to get to work on it.”

     Abrams is known as the "Assistant Secretary of Dirty Wars," a title he earned during his stints with the Reagan and George W. Bush administrations:
  • In 1993, after a UN truth commission which examined 22,000 atrocities that occurred during the twelve-year civil war in El Salvador, attributed 85 per cent of the abuses to the Reagan-assisted right-wing military and its death-squad allies, assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights Abrams said: “The administration’s record on El Salvador is one of fabulous achievement.”
  • Abrams organized the illegal, covert financing of Contra rebels in Nicaragua behind the back of Congress, which had cut off funding.
  • Abrams lied to Congress twice about his role with the Contras. He pleaded guilty to both counts in 1991 but was pardoned by George HW Bush.
  • Abrams, a decade later, while working as special Middle East adviser to former president George W Bush, Abrams was an enthusiastic advocate of the disastrous Iraq invasion.
  • Abrams was in the Bush White House at the time of the abortive coup in 2002 against the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
  • Abrams helped lead the US effort to stage a coup to overturn the results of the 2006 Palestinian elections, complete with murder and torture.
   Also on Friday, a Wall Street Journal report confirmed suspicions that opposition leader Juan Guaido's move to declare himself "interim president" of Venezuela this week was highly coordinated with the Trump White House and Republican lawmakers.

    Guaido's move and U.S. President Donald Trump's rapid endorsement were quickly decried as a dangerous intervention—or the beginnings of a coup d'etat—which progressives argued would dramatically worsen the country's economic and political crisis. As Common Dreams reported, over 70 academics and experts signed an open letter demanding that the U.S. "cease encouraging violence by pushing for violent, extralegal regime change."

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License


Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  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