Calendar

9896
Mar
13
Sun
The Political-Military-Strategic Outlook for Russia in Ukraine @ Online
Mar 13 @ 10:30 am – 12:30 pm

Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library – Forum

The presentation will be a combo, the overall political-strategic outlook and, of course, the military aspect of the campaign.  References will be made to such Soviet era theorists as Mikhail Tuchachevsky, Mikhail Frunze, Alexander Svechen an artillery specialist and Leon Trotsky, and such generals as Georgi Zhukov, Vasili Chuikov, defender at Stalingrad and armored theorist, Pavel Rotmistrov.  And, of course, the importance of airpower will be included, with a comparison to the United States.

Our speaker, Mark Alberstson, is the historical research editor at Army Aviation magazine in Monroe, Connecticut; and, the historian for the Army Aviation Association of America. He has authored numerous books and has taught at Norwalk Community College. In May 2005, Mark was presented with a General Assembly Citation by both houses of Congress in Hartford, Connecticut for his commemoration of the centennial of battleship Connecticut.

LOGIN INFORMATION

Our Zoom room will be opened up, as usual, at 10:15 for anyone to join and discuss technical matters, catch up with each other, say Hi, etc.. The program (and recording) will begin as close to 10:30 am as possible and will end at 12:30, but the Waiting Room will remain open until about 1 pm for informal discussion.

ZOOM LINK

GOOD FOR SUNDAY, Mar 13, 2022 ONLY

Raj Sahai is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Time: Mar 13, 2022 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2591082607?pwd=TWVMZkFTOVRxRkppRWRVYzhQMHFTQT09
Meeting ID: 259 108 2607
Passcode: ICSS0313rs
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Dial by your location
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Meeting ID: 259 108 2607
Passcode: 3606619995
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kc4RrpvAiQ

69627
Sunflower Alliance meeting: Climate crisis & militarism — Note new time! @ Online
Mar 13 @ 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm

For Zoom link, RSVP to action@sunflower-alliance.org

Join local activists with the Veterans for Peace Climate Crisis & Militarism Project and Code Pink for a discussion of how US militarism—the single largest institutional source of greenhouse gases on the planet—fuels the climate crisis, and the growing movement to expose and fight this dangerous threat.

Vince DiJanich, a longtime activist in Veterans for Peace and the Climate Reality Project, will present the Veterans for Peace “Climate Crisis and Militarism” slide show that the horrific climate impacts of US military operations. He will describe the work of this project to raise awareness of this huge, little-discussed factor in climate destruction.

Cynthia Papermaster, longtime activist with Bay Area Code Pink, will describe their work to fight militarism and climate change.

The Veterans for Peace Climate Crisis & Militarism Project calls for  “reducing the unsustainable annual military budget; closing military bases around the world; de-militarizing US foreign policy; and redirecting funds towards mitigating the climate crisis.”

The project’s areas of focus include:

  • Promoting full reporting of and reduction of US military emissions;
  • Supporting peace, opposing US militarism, and working to reduce and redirect the US military budget for human needs;
  • Standing for climate justice and against racism;
  • Educating and mobilizing fellow veterans, journalists, politicians, workers, environmental activists and the general public about the role of the military in aggravating the climate crisis.

 

69629
Green Sunday:  The Struggle Against School Closures @ Online
Mar 13 @ 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm



The Oakland Unified School District board majority has again moved to close schools this school year, with others looming in the near future.  As with other rounds of such arbitrary action (most recently in 2019), the brunt of such austerity measures is felt in flatland schools overwhelmingly populated by black  and brown students.

Hillary Chen is both a teacher in one of these schools and a community anti-racist activist involved in the Oakland Education Association (OEA) and the DSA.  She will discuss her experiences and the campaign of resistance  to these closures.

Additional speakers are pending confirmation.

Hillary Chen is an education and anti-racist activist, who is a member of East Bay DSA and Action 2020.  She is currently teaching at Parker Elementary School in East Oakland, one of the schools targeted to be closed this year.

Green Sundays
are a series of free public programs & discussions on topics “du jour” sponsored by the Green Party of Alameda County and held on the 2nd Sunday of each month. The monthly business meeting of the County Council of the Green Party follows at 7:00 pm, after a 30-minute break. Council meetings are open to anyone who is interested.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89559844652

Meeting ID: 895 5984 4652

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Dial by your location

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Meeting ID: 895 5984 4652

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbmHLDhwS9

69622
Mar
16
Wed
Fossil Fuel, the Military, and National Security @ Online
Mar 16 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Register here
Join the Green Sofa Cinema Series for a Zoom chat with Andrea Marr, a retired military officer and award-winning climate activist. Before the event, settle into a comfy sofa and watch The Burden from writer/director Roger Sorkin.
The Burden has been called “the most effective communications tool ever made for shifting the debate on clean energy as one of urgent national security.” The film underscores the US military dependence on oil. Our military is the largest global institutional producer of greenhouse gas emissions. For every $1 the price of a barrel of oil goes up, it costs the military $130 million. The Department of Defense consumes 50% of the US discretionary budget.

Writer/director Roger Sorkin has served as a communications advisor to the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence. His films have been screened at the White House, the Pentagon, the US War College, NATO Headquarters in Belgium, and are in the Annapolis Naval Academy curriculum.

Speaker Andrea Marr is Costa Mesa Mayor Pro-tem, a retired military officer, and a recipient of the White House Champion of Change Award for her work in energy as a veteran.

She has a degree in aerospace engineering, graduated from the US Naval Academy, led a division of 20 nuclear machinist mates on the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, and completed two tours in the Gulf. As a retired military officer, she has been working in energy efficiency and renewable energy. She is a frequent guest speaker on climate and energy for several organizations, including Operation Free, a nationwide coalition of veterans and national security experts who advocate for securing America with clean energy.

What can the average citizen do to influence military priorities and spending on fossil fuels? Congresswoman Barbara Lee (Chair of the House Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations) introduced H.R. 767 last November which, if made into law, will require the Department of Defense to do a GHG inventory and commit to lowering emissions from its more than 450 US military bases by increasing energy efficiency and relying more on renewable energy. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (on the Senate Armed Services Committee) called on the DoD to have its current budget reflect the urgency of the climate crisis. We can urge our members of Congress and US Senators to support H.R. 767, and ask friends and family in other states to do the same. Tell them about the film, too.

Green Sofa Cinema Series is sponsored by 350 Contra Costa, Generation Green, Sustainable Contra Costa and Sustainable Rossmoor

69630
Mar
17
Thu
Diversion Programs and Alternatives to Incarceration – Alameda County @ Online
Mar 17 @ 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm

69641
Mar
19
Sat
Strike Debt Bay Area Book Group: The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity, by David Graeber et al @ Online
Mar 19 @ 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm

Email strike.debt.bay.area@gmail.com a few days beforehand for the the online invite.

For February, 2022 we’re reading the first three chapters of The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by the late David Graber and co-author David Wengrow.

For March, we’re reading the next four chapters, 4-7.

For April, we are finishing the book.

All are welcome!

“A dramatically new understanding of human history, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution―from the development of agriculture and cities to the origins of the state, democracy, and inequality―and revealing new possibilities for human emancipation…”

Strike Debt Bay Area hosts this non-technical book group discussion monthly on new and radical economic thinking. Previous readings have included Doughnut EconomicsLimitsBanking on the PeopleCapital and Its Discontents, How to Be an Anti-Capitalist in the 21st Century, The Deficit Myth,  Revenge Capitalism, the Edge of Chaos blog symposium , Re-enchanting the World: Feminism and the Politics of the Commons, The Optimist’s Telescope, Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism, Exploring Degrowth, The Origin of Wealth and Mine!.

69533
Mar
20
Sun
Is the present Ukraine – Russia Conflict an  Imperialist  War? @ Online
Mar 20 @ 10:30 am – 12:30 pm

Description: Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine on the 24th of February 2022. As of now, hundreds of civilians and thousands of soldiers of both sides have lost their lives. Oil Prices have risen steeply. Working classes in the US and Russia and in fact all over the world will be poorer as a result of additional inflation, which in the past year in the US was already very high, at 7.9%. However, this war did not start in 2022, but rather in 2014, with the Maidan counter Revolution aided and encouraged by the US. There is a great present danger of this war spreading beyond Ukraine, if the US either directly or indirectly expands it.

The world is passing through a very dangerous moment . Why is this happening now? Our speaker, Raj Sahai. of ICSS, will try to explain it using Lenin’s thesis on Imperialism and War.

LOGIN INFORMATION

Our Zoom room will be opened up, as usual, at 10:15 for anyone to join and discuss technical matters, catch up with each other, say Hi, etc.. The program (and recording) will begin as close to 10:30 am as possible and will end at 12:30, but the Waiting Room will remain open until about 1 pm for informal discussion.

ZOOM LINl GOOD FOR SUNDAY, Mar 20, 2022 ONLY
Raj Sahai is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: ICSS Sunday
Time: Mar 20, 2022 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2591082607?pwd=NytIdFQwMU5UL3dWbjZ1YWN5R1J4Zz09

Meeting ID: 259 108 2607
Passcode: ICSS0320rs
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,2591082607#,,,,*7800486472# US (San Jose)
+13462487799,,2591082607#,,,,*7800486472# US (Houston)

Dial by your location
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+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
Meeting ID: 259 108 2607
Passcode: 7800486472
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kc4RrpvAiQ

69643
Palestine and BDS 101 @ Online
Mar 20 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

RSVP here for the Link!

Often the situation in historic Palestine is referred to as a conflict, but this obscures the huge difference in power between the two sides. One side has the latest in military and surveillance technology, and the other side is being pushed out of their homes and under legal restrictions on where they can go. The struggle in Palestine is an indigenous struggle of liberation against an ongoing settler-colonial project.

BDS – Boycott, Divest, Sanctions is a set of strategies and demands that come from Palestinian civil society, and they are a way that we can help support. They demand equal rights under the law, an end to the occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Golan Heights, and the right to return to their old homes.

Folks may have heard some controversy around DSA member and Representative Jamaal Bowman, and his votes and actions in support of Israel. The East Bay chapter passed a resolution in support of DSA BDS & Palestine Solidarity Working Group’s statement to expel Bowman. Please join us to learn more about this history and why the support of this struggle is so important for socialists.

69595
Mar
24
Thu
Support Ukraine @ Berkeley Old City Hall
Mar 24 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

President Zelenskyy has called for everyone to have demonstrations of support tomorrow on the one month anniversary of the beginning of the war. The Berkeley demonstration will be at 5 o’clock tomorrow at the flag pole across from the old City Hall on Martin Luther King.

69646
Mar
25
Fri
Wall Street’s Moment of Climate Truth
Mar 25 all-day

What: Digital Action Day
When: all day
Where: Online or Phone
Who: Extinction Rebellion & You

Wall Street is lying to us. On the one hand, they are making announcements about the Paris Agreement and Net Zero and investing in green technology. But on the other, they are funding companies building massive new fossil fuel projects that they want to profit from for decades.

This shareholder season, resolutions demanding an end to fossil fuel expansion will be introduced at the annual shareholder meetings of major Wall Street banks, and several major insurance companies. These resolutions are grounded in the best-available climate science.

Take a few minutes this Friday to send a message to these companies: It’s got to be people over fossil fuels. March 18 is Extinction Rebellion SF Bay’s chosen day of action. Can you send an email and/or call a CEO. Our voices matter!

Any time on Friday March 18th, please send an email or make a phone call to one of these oil-drenched CEOs and let them know you support these resolutions. These links from Stop The Money Pipeline will make this easy and provide scripts you can use: https://stopthemoneypipeline.com/customers/.

69635
Fridays For Future climate strike
Mar 25 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

#PeopleNotProfit

 

Join climate organizing powerhouse Youth Vs Apocalypse as they rally along with adult allies in downtown San Francisco as part of the global Fridays For Future climate strike on March 25th. #PeopleNotProfit

If you’d like to help out as a safety marshal, photographer, videographer, or other support role please get in touch with dawg@xrsfbay.org.

69636
Mar
26
Sat
Film screening of Naila & the Uprising. @ Online
Mar 26 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

69647
Mar
27
Sun
Marxist Perspetives on the Situation in  the Ukraine. Group discussion @ Online
Mar 27 @ 10:30 am – 12:30 pm

Description: Afteer brief presentations by members of the ICSS Progrm Commiottee, we will continue our discussion on the  

Our Zoom room will be opened up, as usual, at 10:15 for anyone to join and discuss technical matters, catch up with each other, say Hi, etc.. The program (and recording) will begin as close to 10:30 am as possible and will end at 12:30, but the Waiting Room will remain open until about 1 pm for in

Raj Sahai is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: ICSS SUNDAY
Time: Mar 27, 2022 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2591082607?pwd=NytIdFQwMU5UL3dWbjZ1YWN5R1J4Zz09

Meeting ID: 259 108 2607
Passcode: ICSS0320rs
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,2591082607#,,,,*7800486472# US (San Jose)
+13462487799,,2591082607#,,,,*7800486472# US (Houston)

Dial by your location
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
Meeting ID: 259 108 2607
Passcode: 7800486472
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kc4RrpvAiQ

69653
Mar
29
Tue
Virtual Arts Training for #DefundClimateChaos Week of Arts Actions
Mar 29 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Join us for this Virtual Arts Training with long-time movement artists and activists, David Solnit, Jetsonorama (aka Chip Thomas) and others.

On the training, we will walk you through step-by-step tips for pasting, using art in your actions, and setting up a pop-up art show.

This training is designed for people who plan to participate in the #DefundClimateChaos Week of Arts Actions

69637
Mar
30
Wed
Tune In: California Cities Surge Forward on Public Banks! @ Online
Mar 30 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

From Legislation to Operation: The Nuts and Bolts of Opening Public Banks in California

Join us for an exciting virtual town hall on March 30, 2022 at 6pm PST and learn about the groundbreaking efforts to start public banks in California! Keynote speaker Eric Hardmeyer will discuss the mechanics of the successful Bank of North Dakota – the nation’s only public bank in operation for more than a century – which he steered for over 20 years.. Eric will be joined by a powerful lineup of elected officials representing five cities: Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Francisco, Richmond, and Santa Cruz.

Register here

Serious efforts are underway to establish public banks in cities and regions throughout California. Following the passage of the landmark California Public Banking Act, elected officials and activists are working hand-in-hand to implement public banks that will serve as a powerful tool for local governments. Public banks are the pathway for governments to invest in the long-term sustainability of local economies and return profits to the public. We’ll hear from electeds and advocates on constructing business plans, viability studies, and the governance frameworks for California public banks.

Eric Hardmeyer, the former CEO of the Bank of North Dakota (BND), will share his experiences at the helm of the nation’s only public bank. He will elaborate on the mission, design, and mechanisms that enabled the BND to weather the 2008 financial crisis and successfully roll out more PPP loans than any other state during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Facilitator: David Cobb, California Public Banking Alliance

Keynote: Eric Hardmeyer, Former CEO Bank of North Dakota

Speakers:

Gayle McLaughlin, Richmond City Councilmember
Curren Price, Los Angeles City Councilmember
Miguel Santiago, CA State Assemblymember
John Avalos, Former San Francisco Supervisor
Justin Cummings, Santa Cruz City Councilmember
Robert Garcia, Long Beach Mayor

DONATE

The California Public Banking Alliance is a 100% grassroots, volunteer-powered organization. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support our critical work to revolutionize finance. 100% of your donation goes towards making public banking a reality in California.

Donate
CaliforniaPublicBankingAlliance.org

69639
What’s Up With Our Alameda County Jail System? Zoom Town Hall @ Online
Mar 30 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

What’s Up With Our Alameda County Jail System?

RSVP here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMpdOugpjkjGddBtsDFwoLE-Yfh_hth9Th5

Join us on Zoom for a forum in advance of the June primary election for Alameda County Sheriff and District Attorney.

Conditions in our jail have led to many unexplained deaths and suicides. “The system continues to fail Black and brown people, poor people, and those with mental illness.”
–Brendon Woods, Chief Public Defender.

YOUR VOTE MATTERS in the June 7th election for Alameda County Sheriff and District Attorney! Join us at this Town Hall on the justice issues that must be raised in the campaigns.

The CA Poor People’s Campaign is sponsoring this Town Hall together with Faith In Action East Bay, the Interfaith Coalition For Justice In Our Jails, The Ella Baker Center and others.

SPEAKERS:
–Brendon Woods, Chief Public Defender
–Kimberley Graves, Advocate for son with serious mental health issues incarcerated in our jail
–Rudy Howell, Re-entry staff at Rubicon & member of Oakland Police Commission
–Loni Hancock: Former Berkeley City Mayor, State Legislator, and social justice advocate

69655
Mar
31
Thu
Keeping Your Personal Data Personal: How Decentralized Identity Drives Data Privacy @ Online
Mar 31 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

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Instead of handing over your data everytime you log on to a platform, what if there was a better way forward? What if you could maintain control over your personal identity and share only what is needed? Enter decentralized or self-sovereign identity (SSI). In the future, we believe each person will hold an e-wallet and control his/her/their own personal information.

This Thursday, March 31, 2022, join leaders in Digital Identity: Kaliya Young for an introduction to Decentralized Identity, plus Lambert Heller of the Open Science Lab at TIB & Irene Adamski of Jolocom demonstrating ConDIDI — Conference Digital Identifier Integration, a self-sovereign identity platform for academic conferences.

This is the third in the series of workshops presented by the Metropolitan New York Library Council, Internet Archive, DWeb, and Library Futures. Register here for Thursday’s session, read the guides from previous sessions or catch up on recordings.

69663
Training session to demilitarize police in our community @ Online
Mar 31 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

AFSC and Council on American-Islamic Relations – SF Bay Area invite you to a virtual training event

Are police and sheriffs in your community allowed to tear gas children or protesters? To send the SWAT team to serve a drug warrant? What militarized equipment does your local police or sheriff have? When are they allowed to use it and against whom?

A new state law gives Californians a new window of opportunity to influence what militarized equipment local police agencies use.

Join our March 31 Zoom training to find out how. You’ll learn:

  • What is AB481? How does it apply to my community?
  • How do I find the relevant policy and hearing date for my city or county?
  • What are effective talking points for speaking up?

You can also use our AB 481 Advocacy Toolkit.

Register here for our 45-minute training session, Advocate for your community: AB481, militarized police, and you.

While Oakland and Berkeley have local ordinances on military equipment used by police, sheriff and police departments across the state, they are now required to comply with similar state legislation, AB 481, and will submit policies to city councils and county supervisors within the next five weeks.

Please consider joining us and spreading the word.

69654
Apr
2
Sat
Yard Sale Benefits: Yemeni, Afghan, Haitian Refugees
Apr 2 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

YARD AND ESTATE SALE (No Early Birds)
Treasures Galore!

All donated funds go to refugees from: Afghanistan, Haiti, and Yemen*

Household items, Bric-a-brac, Vintage Items, Costume Jewelry, Clothing (some vintage), Furniture, Books, Musical Instruments, and more

*Donated funds go to:
• Haiti: Haiti Emergency Relief Fund
• Yemen: Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation
• Afghanistan: Earth Activists Emergency Fund for Afghan Relief; Fellowship of Reconciliation

(checks can be mailed to: Fellowship of Reconciliation, Chicago Area Chapter, 705 11th St., #205, Wilmette, IL 60091)

Sponsored by CodePink Women for Peace

69656
The D.A. Recall and San Francisco Values @ Online
Apr 2 @ 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
This is online. Please register in advance at https://bit.ly/SFDArecall
to receive your personal link for this event.

Chesa Boudin, San Francisco’s recently elected District Attorney, is facing a recall election in June. It does not please certain interests in the liberal city that he is fulfilling his campaign promise of prosecuting police officers who use excessive force and fatally shoot without cause. This forum examines what it means to be a progressive prosecutor and the possibilities for real justice and public safety in a capitalist system.

Come hear:
Lara Bazelon – Law Professor at the University of San Francisco, on behalf of the Chesa Boudin anti-recall campaign
Dan Kapelovitz – Green Party Candidate for California Attorney General
There will be time for q&a and statements from participants.

This event is sponsored by the Oakland Greens, Bay Area System Change Not Climate Change, and the Alameda County Peace and Freedom Party.

suds_forum_flyer_-_4_22_edited.pdf_600_.jpg
69657