Our local chapters around the state are gearing up for a big progressive push between now and the November general election -- registering new voters and contacting members of our community who may have become jaded about participating in what looked like a rigged game. We can beat the business-as-usual politics that have Maryland locked up and build a progressive state for the middle class and working families, not for the rich. Read on and dig in with us.

Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for August 20-27 2018

Statewide Action – Canvass for building power!

Progressive Maryland activists in all our statewide chapters are gearing up for lots of canvassing and base building in August and into September, followed by more contacts to expand Maryland’s electorate by registering and activating voters so the Blue Wave nationwide will wash higher in the Free State than anywhere else, and send Larry Hogan back to private life. Join us as we build power for working families throughout the state and elect Ben Jealous as a progressive governor who will put the state on the right course.

Canvass Monday, August 20 in Wicomico County

Find more canvass opportunities in September and October here.

OUR CHAPTERS AROUND THE STATE

Progressive Prince George's

Mass Liberation Training - Postponed

Our Mass Liberation training is postponed. We'll have a new date to you soon!

PMD Montgomery

PMD Montgomery is engaged on the county’s stormwater policy, which powerful forces are trying to, er, “water down.” Here is a recent blog on the controversy: Council Holds July 10 Public Hearings on the Storm Water Management Compromise

Frederick County Progressives

Sunday, August 26 Frederick Progressives General Meeting at 01:30 PM ·
C. Burr Artz Library in Frederick, MD   RSVP
Meeting Agenda includes - Get Out The Vote Ideas - Learn Endorsed Candidates - Increase the Momentum - Volunteer for upcoming events
After the meeting learn how to:  Get certified to register voters

Take Action Anne Arundel County

Issue & Action: Say No to Resolution 30-18 at the September 4th County Council Meeting

Anne Arundel County Council Chairman Michael Peroutka is sponsoring Resolution 30-18, a resolution for recognizing and declaring the humanity of pre-born children.

Yes, you read correctly. This is a county resolution to declare the humanity of pre-born children. The first issue is how is this relevant to the purview of county council? The council that makes decisions on zoning and land use is now going to weigh in on women's health? The second issue is the resolution asks for the county health department to track and send to the council information about the emotional and psychological impact on the women who terminate pregnancies. With all of the privacy laws in place to protect our rights as patients, how is this possible? And how will the council be using this information? Is this just a ploy to gain information to harass women?  

Planned Parenthood Maryland is organizing testimony at the September 4 council meeting. See Facebook Event here.  

Sign up for public testimony at 6:30pm. Anne Arundel County Council meeting starts at 7pm. Council meetings are held at 44 Calvert Street in Annapolis.

Be prepared for a long wait to testify. This Resolution is the last item on the agenda.

Chapter Events:

Thursday September 20 at 7pm -- Education, Immigration & Canvassing 

Take Action Anne Arundel County has been researching and planning local issue campaigns. Our first action is focused on Funding Education. The Education Lockbox Amendment is on the November 6 ballot. Voters will be deciding whether the state constitution is amended to require the state to use casino revenue to supplement the education budget. We all thought this was decided years ago but in actuality there was never a law in place requiring the state to use the casino funds specifically for education. We need the majority of registered voters to VOTE YES. Are you in? We need volunteers to help get the word out to registered voters.

Anne Arundel County is moving to an elected school board for the first time.  Take Action Anne Arundel County plans to have Candidate Forums for Board of Education candidates in County Districts 4, 5 and 7. We are looking for volunteers to help organize these forums. If Education is a concern for you, join us! 

Take Action Anne Arundel County will be kicking off canvassing events for the General Election beginning in September. We are looking for a Canvass Captain, canvass hosts, canvassers and phone bankers. If you want to support getting progressive candidates elected, WE WANT YOU! We will be talking about our slate of PM endorsed candidates during our monthly meeting. 

RSVP here

Other local events

Friday August 24 at 7pm - Film Look & See

The Climate Stewards of Greater Annapolis are partnering with Fair Farms to show the film Look & See. A discussion will follow the file with guests from the local farm to table movement. 

Annapolis Friends Meeting House, 351 Dubois Rd, Annapolis.  For more information and a flyer, click: Information here. 

Progressive Howard County

Baltimore City/County Chapter

Thursday, August 23 Community Listening Session: Mass Incarceration: "Fixing A Broken System" 
A PM Community Listening Session at Metropolitan United Methodist Church 1121 Lanvale Street Baltimore,Md 21217

Talbot Rising

Lower Shore Progressive Caucus

EVENTS FROM OUR ALLIES:

Tonight: Monday, August 20 – Reel and Meal at the New Deal presents

End of the Road, by filmmaker Tai Uhlmann, the story of a community created in Canada in the 1960’s and 70’s by American war resisters and free-spirited Canadians and Europeans. Film at 7 (free); a vegan meal served at 6:30 for $14. New Deal Café, 113 Centerway, Greenbelt.

Sat, September 15, Discussing Drug Decriminalization: Cannabis to Opioids – a featured speaker is Ben Jealous, gubernatorial candidate. Presented by Drug Policy Alliance  10:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT Montgomery College Germantown Campus 20200 Observation Drive Bioscience Education conference room 151 Germantown, MD 20876. More info and RSVP here

Baltimore comrades, Check in on Max Obuszewski’s highly useful calendar and tip sheet at http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/

To keep up with progressive events in and around DC consult the invaluable calendar at the Washington Peace Center, http://washingtonpeacecenter.org/alerts

It all happens for free… right? Not exactly. Organizing for change in our society and our high-maintenance politics requires both people and money. Keep change moving with a quick, secure impulse-buy contribution here. You know you meant to do it last week and now here you are again...

OUR BLOG POSTS IN THE PAST WEEK

Reading the Progressive Maryland BlogSpace: our blogs for the previous week are shown below, but if you want a handy way to keep track – and never miss a blog post – you can sign up to get this Weekly Memo by email. Remember this is your blogspace and your participation is heartily invited. See something going on that you don’t like – or that you do like and hope to see more of? Send us your thoughts; submit to the moderator at [email protected]

We recently published these blog posts:

August 17, 2018 Commission debates accountability for schools policy, improvement -- in shadow of election

The Kirwan Commission on education policy and resources is back in the news, and questions of how to fund good policy equitably across Maryland’s diverse school systems and communities are coming to the fore – just in time to cast light on a do-nothing governor who is actually working to make things worse by draining resources for privatization.

August 16, 2018 Media tell Trump "we are not the enemy." Why do they have to?

Over 350 media outlets this morning (Thursday, August 16) published editorials in a coordinated action to shout out to Trump that "we are not the enemy of the people."

Trump's attack on the media definitely demanded pushback, and collective action by a bunch of large and small (corporate) media is reassuringly solidaristic.

But the question of why people are less likely to believe their media is worth a separate look.

August 14, 2018 The Other InfoWars: Good Reads on voter suppression, white supremacy, QANON etc.

Posted by woody woodruff · 2:49 PM

A guide for the perplexed -- the craziness out there needs deciphering, and you can get that from this roundup of Good Reads on Trump's authoritarian test bench, white supremacy old and new and the phenomenon called QAnon.

August 13, 2018  Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for August 13-20 2018

Canvass for building power!

Progressive Maryland activists in all our statewide chapters are gearing up for lots of canvassing and base building in August and into September, followed by more contacts to expand Maryland’s electorate by registering and activating voters so the Blue Wave nationwide will wash higher in the Free State than anywhere else, and send Larry Hogan back to private life. Join us as we build power for working families throughout the state and elect Ben Jealous as a progressive governor who will put the state on the right course.

 >>REMEMBER – these blog posts are expressions of political opinion from our wide-ranging membership and circle of allies. They are not expressions of opinion by Progressive Maryland. Don’t be surprised if they sometimes vary in their political content. You might even disagree with them – a good reason to contribute a blog of your own. Send it to the moderator, Woody Woodruff, at [email protected].

>>Keeping up with the blogs is easier with the index. The blogs published in the PM BlogSpace from June 2015 through December 2016 are all available with descriptions and links here. You can follow blogs for 2017-18 starting from here