Thursday, May 22, 2008

Baltimore Activist Alert

Baltimore Activist Alert May 22, 2008 – June 6, 2008

"I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours.

The initiative to stop it must be ours." -Martin Luther King Jr.

Friends, this list and other email documents which I send out are done under the auspices of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center . If you appreciate this information and would like to make a donation, send contributions to BNC, 325 East 25th Street , Baltimore , MD 21218 . Max Obuszewski can be reached at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski [at] verizon.net.

The Baltimore IndyMedia Center publicizes peace-related events. Go to http://www.radicalendar.org/group/_baltimore.

1] Books, buttons and stickers

2] Web site for info on federal legislation

3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists

4] Eyes Wide Open exhibit available

5] No War with Iran Hunger Strike

6] Call Congress on vote to get SOA names

7] Support Indian labor trafficking victims

8] Profits at utilities? – May 22

9] House party for Green Party candidate – May 22

10] UHCAN meeting – May 22

11] D.C. Coalition meeting – May 22

12] No War with Iran bridge action – May 23

13] Protest WYPR/Urge Dan Rodricks to resign – May 23- ?

14] WIB Inner Harbor peace vigil – May 23

15] WIB Roland Park vigil – May 23

16] White House vigil – May 23

17] Silent vigil at Homewood Friends – May 23

18] Arlington North Sea of Tombstones exhibit – May 23-26

19] Vigil at Walter Reed – May 23

20] PeaceWay Festival – May 23-24

21] Peace vigil at Capitol – May 24

22] Olney vigil to end the war – May 24

23] African Service – May 25

24] Bridge peace vigil – May 25

25] Impeach for Peace Picnic – May 25

26] Mike Farrell at Pratt – May 25

27] Peace Walk in D.C. – May 25

28] Red Emma’s needs volunteers – May 25

29] Tent City planning meeting – May 26

30] Support Gitmo activists going on trial – May 27

31] Human rights sessions offered – May 27-31

32] War Is Not the Answer vigil – May 27

33] ETAN meeting – May 28

34] McCAW meeting – May 28

35] Israel/Palestine roundtable – May 29

36] Town Hall meeting on the war – May 29

37] Takoma Park peace vigil – May 30

38] CRIMES & MISDEMEANORS to be shown – May 30

39] Guantanamo Cell Tour – May 30-June 1

40] CIA demonstration – May 31

41] Westminster WIB vigil – May 31

42] Report from Tokyo conference – June 1

43] Film LIFE AND DEBT – June 1

44] Send in Bad Bush laws – deadline June 1

45] Death penalty demonstration – June 2

46] Pledge of Resistance meeting – June 2

47] Death penalty meeting – June 3

48] First Thursday protest against war – June 5

49] Ballroom dancing – June 6

50] Urge senators to vote against war with Iran

51] War Is Not the Answer signs for sale

52] Become a member of the Washington Peace Center

53] Click on The Hunger Site

54] Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil

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1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available. “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers in stock. Call Max at 410-366-1637.

2] – To obtain information how your federal legislators voted on particular bills, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/. Congressional toll-free numbers are 888-818-6641, 888-355-3588 or 800-426-8073.

3] – THE ORGANIZING LIST will be the primary decision-making mechanism of the National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR]. It will be augmented by conference calls and possibly in-person meetings as needed. It will consist of 1 or 2 representatives from each local, regional, or national organization (not coalitions) that wishes to actively work to carry out the NCNR campaign of facilitating and organizing nonviolent resistance to the war in Iraq .

To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email address to donmuller@msn.com. Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe.

THE NOTICES LIST will include only notices of NCNR actions and related information and is open to any interested person to subscribe. It will be moderated to maintain focus & will include periodic notices about getting involved in NCNR national organizing. To join the NOTICES List, send an email message to ncnrnotices-subscribe@lists.riseup.net . You will get a confirmation message once subscribed. If you have problems, please write to the list manager at ncnrnotices-admin@lists.riseup.net.

4] – The Baltimore American Friends Service Committee office has assembled an exhibit Maryland Eyes Wide Open which details the Human Cost of the Iraq War and reflects the costs of war to the state of Maryland. The exhibit consists of at least 40 pairs of combat boots, representing the US military deaths from Maryland; civilian shoes, tagged with names and ages of a very small fraction of the tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis who have died; a representative pair of combat boots and 7 red poppies, representing the estimated number of wounded US military personnel (approximately 7 times the number of dead); and signs and literature detailing the human and financial costs of the war on the cities and counties of Maryland.

AFSC will help with logistics and contribute to your planning for auxiliary events or activities presented in conjunction with the exhibit. For information on obtaining and displaying the exhibit, call 410-323-4200, extensions 20 or 21 or e-mail at tsteele@afsc.org or ggillespie@afsc.org. Go to www.afsc.org/midatlantic/baltimore-programs.htm.

5] – Start Loving is on a hunger strike 24/7 until late May on Capitol Hill. The Lincoln, a second carrier, is now threatening Iran , a virtual declaration of preemptive, illegal war. He is casting his vote for peace as loudly and heart-piercingly as possible.

6] – Call your representative at 888-818-6641, and ask to speak with the foreign affairs legislative assistant. Urge him to tell the Congressperson to vote YES on the McGovern-Sestak-Bishop (GA) amendment to the National Defense Authorization Bill for Fiscal Year 2009. The amendment would release the names, country of origin, rank and dates of attendance at WHINSEC, the former School of Americas , for graduates and instructors. This amendment is supported by the chair of the Armed Services Committee, Ike Skelton. All FOIA requests for this information have been denied.

7] – Support the Indian labor trafficking survivors who began a water-only hunger strike in front of the White House on May 14. They are demanding legal protections under U.S. laws and Congressional hearings on the hiring scams which took place after Hurricane Katrina. If possible, visit to offer your support. They were scammed by Northrop Grumman subcontractor Signal International, as well as recruiters from the U.S. and India . Go to www.neworleansworkerjustice.org. Contact Stephen Boykewich at 504-655-0876 or spboykewich@gmail.com.

8] – Casa Baltimore/Limay presents Utilities: Private Profit or Public Good? On Thurs., May 22, Tom Loudon, Quixote Center, and Maria Allwine, MD Coalition Against the BG&E Rate Hikes, will address the topic at 7 PM at St. John's, 27th and St. Paul Sts. Allwine will explain why deregulation occurred in Maryland in 1999 and the efforts to re-regulate. Loudon lived in Central America, including Nicaragua for 15 of the last 20 years. He will describe the current state of affairs in Nicaragua regarding water, electricity and attempts at privatization. Contact Barbara Larcom at blarcom at bcpl.net or 410-662-6292.

9] – On Thurs., May 22 at 7 PM, there will be a house party in Olney for Gordon Clark, running for Congress in MD 8 on the Green Party ticket as an antiwar, environmental candidate. Contact Mary Musselman (irishsetter.mary@gmail.com) or Jean Athey (jeanathey@comcast.net) for directions.

10] – UHCAN of Md.--working for single-payer health care--meets Thurs., May 22 from 7:15-9:15 PM at the Diocesan Center (of Episcopal Diocese of MD), 4 E. University Pkwy. Friends, newcomers, members are all welcome. Call 410.235.3504 or email info@mdsinglepayer.org.

11] – On Thurs., May 22, there will be a D.C. PEACE & JUSTICE COALITION meeting at 7:30 PM at Sarah's Circle, 2551 17th St NW # 103. Call the Washington Peace Center 202-234-2000.

12] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore will go on the Wyman Park Bridge at 8 AM on Fri., May 23 with banners stating NO WAR WITH IRAN . Call Max at 410-366-1637.

13] – Protest the illegal termination of The Marc Steiner Show from noon to 1 PM Monday through Saturday in front of WYPR, 2216 N. Charles St. You may consider calling the station to complain at 410-235-1395. Urge Dan Rodricks at dan.rodricks@baltsun.com to reconsider taking over Marc’s show.

Contact Max at 410-366-1637 to join the Save Our Public Radio Movement. If interested in listening to Steiner podcasts, email his producer Jessica Philips at Jes.philips@gmail.com. The Center for Emerging Media, for example, recently interviewed Andrei Codrescu.

14] – Women In Black sponsor a peace stand/vigil on Fri., May 23 from noon-1 PM at the Inner Harbor , corner Pratt and Light. Everyone welcome, wear black if you can. See http://www.peacepath911.com/ or write wibbaltimore@hotmail.com or call 410-467-9114.

15] – There is also a noon vigil on Fri., May 23 at Roland Park Place at 830 W. 40th St . Call 410-467-9114.

16] – A peace vigil takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM on Pennsylvania Ave., by the press gate to the White House. It is organized by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. Call 202-882-9649.

17] – There is a silent vigil on Fri., May 23 from 5 to 6 PM outside of Homewood Friends Meeting, 3107 N. Charles St. , in opposition to war with Iraq . Placards say: "War Is Not the Answer." The silent vigil is sponsored by AFSC, Homewood Friends Meeting and Stony Run.

18] – In Philadelphia , there will be an exhibit Arlington North Sea of Tombstones, Liberty Bell . It will be on display at the Liberty Bell , 5th & Market Sts. from Fri., May 23 through Mon., May 26. The exhibit is sponsored by the Delaware Valley Veterans of America. Go to www.arlington-libertybell.net or call 215-945-1269.

19] – SHED LIGHT ON US WAR CASUALTIES: FROM THE FRONT LINE TO THE BACK DOOR of Walter Reed Army Medical Center (North Gate), every Friday night, from 7 to 9 PM, 7200 Georgia Ave., at Elder St. , NW. Call 202-441-3265. Go to http://www.codepinkalert.org/Local_CODEPINKs_Washington_DC.shtml.

20] – There will be a PeaceWay Festival on Fri., May 23 and Sat., May 24 at the Providence Friends Meeting, 105 N. Providence Road, Media, PA (just north of Baltimore Pike & Providence Road intersection). It will include forums, music and art. On May 23 at 7 PM, Congressperson Joseph Sestak will talk on the current state of the Iraqi/Afghanistan occupations. On May 24, the day will start with a 10 AM Peace March from the Media Friends Meeting to the Providence Friends Meeting. From 11 AM to 4 PM, there will be a dedication of the Peace Pole and the Peace Garden along with other activities. Go to http://calendar.yahoo.com/providencemeeting. Email providencemeeting@yahoo.com.

21] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Sat., May 24. Look for the blue banner with the message, "Seek Peace and Pursue It. --Psalms 34:14." The vigil lasts one hour and is silent except when one responds to the occasional questions. Go to http://www.quaker.org/langleyhill/seekpeace.htm or email seekpeacevigil@yahoo.com.

22] – Friends House, 17715 Meeting House Rd., Sandy Spring, MD 20860, hosts a peace vigil every Saturday, 3:15 to 4:15 PM, on the corner of Rt. 108 and Georgia Ave. in Olney, MD. The next vigil is May 24. Call 301-774-9792.

23] – On Sun., May 25, the KALAFONG AME CHURCH invites you to a Prayer for Africa at 11 AM at the HISPANIC SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST DAY CHUCH, 5100 Edmondson Ave., Baltimore 21229 . Contact Rev. Dr. Duane Rawlings at realministr@aol.com. Go to www.orgsites.com\md\kalafong-ame-mission-church/index.html.

24] – Maryland Bridges for Peace welcomes you to stand for peace Sundays from noon (or thereabouts) to 1 PM on the Spa Creek Bridge in Annapolis . Contact Lucy at 410-263-7271 or mdbridgesforpeace@toadmail.com. Signs are not allowed to be on a stick or pole. If there is interest, people will be standing on the Stoney Creek Bridge on Fort Smallwood Road in Pasadena [410-437-5379 or magicalgodmom@aol.com]. Go to http://BridgePeace.blogspot.com/.

25] – On Sun., May 25, there will be an IMPEACH FOR PEACE PICNIC from 2 to 5 PM by the Washington Monument on the Grassy Knoll, between 14th and 15th Sts. Again like last month, participants will create a giant peace sign and photographs will be taken from the top of the Washington Monument . Come with banners, signs, blankets and picnic lunches to help make a giant peace sign and spell IMPEACH. The rain date is June 22. Call 202-234-2000.

26] – On Sun., May 25 at 3 PM, the Enoch Pratt Free Library and ACLU of Maryland present Mike Farrell who will discuss his book JUST CALL ME MIKE: A Journey From Actor To Activist in the library’s Wheeler Auditorium, 400 Cathedral St. He will sign copies of his book, which reflects on his career as an actor on M*A*S*H and Desperate Housewives and his life as an activist with Human Rights Watch, Artists United to Win Without War and Death Penalty Focus. Go to http://www.prattlibrary.org.

27] – Join the weekly Peace Walk on the Mall at 4 PM on Sun., May 25 starting at the WWII Memorial ( 17th St .). Northern Virginians for Peace and Justice will commence a weekly Peace Walk on the Mall. The walk will be from the World War II Memorial to the Lincoln Memorial and back via Constitution and Independence Aves. Contact Ken at kiask@comcast.net.

28] – Red Emma’s needs volunteers. Stop in to the weekly Sunday meeting at 7 PM at 800 St. Paul St. or email info@redemmas.org. The next meeting is May 25. Call 410-230-0450.

29] – There will be a Tent City Protest planning meeting at 7 PM on Mon., May 26 at the CODEPINK DC House, 712 5th St, NE, between G & H Sts. (five blocks from Union Station- Red Line). Help set the date and plan the logistics. The theme of the TENT CITY PROTEST Summer 2008 is to BUILD THE WORLD WE KNOW IS POSSIBLE. Thousands of people are making plans to set up a tent city outside the White House and Capitol Buildings in Washington D.C, as soon as final exams are over this May. Go to http://www.consensus.net/tent_city_protest.html.

30] – On Tues., May 27 at 7:30 AM, march from the Supreme Court to D.C. Superior Court, 500 Indiana Ave., NW to support some 35 activists arrested on January 11 calling for the closure of Guantanamo. After an 8:30 AM press conference, people will go to court. The trial is expected to go from May 27 through May 30. Contact Jean Athey at jlathey@hprg.com or go to http://www.witnesstorture.org/node.

31] – From Tues., May 27 through Sat., May 31, a course on human rights will be offered at the University of District Columbia , 4200 Connecticut Ave. , NW, WDC. It is organized by Joshua Cooper, Ph.D., of the Univ. of Hawaii Inst. for Human Rights. There is a charge on a sliding scale for participating in one or more sessions. Email joshua@hawaii.edu or call 808-542-7204. Go to www.humanrightshawaii.org.

32] – There is a vigil to say "War Is Not the Answer" each Tuesday since September 11, 2001 at 4806 York Road . Join this ongoing vigil. The next vigil is May 27 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM.

33] – The meeting of the D.C. Chapter of the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) is scheduled for 7 PM on Wed., May 28 at Corado's Guatemalan Restaurant (Mt. Pleasant), 3217 Mount Pleasant St. NW, WDC. Use the Columbia Heights Metro on the Green Line or Metro bus 42, S2/S4. Email etandc@etan.org. Go to www.etan.org.

34] – The next McCAW [Montgomery County Coalition for Alternatives to War] meeting is Wed., May 28 at 7:30 PM at the Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church (Classroom 1-2, in the basement) in Bethesda, Maryland. McCaw meets the fourth Wednesday of the month.

35] – On Thurs., May 29, the WEEKLY ROUNDTABLE SEEKING A JUST PEACE IN PALESTINE/ISRAEL takes place from 12:30 - 1:30 PM at Potter's House, 1658 Columbia Road NW, WDC. Join a civil discourse which explores the history, issues, myths, realities, and truth of the conflict between Israel and Palestine . Contact Alice Azzouzi at 202-232-5483.

36] – Annapolis Alderperson Sam Shropshire has called a town hall meeting on Thurs., May 29 at 7 PM in the City Council chambers, 160 Duke of Gloucester St., Annapolis, MD 21401, to discuss the cost of the Iraq War and occupation on the local economy. This is the first time that an elected official in this Navy-oriented town has taken such an initiative. Greg Speeter of the National Priorities Project will be leading the discussion. Anne Arundel Peace Action has worked closely with Alderperson Shropshire. All are invited to attend regardless of where you live. Call 443-603-1516 or email sam@aldermansam.com. Go to www.aldermansam.com.

37] – Join the Takoma Park peace vigil, which takes place the last Friday of the month from 5 to 6 PM at Takoma Junction (Rte. 410 and Carroll Ave. ). The next vigil to end occupation in Iraq , Palestine and the White House will be May 30. Call 301-589-5410 or go to www.Tpkids4peace.org.

38] – The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee is hosting its latest FILM & SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS VIDEO SERIES. The next film, CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS [ U.S. , 1989], will be shown Fri., May 30 at AFSC, 4806 York Road [three blocks north of Cold Spring Lane ]. Doors open at 7 PM, and the video starts at 7:30 PM. A discussion follows. There is no charge, and refreshments will be available. Call 410-366-1637.

Writer/director Woody Allen plays Cliff, a failed filmmaker, and Martin Landau is Judah, a successful ophthalmologist. Both characters must deal with a moral crisis. Other performers are Mia Farrow, Anjelica Huston, Jerry Orbach, Alan Alda and Joanna Gleason. In this homage to Dostoevsky, Allen exposes his characters to moral quandaries and asks if they must pay a price for "crimes and misdemeanors." The film takes place during the Reagan-Bush years when administration officials were deeply involved in high crimes and some misdemeanors.

39] – Amnesty International's Guantanamo Cell Tour is coming to Philadelphia from Fri., May 30 through Sun., June 1 at Dilworth Plaza (adjacent to Philadelphia City Hall), 1400 JFK Blvd. The hours are 1 to 7 PM on May 30, 9 AM to 7 PM on May 31 and from 10 AM to 4 PM on June 1. AI has made a replica of a Guantánamo Bay prison cell which visitors can enter. Email PACellTour@gmail.com.

40] – Demonstrate against torture at CIA headquarters on Sat., May 31 from 11 AM to 5 PM at Dolley Madison and Georgetown Pike [along Route 193. Bring banners and orange jumpsuits.

41] – Westminster WIB holds a vigil the last Saturday of the month. On May 31 meet at 2 PM in front of the library on Main St. Please wear black, everyone welcome at all stands, signs provided. Contact wibwestminster@mizmail.com

42] – On Sun., June 1 from 9 to 11 AM at Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St., NW, WDC 20009, Ellen Thomas of the Proposition One Committee and WPC Co-Coordinator Jay Marx will report back from a conference celebrating Article 9 (the Peace Plank) of the Japanese constitution, attended by over 10,000 people in Tokyo, Japan. They presented a workshop about DC's successful citizen initiative to ban nuclear weapons in 1993, and connected with peace-positive people from across the globe. Call 202-234-2000 or email wpc@igc.org.

43] – LIFE AND DEBT will be shown on Sun., June 1 at 12:30 PM at the Foundry United Methodist Church , 1500 16th St .., NW. The film takes a moving look at the effects of “structural adjustment policies” and other consequences of the WTO, World Bank and IMF conditions imposed on poor countries. The country in the film is Jamaica. Go to http://www.lifeanddebt.org/about.html. Call 202-234-2000 or email wpc@igc.org.

44] – The Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute is preparing a small book for activists, UNDOING THE BUSH-CHENEY LEGACY: A Tool Kit for Congress. The institute needs information on every law passed by the Bush/Cheney administration that needs to be amended or repealed by the new Congress in 2009. Send your bad Bush laws report by Sun., June 1 to Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute, PO Box 673 , Berkeley , CA 94701. Call 510-848-0599, fax 510-848-6008 or email mcli@mcli.org. Visit www.mcli.org.

45] – There is usually a vigil to abolish the death penalty every Monday from 5 to 6 PM, outside the prison complex and across the street from Maryland’s death row, at the corner of Madison Ave. and Fallsway in Baltimore . The next vigil, however, is scheduled for Mon., June 2. Call 410-233-0488.

46]The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore usually meets on Mondays at 7:30 PM at the AFSC, 4806 York Road . The next meeting, however, will be on June 2, and the agenda will include reviews of the Gitmo trial, the distribution of peace diplomas and the bridge action against war with Iran and planning the next haunting of a legislator’s office. Call Max at 410-366-1637.

47] – The next meeting of the Baltimore Coalition Against the Death Penalty will be Tues., June 3 at 7 PM at American Friends Service Committee, 4806 York Road. The agenda will focus on a forum to discuss the Supreme Court decision on lethal injection and the Maryland legislation calling for a commission to study the state’s death penalty. Call 410-488-6767 or 443-838-3221.

48] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore hosts an End the War! End the Occupation! rally on Thurs., June 5 starting at 5 PM in Mount Vernon at Centre & Charles Sts. The Pledge gathers in Mount Vernon on the first Thursday of the month to protest the war. Call Max at 410-366-1637.

49] – There is an opportunity to participate in ballroom dancing, usually on the first and third 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 June 6. Call Anne and Dave Greene at 410-435-0967.

50] – War with IRAN ? – True Majority.org reports that the Jerusalem Post broke the news Tuesday morning: George Bush intends to attack Iran in his final months in office. There is a resolution already in the Senate called S. Res. 356. It's a straightforward and simple resolution that says, "A resolution affirming that any offensive military action taken against Iran must be explicitly approved by Congress before such action may be initiated." Tell your Senator to support and fight for S. Res 356: http://www.TrueMajority.org/dontbombiran.

51] – WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER signs from Friends Committee on National Legislation are again for sale at $5. To purchase a sign, call Max at 410-366-1637.

52] – Become an active member of the Washington Peace Center , which is now located at 1233 12th St. NW . All members are granted voting rights and are invited to join one or more of our many working groups. Members are asked to pay suggested annual dues of 25 dollars, or volunteer. Email wpc@igc.org - subject "membership.” The mailing address is The Washington Peace Center, P.O. Box 50032 , WDC 20019-0032 . Call 202-234-2000. Subscribe at www.washingtonpeacecenter.org. Send donations to The Washington Peace Center.

53] – The Hunger Site was initiated by Mercy Corps and Second Harvest, and is funded entirely by advertisers. You can go there every day and click the big yellow "Give Food for Free" button near the top of the page; you do not have to look at the ads. Each click generates funding for about 1.1 cups of food. So consider clicking.

54] – 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.

Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 East 25th St. Baltimore , MD 21218 Ph: 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski [at] Verizon.net.

"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


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