Thursday, June 5, 2008

Baltimore Activist Alert - Part 2

18] National health program meeting – June 7

19] Fleamarket – June 7

20] Peace vigil at Capitol – June 7

21] The New South Africa – June 7

22] ETAN job opening – deadline June 7

23] Olney vigil to end the war – May 31

24] African Service – June 8

25] Bridge peace vigil – June 8

26] Peace Walk in D.C. – June 8

27] Reflections on 1968 – June 8

28] Red Emma’s needs volunteers – June 8

29] Death penalty demonstration – June 9

30] Pledge of Resistance meeting – June 9

31] UN investigation of immigrant rights – June 10

32] Gasoline price demonstration – June 10

33] Alternative Directions fundraiser – June 10

34] War Is Not the Answer vigil – June 10

35] Marc Steiner on WEAA – June 11

36] Peace vigil in Philadelphia – June 11

37] Peace vigil in W. Mount Airy , PA – June 11

38] Peace vigil in Chestnut Hill , PA – June 11

39] LESSONS FROM IRAQ book discussion – June 11 & 22

40] EPA lead hearing – June 12

41] Israel/Palestine roundtable – June 12

42] BGE Rate Hikes meeting – June 12

43] Film BUNKER HILL – June 12

44] Green Party meeting – June 12

45] Report back from Tokyo – June 14

46] Westminster WIB vigil – June 14

47] Film ASHA GOES TO INDIA – June 14

48] Drum for Peace – June 14

49] D.C. peace coalition meeting – June 16

50] Death penalty meeting – June 17

51] Film ARNA’S CHILDREN – June 17

52] National Day of Protest Against Health Insurance Corporations – June 19

53] Film FINDING OUR VOICES – June 19

54] Caravan to Cuba – June 21

55] Pray for Peace – June 22

56] Video showing of RENDITION – June 27

57] War Is Not the Answer signs for sale

58] Donations needed to finish Winter Soldier film

59] SOA/WATCH seeks interns and folks for paid positions

60] Become a member of the Washington Peace Center

61] Click on The Hunger Site

62] Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil

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18] – The Maryland chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program will meet on Sat., June 7 from 9 AM to noon at the Mercy Hospital, Weinberg Building "Dublin Room,” 227 St. Paul Place, Baltimore, MD 21202. Join in at the first meeting of the renewed Maryland State Chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program. See the new movie HEALTH, MONEY AND FEAR. Breakfast provided. RSVP to conversationcoalition@gmail.com

19] – Don’t forget the Station North Fleamarket on Sat., June 7 (and every 1st Saturday) from 10 AM to 4 PM at the Howard Street Bridge - 100 block of North Avenue in the Station North Arts & Entertainment district. Over 50 vendors will be selling mid-century modern, Victorian past and post modern maybes. Plus there will be the usual casual junk, precious fake jewels and more than a few useful items you didn’t think you needed. Go to http://www.loadoffun.net/FleamarketVendor.html or call David at 410-962-7075.

20] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Sat., June 7. 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.

21] – THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA --Is this what WE fought for? The event takes place at 3 PM on Sat., June 7 at SANKOFA VIDEO AND BOOKS, 2714 Georgia Ave., NW , WDC. This EMERGENCY Town Hall meeting will discuss the attacks on immigrants and try to develop an action plan. Call 202-234-4755.

22] – The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) seeks a part-time advocacy coordinator to work with ETAN's national coordinator, based in New York , to organize the work in Washington , DC . The advocacy coordinator can be based anywhere on the East Coast but will have to regularly travel to Washington. The position will be half-time (averaging 20 hours/week), with a salary in the $15,000 range. To apply, send a cover letter, resume and writing sample to jobs@etan.org by June 7, 2008. Go to www.etan.org.

23] – 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 June 7. Call 301-774-9792.

24] – On Sun., June 8, 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.

25] – 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/.

26] – Join the weekly Peace Walk on the Mall at 4 PM on Sun., June 8 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.

27] – The Brandywine Peace Community supper/program takes place at 4:30 PM on the second Sunday of the month (except August) at the University Lutheran Church, 3637 Chestnut St., Phila., PA. Bring main dish, salad, or dessert to share. The program begins at 5:30 PM.

On Sun., June 8 the program "King, Kennedy, Chicago: 40 Years in the Wilderness, Is it Time to Cross the River?" will feature Rabbi Arthur Waskow, director of the Shalom Center in Philadelphia . Go to www.shalomctr.org. He is the author of many books, including THE FREEDOM SEDER (1977) and with Sister Joan Chittister and Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti THE TENT OF ABRAHAM: Stories of Hope and Peace for Jews, Christians, and Muslims (2007). As a Vietnam War era activist and writer, Waskow was a fellow at the progressive Institute for Policy Studies in Wash. , DC, and was one of the authors of "A Call to Resist Illegitimate Authority". Waskow was embroiled in the turmoil around the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago , both as a delegate inside the convention and in the street during the police riot, and testified at the famed Chicago 8 trial.

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 June 8. Call 410-230-0450.

29] – 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 is scheduled for Mon., June 9. Call 410-233-0488.

30]The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore usually meets on Mondays at 7:30 PM at the AFSC, 4806 York Road . The next meeting will be on June 9, and the agenda will include planning a visit to the National Security Agency, discussing the Ghosts of the Iraq War trial and organizing the next haunting of a legislator’s office. Call Max at 410-366-1637.

31] – Mexicanos Sin Fronteras requests your presence at a luncheon and community briefing for United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, the Honorable Jorge Bustamante, PhD. Dr. Bustamante will be visiting Prince William County to examine human rights violations in the county caused by passage of the anti-immigrant resolution. The luncheon and community briefing begins at noon on Tues., June 10 at the Casablanca Restaurant, 7911 Centreville Road , Manassas , Virginia 20111 . A donation of $10 is requested to cover the cost of food. RSVP to lyallna@comcast.net.

32] – On Tues., June 10, demonstrate at Falls Road & Northern Parkway from 4-7 PM to protest the outrageous price of gasoline and the fleecing of ordinary people by rapacious corporations like Exxon/Mobile and BGE/Constellation. Even though there is a continuing focus on the BGE rate hikes with the recent 8% increase to close to 15 cents per kilowatt hour, there is a need to challenge the outrageous cost of petrol.

33] – Alternative Directions works with women, and recently men, coming out of prison. The program has a recidivism rate of about 25% compared to the state's 80%. At the annual fundraiser, appreciations will be presented to five individuals who have made contributions to the program. Marc Steiner is one of the honorees. The fundraiser is on Tues., June 10 from 5 to 8 PM at the Douglass-Myers Museum in Fells Point. The cost of the ticket, $50, includes food and drink. The evening will include a silent auction. To receive an invitation or to get more information, email Stan Markowitz at smarkbalto@gmail.com.

34] – 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 June 10 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM.

35] – The Marc Steiner Show is back on Wed., June 11 at 9 AM on WEAA 88.9 FM, The Voice of the Community. During the summer, the hour-long show will continue each Wednesday. And in Fall 2008, the show will begin broadcasting daily Monday through Friday. Also you can listen to interviews by Steiner through his Center for Emerging Media podcasts. A new book is titled THE BEAUTIFUL STRUGGLE: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood. Steiner sat down with Ta-Nehisi, one of the sons, and his father, Paul Coates, a founder of Baltimore 's Black Panther Party, to discuss their relationship and the world of black men in America . To hear the interview, email Jessica@centerforemergingmedia.com.

36] – Each Wednesday from 4:30 - 5:30 PM, the House of Grace Catholic Worker holds a weekly vigil for peace in Iraq outside the Phila. Federal Building , 6th & Market Sts. The next vigil is June 11. Call 215-426-0364.

37] – Each Wednesday in clear weather, there is a peace vigil from 5 to 6 PM outside the Unitarian Society of Germantown, 6511 Lincoln Drive (between Wayne & Hortter) in West Mount Airy, PA. The next vigil is June 11. Call 215-843-4256 or email nwgreens@yahoo.com.

38] – Each Wednesday, there is a peace vigil from 7 to 8 PM outside the Borders Book Store, Germantown Ave. at Bethlehem Pike in Chestnut Hill, PA. The next vigil is June 11.

Call 215-843-4256 or email nwgreens@yahoo.com.

39] – Lessons From Iraq: Avoiding the Next War (Paradigm Publishers) sums up the "upside" of the war. Miriam Pemberton, Institute for Policy Studies, and Bill Hartung, New America Foundation, drew up their list, and enlisted the experts, many of whom have written whole books on these topics, to boil down what they know for the rest of us. The authors include The Three Trillion Dollar War co-authors Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes, pre-war UN weapons inspector Hans Blix, and Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner Frances Fitzgerald.

A discussion of the book will be held at Barnes and Noble, Rockville Pike, on Wed., June 11 at 7:30 PM. Another one takes place at Busboys and Poets, 14th and V Sts. NW, WDC on Sun., June 22 at 4 PM.

40] – The Environmental Protection Agency is holding a lead hearing in Baltimore from 9 AM to 9 PM on Thurs., June 12 at the Tremont Grand Historic Venue, 225 N. Charles St. This is an opportunity to tell the EPA to strengthen air quality standards for lead. Participants will be able to present arguments concerning the proposed rules, which are in error. If you would like to speak at the public hearings or have questions, contact Mae Stevens of Physicians for Social Responsibility at mstevens@psr.org or 202-667-4260 x 234. The hearing schedules, including lists of speakers, will be posted on EPA's web site at http:// www.epa.gov/air/lead/actions.html prior to the hearings.

41] – On Thurs., June 12, 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.

42] – On Thurs., June 12 the MD Coalition to Stop the BGE Rate Hikes has its monthly meeting at the Walbrook library - North Ave. and Hilton Parkway from 6-7:45 PM. Help plan the upcoming July demonstrations against BGE/Constellation and its theft of our money.

43] – The Film: BUNKER HILL will be shown at 6:30 PM on Thurs., June 12 at the UDC Auditorium, Bldg 46, 4200 Conn. Ave. NW, WDC. Get off at the Van Ness-UDC stop on the Red Line. The ACLU-NCA will premier a never-before-released, new feature movie, BUNKER Hill, about a former Wall Street executive who leaves prison and heads for the small town of Bunker Hill, Kansas. Fear in the town leads to the creation of a posse of gunmen, resulting in torture, illegal searches and, eventually, murder. RSVP to Beverly Miller at 202-457-0800 or beverly@aclu-nca.org.

44] – The Baltimore Green Party meets the second and fourth Thursday at 7:30 PM at the Progressive Action Center, 1443 Gorsuch Ave. [at Kirk Ave. ]. The next meeting is June 12. Email office@baltimoregreens.org.

45] – On Sat., June 14 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.

46] – Westminster WIB hosts a vigil the 2nd Saturday of the month from 2 – 3 PM in front of the War Memorial on Main St . The next vigil will be June 14. Email wibwestminster@mizmail.com.

47] – ASHA GOES TO INDIA: One Woman's Spiritual Journey Through India will be screened on Sat., June 14 at 4 PM at Emergence Community Arts Collective, 733 Euclid St. NW, WDC 20001. This is a locally produced film about an American woman who embarks on a spiritual journey through India . The producer/director Navin Kulshreshtha will take questions and speak about his experiences making the film. Tickets are $10. Buy tickets online at www.AshaGoesToIndia.com. Email navin@devistudios.com.

48] – Come drum for peace every second Saturday at the Unitarian Universalists of Fallston , MD , 1127 Old Fallston Road (across Rte 152 from Fallston High). On June 14, the drum circle begins at 7 PM. Call Franz at 410-925-9351.

49] – On Mon., June 16, there will be a D.C. PEACE & JUSTICE COALITION meeting at 7:30 PM at Sarah's Circle, 2551 17th St NW # 103. Meet to prepare for major DC demonstrations, with an eye towards the inaugural festivities of Jan. 20, 2009. Call the Washington Peace Center 202-234-2000.

50] – The next meeting of the Baltimore Coalition Against the Death Penalty will be Tues., June 17 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.

51] – Baltimore Tikkun, Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart, AFSC Baltimore Urban Peace Program, and the Morgan State University Muslim Students Association invite you to attend a screening of the film ARNA'S CHILDREN and a reception with Juliano Mer Khamis and Dr. Mervat Aiash of the Jenin Freedom Theatre. The film will screened on Tues., June 17 at 7 PM at the MISSION HELPERS CENTER, 1001 W. Joppa Road in Towson, MD with the entrance on Chestnut Ave. Call 410-823-8585 or email Balt_tikkun@yahoo.com.

Juliano Mer Khamis' film is a moving and critically praised documentary about the children's theater founded in the Jenin refugee camp by his late mother Arna—and the fate of 3 of the young troupe members. Dr. Mervat Aiash, professor of fine arts at the Arab American University in Jenin, is Chairperson of the Board of The Freedom Theatre. The Theatre was destroyed in 2002 by the Israeli occupation forces but in 2006 Juliano returned to Jenin to rebuild and renew Arna’s work. The Jenin Freedom Theatre now runs a full program. See www.thefreedomtheatre.org.

52] – The NATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST AGAINST HEALTH INSURANCE CORPORATIONS is Thurs., June 19. In Baltimore, there will be a demonstration organized by the Maryland Universal Health Care Action Network outside the CareFirst Blue Cross office, 100 S. Charles St. from 5 to 6:30 PM. Go to www.healthcare-now.org. Call 410-235-3504 or email info@healthcare-now.

In Philadelphia , there will be a HANDS OFF OUR HEALTHCARE! RALLY outside CIGNA, TWO LIBERTY PLACE at 16TH AND CHESTNUT on Thurs., June 19 at noon. This rally is organized by several groups, including Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP/NNOC). Contact Kathleen Casey, PASNAP/NNOC, at 610-567-2907.

53] – Dream Catcher Films, Inc. announces a special advanced screening of FINDING OUR VOICES Stories of American Dissent. Several voices from the film including Rep. Jim Moran, John Bruhns, Adele Welty, Sue Niederer and the producers will host a Q & A immediately following the film. Other film voices including Rev. Graylan Hagler, Gael Murphy, Camilo Mejia and Brady Kiesling have been invited. See the film on Thurs., June 19 at 8 PM at the Avalon Theater, 5612 Connecticut Ave., NW , WDC. Call 202-966-6000. You can get tickets in advance at www.findingourvoices.com. At the door, the tickets are $10.

Finding Our Voices is about standing up for what you believe. Through the lens of the last 5 years, this movie explores the passion and determination of 8 men and women who sacrifice their jobs, give up their retirement and risk imprisonment in their patriotic dissent of the war in Iraq. It is narrated by Martin Sheen.

54] – The 19th Friendshipment Caravan to Cuba will be in Baltimore on Sat., June 21 at 7 PM at the Baltimore Hostel, 17 W. Mulberry St. The evening will include a simple Cuban dinner and a program. The requested donation is $10. Call 410-366-8818. The local sponsors are Maryland-Cuba Friendship Coalition, Baltimore-Matanzas Sister City Association and Howard County Friends of Latin America .

55] – Fr. Charles Cloughen Jr. [mailto:frcharles@verizon.net] invites you to pray for peace on Sun., June 22 at 7:30 PM at St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church, 740 N. Calvert St. The Interfaith Prayer Partners gather every month on the 22nd and are looking for a mosque, synagogue, Quaker meetinghouse or church for November 22nd.

56] – The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee is hosting its latest FILM & SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS VIDEO SERIES. The last film, RENDITION [ U.S. , 2007], will be shown Fri., June 27 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.

Directed by Gavin Hood (TSOTSI) and starring Omar Metwally, Igal Naor, Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon, Alan Arkin, Peter Sarsgaard and Meryl Streep, the film tells the story of a family torn apart when the father is kidnapped by the CIA and tortured in North Africa . One riveting scene occurs when the victim is water boarded. While the story is fictional, it is very much what happened to the Canadian citizen Maher Arar who was tortured in Syria . The film has a back story: the head of the secret prison has a rebellious daughter who is involved with a student who may be involved in a bomb plot.

57] – 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.

58] – Displaced Films produced SIR, N0 SIR which told the story of the GI resistance movement against the war in Vietnam . Now that company is working with Northern Light Productions to produce the only documentary film that will be made about the historic Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan/Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations held outside of Washington , DC , March 13-16. To make a donation to this film, click here: https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=24841.

59] – SOA Watch is looking for summer interns and has some paying positions in the D.C. office. Help make the upcoming Nov. 21-23 Vigil to Close the SOA/WHINSEC one of the most exciting events of the year by joining the SOAW Staff! Contact Eric LeCompte at elecompte(at)soaw.org or 202-234-3440 with questions.

60] – 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.

61] – 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.

62] – 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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