Baltimore Activist Alert - Part 2

38] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Feb. 20 – Feb. 23

39] Protest the death penalty – Feb. 20

40] Trita Parsi discusses his book – Feb. 20

41] Pledge/Fund Our Communities meeting – Feb. 20

42] Iranian Nuclear Dilemma – Feb. 21

43] Regime Security – Feb. 21

44] Frederick Douglass: 1859 – Feb. 21

45] Eat pancakes for House of Ruth -- Feb. 21

46] War Is Not the Answer – Feb. 21

47] Rising Sun Rise Again? – Feb. 21

48] Networking Mixer – Feb. 21

49] Black officials targeted? – Feb. 21

50] Human cost of war – Feb. 21

51] JUST WATER – Feb. 21

52] Religious Lobby Day -- Feb. 22

53] Ash Wednesday Peace Vigil -- Feb. 22

54] Gender in Turkey – Feb. 22

55] Support Single Payer – Feb. 22 & 28

56] Philadelphia peace vigil – Feb. 22

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38] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Thursday from 5 to 7 PM on WEAA 88.9 FM, The Voice of the Community, or online at www.weaa.org.   The call-in number is 410-319-8888, and comments can also be sent by email to steinershow@gmail.com. All shows are also available as podcasts at www.steinershow.org.   

 

39] – 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 Super Max Prison, at the corner of Madison Ave. and Fallsway in Baltimore.  Maryland's death row was moved out of Baltimore, but it was decided to continue the vigil. The next one is scheduled for Mon., Feb. 20. Call 410-366-1637.

 

40] – On Mon., Feb. 20 at 7 PM, Trita Parsi, National Iranian American Council, will discuss his book "A Single Roll of the Dice: Obama's Diplomacy with Iran" at Politics & Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC.

 

41] – The Pledge of Resistance/Fund Our Communities Baltimore usually meets on Mondays at 7:30 PM, and the meetings now take place at Max's residence.  The next meeting takes place on Feb. 20.  The proposed agenda will include reports on legislation in Annapolis, an anti-drone proposal, the latest on the occupations and Bradley Manning's arraignment on February 23. We need your help in alerting citizens from Dutch Ruppersberger's Congressional district that he supports the use of drones.  Go to www.knowdrones.com. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net for directions.

 

42] – On Tues., Feb. 21 from 10:45 AM to noon, catch a panel discussion with Hans Blix, former director general of the IAEA; Colin Kahl, former Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for the Middle East; Robert Kelley, former Chief Inspector for the IAEA in Iraq; and Trita Parsi, National Iranian American Council. The event, "The Iranian Nuclear Dilemma: Risk of an Iraq Sequel?," sponsored by the National Iranian American Council. Will take place in B339 Rayburn House Office Building, WDC. RSVP to rsvp@niacouncil.org.

 

43] – On Tues., Feb. 21 from 12:30 to 2 PM, catch Gregory Koblentz, George Mason Univ., who will address "Regime Security: A New Model for Understanding the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction" at the National Defense Univ., Lincoln Hall, Suite 2400, 260 5th Ave. SW, WDC. RSVP to Nina Gerami at Nima.Gerami@ndu.edu.

 

44] – Frederick Douglass: 1859 by Douglass Peartree is a dramatization of Douglass' life from his birth into slavery, his relationships & experiences on the slave plantation, his education, escape from slavery, & ascendance to the foremost black abolitionist in America. It will be performed on Tues., Feb. 21 at 1 PM at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center, 7995 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring.  Call 240-567-5775.

 

45] – On Tues., Feb. 21 at 5 PM at First Christian Church, 5802 Roland Ave., there will be a Shrove Tuesday pancake supper to benefit the House of Ruth of Maryland. The men of the church have organized this event to aid House of Ruth's stand against domestic abuse and to educate the public about the organization. A representative from House of Ruth will be present. The price is $7 for adults, and $3 for children. An RSVP is helpful but not required. Contact Rev. Carol Cook at 410-435-1506. Go to http://baltimoredisciples.org.

 

46] – 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 Feb. 21 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM.  Call Max at 410-366-1637.

 

47] – Can the Land of the Rising Sun Rise Again? This topic will be addressed on Tues., Feb. 21 from 6 to 8 PM at UC-Washington Center, 1608 Rhode Island Ave. NW, WDC 20036.  Natural and nuclear disasters have contributed to economic stagnation, and political confusion has been keeping Japan from performing at its best on the world stage for the past twenty years.  A key ally of the United States, Japan has thus far managed to keep its economy floating near the top of the list of global economic giants. But what does the future hold?  Can Japan inject new life into its economy and take a leading role in the Asian Pacific?  Given China's rise, how will Japan cope with the new security environment?  Finally, when will Japan's government be strong enough to implement much-needed changes at home? Visit www.worldaffairsdc.org or call 202-293-1051.

 

48] – Enjoy a Peace & Justice Studies Association (PJSA) Networking Mixer on Tues., Feb. 21 from 6 to 9 PM at Busboys & Poets, 1025 5th St. NW, WDC 20001. This is for all Peace & Justice related organizations and persons to see what else is happening in the world of peace and justice.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/379626265384524/.

 

49] – Come to a discussion and signing of a new book examining state and news media repression of black elected officials with new insight into the role of race in U.S. politics. Join this intimate discussion with Dr. George Derek Musgrove, Ph.D., an assistant professor of history at the University of the District of Columbia, on Tues., Feb. 21 from 6:30 to 8 PM at Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St. NW, WDC. "Rumor, Repression, and Racial Politics" draws from untapped sources, including interviews conducted with twenty-five sitting and former black members of Congress. The book includes new stories that reinterpret familiar events and connect patterns of surveillance, counterintelligence, and disproportionate investigation of black elected officials to the broader political culture. RSVP to Nefta Freeman at nefta@ips-dc.org.

 

50] – To complement the "Windows and Mirrors: Reflections on the War in Afghanistan" exhibit and the "The Human Cost of War" event, students will lead a discussion and workshop on how they can respond to international issues as college students and how the Baltimore College Peace Network might help further these efforts.  The discussion will take place on Tues., Feb. 21 at 7 PM in the Batza Room, 4th floor, in the Athenaeum. Contact Gary Gillespie, Baltimore College Peace Network, at garygillespie@collegepeace.org. For directions and a campus map, visit http://www.goucher.edu/x4643.xml

 

51] – On Tues., Feb. 21 from 7 to 9 PM, the Mid-East Working Group of St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Capitol Hill, invites you to JUST WATER,  a presentation by Gidon Bromberg, Israeli co-director of Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) at St. Mark's Parish Hall, 3rd and A Sts. SE, WDC. Consider making a voluntary good-will offering for FoEME. 

 

52] –  The 2012 bills to repeal the death penalty and appropriate saving to aid murder victims' families are now before both houses of the General Assembly (Senate Bill 872 and House Bill 949).  The bill in the House of Delegates had a record number of 66 co-sponsors!  The Senate bill was signed by 19 senators. The Religious Lobby Day for Death Penalty Repeal is on Wed., Feb. 22, Ash Wednesday, in Annapolis.  There will be an 8 AM Ash Wednesday Service at St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Church Circle.  The Right Rev. Eugene Sutton, Bishop of Maryland, Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, and other religious leaders from the Ecumenical Leaders' Group and the Central Maryland Ecumenical Council Leaders will lead this service of prayer of repentance and the imposition of ashes. 

 

At 9 AM, there will be an Interfaith Press Conference in Lawyer's Mall.  There is unanimity across Maryland's faith communities that the death penalty should be abandoned. From 9:30 to 11 AM, there will be an interfaith breakfast & briefing for lobbying at the First Presbyterian Church, Fellowship Hall, 171 Duke of Gloucester St. RSVP at info@mdcase.org. Plan to meet with your legislators to urge support for death penalty repeal.  Schedule appointments with your legislators today!  Let MD CASE know when yours are scheduled (at 301-779-5230 or info@mdcase.org). 

 

53] – On Wed., Feb. 22, Ash Wednesday – noon to 1 PM – start Lent off at the White House praying for peace with Dorothy Day Catholic Worker and friends.  This will be a Witness of Repentance, as Lent is a time for personal and societal repentance, a time for radical conversion, renewal and transformation. Living under the brutal occupation of the Roman Empire, Jesus declared: "The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel." (Mk.1:15) Living in the U.S. Empire, which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. described as "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world," there is the suggestion to heed Jesus' proclamation.  

 The participants will call for an immediate end to U.S. warmaking in Afghanistan; that the U.S. halt all drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere; and that Israel and the U.S. cease it military threats against Iran. The call includes reparations to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan; for total disarmament and the abolition of all nuclear and conventional weapons; an end to the U.S.-supported Israeli occupation of the West Bank; an end to torture and the closing of Guantanamo and Bagram U.S. military prisons and other military torture training centers like the SOA/WHINSEC; and an end to AFRICOM and the militarization of Africa. Repeal the National Defense Authorization Act 2012 which allocates $662 billion for the Pentagon and codified into law indefinite detention for suspected terrorists and their supporters, both foreign and domestic. And there must be an end to corporate domination, justice for the poor and all immigrants, and for the conversion of our war-based economy to one centered on serving the common good, alleviating poverty, and protecting the environment.

 

Ashes will be blessed and distributed. The vigil is co-sponsored by: Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, Pax Christi Metro D.C.-Baltimore, Pax Christi USA, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Jonah House, Witness Against Torture, and TASSC International.  Contact Art Laffin of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker: 202-360-6416 or artlaffin@hotmail.com.

 

54] – On Wed., Feb. 22 at 12:30 PM, join Istanbul-based PhD candidate Onder Kucukural as he shares his research about gender in Turkey at ACMCU Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown Univ., 3700 O St. NW, Bunn Intercultural Center (ICC) Suite 270, WDC 20057. . Kucukural is in the political science program at Sabanci Univ., Istanbul and a visiting researcher at Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU) at Georgetown Univ. since September 2011.  His dissertation thesis is "Religious Reasoning and Pluralism in Turkish Society" and his areas of interest include sociology of religion, deliberative democracy in Muslim majority countries, political psychology of Islamism, religion and public sphere. Call 202-687-8375 or email acmcu@georgetown.edu.  RSVP at http://acmcugenderinturkey.eventbrite.com/.

55] – February is turning out to be a busy month for single-payer activity in Maryland. The economic impact study is almost finished and should be up on the website. The Maryland Health Security Act (SB206 and HB1015) has been introduced again and will have hearings in both houses of the Maryland General Assembly. The Senate Finance Committee Hearing is on Wed., Feb. 22 at 1 PM for senate Bill 206 in the Senate Finance Committee Hearing Room.  Submit written testimony to Eric Naumburg, M.D. at enaumburg@hotmail.com.  He will make the 25 copies for you if needed. Call 443-562-6562.

 

The Annual Meeting of Healthcare-NOW! of Maryland is Tues., Feb. 28 at 6:30 PM at the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, 4 E. University Pkwy. The guest speaker is Gerald Friedman, economist UMass Amherst, author of the new economic impact study on the effects of enacting a single-payer system for Maryland. Call 410-889-0329.

 

56] – 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 Feb. 22. Call 215-426-0364.

 

To be continued.

 

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.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