Friday, February 3, 2012

Baltimore Activist Alert

Baltimore Activist Alert Feb. 3– Feb. 9, 2012

 

"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.  Go to www.baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com.  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.

 

Tune into the Maryland Progressive Blog at http://mdprogblog.org.

   

1] Books, buttons and stickers

2] Web site for info on federal legislation

3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists  

4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLA  

5] Occupy Freedom Plaza is undergoing a transformation

6] Occupy Baltimore evicted—vows to stay relevant

7] Passage on the Underground Railroad - Feb. 3

8] White House vigil – Feb. 3

9] WIB Inner Harbor vigil – Feb. 3

10] WIB Roland Park vigil – Feb. 3

11] Justice for Palestine/Israel vigil – Feb. 3

12] Protest NDAA - Feb. 3

13] WIB Frederick vigil – Feb. 3

14] NO WAR ON IRAN protest -- Feb. 3

15] Silent peace vigil -- Feb. 3 NO WAR ON IRAN protest

16] Film INTO ETERNITY – Feb. 3

17] Film CONSTANTINE'S SWORD – Feb. 3

18] Film IF A TREE FALLS – Feb. 3

19] Solidarity Center Open House – Feb. 3

20] A Just & Nonviolent World – Feb. 3

21] Ballroom dancing – Feb. 3

22] Sign up for job training – deadline Feb. 3

23] Farmer's Market – Feb. 4

24] Inequality in wealth – Feb. 4

25] Foreclosure workshop – Feb. 4

26] Mystery of Silence Quiet Day – Feb. 4

27] Peace Symposium – Feb. 4

28] Olney peace vigil – Feb. 4

29] West Chester, PA demo – Feb. 4

30] Silent vigil at Capitol – Feb. 4

31] Silent Death Walk – Feb. 4

32] NO WAR ON IRAN protest -- Feb. 4

33] Stand with hotel workers – Feb. 4

34] Morality of Capitalism? -- Feb. 5

35] Get on Bridge for Peace – Feb. 5

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1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available.  "God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions" stickers are in stock. Donate your books to Max. Call him 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. The White House Comment Email is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.


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] – You can help safeguard human rights and fragile ecosystems through your purchase of HOCOFOLA Café Quetzal. Bags of ground coffee or whole beans can be ordered by mailing in an order form. Also note organic cocoa and sugar are for sale.  For more details and to download the order form, go to http://friendsoflatinamerica.typepad.com/hocofola/2010/02/hocofola-cafe-quetzal-order-form-2010.html. The coffee comes in one-pound bags.

 

Fill out the form and mail it with a check made out to HOCOFOLA on or before the second week of the month.  Be sure you indicate ground or beans for each type of coffee ordered.  Send it to Adela Hirsch, 5358 Eliots Oak Rd., Columbia, MD 21044.  Be sure you indicate ground (G) or bean (B) for each type of coffee ordered. The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you will be notified where to pick it up.  Contact Adela at 410-997-5662 or via e-mail at adela4peace@verizon.net.

 

5] – The occupation of Freedom Plaza, 14th & Pennsylvania Ave. NW, is in a state of flux.  For recent developments, go to http://october2011.org/.

 

6] – Occupy Baltimore was evicted from McKeldin Square, Pratt and Light Sts.  Participants indicate the operation will continue in some fashion.  Sign up at http://groups.google.com/group/occupy-baltimore/.  Ask for the digest or you get hundreds of emails. 

 

7] –  Passage on the Underground Railroad is on exhibit through Thurs., Mar. 22 at the Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery, Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle.  Exhibit hours are Sundays & Saturdays, 1 to 5 PM and Mondays through Wednesdays and Fridays, noon to 4 PM and Thursdays, noon to 8 PM. 

 

Tempe, Arizona-based artist Stephen Marc, tenured professor at the Arizona State Univ. Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, presents a lecture on his work on Mar. 7 at 4 PM in the Albin O Kuhn Library Gallery of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Dr. Marc's work documents his visits to Underground Railroad sites, from which he creates photo-montages combining both historic and new imagery dealing with the African-American experience in American society through the centuries.  Call 410-455-3827 or go to http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/gallery.

 

8] – A peace vigil takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM at Lafayette Park facing the White House.  Join the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker and friends. Contact Art Laffin: artlaffin@hotmail.com.   

 

9] – Every Friday from noon to 1 PM, Women in Black, Baltimore, host a vigil at Pratt and Light Sts. in the Inner Harbor. Peace signs will be available. See http://www.peacepath911.com/ or write wibbaltimore@hotmail.com or call 410-467-9114.

 

10] – There is also a noon vigil on Feb. 3 at Roland Park Place at 830 W. 40th St.  Call 410-467-9114.

 

11] – A vigil for Justice in Palestine/Israel (now in its 8th year) takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM at 19th & JFK Blvd., Philadelphia (across from Israeli Consulate.  It is sponsored by Bubbies & Zaydes (Grandparents) for Peace in the Middle East. Email cswartz@pil.net. Go to http://phillyjewishpeace.org/.

 

12] – On Fri., Feb. 3, noon to 7 PM, citizens across the country will gather outside congressional offices to protest NDAA 2012 (H.R. 1540). You will find your protest location by looking to see how your congressperson voted. Look below - under house and senate. There is also a link so you can find the address to your congressman's local office where your protest will take place.  House - http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2011-932; Senate - http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=s2011-230.  The objective of the demonstration is to get a repeal of Section 1021 and 1022 which could lead to the indefinite military detention of citizens without due process.

 

13] – WIB holds a silent vigil mourning all violence, the first Friday of the month.  The next vigil is Feb. 3 from noon to 12:30 PM, War Memorial Park, intersection of W. 2nd & N. Bentz Sts. in Frederick.  Please dress in black; no additional signs.  Call 301-834-7581 or email wibfrederick@mizmail.com.

 

14] – Join a NO WAR ON IRAN protest on Fri., Feb. 3 from 5 to 6 PM at McKeldin Square, Pratt & Light Sts. Go to www.iacenter.org. Call 443-909-8964.

 

15] – There is a silent vigil on Fri., Feb. 3 from 5 to 6 PM outside of Homewood Friends Meeting, 3107 N. Charles St., in opposition to war in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. Placards say: "War Is Not the Answer." The silent vigil is sponsored by AFSC, Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings. Since it is First Friday, there will be a potluck dinner after the vigil, followed by a film.

 

16] – The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee, Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility and Baltimore Quaker Peace and Justice Committee of Homewood and Stony Run Meetings are hosting the FILM & SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS DVD SERIES.  The second film in the series INTO ETERNITY [Denmark, 2010] will be shown on Fri., Feb. 3 at Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218.  The Meeting hosts a potluck dinner from 6 to 7 PM on First Fridays after the vigil.  At 7 PM, the DVD will be shown with a discussion to follow.  There is no charge, and refreshments will be available.  Call Max at 410-366-1637.

 

INTO ETERNITY is a documentary film directed by Danish director Michael Madsen. It follows the construction of the Onkalo Waste Repository at the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant on the island of Olkiluoto, Finland. The director questions Onkalo's intended eternal existence, and the film is structured as a message to future generations.  The film raises the question of the authorities' responsibility of ensuring compliance with relatively new safety criteria legislation and the principles of nuclear waste management.

 

The world's nuclear power plants have generated an estimated 300,000 tons of high-level radioactive waste that must be safely stored for 100,000 years or more. Every year, they generate another 12,000 metric tons of high-level waste.  INTO ETERNITY is the first feature documentary to explore the mind-boggling scientific and philosophical questions long-term nuclear waste storage poses. A representative from the Nuclear Information Research Service will lead the discussion.

 

17] – On Fri., Feb. 3 at 7 PM, see the film  CONSTANTINE'S SWORD [U.S.,  2007] as part of the Peace Center of Delaware County First-Friday Large Screen Free Film Series, 1001 Old Sproul Road, Springfield, PA.  The documentary, directed by Oscar-nominated Oren Jacoby, was inspired by the bestselling book by author, and former priest, James Carroll.  The film brings to life a history of religious intolerance, tracing it as a source of war and fanaticism in the world today. At its core, Constantine's Sword is a compelling personal narrative - a kind of detective story- as one man uncovers the dark areas of his own faith and the church he loves. The doors open at 6:30 PM for light refreshments. Call 610-544-1818 or go to www.delcopeacecenter.org

 

18] – See a free screening of "If A Tree Falls" on Fri., Feb. 3 from 7 to 10 PM at St Stephen's Church, 1525 Newton St. NW, WDC. In Dec. 2005, Daniel McGowan was arrested by Federal agents in a nationwide sweep of radical environmentalists involved with the Earth Liberation Front-- a group the FBI has called America's "number one domestic terrorism threat."  For years, the ELF—operating in separate anonymous cells without any central leadership—had launched spectacular arsons against dozens of businesses they accused of destroying the environment: timber companies, SUV dealerships, wild horse slaughterhouses, and a $12 million ski lodge at Vail, Colorado.

 

With the arrest of Daniel and thirteen others, the government had cracked what was probably the largest ELF cell in America and brought down the group responsible for the very first ELF arsons in this country.  IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT tells the remarkable story of the rise and fall of this ELF cell, by focusing on the transformation and radicalization of one of its members. RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/219776298102873/.

 

19] – On Fri., Feb. 3 at 7 PM at the SOLIDARITY CENTER, 2011 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, there will be an Open House to honor the walkers and their sponsors. Enjoy refreshments and bring something to share. Listen to poetry, spoken word and music.  There will be a briefing by: Rev. Corty CD Witherspoon, pres. SCLC, who will talk about the latest on the struggle around Reads Drug Store. Call 443-909-8964 or email apcbaltimore@pipeline.com.   

 

20] – On Fri., Feb. 3 at 7:30 PM at the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, 503 Rock Creek Church Rd. NW,WDC 20010, the discussion topic is "Creating a Just and Nonviolent World: A Muslim Perspective" by Ibrahim Ramey.  Ramey is an international Muslim activist with over 25 years of work in the areas of peacemaking, nuclear disarmament, and human rights. He has held leadership and staff positions at several national and international organizations, including the Fellowship of Reconciliation (1995-2006), and the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation. Ibrahim also serves as a board member of the Temple of Understanding and the Muslim Women's Institute, both located in New York City. Contact Art @ 202-360-6416 or artlaffin@hotmail.com.

 

21] – There is an opportunity to participate in ballroom dancing, usually every 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 Feb. 3.  Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

22] – Paid job training classes begin in February.  One million dollars was allocated for job training in transportation construction fields.  The idea is to help 150 Marylanders get transportation jobs. Transportation Secretary Beverley K. Swaim-Staley has announced a new training program for disadvantaged Marylanders to give them the key tools they need to secure jobs in the transportation field. The first set of classes will begin in Feb. 2012, and the application deadline is Fri., Feb. 3.  Download an application at http://www.marylandroads.com/OEO/BuildUp_Application.pdf. Those interested in applying can get information at www.roads.maryland.gov under the news section or by sending email inquiries to shabuildup@sha.state.md.us or by calling toll-free at 1-888-545-0098.

 

23] – Go to the West Baltimore Farmer's Market for fresh fruits, vegetables, breads and other treats every Saturday from 8 to noon.  CPHA has worked with the West Baltimore Marc TOD and Transit Inc. (WBMTTI) to establish a Farmer's Market at the West Baltimore Marc Train stop at Smallwood Road at Franklin and Mulberry Sts.  Since opening in June, over 300 people buy fresh groceries there every Saturday morning. WBMTTI will continue to include the community in the transit-oriented developments on the west side and continue to improve the area around "the highway to nowhere" until it becomes the highway to somewhere. Go to www.cphabaltimore.org.

 

24] –   On Sat., Feb. 4 from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM at the Mount Vernon Unitarian Church, 1909 Windmill Lane, Alexandria, VA 22307, hear a discussion Growing Inequality in Wealth, the Corruption of the Democratic Process and Resulting Social Injustice. The Occupy Movement has given a fresh voice to these long-standing and worsening problems and calls Unitarians to respond. Email moyaatk@yahoo.com.

25] – Occupy Frederick is hosting an Attorney & Expert Led Foreclosure Workshop on Sat., Feb. from 9 AM to 7 PM at the Hillcrest Community Center, 1150 Orchard Terrace, Frederick, MD.  The workshop is free, and Foreclosure Survival Packets will be provided. Call 240-285-9520 or email OccupyOurHomesFrederick@gmail.com.

26] – On Sat., Feb. 4 from 10 AM to 4 PM, the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation presents Mystery of Suffering Quiet Day - the mysterious presence of God is in all things, often especially hidden in suffering.  The fear and pain of loss and change can lure one away from the contemplative stance of living into the mystery of suffering.  Join this day at Dayspring Farm House, 11301 Neelsville Church Road, Germantown, MD 20876 led by Ann Dean, who is director of Shalem's Leading Contemplative Prayer Groups & Retreats Program and director of the Personal Spiritual Deepening Program Leadership Initiative.  Also involved will be Anne Grizzle, who is a spiritual director, family therapist, retreat leader, and author of three books, including Reminders of GodThis day will have a gentle rhythm of prayer, guided meditations, silence, and optional sharing.  The cost is $50, and please bring a bag lunch.  To register, contact Chris Jeffrey at chris@shalem.org or 301-897-7334.

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27] – The 6th Annual Peace Symposium: The Costs of War- Alternative Solutions to Conflict is on Sat., Feb. 4 from 10 AM to noon at Saint Charles Borromeo Parish, 3304 N. Washington Blvd., Arlington, VI 22201.  In light of Catholic social teaching, this will be a reappraisal and practice in the field of peacemaking.  There will be several presenters, including Dr. Andrea Bartoli, dean, School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason Univ., and Rev. Clement Aapengnuo, doctoral candidate, School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason Univ.  Contact Marisa Vertrees at mvertrees@stcharleschurch.org.

 

28] – Friends House, 17715 Meeting House Rd., Sandy Spring, MD 20860, hosts a peace vigil every Saturday, 10:30 to 11:30 AM, on the corner of Rt. 108 and Georgia Ave. in Olney, MD.  The next vigil is Feb. 4. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167. 

 

29] –  Each Saturday, 11 AM – 1 PM, Chester County Peace Movement holds a peace vigil in West Chester in front of the Chester County Courthouse, High & Market Sts. Go to www.ccpeace.org. Email ccpeacemovement@aol.com.

 

30] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Feb. 4. 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.

 

31] – On Sat., Feb. 4 from noon to 1 PM, join a PHILADELPHIA CENTER CITY SILENT DEATH WALK at corner of 12th & Market Sts. Stop the Killing/End the Wars - Protest U.S. Drone Wars in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Yemen. Wear warm black clothes. White masks will be provided.  RSVP to Marge Van Cleef at 267-763-1644.

 

32] – Join a NO WAR ON IRAN protest on Sat., Feb. 4 at noon at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. There will be car pooling from 2011 N. Charles St., leaving promptly at 10:45 AM. Call 443-909-8964.

 

This is a Day of Mass Action to Stop War on Iran.  NO war NO sanctions NO intervention NO assassinations.  Go to www.iacenter.org.

 

33] – Stand with hotel workers on Sat., Feb. 4 at 5:15 PM at the corner of South Eads and 18th Sts. in Arlington, VI, one block from Crystal City Metro. Join a picket line to support workers at the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel who are demanding a fair process of deciding unionization. Go to http://www.heiworkersrising.org.

 

34] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102, Baltimore, MD 21201-4661, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion from 10:30 to 11:30 AM.  On Sun., Feb. 5, the topic of discussion is "The Morality of Capitalism & Free International Trade," led by James Case, PhD, writer and consultant.  Louis Galambos, professor in the John Hopkins Univ. history department, has said of James Case's "Competition: The Birth of a New Science" that its "implications for economic thought are stunning." Today's platform, based on that book, will explore capitalism and free international trade in light of moral arguments that go beyond the ordinary marketing of both as strategies advantageous to any and all developed nations. Trained as a mathematician, Case, now a writer/consultant in Baltimore, has worked in a variety of industries, as well as in government, minor league baseball, and higher education.  Call 410-581-2322 or visit www.baltimoreethicalsociety.org.

 

35] – 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/

 

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

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