Friday, December 14, 2012

Baltimore Activist Alert - Part 1


 Baltimore Activist Alert Dec. 14 – Dec. 20, 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 & stickers
2] Web site for info on federal legislation
3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists
4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLa
5] For All the World to see exhibit – through Mar. 10
6] White House vigil – Dec. 14
7] WIB Inner Harbor vigil – Dec. 14
8] WIB Roland Park vigil – Dec. 14
9] Justice for Palestine/Israel vigil – Dec. 14
10] Wal-Mart protest – Dec. 14
11] Silent peace vigil – Dec. 14
12] Quixote Center Holiday Party – Dec. 14
13] Sounds of Hope – Dec. 14
14] Ballroom dancing – Dec. 14
15] Community Discussion on Gaza – Dec. 15
16] Olney peace vigil – Dec. 15
17] West Chester, PA demo – Dec. 15
18] National Peoples Assembly – Dec. 15
19] Silent vigil at Capitol – Dec. 15
20] Human Right Campaign – Dec. 15
21] Honkala Holiday party -- Dec. 15
22] House Party for Democracy – Dec. 15
23] Fundraiser for D.C. Jobs With Justice – Dec. 15
24] BES Musical Interlude – Dec. 16
25] Peace and Pancakes – Dec. 16
26] Bridges for Peace – Dec. 16
27] Earth Mother book party – Dec. 16
28] Hear Dr. Tariq Ramadan – Dec. 16
29] Holiday Concert at the Peace Center – Dec. 16
30] Peace vigil in Philly -- Dec. 16
31] Red Emma’s meeting – Dec. 16
32] Pentagon Vigil – Dec. 17

-----
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] – For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights explores the historic role played by visual images in shaping, influencing, and transforming the fight for civil rights in the United States. The exhibit includes photographs, television and film, magazines, newspapers, posters, books, and pamphlets. The exhibition will continue through Mar. 10.  You can see it Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 AM to 5 PM in the UMBC Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, 1000 Hilltop Circle,

6] – 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.    

7] – 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.  Call 410-467-9114 or see  http://www.peacepath911.com/ or write wibbaltimore@hotmail.com.

8] – There is also a noon vigil on Dec. 14 at Roland Park Place at 830 W. 40th St.  Call 410-467-9114.

9] – A vigil for Justice in Palestine/Israel 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/.

10]End Deathtraps for Wal-Mart Workers Protest and Petition Delivery is on Fri., Dec. 14 at noon at Wal-Mart's lobbying headquarters, 8th & G Sts. NW.  Join SumOfUs, DC Jobs with Justice, and others as they rally to demand that Wal-Mart change dangerous factory conditions which led to the deaths of 112 workers in Bangladesh last month. In the wake of the deadly Tazreen fire, reports have revealed that Wal-Mart was aware of the dangerous conditions in its Bangladeshi supplier, but chose to do nothing because they did not believe the necessary precautions were "financially feasible." Help deliver a petition signed by more than 200,000 people demanding safe working conditions throughout Wal-Mart's supply chain. Contact Rob Wohl at rob@sumofus.org.

11] – There is a silent peace vigil on Fri., Dec. 14 from 5 to 6 PM outside Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St.  Once Charles Street is closed due to construction, there will be a march to the Cathedral of the Incarnation, University Pkwy. & St. Paul St. The vigil will continue at the Cathedral while Charles Street is closed.  Placards say: "War Is Not the Answer." The silent vigil is sponsored by Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings. 

12] – The Quixote Center Holiday Party is happening on Fri., Dec. 14 from 6 to 8 PM at the Quixote Center, 7307 Baltimore Ave., Suite 214, College Park.  Join the Quixote Center and Interfaith Voices to celebrate the collection of holidays both religious and secular, the upcoming solstice, and a possible Mayan Apocalypse. Get drinks and food (including some locally-sourced veggies courtesy of the Crabgrass Christians). RSVP to andrew@quixote.org.

13] – On Fridays from 7 to 10:30 PM, the Potter's House hosts Sounds of Hope is Good Music, Good Food, for a Good Cause at 1658 Columbia Rd. NW, WDC 20009.  Go to www.reverbnation.com/venue/soundsofhope.  Contact Mary Shapiro, Sounds of Hope producer at soundsofhopebooking@gmail.com or 202-294-2906. 

14] – 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 Dec. 14. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

15] – There’s a Community Meeting/Discussion on Gaza on Sat., Dec. 15 from 10 AM to noon at the Plymouth Congregational United Church, 5301 N. Capitol St. NE.  The meeting will bring together people of various backgrounds and faiths to work together for justice in Palestine, especially for Gaza.  Visit

16] – 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. [Route 97] in Olney, MD.  The next vigil is Dec. 15. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167. 

17] –  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.

18] –  The Baltimore Peoples Assembly is convening a national summit on Sat., Dec. 15 from 11 AM to 8:30 PM Lovely Lane Methodist Church, 2200 St. Paul St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Go to http://www.facebook.com/events/181563448649774/#!/events/421718714560879/

  The people’s assembly is an opportunity to assess what needs to do to prepare for the coming year. Join in people’s hearings, plenums, floor discussion and break out groups. Go to https://www.wepay.com/donations/national-people-s-power-assembly.  There will be live streaming.

19] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Sat., Dec. 15. 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.

20] – Healthcare-Now! Maryland in co-operation with United Workers and Physicians for a National Health Program has started a new campaign for a state level universal, single-payer healthcare system in Maryland under the slogan Healthcare is a Human Right! The goal is to create a statewide campaign with groups in every county in Maryland. The initial response to the campaign has been very encouraging, and there are seven chapters throughout Maryland with 2 or 3 more likely to form soon. If you want to volunteer, contact Sergio Espana at 240-478-8193 or HealthcareisaHumanRightMD@gmail.com.

Launching the Healthcare is a Human Right Campaign is happening on Sat., Dec. 15 from 2 to 5 PM at St. John Baptist Church, 9055 Tamar Drive, Columbia, MD 21045. The church is at the corner of Rte. 175 and Tamar Drive and is easily accessible from Routes 29 and 95.  At the event will be colleagues at the Vermont Workers Center. Go to www.mdsinglepayer.org.

21] – There is a HOLIDAY PARTY on Sat., Dec. 15 at 3 PM at 5031 Catharine St., Philadelphia, 19143.  Enjoy good food and drink with CHERI HONKALA, Green Party candidate for vice president.  Come find out what’s next for Cheri. Contact 215-243-7103 and gpop@gpop.org.

22] – There is a House Party for Democracy on Sat., Dec. 15 at 3:30 PM at 1405 Berwick Rd., Towson 21204 (home of Joe Adams). RSVP at GetMoneyOutMD@gmail.com or 1-410-231-3323. Congressperson Keith Ellison, co-chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, will provide solutions to the problem of Money In Politics by live video feed.  Also, there will be brief presentations by Charlie Cooper & Joe Adams on possible solutions in Maryland, with an overview of progress to date. For example, six Maryland cities and counties have passed local resolutions.  This will be both an informational and planning meeting. 

Get Money Out – Maryland, www.GetMoneyOutMD.org, is a new group of people fighting, in Maryland, for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution overturning the ‘Citizens United’ Supreme Court decision.  Consider related strategies such as The American Anti-Corruption Act, which has been written not by legislators but by citizens, with a quarter of a million ‘citizen co-sponsors.’ 

23] – The Winter Cabaret: a fundraiser for D.C. Jobs With Justice is taking place on Sat., Dec. 15 from 8 to 11:30 PM at St. Stephens Church, 1525 Newton St. NW.  There will be desserts, drinks and dancing. Also, the Scrooge of the Year Awards will given out at this event. Email lillian@dcjwj.org or call 202-543-1542.

24] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102, Baltimore 21201-4661, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion from 10:30 to 11:30 AM.  On Sun., Dec. 16, however, Jan Seiden, flutist and composer, will weave music through the topic of “Transformation and Transcendence.”  Seiden shares her experience of working with a team of five visionary women to produce Te Ata, a play telling the life story of historic Chickasaw actress and storyteller, Mary Thompson Fisher (1895-1995). The dynamic tension of embracing one’s calling in life while staying true to one’s own culture and way of being comes to the fore in Te Ata. Having grown up in traditional Chickasaw culture, Fisher – known as Te Ata – dealt with recurring doubts about her life choices as her career pulled her away from her family, homeland, and Chickasaw community. In the play, transcendence manifests as Te Ata expands her world and becomes one with a more diverse world while staying grounded in the Native American worldview of interconnectedness. Music composed by Seiden for the original soundtrack places us in the transformational currents of Te Ata’s remarkable legacy from a career that spanned over 60 years and included performances at the White House for President Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and at Hyde Park for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England.  Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

 

25] – Join the Kadampa Meditation Center for Peace and Pancakes on Sundays at 10:30 AM at KMC Maryland, 2937 North Charles St. All are invited to participate in guided meditation and chant praying for world peace. There will be a talk based on Buddhist thought followed by brunch. Call 410- 243-3837. Brunch is $5.

26] – 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/.

27] – There is a Book Party - Messages from Mother.... Earth Mother – hosted by Mare Cromwell on Sun., Dec. 16 from 1 to 3 PM at Dublin Roasters, 1780 North Market St., Frederick, MD 21701.

28] – Dr. Tariq Ramadan will speak on Sun., Dec. 16 at  1:30 PM at the ADAMS Center, 46903 Sugarland Rd., Sterling, VA 20164.  The Muslim Legal Fund of America introduces the National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms and invites you to hear an internationally renowned speaker and scholar of Islam, while supporting the cause of justice in America.

Dr. Ramadan is a professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies in the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Oxford University. He is a Muslim intellectual, Islamic scholar and philosopher who made headlines when he called for an international moratorium on corporal punishment in the Muslim world. He was one of several foreign scholars to be banned from entering the United States of America because of their political views. His ban was recently lifted and he currently tours the world sharing his views on contemporary issues.

The National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms is a coalition whose mission is to educate the public about the erosion of civil and political freedoms in the society and the abuses of prisoners within the U.S. criminal justice system especially after 9/11, and to advocate for the preservation of those freedoms and to defend those rights. Go to http://www.civilfreedoms.org/?p=14455.

29] – Join in making Christmas Peace... with the Brandywine Peace Community on Sun., Dec. 16 at 3 PM for a Holiday Concert at the Peace Center of Delaware County, 1001 Old Sproul Road, Springfield, PA 19064.  Keith Calmes, classical guitarist & 'master musician', joined by Dean Maola.  At 2 PM, there will be a pre-concert reception with hot cider, refreshments, CD sales, and holiday craft tables. Admission is a donation to benefit the Brandywine Peace Community. Go to www.delcopeacecenter.org or call 610-544-1818.

30] – Every Sunday, 4 to 5 PM, there is a Quaker Peace Vigil at Independence Mall, North side of Market between 5th and 6th Sts., Philadelphia. Call 215-421-5811.

31] – 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 Dec. 16. There is no meeting on the first Sunday of the month.  Call 410-230-0450. If you would be interested in volunteering or becoming a collective member of 2640, send an email to 2640@redemmas.org.

32] – There is a weekly Pentagon Peace Vigil from 7 to 8 AM on Mondays, since 1987, outside the Pentagon Metro stop.  The next vigil is Mon., Dec. 17, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker.  Keep Space for Peace signs will be held at this vigil. Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649.

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

No comments: