Baltimore Activist Alert Jan. 4 – Jan. 10, 2013

Baltimore Activist Alert Jan. 4 – Jan. 10, 2013


"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] Witness Against Torture – Jan. 2 – Jan. 12

7] White House vigil – Jan. 4

8] WIB Roland Park vigil – Jan. 4

9] Justice for Palestine/Israel vigil – Jan. 4

10] Silent peace vigil – Jan. 4

11] Film JOYEUX NOEL -- Jan. 4

12] Film THE CONSPIRATOR – Jan. 4

13] THE HESCHEL-KING FESTIVAL – Jan. 4 - 5

14] Former Gitmo lawyer will speak – Jan. 4

15] Ballroom dancing – Jan. 4

16] Virginia People’s Assembly – Jan. 5

17] Olney peace vigil – Jan. 5

18] West Chester, PA demo – Jan. 5

19] Drone Death Walk – Jan. 5

20] Silent vigil at Capitol – Jan. 5

21] BES hosts Lisa Simeone – Jan. 6

22] Peace and Pancakes – Jan. 6

22] Bridges for Peace – Jan. 6

23] BES LUNCHEON SOCIAL -- Jan. 6

24] Pentagon Vigil – Jan. 7

25] Fracking Commission meets – Jan. 7

26] Protest REALCO Guns – Jan. 7

27] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Jan. 7 – Jan. 10

28] Death Penalty Vigil – Jan. 7

29] Workers World Forum – Jan. 7

30] Pledge of Resistance/Fund Our Communities meeting – Jan. 7

31] Philadelphia peace vigil – Jan. 8

32] War Is Not the Answer vigil – Jan. 8

-----

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] – Witness Against Torture members will do a ten-day fast from Wed., Jan. 2 through Sat., Jan. 12. From Sun., Jan. 6 through Sat., Jan. 12, there will be daily events around Washington, D.C. to encourage the president to carry out his promise from four years ago to close Guantanamo. Go to http://witnesstorture.org/.

7] – 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.

8] – There is also a noon Women in Black vigil on Jan. 4 at Roland Park Place, 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] – There is a silent peace vigil on Fri., Jan. 4 from 5 to 6 PM outside Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St. Placards say: "War Is Not the Answer." The silent vigil is sponsored by Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings. Since this is First Friday, there will be a potluck dinner and a film to follow.



11] – The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee, Baltimore Quaker Peace and Justice Committee of Homewood and Stony Run Meetings and Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility are continuing the FILM & SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS DVD SERIES. The DVDs will be shown at Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218, on the First Friday. After the peace vigil, there will be a potluck dinner. At 7 PM, from January through June, a DVD will be shown with a discussion to follow. There is no charge, and refreshments will be available. Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net.



The series theme is WHY CAN’T WE GET ALONG? On Fri., Jan. 4, see JOYEUX NOEL [France, 2005]. In English the film title means Merry Christmas, and the movie is about the Christmas truce in 1914 during World War I as depicted through the eyes of French, Scottish and German soldiers. It was written and directed by Christian Carion. Of course the commanding officers are furious that soldiers would dare to “fraternize” with the enemy. Many of those who participated in the truce suffer severe consequences.



12] – On Fri., Jan. 4 at 7 PM, see "THE CONSPIRATOR" as part of the Peace Center of Delaware County First-Friday Large Screen Free Film Series, 1001 Old Sproul Road, Springfield, PA. The doors open at 6:30 PM for light refreshments. Call 610-544-1818 or go to www.delcopeacecenter.org.



The critically acclaimed 2011 dramatic film by Robert Redford tells the little known history of the actual trial before a military tribunal of Mary Surratt, the owner of the boarding house where John Wilkes Booth and the other conspirators met to plan the assassination of Pres. Abraham Lincoln. Surratt's young lawyer, a union war hero appointed to represent her, begins to see that his client's constitutional rights are being violated and that another conspiracy is at work in her imprisonment and call for a quick trial and execution.



13] – On Fri., Jan. 4 from 7 to 9 PM and Sat., Jan. 5 from 9 AM to 9:30 PM, get over to THE HESCHEL-KING FESTIVAL at Mishkan Shalom, 4101 Freeland Ave., Phila., PA 19128. Celebrate the lives, visions, and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel to bring their prophetic voices to bear on the challenges of the 21st Century. Visit http://mishkan.org/story/heschel-king-festival, as registration is required. There is a host of area co-sponsors, including the Brandywine Peace Community.



14] – On Fri., Jan. 4 at 7:30 PM, join with the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, 503 Rock Creek Church Road NW, WDC 20010, for its monthly clarification of thought process. This month attorney Darrel Vandeveld will discuss “Why I Resigned as a Prosecutor with the Guantanamo Military Commission.” January 11, 2013 marks the 12th anniversary of the first so called "enemy combatants" arriving at Guantanamo. Vandeveld, a lawyer with years of service as a prosecutor, public defender, and officer in the United States Army Reserve, will share his experience at Guantanamo and why he resigned in 2008 from the Guantanamo Military Commission. Vandeveld, a Catholic, is notable for asking to resign for ethical reasons from his appointment as a prosecutor before a Guantanamo Military Commission. Following his resignation, he received military backlash in the form of being denied a promotion. Despite receiving many decorations and commendations for his performance, the promotions board passed him up. This occurred after he wrote his 4 page declaration detailing his experience at Guantanamo witnessing severe illegal activity from the U.S. military and politicians. He has since retired from the military and practices law in Erie, PA. Call 202-882-9649. Visit www.DCcatholicworker.wordpress.com.



15] – 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 Jan. 4. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

16] – The 2013 Virginia People's Assembly takes place to Sat., Jan. 5 from 8:30 AM to 9:30 PM at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, 1720 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Richmond, VA 23223. This is the 5th Annual Assembly, uniting under the theme "Jobs, Peace, Justice!" Union members, community activists, prisoner advocates, immigrants, students, women, antiwar organizers, veterans, members of the Occupy Wall Street movement and the LBGTQ community from across Virginia will gather on the Saturday before the opening session of the Virginia General Assembly. Network, educate each other, build alliances in the fight for social change in our communities and further the movement to create a society that is truly “of, by and for the people!”



The suggested donation is $5, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Visit the 2013 VPA blog at http://vpa2013.blogspot.com/.

17] – 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 Jan. 5. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167.



18] – 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.



19] – On Sat., Jan. 5 at noon, there is a monthly anti-war protest (1st Saturday of the month)--Philadelphia Silent Drone Death Walk. Gather at 12th & Market Sts., Phila., PA. Note the location change for January 2013. The Univ. of Pennsylvania is closed for winter break. The vigil site in February will be at the UPenn, a major drone researcher. Wear BLACK, and signs and white masks are provided. RSVP Marge Van Cleef at 267-763-1644.

20] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Sat., Jan. 5. 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] – 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., Jan. 6, Lisa Simeone will address “Political Activism: A Journalist's Perspective.” She is a radio host, writer, and activist, who has been working in public radio for 30 years. In October 2011, she was blacklisted by National Public Radio for her political activities with the Occupy Movement. She will speak about her career and her political activism. She has hosted Weekend All Things Considered, Weekend Edition Sunday, Performance Today, World of Opera, Soundprint, the Metropolitan Opera, and countless live specials. Her radio career began at WBJC in Baltimore, followed by work at WETA in Washington, D.C. After that – during her ten years at Baltimore's WJHU – she developed a loyal following for her unusual mix of programming, that offered classical, folk, jazz as well as provocative reports, interviews, and call-in shows on a wide variety of subjects, including anthropology, neuroscience, philosophy, and media criticism. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.



22] – 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.



23] – There is a BES LUNCHEON SOCIAL on Sun., Jan. 6 at 1 PM. BES members and friends will dine at a restaurant within walking distance of 306 W. Franklin St. All are encouraged to wear BES shirts or other items of visibility. Contact Paul Furth at pdqblues@aol.com.



24] – 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., Jan. 7, 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.



25] – The MD Fracking Commission meets in Annapolis on Mon., Jan. 7 from 9:45 AM to 1 PM in the House Environmental Matters Hearing Room, Room 251, House Office Building, Annapolis, MD 21401. Contact Leslie Morrison at leslie@chesapeakeclimate.org. The 2013 session of Maryland’s General Assembly begins on Wed., Jan. 9, and Physicians for Social Responsibility will be pressing legislators to pass a moratorium on fracking at two crucial events in Annapolis that same week, starting on Monday, January 7th. That's when Governor O'Malley's fracking advisory commission -- including legislators and citizens -- will hold a rare meeting in Annapolis to discuss upcoming legislation and studies to address fracking.



The commission meeting is open to the public, come and fill the room. Stay for a press conference about the campaign at 1:30 PM.



26] – On Mon., Jan. 7 from 4 to 5 PM help end gun violence by joining the Washington Chapter of Heeding God’s Call at its weekly vigil at REALCO Guns, 6108 Marlboro Pike, District Heights, MD 20747. This is an effort to convince the gun shop owner to sign the 10-Point Code for responsible gun dealers based on the one signed with Wal-Mart by Mayors against Illegal Guns. According to The Washington Post, Realco Guns in District Heights sold 86 guns linked to homicides within the last twenty years with 300 guns sold there being linked to non-fatal shootings, as of 2010. In that article Major Andy Ellis is quoted as saying, “I can only imagine how much lower our violent-crime rate would be if Realco sold shoes instead of guns.” Go to http://www.heedinggodscall.org/.





27] – 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.



28] – 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., Jan. 7. Call 410-366-1637.



29] – There is a Workers World Party Forum and Discussion on Mon., Jan. 7 from 7 to 9 PM at the Solidarity Center, 2011 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218. Commemorate the 54th year anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. Hear a special report on the “The Fiscal Hoax: Capitalist politicians push workers over the cliff and call it compromise” – discuss your thoughts and opinions. See a screening of Saul Landau’s film “FIDEL!”



This film provides a unique view of Cuba’s leader. In 1968, Castro took Landau on a week-long jeep ride through the eastern mountains. There, he plays baseball with a group of peasants, visits his pre-school, and trades jokes with a 98 year old man. Fidel also listens to people complaining about food distribution, bad roads and transportation. Landau captures Cuba’s revolutionary chief early in the morning in his tent. The camera zooms in on his dirty fingernails, and delicate fingers holding his trademark cigar while he tells a story of Simon Bolivar and offers tactical advice to guerilla warriors throughout the Third World. The film contains fascinating archive footage of the Bay of Pigs invasion and scenes of Che Guevara- alongside interviews with political prisoners. Spectacular photography and editing with great Cuban music provide the cinematic aesthetics that give this film beautiful form. Indulge in light refreshments. Call 443-221-3775.



30] – The Pledge of Resistance-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 Jan. 7. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net for directions. The agenda includes the Bradley Manning support activities, an anti-drone protest at the CIA, the anti-drone action at the inauguration, a talk by Plowshares activist Steve Kelly and an April 20 Peace Caravan.



31] – Each Tuesday from 4:30 - 5:30 PM, the Catholic Peace Fellowship-Philadelphia for peace in Afghanistan and Iraq inside, during the winter, the Suburban Station, 16th Street & JFK Blvd., at the entrance to Tracks 3 and 4 on the mezzanine. The next vigil is Jan. 8. Call 215-426-0364.

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 Jan. 8 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Call Max at 410-366-1637.

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