Baltimore Activist Alert Feb. 1 – Feb. 7, 2013

Baltimore Activist Alert Feb. 1 – Feb. 7, 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] Play, THE MOUNTAINTOP – through Feb. 24

6] Ascension Lutheran Church art exhibit through Feb. 28

7] For All the World to see exhibit – through Mar. 10

8] Thousand Little Brothers exhibit – through Mar. 23

9] White House vigil – Feb. 1

10] WIB Roland Park vigil – Feb. 1

11] Justice for Palestine/Israel vigil – Feb. 1

12] Book talk “Not in My Neighborhood” – Feb. 1

13] Silent peace vigil – Feb. 1

14] DVD showing CRIME AFTER CRIME – Feb. 1

15] Film "THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS" – Feb. 1

16] Spanish anarchists – Feb. 1

17] Forum on Mali – Feb. 1

18] Transform Now Plowshares – Feb. 1

19] Ballroom dancing – Feb. 1

20] Gaza/Palestine Conference – Feb. 2

21] Olney peace vigil – Feb. 2

22] West Chester, PA demo – Feb. 2

23] Silent vigil at Capitol – Feb. 2

24] Silent Death March – Feb. 2

25] Iyad Burnat at Busboys and poets – Feb. 3

26] Evolution talk – Feb. 3

27] Peace and Pancakes – Feb. 3

28] Book talk on “Doing Time” – Feb. 3

29] Hear Iyad Burnat – Feb. 3

30] Pentagon Vigil – Feb. 4

31] Future of the American Economy -- Feb. 4

32] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Feb. 4 – Feb. 7

33] Death Penalty Vigil – Feb. 4

34] Pledge of Resistance/Fund Our Communities meeting – Feb. 4

35] Philadelphia peace vigil – Feb. 5

36] War Is Not the Answer vigil – 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] – See the play, THE MOUNTAINTOP, directed by CENTER STAGE Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah. It features Dr. Martin Luther King at the Lorraine Hotel, on the day before his assassination, when he gains a new perspective from a conversation with a maid. Center Stage is located at 700 N. Calvert St. Ticket prices range from $10 to $56. Call 410-332-0033. The play will be performed through February 24. These are the dates it will be performed: Feb. 1-24, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8 PM; Thursdays, 7 PM; Saturdays & Sundays at 2PM; Feb. 2, 8 PM, Feb. 9, 8 PM, Feb. 10, 7:30 PM, Feb. 13, 1 PM, Feb. 16, 8 PM, & Feb. 23, 8 PM.



6] – Get over to Ascension Lutheran Church art exhibit showing the work of local artists Phyllis Spirt and Shirley Neale. Ring back door for entry. The exhibit will run through Feb.28, Mondays-Fridays, noon to 4 PM at 7601 York Road. Call 410-825-1725 or visit http://www.ascensiontowson.org.



7] – 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.

8] – Thousand Little Brothers is a multimedia exhibition by Hasan Elahi, a former subject of a post 9/11 FBI investigation. Comprised of over 50,000 images, including some of his financial data, communication records, and transportation logs, Elahi's exhibit comments on current investigatory techniques. The opening reception is on Thurs., Jan. 24 from 6 to 8 PM. The exhibit will continue through March 23, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 AM to 5 PM at the Maryland Art Place, 8 Market Place, suite 100. Call 410- 962-8565 or visit http://www.MDartplace.org.

9] – 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.

10] – There is also a noon Women in Black vigil on Feb. 1 at Roland Park Place, 830 W. 40th St. Call 410-467-9114.



11] – 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/.



12] – In recognition of Black History Month and as a segment of February's It’s More Than History, there will be a brown paper bag event where the author Antero Pietila, will be present to discuss his landmark 2010 book “Not in My Neighborhood: How Bigotry Shaped a Great American City.” This event will be at noon on Fri., Feb. 1 at City Hall, Hyman Aaron Pressman Board Room, 100 N. Holliday St. Bring your favorite brown bag lunch and a photo ID for entry. Email eblast@cphabaltimore.org.



13] – There is a silent peace vigil on Fri., Feb. 1 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.



14] – 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., Feb. 1, see CRIME AFTER CRIME (USA, 2011) a documentary film directed by Yoav Potash about the case of Deborah Peagler, an incarcerated victim of domestic violence whose case was taken up by pro bono attorneys through the California Habeas Project. The documentary tells the dramatic story of the legal battle to free Peagler, an incarcerated survivor of domestic violence. She was wrongly convicted of the murder of her abusive boyfriend, and given 26 years in prison. Her story takes an unexpected turn two decades later when two rookie land-use attorneys step forward to take her case. Through their perseverance, they bring to light long-lost witnesses, new testimonies from the men who committed the murder, and proof of perjured evidence. Their investigation ultimately attracts global attention to victims of wrongful incarceration and abuse, and becomes a matter of life and death once more.



15] – On Fri., Feb. 1 at 7 PM, see "THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS" as part of the Peace Center of Delaware County First-Friday Large Screen Free Film Series, 1001 Old Sproul Road, Springfield, PA 19064. The doors open at 6:30 PM for light refreshments. Call 610-544-1818 or go to www.delcopeacecenter.org.



The 2009 film, directed by Grant Heslov from a screenplay by Peter Straughan, stars George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor and Kevin Spacey. This is a farcical look at an actual U.S. military project too bizarre to be believed. Ann Arbor Daily Telegram Reporter Bob Wilton, covering the war in Iraq, encounters Lyn Cassady, a shadowy figure who claims to be part of an experimental U.S. military unit, the "New Earth Army", which could change the way wars are fought using psychic powers such as reading the enemy's thoughts, passing through solid walls, and killing a goat simply by staring at it. The film was inspired by Jon Ronson's nonfiction bestseller of the same name, an often hilarious exploration of the government's attempts to harness paranormal abilities to combat its enemies.



16] – On Fri., Feb. 1 at 7 PM @ Red Emma's, 800 St. Paul St., Peter Gelderloos presents “Complementarity and Conflict in the Anarchist Movement in Barcelona.” Gelderloos, author of a ridiculous book, “How Nonviolence Protects the State,” has spent the past 5 years immersed in the liberatory world of eastern Spain. He has both studied and been involved with the movements in Spain. He has written prolifically, including, most recently, a book titled “Anarchy Works,” which he will have available on Friday night.



The talk will focus on the movements for Anarchy, direct democracy, and community power in and around Spain for the past hundred years. It will be bilingual, as part of the talk will be given by a Spanish woman he is traveling with. We may also be joined by their Peruvian friend, who will talk about parallel and convergent movements in Peru. Go to http://redemmas.org/event/2988/. Call 410- 230-0450 or email info@redemmas.org.

17] – Attend a Community Forum on Imperialism in Mali on Fri., Feb. 1 at 7 PM at The Justice Center, 617 Florida Ave. NW. The Party for Socialism and Liberation will host a community forum on imperialism in Mali, plus the U.S. Civil War and the abolition of slavery. Call 202-234-2828 or visit the website

18] – On Fri., Feb. 1 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 the topic is Beating Swords Into Plowshares at the Y-12 Nuclear Weapons Complex. On July 28, 2012, Catholic Workers Mike Walli and Greg Boertje-Obed, and Sr. Megan Rice, entered the Y-12 nuclear weapons complex at Oak Ridge, TN to enact the biblical prophecy of beating swords into plowshares. Calling themselves "Transform Now Plowshares," they hammered on the cornerstone of the newly built Highly-Enriched Uranium Manufacturing Facility (HEUMF), poured human blood and left four spray painted tags on the recent construction which read: Woe to the empire of blood; The fruit of justice is peace; Work for peace not for war; and Plowshares please Isaiah. They were subsequently arrested, jailed and released on strict pre-trial probation conditions. They have been charged with three felony counts and face up to a 40 year maximum prison sentence if convicted. As a result of their action, authorities took the unprecedented step of closing the Y-12 nuclear weapons complex at Oak Ridge for over two weeks. Come and hear about the moral and legal justification for this inspiring plowshares witness, what the defendants face in their upcoming trial on May 7 in U.S. District Court in Knoxville, TN, and what can be done to support them. Go to transformnowplowshares.wordpress.com. The event will be held at Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, 503 Rock Creek Church Rd. NW, WDC 20010. For more info contact Dorothy Day Catholic Worker: 202-882-9649 or artlaffin@hotmail.com. Call 202-882-9649. Visit www.DCcatholicworker.wordpress.com.



19] – 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. 2. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

20] – There is a planning meeting for a Gaza/Palestine Conference on Sat., Feb. 2 at 10 AM at the: PLYMOUTH CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST, 5301 N CAPITOL ST. NE. Call 202-723-5330.

21] – 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 Feb. 2. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167.



22] – 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.

23] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Sat., Feb. 2. 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.

24] – On Sat., Feb. 2 at noon, there is a monthly anti-drone/anti-war protest (1st Saturday of the month)--Philadelphia Silent Death Walk. Gather at Univ. of Pennsylvania, 34th & Walnut Sts., Phila., PA 19104. The Univ. of Pennsylvania and Drexel are doing drone research. Wear BLACK, and signs and white masks are provided. RSVP Marge Van Cleef at 267-763-1644.



25] – On Sun., Feb. 3 from 9 to 11 AM, the Middle East Peace Forum presents Iyad Burnat, a leader of Bil'in village's Popular Committee, at Busboys and Poets, 14th and V Sts., NW. Iyad is eager to share his experiences with audiences and illustrate how Palestinians nonviolently resist the daily violence of Israeli occupation. He is one of many activists featured in "Five Broken Cameras," which is nominated for an Oscar as Best Feature-Length Documentary! The film is directed by his brother, Emad Burnat. For the past seven years, Iyad and other activists have organized weekly demonstrations against Israel's building of a "separation barrier" that blocks local villagers from accessing the land to which their past, present, and futures are tied. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/403427913078637/.



26] – 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., Feb. 3, the topic is “Common Misconceptions About Evolution” by Roger D. Sloboda, Ira Allen Eastman Professor of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College. Approximately 85% of the adult population in the U. S., according to CBS News polling, either does not believe evolution occurs or has some doubt about the process. This indicates an alarming ignorance of science in our country. As well, such an attitude influences much – from economics to health care legislation – that shapes our society. Examples of how such scientific illiteracy negatively affects us all will be dealt with in today’s talk reviewing some of the misconceptions existing about evolution and the process of science in general.



Roger Sloboda has been a professor at Dartmouth College for the past 35 years (a fact he is finding more and more amazing of late). Prior to that he received a PhD in developmental biology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and conducted postdoctoral research at Yale. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.



27] – 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.



28] – On Sun., Feb. 3 at 11 AM at St. Vincent dePaul Catholic Church on Front St., between the entrance of the Jones Falls Expressway and the Main Branch of the Post Office, Pax Christi-Baltimore welcomes Rosalie Riegle who will give a presentation about her new book, "Doing Time for Peace: Resistance, Family, and Community." The book compiles interviews from World War II conscientious objectors to those protesting the recent war in Iraq. It includes sections on resister families, the Berrigans and Jonah House, the Plowshares Communities, the Syracuse Peace Council, and Catholic Worker houses and communities.



The narrators describe their motivations and their preparations for acts of resistance, the actions themselves, and their trials and subsequent jail time. We hear from those who do their time by caring for their families and managing communities while their partners are imprisoned. Spouses and children talk frankly of the strains on family ties caused by jail time.



Riegle, author of "Crossing the Line: Nonviolent Resisters Speak Out For Peace," is a peace activist and oral historian from Michigan and Illinois. She taught English for 33 years at Saginaw Valley State University and co-founded two Catholic Worker houses in Saginaw, Michigan. When teaching at Saginaw she also taught Humanities and Women's Studies and chaired the Honors Program. Call 410-321-0107.

29] – On Sun., Feb. 3 at 1PM, hear Iyad Burnat, a leader of Bil'in village's Popular Committee, at Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, 5301 North Capitol St. NE. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/535932433094626/.

30] – 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., Feb. 4, 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.

31] – RSVP at http://www.policylink.org/site/c.lkIXLbMNJrE/b.8542535/k.2DE6/Equity_and_the_Future_of_the_American_Economy.htm to attend Equity and the Future of the American Economy on Mon., Feb. 4 from 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM at the Knight Conference Center at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Join PolicyLink and the Service Employees International Union for a half-day convening to explore on-the-ground solutions, policy strategies, and movement building needed for an equitable economy. Go to www.OurFuture.org.



32] – 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.



33] – 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. Join us on Feb. 4. Call Max at 410-366-1637.



34] -- 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 Feb. 4. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net for directions. The agenda includes the Bradley Manning support activities, the call for anti-drone actions in April, John Brennan’s hearing, the March 23 Peace Bus and the legislative activities in Annapolis. Call 410-366-1637.



35] – 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 Feb. 5. Call 215-426-0364.



36] – 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. 5 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