Baltimore Activist Alert - Part 1

Baltimore Activist Alert Feb. 15 – Feb. 21, 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. 15

10] WIB Roland Park vigil – Feb. 15

11] Justice for Palestine/Israel vigil – Feb. 15

12] "The Korean Peninsula Issues" – Feb. 15

13] "Rethinking Money" – Feb. 15

14] Silent peace vigil – Feb. 15

15] Benefit concert – Feb. 15

16] Film "We Are Many" – Feb. 15

17] Ballroom dancing – Feb. 15

18] Olney peace vigil – Feb. 16

19] West Chester, PA demo – Feb. 16

20] Silent vigil at Capitol – Feb. 16

21] A Socialist Response to Climate Chaos – Feb. 16

22] Open Hearts Ball – Feb. 16

23] Judy Collins performs – Feb. 16

24] Surround the White House – Feb. 17

25] Pre-rally gathering – Feb. 17

26] Get on the Forward Climate Rally Baltimore Bus – Feb. 1

27] “A Transsexual’s Journey Lecture” -- Feb. 17

28] Peace and Pancakes – Feb. 17

29] "Cook Organic, Not the Planet" – Feb. 17

30] MARCH WITH THE SOCIALISTS -- Feb. 17

31] Pre-rally for People of Faith – Feb. 17

32] Peace leadership training – Feb. 17

33] D.C. Poets Against the War – Feb. 17

34] Red Emma’s meeting – Feb. 17

35] Pentagon Vigil – Feb. 18

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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. 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. 15 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] – On Fri., Feb. 15 from 1 to 4:30 PM, the ICAS Liberty Foundation is hosting "The Korean Peninsula Issues" with Rep. Steve Chabot (OH) and Patrick Cronin, Center for a New American Security in B318 Rayburn House Office Bldg., Washington. RSVP at http://www.icas.welcome.bz/.

13] – Hear a discussion of the book "Rethinking Money: How New Currencies Turn Scarcity Into Prosperity" on Fri., Feb. 15 from 2 to 4 PM in the Moot Court Room 5th Floor, UDC Clarke School of Law, 4340 Connecticut Ave. NW. The presentation at the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law represents a special opportunity to interact directly with Bernard Lietaer and Jacqui Dunne as they share some of the key thinking that money is not what we may have thought it was. You will learn how we have built into our currency a dynamic that drives inequality, generates boom and bust and imposes scarcity in the midst of potential abundance. In addition, you will learn about the ways in which hundreds if not thousands of alternative currencies in use around the world have in fact cracked the artificial scarcity imposed by our monetary system. Email Joe Libertelli at JLibertelli@udc.edu.

14] – There is a silent peace vigil on Fri., Feb. 15 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.



15] – On Fri., Feb. 15 at 7 PM at St. Stephens, 1525 Newton St. NW, attend a benefit concert for Widening The Circle with The Evens. Ian Mackaye and Amy Farina just released an album. Widening The Circle, St. Stephen’s first-ever capital campaign, is raising funds to make significant improvements to its well-used building, so that it can continue for decades to come to provide space for people to work, worship, perform, celebrate, and work for justice. You can support Widening The Circle by making a donation or by attending an upcoming benefit. The Evens are a well-known local protest-punk duo which will perform an all-ages benefit. The concert will begin at 8 PM, and tickets are $5 at the door. Visit http://www.saintstephensdc.org/.

16] – The Day the World Said NO to War! On Fri., Feb. 15 from 7 to 9 PM at Busboys & Poets, 1025 5th St. NW, come watch an extended teaser of the soon-to-be-released film "We Are Many," a documentary film about one historic day, and its legacy. On February 15, 2003 between 10-14 million people took to the streets in nearly 800 cities around the world, to protest against the impending war on Iraq. Filmed in six countries over 7 years, this film also reveals unexpected legacies, from the influence on the Egyptian democratic movement to the Occupy Movement. Told by first hand participants, organizers and the public alike as well as leading public figures, this film is the first documentary account of the biggest single protest in the history of humanity. The film will be followed by a panel discussion on the legacy of February 15, 2003, its connection to other movements, including Tahrir Square and the Arab Spring. Go to http://www.ips-dc.org/events/the_day_the_world_said_no_to_war.

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



18] – 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. 16. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167.



19] – 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.

20] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Sat., Feb. 16. 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] – How to Stop Climate Change: A Socialist Response is a discussion scheduled for Sat., Feb. 16 from 7 to 9 PM in the Tupper Room at All Soul's Church, 1500 Harvard St. NW, WDC 20009. Join D.C. Socialists - ISO in stopping climate chaos! Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/529271753760497/.



22] – Be at the Fifth Annual Open Hearts Ball: A Benefit for Hearts Place Shelter on Sat., Feb. 16 from 7 to 11 PM at the 2640 Space, 2640 St. Paul St. The event will feature live music, a silent art auction, a raffle, and drinks. Performers will include the Stone Hill All-Stars and Straight Up Tribal. The admission of $15 includes music and food. All proceeds will benefit Heart's Place Shelter, a haven for homeless men, women, and children. Drinks will be on sale. Go to http://www.redemmas.org/2640.



23] – JUDY COLLINS WILL PERFORM ON Sat., Feb. 16 at 6 PM at Rams Head On Stage, 33 West St., Annapolis. Call 410-268-4545. Go to http://www.ramsheadtavern.com.



24] – Surround the White House on Presidents Day, Sun., Feb. 17... Tell Barack Obama it's time to lead in the fight against climate chaos, beginning by rejecting the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline (more at http://act.350.org/signup/presidentsday). Get on a bus from Philadelphia. The Earth Quaker Action Group will get you on a bus at http://eqat.wordpress.com/.



25] – Come to the Institute for Policy Studies, IPS Conference Room, 1112 16th St. NW before the Forward on Climate Justice rally for hot cocoa and snacks on Sun., Feb. 17 from 9 to 11:30 AM. Take this opportunity to get to know fellow activists while making posters with your own personal message to Obama! Visit the website http://www.ips-dc.org/events/pre-rally_rally_at_ips_on_keystone_xl.

26] – Get on the Forward Climate Rally - Baltimore Bus. There are two bus locations from Baltimore. At 10 AM, be at the Old Court Metro Station, 4300 Old Court Rd., Pikesville. The return is expected to be at 4:30 PM. Or be at Catonsville Park and Ride, 1250 South Rolling Rd., Catonsville at 10:30 AM. The bus will return around 4 PM. Contact Laurel at 301-277-7111 or laurel.imlay@mdsierra.org. There are other buses: Frederick: action.sierraclub.org/site/Calendar?id=167401&view=Detail; Annapolis: action.sierraclub.org/site/Calendar?id=167442&view=Detail; and Harford County: action.sierraclub.org/site/Calendar?id=167443&view=Detail.

27] – 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. 17, hear “A Transsexual’s Journey Lecture” by Donna S. Plamondon, a transgender activist, who will speak about the challenges and choices that transgender individuals face. Go to http://www.bmorethical.org. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

28] – 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.







29] – "Cook Organic, Not the Planet" at Forward on Climate on Sun., Feb. 17 at 11:30 AM at the Smithsonian Metro, National Mall. The Organic Consumers Association will march with thousands of people from more than 80 organizations to demand that President Obama live up to his promise to address climate chaos. This might be the largest climate rally ever. OCA is taking action in solidarity with rural communities around the country that are fighting mountaintop removal, tar sands, fracking and factory farms. Visit https://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=70193.

30] – MARCH WITH THE SOCIALISTS on Sun., Feb. 17 from 11:30 AM to 4 PM on the National Mall. Email the ISO at iso_district@yahoo.com or call 347-770-2ISO.

31] – Join a Pre-rally for People of Faith (leading into the Forward on Climate Rally) on Sun., Feb. 17 from 11:30 AM to 1 PM. Meet at the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden, between 7th and 9th Street SW, on the National Mall. The closest Metro station is L’Enfant Plaza on the Green, Yellow, Orange, and Blue lines. Join Sojourners and other people of faith in the fight for climate justice on Presidents' Day weekend! RSVP to Alycia at ashburn@sojo.net.



32] – On Sun., Feb. 17 from 12:45 to 2:45 PM at UUCA, 4444 Arlington Blvd. Arlington, VA 22204, Little Friends For Peace is offering peace leadership training for young people on the third Sunday of every month (Mar. 17, Apr. 21 and May 19). Topics include Discovering Peace; Caring for Self, Others, and the Earth; Nonviolent Conflict Resolution; Sharing One's Gifts and Talents; Appreciating Diversity; and Meeting Peacemakers. Projects and actions for peace include discussions, cooperative games, art, drama, hands-on activities, and field trips. The training is for students from the third grade through high school. Contact MJ Park at mjpeace@gmail.com. Go to http://goo.gl/yCUx4.



33] – D.C. Poets Against the War celebrate its 10th Anniversary on Sun., Feb. 17 from 5 to 7 PM at Busboys and Poets, 5th & K Sts. NW. Join Split this Rock, D.C. Poets Against War and Busboys and Poets brought together poets who were active in the group. They will read their own work and the work and poetry of the missing voices: Iraqi poets, Afghan poets, and essential poets the world has lost since 2003, such as Adrienne Rich, Lucille Clifton, Grace Paley and Dennis Brutus. A donation of $5 is requested. Email info@splitthisrock.org.



34] – 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 Feb. 17. 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.

35] – 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. 18, 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