Baltimore Activist Alert Mar. 8 – Mar. 14, 2013

Baltimore Activist Alert Mar. 8 – Mar. 14, 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] Thousand Little Brothers exhibit – through Mar. 23

7] 'Applied Feminism and Families' Conference – Mar. 8

8] Honor Chavez – Mar. 8

9] White House vigil – Mar. 8

10] WIB Roland Park vigil – Mar. 8

11] Justice for Palestine/Israel vigil – Mar. 8

12] By Fracking Rally – Mar. 8

13] Protest at Pakistan embassy – Mar. 8

14] Silent peace vigil – Mar. 8

15] International Women’s Day -- Mar. 8

16] Jerusalem Fund Gallery exhibit – Mar. 8 – Apr. 12

17] Play “How I Learned to Drive” – Mar. 8

18] Fair Wages Talk – Mar. 8

19] Ballroom dancing – Mar. 8

20] ‘Equitable and Sustainable Development: a Path Forward’ Symposium – Mar. 9

21] Protest drones strikes at CIA – Mar. 9

22] Olney peace vigil – Mar. 9

23] West Chester, PA demo – Mar. 9

24] Silent vigil at Capitol – Mar. 9

-----

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] – 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.



7] – The 'Applied Feminism and Families' Conference continues on Fri, Mar. 8 at 8:30 AM through 4 PM at the University of Baltimore School of Law. 1420 N. Charles St. This 6th annual Feminist Legal Theory Conference, a series of workshops and keynote addresses, started on Thursday. Register at http://www.ubalt.edu/. Call 410-837-5739.



8] – As an expression of solidarity with the pain of the Venezuelan people, whose fervor and love for their deceased president Hugo Chavez Frias is being expressed by the millions of people who have broken the security lines in their desperation to give a last glance before the funeral that will be held on Fri.. Mar. 8. See a live transmission on a big screen directly from Caracas all day Friday starting at 11 AM until the ceremonies are over. Come to the Shanti Yoga Ashram, 4217 East - West Highway, Bethesda 20814. Call 301 654 6759. Go to www.schooloflife.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 Mar. 8 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. Mar. 8 from noon to 1 PM, join a rally to ban fracking in Maryland outside the Maryland State House, 100 State Circle, Annapolis 21401 in Annapolis. On Friday, the Maryland House of Delegates Environmental Matters Committee is holding a hearing on a bill that would ban fracking in Maryland. This is a make-or-break moment for the bill, so we're partnering with our allies in Maryland to organize a rally to pressure legislators to pass the bill. Go to http://act.credoaction.com/event/events/event.html?r=11586649&event_id=2719&id=55638-985686-wEP2X7x.



13] – There is an Aafia Support Rally on Fri., Mar. 8 from 3 to 5 PM at the Embassy of Pakistan, 3517 International Court, WDC 20008. March 30, 2013 will mark 10 years that Dr. Aafia Siddiqui has been engulfed in an unending regime of brutal political imprisonment. As part of the international Free Aafia Movement's "10 DAYS FOR 10 YEARS" campaign, the U.S. branch of this international quest for justice will give you three opportunities to contribute to the campaign. Go to http://aafiamovement.com/8-march-2013-aafia-support-rally/.



14] – There is a silent peace vigil on Fri., Mar. 8 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 International Women’s Day join Global Women's Strike for an event "Surviving Globally, Surviving in the US" on Fri., Mar. 8 from 5 to 8 PM. This will be An Evening of Discussion and Organizing at the Tabernacle United Church, 3700 Chestnut St., Philadelphia. Enjoy food and entertainment and meet women in Philadelphia and around the world who will speak out and plan together campaigns against poverty, war, the criminalization of survival, prison/jail expansion, solitary confinement, deportation, removal of children from their moms due to poverty and lack of resources, that tears families apart, family farmers pushed off the land, and the destruction of our beautiful planet! INVEST IN LIFE AND WELFARE, NOT MILITARY BUDGETS & PRISONS! The suggested donation is $3 for the unwaged, $5 for the waged, and $10 for institutions, but NO ONE TURNED AWAY. Call 215-848-1120.



16] – "Undefeated Despair: Precarity, Public Art, and Solidarity in Palestine and Lebanon" opens on Fri., Mar. 8 at 6 PM through Fri., Apr. 12 at 6 PM at The Jerusalem Fund Gallery, 2425 Virginia Ave. NW, WDC 22037. This exhibit brings together examples of work from three mural projects coordinated by Break The Silence Media and Arts Project. Based in San Francisco, BTS/MAP works in the intersection of trauma, memory, creativity, resilience and resistance, aims to engage people on multiple levels through murals, video, art/research, multi and trans media projects to see and imagine new possibilities, think critically and organize to reveal hidden histories and the connections between struggles for social justice globally. Visit http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/d/sp/i/9242/pid/9242.



17] – “How I Learned to Drive,” directed by Rain Pryor and Mike Zemarel, is a play written by Paula Vogel. It explores issues of sexual abuse in a Maryland family. See the production on Fridays, Mar. 8 & 15, and Saturdays, Mar. 9 & 16. All performances are at 7 PM at the Wright Theater, University of Baltimore, 21 W. Mount Royal Ave.



18] – On Fri., Mar. 8 at 7:30 PM, Saru Jayaraman, activist, author and professor, will present the next Zoerheide Lecture. "Behind the Kitchen Door: Paying Fair Wages and Building a Just and Sustainable Food Industry." It will be presented in Enoch Pratt Hall, 514 N. Charles St. in Baltimore.



Ms. Jayaraman is the author of "Behind the Kitchen Door" (Cornell University Press 2013). She asks how restaurant workers survive on some of the lowest wages in America and how poor working conditions and exploitation affect the meals that arrive at our restaurant tables. In her book Ms. Jayaraman argues that, “Sustainability is about contributing to a society that everybody benefits from, not just going organic because you don't want to die from cancer or have a difficult pregnancy. What is a sustainable restaurant? It's one in which as the restaurant grows, the people grow with it.”



Saru Jayaraman is co-founder and co-director of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United and director of the Food Labor Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley. She is a graduate of Yale Law School and holds a Masters Degree from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.



The Robert and Jean Zoerheide Lecture Series speaks to the civic values of the First Unitarian Church of Baltimore (Universalist & Unitarian), and provides regular opportunities for public dialogue with leading voices in the Unitarian Universalist and other liberal religious traditions. The series honors our late Minister emeritus and his wife for their years of leadership in Baltimore. Call 410-685-2330.



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 Mar. 8. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.



20] – On Sat., Mar. 9 from 9 AM to 4 PM, attend the ‘Equitable and Sustainable Development: a Path Forward’ Symposium, which will highlight the recently released book “Race, class, power and organizing in East Baltimore: rebuilding abandoned communities in America” as an example of 'what not to do' in community rebuilding. It will bring together presenters and audience to strategize from their own experience about what can be done better moving forward at 200 N. Central Ave. (enter from rear of auditorium on Aisquith St), Baltimore 21202.



Some presenters are Richie Armstrong (Community Churches United, MD), Roque Barros (Jacobs Family Foundation, CA), Mindy Fullilove (Columbia University, NY), Luis Larin (United Workers, Baltimore, MD) and Gus Newport (CA). The Fee is $40.00 (on a sliding scale), and it includes a light breakfast and lunch. RSVP to socialhealthconcepts@gmail.com. Go to http://www.mariselabgomez.com/symposium-equitable-and-sustainable-development/.



21] – Stop CIA Killer Drones & Torture on Sat., Mar. 9 at 10 AM at CIA Headquarters, 900 block of Dolley Madison Blvd, Langley, VA. Pressure the CIA to stop their use of killer drones and torture! The CIA has been found guilty by the European Court of torture, abuse, & secretly imprisoning people. U.S. military & CIA drones have maimed & killed thousands of people in Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya & Afghanistan. This year alone there have been over 333 + strikes in Afghanistan. Almost 60 Guantanamo prisoners have been cleared for release but still remain captives of the US indefinitely.



Go to WWW.WITNESSTORTURE.ORG. The demo is organized by Pax Christi Metro DC and many other groups. Contact Jack McHale at 703-772-0635. As of January 2013 the United Nations has launched a special investigation into the US killer drone program. Leading the UN investigation is Ben Emmerson the UN rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights. He said "The exponential rise in the use of drone technology in a variety of military and non-military contexts represents a real challenge to the framework of established international law," The US Military & Central Intelligence Agency drones have maimed & killed thousands including innocent people in Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, & Pakistan without charge, trial or conviction of crime. This year alone there have been over 362 + strikes in Pakistan. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism reports on estimates up to 3461 people killed and 891 injured in Pakistan, in Yemen 1112 killed and 178 injured in these two countries alone by CIA drone strikes. Stand with us opposing CIA & US Military drones used in extrajudicial killings.



22] – 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 Mar. 9. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167.



23] – 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.

24] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Sat., Mar. 9. 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.

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