Baltimore Activist Alert May 3 – May 4, 2013

Baltimore Activist Alert May 3 – May 9, 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] LIGHT by Art Spirit – through May 12

6] See THE CARETAKER – through May 25

7] Homage to Harriet – through June 23

8] Tour de Peace – through July 3

9] BUILD's 35 Years of Organizing -- through Aug. 31

10] White House vigil to support Gitmo prisoners – May 3

11] Justice for Palestine/Israel vigil – May 3

12] Protest targeting of Muslims – May 3

13] Film "Five Broken Cameras" – May 3

14] Silent peace vigil – May 3

15] DVD RACHEL: AN AMERICAN CONSCIENCE – May 3

16] Physicians for Social Responsibility Environmental Update – May 3

17] Film "Five Broken Cameras" – May 3

18] Mayan Perspective with Ac Tah – May 3 & 4

19] Eighty Years of the Catholic Worker – May 3

20] Ballroom dancing – May 3

21] Olney peace vigil – May 4

22] West Chester, PA demo – May 4

23] Silent vigil at Capitol – May 4

24] Silent Anti-Drone March – May 4

25] "Mirror of Orion and Skywalker Labyrinth" – May 4

26] Carroll County Healthcare Speak out – May 4







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] – The Arts Council of Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church presents LIGHT by Art Spirit, an Arts Collective, through Sun., May 12 at the Great Hall, 3401 Nebraska Ave. NW, WDC 20016. The exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM, and Sundays, 9 AM to 12:30 PM. Call 202-363-4900 or go to www.nationalchurch.org.



6] – See “The Caretaker, ”Harold Pinter's 1960's play about a homeless man (played by Marc Horwitz) who is invited by two working class brothers to stay in a dilapidated London flat that begins a war of treachery, dominance, and mystery. It will be performed through May 25, Sundays, 3 PM, Fridays-Saturdays, 8 PM, May 2, 8 PM, May 16, 8 PM, and May 23, 8 PM, at the Performance Workshop Theatre, 5426 Harford Road. Call 410-659-7830. See http://www.performanceworkshoptheatre.org. The ticket price is $22, but students pay $15.



7] – Homage to Harriet, works about and inspired by the life and legacy of Maryland-born abolitionist Harriet Tubman, continues through June 23 at Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, 830 E. Pratt St. Call 443-263-1800. Go to http://www.africanamericanculture.org/.



8] – From Thurs., Apr. 4 through Wed., July 3 follow the Tour de Peace across the country. Visit http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/p/tour-de-peace-road-less-taken.html.



There is a Congressional Briefing on Drones: A Slippery Slope on Lives and Liberties taking place on Fri., May 3 from 10 to 11:30 AM in 2226 Rayburn House Office Building. The speakers are

Farea Al-Muslimi, Yemeni youth activist who formerly worked with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, USAID, and Resonate! Yemen; Jennifer Daskal: Adjunct Professor of Law and Fellow at the Center on Law and National Security at Georgetown University Law Center who formerly served as counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the Department of Justice: and Naureen Shah, Associate Director of the Counterterrorism and Human Rights Project at the Human Rights Institute at Columbia Law School who co-authored the report, "The Civilian Impact of Drone Strikes," and is a consultant to Amnesty International USA. The moderator is Yasmine Taeb, AAI Arab American Institute Government Relations Manager. There will be live streaming at www.aaiusa.org.



9] – The Enoch Pratt Free Library, Central Library, 400 Cathedral St., hosts an exhibit Learning, Listening, Leading: BUILD's 35 Years of Organizing in Baltimore City, which documents the achievements of BUILD, featuring the leaders who made these changes possible, through Sat., Aug. 31. Call 410-396-5430. Go to http://www.prattlibrary.org/locations/central.

10] – 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. However, on May 3 the vigil will Support Guantanamo Hunger Strikers--Close Guantanamo & End Indefinite Detention. The men detained at the U.S. prison in Guantánamo are engaged in a large-scale hunger strike, which began in early February. Recent reports indicate that 84 men are on the hunger strike, 16 are being force-fed and 3 are now hospitalized. Last weekend guards used excessive force and rubber bullets on prisoners who resisted being forcibly moved from communal to individual cells. This was done in attempt to stop the hunger strike. The vast majority of the 166 men have been held for more than 11 years without any charge or fair trial, with no end to their detention in sight. The Obama administration must take swift measures to humanely address the immediate causes of the hunger strike and fulfill its promise to close Guantánamo without further delay. See www.witnesstorture.org. Contact Art Laffin: artlaffin@hotmail.com.

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] – Demonstrate Against Unfair Targeting of the Families of Muslim Political Prisoners on Fri., May 3 from - 3:30 to 5:30 PM at Department of Justice, 950 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Call 202-246-9608. Email lynnejackson@mac.com.

13] – The Johns Hopkins' branch of Students for Justice in Palestine will show the Academy Award nominated documentary "Five Broken Cameras." The film is about the anti-apartheid wall struggle in the West Bank village of Bi'ilin. The screening is on Fri., May 3 at 3 PM at the Homewood Campus in Gilman Hall room 50. It will be followed by a talk with Iyad Burnat, head of the Bil’in Popular Committee and a leader in the village’s nonviolent popular resistance movement, via Skype from the West Bank. Here is a trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XID_UuxiGxM.

14] – There is a silent peace vigil on Fri., May 3 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. Afterwards enjoy a First Friday potluck.

15] – 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. 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., May 3 at 7 PM, see RACHEL: AN AMERICAN CONSCIENCE [Palestine, 2005]. Yahya Barakat began work on the documentary the instant he learned that Rachel Corrie had been crushed to death by an Israeli-driven Caterpillar bulldozer. This documentary offers rare footage of Rachel talking to a camera and describing Israeli human rights violations against a Palestinian civilian population. The film opens with grim images of dinosaur-like Caterpillar bulldozers turning urban Rafah into a garbage pile of destroyed buildings. It continues with interviews of Rachel’s fellow International Solidarity Movement volunteers, and concludes with comments from her parents.



16] – Physicians for Social Responsibility [mailto:psrnatl@psr.org] are hosting a Prince George's County Party on Fri., May 3 from 5:30 to 8 PM at the Sierra Club Maryland Office, 7338 Baltimore Ave. #111, College Park, MD. While the offshore wind power bill passed with overwhelming support in both Maryland General Assembly chambers, the Fracking Moratorium Bill (SB 601/HB 1274) died by one vote in the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee (6-5). This legislative moratorium on hydraulic fracturing would have provided an 18-month period to conduct and review studies of the process, and would have required the adoption of regulations based on the recommendations from the studies. That the fracking moratorium bill came so close to passing is a testament to the strong and growing movement of Marylanders demanding protections. We will continue to grow and work so no Marylander will ever face the widespread harms linked to fracking.



17] – On Fri., May 3 at 7 PM, see 5 BROKEN CAMERAS, 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 Oscar Nominee for "Best Documentary" depicts life under occupation. It is a Palestinian-Israeli-French Co-Production, directed by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi. It is in Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles. Structured in chapters around the destruction of each one of Burnat's cameras by Israeli soldiers, the film follows one family's evolution over five years of village upheaval as olive trees are bulldozed, protests intensify, and lives are lost. The film is a cinematic diary that provides us with an unparalleled record of Palestinian life under Israeli military occupation.



An after-film discussion will focus on “Extra-judicial assassinations,” “targeted killings,” and the “global war on terror,” U.S. Drones (UAVs, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) — armed with Lockheed Martin Hellfire missiles — are remotely controlled through space-based satellites (also produced by Lockheed Martin) from command centers in the continental United States, such as the one planned for the Horsham Air Guard Station outside of Philadelphia.



18] – There are two upcoming conferences on the Mayan Perspective with Ac Tah. One will take place at Brown Memorial Church, 1316 Park Ave., Baltimore 21217 on Fri., May 3 from 7 to 9:30 PM. The cost is $10. Email waskoart(o)gmail.com. The other is at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4001 St. SW, WDC 20024 on Sun., May 5 from 1:30 to 5:30 PM. However there will also be a workshop as well. The Conference is from 2 to 4 PM and the Workshop is from 4:30 to 5:30 PM. The cost is $30. The conference only is $10. Call 202-484-7700. Visit www.livinglabyrinthsforpeace.org.



19] – On Fri., May 3 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 The Catholic Worker at 80--Viva House at 45. The speakers are Willa Bickham and Brendan Walsh. May 1 marks the 80th anniversary of the Catholic Worker. This year also marks the 45th anniversary of Viva House Catholic Worker in Baltimore. Willa and Walsh, co-founders of Viva House, knew Dorothy Day and will share stories and art from their experience spanning five decades with the Catholic Worker. Visit www.DCcatholicworker.wordpress.com. Call 202-882-9649.



20] – 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 May 3. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.



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 May 4. 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., May 4. 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., May 4 from noon until 1 PM, there is a monthly anti-drone/anti-war protest (1st Saturday of the month)--Philadelphia Silent Death Walk. Gather at 12th & Market Sts., Center City Philadelphia. Wear BLACK, and signs and white masks are provided. RSVP Marge Van Cleef at 267-763-1644.



25] – Mayan Spiritual Teacher Ac Tah will build his "Mirror of Orion and Skywalker Labyrinth" for Liberation & Peace at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, WDC on Sat., May 4 from1 to 4 PM for World Labyrinth Day. People may bring an unopened bottle of drinking water, and a potted plant to be activated and taken home to be planted. Indigenous instruments (drums, rattles, didgeridoos, crystal bowls, etc.) are also welcome. Go to www.AcTah2012.com.

26] – There is a Carroll County Healthcare Speak out on Sat., May 4 from 2 to 5 PM at St. Paul's United Church of Christ, 17 Bond St., Westminster 21157. Go to www.MDSinglePayer.org or email info@mdsinglepayer.org.

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