Baltimore Activist Alert Sept. 29 & 30, 2013

Baltimore Activist Alert Sept. 29 – Oct. 5, 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] Immigration Reform! – through Oct. 18 6] Fall Worship Sacred Journeys -- Sept. 29 7] “Restoring Ethics to American Democracy” – Sept. 29 8] Peace and Pancakes – Sept. 29 9] Rep. John Lewis preaches – Sept. 29 10] Celebrate National Public Lands Day – Sept. 29 11] Delegate Heather Mizeur – Sept. 29 12] Hear Gar Alperovitz – Sept. 29 13] Hear Israeli Soldiers’ Testimonies – Sept. 29 14] Pentagon Vigil – Sept. 30 15] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Sept. 30 – Oct. 4 16] Iran & change – Sept. 30 17] Prolonged Israeli occupation – Sept. 30 18] The U.S.-Russian Relationship – Sept. 30 19] Documentary “SCHOOLING THE WORLD – Sept. 30 20] No Papers No Fear Ride for Justice – Sept. 30 21] Pledge of Resistance/Fund Our Communities meeting – Sept. 30 22] Paul Chappell speaks -- Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and Oct. 3 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 40 days of prayer, fasting and advocacy for Immigration Reform continues through Fri., Oct. 18! The Interfaith Immigration Coalition and Conference of Major Superiors of Men invite you to participate. Sign up at http://www.fastaction.us. 6] – On Sun,, Sept. 29, 8:45 AM to noon, the Montgomery County Interfaith Council (MCIC) is continuing its Fall Worship Sacred Journeys at the Universalist Unitarian Church of Silver Spring, 10309 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring MD 20903. To register, email to mcicmd@gmail.com. 7] – 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 noon. On Sun., Sept. 29 the platform address is “Restoring Ethics to American Democracy” by Jennifer Bevan-Dangle, executive director, Common Cause Maryland. “Politics appears to be the master art for it includes so many others and its purpose is the good of man. While it is worthy to perfect one man, it is finer and more godlike to perfect a nation.” (Aristotle) In our modern society, politics has become almost synonymous with a lack of ethics. Yet Aristotle spoke of politics as the highest calling and political engagement as a requirement for a truly ethical life. Join us as we reflect on two critical questions: Does living in a representative democracy create an ethical responsibility to engage in the political sphere? Is there hope for a return of ethics in our current government? Bevan-Dangel is responsible for implementing the organization’s policy campaigns and building the organization’s capacity. She holds a law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law and an undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University, and comes to Common Cause with a strong background in advocacy at the state and local levels, having worked for 1000 Friends of Maryland, Patuxent Riverkeeper, and Environment Maryland on a variety of land use and clean water reforms. Go to http://bmorethical.org/ or Twitter: @bmorethical or Facebook: http://fb.com/bmorethical/or email ask@bmorethical.org. 8] – 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. 9] – Guest Preacher Rep. John Lewis will be at the Shiloh Baptist Church on Sun., Sept. 29 at 10:45 AM at 1500 9th St. NW. Call 202-546-1299. 10] – Celebrate National Public Lands Day with a cleanup and celebration of Fort Hunt Park on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Alexandria, VA. Nestled along the Potomac River, the site was settled by native populations 8,000 years ago before becoming part of George Washington’s River Farm. A military fortress was constructed in the late 19th century and the park later became a top secret military intelligence installation during World War II known only as PO Box 1142. Today, Fort Hunt Park is a popular picnicking and recreational park. The Fort Hunt Park Community Day is on Sunday, Sept. 29 from 1 to 5 PM at Fort Hunt Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway, 8999 Fort Hunt Road, Alexandria, VA 22308, and you can join Friends of Fort Hunt Park, NPCA, and NPS. To RSVP, contact Ed Stierli at estierli@npca.org or 202.454.3339. 11] – There is a meet-and-greet on Sun., Sept. 29 in the Waverly neighborhood in Baltimore. Delegate Heather Mizeur is running for Governor of Maryland, and was recently endorsed by Baltimore City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke and actress Sonja Sohn. Attend the meet-and-greet from 1:30 to 3:30 PM at 3511 Old York Rd. and hear more about Heather's vision for Maryland! Email jeremy@heathermizeur.com. 12] – Get over to the Radical Bookfair Pavilion at the Baltimore Book Festival. Email bookfair@redemmas.org. Gar Alperovitz, author of “What Then Must We Do?” will be speaking there at 2 PM on Sept. 29. See http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com/schedule/event-detail/474/Gar-Alperovitz,%20What%20Then%20Must%20We%20Do. 13] – In the Langston Room, Busboys & Poets, 2021 14th St. NW, WDC 20009 on Sun., Sept. 29 from 6 to 8 PM, enjoy a book discussion as part of “Middle East Cafe: Breaking the Silence" hosted by Jewish Voice for Peace - DC Metro Chapter. Former IDF soldier Avner Gvaryahu of Breaking the Silence is on a US Tour to discuss the new book, Our Harsh Logic – Israeli Soldiers' Testimonies from the Occupied Territories, 2000-2010. Support for Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory—both internationally and within Israel itself—rests on the belief that the Israeli army’s presence in the West Bank and Gaza is essentially protective, aimed at safeguarding the country from terror. But Israeli soldiers themselves tell a profoundly different story. In this landmark work, which includes more than a hundred soldiers’ testimonies collected over a decade, what emerges is a broad policy that is as much offensive as defensive. In their own words, the soldiers reveal in vivid detail how key planks of the army’s program have served to accelerate Israeli acquisition of Palestinian land, cripple all normal political and social life, and ultimately thwart the possibility of Palestinian independence. Email william_simonds@comcast.net. 14] – 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., Sept. 30, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649. 15] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Friday from 9 to 11 AM 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. 16] – On Mon., Sept. 30 from 9 to 10:30 AM, Ramin Asgard, former director of the State Department's Iran office in Dubai, and Arash Ghafouri, consultant to presidential candidates in the 2013 Iranian election, will comment on "Reform Under Rouhani: Assessing Positive Change in Iran" at the Stimson Center, 1111 19th St. NW, 12th Floor, WDC. RSVP https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ioTVWmC-gGgOZ76D1RdOhzsuscHd61PnbHOBteMADi8/viewform. 17] – Catch a lecture on the Prolonged Israeli occupation and Palestinian child prisoners on Mon., Sept. 30 on 12:30 to 2 PM at The Palestine Center. Mr. Rifat Kassis and Mr. Brad Parker of Defense for the Children International - Palestine will discuss how Palestinian children are affected by Israel's prolonged military occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza. The presentation will focus on the widespread and systematic ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention. The process of arrest, transfer and interrogation will be described from a child's perspective where nearly 75 percent of children experience some form of physical violence. Based on DCI-Palestine's experience documenting abuses and providing legal aid to children charged in the Israeli military court system, the presentation will also highlight the dual legal systems operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the disparity between legal protections provided to Palestinian children and Israeli children. Practical recommendations to curb abuses will also be presented. RSVP at http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/d/EventDetails/i/41680. 18] – On Mon., Sept. 30 from 2 to 3:30 PM, Gary Samore, Brookings Institute, Pavel Zolotarev, Institute for U.S. and Canadian Studies, and William Tobey, Harvard University, will explore "The U.S.-Russian Relationship: Transcending Mutual Deterrence" at Brookings Institute, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC. RSVP https://www.cvent.com/events/the-u-s-russia-relationship-transcending-mutual-deterrence/registration-faa522bfb7dd4a2eabaa60caa61abb21.aspx. 19] – Beyond the Classroom presents the award-winning documentary “SCHOOLING THE WORLD: The White Man’s Last Burden” on Mon., Sept. 30 from 7 to 9 PM at 1102 South Campus Commons, Building 1,University of Maryland, College Park . If you wanted to change an ancient culture in a generation, how would you do it? You would change the way it educates its children. The United States Government knew this in the 19th century when it forced Native American children into government boarding schools. Today, volunteers build schools in traditional societies around the world, convinced that school is the only way to a “better” life for indigenous children. But is this true? What really happens when we replace a traditional culture’s way of learning and understanding of the world with our own? Beautifully filmed in the Buddhist culture of Ladakh in the northern Indian Himalayas, “Schooling the World” takes a challenging, sometimes funny, ultimately deeply disturbing look at the effects of modern education on the world’s last sustainable indigenous culture. 21] Pledge of Resistance/Fund Our Communities meeting – Sept. 30 20] – No Papers No Fear Ride for Justice is happening on Mon., Sept. 30 from 6 to 9 PM. To find out the location, visit http://vimeo.com/73141914. Last summer dozens of undocumented parents, workers and students set off on a bus tour across the southern part of the country on the 'No Papers No Fear Ride for Justice.' The Undocubus traveled from Arizona to the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Charlotte, North Carolina to challenge anti-immigrant laws and peel away the fear that draconian immigration laws have imbedded in our community. Since returning home, riders and participating organizations have continued organizing and fighting deportations in our communities. The funds will go towards the costs of the bus tour - materials, food, transportation, etc. But before they hit the road again, they've got to get the bus running. Community members, mechanics, carpenters, artists have all committed to help. It was community support that made the tour successful the first time, it will be community that makes sure the Undocubus will be a vehicle for justice once again. 21] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore usually meets on Mondays at 7:30 PM, and the meetings take place at Max’s residence. There will be a meeting on Mon., Sept. 30. The proposed agenda will include preventing an attack on Syria, anti-drone activities, the next visit to the NSA on Sat., Oct. 5, the trial of the CIA Six a possible meeting with Rep. Cummings. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net for directions. 22] – Paul Chappell will speak on Mon., Sept. 30 at Cedar Lane Unitarian Church in Bethesda, on Tues., Oct. 1 at Montgomery College, and on Thurs., Oct. 3 at American University. The following information is from the Cedar Lane UU website: On Monday evening, September 30, at 7:30 p.m. in the chapel, the Social Justice Council is sponsoring a talk by Mr. Paul K. Chappell, a West Point graduate and Iraq veteran who is now working as the Peace Leadership Director for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF). He lectures around the world to dispel the myths of war and share his ideas for using nonviolent methods and strategic and tactical planning to effect change in creating a culture of peace. His work is based on the work of Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King. His intelligence, message, scholarship and vision resonate strongly with Unitarians and he has been very well-received at the many UU churches where he has spoken. For an excellent interview that was recently published online see www.guernicamag.com/interviews/waging-peace/. 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

Obedience to Corporate-State Authority Makes Consumer Society Increasingly Dangerous

http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/19050-the-experiment-requires-that-you-continue-obedience-to-corporate-state-authority-in-an-increasingly-dangerous-consumer-society Obedience to Corporate-State Authority Makes Consumer Society Increasingly Dangerous Sunday, 29 September 2013 00:00 By Yosef Brody, Truthout | Op-Ed (Image: Puppet man via Shutterstock) Fifty years ago this month, Yale psychologist Stanley Milgram published a groundbreaking article describing a unique human behavior experiment. The study and its many variations, while ethically controversial, gave us new insight into human tendencies to obey authority, surprising the experts and everyone else on just how susceptible we are to doing the bidding of others. The original experiment revealed that a majority of participants would dutifully administer increasingly severe electric shocks to strangers - up to and including potentially lethal doses - because an authority told them that pulling the levers was necessary and required (the "shocks," subjects found out later, were fake). People who obeyed all the way to the end did so even as they experienced tremendous moral conflict. Despite their distress, they never questioned the basic premise of the situation that was fed to them: the institution needed their compliance for the betterment of the common good. Milgram was driven by the need to comprehend Nazi horror, and today his research is rightly recognized as a warning of how easily things can go wrong if people obey authority uncritically and systematically. Yet its social contribution is only rarely understood to have here-and-now implications. We urgently need to update our appreciation of the perils of obedience to accommodate our contemporary global situation. The most powerful authorities today make demands that can appear pretty reasonable on the surface - yet are driving us toward oblivion. Climate scientists have reached consensus that our behavior, if unchanged, is likely to result in social and environmental devastation, including mass species extinctions and human suffering on an unprecedented scale. Will our society continue to pull levers until we administer catastrophic doses? The Milgram experiments offer a potentially helpful metaphor for our current predicament, one that I will expand on below. But first a few words on obedience and disobedience more generally. Universal Experience, Social Construction and Personal Choice Obedience and disobedience are universal social experiences. All human beings know what it feels like to obey - with varying degrees of enthusiasm - and we all know what it feels like to disobey. Each of us has plenty of experience with both, and we are always capable of one or the other at any given moment. Every individual with the capacity for independent thinking and action makes multiple daily decisions about whether to obey or disobey various laws, rules, wishes and suggestions of others, whether we are aware of these decisions or not. Modern societies are largely founded on the seductive idea that valuing obedience over disobedience will bring personal success and social cohesion. We are taught from an early age that even minor disobedience will sharply increase the likelihood of scary prospects like personal failure and social chaos. These emotionally powerful messages are drilled into us at home and at school, cultivating the necessary habits for powerful interests to function effectively, from parents and teachers to state institutions and large multinational corporations. When it comes to the nature of obedience-disobedience, there is nothing we could accurately call normal. While obedience can be a particularly strong habit to break, humans (in contrast to other primates with more hard-wired social behavioral programming) are born neither obedient nor disobedient. We have strong tendencies to engage in both types of behavior across cultures and generations, in rational and irrational ways. Whether to obey or disobey in any given situation is a personal choice. Human social reality is extremely variable and complex. As long as we remain social creatures, we must deal with the obedience-disobedience question. Acts of obedience have over the centuries been the cause of far more destruction and savagery than have acts of disobedience - maybe most dramatically during World War II. Humanity witnessed an eruption of systematized violence on a scale never before seen, an outcome fully dependent on the obedient behavior of ordinary people. The war ended with two extraordinarily destructive acts: a handful of men obediently followed orders over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, resulting in the instant incineration of several hundred thousand human beings. Soon afterward, as a result of the Nuremberg Tribunal, it became crystal clear for anyone touched by the war that personal considerations of conscience were simply unavoidable when making decisions in hierarchical contexts. The duty to obey authority could no longer justify inhumane actions, neither morally nor legally. Questions regarding obedience and disobedience were revealed to the world as intensely personal, deeply ethical and of supreme consequence. In a post-Nuremberg world, the ultimate responsibility for one's actions falls on the individual, not on powerful interests that persuade or coerce. Unfortunately, the nature of habits is that they take concerted effort to break. So powerful are the habits to obey others that we often continue to do so even when our actions are no longer in our own best interest, or when our ethical principles demand otherwise. Definitions and Subtypes Obedience, a voluntary form of submission, means acting in a manner consistent with the prescriptions, suggestions or wishes of an individual or institution in a position of perceived authority or relative social dominance. So a child can be obedient to an older sibling, parent or school, and an adult can be obedient to a spouse, state, public or private organization, or other social authority. But we would not usually say, without irony, that a parent is obedient to a small child; this would seem to describe a different type of social interaction, as power and authority normally reside with the adult. Similarly, when someone follows her peers' behavior or acts according to the wishes of a person of similar social status, it is usually more appropriate to call this conformity rather than obedience. Obedience is an action performed by an actor of relatively lower social status at the behest of an actor of relatively higher status. Similarly, we would not usually apply the label of obedience to cases where submissive behavior is forced rather than voluntary. Obedience implies some degree of free choice. People in relatively open societies usually have a high degree of free choice about whether to obey or disobey. This remains true even though Westerners sometimes can be unaware of this enormous freedom and even though decisions about obedience are often highly complex. While we often convince ourselves that our hands are tied - because of potential sacrifices that might result from defiance, like varying degrees of economic insecurity or, much less often, even physical danger - we almost always have a choice whether to obey or disobey. Most problematic is the process I call malignant obedience, the type of ongoing, systemic obedience that contributes to social or environmental injustices. Without successful intervention, malignant obedience is, like a cancer, apt to propagate itself until system collapse. Not all obedience is malignant, of course. Obedience has an important function as a social bond, a behavioral link between people arranged in hierarchy. Many acts of obedience are pro-social and foster organizational functionality, cooperation and the betterment of life in general. Too often, however, obedience results in ongoing harm, destruction and suffering. As for disobedience, it can be manifested in almost infinite forms. Disobedience can be public or private, violent or nonviolent, rational or irrational, passive or active, individual or collective, legal or illegal, rooted in narcissism or rooted in an empathic desire for greater social justice. Pulling the Levers of Consumerism Returning to Milgram's obedience paradigm, let's examine these classic experiments in the context of our lives today. While teaching them in my courses, I've come to realize that Milgram's experimental design parallels our ongoing political-economic experiment remarkably well - and may offer the outlines of a solution. The authority in the Milgram experiments was a man with a gray lab coat and a stern disposition who repeatedly told subjects to administer increasingly intense electric shocks to another person. In contemporary society, the most powerful authorities are the interlocking boards of directors of major business corporations and the state apparatuses that support them. As in the Milgram paradigm, the demands made by these authorities on today's consumers and citizens are leading to increasingly grave consequences for human life, including dangers that were not foreseen when Corporate America first launched the mass consumerist experiment in the years following World War I. How is obedience maintained in consumer society? What sorts of escalating consequences can we expect if it continues? While large corporations sometimes give direct orders to consumers, more often they exact obedience in indirect ways by suggesting images, ideas and social narratives, and by manipulating emotions so that desired behaviors become more likely. This is what we call marketing and advertising, and it works extremely well. In recent years, a growing body of psychology research, including important work by Tim Kasser at Knox College, has revealed associations between corporate propagation of materialist attitudes (i.e., having a strong value orientation toward money and possessions) and poorer life satisfaction, higher levels of anxiety and depression, poorer quality of interpersonal relationships and lower self-esteem. According to other researchers, such as Susan Linn at Harvard University, the consequences of prioritizing the consumerist mindset are even more debilitating for children than they are for adults, especially for young children who have not yet developed the capacity for critical thinking. Direct corporate messaging to children, a relatively new and highly sophisticated phenomenon, is a pretty easy way to boost sales, but it also has predictably negative effects on kids' social, psychological and physical health. For example, most marketing to children is for junk food, a significant risk factor for obesity. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, obesity-related disease is predicted to shorten kids' life spans to such a degree that the current generation will probably die younger than their parents for the first time in the modern era. As mass consumerism was being promoted in the early 20th century and the modern advertising industry was developing, the full matrix of hazards were unknown. The "shocks" caused by obedient behavior were limited and minimal - the equivalent of a slight tickle. This is no longer the case. As circumstances have changed with time, the consequences of obedience to the corporate imperative have become much more dangerous. In spite of overwhelming evidence that the habitability of our ecosystem is threatened due to rampant hydrocarbon exploitation, natural resource depletion and unrelenting pollution, we are surrounded by incessant appeals from dominant institutions to pull levers of consumption to keep ourselves and our society flourishing. Overconsumption is a function of obedience built on the false premise that eternally acquiring more goods will make you, your family and your society happier. These goods are produced in a way that - we now know - is likely to lead to global environmental catastrophe. While many authorities acknowledge climate realities, they also claim that the extraction of fossil fuels continues to be necessary for powering a high-tech, industrial economy. Is there really no alternative to digging up and burning all the oil, gas and coal that industry can find? Safe energy alternatives to fossil fuels are, in fact, already technologically feasible, but they do not maximize profits and therefore are not offered as a serious replacement. Full transformation to a green energy economy is a realistic option that would come with many permanent jobs, but this is not a choice offered by fossil fuel corporations and the state that subsidizes them to the tune of billions of dollars a year. At the end of the day, an "all of the above" energy policy like that of the Obama administration cannot hold back irreversible climate change. Maximum Voltage: Destruction of the Human Habitat? As the dangers escalated and ambivalence intensified, Milgram's authority kept insisting confidently to subjects that "the experiment requires that you continue," a phrase reminiscent of demands made by today's corporate and political elites. And just like Milgram's subjects, many of us experience anxiety about the bleak consequences of our behavior even as we continue to obey out of habit, rationalizing to ourselves that our personal responsibility for the environmental crisis is limited or nonexistent. Fortunately, sparks of hope exist. Climate disobedience in America is becoming increasingly common. The avant garde includes people like Tim DeChristopher, who spent 21 months in federal custody for obstructing the leasing of Utah land to oil and gas corporations. Many others have been willing to get arrested as part of a civil disobedience campaign attempting to block construction of the Keystone/XL oil pipeline, including more than 1,250 people at the White House in August 2011. In early August 2013, more than 200 people were arrested for trespassing at a Chevron refinery in Richmond, California, demanding an end to the burning of fossil fuels and a transition to renewable energy. A week later in Idaho, at least 20 others were arrested for blocking the delivery of oil refinery equipment on its way to Canadian tar sands mines. Other nonviolent activists have been resisting mountaintop-removal coal mining by blockading not only the companies that literally are blowing up mountains for profit, but also the investment banks funding these projects, leading to climate arrests from Appalachia to Connecticut. When habitual obedience leads to malignant outcomes, the most responsible actors take personal risks and sacrifice their own comfort by refusing to cooperate with the will of authority. Modern, civilized society is a historical achievement that grew out of countless acts of principled and nonviolent disobedience, courageous power struggles with unjust and corrupted institutions over fundamental moral issues. Not all disobedience is virtuous, of course - defiant behavior that is irrational, impulsive or truly dangerous to others should be avoided. Ethical and effective disobedience is most likely when goals, strategy and tactics are well-devised and the common good is prioritized. (An excellent resource for thinking about tactics is the 2012 book Beautiful Trouble, assembled by Andrew Boyd.) Since Milgram shocked the world in 1963, the consequences of mass obedience to authority have become considerably more malignant. Today we must confront the probability that continued obedience will lead to the destruction of the most valuable thing we have: a viable habitat. Thoughtful acts of nonviolent disobedience can not only deepen our democracy, they could very well ensure our species' survival. Copyright, Truthout. Yosef Brody PhD is a clinical psychologist and president-elect of Psychologists for Social Responsibility. He is at work on a book about obedience-disobedience. Related Stories Activist Leaders Explain How They Beat the Keystone XL Pipeline By Elizabeth McGowan, InsideClimate News | News Analysis Occupy Chanukah and Christmas By Rabbi Michael Lerner, Tikkun | Op-Ed Tim DeChristopher Talks With Truthout About the Government's Failure to Silence Him By Mark Karlin, Truthout | Interview 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

Australian priest, advocate for women's ordination excommunicated

Published on National Catholic Reporter (http://ncronline.org) Australian priest, advocate for women's ordination excommunicated Brian Roewe | Sep. 24, 2013 Editor's note: Brian Roewe is working on a follow-up story. Keep an eye on NCRonline.org for updates. An Australian priest vocal in his support of women's ordination has become the first person excommunicated for such beliefs under the papacy of Pope Francis. Fr. Greg Reynolds of Melbourne, Australia, told NCR by email late Monday night his initial reaction was "shock" upon learning of his separation from the church. Australian media have reported he is the first member of the Melbourne archdiocese excommunicated and the first priest from the area laicized for reasons other than pedophilia. The news came Sept. 18 through a canon lawyer for the Melbourne archdiocese, Fr. John Salvano, who invited Reynolds a few weeks earlier to meet "to discuss 'some canonical issue,' " Reynolds said. The former priest said Salvano presented him the letter of excommunication and proceeded to read it to him, since Reynolds did not read Latin. Part of the shock stemmed from uncertainty with who initiated the excommunication and laicization process. During the meeting, Salvano told Reynolds that while Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart previously considered beginning the laicization process, he had not gone forward with that plan. Instead, unknown people had contacted the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which requested Reynolds' file from Hart. "I have no idea who took the initiative to approach the CDF," Reynolds told NCR. The Melbourne archdiocese, 14 hours ahead of U.S. Central time zone, had not responded to requests for comment before this story published. The letter, a copy of which NCR obtained and translated, accuses Reynolds of heresy (Canon 751) and determined he incurred latae sententiae excommunication for throwing away the consecrated host or retaining it "for a sacrilegious purpose" (Canon 1367). It also referenced Canon 1369 (speaking publicly against church teaching) in its review of the case. "Pope Francis, Supreme Pontiff having heard the presentation of this Congregation concerning the grave reason for action ... of [Fr. Greg Reynolds] of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, all the preceding actions to be taken having been followed, with a final and unappealable decision and subject to no recourse, has decreed dismissal from the clerical state is to be imposed on said priest for the good of the Church," read the document, signed by Archbishop Gerhard Muller, prefect for the congregation, and his secretary, Jesuit Archbishop Luis Ladaria. Excommunication refers to the severest measure of censure for Catholics and forbids an individual from participation in any eucharistic celebration or other worship ceremonies; the reception or celebration of sacraments; and holding any ecclesiastical or governing role in the church. The document, dated May 31 -- coincidentally Reynolds' 60th birthday -- provided no reason for the excommunication. However, a separate letter sent Friday from Hart to his archdiocesan priests indicated Reynolds' support of women's ordination was a primary reason. "The decision by Pope Francis to dismiss Fr Reynolds from the clerical state and to declare his automatic excommunication has been made because of his public teaching on the ordination of women contrary to the teaching of the Church and his public celebration of the Eucharist when he did not hold faculties to act publicly as a priest," Hart wrote. But Reynolds said he believes the excommunication also resulted from his support of the gay community. He told NCR that in the last two years, he has attended rallies in Melbourne advocating same-sex marriage and has officiated at mass weddings of gay couples on the steps of Parliament -- "all unofficial of course." "My motivation is trying to encourage reform and clear need for renewal in the church," he said. "I still love the church and am committed to it, I'm just trying to bring about in my own little way to help highlight some of the failing and limitations," he told the Standard newspaper [1]. Since Francis began his papacy in March, he has twice pointedly stated his alignment with church teaching on women's ordination. In an impromptu press conference with media July 28 aboard the papal plane during his return to Rome from World Youth Day in Brazil, Francis said [2], "On the ordination of women, the Church has spoken and said no. Pope John Paul II, in a definitive formulation, said that door is closed." More recently, in his first one-on-one interview conducted on behalf of 16 Jesuit publications, Francis said the role of women [3] in the church requires further investigation but did not address women's ordination. Reynolds told NCR that while he knew the pope had reiterated that the door to women's ordination was closed, he said his hope was that it didn't mean the door was locked, "or maybe there is a way in through an open window." "I am very surprised that this order has come under his watch; it seems so inconsistent with everything else he has said and done," he said. In November 2010, Australian media reported Reynolds had devoted his homily to three parishes one weekend in September to proclaiming it was God's will to include women in the priesthood and said denying women the right equaled "obstructing the work of the Holy Spirit." "I feel I can no longer sit back and remain silent," he preached, according to the Melbourne newspaper The Age [4]. Reynolds resigned his position in August 2011 as pastor of two rural parishes, and Hart subsequently removed his faculties. From there, Reynolds founded Inclusive Catholics [5] as a way "to minister to and with Catholic people who share" his beliefs on women's ordination and homosexuality, according to the Inclusive Catholics website. "I see Women's Ordination as a matter of justice and important for the renewal of the Church. The current teaching is sexist and helping to reinforce the ongoing oppression of women particularly in the developing world," he told NCR, acknowledging he had been inspired by Roy Bourgeois, a former Maryknoll priest also excommunicated and removed from his order for speaking out in favor of women's ordination. The Inclusive Catholics group meets semimonthly, usually at a Protestant church. At times, women have led various parts of the liturgy and preached the homily, though Reynolds leads the eucharistic elements. Those participating in the ceremonies include gay people, victims of clergy sex abuse, laicized priests and others disenfranchised with the formal Catholic church. "While in no way compromising our Catholic belief in the Eucharist, including the Real Presence, we do not restrict peoples' reception of Holy Communion on the grounds of their worthiness or theology," a statement from Reynolds reads on the site's homepage. In August 2012, Reynolds and the group became the source of controversy when a story in The Age newspaper [6] reported that a dog had received Communion at a recent service. Reynolds was not aware of the incident with the dog during the liturgy and only learned of it later, he said at the time and yesterday in an interview with NCR. Though the Melbourne archbishop and others have characterized the group's liturgies as "illicit" on several occasions, Hart’s criticism of Reynolds’ liturgies did not reference the dog incident. Days after the story was published, Reynolds received a letter from Hart, a copy of which he posted [7] to the Inclusive Catholics website. In the letter, dated Aug. 10, 2012, Hart expressed concern with the interview and his public celebration of the Eucharist while suspended from active ministry. "As your statements and actions are inconsistent of your resignation from active priestly ministry and the consequent suspension of your faculties to act publicly as a priest, I am forced to warn you that if this stance continues, I will be forced to take further canonical action for the good of the Church," Hart wrote. A subsequent letter from Salvano, dated Sept. 5 of that year, informed Reynolds that Hart had begun the administrative procedure for his dismissal from the clerical state. Reynolds said he intends to continue his ministry with Inclusive Catholics, saying he has received "a wonderful groundswell of sympathy and support for us in recent days." He said he has not decided if he will appeal the excommunication. "I firmly believe in the Primacy of Conscience and that loyal dissent is an important part of any healthy organization," Reynolds said. [Brian Roewe is an NCR staff writer. His email address is broewe@ncronline.org [8]. Follow him on Twitter: @BrianRoewe [9].] Source URL (retrieved on 09/25/2013 - 16:08): http://ncronline.org/news/global/australian-priest-advocate-womens-ordination-excommunicated Links: [1] http://www.standard.net.au/story/1792584/excommunicated-priest-says-majority-agree-but-fear-reprisals/?cs=73 [2] http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/pope-homosexuals-who-am-i-judge [3] http://americamagazine.org/pope-interview [4] http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/catholic-priest-risks-his-future-by-calling-for-women-clergy-20101118-17zb3.html [5] http://www.inclusive-catholics.com/ [6] http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/dissidents-preach-a-new-breed-of-catholicism-20120805-23nyg.html [7] http://www.inclusive-catholics.com/LatePost.htm [8] mailto:broewe@ncronline.org [9] http://www.twitter.com/brianroewe 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

Baltimore Activist Alert - Sept. 25-26, 2013

35] Support federal workers – Sept. 25 36] Green Bag presentation – Sept. 25 37] Film THE SUICIDE PLAN – Sept. 25 38] Get Money Out meeting – Sept. 25 39] REMEMBER THE INCARCERATED – Sept. 25 40] Celebration of the Death Penalty Repeal – Sept. 25 41] Asylee Women Enterprise fundraiser – Sept. 25 42] Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Committee Meeting – Sept. 25 43] Music for Peace – Sept. 25 44] Film INEQUALITY OF ALL – Sept. 25 45] Homeless LGBT Youth – Sept. 26 46] DINE TO SUPPORT CHILDREN OF El Salvador – Sept. 26 47] Racial disparity in arrests in D.C. – Sept. 26 ------ 35] – Strike for low wage federal contract workers on Wed., Sept. 25 at 10:30 AM at Freedom Plaza, 14th & Penn. Ave. NW. This is going to be the fifth strike in as many months for low wage federal contract workers in D.C. They're fighting to be paid a Living Wage. March from Freedom Plaza to the White House. Participate in a Prayer Service & Rally for a Good Jobs Nation at Lafayette Park. Finally, deliver petitions to President Obama calling on him to use his executive powers to lift millions of low wage federal contract workers out of poverty. The petitions include hundreds of personal letters written by workers, 250,000 public petition signatures, as well as a letter signed by the leaders of major religious organizations. See http://actionnetwork.org/events/march-rally-for-a-good-jobs-nation?referrer=ricky-lehner&source=direct_link. 36] – On Wed., Sept. 25 at 12:30 PM, catch the next Green Bag presentation with CIEL's Climate & Energy Team. Amazon Watch invites you to "Minding the Rights Gap: Why a Rights-Based Approach to Climate Change is Essential" with Niranjali Amerasinghe, Alyssa Johl and Allison Silverman at the CIEL conference room, 1350 Connecticut Ave. NW, Room #1100--south of DuPont Circle, and above Panera/Cosi. Climate change is no longer a distant problem. People around the world are already experiencing the devastating impacts of climate change. Similarly, climate policies can and do have significant impacts on peoples and communities when their rights are not respected. 37] – The IRONWEED CLUB is coming together on Wed., Sept. 25 for a 6:30 PM Potluck Dinner followed at 7:30 PM by the screening of the PBS documentary "The Suicide Plan" (83 minutes) co-sponsored with Baltimore Compassion & Choices (C&C) activists. The film goes behind the curtain of secrecy imposed by criminal sanctions to explore the aid-in-dying movement in a full-length Frontline documentary about one family’s end-of-life choice. It provides insight through firsthand accounts by family members as well as interviews with doctors, ethicists, and movement activists, including Compassion & Choices president Barbara Coombs Lee. The screening will be followed by a discussion about issues raised in the film and the legislative outlook for the state of Maryland. If you’re coming to dinner, RSVP with what dish you’d like to bring. Ask Emil about free membership in the film club at 410-929-3399. 38] – The NEXT BOARD MEETING for Get Money Out - Maryland is on Wed., Sept. 25 at 7 PM. As usual, it is on the fourth Wednesday evening of the month, and will convene at the home of Dr. Joseph Adams, 1405 Berwick Rd., Towson, 21204. All meetings are open to the public. Discuss the progress in introducing a resolution for an Article V Convention in the upcoming session of the Maryland General Assembly. Also to be discussed is an Oct. 8 demonstration at the U. S. Supreme Court calling for Free and Fair Elections. Stand up to the Corporate “Justices” of the Supreme Court. Visit http://www.getmoneyoutmd.org/. 39] – Join organizers, members, and supporters of Family and Friends of Incarcerated People for an evening of music, stories, and short films on Wed., Sept. 25 from 7 to 9 PM at the Washington Ethical Society, 7750 16th St. NW. FFOIP is excited to share a musical performance by Blake Myles Hopkins, friend of FFOIP, and to screen for the first time a short of new, 5 minute videos documenting FFOIP's activities. FFOIP founders will share stories of how FFOIP started while they were incarcerated, and how they hope to build the organization from here on out. Have some drinks and light snacks. The suggested donation is $20 to $50. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/634200729944939/. 40] – On Wed., Sept. 25 at 7 PM, MD CASE Celebration of the Death Penalty Repeal will be held at Saint Camillus Catholic Church, 1600 St. Camillus Dr., Silver Spring 20903, just off NH Ave. inside the Capital Beltway. Enjoy food, music and fun. Catch up with old friends and make new ones. The NAACP and St. Camillus are generously hosting the event free of charge, but donations will be welcomed. 41] – On Wed., Sept. 25 from 7 to 9 PM, be at "A Bit of Craic for the Cause," a fundraising dinner at the James Joyce Irish Pub and Restaurant, for the Asylee Women Enterprise. Craic is the Irish word for fun and that is definitely what we are going to have at the Beer Dinner Fundraiser. Enjoy a three course meal with beer samplings from Maryland’s own Flying Dog Brewery. Tickets are $60 and VERY LIMITED! Go to www.asyleewomen.org to purchase your tickets by Visa or MasterCard. To purchase your tickets by check or cash, contact Asylee Women Enterprise at info@asyleewomen.org. Proceeds from the dinner will go to the AWE Client Fund which provides funding for educational, legal and medical expenses for the women of AWE. 42] – There is a Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Committee Meeting on Wed., Sept. 25 at 7:30 PM at the American University Student Union in the Food Court. Evaluate the 2013 commemoration activities, discuss organizing a reception for Tor Naerland, Chair of Bike for Peace, and establish a website for the Committee amongst other things. 43] – Music for Peace takes place the last Wednesday of the month at the HI Baltimore Hostel, 17 W. Mulberry St. Get over there on Sept. 25 at 7:30 PM and discover music as a means to communicate and connect across cultures. Listen, play, or learn. The event will feature an open mic forum, guitar lessons, and the chance to meet and connect with other musicians in the city. Call 410-576-8880 or go to http://www.baltimorehostel.org. 44] – See the documentary “Inequality for All” on Wed., Sept. 25 at 7:30 PM at the E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Debuting at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, this film is a passionate argument on behalf of the middle class. It features Robert Reich as he demonstrates how the widening income gap and the public policies that helped create it have devastated the American economy. RSVP at www.commoncause.org/inequality. 45] – Rep. Gwen Moore and LGBT advocates to discuss America’s Homeless LGBT Youth on Thurs., Sept. 26 from 10:30 AM to noon at the Center for American Progress, 1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor. The Center for American Progress will host a panel of advocates, researchers, and practitioners to discuss the issues faced by LGBT homeless youth, as well as policy and practical approaches to ending LGBT youth homelessness. The panel will be preceded by introductory remarks from U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI). Contact Anne Shoup at 202.481.7146 or ashoup@americanprogress.org. 46] – On Thurs., Sept. 26 from 5 to 10 PM, YOU’RE INVITED to dine at El Gavilan Restaurant, 8805 Flower Ave., Silver Spring. 20% of your total bill will be DONATED back to support the education of children in El Salvador. Simply mention Asociación Para el Desarrollo Educativo en El Salvador (ADEES) when placing your order to dine in or take out. Contact Evelyn Gonzalez at (301) 625-8192 or Jaime Reyes at (301) 792-3345. 47] – Foundry's Peace with Justice team is hosting a town-hall style meeting to discuss the Washington Lawyer's Committee's 2013 report on disparities in Washington, DC arrests on Thurs., Sept. 26 from 6:15 to 8:30 PM at Foundry United Methodist Church, Fellowship Hall, 1500 - 16th St. NW at P St. Despite roughly equal self-reported usage (15.5% black, 14.7% white), 91% off all drug arrests were of black people compared to 9% among other groups. Contact Ann Wilcox (Wilcox_Ann@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

Tea party conservative wants to eviscerate states' and local rights

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20130923/OPINION01/309230030/Another-View-Tea-party-conservative-wants-to-eviscerate-states-and-local-rights?Opinion Tea party conservative wants to eviscerate states' and local rights Iowa Rep. Steve King is a darling of the tea party who claims to support states' rights and local governance. So it's curious that his most recent and high-profile legislative effort is focused on consolidating power in the federal government to a degree that would make members of the Politburo proud. The King amendment, which is a part of the House version of the farm bill, dictates that "the government of a state or locality therein shall not impose a standard or condition on the production or manufacture of any agricultural product sold or offered for sale in interstate commerce if (1) such production or manufacture occurs in another state; and (2) the standard or condition is in addition to the standards and conditions applicable to such production or manufacture pursuant to (A) federal law; and (B) the laws of the state and locality in which such production or manufacture occurs." In simpler terms: King's amendment will create a race to the regulatory bottom on issues from consumer protection to fire safety to animal welfare by dictating that no state can require any condition on the sale of any agricultural product that falls even one step above that of the least restrictive state. Despite states' clear interest and long-standing authority in these areas, Steve King thinks that the federal government knows best and should tell Iowa, Mississippi, Oklahoma and all other states what they can and can't do. A letter from more than 150 House members to Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson explains that King's provision "has the potential to repeal a vast array of state laws and regulations covering everything from food safety to environmental protection to child labor to animal welfare. For example, labeling and other rules for products and ingredients such as artificial sweeteners, maple syrup, milk fat, farm-raised fish, tobacco and additives in alcohol could be swept away, as could restrictions on import of firewood carrying invasive pests, rules on pesticide exposure and lagoon siting, safety standards for farm workers handling dangerous equipment, and laws restricting practices such as the killing of sharks for their fins and the sale of dog and cat meat." Two statutes that we're especially concerned about at Farm Sanctuary are the bipartisan laws we helped to pass in California that protect ducks, hens, pigs and calves. First, in 2004 the California Legislature overwhelmingly passed, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed, a law that makes it illegal to "force feed a bird for the purpose of enlarging the bird's liver beyond normal size." The target of the law is foie gras, the production of which is illegal in dozens of countries and is condemned by every animal protection organization of which I'm aware, from the World Society for the Protection of Animals to the Humane Society of the United States. The product is so cruel to ducks that death rates skyrocket by 10 to 20 times during force-feeding, and all of the animals become sick and lethargic. The chair of the Democratic Party of California, John Burton, explained that "ramming food down a duck's throat to make a gourmet item known as foie gras is not only unnecessary, it's inhumane." Second, in 2008, California voters banned confinement systems for hens, pregnant pigs and calves that prevent the animals from being able to turn around or fully extend their limbs. These systems, which destroy the animals' minds and bodies, are among the cruelest of all factory farming abuses. We spent significant resources, and countless staff and volunteer hours, putting the measure on the ballot and encouraging California voters to support it. The measure garnered more votes than any other in California ballot history to that point and was supported by a majority of voters in every demographic. King's amendment could nullify (or at least render toothless) both of these democratically enacted laws and, according to the House sign-on letter, an "untold number of [other] duly-enacted state laws and regulations affecting agricultural Production." The broad reach of the law explains why more than 60 consumer, environmental, and animal protection organizations have signed a letter that was delivered to every member of Congress decrying King's anti-democratic effort to consolidate power in Washington. Members of Congress who care about states' rights, smaller federal government, and localized decision-making should join in the effort to remove the King amendment from the final version of the farm bill, both because of the radical trampling of the traditional powers of the states to regulate important issues that impact its citizens, and for the precedent such overreach will set. BRUCE FRIEDRICH is senior director of advocacy for Farm Sanctuary, a national farm animal protection organization based in Watkins Glen, N.Y. Friedrich is a 1991 graduate of Grinnell College. Contact: info@farmsanctuary.org.

Chemical Disarmament Won’t Be Easy

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/science/decades-of-disarmament.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130924&_r=0 September 23, 2013 Chemical Disarmament Won’t Be Easy By WILLIAM J. BROAD and DAVID E. SANGER Four miles from the White House, Army specialists are digging very cautiously into an empty lot where a brick house once stood in one of the district’s toniest neighborhoods, on the edge of the American University campus. A giant tent covers the site, alarms ready to sound if deadly poisons should leak. After decades of work, decontamination of the old burial ground for World War I chemical munitions is expected to be finished by late next year. Next year, meanwhile, is also the deadline for Syria to eliminate its entire chemical arsenal, from one end of the country to another, under the American-Russian plan announced 10 days ago. The disparity between the Syrian rush and the American slog underscores the difficulties facing that plan, even if Syria cooperates. Almost everything about the American effort to rid itself of chemical weapons manufactured from Woodrow Wilson’s presidency to Ronald Reagan’s has been more complex, more time-consuming, more costly and more environmentally fraught than anyone imagined. The bill now stands at $35.4 billion, with no end in sight, for an epic of chemical destruction involving not just this Washington neighborhood of ambassadors and former presidents, but hundreds of sites nationwide, from a giant incinerator in Utah to a weapons dump in Alabama more than five miles long. Of course, the American arsenal was much older than Syria’s, and some 30 times as large, when the United States in 1997 embraced the global treaty banning chemical arms. And unlike Syria, it has had to contend with citizen opposition to some decommissioning plans. On the other hand, the United States has no civil war to get in the way of the dangerous work of dismantling chemical weapons. But fundamentally, the disparity between the two plans centers on differing philosophies of chemical disarmament — quick and dirty versus slow and costly. Over the decades, the United States went from one approach to the other as concerns grew about possible threats to public health and the environment. Chemical experts point to the possibility of a hybrid approach that would dispatch Syria’s arms relatively quickly while minimizing the risks. “The technologies exist,” said Lenny Siegel, the executive director of the Center for Public Environmental Oversight, a group in Mountain View, Calif., that has closely monitored the Army’s toxic cleanups. “The weapons can be destroyed safely — not real quickly, and definitely not cheaply. But it can be done.” The United States’ arsenal goes back to 1917, when the nation began producing mustard gas and other poisons for use in World War I. Over the decades, the arsenal got much deadlier. A leading poison was sarin, the same gas used in the Aug. 21 attack in the suburbs of the Syrian capital that the Obama administration says killed more than 1,400 Syrians. It throws nerves and muscles into overdrive, resulting in convulsions, lung paralysis and death. Victims’ pupils are often tiny because the iris, a muscle, contracts so much. As a rule, chemical weapons are easier to make than to destroy. “Everybody forgets that none of these weapons were designed to be peacefully disassembled,” Miguel E. Monteverde, an Army spokesman, noted in an interview. “It was always assumed that they’d be used.” When the United States first began destroying leaky and obsolete munitions, it took the fast approach. It burned and buried them. In time, a forgotten dump became Spring Valley — the Washington neighborhood of elegant homes. Video by USACE Baltimore Spring Valley Formerly Used Defense Site - Virtual Tour of 4825 Glenbrook Road “We know we’re going to find things, but we’re not sure what,” Andrea Takash, an Army spokeswoman, said Friday. The overall bill for the neighborhood’s cleanup, she noted, is expected to run to more than $230 million. The next means of disposal was simply to dump munitions at sea. The United States did so until the early 1970s, when a global treaty outlawed such practices. Finally (environmentalists would say belatedly), the Army turned to a costlier method. It built decommissioning plants in Alabama, Arkansas, Utah, Oregon and on a Pacific atoll. Special furnaces incinerated the poisons at extremely high temperatures and then scrubbed out dangerous waste products. But citizens near the big facilities and at sites of proposed ones worried about accidents, toxic fumes and health risks. In 1984, Craig Williams, a Vietnam veteran living in rural Kentucky, went to a public meeting about a planned incinerator. On his way home, he recalled, his wife said, “Craig, somebody’s got to do something about this.” Mr. Williams lobbied hard against incineration, organizing civic groups around the nation while battling Army brass and testifying before Congress. “We realized we couldn’t prevail by having a spaghetti dinner once a week,” he said in an interview. Slowly, the Army adopted what the citizens groups praised as a safer approach — neutralization, in which water and other chemicals react with the deadly chemicals to undo their toxic structures. As the cold war ended, so did the military’s production of chemical arms, and the elimination work sped up. Abolition went global in 1993 with a treaty known as the Chemical Weapons Convention. It went into force in 1997. The Army built giant neutralization plants in Maryland and Indiana. Today, at a cost of $10.6 billion, it is erecting new ones near Pueblo, Colo., and Richmond, Ky. The Kentucky work force now stands at more than 1,200 people, and the plant is set to destroy 523 tons of mustard gas and nerve agents, including sarin. The chemical destruction job is expected to be finished by 2023. Beyond the arsenal and the nine decommissioning plants lurks a major cleanup dilemma — what, if anything, to do about the estimated 250 old dump sites for chemical arms that dot the nation. Unlike Spring Valley, most are on military bases or remote sites far from dense populations. Last year, the National Research Council put out a lengthy report calling the old dump sites “a huge challenge.” The cost of cleaning up just the five miles of weapon trenches in Alabama, it noted, is estimated at several billion dollars. The report detailed scores of portable technologies — everything from air monitors and excavation gear to demolition trucks and detonation chambers — that already exist and could speed the domestic cleanup. Mr. Siegel, of the Center for Public Environmental Oversight, noted that the mobile nature of the technologies meant they could play an important role in the rush for Syria’s chemical disarmament. The plan now calls for its completion by July. “If you want to act quickly, the technical decisions have to be made now, while the diplomats are working,” he said. “This is difficult stuff and it’s costly but the technologies exist — though most people don’t know that.” A better appreciation of the American experience and the available technology, Mr. Siegel added, would make it easier for diplomats and government officials to develop a strategy for the undoing the Syrian arsenal. William J. Broad reported from New York, and David E. Sanger from Washington. © 2012 The New York Times Company 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

The Media's Complicity in Cutting Social Security and Medicare

Published on Monday, September 23, 2013 by Al-Jazeera The Media's Complicity in Cutting Social Security and Medicare US media outlets are disingenuously claiming that social programs are putting Americans in debt. by Dean Baker Most people in the United States have probably heard about the Wall Street efforts to cut Social Security and Medicare. There is a vast list of organisations such as Campaign to Fix the Debt, the Can Kicks Back, Third Way, and many more that have, as a central agenda item, cutting back or privatising Social Security and Medicare. When we hear one of these organisations tell us these programmes should be cut it is not a surprise. The question is why do mainstream news outlets including the New York Times and Washington Post use their news sections to tell the same stories? Last week, when the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued new long-range budget projections, both papers were quick to ignore the numbers and to tell readers that we have to cut Social Security and Medicare. The reason why this coverage was so bizarre is that it is not news that Social Security and Medicare will cost more in the decades ahead. We actually have known about the rising cost of these programmes for about 50 years. The birth of a huge number of baby boomers in the years 1946 to 1964 pretty much guaranteed this outcome - barring a horrible war, famine or epidemic. While the aging of the baby boomers may not have qualified as news, there was actually important news in the CBO projections that went unmentioned in both newspapers. The CBO sharply lowered its projections for health care cost growth, meaning that Medicare, Medicaid, and other government health care programmes are now projected to cost much less in the decades ahead than had been assumed in prior years. Gargantuan savings This change is substantial. The new projections show that spending on Medicare will be equal to 4.6 percent of GDP in 2035. By comparison, last year, the CBO projected that the cost in 2035 would be 5.7 percent of GDP. Just two years ago, it had projected that Medicare would cost 5.9 percent of GDP in 2035. The difference of 1.3 percentage points of GDP between the 2011 projection of Medicare costs and the most recent numbers would translate into almost $220 billion a year in today's economy. In other words, this is a big deal. The change in the CBO's projections of healthcare costs certainly comes closer to standard definitions of "news" than the aging of the baby boomers. However, there is more than a question of newsworthiness here. Both papers harped on the idea that Social Security and Medicare needed to be cut in order to bring the budget into long-term balance. Cuts to these programmes are usually put in the context of a "grand bargain" which would also involve some increase in taxes. The CBO projections imply a substantial cut in spending on Medicare. In today's economy, the new projections would imply roughly $2,600 less in spending per year on each beneficiary, or a reduction in spending of $5,200 on a senior couple. This is for an age group with a median cash income of a little more than $20,000 a year. By comparison, we heard endless sob stories about how the ending of the Bush tax cuts would hurt higher income people. For a couple with an income of $500,000 a year, the tax increases put into effect at the end of last year would translate into a tax increase of roughly $3,000. If we had crafted a grand bargain three years ago, would anyone have suggested cuts in Medicare and Social Security that would have cost a typical senior couple more than $5,200 a year? In other words, the new CBO projections might imply that much of any needed cuts in spending on seniors have already been accomplished. It's true that the lower projections are based on lower projected cost growth and not a reduction in services, but it's difficult to see why this would matter. There is an enormous amount of waste in our health care system which leads us to spend more than twice as much per person as the average for other wealthy countries. Do the grand bargainers have a scorecard where we only count cuts that lead to inferior care for elderly people, as opposed to the elimination of waste? Turning to the revenue side of the picture, the new projections are striking in the extent to which they show the long-term problem is really a lack of revenue story. In the late 1990s, the CBO projected that revenue would average 21.1 percent of GDP into the indefinite future. If revenue were actually at this level, the new projections show that the primary budget would be in surplus for almost two decades, and the debt-to-GDP ratio would be falling sharply. The take away from these projections is that, if we had tax rates comparable to those of the 1990s, then the budget would pose no problem whatsoever long into the future. Even with current tax rates, the deficit is a relatively distant and minor problem. Unfortunately, the papers have endless space to tout the Wall Street agenda for the need to cut Social Security and Medicare. They seem to have no space whatsoever for discussing stimulus, a lower-valued dollar, or work-sharing - the policies that would address the real world crisis of mass unemployment. © 2013 Al-Jazeera Dean Baker is the co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR). He is the author of The Conservative Nanny State: How the Wealthy Use the Government to Stay Rich and Get Richer and the more recently published Plunder and Blunder: The Rise and Fall of The Bubble Economy. He also has a blog, "Beat the Press," where he discusses the media's coverage of economic issues. Source URL: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/09/23-7 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

Baltimore Activist Alert Sept. 22 – Sept. 24, 2013

Baltimore Activist Alert Sept. 22 – Sept. 28, 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] Gallopinto: 5 Years of Solidarity – through Sept. 28 6] Immigration Reform! – through Oct. 18 7] Banned Books Week – Sept. 22 to 28 8] Remember the martyrs – Sept. 22 9] Peace Pole installation – Sept. 22 10] Moments Creating a Hispanic Humanist – Sept. 22 11] Peace and Pancakes – Sept. 22 12] Film HARVEST OF EMPIRE – Sept. 22 13] BALTIMORE GREEN FORUM – Sept. 22 14] Film THE SUSPECT – Sept. 22 15] SOUL KITCHEN is open – Sept. 22 16] Pentagon Vigil – Sept. 23 17] Days of Action to Stop Fast Track – Sept. 23 - 25 18] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Sept. 23 – Sept. 27 19] DEMONSTRATION FOR SANE GUN REFORM – Sept. 23 20] Taylor Branch and Civil Rights – Sept. 23 21] Protest REALCO Guns – Sept. 23 22] Tea Talk with NAACP leaders – Sept. 23 23] Book talk – “The Oil Road” – Sept. 23 24] Film "Children of War" – Sept. 23 25] How Can You Represent Those People? – Sept. 23 26] Pledge of Resistance/Fund Our Communities meeting – Sept. 23 27] Labor Day Breakfast Peace and Pancakes – Sept. 24 28] "Escape from Nuclear Deterrence – Sept. 24 29] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – Sept. 24 30] Protest JHU’s drone research – Sept. 24 31] Book talk – “The Oil Road” – Sept. 24 32] Occupy Wall Street – Sept. 24 33] Film “Top Secret America: The Hidden Legacy of 9/11” – Sept. 24 34] Book talk I AM TROY DAVIS – Sept. 24 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] – Gallopinto: 5 Years of Solidarity continues through Sat., Sept. 28 at the Amalie Rothschild Gallery at the Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore MD 21224. Curated by artist and co-founder, Maria Aldana, the Art of Solidarity celebrates five years of collaborations between Nicaraguan and North American artists. Gallopinto is both the title of the show and the staple rice and bean dish of Nicaragua. The exhibit includes documentary shorts, photographs, marmolina, and sculptures created by the participants from 2008 to 2013. The gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 AM to 7 PM. Email info@creativealliance.org. 6] – The 40 days of prayer, fasting and advocacy for Immigration Reform continues through Fri., Oct. 18! The Interfaith Immigration Coalition and Conference of Major Superiors of Men invite you to participate. Sign up at http://www.fastaction.us. 7] – September 22 through 28 is Banned Books Week, an annual opportunity to celebrate the ability to read free from the interference of censorship. 8] – On Sun., Sept. 22 from 10 to 11 AM, join Institute of Policy Studies to remember Orlando Letelier and Ronni Karpen Moffitt, who were assassinated on Sheridan Circle, 23rd and Massachusetts Ave. NW, in 1976 by agents of the Pinochet dictatorship. IPS will also pay tribute to Saul Landau, a long-time IPS Fellow and winner of the Chilean government’s Bernardo O’Higgins Award for his pursuit of justice for Orlando and Ronni and other victims of human rights violations around the world. Saul died on September 9. Go to www.ips-dc.org or call 202-234-9382. 9] – The Peace Study Center and Govans Presbyterian Church invites community friends and partners to a dedication ceremony for the Peace Pole installation at 5828 York Road on Sun., Sept. 22 from 10 to 11 AM. Enjoy the New Wave Singers and Dance Alchemy. Come and pray and sing for peace on the International Day of Peace. Park on the Bellona Avenue side of the church property. At 11:15 AM, there is a workshop called "Using Labyrinths with Children" in the Gallery. RSVP at info@peacestudycenter.org. Call 410-435-9188. 10] – 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 noon. On Sun., Sept. 22 the platform address is “Moments Creating a Hispanic Humanist—A Typical Story that Isn’t” by David Tamayo, president, Hispanic American Freethinkers. Hear the real story of a typical Latino immigrant who lived in poverty as a pre-teen and had a greater probability to be in prison than to attend college. Through a series of single-point-of-failure events — or thanks to a random individual here and there — or because of one “lucky” or “unlucky” instance, today’s speaker recently found himself starting his PhD at Virginia Tech. This short story starts with extreme religiosity but ends with a true secular skeptic who loves science. Go to http://bmorethical.org/ or Twitter: @bmorethical or Facebook: http://fb.com/bmorethical/or email ask@bmorethical.org. 11] – 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. 12] – On Sun., Sept. 22 at 3:10 PM, the documentary “Harvest of Empire: the Untold Story of Latinos in America” will be playing at the AFI in Silver Spring for one day only. Eduardo Lopez, director, and Wendy Marquez Thompson will be participating in a Q&A after the film. Go to http://www.afi.com/silver/films/2013/p63/harvestofempire.aspx. 13] – The BALTIMORE GREEN FORUM, a monthly environmental education and discussion gathering, is happening on Sun., Sept. 22 from 4 to 5:30 PM at Maryland Presbyterian Church, 1105 Providence Road, Towson 21286. From 5:30 to 6:30 PM, it is optional for affinity groups to converse. The subject is Communes, Cohousing, and Intentional Communities From the 60s to the Future, and it will be examined by Paul E. Schoen along with representatives of Mid Atlantic Cohousing and the Heathcote Community. Learn the concepts of cohousing and sustainable intentional communities, and how cooperative living can reduce our individual impact on scarce resources such as land and energy. These concepts go far beyond the stereotyped hippie communes that popped up and failed in the Woodstock era. Many more modern and successful communities have been flourishing and growing in various forms all over the world. Cohousing is just one of the many ways we can economize and learn to live on much less than we do now, and at the same time provide a healthier environment for ourselves and our children. Paul's presentation will focus on his positive and negative experiences at Koinonia, which was an intentional community founded in the 1950s to provide training and living experiences for people going overseas to promote Frank Laubach's worldwide literacy program. It changed focus in 1971 to provide alternative learning experiences for college students and others who wanted to make changes in their lives. Paul lived there over a period of more than two years and it was a life-changing experience. Paul is now looking into reviving the concept in the form of a "New Koinonia", which will differ from its original manifestation and typical cohousing, and instead be in a form similar to a campground. The Purpose of the Baltimore Green Forum is to seek to improve the quality of all life in the greater Baltimore area. BGF is open to the public and is free of charge, but donations to Maryland Presbyterian Church are greatly appreciated. Write to baltimoregreenforum@gmail.com, call 410-554-0006, or visit www.baltimoregreenforum.org. 14] – On Sun., Sept. 22 at 5 PM, Busboys and Poets at 14th and V Sts. will host, in partnership with the Brookings Institution and Third Way, a screening of “The Suspect,” followed by a panel discussion led by writer/director Stuart Connelly. In this up-to-the-minute examination of race relations, Mekhi Phifer and Sterling Brown play two African American social scientists who impersonate bank robbers in an effort to understand the racial dynamics of small-town law enforcement. But their experiment takes an unexpected, deadly turn. Visit http://busboysandpoets.com/events/2013/9/22. 15] – The SOUL KITCHEN is open. Gimmie Shelter Productions in conjunction with the Govans Presbyterian Church, 5828 York Road, Baltimore, MD 21212 is hosting a meal for the needy and homeless on Sun., Sept. 22 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. To help with the serving or cooking of the food, arrive at the church at 5 PM. If you are able to provide musical entertainment, call Alan Barysh at 443-239-5325. This happens on the 2nd & 4th Sunday of the month. To arrange to make a tax-deductible or an in-kind donation, call Rev. Tom Harris, pastor, at 410-435-9188. Go to govanspres.org/govanspres/welcome. 16] – 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., Sept. 23, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649. 17] – There are Days of Action to Stop Fast Track on Mon., Sept. 23 at 9 AM through Tues., Sept. 24 at 6 PM. The idea is to hold high visibility and creative actions to bring attention to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Put people and the planet before profit! Fair trade, not corporate trade! Contact Cassidy at stopfasttrack@flushthetpp.org. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/426996234075963/. Join the Fair Trade Brigade to keep an eye on members of Congress and track their support for their constitutional responsibility to oversee trade in a transparent and democratic way. The people stopped 14 free trade agreements in the last decade. 18] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Friday from 9 to 11 AM 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. 19] – Be at the WHITE HOUSE DEMONSTRATION FOR SANE GUN REFORM on Mon., Sept. 23 from 11 AM to 1 PM. A concerned group of citizens who will not give up or give in want common sense legislation on gun violence prevention and safety and who are not afraid of the NRA LEADERSHIP. The demonstration will call on Congress to Require universal background checks, Require gun safety training, Reinstate the Assault Weapons Ban, Ban high capacity ammunition magazines and Outlaw bullets that shatter in the body AND THUS prove to the people that Congress is putting the welfare of its citizens above the welfare of the leadership of the NRA. CONTACT Linda Finkel-Talvadkar at linda.finkeltalvadkar@gmail.com, 20] – Taylor Branch speaks about his latest book and also comments on the civil right era on Mon., Sept. 23 from 11 AM to 3 PM at McDaniel College, 2 College Hill Road. The cost is $20, and it includes lunch and a copy of Branch’s latest book. Call 410-848-7000. Go to https://library.carr.org/booklovers/. 21] – On Mon., Sept. 23 from 5 to 6 PM. End Gun Violence! Join the Washington Chapter of Heeding God’s Call at their second and fourth Monday of the month 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 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. Go to http://www.heedinggodscall.org/. 22] – Be at the Tea Talk with former and current NAACP leaders, Benjamin Jealous and Julian Bond, on Mon., Sept. 23 from 5:30 to 8:30 PM at the Katzen Arts Center’s Abramson Family Recital Hall, American University. The conversation will explore the evolving meaning of the March on Washington and the future of the Civil Rights Movement. It is co-sponsored by the Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars Program, the School of Public Affairs, the Office of the Provost, the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, the Center for Community Engagement and Service, and the Kay Spiritual Life Center. Visit http://www.american.edu/ocl/kay/. 23] – Catch the book discussion on Mon., Sept. 23 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at Busboys & Poets, 2021 14th St. NW. Hear from James Marriott, the co-author of “The Oil Road; Journeys From The Caspian Sea to the City of London.” In a unique journey from the oil fields of the Caspian to the refineries and financial centers of Northern Europe, James and Mika Minio-Paluello track the concealed routes along which the lifeblood of our economy is pumped. Check out www.PriceOfOil.org, and find out how much oil and coal money your representatives take at www.DirtyEnergyMoney.com. 24] – Beyond the Classroom presents "Children of War" on Mon., Sept. 23 from 7 to 9 PM at 1102 South Campus Commons, Building 1 ( 0200 Calvert Hall}, College Park 20742. The award-winning documentary was filmed in Northern Uganda and is a unique and incandescent documentary which follows a group of former child soldiers as they undergo a process of trauma therapy and healing while in a rehabilitation center. Having been abducted from their homes and schools and forced to become fighters by the Lord’s Resistance Army – a quasi-religious militia led by self-proclaimed prophet and war criminal Joseph Kony – the children struggle to confront and break through years of brutal abuse, extreme religious ideology, and participation in war crimes with the help of a heroic team of counselors. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/568174153242212/. 25] – How Can You Represent Those People? is the topic of discussion on Mon., Sept. 23 at 7:30 PM at the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law, 5th Floor Moot Court Room, 4340 Connecticut Ave. NW. The first-ever collection of essays offering a response to the “Cocktail Party Question” asked of every criminal lawyer: how do you represent guilty criminals? It is a must-buy for lawyers, law students, and anyone interested in crime, punishment, race, poverty, and the motivations of criminal lawyers. See http://www.law.udc.edu/event/ThosePeople. 26] Pledge of Resistance/Fund Our Communities meeting – Sept. 23 26] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore usually meets on Mondays at 7:30 PM, and the meetings take place at Max’s residence. There will be a meeting on Mon., Sept. 16. The proposed agenda will include preventing an attack on Syria, anti-drone activities, the next visit to the NSA on Sat., Oct. 5, the trial of the CIA Six and the third Wednesday visit to Rep. Sarbanes’ office. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net for directions. 27] – The Employment Justice Center's 2013 Labor Day Breakfast is taking place on Tues., Sept. 24 from 8:30 to 11:30 AM at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel, 1001 16th St. NW, WDC. Celebrate 13 years of successful advocacy on behalf of working people. Since its inception on Labor Day 2000 EJC has provided free legal advice and assistance to more than 10,000 low-income workers at the Workers' Rights Clinic and recovered more than $7 million in back pay and damages. In addition to litigation, the EJC's current multi-pronged strategy includes educating the public, informing the media, lobbying legislators, and partnering with community activists to address the needs of low wage workers. Email kphillips@dcejc.org. 28] – On Tues., Sept. 24 from 2:30 to 4 PM, Dallas Boyd, SAIC, and James Scouras, Johns Hopkins University, will lead a discussion of "Escape from Nuclear Deterrence: Lessons for Global Zero from the Strategic Defense Initiative" at James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, 1400 K St. NW, Suite 1225, WDC. RSVP https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1HM6F_2erUx2wldZVzAqkkgaBv24qGkp2WimIJoTPiso/viewform. 29] – Each Tuesday from 4:30 - 5:30 PM, the Catholic Peace Fellowship-Philadelphia for peace in Afghanistan and Iraq gathers at the Suburban Station, 16th Street & JFK Blvd., at the entrance to Tracks 3 and 4 on the mezzanine. The next vigil is Sept. 24. Call 215-426-0364. 30] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 34th & North Charles Sts. Join this ongoing vigil. The next vigil is Sept. 24 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Call Max at 410-366-1637. 31] – On Tues., Sept. 24 at 6:30 PM at 2640 Space, 27th and St. Paul Sts., there will be a community fossil fuel forum with James Marriott, who co-wrote "The Oil Road: Journeys from the Caspian Sea to the City of London." The book will be available for sale. A donation to benefit Red Emma’s is asked—from $5 to $15. See https://www.facebook.com/events/193623564152407/. Call 410-230-0450 or email info@redemmas.org. 32] – It has been two years since Occupy Wall Street began in September 2011, raising questions about inequality and democracy that U.S. society still has yet to answer. WNV editor Nathan Schneider was the first to report on the planning meetings in New York that led to Occupy Wall Street, and he went on to cover the Occupy movement for Harper’s Magazine and The Nation. On Tues., Sept. 24 at Busboys & Poets, 4251 S. Campbell Ave., Arlington, VA., at 6:30 PM, Schneider will discuss his new book on the movement’s origins and its legacy, Thank You, Anarchy: Notes from the Occupy Apocalypse, along with veteran activist and WNV columnist Nadine Bloch. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/720652911294845/. 33] – See the film “Top Secret America: The Hidden Legacy of 9/11” on Tues., Sept. 24 at 7 PM at the Electric Maid Community Exchange, 268 Carroll St. NW. The film details the growth of the hidden world of the US intelligence system, justified by the terrorist attacks on 9/11. This documentary is based on a series of investigative articles on the NSA and FBI published in the Washington Post in 2010 and features the reporters who broke the story, Dana Priest and William Arkin. Email kbonson@earthlink.net. 34] – On Sept. 21, 2011 Troy Anthony Davis was put to death by the State of Georgia. Davis’ execution was protested by hundreds of thousands of people across the globe, and Pope Benedict XVI, President Jimmy Carter, and 51 members of Congress all appealed for clemency. How did one man capture the world’s imagination, and become the iconic face for the campaign to end the death penalty? On the eve of the second anniversary of Troy's murder, the Davis family, Amnesty USA, NAACP, Equal Justice USA, and Haymarket Books invite you to join Kimberly Davis and Jen Marlowe at Busboys and Poets, 5th St. & K St. NW, on Tues., Sept. 24 at 7 PM to elaborate "I Am Troy Davis." Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/501631616588893/. Go to www.chesapeakecitizens.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

Inside the Mind of NSA Chief General Keith Alexander

Published on Portside (http://portside.org) Inside the Mind of NSA Chief General Keith Alexander http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/15/nsa-mind-keith-alexander-star-trek Glenn Greenwald Sunday, September 15, 2013 The Guardian It has been previously reported [1] that the mentality of NSA [2] chief Gen. Keith Alexander is captured by his motto "Collect it All". It's a get-everything approach he pioneered first when aimed at an enemy population in the middle of a war zone in Iraq, one he has now imported onto US soil, aimed at the domestic population and everyone else. But a perhaps even more disturbing and revealing vignette into the spy chief's mind comes from a new Foreign Policy article [3] describing what the journal calls his "all-out, barely-legal drive to build the ultimate spy machine". The article describes how even his NSA peers see him as a "cowboy" willing to play fast and loose with legal limits in order to construct a system of ubiquitous surveillance. But the personality driving all of this - not just Alexander's but much of Washington's - is perhaps best captured by this one passage, highlighted by PBS' News Hour in a post entitled [4]: "NSA director modeled war room after Star Trek's Enterprise". The room was christened as part of the "Information Dominance Center": "When he was running the Army's Intelligence and Security Command, Alexander brought many of his future allies down to Fort Belvoir for a tour of his base of operations, a facility known as the Information Dominance Center. It had been designed by a Hollywood set designer to mimic the bridge of the starship Enterprise from Star Trek, complete with chrome panels, computer stations, a huge TV monitor on the forward wall, and doors that made a 'whoosh' sound when they slid open and closed. Lawmakers and other important officials took turns sitting in a leather 'captain's chair' in the center of the room and watched as Alexander, a lover of science-fiction movies, showed off his data tools on the big screen. "'Everybody wanted to sit in the chair at least once to pretend he was Jean-Luc Picard,' says a retired officer in charge of VIP visits." Numerous commentators remarked yesterday on the meaning of all that (note, too, how "Total Information Awareness" was a major scandal in the Bush years, but "Information Dominance Center" - along with things like "Boundless Informant" [5] - are treated as benign or even noble programs in the age of Obama). But now, on the website of DBI Architects, Inc. [6] of Washington and Reston, Virginia, there are what purports to be photographs of the actual Star-Trek-like headquarters [7] commissioned by Gen. Alexander that so impressed his Congressional overseers. It's a 10,740 square foot labyrinth in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The brochure touts how "the prominently positioned chair provides the commanding officer an uninterrupted field of vision to a 22'-0" wide projection screen": The glossy display further describes how "this project involved the renovation of standard office space into a highly classified, ultramodern operations center." Its "primary function is to enable 24-hour worldwide visualization, planning, and execution of coordinated information operations for the US Army and other federal agencies." It gushes: "The futuristic, yet distinctly military, setting is further reinforced by the Commander's console, which gives the illusion that one has boarded a star ship": Other photographs of Gen. Alexander's personal Star Trek Captain fantasy come-to-life (courtesy of public funds) are here [7]. Any casual review of human history proves how deeply irrational it is to believe that powerful factions can be trusted to exercise vast surveillance power with little accountability or transparency. But the more they proudly flaunt their warped imperial hubris, the more irrational it becomes. Source URL: http://portside.org/2013-09-16/inside-mind-nsa-chief-general-keith-alexander Links: [1] http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jul/15/crux-nsa-collect-it-all [2] http://www.theguardian.com/world/nsa [3] http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/09/08/the_cowboy_of_the_nsa_keith_alexander?page=full [4] http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2013/09/nsa-director-modelled-war-room-after-star-treks-enterprise.html [5] http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/08/nsa-boundless-informant-global-datamining [6] http://www.dbia.com/ [7] http://www.dbia.com/projectpage/LIWA.pdf 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

Greenpeace Ship Seized, Crew Taken Hostage by Russian Security Agents

Published on Friday, September 20, 2013 by Common Dreams Greenpeace Ship Seized, Crew Taken Hostage by Russian Security Agents 'The real threat to the Russian Arctic comes not from the crew of the Arctic Sunrise but from Gazprom, one of the most reckless oil companies in the world today.' - Jon Queally, staff writer Armed agents—from Russia's coast guard service, its security agency the FSB, or both—stormed the ship of Greenpeace activists trying to save the Arctic region from oil and gas drilling on Thursday, and after more than 12 hours without communication, the 'seized' Arctic Sunrise on Friday morning is reportedly heading back towards Russian-controlled waters while the 30 crew members remain incommunicado and under armed guard. According to activists on the ship, Russian FSB agents forced their way into the ship’s radio room and inflicted significant damage to communication equipment. This information came from activists aboard the Arctic Sunrise who were able to communicate for some period via satellite phone, but those communications later went silent. The latest from Twitter: Director of the Greenpeace campaign to save the arctic, Ben Ayliffe, was both concerned for his colleagues aboard the Arctic Sunrise and outraged at the actions by Russian officials. “The safety of our activists remains our top priority and we are working hard to establish what is facing them," said Ayliffe. "They have done nothing to warrant this level of aggression and have been entirely peaceful throughout." He continued: “The real threat to the Russian Arctic comes not from the crew of the Arctic Sunrise but from Gazprom, one of the most reckless oil companies in the world today.” According to a Greenpeace statement released Friday: The crew of the Greenpeace icebreaker Arctic Sunrise remain in the custody of Russian authorities following an armed boarding of the ship in international waters yesterday. The ship has now been under armed guard since 1900 Moscow time on Thursday. It is now over 12 hours since Greenpeace International has had any contact with the ship, which appears to be heading west towards the Russian territorial waters. Greenpeace International has not received any formal confirmation of possible charges, and the activists have been denied access to legal or consular assistance. Officials from Greenpeace International were busy on Friday morning trying to determine Russian intentions and actively lobbying for the release of the ship and its crew. The group was also organizing its members and supporters to attend rallies outside Russian embassies worldwide. They also established this online petition, which by Friday morning had already received over 100,000 signatures, calling the boarding of the Arctic Sunrise illegal and demanding the immediate release of the peaceful protesters. Russian authorities have said that the Greenpeace activists had what appeared to be a bomb aboard their vessel, but the environmental group was quick to point out the ridiculousness of that claim, saying that the brightly colored "safety pod" referred to was "designed to keep the activists warm" and not mistakable as a bomb, given how heavily branded with Greenpeace logos it was. The dramatics in the Arctic Pechora Sea off Russia's northern coast began on Wednesday when two Greenpeace activists who tried to scale the sides of the drilling platform owned by Russia's oil giant Gazprom were intercepted by Russian Coast Guard agents who dangerously fired water cannons at the two climbers as they dangled from the drilling vessel. During that altercation, the Coast Guard fired a series of warning shots at smaller Greenpeace speedboats and the larger Arctic Sunrise. ___________________________________________ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License Source URL: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/09/20-0 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