Baltimore Activist Alert - Sept. 14, 2013

64] Call to Action -- Sept. 14 65] Protest CIA assassinations – Sept. 14 66] Protest Mikulski’s warmongering -- Sept. 14 67] United Workers is Hiring a Work With Dignity Organizer 68] Open the Cages needs a home 69] Apply for a radio station license 70] Support Pvt. Manning 71] SOA Watch needs a field organizer 72] CodePink needs help 73] Max is seeking a place to live 74] Support the Transform Now Plowshares 75] Drones Quilt Project 76] Support Red Emma’s in its move 77] Sign up with Washington Peace Center 78] Join Fund Our Communities 79] Submit articles to Indypendent Reader 80] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records 81] Do you need any book shelves or file cabinets? 82] Join Global Zero campaign 83] War Is Not the Answer signs for sale 84] Join Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil 64] – On Sat., Sept. 14 from 9 AM to 3 PM, Call to Action –Maryland Chapter—will host Sr. Simone Campbell, SSS (executive director of NETWORK among many other things) and Sr. Carol Zinn, SSJ (current president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)) representing more than 45,000 women religious in the US. The event will be held at the BWI Doubletree Hotel, 890 Elkridge Landing Road, Linthicum, MD 21090. Sr. Simone will talk about “Being Church In A Polarized World,” and Sr. Carol will reflect on “The People of God: Called by Baptism, Compelled by the Gospel.” For directions and registration/ ticket information, contact Richard E. Ullrich at ullzink@comcast.net. 65] – Amidst the struggle between violence and war or diplomacy and peace, the US is focused on a civil war in another country, Syria, denouncing the Syrian regime which the US claims kills innocent people including children. On Sat., Sept. 14 from 10 to 11:30 AM, continue to join the monthly vigil against the use of armed drones by the CIA and the U.S. military that are killing innocent people including children. DRONE WARFARE IS IMMORAL AND ILLEGAL. NO MORE WAR, STOP ARMED DRONES NOW! Protest at the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters, 900 block of Dolley Madison Blvd., McLean, VA Since the last vigil in July protesting the illegal and immoral use of killer drones the US has continued the practice of extrajudicial killing with the aerial death squad drones in various countries. According to the investigative reporters with The Bureau of Investigative Journalism just in Yemen alone the number of drone strikes was the highest since March of 2012 with 22 to 43 people reportedly killed. Six civilians were reportedly killed by the American death squads of the skies. Contact Jack McHale: 703-772-0635. 66] – On Sat., Sept. 14 at 3 PM, Protest & March To Mikulski's Office to Oppose Attack on Syria. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/531892256886666/. This is in response to Sen. Barbara Mikulski's announcement earlier this week of pledging a "YES" vote to military strikes against Syria. Meet at Broadway and Baltimore St. before marching to Senator Mikulski's office on Thames St. "I have also gotten thousands of emails and calls from Maryland constituents...They overwhelmingly oppose military action in Syria," Mikulski says. "My constituents have spoken loud and clear...They don't want war. And neither do I." So why the "YES" vote? The protest is organized by Baltimore Against U.S. Intervention in Syria -- https://www.facebook.com/bmoresyrianointervention or @bmoresyria. What you can do now: Call Senator Mikulski's office (410-962-4510) to say will march Saturday, and demand she change her vote to "NO"; and call Rep. Cummings office and demand that he too add his name to the "NO" attacks list. 67] – On Sat., Sept. 14 from 7:30 to 8:30 PM, Open The Cages will do outreach at The Shindig, an outdoor concert at Carroll Park, 1500 Washington Blvd, Baltimore. Carroll Park is bordered by Washington Boulevard, between Bayard and Monroe Streets. Call 443-478-3074 or email info@openthecages.org. 68] – United Workers is Hiring a Work With Dignity Organizer. This is a full-time 6-month position based in Baltimore, but with travel throughout the state. Email justsociety@unitedworkers.org. 69] – Open the Cages is seeking a new home for the Vegan Living Program in Baltimore, an affordable venue in downtown/midtown Baltimore for the Spring 2014 program and related events. The venue would be suitable to seat up to 100 people and for cooking and serving food. If you have any tips, email info@openthecages.org. Visit www.meetup.com/supportingvegans. 70] – This October, you’ll have a chance to apply for a license to launch your very own community radio station! The Federal Communications Commission will accept applications from Oct. 15–29, 2013. Free Press and the Prometheus Radio Project have created a handy how-to guide that walks you through the process of applying for a license and starting a station. So don’t delay ... download a guide today! It takes years to build a community radio station, but you can get your application together in a matter of weeks. And time is on your side: If the FCC grants you a license, you’ll have years to put your awesome radio station together. Go to www.freepress.net. 71] – As part of Pvt. Manning's application to Convening Authority Major General Buchanan for leniency, we are collecting letters from professors, law experts, human rights advocates, politicians, artists, veterans, and concerned citizens. Please help us collect well-written letters to include. The letters should be one-page long and submitted by November 1. You can find the full list of guidelines on our website: http://www.bradleymanning.org/featured/write-a-letter-supporting-pvt-mannings-request-for-clemency. 72] – There is a job for a Field Organizer to join the SOA Watch staff in D.C.! To read the job description and for information on how to apply, visit http://www.soaw.org/component/content/article/83/4076-soa-watch-hiring-a-new-field-organizer. 73] – CODEPINK needs a new office and storage space! The group must vacate its current space by the end of August. Know of any office spaces? How about temporary space to store some of the supplies? The group is also looking for spare computers. Any help you can give is much appreciated. Contact tighecp@gmail.com. 74] – Max is seeking a place to live. Let him know of any possibilities. He can be reached at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.dot net. 75] – You can support the Transform Now Plowshares resisters by writing the judge and the prisoners. Greg Boertje-Obed, Michael Walli and Megan Rice are currently in the Irwin County Detention Facility in Ocilla, GA, awaiting their sentencing on January 23, 2014. The three were found guilty by a jury in Tennessee in May on two counts. Judge Amul Thapar revoked their pre-trial release saying they were technically guilty of a crime of violence and must be held. Here are the addresses: Gregory Boertje-Obed 22090 Irwin County Detention Center 132 Cotton Drive, Ocilla, GA 31774 ***Michael Walli 4444, Irwin County Detention Center, 132 Cotton Drive, Ocilla, GA 31774. Megan Rice 22100, Irwin County Detention Center, 132 Cotton Drive, Ocilla, GA 31774. You must make sure to include your entire return address on the outside of the envelope. No staples or paperclips can be included in your mail; no oversized envelopes. Magazines and books must be sent directly from the publisher or bookstore/Amazon. Photocopies of brief articles are likely to be permitted (based on our past experience). If you include inappropriate material or fail to comply with these rules, your mail will not get through—it will be returned to you. The second thing you can do is send a letter to Judge Thapar. We have suggested guidelines for your letter, and we are asking people to send their letter to Bill Quigley, lawyer for Mike Walli (address below), so they can be collected and delivered to the judge. If you want to send a copy of your letter to us, that would be great—our address is also below. Invite Judge Thapar to think about sentencing in light of the fact that this was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience intended to awaken the conscience of the nation, and no evidence was presented that it was an act of terrorism meant to harm anyone. You could write that you share the court's concern that Congress would write a law that wouldn’t allow a judge to distinguish between peace activists and terrorists, and are disturbed that the government defines the crime they stand convicted of as a violent "crime of terrorism.” As testimony of the defendants showed during trial, they carried out their action in a spirit of nonviolence and hope. Without making it the focus of the letter, you could mention that the action was carried out with the clear understanding of the illegality and immorality of nuclear weapons, and intent to uphold higher laws. Encourage him to consider downward departures from the high guidelines for the charges, and to use his discretion at sentencing to bring more justice into the situation by recognizing that the defendants are NOT violent terrorists as the government has implied through its interpretation of the crime; and remind him of the intentions of the three nonviolent activists: to follow the words of the prophet Isaiah to beat swords into plowshares, and build a safer and more secure world for all. Our purpose with these letters is not to reargue the case, nor is it to condemn nuclear weapons production—the judge is not engaging those issues at this time. Our purpose is to address the legal system’s distortion of the nonviolent action of the TNP resisters and to provide support to the judge for a sentencing decision that takes into account the nature of their action and their nonviolent behavior throughout their action. Letters should be sent to US District Judge Amul R Thapar, c/o Professor Bill Quigley, Loyola Law Clinic and Center for Social Justice, 7214 St. Charles Ave., Campus Box 902, New Orleans, LA 70118. If you care to send a copy to OREPA that would also be appreciated--orep@earthlink.net or OREPA, PO Box 5743, Oak Ridge, TN 37831. 76] – The launch of the website to support the U.S. version of the Drones Quilt Project was developed to memorialize the victims of U.S. combat drone strikes. Leah Bolger has about 185 names, and at present there are over 40 completed blocks. Soon the blocks will be sown together to create panels of quilt blocks. She will create educational information about killer drones to accompany the quilts as part of a traveling exhibit. To support the project visit www.dronesquiltproject.wordpress.com. The completed blocks are shown on the web site. The web site also contains information about creating a block, anti-drone resources and endorsing organizations. Follow the project on Twitter: @dronesproject. 77] – Red Emma's has closed the location at 800 St. Paul St., and is reopening in a much larger new space on North Avenue in the fall. The collective is seeking your help. It's time to reinvent the project started in 2004 to build a self-sustaining progressive space in Baltimore, committed to providing a daily reminder that another world was possible and that there were people working in the city to build it. Here's how you can help: donate money, provide skilled help, and share these needs. Email john@redemmas.org or go to http://indiegogo.com/redemmas2. 78] – The Washington Peace Center has a progressive calendar & activist alert! Consider signing up to receive its weekly email: info@washingtonpeacecenter.org. 79] – Fund Our Communities campaign is a grass roots movement to get support from local organizations and communities to work together with their local and state elected officials to pressure Congresspersons and senators to join with Congresspersons Barney Frank and Ron Paul, who have endorsed a 25% cut to the federal military budget. Bring home the savings to state and county governments to meet the local needs which are under tremendous budget pressures. Go to www.OurFunds.org. 80] – MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD. Baltimore's Indypendent Reader is looking for individuals interested in creating media - written, photo, audio, or video - that relates to issues like...economic justice, race, prisons & policing, environment, gender & sexuality, war & peace and more! If you would like to create social justice media, then email indypendentreader@gmail.com. Visit http://www.indyreader.org. 81] – If you would like to get rid of books, videos, DVDs or records, contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net. 82] – Can you use any book shelves? Can you use any file cabinets? Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net. 83] – Join an extraordinary global campaign for the elimination of nuclear weapons: http://www.globalzero.org/sign-declaration. A growing group of leaders around the world is calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons and a majority of the global public agrees. This is an historic window of opportunity. With momentum already building in favor of Zero, a major show of support from people around the world could tip the balance. When it comes to nuclear weapons, one is one too many. 84] – WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER signs from Friends Committee on National Legislation are again for sale at $5. To purchase a sign, call Max at 410-366-1637. 85] – Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil takes place every day in Lafayette Park, 1601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 24 hours a day, since June 3, 1981. Go to http://prop1.org; call 202-682-4282. 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/. "One is called to live nonviolently, even if the change one works for seems impossible. It may or may not be possible to turn the US around through nonviolent revolution. But one thing favors such an attempt: the total inability of violence to change anything for the better" - Daniel Berrigan