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