Baltimore Activist Alert - Oct. 4-5, 2013

45] Promoting Arms Control – Oct. 4 46] Support Gitmo prisoners – Oct. 4 47] Justice in Palestine/Israel – Oct. 4 48] Breaking the Silence – Oct. 4 49] Silent peace vigil – Oct. 4 50] See film RENDITION – Oct. 4 51] Let's Talk About Poland – Oct. 4 52] Blessing the Animals – Oct. 4 53] School of the Americas Watch Mailing Party – Oct. 4 54] See film THE HOUSE I LIVE IN – Oct. 4 55] Dissent and Conscience with Ann Wright – Oct. 4 56] See film "Harvest of Empire" – Oct. 4 57] Ballroom dancing – Oct. 4 58] DogFest – Oct. 5 59] Give a Day for the Bay! – Oct. 5 60] Helen Thomas Memorial Service – Oct. 5 61] Olney Peace vigil – Oct. 5 62] West Chester, PA demo – Oct. 5 63] Rally and March for Immigration Reform – Oct. 5 64] Silent Anti-War/Anti-Drone Death Walk -- Oct. 5 65] Keep Space for Peace Week protest at the NSA – Oct. 5 66] Silent vigil at Capitol – Oct. 5 67] CURRENT STATUS OF IMMIGRATION LAW -- Oct. 5 68] Open the Cages needs a home 69] Apply for a radio station license 70] Support Pvt. Manning 71] Max is seeking a place to live 72] Support the Transform Now Plowshares 73] Support Red Emma’s in its move 74] Sign up with Washington Peace Center 75] Join Fund Our Communities 76] Submit articles to Indypendent Reader 77] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records 78] Do you need any book shelves or file cabinets? 79] Join Global Zero campaign 80] War Is Not the Answer signs for sale 81] Join Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil 45] – On Fri., Oct. 4 from 11AM to 1 PM, Rose Gottemoeller, Acting Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, and four other speakers will take on "Promoting Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Disarmament in the Middle East" at the Monterey Institute, 1400 K St. NW, Suite 1225, WDC. RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1u2qwj0Ttxt6u6hYlM7EchhL8ujO9KokTJx0eqGBlJQ4/closedform. 46] – Support the Guantanamo Hunger Strikers--Close Guantanamo & End Indefinite Detention! No More Torture! No More War! It is Day 4284 since first detainees brought to Guantanamo; Day 239 of Hunger Strike; 19 Detainees Still on Hunger Strike; and 18 Force-Fed. Be at the White House on Fri., Oct. 4 from noon to 1 PM and join the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker and Witness Against Torture. Go to www.witnesstorture.org or www.closegitmo.net. 47] – A vigil for Justice in Palestine/Israel takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM at 19th & JFK Blvd., Philadelphia (across from Israeli Consulate. It is sponsored by Bubbies & Zaydes (Grandparents) for Peace in the Middle East. Email cswartz@pil.net. Go to http://phillyjewishpeace.org/. 48] – On Fri., Oct. 4 at 4 PM at the Hillel on the Johns Hopkins Homewood Campus, hear a talk by members of Breaking the Silence. The event is hosted by J Street U. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/328919993918951/. Breaking the Silence members are former IDF soldiers who served in the occupied territories and now go around and share their experiences/give tours. The co-director of the program, who served as a paratrooper in an elite unit of the IDF, will be at Hopkins. Visit http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/. 49] – There is a silent peace vigil on Fri., Oct. 4 from 5 to 6 PM outside the Cathedral of the Incarnation, University Parkway and St. Paul St. The vigil is sponsored by Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings, and was recently moved because of the construction on Charles St. War Is Not the Answer. End gun violence. 50] – Since this is a First Friday, on Oct. 4 there will be a potluck dinner at Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218 after the vigil. Then there will be a film screening. The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee and others are continuing the FILM & SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS DVD SERIES. The DVDs will be shown at Homewood Friends Meetinghouse on the First Friday. After the peace vigil, there will be a potluck dinner. At 7: 15 PM, a DVD will be shown with a discussion to follow. There is no charge, and refreshments will be available. The series theme is WHAT TO DO WHEN GOVERNMENTS VIOLATE THE LAW. The second film in the series, RENDITION [USA, 2007], is the first Hollywood film about the CIA's practice of "extraordinary rendition," and Gavin Hood directs an excellent cast: Alan Arkin, Jake Gyllenhaal, Omar Metwally, Peter Sarsgaard, Meryl Streep and Reese Witherspoon. Witherspoon is the desperate wife of an Egyptian-born chemical engineer. When her husband disappears, she tries to convince government officials there has been some kind of mistake. Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski@verizon.net. 51] – Let's Talk About Poland on Fri., Oct. 4 from 6 to 7:30 PM at The Kosciuszko Foundation, 2025 O St. NW. IPS' Foreign Policy in Focus and The Kosciuszko Foundation invite you to a series of conversations about political, economic, social and cultural issues in Poland today. John Feffer interviewed dozens of key people in Poland in 1989-90: activists, academics, journalists, policymakers. In 2013, he returned to Poland after a 20-year absence to track down those original people and re-interview them. He'll talk about what went right and what went wrong for Poland over the last 23 years, and how people there feel about their future economic and political prospects. This is the first conversation with John, an author, playwright and co-director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies. An informal reception of wine with crackers and cheese follows. This is a free event. See http://www.ips-dc.org/events/lets_talk_about_poland. 52] – Blessing of the Animals, in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology, will take place in the Archdiocese of Baltimore . One event will take place on Fri., Oct. 4 at 6 PM at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Baltimore. 53] – The School of the Americas Watch Mailing Party is happening on Fri., Oct. 4 at 6 PM at the office on 5525 Illinois Ave. NW. The Vigil is fast approaching, and SOA Watch is in need of volunteers to help them with a large mailing. Come join the fun and enjoy refreshments. Call 202-234-3440. 54] – See a screening of THE HOUSE I LIVE IN (U.S., 2012, 1 hr. 50 mins.} on Fri., Oct. 4 at 7 PM at the Peace Center of Delaware County. The First-Friday Large Screen Film Series takes place at 1001 Old Sproul Road, Springfield, PA 19064. 4 Fri., October 4, at 7p.m. - First-Friday Free Large Screen Film Showing at the Peace Center of Delaware County, 1001 Old Springfield Road, Springfield, PA 19064. Directed by Eugene Jarecki, whose 2005 film, WHY WE FIGHT, took us inside the U.S. war machine and military-industrial complex. With his myth-shattering and provocative documentary feature THE HOUSE I LIVE IN, Jarecki takes us into the real picture of the War on Drugs, and its actual consequences. Prepare to have your assumptions about the War on Drugs challenged. See the film’s trailer at http://vimeo.com/63391643. Doors open at 6:30 PM for light refreshments. Participate in the after-film discussion. Visit www.delcopeacecenter.org or call 610-544-1818. The film is co-sponsored by the Brandywine Peace Community. 55] – Dissent and Conscience with Ann Wright is taking place on Fri., Oct. 4 at 7:30 PM at the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, 503 Rock Creek Church Rd. NW. Ann, a former Army colonel and U.S. diplomat who helped reopen the US Embassy in Afghanistan, resigned her post over the illegal U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. Since then, she has been writing and speaking out against U.S. war making, military intervention and torture and has been arrested for nonviolent actions for peace. Call 202-882-9649. 56] – Meaningful Movies Olney is showing "Harvest of Empire" on Fri., Oct. 4 from 7:30 to 10 PM at the Buffington/REMAX Building Community Room, 3300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney 20832. The documentary reveals the direct connection between the long history of U.S. intervention in Latin America and the immigration crisis we face today. It is also an unflinching look at the role that U.S. economic and military interests played in triggering an unprecedented wave of migration that is transforming our nation’s cultural and economic landscape. Contact Jean Athey at 301-570-0923 or jeanathey@verizon.net. 57] – There is an opportunity to participate in ballroom dancing, usually every Friday of the month, in the JHU ROTC Bldg. at 8 PM. Turn south on San Martin Dr. from the intersection of Univ. Parkway and 39th St. Drive on campus by taking the third left turn. The next dance will be Oct. 4. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725. 58] – The Baltimore Humane Society is hosting DogFest featuring a Paws on Parade Walkathon on Sat., Oct. 5 from 10 AM to 5 PM at its headquarters, 1601 Nicodemus Road. This is a mile or 1.6 mile trail through a 365-acre wildlife sanctuary for animal lovers and their beloved companions. The Walkathon will take place between 10 AM to noon. Call 410- 833-8848. Go to http://www.baltimorehumane.org. 59] – Give a Day for the Bay! On Sat., Oct. 5 from 10 AM to 1 PM, join National Parks Conservation Association and the National Aquarium Conservation Team (ACT!) at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, 2400 East Fort Ave., Baltimore 21230! The health of our national parks depends on the health of the landscapes that surround them. As a volunteer, you will help restore habitat for wildlife, remove debris, and maintain trails at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore. By restoring wetlands along the Patapsco River, you can protect the national parks in the Chesapeake and conserve land utilized by hundreds of species of birds, reptiles like box turtles and diamond back terrapins, and aquatic life such as juvenile blue crabs and small fish. This fall field day is part of National Public Lands Day and the International Coastal Cleanup--please join us to help clean up our local wetlands! Registration for this event is required: Contact conserve@aqua.org. All volunteers must be at least 10 years old. Click here to change your email preferences. 60] – The Helen Thomas Memorial Service will occur on Sat., Oct. 5 at 10 AM at the Press Club, 529 14th St. NW. There will be a coffee reception/visitation with the family at 10 AM, followed by the program at 11 AM. RSVP to Marwa Bakabas at rsvp@adc.org. 61] – Friends House, 17715 Meeting House Rd., Sandy Spring, MD 20860, hosts a peace vigil every Saturday, 10:30 to 11:30 AM, on the corner of Rt. 108 and Georgia Ave. [Route 97] in Olney, MD. The next vigil is Oct. 5. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167. 62] – Each Saturday, 11 AM – 1 PM, Chester County Peace Movement holds a peace vigil in West Chester in front of the Chester County Courthouse, High & Market Sts. Go to www.ccpeace.org. Email ccpeacemovement@aol.com. 63] – Rally and March for Immigration Reform (National Day for Dignity & Respect) on Sat., Oct. 5 at noon at 120 Enterprise St. Sterling, VA 20164. Join 200 people and march through Sterling Park, VA for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Email noahcofc@gmail.com. 64] – On Sat., Oct. 5, from noon to 1PM, join the monthly (1st Saturday of the month) Center City Phila. Silent Anti-War/Anti-Drone Death Walk. Now in its fourth year, banners, signs and white masks will be provided. RSVP to Marge Van Cleef at 267-763-1644. 65] – From Sat., Oct. 5 from Sat., Oct. 12, join in Keep Space for Peace Week, an International Week of Protest to Stop the Militarization of Space: No Missile Defense, No to NATO Expansion, No Syria Attack, End Afghanistan Occupation, Stop the Drones, Surveillance & Killing, No Nuclear Power in Space or on Earth, End Corporate Domination of Foreign/Military Policy, and Convert the Military Industrial Complex. The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore, as part of Keep Space for Peace Week, will protest at the NSA on Sat., Oct. 5 at noon. Help us Shut it Down. Let me know if you can join us. Call Max at 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net. 66] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Sat., Oct. 5. Look for the blue banner with the message, "Seek Peace and Pursue It.--Psalms 34:14." The vigil lasts one hour and is silent except when one responds to the occasional questions. Go to http://www.quaker.org/langleyhill/seekpeace.htm or email seekpeacevigil@yahoo.com. 67] – The CURRENT STATUS OF IMMIGRATION LAW is going to be discussed on Sat., Oct. 5 from 2:30 to 4:30 PM at the Howard County Central Library, 10375 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia 21044. The featured Speaker is Luis F. Salgado, JD, Immigration Attorney, who will speak about legislation on immigration currently pending at the US House of Representatives and the obstacles the legislation is facing before being approved. Salgado has practiced immigration law in the Washington, DC Metro Area with Salgado & Associates, PLLC since 1982. This immigration law firm serves governmental, organizational, and individual clients from around the world. 68] – 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. 69] – 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. 70] – 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. 71] – 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. 72] – 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 28, 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. 73] – 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. 74] – The Washington Peace Center has a progressive calendar & activist alert! Consider signing up to receive its weekly email: info@washingtonpeacecenter.org. 75] – 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. 76] – 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. 77] – If you would like to get rid of books, videos, DVDs or records, contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net. 78] – Can you use any book shelves? Can you use any file cabinets? Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net. 79] – 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. 80] – 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. 81] – 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