Baltimore Activist Alert Jan. 13 – Jan. 19, 2014

Baltimore Activist Alert Jan. 13 – Jan. 19, 2014 "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] Vietnam Photograph Exhibit – through Feb. 23 6] End Gun Violence – Jan. 13 7] Debate on fracking – Jan. 13 8] Pledge of Resistance/Fund Our Communities meeting – Jan. 13 9] Protest the NRA – Jan. 14 10] Book talk “Shattered Hopes: Obama’s Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace” – Jan. 14 11] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – Jan. 14 12] Protest JHU’s drone research – Jan. 14 13] Rally for Minimum Wage – Jan. 14 14] Private and Secure Internet usage in the NSA age – Jan. 14 15] Fossil Fuels are Immoral – Jan. 15 16] Get Money Out of Maryland meeting – Jan. 15 ----- 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 mobuszewski at Verizon dot net. 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 mobuszewski at Verizon dot 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] – An-My Lê's photographs come to the Baltimore Museum of Art's Front Room. 21 Black-and-white and color photographs explore the roles of the military and war, showing tensions between nature and human influence and machinery. The exhibit runs through Feb. 23 at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive. Call 443- 573-1700. Go to http://artbma.org. 6] – On Mon., Jan. 13 from 4 to 5 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. In that article Major Andy Ellis of the Prince George’s (MD) Police Department is quoted as saying, “I can only imagine how much lower our violent-crime rate would be if Realco sold shoes instead of guns.” Go to http://www.heedinggodscall.org/. 7] – The Sandy Spring Civic Association is hosting a debate on the wisdom of fracking in Maryland and beyond. Gina Angiola will speak against fracking. She is a physician by profession and has served on the boards of Chesapeake Climate Action Network and Great Olney Civic Association. Ned Farquar, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land & Minerals Management at the U.S. Department of the Interior, will speak in favor of fracking. The session will take place on Mon., Jan. 13 at 6:30 PM in the Ross Boddy Recreation Community Center, 18529 Brooke Road, Sandy Spring. Contact John Salzberg, president, Sandy Spring Civic Association, john.salzberg@verizon.net. 8] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore usually meets on Mondays at 7:30 PM, and the meetings take place at Max’s residence. The next meeting will be on Mon., Jan. 13. The proposed agenda will include a report on the appeal of conviction of the CIA Five, GMO legislation, anti-drone activities, Witness Against Torture, visit to Rep. Sarbanes’ office, the MLK march and the demand to have the torture reports released. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net for directions. 9] – On Tues., Jan. 14 from 10 to 11:30 AM, join a demo at the NRA building against gun violence, Get on the sidewalk in front of the headquarters, 11250 Waples Mill Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030. On December 14, 2012, the country and world were shocked and horrified by the massacre of children and their teachers in Newtown, Connecticut. In remembrance of that terrible massacre, events will be held throughout the country. This is a monthly vigil held at 10 AM on the 14th of each month to remember this horrific event and to help prevent all future gun deaths. 10 ] – Catch a Book talk and signing of “Shattered Hopes: Obama’s Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace” on Tues., Jan. 14 at 11 AM at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, 4444 Arlington Blvd., Arlington 22204. Josh Ruebner brings clarity to the challenges and pitfalls of this thorny issue. Drawing from a wealth of primary sources obtained from WikiLeaks, the Palestine Papers, and both clandestine and open documents, he presents analysis that is intriguing even to an expert. Watch a 5 minute video about the book here: http://joshruebner.com/?page_id=868. The talk will be followed by a lunch at noon, which costs $10. To RSVP for the lunch, please contact loisczap@gmail. 11 ] – 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 Jan. 14. Call 215-426-0364. 12] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 34th & North Charles Sts. Join this ongoing vigil. The next vigil is Jan. 14 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Call Max at 410-366-1637. 13] – Maryland is the richest state in the USA. But at $7.25 an hour, the minimum wage is the lowest -- the bare federal minimum. The Maryland General Assembly and Raise Maryland has made raising the minimum wage the top legislative issue for 2014. Rally at Lawyers Mall in Annapolis on Tues., Jan. 14 at 5:45 PM with hundreds of supporters from across the state, as well as top elected officials, to let the General Assembly know that it is time to raise the wage. The bill will raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour and will be indexed to inflation so that wages don’t lose value over time. And it will include a raise for tipped workers who earn just 50 percent of the minimum wage, boosting them to 70 percent of the prevailing wage. More than 500,000 Maryland workers will get a raise with a minimum wage increase and higher wages will create an economic benefit for the state. RSVP at http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5206/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=422936. 14] – This course Private and Secure Internet usage in the NSA age will be a hands on workshop which will identify and teach people how to use various Open Source Software (OSS) programs and apps that provide secure and private communication and information (file) sharing via the internet. It takes place on Tues., Jan. 14 at 7 PM at the Emergence Community Arts Collective. Participants will bring their laptops, tablets, and smart phones, and leave with working software and practices to communicate and share data securely (encrypted) and anonymously (privately). A donation of $10 is requested. Contact Jabari Zakiya at 202-390-6398 or jzakiya@gmail.com.com. 15] – The demo Fossil Fuels are Immoral will take place on Wed., Jan. 15 from 10:30 AM to 1 PM at the American Petroleum Institute, 1220 L St. NW - nearest Metro -McPherson Sq. Join a multi-faith gathering honoring Rev. Martin Luther King's 85th Birthday by calling for action to end the ongoing devastation of the planet by the fossil fuel industry, sponsored by Interfaith Moral Action on Climate. At 1 PM, there will be an Emergency Nonviolent Direct Action to Stop KXL South. Email ted@chesapeakeclimate.org. 16] – On Wed., Jan. 15 from 7 to 8 PM, attend the monthly meeting at the Episcopal Cathedral, 4 E. University Parkway. Prepare for the January 21 Rally and Lobby Day for the 28th Amendment by making posters and organizing details. The floor team will prepare to set up, sign-in attendees, display banners, and clean up after the rally. The Lobby Team will go over scripts, divide into geographic teams, and prepare materials. The Get Money Out of Maryland Players will rehearse the inspiring skit featuring ghosts of Amendments Past! Everyone will make posters. Then the board meeting will follow. Visit http://www.getmoneyoutmd.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