Baltimore Activist Alert Feb. 3 – Feb. 4, 2014

Baltimore Activist Alert Feb. 3 – Feb. 9, 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] Pentagon Vigil – Feb. 3 7] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Feb. 3 – Feb. 7 8] Rally for a minimum wage – Feb. 3 9] Reclaim the Vote DC – Feb. 3 10] The “Francis Factor” – Feb. 3 11] Film "Inequality for All" – Feb. 3 12] Pledge of Resistance/Fund Our Communities meeting – Feb. 3 13] Hands Off Appalachia – Feb. 3 14] Stop the deportations – Feb. 4 15] Support Christopher's Law HB0294 – Feb. 4 16] Protest Uganda’s anti-gay law – Feb. 4 17] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – Feb. 4 18] Protest JHU’s drone research – Feb. 4 19] Housing for All DC Advocacy Training – Feb. 4 ----- 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] – 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., Feb. 3, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649. The vigil will be outside the Pentagon's south Metro entrance and in the designated "protest zone" behind bicycle fences across from the entrance to the Metro. By Metro, take Yellow Line and get out at the "Pentagon" stop. Do not go to the Pentagon City stop! Go up south escalators and turn left and walk across to protest area. By car from D.C. area, take 395 South and get off at Exit 8A-Pentagon South Parking. Take slight right onto S. Rotary Rd. at end of ramp and right on S. Fern St. Then take left onto Army Navy Dr. You can "pay to park" on Army Navy Dr., and there is meter parking one block on right on Eads St. Payment for both of these spots begin at 8 AM. No cameras are allowed on Pentagon grounds. Restrooms are located inside Marriott Residence Inn on corner of S. Fern and Army Navy Dr. Email artlaffin@hotmail.com. 7] – 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. 8] – On Mon., Feb. 3 at 10:30 AM at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 120 N. Front St., Baltimore 21202., Gov. Martin O'Malley, Sen. Ben Cardin, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and people of faith from across the state will demonstrate support for raising the minimum wage in Maryland. RSVP at http://action.martinomalley.com/baltimore-minwage. The bill will raise the minimum wage in Maryland to $10.10 per hour, and index it to inflation starting in 2017. The legislation also raises the wage for tipped workers from 50% of the minimum to 70%. 9] – The group Reclaim the Vote DC is meeting on Mon., Feb. 3 from 6 to 8 PM at Bread for the City, 1525 7th St. NW. Reclaim the Vote DC is a voter registration & education campaign with the needs of the people at its heart. Work with a campaign whose work helps to hold elected officials accountable! It’s time to BE the change you want to SEE! Contact Aja G. Taylor at ataylor@breadforthecity.org or 202.587.5919. 10] – On Mon., Feb. 3 at 5:30 PM, catch INITIATIVE ON CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHT AND PUBLIC LIFE at Georgetown University, Gaston Hall, 37th and “O” Sts. NW, WDC. The third public dialogue The Pope, Politics and Policy will focus on the continuing impact of the “Francis Factor” and Catholic Social Thought on Public Life. How is the Pope’s articulation and demonstration of Catholic social teaching changing the Church and public life? Get some answers at the dialogue with John Allen, Ross Douthat, Kerry Robinson and John Carr. RSVP at www.catholicsocialthought.georgetown.edu or call 202-687-1662. 11] – Beyond the Classroom presents "Inequality for All" on Mon., Feb. 3 at 7 PM at 1104 South Campus Commons, Building 1, 0200 Calvert Hall, University of Maryland, College Park 20742. This documentary is a passionate argument on behalf of the middle class, and it features Robert Reich -- professor, best-selling author, and former Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton -- as he demonstrates how the widening income gap has a devastating impact on the American economy. The film is an intimate portrait of a man whose lifelong goal remains protecting those who are unable to protect themselves. Through his singular perspective, Reich explains how the massive consolidation of wealth by a precious few threatens the viability of the American workforce and the foundation of democracy itself. In this "Inconvenient Truth" for the economy, Reich uses humor and a wide array of facts to explain how the issue of economic inequality affects each and everyone on of us. https://www.facebook.com/events/731486023550070/. 12] – 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., Feb. 3. The proposed agenda will include a report on the appeal of conviction of the CIA Five, GMO legislation, anti-drone activities, the visit to Rep. Sarbanes’ office, the MLK march and the sentencing of the Plowshares. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net for directions. 13] – The Hands Off Appalachia! Speaking Tour in DC is Mon., Feb. 3 from 7:30 to 10 PM at the Peace House, 1233 12th St. NW. Learn more about the Hands Off Appalachia campaign and goals moving forward. They'll also be sharing general information about the practice of mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia, the DMV connection to coal exports, and how you can plug into this work. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/689830944372858/. 14] – YES YOU CAN / SI TU PUEDES Petition to DHS: #not1more on Tues., Feb. 4 from 11 to 11:30 AM at the AFL-CIO, 815 16th St. NW. Join NDLON, AFL-CIO and petitioners fighting their own deportations. Call for a suspension of deportations. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/569742713116218/. 15] – Support Christopher's Law HB0294 on Tues., Feb. 4 at noon at the House Judiciary Committee, Maryland General Assembly, Annapolis. In June of 2012, Christopher Brown, Age 17, was choked to death by a Baltimore County Police Officer (James LaBoard), having committed no crime. The officer neglected to perform CPR & his girlfriend unsuccessfully attempted this technique, as well. Delegate Jill P. Carter along with several co-sponsors are on a mission to require annual CPR training and other lifesaving techniques to all law enforcement state & countywide. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1401952750054574/. 16] – Participate in the KDA Protest: DROP Uganda's Jail All Gays Bill on Tues., Feb. 4 at 2 PM at the Uganda consulate, 5911 16th St. NW, WDC. Join activists from the Kuchu Diaspora Alliance (KDA), a community of Ugandan LGBTQ people in the Diaspora, to protest the Anti-Homosexuality Act now under review. The protest will target President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and Uganda lawmakers to withdraw the bill. TELL Uganda - LGBT Ugandans are responsible citizens who love their country, want to stay in their country, want to support their families, and want to contribute to the growth of their country---just like other Ugandans. They have the right to be treated humanely. See https://www.facebook.com/events/1862525057221557/. 17] – 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 Feb. 4. Call 215-426-0364. 18] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 34th & North Charles Sts. Join this ongoing vigil. The next vigil is Feb. 4 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Call Max at 410-366-1637. 19] – Get over to a Housing for All DC Advocacy Training on Tues., Feb. 4 at 6 PM at the Petworth Library, 4200 Kansas Ave. NW. The cost of housing in D.C. is a pain. Workers are struggling to pay their rent, long term residents are leaving the District, and thousands of individuals and families are experiencing homelessness. The D.C. government needs to invest in the housing programs that make housing affordable! Join Housing for All DC for Advocacy Training every Tuesday in February at the library, 4200 Kansas Ave NW. Go to http://www.cnhed.org/housing-for-all-campaign/campaign-events/. 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