Baltimore Activist Alert - April 21 -22, 2014

Baltimore Activist Alert Apr. 21 – Apr. 27, 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] "Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race" – through Apr. 30
6] Human, Soul & Machine: The Coming Singularity – through Aug. 31
7] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Apr. 21 – Apr. 25
8] Voices from Public Housing in Baltimore City – Apr. 21
9] See the film “Inequality for All” – Apr. 21
10] Baltimore Green Week - Panel Discussion – Apr. 21
11] Student Movement to Solve the Global Climate Crisis – Apr. 21
12] Pledge of Resistance/Fund Our Communities meeting – Apr. 21
13] Earth Day on Wyman Park Bridge – Apr. 22
14] Reject and Protect – Apr. 22
15] Media and Civil Society in Syria's Evolving Conflict – Apr. 22
16] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – Apr. 22
17] Condemn drone research at JHU – Apr. 22
18] "Make a Plan. Build a Kit. Help Each Other" – Apr. 22
19] Act on Climate Campus Tour – Apr. 22
20] Documentary "Semper Fi: Always Faithful" – Apr. 22
21] Pray for Peace – Apr. 22
22] Surveillance, Secrets, & Whistleblowing in the Security State – Apr. 22

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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] – The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's production, "Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race" will be exhibited at the Health Sciences and Human Services Library at University of Maryland, Baltimore, Frieda O. Weise Gallery, 601 W. Lombard St. The exhibition will feature photos, films, testimonials and other documentation of Nazi racial experimentation and theories. The exhibit will continue through April 30. Call 410-706-7545. See http://hshsl.umaryland.edu/gallery/.

6] – See the exhibit Human, Soul & Machine: The Coming Singularity, which
delves into the various ways technology affects lives through the perspective of inventors, futurists and 40 plus visionary artists. The intent is to bring new thoughts on artificial intelligence, robotics, genetics, nanotechnology, 3D printing, and big data, and you can see it through August 31 at the American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Hwy. Call 410-244-1900. Go to http://avam.org. A ticket costs $20.

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] – There is a Community Dinner and Roundtable: Voices from Public Housing in Baltimore City on Mon., Apr. 21 at 6 PM @ Red Emma's, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201. Call 410-230-0450. Go to http://www.redemmas.org. As Baltimore moves to privatize 40% of its remaining public housing with public officials united in their claim that there is no other way to "save" affordable housing than through the complicated federal RAD program, the voices of those most affected by the sweeping changes—the residents and workers—seem to be the voices least present in the conversation.

Start with this pay-what-you-can community dinner, and then at 7 PM hear a panel of public housing residents, as well as union workers whose jobs stand to be eliminated and restructured under the RAD plan. Moderated by Marc Steiner, the event will explore the uncertainties introduced by this wave of privatization.

9] – See the film “Inequality for All” on Mon., Apr. 21 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at Busboys & Poets, 5th and K Sts. NW. The film, a passionate argument on behalf of the middle class, features Robert Reich—professor, best-selling author, and Clinton cabinet member—as he demonstrates how the widening income gap has a devastating impact on the U.S. economy. It is also an intimate portrait of a man who's overcome a great deal of personal adversity and 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 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 every one of us. See https://www.facebook.com/events/300621880093347/.

10] – The Baltimore Green Week - Panel Discussion is hosted by The Nature Conservancy on Mon., Apr. 21 from 7 to 9 PM at 700 Aliceanna St., Baltimore 21202. In honor of Baltimore Green Week, Conservancy staff members and other experts will answer this question: Do you know where your water comes from? Go tohttp://baltimoregreenworks.com/events/baltimore-green-week/ for a list of other activities.

11] – The Student Movement to Solve the Global Climate Crisis is taking place on Mon., Apr. 21 from 7 to 9 PM at the University of Maryland, 1104 South Campus Commons, 4230 Knox Road, College Park, MD 20740. Hear a panel discussion involving climate change and student activists to understand the dynamics shaping the growing global movement to solve one of the most daunting challenges of our time – global climate change! The panel will focus on the largest youth-led environmental protests in the United States in the 21st century that led to the arrest of 398 students and youths in March 2014 who were protesting the proposed Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Project that would ship carbon-intensive oil from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Throughout Maryland, students have mobilized to raise awareness and to mobilize citizen action against the proposed Cove Point Energy Project in southern Maryland. At the same time, students on a number of university campuses have mobilized support for divestment of all university endowment funds invested in fossil fuel companies. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/691027990957593/.

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., Apr. 21. The proposed agenda will include a report on the appeal of conviction of the CIA Five, anti-drone activities, including the Spring Actions, the May 3 demo at the NSA, a report on the NSA discussion at JHU and the visit to Sarbanes’ office, Earth Day, and May Day. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net for directions.

13] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore will do its annual Earth Day on the Bridge on Mon., April 22 from 8 until 9 AM. Be on the Wyman Park Bridge to make the connection between Pentagon warmongering and the destruction of Mother Earth. RSVP to Max at mobuszewski at Verizon.net or 410-366-1637.

14] – Reject and Protect will take place on Tues., Apr. 22 at 11 AM through Sun., Apr. 27 at 7 PM at the White House. An alliance of tribal leaders, ranchers and farmers called the “Cowboy Indian Alliance” will ride into Washington, D.C. on horseback. For five days they will set up camp near the White House, performing daily ceremonies and holding events that will send a clear message to President Obama: “reject the Keystone XL pipeline,” and “protect our land, water, and climate.” On Apr. 27, you are invited to join frontline leaders organizing the encampment to march together to the White House to send a final, powerful statement to President Obama to reject Keystone XL and protect our land, water and climate. Visit http://rejectandprotect.org/.

15] – On Tues., Apr. 22 from 12:30 to 2 PM, catch Media and Civil Society in Syria's Evolving Conflict at New America Foundation, 1899 L St. NW, Suite 400, WDC 20036. The conflict in Syria is being presented to the international community through a complex mix of state, opposition, international and local media sources. Individuals and NGOs in Syria have also effectively used social media to show the world the horrors of the conflict. As the crisis has evolved, so too have the ways in which activists have deployed the media available to them.

Discuss the evolution of media throughout the conflict with award-winning filmmaker and activist Orwa Nyrabia, an independent documentary film producer, filmmaker, actor, writer, and former journalist. He is in the forefront of efforts to illuminate the ongoing destruction of Syrian creative culture. In addition to focusing on developments in the independent media sector, Mr. Nyrabia will also discuss how civil society groups are struggling to navigate the dynamics of conflict. Mr. Nyrabia will present a selection of video clips to frame the discussion. Also participating is Leila Hilal, director, Middle East Task Force, New America. RSVP at http://www.newamerica.net/events/2014/media_in_syrias_evolving_conflict. Contact Liana Simonds at New America at 202-735-2829 or simonds@newamerica.org.

16] – 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 Apr. 22. Call 215-426-0364.

17] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. Join this ongoing vigil on Apr. 22 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Call Max at 410-366-1637.

18] – "Make a Plan. Build a Kit. Help Each Other."
The Baltimore Office of Sustainability will host an instructional seminar on how to build an emergency survival kit for the home to be used in times of crisis on Tues., Apr. 22 from 5:30 to 8 PM at Humanim - American Brewery, 1701 N. Gay St. See http://www.humanim.com.
19] – As part of the Hip Hop Caucus tour of six HBCU campuses, on Tues., Apr. 22 at 6:30 PM, the Act on Climate Campus Tour will be coming to Howard University, The Howard Theater, 620 T St NW, to make its message known that our political leaders must create realistic solutions on the issue of climate change. Famous recording artists, cultural leaders, academics and political influencers will be joining the tour to reach out to thousands of young people and campaign for clear and effective solutions to climate change.
The Act On Climate Campus Spring Tour is a voice out for sustainable solutions that can clean the planet and make it a better place to live for future generations. Go to http://climate.hiphopcaucus.org/
20] – On Tues., Apr. 22 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, Beyond the Classroom is hosting a special screening of the documentary "Semper Fi: Always Faithful" to help the University of Maryland community more fully understand the importance of an upcoming Supreme Court case. The screening will be happening at the University of Maryland, 1104 South Campus Commons, Building 1, College Park, Maryland. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/459629574163568/.
This is part of Civic Leadership for Government Accountability Event, Day 1. On Wed., Apr. 23, attend the Supreme Court case "CTS Corp. v. Waldburger." Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1389512364660604/.

21] – Meet to Pray for Peace at 7:30 PM on Tues., Apr. 22 at St. Thomas’ Church, 1108 Providence Road, Towson, (exit 28 on 695). Contact Charles Cloughen, Jr., Interfaith Peace Partners, coordinator, at ccloughen@episcopalmaryland.org or at 410-321-0199.

22] – Beyond Orwell: Surveillance, Secrets, & Whistleblowing in the Security State is the topic on Tues., Apr. 22 at 7 PM at Georgetown University, Gaston Hall, 37th and O Sts. NW. Lannan Center for Poetics and Social Practice is proud to announce its Matters of Urgency event for spring 2014, which will feature Daniel Ellsberg, Glenn Greenwald, Thomas Drake, Ray McGovern, Jesselyn Radack, Coleen Rowley, and Anthony Arnove. See acmcu.georgetown.edu.

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