Baltimore Activist Alert June 16 – June 22, 2014

Baltimore Activist Alert June 16 – June 22, 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] See THE EXONERATED – through July 6
6] Human, Soul & Machine: The Coming Singularity – through Aug. 31
7] Marc Steiner on WEAA – June 16 – 20
8] "Mutual Security on Hold? Russia, the West and European Security Architecture" – June 16
9] "India’s Nuclear Policy and Regional Stability" – June 16
10] 70,000 Palestinian books confiscated – June 16
11] "How to Unwind Iran Nuclear Sanctions" – June 16
12] Green Neighbors meeting – June 16
13] “Imagining a Future for Israel and Palestine” – June 16
14] Pledge of Resistance/Fund Our Communities meeting – June 16
15] Take Your Congregation Forward! – June 17
16] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – June 17
17] "No Drone Research at JHU" – June 17
18] Book talk “Part of the Family” – June 17
19] Jeff Halper in Arlington, VA – June 17
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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] – Enjoy “The Exonerated,” a thrilling docudrama by the Vagabond Players. The play transports viewers into the hearts and minds of 6 death row inmates who are actually innocent. It is thought provoking and provocative, and will make viewers recognize the madness of a death penalty. The performances will continue through July 6 at 806 S. Broadway. Call 410-563-9135 or go to http://vagabondplayers.org.

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] – On Mon., June 16 from 10 to 11:30AM, here Wolfgang Ischinger, former German Deputy Foreign Minister, Zbigniew Brzezinski, SAIS, Jane Harman, Wilson Center, Steven Pifer, Brookings Institution, and Christian Ostermann speak about "Mutual Security on Hold? Russia, the West and European Security Architecture" at the Wilson Center, Sixth Floor, Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC. RSVP at http://pages.wilsoncenter.org/2014_06_16IschingerBookLaunch_EuropeEventPanelwithKeynote_Event-SingleSpeaker.

9] – On Mon., June 16 from 12:30 to 3 PM, Michael Krepon, Stimson Center, Lt. Gen. Vinay Shankar (retired), Indian Army, Vice Adm. A.K. Singh (retired) Indian Navy, Joshua White, Stimson Center, Vikram Singh, Center for American Progress, and Jayant Prasad, former Indian ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament, will explore "India’s Nuclear Policy and Regional Stability" at the Stimson Center, 12th Floor, 1111 19th St. NW, WDC. RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bQdRyplnN8Z-dTkeVvxe0_Ln8K7KdawrWjnIYcR20cs/viewform.

The triumphant return of a Bharatiya Janata Party government in India after a contentious campaign season has raised questions about revising India's nuclear posture, India-Pakistan relations, and regional stability with the draw-down of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Two panels of distinguished experts will discuss the potential for changes to India’s historically minimalist approach to nuclear doctrine, as well as the regional security challenges facing India. Short presentations by the invited speakers will be followed by a question-and-answer period for each panel. A light lunch will be served. Contact Julia Thompson at jthompson@stimson.org.

10] – The Jerusalem Fund, 2425 Virginia Ave. NW, invites you on Mon., June 16 from 12:30 to 2:30 PM to learn about how 70,000 Palestinian books were systematically "collected" by the newly created State of Israel during the 1948 war. Today, about six thousand of these books can be found on the shelves of the National Library, organized like a fossilized army of a dead Chinese emperor, accessible but lifeless, indexed with the label AP - Abandoned Property. Absorb a 57-minute documentary. See http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/d/EventDetails/i/45896.

11] – On Mon., June 16 at 2 PM, Kenneth Katzman, Congressional Research Service, and Cornelius Adbahr, Carnegie Endowment, will take on "How to Unwind Iran Nuclear Sanctions" at the Atlantic Council, 1030 15th St. NW, 12th Floor, WDC. RSVP http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/events/upcoming-events/registration/a08i000000SWZ6aAAH.

12] – Get over to the Petworth Library, 4200 Kansas Ave. NW, on Mon., June 16 from 6:30 to 8 PM as Green Neighbors will announce their final numbers from the Groundswell group purchase of clean energy, and will start to talk about next projects they want to work on. Contact cathsen5@gmail.com.

13] – “Imagining a Future for Israel and Palestine” is a presentation by Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions director Jeff Halper! It is scheduled for Mon., June 16 at 7 PM in the East Columbia Branch Library, 6600 Cradlerock Way. The Committee for Palestinian Rights (CPR) of Howard County is hosting renowned Israeli anthropologist and human rights activist Jeff Halper. The ICAHD co-founder and director is the author of the highly acclaimed 2008 book “An Israeli in Palestine.” His presentation is part of a U.S. speaking tour. Email CPR_Maryland@yahoo.com.

Born in the United States, Halper emigrated to Israel in 1973. An anthropology professor, he has taught at universities both in Israel and abroad. In 1997 he co-founded ICAHD, a grassroots political and human rights organization that uses Israel's policy of demolishing Palestinian homes (25,000 in the Occupied Territories since 1967) as a vehicle for resisting the Israeli Occupation. In 2006, Jeff was nominated by the American Friends Service Committee for the Nobel Peace Prize together with Palestinian intellectual and activist Ghassan Andoni. In 2008 he was the only Israeli to join the initial sailing of the Free Gaza Movement boats into Gaza to break the Israeli and international siege.

14] – 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., June 16. The proposed agenda will include news that Max is moving, a report on the appeal of the conviction of the CIA Five, anti-drone activities, including the arrests at the NSA on May 3, the July 4 visit to the NSA, a report on the conference in Chicago, GMO legislation, Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration, and Keep Space for Peace Week. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net for directions.

15] – On Tues., June 17 from 9 AM to 6 PM, Joelle Novey will meet one-on-one with you at the Tribeca Coffee Roasters, 1210 N. Charles St. to Take Your Congregation Forward! Get Your Congregation to Speak Out for Strong Climate Safeguards - Order Postcards Now!

Whether you’ve just started taking leadership at your congregation or you’re well into a decade of hard work, Interfaith Power & Light - DMV wants to help with whatever project you’re implementing or whatever problem you’re facing. With years of experience helping green leaders work with their congregations, Joelle sets aside time each month to meet with green leaders and provide dedicated support. Email Elizabeth Stevens at program@gwipl.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 St. & JFK Blvd., at the entrance to Tracks 3 and 4 on the mezzanine. The next vigil is June 17. 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 June 17 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Call Max at 410-366-1637.

18] – Gather in the IPS Conference Room, 1112 16th St. NW, Suite 600, WDC 20036, on Tues., June 17 from 5:30 to 7 PM, engage with the author of “Part of the Family.” The economy, and society generally, has long devalued workers who toil inside of homes to care for children, elders, and people with disabilities. Because of workers and organizers in the U.S., this has finally begun to change. This is the first book to chronicle the rising U.S. movement for domestic workers’ rights. As part of IPS' Break The Chain Campaign, join the conversation and the movement with author Sheila Bapat and members of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. Bapat is an attorney and writer covering economic and gender justice. Her work has appeared in Jacobin, Salon, Reuters, Slate, AlterNet, Truthout, and many other places. She holds a JD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law. Visit http://www.ips-dc.org/events/author_event_part_of_the_family.

19] – Dr. Jeff Halper will give a talk Exporting the Occupation: Israel and the Global Pacification Industry at Busboys & Poets, 4215 South Campbell Ave., Arlington, VA on Tues., June 17 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Halper will focus on the production, distribution and use of Israel’s high-tech weapons systems and “counterinsurgency” weaponry and tactics as a profitable by-product of the Occupation that has spread worldwide. He is the co-founder and Director of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. Go to jvpdcmetro@gmail.com.

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