Baltimore Activist Alert - August 7 -9, 2014

28] American Psychological Association/Psychologists for Social Responsibility conference – Aug. 7 - 9
29] Hear the Hibakusha – Aug. 7 - 9
30] THE BATTLE FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE – Aug. 7 & Aug. 28
31] Vigil for peace at White House – Aug. 8
32] Vigil for Justice in Palestine – Aug. 8
33] Remember the Palestinians and the Syrians – Aug. 8
34] Silent peace vigil – Aug. 8
35] Ballroom Dancing – Aug. 8
36] Breakfast with the Animals – Aug. 9 - 10
37] Bike Around the Bomb – Aug. 9
38] Protest drone strikes at the CIA – Aug. 9
39] Olney Peace vigil – Aug. 9
40] West Chester, PA demo – Aug. 9
41] Nagasaki Commemoration at White House – Aug. 9
42] Silent peace vigil – Aug. 9
43] WPFW fundraiser – Aug. 9
44] Silent peace vigil – Aug. 9
44] Gaza Calling End Aid to Israel --- Aug. 9
45] Baltimore’s Nagasaki Commemoration – Aug. 9
46] World Beyond War fundraiser – Aug. 9
47] Ronda Cooperstein on social media
48] Sign up with Washington Peace Center
49] Join Fund Our Communities
50] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records
51] Do you need any book shelves?
52] Join Global Zero campaign
53] War Is Not the Answer signs for sale
54] Join Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil
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28] – On Thurs., Aug. 7, the American Psychological Association, Division 48 (The Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict & Violence) and the Psychologists for Social Responsibility will have the following events open to the general public at their Hospitality Room at Marriott Marquis Washington DC Hotel, 901 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC 20001: From 4 to 4:50 PM, Gun Violence & Youth, a Conversation Hour led by Michael Greene; 5 to 5:50 PM, White Privilege Workshop, led by Nancy Arvold; 6 to 6:50 PM, Obedience, Consumerism, & the Environment, led by Yosef Brody & Ian Hansen and 7 to 9:30 PM, Drones Documentary & Discussion.

On Fri., Aug. 8, the two groups will have the following events open to the general public at their Hospitality Room at Marriott Marquis: 4 to 4:50 PM, Ethics & Psychology (Do No Harm: When do we Say “Enough!?”) led by Steven Reisner, Trudy Bond, Roy Eidelson, Stephen Soldz, & Brad Olson; and 6 to 9 PM, Social Hour--Peace Psychology (Div. 48), Community Psychology (Div. 27), & Psychologists for Social Responsibility.

On Sat., Aug. 9, the two groups will have the following events open to the general public at their Hospitality Room at Marriott Marquis: 1 to 1:50 PM, Towards an Inclusive Definition of Peace Psychology, an Open discussion led by the Personal Peacefulness Working Group; 2 to 2:50 PM, Conscientious Objection--Expanding Options for Psychologists & Their Clients led by John Szura & Steven Handwerker; 4 - 4:50 PM, Neuroethics, Drones, & Killer Robots, led by Daniela Kantorová, Yosef Brody, Ian Hansen, Alice LoCicero & others; 5 to 5:50 PM, the Process of Racial Justice Work led by Gordon Lee, Nahid Ahiz, Luisa Safiotti, Nancy Arvold, Brad Olson, & Daniela Kantorová; and 6 to 7:30 PM, Student & Early Career Social Hour: In recognition of Milt Schwebel.

29] – The Hiroshima/Nagasaki Peace Committee of the National Capital Area is bringing to the metropolitan area two Hibakusha (Atomic Bomb Survivors), Mr. Toshiyuki Mimaki from Hiroshima and Ms. Fumie Kakita, second-generation Hibakusha from Nagasaki. They will be in the United States through Sun., Aug. 10, and will share the message that the nations of the world must abolish nuclear weapons so that the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is never repeated. The Hibakusha’s greatest fear is that when they are gone, the memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will disappear and nuclear weapons will be used again, this time threatening life itself. Their prophetic voices remind us of the need to speak out against oppression and injustice, and to work for nuclear disarmament. Joining them is Dennis Nelson, a Downwinder from St. George, Utah, who was exposed to fallout from atmospheric nuclear testing. Peace messages from the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the events will be read. Call John Steinbach at 703-822-3485.

On Thurs., Aug. 7 at 4 PM, the delegation will be at American University, founder’s room, School of International Service, across from Nebraska Ave. Hear Hibakusha/Downwinder testimonies. This event is sponsored by Peace of East Asia in Creative Engagement (P.E.A.C.E).

On Fri., Aug. 8 at 9:45 PM, participate in a Nagasaki Candlelight Vigil at the White House (Lafayette Park). There will be a moment of silence and sharing of thoughts for peace at 10:02 PM.

On Sat., Aug. 9 at 4 PM at the Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ, 15 West Church St., Frederick, MD 21701, Frederick Women in Black will host the Hibakusha, and testimonies will be offered. For the past 33 years, the Hiroshima/Nagasaki Peace Committee of the National Capital Area, with the support of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), has been organizing for the abolition of nuclear weapons and nuclear power, and in support of nuclear victims.

30] – Get over to St. Stephen & the Incarnation Episcopal Church, 1525 Newton St. NW, on Thurs., Aug. 7 at 7 PM and on Thurs., Aug. 28 at 7 PM to join the D.C. Socialist-ISO for a two-part book discussion of THE BATTLE FOR JUSTICE IN PLESTINE—Aug. 7 (chapters 1-4) and Aug. 28 (chapters 5-7). Author ALI ABUNIMAH is the also the author of One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli Palestinian Impasse, and co-founder and director of the widely acclaimed publication The Electronic Intifada. Efforts to achieve a “two-state solution” have finally collapsed; the struggle for justice in Palestine is at a crossroads. As Israel and its advocates lurch toward greater extremism, many ask where the struggle is headed. This book offers a clear analysis of this crossroads moment and looks forward with urgency down the path to a more hopeful future. Ali is based in the United States, and he has written hundreds of articles and been an active part of the movement for justice in Palestine for 20 years. He is the recipient of a 2013 Lannan Cultural Freedom Fellowship.

31] – On Fri., Aug. 8 from noon to 1 PM, join the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in a vigil urging the powers that be to abolish war and torture, to disarm all weapons, to end indefinite detention, to close Guantanamo, to establish justice for all and help create the Beloved Community! The vigil takes place at the White House on Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Contact Art @ artlaffin@hotmail.com or at 202-360-6416.

32] – 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/.

33] – On Fri., Aug. 8 at 1 PM, YPAC will be at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, to call attention to the dreadful situations of the several countries in the Middle East, especially Palestine and Syria. The protest will show unity and support for those who are being killed unjustly. Since this is a Friday, it will start with Friday prayer then a jenaza for those who have died. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/485465008254304/.

34] – There is usually a silent peace vigil on Fridays, from 5 to 6 PM, outside the Cathedral of the Incarnation, University Parkway and St. Paul St. The Aug. 8 vigil, sponsored by Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings, reminds us that War Is Not the Answer and that there is the need to stop torture.

35] – 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 Aug. 8. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

36] – Breakfast with the Animals is an opportunity to enjoy an al fresco breakfast experience next to your favorite zoo animals and their keepers on various weekend mornings throughout the summer. Tickets for breakfast include same-day zoo entrance. The breakfast will continue on Saturdays and Sundays, through Sept. 20, 8:30 to 10:30 AM at the Maryland Zoo, 1876 Mansion House Drive. Call 410-366-7102 or http://www.marylandzoo.org.

37] – On Sat., Aug. 9, 9:30 AM to 1 PM, Global Zero is hosting Bike Around the Bomb (BAB), a free event open to the public, which will bring people together to cycle the distance around a small nuclear blast. The biking is taking place an event on the anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki. Call on President Obama to set the world’s course to zero by 2030. RSVP at http://bikearoundthebomb.eventbrite.com.

It’s been nearly seven decades since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – one of the most shattering tragedies in human history. Yet there are more than 16,000 nuclear weapons in the world today, and the risk that they’ll be used – even right here in Washington – is on the rise.

But so is the opportunity to eliminate that threat. Push President Obama and other world leaders to deliver on their promises. The message to these leaders is we won’t give up the fight until all nuclear weapons are abolished. From Washington to Berlin, London to New Delhi, this event will be one of many around the globe calling on world leaders to remember and, most importantly, to act. Together, remind our leaders that these weapons were designed to wipe cities off the map.

The ride will be a moment of solidarity and call to world leaders to ensure that nuclear weapons should never happen again. The group will start at President’s Park (formerly Lafayette Park) and end there. After the ride, everyone will gather and take a few pictures before moving to City Tap House to redeem their ticket for a FREE COCKTAIL. If you’re one of the first 20 people to get a ticket, you will get a SECOND free cocktail! Go to #ZeroBy2030 to obtain tickets. Email Anna Card at acard@globalzero.org, or call her at 518-495-0822.

38] – On Sat., Aug. 9 from 10 to 11:30 AM, join a CIA Drone Protest (bus transportation to and from available), 900 Dolley Madison Blvd., Langley, VA. Oppose CIA & US Military drones used in extrajudicial killings. US killer drone strikes are illegal, immoral, and must stop now! The protest is supported by Pax Christi Metro DC, Northern Virginians for Peace & Justice, Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Dorothy Day Catholic Worker of DC, Code Pink, Nova Catholic Community, Peace & International Outreach Committee of Langley Hill Friends, Washington Peace Center, Peace Action Montgomery, Little Friends for Peace, Maryland United for Peace & Justice.

39] – 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 Aug. 9. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167.

40] – 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.

41] – Join with the Jonah House Community, the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker and other friends from the Atlantic Life Community for the annual Hiroshima and Nagasaki actions which will be held on August 6 and August 9. Sixty nine years ago the U.S. government did the “unspeakable” and dropped atom bombs on Japan. On Wed., Aug. 6, there was a nonviolent witness at the Pentagon.

On Sat., Aug. 9, meet at 16th and H Sts. NW (north side of Lafayette Park) at 11:45 AM, and process to the White House for a witness ending at 1 PM. Contact the Jonah House at 410-233-6238 or disarmnow@verizon.net.

42] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Sat., Aug. 9. 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.

43] – WPFW is hosting a day-long blues show on Sat., Aug. 9 from noon to 7 PM at Lamont's Complex, 4400 Livingston Road, Indian Head, MD 20640 (16 miles south of the Beltway, past the National Harbor complex). The event will feature 9 bands/performers and also pay tribute to longtime WPFW show host Da Gator. Besides providing good time music the event will serve as a fundraiser for the station. TICKETS are $25, and can be purchased by calling 202-588-0999 ext. 344. Go to http://www.wpfwfm.org/radio/.

44] – Gaza Calling End Aid to Israel is happening in Lafayette Park, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, on Sat., Aug. 9 at 2 PM. Take to the streets with a demand for sanctions on Israel. This protest is being organized as a response to the call from Palestinian civil society for an August Day of Rage in response to the destruction of Gaza and the complicity of the US government in Israel's war crimes. This action will be focused on ending aid to Israel and promoting the call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions in the face of Israeli impunity. Email hanthala@gmail.com.

45] – For the 30th year, the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee will gather to remember the atomic bombings of Japan on August 6 & 9, 1945, which killed more than 200,000 people. Other organizations involved in this year’s commemorations are the Baltimore Quaker Peace and Justice Committee of Homewood and Stony Run Meetings, Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility, Crabshell Alliance and the Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore. It is our duty to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again and that nuclear abolition becomes reality. Taking this to heart, members of the Transform Now Plowshares, Sister Megan Rice, Greg Boertje-Obed and Michael Walli, are in federal prisons serving long sentences for their May 2013 disarmament action at the Y12 Nuclear Weapons Complex in Knoxville, TN.

On Wed., Aug. 6, the Committee protested Johns Hopkins University’s weapons research, including a swarming drones contract, and called for the abolition of nuclear weapons and the closing of nuclear power plants. The Hibakusha, survivors of an atomic bomb explosion, offered testimonies-- Mr. Toshiyuki Mimaki, Hiroshima Hibakusha born March 15, 1942 and vice president of Hiroshima Prefectural Hidankyo, and Ms. Fumie Kakita, Nagasaki second-generation Hibakusha born October 12, 1953, who is the assistant secretary general of Nagasaki Council of A-bomb Sufferers. The evening closed with dinner.

On Sat., Aug. 9, starting at 5 PM, there will be a potluck dinner at Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218. At 6:30 PM, the Baltimore Labor Chorus will perform. Then Meher Hans, a high student will explain her concern for the atomic bombings of Japan, and Tim Whitehouse, executive direct of the Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility, will discuss the activities of the local PSR chapter. Finally, participants will share through verse, poetry or song why s/he is moved to dissent against nuclear weapons and power and killer drone strikes. We welcome performances by musicians and poets. Call Max at 410-366-1637 or email him at mobuszewski at verizon.net.

46] – At Busboys and Poets, 1025 5th St., at K St. NW, in the Cullen Room, there will be a fundraiser on Sat., Aug. 9 from 6 to 8 PM for World Beyond War, which is a global campaign to end all war. Visit http://warisacrime.org/content/august-9-dc-evening-world-beyond-war. The speakers are as follows: Jeff Bachman, co-director of the Ethics, Peace and Global Affairs program at the School of International Service at American University; Nadia Kamoona, Iraqi-American student at the University of Virginia; Vincent J. Intondi, director of Research at the Nuclear Studies Institute of the American University in Washington, D.C.; Maria Santelli, executive director of Center on Conscience and War; Anas “Andy” Shallal, Iraqi-American artist, activist, and entrepreneur, proprietor of Busboys and Poets; and David Swanson, director of World Beyond War. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/669648273116479/.

47] -- Ronda Cooperstein has taken to social media, and is recording her opinion pieces on You Tube. Check out her latest essay - THE WASHINGTON POST WITH TOAST: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ffj-Scno-5Q.

48] -- The Washington Peace Center has a progressive calendar & activist alert! Consider signing up to receive its weekly email: info@washingtonpeacecenter.org.

49] -- 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.

50] -- If you would like to get rid of books, videos, DVDs or records, contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net.

51] -- Can you use any book shelves? Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net.

52] -- 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.

53] -- 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.

54] – A 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