Baltimore Activist Alert November 30 – December 2, 2014

Baltimore Activist Alert November 30 – December 2, 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] Can you donate a kidney?
6] Delegation to Cuba – Dec. 8 – Dec. 18
7] Thinking Outside the Box – Nov. 30
8] Peace and Pancakes – Nov. 30
9] Documentary “Just Play” – Nov. 30
10] Support PSR – Nov. 30
11] Boycott Re/Max – Nov. 30
12] Advent Prayer Service for Peace and Life – Nov. 30
13] Pentagon Vigil – Dec. 1
14] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Dec. 1 – 5
15] Water Is a Human Right – Nov. 30
16] No privatization of water – Dec.1
17] Hands Up Coalition/DC at DOJ – Dec. 1
18] Stop Oil Trains – Dec. 1
19] Documentary “Schools that Change Communities” – Dec. 1
20] Book talk WAGING PEACE – Dec. 1
21] Pledge/FOC meeting – Dec. 1
22] “Breakthrough or Extension: Implications for U.S. and European Relations with Iran" – Dec. 2
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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 Francine Sheppard at 5639B, Harpers Farm Rd., Columbia 21044. The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you will be notified where to pick it up. Contact Francine at 410-992-7679 or FrancineMSW@aol.com.

5] – A relative – or sort of relative – of the Berrigans by the name of Michael Moore has an ex-wife suffering from renal failure and is on dialysis four times each day. Her only hope is to receive a kidney from a donor. Her name is Mary Ann Nowak, and she can be reached at 760-632-5462 or by email at bunnykimhm@hotmail.com. Anyone willing to be tested or who has already been tested and is able to donate a kidney would give new life to this woman. Many thanks for any and all consideration you can give. Thanks for reading, for caring, for considering--Liz McAlister.

6] - Witness for Peace, 1616 P St. NW, Ste. 100, WDC 20036 [202-547-6112, witness@witnessforpeace.org, or www.witnessforpeace.orgCuba: The Fabric of Cuban Society] is hosting a delegation to Cuba from Mon., Dec. 8 through Wed., Dec. 18. The delegation coordinators are Leni Reeves (559-855-4511, lenivreeves@gmail.com) and Moravia de la O (wfpcuba@gmail.com).

7] - Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102, Baltimore 21201-4661, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion from 10:30 AM to noon. On Nov. 30, Hugh Taft-Morales will give a platform address titled "Thinking Outside the Box". This will be pre-recorded since Hugh will be travelling. Instead of Q&A, discuss and brainstorm "out of the box" ideas to grow our society. Here's the description:

"The human race is confounded by our stubborn reliance on patterns of behavior that don’t work. Often we approach overwhelming problems – like climate change, racism, and war – in ways that haven’t worked in the past, and probably won’t work in the future. We need some more radical creativity in our world. Hugh Taft-Morales explores ways we can learn, brainstorm and think outside of the box to lead more flourishing lives and save the world!" Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

8] - Join the Kadampa Meditation Center for Peace and Pancakes on Sundays at 10:30 AM at KMC Maryland, 2937 North Charles St. All are invited to participate in guided meditation and chant praying for world peace. There will be a talk based on Buddhist thought followed by brunch. Call 410- 243-3837. Brunch is $5.

9] - On Sun., Nov. 30 at 11:30 AM, see the documentary “Just Play” from director Dimitri Chimenti at Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ, 1 Westmoreland Circle in Bethesda, at the intersection of Massachusetts and Western Avenues. Parking is available in a small lot north of the church and on nearby streets. This film is about Al Kamandjati music schools – a series of music schools created in refugee camps in Palestine and Lebanon. Ramzi Aburedwan, a Palestinian violist who is one of the founders of Al Kamandjati, will be present for the film and the discussion to follow. Call 301-229-7766 or go to www.WestmorelandUCC.org.

10] -- On Sun., Nov. 30 between noon and 5 PM in the Philadelphia area, Ten Thousand Villages has again agreed to support Physicians for Social Responsibility-Philadelphia with a community shopping event! FIVE different Ten Thousand Villages stores will donate 15% of net sales to PSR Philadelphia when you shop: Center City (1122 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19107); Chestnut Hill (8331 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19118);
Exton (271 Main St, Exton, PA 19341); King of Prussia (690 W Dekalb Pike #2098, King of Prussia, PA, 19406 - in the mall); and Media (101 W State St, Media, PA 19063).

Shop Ten Thousand Villages for unique handmade gifts from around the world including fair trade baskets, jewelry, crafts and other items from international artisans. This is a great opportunity to not only financially support PSR, but to make more people aware of the great work PSR is doing! See http://www.psr.org/news-events/events/holiday-shopping-event-with.html.

11] -- Boycott RE/MAX: No Open House on Stolen Land Campaign is happening on Sun., Nov. 30 at 2 PM. This is a national BDS effort, to get RE/MAX to pull back from its complicity in the sale of Palestinian land in the Occupied Territories. The office in Olney is a large office, close to the intersection of Sandy Spring Road (108) and Georgia Ave. (97). Visit http://www.bing.com/local?lid= YN873x109064397&id= YN873x109064397&q=Re%2fMax+ Olney+MD. Call Ann at 410-730-0464.

This is sponsored by the Committee for Palestinian Rights, a Howard County-based group of concerned people who come from diverse backgrounds but share a commitment to opposing the tragic denial of justice, dignity and human rights to the Palestinian people. This injustice is a direct result of the military occupation of their lands by the state of Israel. For the Palestinians, life under the Israeli occupation is a daily struggle against checkpoints, curfews, detentions, home demolitions, and widespread poverty and unemployment. Email cpr_maryland@yahoo.com.

12] – On Sun., Nov. 30, First Sunday of Advent, from 5 to 6 PM, Pax Christi Baltimore invites you to come to the Annual Advent Prayer Service for Peace and Life and hear Lin Romano, Chief Operating Officer of GEDCO, at the Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart, 1001 West Joppa Road, Towson 21204. Come and join Pax Christi as they await the coming of the Prince of Peace! A reception will follow after the conclusion of the service. Contact Chuck Michaels at 443-846-5207.

13] -- 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., Dec. 1, 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.

14] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Friday from 10 AM to noon 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.

15] – Gather at the Baltimore War Memorial, 101 N Gay St., on Mon., Dec. 1 at 4 PM. Water should be free; No shutoffs; No seizures of homes for water bills. Join with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Peoples Power Assembly, We, the Peoples Movement and many others to state WATER IS A HUMAN RIGHT! Call (410) 396-4565 or email atwar.memorial@baltimorecity.gov. Visit www.RiseUpBaltimore.org.

16] – Be at City Hall, 100 Holliday St., on Mon., Dec. 1 at 5 PM, as the Baltimore community is concerned that the mayor's office and Department of Public Works may spend up to $500,000 to hire Veolia, a corporation infamous for privatizing water systems in the U.S. and across the globe. Veolia is proposing to study our water system and then change the way our system is operated. Veolia's track record includes rate hikes, contract terminations, and political interference.

Baltimore and HomeServe have entered into a contract where the city is recommending people buy insurance for pipe damage. HomeServe has a history of deceptive business practices and has been sued by Attorneys general in several states as well having an advisory issued against them by the Better Business Bureau. Why would Baltimore contract with Veolia and why does HomeServe's letter have a city letterhead? Corporations with those track records should have no role in our water system! This event is hosted by One Baltimore United. Email onebaltimoreunited@gmail.com or call 443-821-7663.

17] -- Members of the Hands Up Coalition/DC will peacefully assemble at the Justice Department every Monday at 4 PM to demand: • The demilitarization of local law enforcement across the country. • A comprehensive review of systemic abuses by local police departments. • Repurposing of law enforcement funds to support community based alternatives to incarceration. • Congressional hearings to investigate the criminalization of communities of color. • Passage of the End Racial Profiling Act. • A National Plan of Action for Racial Justice. Visit http://www.peaceactionmc.org/.

18] – The Port of Baltimore’s Fairfield terminal could soon be used to store up to 12.6 million gallons of crude oil in the city. Energy company Targa Resources – which purchased the terminal in 2011 – plans to start a “rail to barge” operation in Baltimore, in which crude oil will be transported through the city via railroad to Fairfield terminal, where it will be loaded onto barges for shipment. Targa Resources applied for an air emissions permit from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) earlier this year, and preliminary approval has already been granted.

MDE is holding a public hearing for residents and environmental groups who have raised various concerns over the project, such as the volatility of crude oil transport in the city, and whether or not city railroads meet federal safety regulation standards. The hearing will be held on Mon. Dec. 1 at 6 PM at the Brooklyn Branch Enoch Pratt Free Library, 300 E. Patapsco Ave., Baltimore 21225.

19] – Beyond the Classroom Living & Learning Program presents the award-winning documentary “Schools that Change Communities” on Mon., Dec. 1 from 7 to 9 PM at 1104 South Campus Commons, Building 1, College Park 20742. The film profiles a diverse group of public schools that are successfully creating higher achieving students in a different way -- by turning the communities where they live into their classrooms. The film re-imagines what education can be, visiting K-12 public schools in five states across America that are engaging students in learning by solving real-world problems in a variety of communities, from economically and environmentally challenged rural areas to poverty-stricken urban neighborhoods. Teachers, students and local residents discuss their projects and the value they find in place- and community-based education -- an interdisciplinary approach which emphasizes hands-on, curiosity-based investigation using surrounding neighborhoods as "living" classrooms. By confronting and solving real-world issues in their hometowns, students become more engaged in the learning process and develop a stronger sense of civic responsibility and pride. Call 301-314-6621 or email btcinfo@umd.edu.

20] – On Mon., Dec. 1 at 7 PM, David Hartsough, author of “Waging Peace: Global Adventures of A Lifelong Activist,” speaks at Pendle Hill in the 'Barn', 338 Plush Mill Road, Wallingford, PA 19086. Hartsough was born the son of a Christian minister in 1941, and has been an anti-war activist since the 1950s. In 1952 he and his family joined the Society of Friends (Quakers) and settled in the Philadelphia area. At age 15, Hartsough shook hands with Martin Luther King, Jr., and he would later cite that meeting as one that strongly propelled him toward peace activism. David is currently the executive director of Peaceworkers and cofounder of the Nonviolent Peaceforce, as well as an initiator of the World Beyond War movement.

And the rest has been a lifelong tale of experimenting with the power of active nonviolence, and an effort to live as though we are all sisters and brothers. David has now written Waging Peace: Global Adventures of A Lifelong Activist with stories of a peace activist's eyewitness account of historical events of the past sixty years - the Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War movements, and lesser known nonviolent efforts in the Soviet Union, Kosovo, Palestine, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. Being there and often getting in way like when he used his body to block Navy ships headed for Vietnam and trains loaded with munitions and on their way to Central American. He's also crossed borders to meet "the enemy" in East Berlin, Cuba, and present-day Iran. Visit www.delcopeacecenter.org.

21] – 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 may be on Mon., Dec. 1. The proposed agenda will include anti-drone activities, including getting a drone law passed in Baltimore’s City Council, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Ukraine, lobbying Rep. Sarbanes, a march from the EPA to the Pentagon, the film A RIVER THAT HARMS, the play GROUNDED, and a talk about ISIS. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net for directions.

22] – On Tues., Dec. 2 at 10 AM, Clifford Kupchan, Eurasia Group, Cornelius Adebahr, Carnegie Endowment, and Erich Ferrari, Ferrari & Associates, will discuss "Breakthrough or Extension: Implications for U.S. and European Relations with Iran" at the Atlantic Council, 12th Floor, 1030 15th St. NW, WDC. RSVP at http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/events/upcoming-events/registration/a08i000000mAOepAAG.

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