Baltimore Activist Alert November 9 – 10 2014

Baltimore Activist Alert November 9 – 10 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] Mark Goldstone is speaking – Nov. 9
7] BES hosts Vet for Peace – Nov. 9
8] Peace and Pancakes – Nov. 9
9] BDS for Palestine – Nov. 9
10] Degrade Isis? – Nov. 9
11] Pax Christi dinner/celebration – Nov. 9
12] Book talk “The Seasons of Trouble: Life Amid the Ruins of Sri Lanka’s Civil War” – Nov. 9
13] Pentagon Vigil – Nov. 10
14] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Nov. 10 – 14
15] Peacebuilding in Central African Republic -- Nov. 10
16] Midterm elections – Nov. 10
17] Disabled and the poor in prison – Nov. 10
18] Iranian nukes – Nov. 10
19] Film THE INTERRUPTERS – Nov. 10
20] Pledge/FOC meeting – Nov. 10
21] Statewide Writing Contest – Nov. 10
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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] - You are invited to hear Mark Goldstone, well-known and highly regarded lawyer and advocate for peace and justice, explain to the 8th Day Faith Community his reasons for defending civil resisters. This event, which is part of 8th Day's weekly worship service, will be held at Sarah Circle, 2551 17 St. NW, on Sun., Nov. 9 at 10:30 AM. What does Mark have to say concerning his experiences defending those who "speak truth to power?" Email Eve Tetaz at [mailto:etetaz@msn.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 Sun., Nov. 9, hear about “Reclaiming Armistice Day” from Ellen Barfield, Veterans for Peace. She will discuss the original intention of 11 November as a day to mourn the terrible bloodshed of World War I, and the frightening distortion of the day to “Veterans Day,” yet another official U.S. holiday to glorify war and militarism, and thereby facilitate subsequent wars.

Barfield is a co-founder of the Phil Berrigan Memorial Chapter of Veterans for Peace, who served in the U.S. Army from 1977 to 1981 and was discharged with the rank of Sergeant. She is active with Veterans For Peace, War Resisters League, National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance, School of the Americas Watch, and the Plowshares movement. She has been a nonviolent activist for nearly 30 years, after leaving the U.S. Army with an unformed wish to challenge war-making, oppression, and environmental destruction, and having the very good fortune to meet and work with many amazing colleagues in the movement. 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. 9 at 2 PM, hear about Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions for Palestine with Alison Glick, Jewish Voice for Peace - D.C. Metro Chapter, at East Columbia Library, 6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia 21045. Can Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions work for the Palestinians as such a movement worked for the black majority in South Africa? Learn about effective BDS campaigns against the Israeli occupation, and obtain resources and ideas for developing strategic campaigns. The event is sponsored by the Committee for Palestinian Rights. See CPR_Maryland@yahoo.com.

10] – On Sun., Nov. 9 at 4:30 PM catch "MISSING FROM THE WAR NARRATIVE: Why it will be hard for the U.S. to contain and weaken, let alone degrade and destroy, the Islamic State." This presentation is by Deb and Jim Fine, long-time aid workers just back from Iraq, and what you're not hearing, anywhere...and should be! This is part of the Brandywine Peace Community Monthly Potluck Supper/Program at University Lutheran Church, 3637 Chestnut St., Phila. 19104. Bring main dish, salad, or dessert to share. Program begins at 5:30 PM.

The stunning advances of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria have put all ethnic and religious groups in the area, including moderate Sunni Arabs, at risk. For some groups the threat approaches genocidal proportions. The U.S. has responded with air strikes. Yet from President Obama on down everyone agrees there is no military solution.

Deb and Jim Fine have just returned from four years as Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) service workers in Iraq. Based in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish Region, they administered MCC's relief, development, and peacebuilding work with Iraqi partner organizations throughout the country. Deb also taught English and mentored K-12 teachers in the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil.

This past summer, they witnessed first-hand the influx of tens of thousands of Christians, Yazidis, and others into Erbil and Dohuk provinces as Islamic State forces took over Mosul and the towns and villages of the Nineveh Plain east and west of Mosul. Prior to serving with MCC Jim worked on Iraq and other Middle East issues at the Friends Committee on National Legislation in Washington. Both served with the American Friends Service Committee in Jerusalem in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Deb holds an MA in Middle East history from Georgetown University and Jim holds an MA in comparative religion from Columbia University.

To get to the University Lutheran Church, go to www.septa.com. Call Brandywine Peace Community at 610-544-1818 or go to www.brandywinepeace.com/events.

11] – The Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore Peacemaker of the Year Award Dinner and Celebration takes place on Sun., Nov. 9 at 5 PM at Sacred Heart School, 1625 Park Road NW, WDC. Honor Judith Kelly, a long time nonviolence trainer and an SOAW prisoner of conscience. Presentations will be made by Ken Butigan of Campaign Nonviolence and Pace E Bene and Lisa Sullivan, formerly the South America director for SOAW. Make dinner reservations using the donate button at http://www.paxchristimetrodc.org/or by contacting Jack McHale, jjmchale@verizon.net or 703-772-0635. The suggested dinner donation is $25. Scholarships are available.

12] – Get over to Bloombars, 3222 11th St. NW, WDC, on Sun., Nov. 9 from 5 to 7 PM, join author Rohini Mohan as she discusses her book, “The Seasons of Trouble: Life Amid the Ruins of Sri Lanka’s Civil War,” an account of three lives caught up in the devastation, that looks beyond the heroism of wartime survival to reveal the creeping violence of the everyday. Visit http://www.versobooks.com/events?author_id=1863.


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., Nov. 10, 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] – On Mon., Nov. 10 from 2 to 3:30 PM, join the discussion Peacebuilding in Central African Republic/The Views of Top Religious Leaders at the U.S. Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave. NW, WDC 20037. In the Central African Republic, the situation remains precarious as ethno-religious violence continues despite the deployment of United Nations peacekeepers. In this context, religious leaders committed to peacebuilding provide a particularly important perspective.

Hear from Imam Omar Kabine Layama, president, Central African Islamic Community, Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga, Catholic Archbishop of Bangui, and Rev. Nicolas Guérékoyame Gbangou, president of the Evangelical Alliance of the Central African Republic, as they will discuss their efforts to foster dialogue and social cohesion across religious dividing lines, and lay out a strategic vision for the future of the country. Their Interfaith Peace Platform works tirelessly to spread peaceful messages in villages nationwide, advises political leaders and shares a Central African vision of peace with the international community. RSVP at http://www.usip.org/pages/visit-us#building.

16] – On Mon., Nov. 10 at 4 PM ET, the Mennonite Central Committee is holding a webinar addressing the impact of the midterm elections on our work with immigrant families and communities. Hear updates from the field a re-cap of the election results, and challenges and successes of civic engagement efforts. Call in number and code is 805-399-1000, code 104402. RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16EctmdLVtd68X5ixtTtRdqvZyUmyBoC5eUyBo54SqqA/viewform.

17] – Hear a talk from Talila A. Lewis, founder, Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of the Deaf (HEARD) at the Edward B. Bunn S.J. Intercultural Center (ICC), 107, Georgetown University, WDC, on Mon., Nov. 10 from 6 to 8 PM. In recent years, there has been a concerted national effort to raise awareness about and bring an end to end mass incarceration of People of Color and poor people. Despite the fact that disabled and deaf people make up a large percent of the United States incarcerated population, there has been very little national discussion about the impact of mass incarceration on disabled people–particularly disabled poor people and disabled People of Color. This presentation will draw connections between disabled, deaf, black and poor people’s experiences with mass incarceration, focusing in particular, on people with intersecting identities. Discussion will center around disabled and deaf people’s experiences with police brutality; the school to prison pipeline; wrongful arrests and convictions; disproportionately harsh punishment for alleged crimes or violations of regulations in court and prison contexts, respectively; and lack of access that leads to higher recidivism rates for these historically misunderstood and underserved populations.

HEARD primarily focuses on correcting and preventing deaf wrongful convictions, ending deaf and disabled prisoner abuse, decreasing recidivism rates for deaf returned citizens, and on increasing representation of the deaf in the justice, legal and corrections professions. Lewis is the only person in the nation who has worked on multiple deaf wrongful conviction cases and advocated with & for hundreds of disabled and deaf prisoners. She worked closely with Al Jazeera America producers for more than two years on the documentary, “Deaf In Prison,” and spearheaded a “Know Your Deaf Rights” campaign with the American Civil Liberties Union and Marlee Matlin to curtail police brutality against deaf people. She is a visiting professor at Rochester Institute of Technology and a graduate of American University Washington College of Law. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/365433940298883/?ref=6&ref_notif_type=plan_user_invited.

18] – On Mon., Nov. 10 at 6 to 8 PM at Marriott Residence Inn, Pentagon City, 550 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA., Robert Gallucci, Georgetown University, will explore "The Impact & Implications of Iranian Nuclear Weapons on U.S. & Regional Security." His talk is sponsored by Johns Hopkins University. RSVP at https://dnnpro.outer.jhuapl.edu/rethinking/EventRegistration.aspx.

19] – Beyond the Classroom presents a film THE INTERRUPTERS at the University of Maryland, College Park on Mon., Nov. 1- from 7 to 9 PM at 1104 South Campus Commons, Building 1, College Park 20742. The film tells the moving and surprising stories of three Violence Interrupters who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once employed. From acclaimed director Steve James and bestselling author Alex Kotlowitz, this film is an unusually intimate journey into the stubborn persistence of violence in our cities. It captures a period in Chicago when it became a national symbol for the violence in our cities. During that period, the city was besieged by high-profile incidents, most notably the brutal beating of Derrion Albert, a Chicago High School student, whose death was caught on videotape.

The film’s main subjects work for an innovative organization, CeaseFire. It was founded by an epidemiologist, Gary Slutkin, who believes that the spread of violence mimics the spread of infectious diseases, and so the treatment should be similar: go after the most infected, and stop the infection at its source. One of the cornerstones of the organization is the “Violence Interrupters” program, created by Tio Hardiman, who heads the program. The Interrupters — who have credibility on the streets because of their own personal histories — intervene in conflicts before they explode into violence. Call 301-314-6621 or email at btcinfo@umd.edu. See https://www.facebook.com/events/1517122665192436/?ref=6&ref_notif_type=plan_user_invited.

20] – 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., Nov. 10. 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, and Beyond Extreme Energy. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net for directions.

21] –Anne Arundel Peace Action, Maryland Peace Action Education Fund, Annapolis Friends Meeting, and the Benjamin Peace Foundation will sponsor again in 2015 their statewide writing contest for Maryland middle school students focusing on the themes of peace and social justice. This will be the 19th consecutive year in which the contest has been conducted. The contest is open to all 7th and 8th grade students enrolled in a public or private middle school in Maryland and to home-schooled students in equivalent grade levels. Four cash prizes will be awarded: $350 for first place, $250 for second place, $150 for third place, and $100 for fourth place. The winners will be honored at a special ceremony. Your assistance is needed in selecting the topic for this year’s contest.

The following ideas were suggested. By Mon., Nov. 10 let the organizers know which ONE of these topics appeals to you the most. Email mjkeller@att.net.

TOPIC 1

Malala Yousafzai was awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote “the right of all children to an education”. Malala at age 17 is the youngest person to receive a Nobel Prize in any category. Her endeavors on behalf of education for girls in her native Pakistan resulted in an attempt by extremists to assassinate her. Her example demonstrates that young people can make a difference even on issues that create great division in a society. Select an issue that is generating controversy or conflict in the United States now to which you think that middle school students can help to offer solutions. Explain how it would be done.

TOPIC 2

Pretend that a “super hero” appears in the world to tackle one of the pressing issues facing us. Write a short story that identifies the issue, describes the characteristics of the “super hero”, and tells how he or she dealt with the challenge.

TOPIC 3

Create a “fantasy team” of five individuals whose job it is to establish the conditions for a lasting world peace. These persons can be alive today, or they can be historical figures, or they can be fictional characters. Explain why you have selected them and the particular attributes which each of them will bring to the project.

TOPIC 4

Stephen Sondheim’s musical play Into the Woods intertwines the plots and characters of several well-known fairy tales in order to tell a story about the quest for family. Pick your favorite fairy tale and bring it up to date with a story that relates to a challenging issue related to peace, fairness or respect for all peoples.

TOPIC 5

You and your friends notice that a well-regarded student at your school has started to engage in strange behavior. He has become totally absorbed by violent video games, has begun drawing pictures of guns and “hangman’s” nooses in class, and has complained about teachers and other students (particularly those from different backgrounds) whom he thinks do not like him. All of you agree that actions are necessary. Explain what steps you would take.

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