Baltimore Activist Alert March 12 - 14, 2015

Baltimore Activist Alert March 12 - 14, 2015

"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.

1] Books, buttons & stickers
2] Web site for info on federal legislation
3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists
4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLa
5] "Chronicles of War" – through Mar. 15
6] Job with Code Pink
7] Heal the soldiers – Mar. 12
8] Baltimore Science Café – Mar. 12
9] Sit-in Ron Wyden’s office – Mar. 13
10] Vigil for peace at White House – Mar. 13
11] Stop Drone War Command -- Mar. 13
12] Silent Peace Vigil – Mar. 13
13] Film LIONS FOR LAMBS -- Mar. 13
14] Film "Side Effects: The Misguided War on Marijuana” -- Mar. 13
15] Not another war – Mar. 13
16] Honor Rasmea Odeh – Mar. 13
17] Ballroom Dancing – Mar. 13
18] Akua Allrich at Creative Alliance – Mar. 13
19] Protest drone exhibit – Mar. 14
20] Protest CIA drone strikes – Mar. 14
21] Protest NRA – Mar. 14
22] West Chester, PA demo – Mar. 14
23] Colman McCarthy at Politics and Prose – Mar. 14
24] Anti-racism training – Mar. 14
25] Cuba’s future – Mar. 14
26] Peace Pies and Prophets – Mar. 14
27] Seizing Freedom – Mar. 14
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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] – You may be interested in an art exhibit called "Chronicles of War" by artist Phyllis Plattner, which shows her artistic views of the horrors of war. It is located at American University's Katzen Arts Center, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, and will be there until Sun., Mar. 15. Call 202-885-1300

6] – CODEPINK is on the search for someone to fill a short-term position as coordinator of our Campaign to Normalize Relations with Cuba. The selected candidate will work closely with the CODEPINK co-founders and Program Director, as well with other members of the team and colleagues in the US and Cuba. The short-term goals include organizing a 100-person trip to Cuba from April 26-May 3, tracking the progress of Cuba coming off the US terrorist list, gaining more support in the House and Senate for lifting the travel restrictions, and strategizing about a more long-term campaign to normalize relations with Cuba, in light of the new talks between the US and Cuban governments. The long-term goals of this campaign are supporting the confirmation of a US Ambassador to Cuba, lifting all the restrictions on travel to Cuba, lifting the embargo and eventually transferring the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base back to the hands of the Cuban people. This short-term job will help research the direction for a more protracted campaign in the fall.

CODEPINK is a grassroots organization working to end U.S. wars and militarism, support peace, diplomacy and human rights initiatives, and redirect our tax dollars into healthcare, education, green jobs and other life-affirming programs. Send a cover letter and a copy of your resume to alli@codepink.org.

7] – On Thurs., Mar. 12 at 7 PM, peace activists and those helping veterans deal with trauma in war will come together to talk about both issues and hopefully see how they can work better together in both preventing future trauma in war by stopping future wars and helping current veterans deal with their physical, spiritual, psychological and emotional trauma in war. The discussion, sponsored by the St. Rose of Lima and St. Francis of Assisi Pax Christi groups, will be at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, 11701 Clopper Road, Gaithersburg. Enjoy OUR SOLDIERS AND VETERANS: Helping them Heal and Preventing Future Trauma. Contact Bob Cooke at cookerh1251@gmail.com.

Panelists will include the following. Dr. Mark Moitoza, Vice Chancellor for Evangelization, for the Archdiocese for Military Services, USA, who will address topic of spiritual resiliency and the vital role that veteran-friendly parishes play to support that pastoral need. Mark is a parishioner at St. Rose of Lima. Maria Santelli is the Catholic Executive Director of Center on Conscience and War, an organization that aids military personnel who are having qualms of the conscience regarding their role in the military. She is also an active member of the GI Hotline, which answers any questions that active military personnel have for which they would like an opinion outside of the chain of command. Dr. Fred Foote, a retired Army doctor with 29 years of military service, and poet, will read some of his poetry and talk about his work in helping veterans heal and preventing future trauma in war. Lance Corporal William Jones, a Catholic marine reservist from Potomac, MD, whose Conscientious Objection application is pending, will speak about his experience.

8] – Go to the Baltimore Science Cafe on Cancer Metastasis on Mar. 12 at 7:30 PM hosted by the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St. This event is organized by Project Bridge, which is an initiative to foster public interest in primary science research led by JHU graduate students. Once a month, top scientists speak about their work in a casual format to a general audience. There's socializing, discussion, and questions and answers. Prof. Andy Ewald will display visualizations of how breast cancer spreads (metastasizes). Go to http://www.projbridge.com/.

9] – Join the sit-in at Sen. Ron Wyden's D.C. office on Fri., Mar. 13 at 11 AM. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) "Free Trade" Agreement is one of today’s greatest threats to middle class jobs, a living wage, clean air and water, digital rights, food safety, financial reforms and democracy as we know it. The key to stopping the TPP is stopping Fast Track. Do your part to make sure that the GOP Fast Track bill never sees the light of day. Join activists all over the country in a National “Drop In & Hang Out” Day of Action. Quietly take a seat inside Senator Wyden's office to show solidarity in the movement against Fast Track. See http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=143307&id=109612-8067490-IXlIazx&t=3.

10] – On Fri., Mar. 13 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.

11] – On Fri., Mar. 13 at 4 PM, there will be a Rush Hour Demonstration to Stop Drone War Command Center in Horsham, PA. Also the protest will focus on Another Declaration of ‘Endless War,’ and it will take place at 15th & Market Sts., Philadelphia 19102. Stand at the SEPTA entrance/west side of Phila. City Hall, NW corner. NO new AUMF (Authorization to Use Military Force) Obama’s Declaration of ‘Endless War.’ Drone War Command Center in Horsham, PA.

Demonstrations at the Horsham, PA Air Guard Station, Route 611 & County Line Road, protesting the drone war command center will resume on the last Saturday of the month, Mar. 28, noon to 2 PM. Go to www.brandywinepeace.com/events, or call Brandywine Peace Community at 610-544-1818.

12] – There is usually a silent peace vigil on Fridays, from 5 to 6 PM, sponsored by Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings, outside the Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St. The next vigil is on until Mar. 13. On that Friday it will remind us that War Is Not the Answer and that there is the need to stop torture, and prosecute the torturers. Afterwards, there will be a potluck dinner.

13] – The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee, Baltimore Quaker Peace and Justice Committee of Homewood and Stony Run Meetings and Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility are continuing the FILM & SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS DVD SERIES. LIONS FOR LAMBS [USA, 2007] will be shown with a discussion to follow on Fri., Mar. 13 at Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218, around 7:15 PM. There is no charge, and refreshments will be available. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at Verizon.net.

The film directed by Robert Redford makes a connection between a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, a U.S. senator, Tom Cruise, a reporter, Meryl Streep, and a California college professor, Redford. It is a critical look at the U.S. government's prosecution of the wars in the Middle East, and does this by telling three different simultaneous stories. The film’s Web site asks a question one must answer before one can enter: what do you stand for? The film itself asks a bigger question: What are you willing to do for what you believe? The title of the film comes from a comment a German general offered in a letter during World War I. Impressed by the bravery of the British soldiers, if not their officers, who were often given their commission because of social ranking, not military prowess, he wrote, “Never have I seen such Lions led by such Lambs.”

14] – See the film "Side Effects: The Misguided War on Marijuana," and then listen to a panel discussion on marijuana policy and the costs of prohibition. This will take place at Coppin State University Talon Canter Atrium, 2500 West North Ave., Baltimore 21216, on Fri., Mar. 13 at 7 PM. WATCH THE TRAILER: http://vimeo.com/86541750. The panel discussion was moderated by Brittany Oliver from the ACLU. The panelists include Sara Love, Public Policy Director, ACLU of Maryland, Dottye Burt-Markowitz, co-founder, Baltimore Racial Justice Action, Neill Franklin, Executive Director, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Diamonte Brown, director, Out For Justice, Inc., and Babatunde Salaam, filmmaker, New Lens Productions. There is free campus parking in the evenings at Lot F off of Loop Rd, which is closest. Check out the campus map: http://www.coppin.edu/downloads/file/167/csu_campus_map. In the film, Ms. Brown was finishing up her Master’s Degree in Education when she was pulled over for an alleged tail light out. The officer asked for her license, told her to get out of the vehicle, and put her in handcuffs. One marijuana charge has cost Ms. Brown her career in education, even though she had never been in trouble before. Now, she and others are speaking out in this new video. The sponsors are ACLU of Maryland, Baltimore Racial Justice Action, Black Voices, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Incorporated, and New Lens Productions. Go to http://www.aclu-md.org/marijuana_reform or https://www.facebook.com/events/1552791418320988/.

15] -- As the Obama administration seeks Congressional Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) in the Middle East and perhaps beyond, we are again on the eve of what is being planned as a decades-long war — a war that will expand and grow. On Fri., Mar. 13 from 7 to 10 PM at 617 Florida Ave. NW, WDC, join the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) to hear what needs to be done to prevent another endless US-led intervention in the Middle East. The speaker is Brian Becker, the National Coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition and a founding member and leader in the Party for Socialism and Liberation. He co-authored the book, “Socialists and War.”

16] – An evening to celebrate the resilience of Palestinian community leader Rasmea Odeh and raise funds for her legal defense fund is happening on Fri., Mar. 13 at 7:30 PM at the Emergence Community Arts Collective, 733 Euclid St. NW, WDC. The cost is a $10 donation. The Institute for Policy Studies joins the DC Palestinian Film & Arts Festival in a screening of “Women in Struggle,” a powerful film by Buthina Canaan Khoury that chronicles the struggles of Palestinian women imprisoned by Israel. The screening will be followed by a Dance for Freedom, as this will be an evening to share music and art. Rasmea, who is 67 and a torture survivor, was found guilty of “unlawful procurement of citizenship” last November for not indicating on her naturalization application that she had been unjustly imprisoned by the state of Israel back in 1969. The event is co-sponsored by American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Institute for Policy Studies, and Arab America. Go to http://www.ips-dc.org/events/fundraiser-rasmea-odeh/.

17] – 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 Mar. 13. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

18] – At the Creative Alliance at The Patterson, 3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore 21224, on Fri., Mar. 13 at 8 PM, electrifying neo-soul & Jazz vocalist Akua Allrich celebrates the life and legacy of two of the most important voices of the last 100 years, Nina Simone & Miriam Makeba. With Allrich at the helm of a sizzling hot six-piece band, this is an event not to be missed. Tickets in advance are $20, but members pay $17. At the door, tickets are $23 for the general public, and $20 for members. Celebrate women’s history month with a tribute to two musical queens by one of the region's finest singers. Allrich's style is fluid and ever evolving. Her musical roots run deep into blues, soul and rhythm and blues, with a clear grounding in jazz and pan-African music. She sings in many languages including Portuguese, French, Spanish, English, Xhosa, and Twi. Given her ability to capture the essence of a broad range of musical genres, Allrich is often likened to legendary artists such as Oscar Brown, Jr., Miriam Makeba and Nina Simone, the latter of the two she will be celebrating in this evening’s program. Go to
http://www.creativealliance.org/events/2015/akua-allrichs-nina-simone-miriam-makeba-tribute.

19] – The Air and Space Museum, 600 Independence Ave. SW, WDC, has a drone exhibit inside glorifying the use of military (and other) types of drones. There will be a presence outside on Sat., Mar. 14 at 10 AM to provide information to those visitors open to hearing about the very negative and terrorizing effects drones have around the world, especially in the Middle East.

20] – On Sat., Mar. 14 from 10 to 11:30 AM, join the monthly CIA Drone Protest (bus transportation to and from available), 900 Dolley Madison Blvd. [Route 123], Langley, VA. Oppose CIA & U.S. 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 and Maryland United for Peace & Justice. Parking is available nearby in Langley Fork Park off of Georgetown Pike/Route 193. Contact: Jack McHale at jjmchale@verizon.net.

21] – On Sat., Mar. 14 at 10 AM, join the monthly NRA Protest and Interfaith Vigil at 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030. Supporters are invited to this remembrance of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. Gather to remember those killed, injured and harmed by gun violence. Protest the National Rifle Association’s ruthless and implacable obstruction of sensible reform to our nation’s gun laws.

22] – 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.

23] – Colman McCarthy will be at Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC, on Sat., Mar. 14 at 1 PM. In 1982 McCarthy, the longtime Washington Post syndicated columnist, decided not just to preach nonviolence, but to teach it. He offered peace studies classes in some of D.C.’s poorest schools, courses which became the foundation for his Center for Teaching Peace. In this companion volume to his classic “I’d Rather Teach Peace,” McCarthy presents some of the letters exchanged over the years with his former students, sharing their thoughts on a wide range of social justice issues. (Vanderbilt). Go to http://www.politics-prose.com/event/book/colman-mccarthy-teaching-peace-students-exchange-letters-their-teacher.

24] – On Sat., Mar. 14 from 1:30 to 5:30 PM, hear local black organizers discuss the current political moment and the roles that white allies can play. Talk about what white anti-racism looks like in the time of Ferguson and share skills about how to engage other white people on racism. Organized by the Washington Peace Center, this event at the Friends Meeting House of Washington, 2111 Florida Ave. NW, (closest Metro is Dupont Circle), WDC, will provide space for people who identify as white allies who have been motivated by the Black Lives Matter movement to connect with each other. Attend and get tangible tools to take action and move others to action with, and find opportunities to get involved in DC area movements. This event will focus on white people taking anti-racist action, but is open to everyone (there will be a break-out group for non-black POC). RSVP at http://washingtonpeacecenter.org/whiteallies2015. Light refreshments will be served.

25] – President Barack Obama and the Cuban President Raul Castro announced on December 17, 2014 the decision to normalize diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Cuba. This major historical moment needs to be contemplated--particularly for the world, the new Latin America, for Africa, and for all people of African descent. Cuba's revolutionary record has been one of unconditional support for African people globally, including military assistance supporting the African independence movement, asylum for Black freedom fighters• How might things change under this new political disposition? Join a multi-media forum with experts who have vibrancy, experience, and cutting edge analysis on what the current policy changes mean for "Cuba, Africa, and the World" at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 400 I St. SW, WDC, on Sat., Mar. 14 from 3:30 to 6:30 PM. Visit http://www.aaprp-intl.org/ or email aaprpmd@gmail.com.

26] – At the Washington City Church of the Brethren, 337 N. Carolina Ave. SE, WDC 20003, on Sat., Mar. 14 at 7 PM, experience Ted & Company’s Peace Pies and Prophets, sponsored by Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore and friends. Centered around a live performance of I’d Like to Buy an Enemy, starring Ted & Company actors Ted Swartz and Tim Ruebke, the show unpacks issues of justice and peace building through humorous and poignant storytelling. This interactive event is for people interested in engaging in laughter, thoughtful dialogue and pie. Yes, Peace Pies... The evening includes a hand crafted pie auction where pie sale proceeds will go toward the support of Christian Peacemaker Teams (www.cpt.org). In the last three years, Peace Pies and Prophets toured across North America, raising over $157,000 for Christian Peacemaker Teams!

You will certainly laugh, but you will also be challenged to reflect on the biases and unjust practices that pervade the American mentality, and be energized to find creative ways to address issues of peace and justice in your communities and beyond. It is a show that speaks across religions, denominations, generations and backgrounds, for people who aim to be the change we seek. Admission is FREE, but seating is limited. See http://www.tedandcompany.com/.

27] – On Sat., Mar. 14 at 7:30 PM @ Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, David Roediger presents Seizing Freedom: Slave Emancipation and Liberty for All. How did the USA recover after its years of civil war? How did freed men and women, former slaves, respond to their newly won freedom? Red Emma's is honored to welcome preeminent historian David Roediger, whose new book redefines the idea of freedom after the jubilee, using fresh sources and texts to build on the leading historical accounts of Emancipation and Reconstruction. Call 443-602-7585. Go to http://www.redemmas.org.

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