Baltimore Activist Alert Oct. 11 - 12, 2015

Baltimore Activist Alert Oct. 11 - 12, 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 and stickers

2] Web site for info on federal legislation

3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists  

4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLa

5] Two friends are looking to buy a house in Baltimore

6] Deed before creed – Oct. 11

7] Courage for Black Lives Matter – Oct.11

8] Energy, Health, & Climate Expo – Oct. 11

9] Apartheid Hewlett-Packard – Oct. 11

10] Cuba’s health system – Oct. 11

11] Hear from intrepid union organizer – Oct. 11

12] D.C.’s Chinatown – Oct. 11

13] Stop the violence in Turkey – Oct. 11

14] LGBT BALTIMORE – Oct. 11

15] Pentagon Vigil – Oct. 12

16] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Oct. 12 – Oct. 16

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1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available.  “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Call Max 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.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 ncnrnotices-subscribe@lists.riseup.net. You will get a confirmation message once subscribed.  If you have problems, please write to the list manager at ncnrnotices-admin@lists.riseup.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] – Janice and Max are looking to buy a house in Baltimore.  Let Max know if you have any leads—410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at Verizon dot net.

6] – 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 Oct. 11 the platform address is “So Many Good Deeds, So Little Time.”

Ethical Humanism proclaims the importance of “deed before creed.” But how do you figure out WHAT deed to do? Given limited time and energy, how can humanists maximize the effectiveness of their commitment? Hugh Taft-Morales offers some variables to consider in your deliberations, including effectiveness in respecting both the worth of individuals and relationships, and maximizing both the potential of individuals and the realization of social justice. Ultimately, however, individuals and groups should focus on where they agree pragmatically so as to avoid the paralysis of infighting and burnout. Find out more about sustainable ethical action. Taft-Morales joined the Baltimore Ethical Society as its professional leader in 2010, the same year he was certified by the American Ethical Union as an Ethical Culture Leader. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

7] – The platform address will be by activist Chris Crass - "Courage for Black Lives Matter and the Horcrux Strategy of Collective Liberation." It will be presented at the Washington Ethical Society, 7750 16th St. NW, WDC, on Sun., Oct. 11 from 11 AM to 12:15 PM.  Hear a talk on using ethical superpowers as a community to stand with the Black Lives Matter movement, and take action, with courage, against the death culture of white supremacy and structural inequality. Crass is a nationally known organizer, and music will be performed by from singer/songwriter Roy Zimmerman! Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1508935029427245/.

8] – Come to the Maryland Climate Coalition at the Energy, Health, & Climate Expo: Renewing Maryland Together on Sun., Oct. 11 from 1 to 4 PM at the Ben and Esther Rosenbloom Jewish Community Center, 3506 Gwynnbrook Ave., Owings Mills 21117.  RSVP at http://baltcoexpo.eventbrite.com (optional). 

The Baltimore Green Forum is an enthusiastic partner in this Expo. The Expo will feature dozens of organizations and green businesses that can help you save energy and money by going green at home, including: The Empowers: energy-saving superheroes! * Mom’s Clean Air Force * Groundswell clean energy purchasing groups * Ranger Rick & The National Wildlife Federation * Breathe Easy Home * ZeroDraft Energy Efficiency * Blue Water Baltimore * Baltimore Green Forum * Physicians for Social Responsibility * Gunpowder Valley Conservancy * Interfaith Power & Light * Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake * Maryland Sierra Club * Pearlstone Center’s Community Sustainability Program * Baltimore Metropolitan Council’s Air Quality and Bike Safety Program * Maryland Working Families * Institute for Policy Studies * and more!

Then, hear from community leaders about how our state is responding to climate change by reducing energy use and shifting to cleaner energy: Jakir Manela, director, Pearlstone Center’s Community Sustainability Program; Adisa Muse, Political Director, Maryland Working Families; and Baltimore County state legislators--Senator Katherine Klausmeier (invited), Delegates Dana Stein, Benjamin Brooks, Shelly Hettleman, Adrienne Jones, Steve Lafferty and Dan Morhaim.  Learn more about what you can do to help address climate change, grow Maryland’s clean energy economy, and save energy and money at home.  Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/energy-health-climate-expo-renewing-maryland-together-tickets-18354847844.

9] –  Go to the Columbia Heights Mall, 14th St., WDC, on Sun., Oct. 11 from 2 to 3:30 PM to help educate DC area shoppers about the injustice of the Israeli occupation. Ask shoppers to refuse to buy Hewlett-Packard products, and call on local store managers to tell their corporate headquarters to stop stocking the products.  Hewlett-Packard is complicit in Israeli apartheid. The Palestinian movement within the West Bank is tightly controlled by Israel through the use of checkpoints. The major checkpoints use a biometric control system known as the BASEL system. HP Enterprise Services, a division of HP, is responsible for developing, integrating and maintaining the BASEL system. Thus HP directly profits from developing systems to racially profile Palestinians and track and control their movements. HP is also contracted to provide the Israeli navy’s IT infrastructure, thus helping the Israeli navy to enforce the illegal blockade of Gaza from the sea, a blockade that constitutes collective punishment. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1050325738319451/.

10] –  On Sun., Oct. 11 get over to the Brandywine Peace Community Monthly Potluck Supper & Program, 2nd Sunday of the month,  at University Lutheran Church, 3637 Chestnut St., Philadelphia 19104 (corner of 37th & Chestnut Sts, in the University City section of the city). At 4:30 PM enjoy a potluck supper (bring main dish, salad, or dessert).  The program begins at 5:30 PM.  The presentation: A Look at Cuba’s Health System, is by Dr. Walter Tsou, adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the Center of Public Health initiatives, former Philadelphia Health Commissioner, and Director Emeritus of Phila. Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR). Recently he visited Cuba on a health care delegation, asking How does Cuba get better health stats than the U.S. at one hundredths the cost?  ENTER ONLY AT REAR OF CHURCH FROM PARKING LOT See www.brandywinepeace.com/events or call 610-544-1818.

11] –  On Sun., Oct. 11 from 5 to 7 PM at the Harriet Tubman Solidarity Center, 2011 N. Charles St., have a dialogue with Clarence Thomas, one of the founding members of the Million Worker March movement. He has been a decades long leader in the Oakland and San Francisco longshore workers union ILWU Local 10 and helped organize countless strikes and work stoppages including the block the boat movement, May Day and earlier against the South African apartheid system. The evening will start with a pot luck dinner. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/639929076148513/.

12] – The civil unrest and street violence following the assassination of Civil Rights Leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a profound impact on Washington, DC and the surrounding areas. One neighborhood - DC's Chinatown - found itself caught up in the volatile aftermath of the African American struggle for civil rights. Join The Humanities Council at Busboys and Poets, 14th & V Sts. (2021 14th St, NW), WDC, on Sun., Oct. 11 at 6 PM for a screening of the short documentary "Through Chinatown's Eyes: April 1968" where Chinese Americans share their firsthand experiences of those historic days. The film is directed by filmmaker Penny Lee, and was produced and written by Lisa Mao. American University lecturer, Easten Law, will moderate a community discussion on how young Chinatown residents at the time saw the events of April 1968. The screening is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome.  This event is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Humanities Council of Washington DC which is affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities. RSVP to Ted Gong at tkgong(at)aol.com.

13] – On Sun., Oct. 11 from 6 to 8 PM gather at the White House.  The Kurdish community is heartbroken by the October 10 deadly attacks which killed at least 89 and injured 300 people rallying for #peace in Ankara, Turkey. The bomb attack took place at the rally in Ankara which was organized by democratic NGOs including KESK, DISK, TMMOB and TTB. The rally was aimed at ending the war that has been ongoing for the last two months and to protest AKP's hostile policies targeting civilians. This D.C. vigil is organized by HDP Washington, D.C.

14] – On Sun., Oct. 11 at 7:30 PM @ Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201,  author Louise Parker Kelley presents “LGBT Baltimore.” Baltimore has always been a queer place, but in modern times the people who once dreaded that label got organized and pushed back against decades of discrimination. In the late 1960s LGBT folk began meeting in Baltimore’s basements, living rooms and offices and changed the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.    LGBT Baltimore, which has just been published by Arcadia Publishing documents all of this in photographs.  Arcadia specializes in publishing local and regional history titles, and “LGBT Baltimore” is part of its Images of Modern American series. Arcadia has published eight titles which are pictorial histories of the LGBT communities of various cities.   Kelley was active in most LGBT organizations in Baltimore in the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s and has been a volunteer with the GLCCB Archives at University of Baltimore since 2012.  Call 443-602-7585.  Go to http://www.redemmas.org. 

15] -- 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., Oct. 5, 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. 

16] – 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.  

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