Baltimore Activist Alert Nov. 22 - 23, 2015

Baltimore Activist Alert Nov. 22 - 23, 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] “Speaking Up and Speaking Out” – Nov. 22

7] Challenge the CIA – Nov. 22

8] Electric vehicles – Nov. 22

9] Pray for Peace – Nov. 22

10] Arab Culture – Nov. 22

11] Free dinner – Nov. 22

12] Pentagon Vigil – Nov. 23

13] Thanksgiving breakfast – Nov. 23

14] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Nov. 23 – Nov. 27

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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 Nov. 22 in “Speaking Up and Speaking Out,” Karen Story will talk about her work within Dorsey Run Correctional and MCI-W. Her work with two Toastmasters Gavel clubs has helped hundreds of inmates transition their communication skills to the community. Karen helps by teaching interview, public speaking, and interpersonal communication skills. Her goal is to give each inmate the communication tools necessary to help them be successful. She is president and co-founder of Interactive Training, an organization dedicated to improving communication and leadership skills. Interactive Training was started in December 1997. Karen works with individuals, government agencies and corporations to help them achieve their communication goals. Karen is a dedicated professional and leader of both community and professional organizations. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

7] – On Sun., Nov. 22 from noon to 3 PM, assemble on the north/public terrace (facing Watergate) of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW, WDC.  Petition for 1) Immediate, un-redacted release of all still withheld assassination-related records; rein in the CIA to its original, intelligence-only mandate; and end the intimidation of official secrecy and the violence it perpetuates, necessary to achieve real transparency in governments worldwide. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/802100236488850/.

8] – The BALTIMORE GREEN FORUM, a monthly environmental education and discussion forum, will occur on Sun., Nov. 22 from 4 to 6:30 PM at the Maryland Presbyterian Church, 1105 Providence Road, Towson 21286.  This month’s topic is Electric Vehicles (EVs) and EV-ready Transit Hubs.  The speakers are Jill A. T. Sorensen and Paul E. Schoen.  Ms. Sorensen directs the Baltimore Electric Vehicle Initiative (BEVI), a Maryland non-profit focused on EV education and outreach.  She drives a fully electric Nissan LEAF and an electric assist covered bike (velomobile) she exhibited at the Montebello Reservoir Fair in September. Paul Schoen is a self-employed electronics design engineer with a long-term interest in electric vehicles and other technological methods of improving efficiency and conserving energy and other resources.

Transportation comprises roughly 30% of our petroleum consumption and emissions.  Electric vehicles, bit by bit, are displacing combustion engine vehicles and, with that advance, greening and cooling the planet.  Though first introduced in the 1800s, electric vehicles lost out to gas-powered engines.  Environmental concerns and advances in motor, battery, and controller technology have now resulted in fast, sporty, and practical cars like the Tesla, Chevy Volt, and Nissan Leaf. We will examine the pros and cons of EVs for personal, commuter and commercial transportation, including active transportation and new city designs under discussion around EV-ready Transit Hubs.

 The Baltimore Green Forum seeks to educate and stimulate dialogue about what humans can do to make modern civilization more sustainable, including adjusting to finite resource limits and preserving biodiversity and a healthy environment.  This is done through eight monthly meetings a year.  The topics are far ranging.  They vary from local to planetary and from philosophical to scientific to very practical.

  There is a speaker and Q&A from 4 to 5:15 PM.  Then there are brief announcements by representatives of other organizations that also seek sustainability and environmental protection.  The idea is to promote collaboration among these organizations.  Next, there is an optional roundtable discussion until 6:30 PM.  Finally, there is often a small gathering at a nearby restaurant.

BGF is open to the public and is free of charge, but donations to Maryland Presbyterian Church are collected during the meeting to thank the church for their generous gift of the space to us. Call Sam Hopkins at 410 554 0006 or email baltimoregreenforum@gmail.com.  Visit http://www.baltimoregreen forum.org. 

9] – Pray for Peace at the Towson Presbyterian Church, 400 West Chesapeake Ave. at 5 PM on Sun., Nov. 22.  Email Charles Cloughen at ccloughen@episcopalmaryland.org or call him at 410-321-4545.

10] – Come to the Historic Lincoln Centre, 1215 U St. NW, WDC, on Sun., Nov. 22 at 6 PM, as the ADC and The Coalition of Palestinian American Organizations are hosting the fifth annual "Turaath: Celebrating Arab Culture in America." It will feature the Wishah Popular Dance Troupe in a performance drawing on steps and melodies from many regions of the Arab World.  A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to the help children in Gaza through United Palestinian Appeal's Healing through Feeling program, which will provide weekly trauma therapy to kindergartners in the Gaza Strip, ultimately reaching 25,000 children at 250 schools. Visit www.helpupa.org or www.adc.org. Go to http://www.thelincolndc.com/event/980431-steps-melodies-from-arab-washington/.

11] – On Sun., Nov. 22 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM enjoy a free dinner at the Govans Presbyterian Church, 5828 York Road, Baltimore 21212.  Call 410-435-9188 or go to www.govanspres.org/.

12] -- 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. 9, 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. 

13] –  On Mon., Nov. 23 at 8 AM come to the 13th Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Breakfast sponsored by the Central Maryland Ecumenical Council. This year’s speaker is Bishop Denis Madden of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and his presentation will be “Interfaith Reflections on the Second Vatican Council on Its 50th Anniversary.”  The breakfast will be held at Stadium Place at Ednor II Apartments. The suggested donation is $25. The breakfast is kosher and vegetarian. RSVP to cmec.reservations@gmail.com, and you can pay online at www.cmecouncil.org. Email cmecouncil@gmail.com.

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.

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