Baltimore Activist Alert September 18 - 20, 2016

Baltimore Activist Alert September 18 - 20, 2016

"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 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski [at] verizon.net.

1] Books, buttons and stickers

2] Web site for info on federal legislation

3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists  

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

5] “Evolution of Community Organizing” – Sept. 18

6] SYMPOSIUM on CO-EXISTENCE AND CHALLENGES – Sept. 18

7] Restorative Justice: Peace Making in Latin America – Sept. 18

8] Pentagon Vigil – Sept. 19

9] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Sept. 19 – Sept. 23

10] Room for Hope Festival – Sept. 19

11] Protest the Air Force Association "Arms Bazaar – Sept. 19

12] Faith in the Face of Empire – Sept. 19

13] Peace Academy Course – Sept. 20

14] “Within and Beyond the Wall” – Sept. 20

15] “The Occupation in Miniature” – Sept. 20

16] Peace vigil in Philadelphia – Sept. 20

17] "No Drone Research at JHU" – Sept. 20

18] Film REQUIEM FOR THE DEAD – Sept. 20

19] Dan Zak at Potter’s House – Sept. 20

20] RADICAL MYCOLOGY PRESENTATION – Sept. 20

21] Bassem Youssef at College Park – Sept. 20

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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 410-323-1607.

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] – Janice and Max are looking to buy a house in Baltimore.  Let Max know if you have any leads—410-323-1607 or mobuszewski at Verizon dot net.

5] – 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., Sept. 18, the topic is “Evolution of Community Organizing” will be presented by Jason Alinsky, the grandson of Community Organizer Saul Alinsky.  Rules for Radicals is deemed the response to Machiavelli’s The Prince? How to take power from those who seek to retain it. Saul Alinsky was not the first person to organize a rebellion. Organizing has been the cornerstone of human movement and development since the days of Moses. As the days of technology and digital organizing play a larger role in building coalitions we must be able to adapt with the movement. Engage in a discussion of how to continue organizing with new challenges our society will face.  After graduating from the University of Cincinnati, Jason moved to Washington, D.C. Soon after arriving, he was named Campaign Manager for William Smith. He currently works in the Maryland General Assembly as Delegate Smith’s Chief of Staff. For the last year, Jason has worked on Jamie Raskin’s campaign for U.S. House of Representatives. He also works for the Maryland Democratic Party organizing Montgomery, Frederick, Carroll Counties along with Western Maryland. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

6] –  Check out a SYMPOSIUM on CO-EXISTENCE AND CHALLENGES on Sun., Sept. 18 from 2 to 4 PM at Marriott Fairview Park, 3111 Fairview Park Drive, Falls Church, VA 22042.  Go to www.AmericanMuslimInstitution.org/events.

  RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/state-of-muslims-in-america-tickets-27394463578. What can Rabbis, Pastors and Imams do to promote co-existence?  Rabbi Charles M. Feinberg, Rev. N. J. L’Heureux, Jr., and Imam Tarek Elgawhary will preside. The event will be moderated by Mike Ghouse. What can you do as an Individual, without going out of way, contribute towards such societies?  Call Mike Ghous at (214) 325-1916. 

7] – On Sun., Sept. 18 from 7 to 9 PM at Epworth United Methodist Church, 19285 Holland Glade Rd., Rehoboth Beach DE 19971, hear Restorative Justice: Peace Making in Latin America with Ms. Calvachi-Mateyko, who will give a brief overview of the approach, how it relates to building peace in Latin America, and the implications for peace building in our country and in our individual lives.  The talk is sponsored by the Delaware Humanities Forum and Epworth United Methodist Church.  Email twstar54@aol.com.

8] – 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 Sept., 19, 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. 

9] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Friday fr6m 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.

10] –The annual Room for Hope Festival connects us with our sisters and brothers from the Holy Land by bringing talented and successful students and faculty from Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem, Palestine. This year’s festival is no exception with musicians, filmmakers, culinary artists and leaders from a country with limited natural resources. Contact Shelby Toler, Network & Events Director, at shelby@brightstarsbethlehem.org.  To RSVP or purchase tickets, visit roomforhope2016.eventbrite.com.  The festival begins on Mon., Sept.19 at 6 PM at Georgetown University - CCAS Center, 241 Intercultural Center, 37th & O Sts. NW, WDC 20003.  The festival will be held at several sites, and will close on Thurs. Sept. 22 at 7 PM with ‘Taste of Palestine’ at Faith Lutheran Church, 3313 Arlington Blvd., Arlington, VA. 

11] – This is a Special Invitation to Protest the Air Force Association "Arms Bazaar" on Mon., Sept. 19 from 6 to7:30 PM at Where: Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, 201 Waterfront St., National Harbor, MD 20745. There will be a Nonviolent Vigil and Prayer Service for Peace during the AFA $300+ per plate banquet (please bring a candle).  This vigil is done in solidarity with Campaign Nonviolence, which is sponsoring a week-long series of actions nationwide from Sept. 18 to 25. See http://www.paceebene.org/programs/campaign-nonviolence. 

Meet at the corner of Waterfront St. and St. George Blvd., directly across from the Gaylord National Resort. From September 19-21, the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center is once again playing host to the Air Force Association (AFA) "Air & Space Conference and Technology Expo," what we call an "Arms Bazaar." The AFA, according to its web site, is "the voice for aerospace power and the Air Force family." The focus for this year's Arms Bazaar is "Air, Space & Cyber Theme: Airmen, Industry, and Allies-A Global Security Team."  Some 150 arms contractors taking part in this years Arms Bazaar have played a prominent role in U.S. war making. These arms contractors, like Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon, are profiting from war and literally are making a killing! The vigil is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. Contact Art Laffin at 202-360-6416 or artlaffin@hotmail.com.

12] – Attend a Book talk Faith in the Face of Empire: Within and Beyond the Wall will happen in the CCAS boardroom, ICC #241, 37th and O Sts. NW, WDC, on Mon., Sept. 19 at 6 PM. Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb's presentation will be on his latest book

“Faith in the Face of Empire” along with updates on the current situation in Palestine and the implications faced living under occupation. Raheb is the president of Bright Stars of Bethlehem and its Palestinian sister organization, the Diyar Consortium. He serves as president of Dar al-Kalima University and the Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. Raheb is also the senior pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, Palestine. Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bright-stars-of-bethlehem-5th-annual-room-for-hope-festival-tickets-26488748560#tickets.

13] –  Attend a Peace Academy Fall 2016 Course for teachers, parents, coaches, social workers, mentors, and any adult who wants to experience, learn, and practice peace. You must be in college or older. Continuing Education Credits (CECs) are available. Live Peace, Teach Peace: Best Practices and Tools Level I is happening on Tues., Sept. 20 from 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM at the Perry Community Center, 128 M St. NW, 2nd floor, WDC 20001. Email mjpeace@gmail.com to schedule a course.

14] – On Tues., Sept. 20 at 10:30 AM at the FRANCISCAN MONASTERY OF THE HOLY LAND, 1400 Quincy St. NE, WDC 20017, hear “Within and Beyond the Wall” with REV. DR. MITRI RAHEB, Senior Pastor, Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church, Bethlehem, president, Dar al-Kalima University College, Bethlehem, president, Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and author of “Faith in the Face of Empire” (2014), “Bethlehem Besieged” (2004) and “I Am a Palestinian Christian” (1995).  The talk will be live-streamed at www.myfranciscan.org\live.  Call (202) 526-6800 or go to www.myfranciscan.org.  Use the Red Line to Brookland/CUA.

15] – Get over to “The Occupation in Miniature” with Eid Hadaleen, Artist, at The Palestine Center, 2425 Virginia Ave. NW, WDC, on Tues., Sept. 20 from 1 to 2 PM.  A light lunch is served at 12:30 PM.  In the art of Bedouin artist Eid Hadaleen, the instruments of the occupation are reconstructed by the occupied. Umm al-Khair, a Bedouin hamlet in the South Hebron Hills, suffers from systematic harassment at the hands of the residents of the adjacent Israeli settlement of Karmel. “The homes of the settlement of Karmel, two-story structures with red tile roofs, electricity and water in abundance, stand in contrast to the ungainly sprawl of tents and tin shacks of Khirbet Umm al-Khair, which has no electric power, hardly any water, inhumane living conditions and a stack of demolition orders.” (Galia Yahav, Haaretz)

Scattered among the squalid shacks and the sheep pens are scraps of plastic and metal from which Hadaleen, a self-taught artist from the village, fashions perfect miniatures, using pliers, cutting and hammering tools, and iron wiring that has been heated up. The originals of the miniatures are Hadaleen’s everyday fare: bulldozer, helicopter, digger, tractor, truck. These modes of transportation and construction are wielded against the Palestinian people with the intended effect of immobilizing them. Yet, through the use of wood, iron, rubber, plastic, glass, parts of furniture and accessories, Hadaleen superbly reconstructs the tools of the occupier, performing a miniature imitation that suggests on one hand mockery and on another the power of creative responses to the occupation. RSVP at http://www.washingtonpeacecenter.org/node/17932.

16] – Each Tuesday from 4:30 - 5:30 PM, the Catholic Peace Fellowship-Philadelphia for peace in Afghanistan and Iraq gathers at the Suburban Station, 16th St. & JFK Blvd., at the entrance to Tracks 3 and 4 on the mezzanine.  The next vigil is Sept. 20.  Call 215-426-0364.

17] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. join this ongoing vigil on Sept. 20  from 5:30 to 6:30  PM. Call Max at 410-323-1607.

18] – On Tues., Sept. 20 from 7 to 9 PM, see “Requiem for the Dead.” More than 32,000 people die from gun violence every year in America, an average of 88 people per day. This film highlights a few of the estimated 8,000 individuals who died from gunfire in spring 2014, drawing exclusively on found media—news accounts, police investigations and social media—to shine a light on little-known stories of tragic loss, bringing the victims to life in their own words and images. The film will be shown at Trinity Episcopal Parish, 1108 N. Adams St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Email ginny@trinityparishde.org.

19] – On Tues., Sept. 20 from 7 to 9 PM, Dan Zack, author of “Almighty: Courage, Resistance, and Existential Peril in the Nuclear Age." will speak at Potter's House, 1658 Columbia Road NW, WDC 20009. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/174601062959109/

20] – There is a RADICAL MYCOLOGY PRESENTATION & BOOK READING on Tues., Sept. 20 at 7:30 PM at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201. Fungi (i.e. mushrooms, yeasts, lichens, molds) are everywhere around us, forming symbioses with all plants and animals, and performing critical roles that keep complex ecological webs intact. And yet, most people are completely unaware of the incredible and ubiquitous nature of the Fungal Kingdom. In this part presentation, part mushroom roadshow, author Peter McCoy will present many means for dispelling this paradox. From the ecological importance of mushrooms and other fungi, to their rich history with human cultures around the world, to the increasingly profound potential for mushroom cultivation to address a range of pressing global issues, this special event will take you deep into the fungal realm.  Call 443-602-7585.  Go to http://www.redemmas.org.  

21] – Bassem Youssef will speak at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, 8270 Alumni Drive, College Park, on Tues., Sept. 20 at 8 PM. Youssef, also known as the Jon Stewart of the Arab world, has become a champion of free speech. In this English-language presentation, Youssef talks about democracy and how comedy and satire have become important forms of free expression and catalysts for change.  See http://www.arabamerica.com/events/bassem-youssef-college-park/?utm_source=September+14%2C+2016&utm_campaign=Arab+America+12%2F3%2F14&utm_medium=email.

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