Baltimore Activist Alert May 21 - 22, 2017

Baltimore Activist Alert May 21 - 22, 2017

"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] Alliance for Nuclear Accountability's 29th annual DC Days – May 21- 24

6] Are Men Obsolete? – May 21

7] Capitalism has failed workers – May 21

8] Welcome Mohammad Sabaaneh – May 21

9] BALTIMORE GREEN FORUM– May 21

10] Justice Speaker Series – May 21

11] Spokes council meeting – May 21

12] Disability Justice Workshop – May 21

13] Folk Singer performs – May 21

14] Pentagon Vigil – May 22 

15] Drop the charges – May 22 

16] Marc Steiner on WEAA – May 22 – May 26

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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] -- The Alliance for Nuclear Accountability's 29th annual DC Days will take place from Sun., May 21 through Wed., May 24. More than 60 activists, from newcomers to experienced hands, are expected to participate in 80+ meetings with congressional and executive branch offices. In addition to key Senate and House offices that ANA members, as constituents, can uniquely access, there will be meetings with key Armed Services and Appropriations Committees as well as the Government Accountability Office and Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. Executive branch meetings will likely include the Department of Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the State Department, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Office of Management and Budget, often with their senior leadership.

This year, the new Congress and new Administration especially needs to hear from many of us as we seek a nuclear-free future that safeguards our communities and our environment. Funding is available for youth scholarships to cover partial costs of registration, transportation and DC housing.  Go to http://www.ananuclear.org/dcdays/.

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 Sun., May 21, the Sunday Platform Address is “Are Men Obsolete?”  White men without college education are considered a key demographic behind Donald Trump’s electoral victory and other reactionary social movements of our time. Their resentment may not be entirely irrational, because the 21st century looks rather bleak for low-to-average-skilled men as common male characteristics, once an important comparative advantage, are increasingly irrelevant in the technologically advanced world. How will the roles for most men in the future society differ from those in the past? Can the new roles be fulfilling, or will they be a perennial source of strife? Sven Sinclair, a member of the Northern Virginia Ethical Society, is an economist, actuary, former physicist, one-time Jeopardy! champion, halfway-decent chess player, news junkie, and an insatiably curious person. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

7] – The topic of discussion, Capitalism has Failed Workers - Enabling Worker Coops, will be evaluated at Juanita Thornton Shepherd Park Library. 7420 Georgia Ave. NW, W, on Sun., May 21 from 2 to 4 PM, hosted by Democracy at Work DC. Connect at https://www.facebook.com/events/1939374116293961/.

8] –  On Sun., May 21 at 3 PM at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, welcome Mohammad Sabaaneh, the principal political cartoonist for the Palestinian Authority’s daily newspaper, Al-Hayat al-Jadida, and a former political prisoner in Israel. A resident of Ramallah, Palestine, Sabaaneh’s work has been exhibited in the United States and several European and Middle Eastern countries. He is the representative for the Cartoonists Rights Network International in the Middle East and the Ambassador of Palestine for United Sketches International. “White And Black” is Sabaaneh’s first book. Its 180 cartoons display his dazzling stylistic repertoire. They depict the “surreal” horrors of the policies Israel has enacted against the Palestinians and the dogged (though often tender) resilience with which Palestinians have met those policies.  Call 443-602-7585.  RSVP at http://www.redemmas.org.

9] – The BALTIMORE GREEN FORUM, a monthly environmental education and discussion forum, takes place on Sun., May 21.  The presentation and Q&A goes from 4 to 5:15 PM, followed by announcements & networking from 5:15 to 5:45 PM.  Finally there will be a Roundtable Discussion from 5:45 to 6:30 PM.  The forum is at 1105 Providence Road, Towson 21286. Go to http://www.mpchurch.org/location-2/.    This day’s topic is Off the Grid Living: How I Have Been Living Super GREEN for 20 Years and How at Least Some of You Can Do this Also with Cassandra Naylor.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/298512493905606/.

Cassandra has probably done more than anyone in the Baltimore metro area to be really low impact, low energy and all around green in the home for the last 20 year. She started the hard way by retrofitting a large barn.  This included a combination of the early solar panel and battery systems in order to disconnect from the electrical grid.  It also included pioneering use of composting toilets, a greywater and garden system, and passive solar water heating for domestic hot water, radiant heat in floors & indoor forced air. Finally, it means the use of cross ventilation and fans instead of air conditioning.

Also, her green living meant giving up dishwashers and clothes washing machines and all the usual soaps, detergents or other cleansers because they contain toxic chemicals.  Finally, in the last two years Cassandra has done it all over again with a new home, designed to prove that such off the grid green living can be much more practical, effective and affordable than when she began it 20 years ago.

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. We do this through 8 monthly meetings a year. The topics are far ranging. They vary from local to planetary and from philosophical to scientific to very practical.

     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. RSVP at BaltimoreGreenForum@gmail.com or call Sam Hopkins at 410 554-0006.  Go to http://www.baltimoregreenforum.org.

10] – The Calling, Service, And Justice Speaker Series is at The Potter's House, 1658 Columbia Rd. NW, WDC, on Sun., May 21 from 6 to 7:30 PM.  Hear stories from Spiritual Entrepreneurs: Leaders share the ups and downs of discerning calling, and living out visions for service and justice. Understanding, pursuing, and accepting calling are hard. Hearing stories from those who have journeyed inward to face questions, doubts, and fears - and to receive grace and insight - can help. Knowing how they were able to say "yes" and act to honor self, community, and world can support and encourage us.  Hear four inspirational leaders share their joys and pains on the path of deeper calling and inspired action. Come hear what they did, what God did, what has happened, and what comes next. Learn how they are serving communities, empowering others, and seeking justice. And, come to nurture your calling to change the world. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/378981529150389/.

11] – The D.C. Area Monthly Spokes Council will be meeting at 1640 Columbia Rd. NW, WDC, on Sun., May 21 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, hosted by Resist This.  RSVP https://actionnetwork.org/events/dmv-spokes-council-2.  With the need for continued action in DC, Resist This is organizing the third spokes council.

12] – There is a Disability Justice Workshop at the UUCF-Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax, 2709 Hunter Mill Rd., Oakton, VA, on Sun., May 21 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, hosted by SURJ-NoVA. Connect at https://www.facebook.com/events/1888346411382562/. This workshop will involve talking about the principles (main ideas) of disability justice, what disability justice looks like, how racism and ableism (the belief that non-disabled people are better than disabled people) work together, and looking at ableism in our communities.

13] – A Folk Singer Returns to Baltimore on Sun., May 21 at 7 PM at Lovely Lane United Methodist Church in Charles Village.  Go to www.TomLewis.net.  You can sample his original compositions at www.tomlewis.net/downloads.htm.

14] – 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 May 22, 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. 

15] –    Demand charges be dropped on the four May Day protesters! On Mon., May 22 at 8 AM sharp @ the District Court, North Ave. & Harford Rd. be there for a brief picket line before going inside.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1852530045012070. In addition to the case of these four arrestees, highlight the dire situation that Haitian immigrants are facing.  On May 23, Homeland Security Director, John Kelly, will consider ending TPS (Temporary Protective Status) for approximately 50,000 Haitians. If TPS is lifted the government could begin to deporting thousands of Haitian people.

After hundreds marched from downtown Baltimore, four activists, civil rights activist Rev. CD Witherspoon, Rasika Ruwanpathirana, Andrew Mayton, and Alec Summerfield were arrested at Baltimore’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office demanding that I.C.E. shut down (Immigration and Customs Office).  ICE is the notorious agency that has separated immigrant families and deported scores of immigrants under new orders from the Trump administration. The group unfurled a banner in the street in front of the ICE office that explained the group’s demands:  a citywide jobs program; $15 minimum wage NOW; shutting ICE down and permanent residency for immigrants; and ending racism and police terror.

16] – 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.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; 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