Saturday, June 23, 2018

Baltimore Activist Alert June 24 to 29, 2018


Baltimore Activist Alert June 24 to 29, 2018

"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 mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net.

1] Books, buttons and stickers
2] Web site for info on federal legislation
3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists  
4] Write Reality Winner
5] Pat Elder for Congress – June 24
6] Presentation on homelessness – June 24
7] GOTV canvasses – June 24
8] Muslim Responses since 9/11 and Beyond – June 24
9] Slavery in Baltimore County -- June 24
10] Back From the Brink -- June 24 
11] Palestinians and Israelis share their stories – June 24
12] Phone bank for Ben Jealous -- June 24
13] NIGHTMARE AT LOVE CANAL – June 24
14] Protest at the Pentagon – June 25
15] Volunteer for Mary Washington June 25
16] Peace camp June 25 - 29
17] Volunteer for Nilesh Kalyanamaran June 26
18] Peace Vigil – June 26
19] No Drone Research DEMO – June 26
20] Phone bank for Ben Jealous – June 26
21] Vote Green – June 26
22] War on Terror -- June 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 6address 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] –  On June 3, 2017 Reality Leigh Winner was arrested and jailed and later charged under the Espionage Act for allegedly releasing a top-secret document to a media outlet, The Intercept.  The document analyzed information about Russian online intrusions prior to the 2016 presidential election. Reality had been employed by a contract agency and worked at the NSA in Augusta, Georgia following her honorable discharge from the U.S. Air Force in December of 2016.  Reality has pleaded not guilty to this one charge, and her defense team is working furiously to defend against the Espionage charge, but the Court in Georgia continues to rule against Reality at every turn.  Reality has been denied pretrial bail and awaits trial in a small county jail in Lincolnton, Georgia.

The impact this has had on Reality and our entire family is devastating.  Because of her special diet, Reality’s nutritional and medical needs are not met in jail.  She has been spontaneously denied mail, books, and visits.  In order to assist in her defense, she must be transported to the Federal Courthouse in Augusta, Georgia and spends up to 12 hours in full shackles and is strip-searched multiple times during the day. Please write to Reality at Reality L. Winner, Inmate # 3342, Lincoln County Jail, PO Box 970, Lincolnton, GA 30817.

5] – Green Candidate Pat Elder is Running against Democratic House Whip Steny Hoyer -- www.elderforcongress.org/elderforcongress@gmail.com/301-997-3963. Elder is a life-long peace and justice activist, who will be on the ballot in November. He is a great progressive.  Elder calls for shutting down the Chalk Point and Morgantown coal-fired stations in the 5th district. Pat is opposed to Dominion Energy’s terminal at Cove Point and other projects in the 5th. He also demands a cessation of weapons testing in the Potomac and an immediate cleanup of Superfund sites at the Indian Head Naval Warfare Center and Patuxent River Naval Air Station. He calls for subjecting the military’s ongoing environmental degradation to state oversight. 

Pat supports Medicare for all, public financing of elections, free community college. Elder supports a living wage; strong measures to correct racial injustice; eliminating the Social Security taxable maximum of $128,400; He advocates for meaningful cuts in military spending and increasing the top tax for folks making more than $2 million to 50%. That’ll pay for everything. Pat supports non-violent, multilateral solutions to the problems facing our country.

Pat plans to capture 5% of the vote and expects to open the political debate. Pat expects to run the most successful Green Party congressional campaign ever. It shouldn’t be too tough. Hoyer is awful. Spread the message on social media. Send in a dollar or two if you can.

6] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 2521 St. Paul St., Baltimore 21218, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion at 10:30 AM.  On Sun., June 24 the topic is “An Interactive Presentation on Homelessness.” Bonnie “Raven” Lane will present an interactive presentation on homelessness. She can also offer nonviolent direct action training. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

7] – On Sun., June 24 from noon to 4 PM, there is a Howard County Canvass starting at Cafe Su, 7500 3301 N. Ridge Rd., Ellicott City 21043. CONTACT Beth Landry at beth@progressivemaryland.org or 443 366 9402. 

On Sun., June 24 from 10 AM to 2 PM, there is a Golden Mile Canvass starting at the Asian American Center of Frederick, 1080 W. Patrick St., Suite 16, Frederick 21703. CONTACT Joshua Cassell at jscassell1985@gmail.com or 301-928-0697.

Get involved in the Baltimore GOTV Canvass for Richard Bruno as a Delegate District 41.  On Sun., June 24, the canvass shifts are from 2 to 5 PM and 5 to 8 PM, starting at the Park Heights Office, 5516 Park Heights Ave., Baltimore 21215.  Bring a charged smart phone, walking shoes, water and a smile!  CONTACT Lila Zucker at lilazucker@gmail.com or 443 953 3894.

8] –Go to Muslim Responses since 9/11 and Beyond, presented by Dr. Maha Hilal on Sun., June 24 at 12:15 PM at Friends Meeting of Washington, 2111 Florida Ave. NW, WDC.  The Muslim community has been targeted since 9/11 by the government and society.  What are the ways that Muslims have been targeted and how has this shaped their experiences?  What is being done at the local and national levels to improve or exacerbate the problems?  How can we support the Muslim community?

Dr. Maha Hilal is the co-Director of Justice for Muslims Collective where she focuses on political education addressing institutionalized Islamophobia. Previously, she was the inaugural Michael Ratner Middle East Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C. where she produced research and writing on the consequences of the War on Terror on the Muslim community. She earned her doctorate in May 2014 from the Department of Justice, Law and Society at American University in Washington, D.C.  She received her Master's Degree in Counseling and her Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Contact Jim Bell: at 240 413 1229.

9] – On Sun., June 24 from 2 to 4 PM catch a lecture Slavery in Baltimore County, hosted by the Historical Society of Baltimore County, 9811 Van Buren Lane, Cockeysville 21030.  See historicalsocbaltoco.ticketspice.com.  With one of the northernmost slave plantations at Hampton Mansion and the largest free black population of any city in the country, the history of slavery in the Baltimore area is complex, unique and historically important. This presentation will cover the history from the first slaves to the emancipation in 1864, and will emphasize the different labor systems that slavery created.  The special guest Ranger A. Anokwale Anansesemfo of Hampton NHS will speak about Hampton.  Bill Barry is retired Director of Labor Studies at CCBC-Dundalk and has developed courses on the history of slavery in the US for CCBC and for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Towson University. Admission is $5, and free to HSBC members. Pre-register to ensure a seat by following the link for tickets. HSBC is holding its annual membership meeting immediately beforehand starting at 1 PM; doors will open for non-members at 1:45 PM.  Email info@hsobc.org or call 410-666-1878. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/439910236466415/.

10] – The  Prince George's Peace & Justice Coalition is urging you to  hear Jean Athey present her PowerPoint on Back from the Brink on Sun., June 24 at 2:30 PM at the Greenbelt Community Center. See a slide show by a Peace Action activist followed by a discussion about a new campaign locally promoted by Peace Action Maryland Network. It aims to reduce the longstanding global threat of nuclear war with five "common sense" changes of policy: Renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons first, Ending the sole, unchecked authority of any U.S. president to launch a nuclear attack, Taking U.S. nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert, Cancelling the plan to replace its entire nuclear arsenal with enhanced weapons, and actively pursuing a verifiable agreement among nuclear-armed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals. Go to https://www.preventnuclearwar.org/.

11] – On Sun., June 24 from 3 to 5 PM, there is a New Story Leadership Bradley Hills Speaking Event, Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church, Bethesda. Team members from Palestine and Israel will share their stories and answer questions from the audience. Go to https://www.facebook.com/NewStoryLeadership/.

12] – Help get out the vote for Ben Jealous and elect an environmental champion Governor of Maryland! To phone bank from your computer on Sun., June 24 from 6 to 8:30 PM, RSVP at https://zoom.us/meeting/register/036dc36a3e757f674ac87b605f06faf5.  To phone bank from your computer on Mon., June 25 from 6 to 8:30 PM, RSVP at https://zoom.us/meeting/register/8c0f154e177b3ed0c5b9141539e44ee6.  The Trump administration is selling off America’s public lands to Big Oil. It’s letting pesticide companies poison our food system. And it’s dismantling critical environmental protections. With Trump in the White House, protecting the environment at the federal level is an uphill battle. But states with strong progressive leaders can fight back against Trump’s attacks on people and the planet. 

13] – On Mon., June 25 from 6 to 9 PM, catch a talk "Nightmare at Love Canal" with Rahima Schwenkbeck, adjunct professor of American Studies at George Washington University, hosted by Profs and Pints at the Bier Baron Tavern, 1523 22nd St. NW, WDC 20037.  Tickets are at profsandpintslovecanal.brownpapertickets.com. Love Canal was conceived of as part of a utopian community when it broke ground in Niagara Falls, N.Y., in the 1890s. By the 1970s, however, it came to be regarded as a hell for those who lived there, whom it exposed to chemical waste, toxic smells and death. Hooker Chemical Company and other firms had filled an abandoned canal on the site with a long list of horrific toxins, including those from experiments with chemical warfare. And yet, despite warnings from Hooker itself, developers built two elementary schools, hundreds of homes, and low-income apartment buildings there.

The land's poisonous past came to haunt its residents, producing a horrific environmental disaster. Those who lived there were plagued with burned pets, strange illnesses, cancer, and children with birth defects. Furious over what was happening to them and their children, parents in the area became activists, bringing coffins to political leaders and, at one point, holding two Environmental Protection Agency agents hostage.

Eventually the entire area was closed off. Its residents left their homes, which were razed, bulldozed into their own basements, and capped over. The controversy helped inspire Congress to pass environmental legislation, particularly the Superfund program. Yet history risks repeating itself, as new developments are being built near the site and those now in power in Washington are scaling back environmental protections adopted since then. Tickets are $10 in advance, and $12 at the door. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/359404947904680/.

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 June 25, 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] – Volunteer for Mary Washington in District 43's upcoming Democratic Primary on June 26, Election Day, for outreach to local Democratic voters through phone banking, canvassing, poll watching, or giving people rides to the polls. The work starts at 6:30 AM and runs until 8:30 PM.  Sign up for a shift at https://act.myngp.com/Forms/-5173807370704189440?midqs=U4JuY3Ev2gMKDiGFaQeN1w==.   The first shift will meet at the campaign headquarters at 6 AM, corner of Miles and 27th St, in Remington, 2656 Miles Ave., Baltimore 21211. Contact Christine Senteno, Campaign Manager, at 202.848.2552 or campaign@electmarywashington.com. 

16] – The Little Friends for Peace wrote that the Peace Camp Season is here! There is UUCA Session going from Mon., June 25 through Fri., June 29.  Register at https://form.jotform.com/70085700893155. LFFP's goal of creating environments where campers and counselors alike can experience, learn, and practice peace, in ways our culture may not foster or facilitate. Peace is defined differently by each individual, but LFFP teaches peace as both an answer and alternative to violence.

17] – Volunteer for Nilesh Kalyanamaran (Del. D-43) at the League for People with Disabilities, 1111 E. Cold Spring Lane on Election Day, Tues., June 26.  Represent the campaign and hand out literature. Please sign-up for a shift at field@nileshmd43.com.

18] –  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 June 26.  Call 215-426-0364.

19] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. Join this ongoing vigil on June 26 from 5:30  to 6:30 PM. Contact Max at mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net or 410-323-1607. 

20] – Phone Bank for Ben Jealous and local Montgomery County candidates on Mon., June 25 from 6 to 9 PM. Come make calls from the comfort of your own home. RSVP to Garrett F Mannchen at gmannchen@gmail.com or 301-751-9944.

Phone Bank for Ben Jealous on Mon., June 25 from 6 to 8 PM with Talbot Rising at Democratic Party Headquarters, 26 West Dover St., Easton, 21601.  After phone duty, celebrate with refreshments.  RSVP at http://www.progressivemaryland.org/phonebankjealouspullenjune25?utm_campaign=june22gotvreminder&utm_medium=email&utm_source=progressivemaryland.

21] – Phone bank to mobilize Sierra Club members and supporters to Vote Green on Tues, June 26, starting at 10:30 AM at the Sierra Club MD, College Park Office, Suite 102, 7338 Baltimore Ave., College Park 20740.Contact Caroline Fletcher at political.intern@mdsierra.org or 301-277-7111.  Bring your laptop & your cell phone if you have them! Calling from home may be available.

22] – On Tues., June 26 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, join a vigil and teach-in The Dark Legacy of The War on Terror & Muslim Victims of Torture, hosted by Justice for Muslims Collective at the Lafayette Statue, 1601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC 20006.  From the Bush administration to the Trump administration, torture has continued to be a tactic in the War on Terror. With Gina Haspel, a known torturer now leading the CIA, torture in its most egregious form may soon be revived. In the course of all of this, those who have been targeted most by the U.S.'s post 9/11 torture apparatus - Muslims have been marginalized. The program will conclude with a light meal. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1699111230206735/.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.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

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