Baltimore Activist Alert - July 16 - 17, 2018

18] Support Tom Drake

19] Decommissioning Nuclear Power Plants – July 16 - 17

20] Plastic Pollution Coalition Monthly Meeting – July 16

21] "Energy Trends: Nuclear and Non-nuclear" – July 16

22] Baltimore County Green Party meeting -- July 16  

23] PeaceSeekers Meeting – July 16

24] CEOs vs Workers: Live Town Hall on Corporate Power – July 16

25] Get Money Out of Maryland conference call – July 16

26] EPA Hearing on the Science Censorship Rule -- July 17

27] Addressing Sexual Violence Through Peace Processes – July 17

28] "The Nuclear Security Summits" – July 17

29] Peace Vigil – July 17

30] No Drone Research DEMO – July 17

31] Poetry for Peace – July 17

32] Baltimore-Palestine Solidarity Film – July 17

33] Future of Conservation in America – July 17

34] "The Case for a Maximum Wage" – July 17

35] BLM Open House – July 17

36] Film THE INSULT – July 17

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18] – The U.S. government did its best to imprison Tom Drake with a sentence lasting decades -- because, after going through official channels, he shared unclassified information with a journalist to reveal multibillion-dollar corporate-profiteering Big Brother policies of the National Security Agency.  Obama’s Justice Department persecuted Tom Drake. Now the Trump administration is also waging war on whistleblowers. And Tom keeps speaking out against it.

Tom continues to travel and warn against the government’s illegal surveillance and ongoing assault on the Fourth Amendment. Meanwhile, he’s still struggling to get his financial head above water, several years after the prosecution -- although ultimately losing in court -- succeeded in wrecking his personal finances, putting him in massive debt and depriving him of any pension.  We hope you’ll take a minute now and make a tax-deductible contribution to help Tom Drake get back on his financial feet. A donation of whatever you can afford would be deeply appreciated. Half of every dollar you donate will go directly to Tom, while the other half will support the Whistleblowers Public Education Campaign that he chairs.  To make a tax-deductible donation in support of Thomas Drake and the Whistleblowers Public Education Campaign, go to https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6503/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=11671.

19] – Decommissioning Nuclear Power Plants: What Congress, Federal Agencies and Communities Need to Know is a Congressional Briefing on Mon., July 16 from 2 to 3:30 PM at room HC-8, Capitol Visitor Center.  This will be followed by a Nuclear Waste Decommissioning Lobby Day on Tues., July 17 from 2 to 3:30 PM.  The National Grassroots Nuclear Waste Summit is working with Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) to host a briefing on the urgent need to safely decommission nuclear power plants, which are increasingly shutting down. The United States is facing a significant wave of nuclear plant closures for which it is unprepared. Most of the existing U.S. reactor fleet will inevitably close over the next two decades, as plants near the end of their operational lifespans. Decommissioning is the process of dismantling the closed plant and securing or removing radioactive waste while lowering the site’s residual radioactivity to safer levels. Getting decommissioning right is critical to communities’ health, safety, while getting it wrong could pose an existential threat.

Leading scientists, policy experts, NGO advocates, and local elected officials with experience of decommissioning will speak at the briefing. It will cover the impacts of decommissioning, current decommissioning options, waste storage vs. transport, thorny unsolved problems and best practices, how communities and states can and can’t weigh in on decisions, financing and liability, just transition for communities and workers, and how these should inform the fast-changing legislative and regulatory landscape. Briefers include Robert Alvarez, Senior Scholar, Institute for Policy Studies; former Department of Energy Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary for National Security and the Environment, Geoffrey H. Fettus, Senior Attorney for Energy & Transportation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Mayor Al Hill, Zion, IL., Kevin Kamps, Radioactive Waste Specialist, Beyond Nuclear, and Bob Musil, President and CEO of the Rachel Carson Council, former Executive Director, Physicians for Social Responsibility. RSVP at mannajo@clearwater.org or 845-265-8080 x 7113.

20] – On Mon., July16 from noon to 1 PM, get over to a Plastic Pollution Coalition Monthly Lunch Meeting at Oceana, 1025 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 200, WDC. Plastic Pollution Coalition Members and Prospective Members are invited to gather for a D.C.-area meeting and hear from Julia Grifferty, an international student using technology to integrate local activists into the global movement against plastic pollution. After experiencing isolation as an activist in the Middle East, she sought to bridge the digital divide between local and experienced activists around the world. She and an activist from Thailand co-founded Synchronize, a network building web-platform that connects all activists with the best practices, resources and opportunities to maximize their impact.  RSVP at coalition@plasticpollutioncoalition.org. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/2089059724699773/.

21] – On Mon., July 16 from 4 to 5 PM., Henry Sokolski, Institute of World Politics, will do a presentation "Energy Trends: Nuclear and Non-nuclear" at the Institute of World Politics, 1521 16th St. NW, WDC. RSVP https://www.iwp.edu/events/detail/energy-trends-nuclear-and-non-nuclear.

22] – On Mon., July16 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, come to the Baltimore County Green Party meeting at 320 York Road, Towson 21204-5121.  Get involved in the work for racial, ecological, and economic justice in Baltimore County, state-wide, nation-wide, and worldwide. See https://www.facebook.com/events/265738390866029/.

23] –  On Mon., July 16 at 7 PM, the next PeaceSeekers Meeting will take place at the  Pacem in Terris office, 401 N. West St., Wilmington, DE.  See http://depaceminterris.org/events/.

24] – On Mon., July16 from 7 to 8:30 PM, CEOs vs Workers: Live Town Hall on Corporate Power, hosted by Rebel HQ at the Congressional Auditorium - Capitol Visitor Center, WDC 20515.  The average cashier at McDonald's would have to work for 895 years to make what the company's CEO makes in one year. Disney's CEO gets over $400 million in compensation while Disneyland workers can't afford three meals a day. Amazon's CEO is the wealthiest man in the world while thousands of Amazon workers rely on public assistance to make ends meet.  The United States is the richest country in the history of the world, and yet due to outrageous levels of inequality there are millions of workers who live in poverty or can barely get by. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders has invited CEOs and workers from five major corporations—Amazon, Disney, McDonald's, Walmart and American Airlines—to hold a conversation on corporate power in America and how to move forward to create an economy that works for all people, not just a few at the top.  The town hall will be presented in partnership with digital media outlets act.tv, Good Jobs Nation, NowThis, TYT Network, Guardian US, ATTN:, Free Speech TV, The Nation Magazine, CREDO Mobile and MoveOn.  TO WATCH ONLINE, go to www.facebook.com/senatorsanders. TO ATTEND IN PERSON RSVP HERE: https://www.facebook.com/events/1158579600952016/.  Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/887214984737179/.

25] – Join the Get Money Out of Maryland Teleconference on Monday, July 16 from 8:30 to 9:30 PM.  Call 605-475-6711, code 1136243#.  Work only on brainstorming ideas for participation in the upcoming General Election. Early voting goes from Thurs., Oct. 25 through Thurs., Nov. 1 (8 days), and Election Day is Tues., Nov. 6. 

26] – On Tues., July 17 from 8 AM to 8 PM, there will be an EPA Hearing on the Science Censorship Rule, which is a dangerous proposed rule that would hamstring the EPA's ability to use scientific data to establish health-protective policy at William Jefferson Clinton East Building, Main Floor, Room 1153, 1201 Constitution Ave. NW. Register at aherzog@psr.org for guidance and background information to draft your statement.

27] – On Tues., July17 from 2 to 3:30 PM, the theme is Addressing Sexual Violence Through Peace Processes, hosted by Oxfam in Colombia at the United States Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave. NW, WDC 20037. Tickets are at www.usip.org.

Sexual violence is a crime against humanity and is commonly used as a systematic weapon of war against women and men. Research that illustrates the forms, frequency and context of sexual violence is critical to help build peace and prevent the recurrence of such violence. Join the U.S. Institute of Peace, Oxfam and the Latin American Working Group for a discussion on addressing sexual violence in peace processes using evidence from recent survey results from Colombia.  RSVP at https://www.usip.org/events/addressing-sexual-violence-through-peace-processes-view-colombia. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/207439742257177.

28] – On Tues., July 17 from 4:30 to 6:30 PM,  Sara Kutchesfahani, Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation; Kees Nederlof, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Laura Holgate, Nuclear Threat Initiative, will offer opinions about "The Nuclear Security Summits" at the National Press Club, First Amendment Room, 529 14th St. NW, WDC. RSVP at econnolly@armscontrolcenter.org.

29] –  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 July 17.  Call 215-426-0364.

30] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. Join this ongoing vigil on July 17 from 5:30  to 6:30 PM. Contact Max at mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net or 410-323-1607. 

31] – On Tues., July17 from 6 to 8 PM, check out the Poetry for Peace: Free Minds Congressperson John Lewis Fellowship, hosted by Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop at Pepco Edison Place Gallery, 702 8th St. NW, WDC 20001. Tickets are at freemindsbookclub.networkforgood.com. Join in for a special celebration of poetry and storytelling to announce the first recipient of the Free Minds Congressperson John Lewis Fellowship. This is a new opportunity for formerly incarcerated Free Minds members to use their poetry and personal journeys of change to connect with middle and high school students and community members to stop the violence.

Named in honor of Congressman John Lewis, one of the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, this fellowship will be a year-long position for a Free Minds member returning from jail or prison. The fellowship will promote nonviolence through a poetry-based community outreach program, On the Same Page: Free Minds Poetry in the Classroom and Community.  Also appearing will be renowned poet, educator, Harvard doctoral candidate, and author of Counting Descent, Clint Smith. James Allen, Free Minds Poet Ambassador and inaugural John Lewis Fellow, will also share his passion for the life-saving power of poetry and his work with DC area youth to stop violence. Previously incarcerated for five years, he is now dedicated to giving back to the community as a full-time Poet Ambassador. As the current Congressman John Lewis Fellow for 2018, James promotes healing and nonviolence at local schools and other community spaces through storytelling, creative expression, and lived experiences. The event will include hors d'oeuvres and drinks, free of charge. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/569669860095433/.

32] – On Tues., July17 from 6 to 8:30 PM, the Baltimore-Palestine Solidarity presents "Off Frame AKA Revolution Until Victory" at Homewood Friends Meeting, 3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218. This film is a meditation on the Palestinian people's struggle to produce an image and self-representation on their own terms in the 1960s and 1970s, with the establishment of the Palestine Film Unit as part of the PLO. Unearthing films stored in archives across the world after an unprecedented research and access, the film begins with popular representations of modern Palestine and traces the works of militant filmmakers in reclaiming image and narrative through revolutionary and militant cinema. In resurrecting a forgotten memory of struggle, Off Frame reanimates what is within the frame, but also weaves a critical reflection by looking for what is outside it, or what is off frame.  There will be a brief group discussion, and homemade Arabic food will be available before and after the film.  The suggested donation is $5. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1666898636693272/.

33] –   On Tues., July17 from 6:30 to 8 PM, tune in to Dr. Gary Machlis  getting into The Future of Conservation in America, hosted by Busboys and Poet, 2021 14th St. NW, WDC 20009.  “A Chart for Rough Water” (University of Chicago Press, 2018), written with Jon Jarvis, the eighteenth director of the National Park Service, this candid and caring book about conservation has been described by Pulitzer Prize-winning scientist E.O. Wilson as “a call to action written with authority and passion” and by President Jimmy Carter as “a course for a new generation of conservation action and leadership.” Terry Tempest Williams, who wrote the forward for the book, calls it “a clarion call for citizen engagement…a visionary pragmatism that is clear, concise, and prescriptive.” Dr. Machlis will discuss contemporary conservation politics and the new book, and sign copies during the event.  The author is University Professor of Environmental Sustainability at Clemson University, and served as Science Advisor to the Director of the National Park Service during both terms of the Obama administration. In addition to working throughout the US National Park System, Dr. Machlis has worked in China on giant panda protection, on conservation and sustainability issues in the Galápagos Islands, Kenya, Cuba, Haiti, and in Eastern Europe. He lives in Central, South Carolina. See https://www.facebook.com/events/230049821143961/.

34] – On Tues., July 17 at 6:30 PM, Sam Pizzigati will discuss his new book, "The Case for a Maximum Wage" at the Busboys & Poets- Hyattsville, 5331 Baltimore Ave..  Could capping top incomes tackle our rising inequality more effectively than conventional approaches to narrowing our vast economic divides? Progressive Cheverly members have had the opportunity to hear Sam discuss some of his previous books, including "Greed and Good Understanding the Inequality that Limits our Lives." Go to https://ips-dc.org/events/author-events-the-case-for-a-maximum-wage/.

35] – On Tues., July17 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, get over to the BLM DC Open House, hosted by Black Lives Matter DC at the Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ, 3845 S Capitol St. SW, WDC 20032. Learn about BLM’s work and how you can get involved!  FREE food, childcare, and ASL Interpretation will be provided. No electioneering, petitions, or distribution of any other election material allowed.  Focus on https://www.facebook.com/events/2109270222663037/.

36] – On Tues., July 17 at 7 PM, come to the Pacem Summer Film Series to see the Lebanese film “The Insult” with discussant, Dr. Rob Abel, at the Westminster Church, 1502 W. 13th St., Wilmington, DE. Visit http://depaceminterris.org/events/.

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