Friday, October 4, 2019

Baltimore Activist Alert -- October 4 - 6, 2019


55] No Pepco Pledge Campaign Launch Oct. 4
56] Tree Giveaway – Oct. 4
57] Observations of a Chinese Journalist – Oct. 4 
58] Food Rescue – Oct. 4
59] White House vigil– Oct. 4
60] WIB peace vigils – Oct. 4
61] Book Launch: “Globalizing Morocco” – Oct. 4
62] Peace and justice vigil – Oct. 4
63] Chesapeake Film Festival – Oct. 4
64] Film THE PUBLIC – Oct. 4
65] The sisters vs. the pipeline – Oct. 4
66] Ballroom Dancing – Oct. 4
67] Help out a family in Latin America, Africa or inner-city Baltimore – Oct. 4
68] Harriet Tubman Bus Tour – Oct. 5
69] NATIONAL SOLAR TOUR – Oct. 5 - 6
70] Hike the South Wind Loop Trail – Oct. 5
71] Bike Tour – Oct. 5
72] Coffee and Conversation with Our Revolution Baltimore – Oct. 5
73] Peace Vigil -- Oct. 5
74] Keep Space for Peace Week at the NSA – Oct. 5
75] Climate Action Open House – Oct. 5
76] Two Berrigan Books still in print
77] Emergency Demonstration against an attack on Venezuela or Iran  
78] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records  
79] Do you need any book shelves?
80] Join the Global Zero campaign.
81] Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil
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55] – On Fri., Oct. 4 from 7:30 to 8:30 AM, join a No Pepco Pledge Campaign Launch, hosted by 350 DC at 4200 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC 20008-1122. Energized by the climate strikes? Eager to get involved in the climate movement? Join 350 DC and plug in to the local fight for a just transition to renewable energy in the District!  DC council campaign season is upon us and we are asking all candidates to reject money from Pepco, the regional electrical utility, and other fossil fuel companies! For years, Pepco has exerted control over our councilmembers and DC's future.  In 2016, they made backroom deals and false promises of rate hike freezes to push through the extremely unpopular merger with Exelon. In 2018, they fought to undermine efforts to equitably transition the district to a renewable energy future and weakened the Clean Energy Omnibus Act. In 2020, fight back. See https://www.facebook.com/events/660239511129645/.

56] – On Fri., Oct. 4 from 9 AM to noon, get with the Robert W. Coleman Tree Plantings, 2141 N. Smallwood St., Baltimore 21216-3221, hosted by Blue Water Baltimore and Herring Run Nursery.  Tickets are at bluewaterbaltimore.org. Planting trees is good for the water, good for the air, and good for the soul. Come get your hands dirty for clean water and a greener community! Help add 80 new street tree pits and trees to beautify the neighborhood and cool and clean the air for all residents.  The tree planting projects are rain or shine, so wear proper clothes and sturdy (closed-toe) shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty or wet. Please bring a reusable water bottle. We will provide the trees, gloves, tools, training, and lots of fun! Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1323181331189487/.

57] – On Fri., Oct. 4 from noon to 1:15 PM, check out the Observations of a Chinese Journalist, hosted by The American Mandarin Society at the Stimson Center, 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC 20036.  Tickets are at www.mandarinsociety.org.  Hear a stimulating conversation, in Chinese, with Caijing magazine’s DC bureau chief JIN Yan. Ms. Jin has spent seven eventful years in Washington DC reporting for one of China’s leading business magazines on topics ranging from politics, to economics, to society. She has also been working on a book that collects some of her most important observations about current American society. Hear her reflections on her time in the U.S. This is a brown bag lunch event, so feel free to bring your own food. She has been with Caijing Magazine for almost a decade, and previously worked for the Economist. Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/2431582053767920/.

58] – On Fri., Oct. 4 from noon to 1 PM, Fridays at Grace Baptist Church, 3201 The Alameda., Baltimore 21218, are by Food Rescue Baltimore.  Bring a bag, bring a friend, and take delicious, nutritious, free rescued food. Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/644335165987205/?event_time_id=644335232653865.

59] – The Dorothy Day Catholic Worker will host a peace vigil at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC, on Fri., Oct. 4 at noon.  Contact the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker: 202-882-9649, artlaffin@hotmail.com.  

60] – Women in Black VIGILS FOR PEACE take place on Fri., Oct. 4 from noon to 1 PM.  One is at McKeldin Square, corner of Light and Pratt Sts., in the Inner Harbor, Baltimore.  Use the purple circulator line.  Enjoy an AFTER VIGIL LUNCH from the food trucks in the Inner Harbor.  Bring Your Own Sandwich or stop by one of the food trucks in the McKeldin Square.

  Another is at Roland Park Place, 830 W. 40th St., Baltimore.  Free Parking available. Vigil from noon to 1 PM. Lunch in the Bistro at 1 PM. If there's a storm, there is no vigil, but there will be lunch. Contact Anne: awyattbr@gmail.com.  The final vigil is in Chestertown, Kent County on the Eastern Shore at Memorial Park at Cross Street and Park Row. Email wibbaltimore@peacepath911.org.

61] – On Fri., Oct. 4 from 12:30 to 2 PM , get over to a Book Launch: “Globalizing Morocco” with Dr. David Stenner, hosted by Institute for Middle East Studies at GWU and Elliott School of International Affairs, 1957 E. St. NW, Room 505, WDC 20052.  The book will be available for purchase and a light lunch will be provided. The end of World War II heralded a new global order. Decolonization swept the world and the United Nations, founded in 1945, came to embody the hopes of the world's colonized people as an instrument of freedom. North Africa became a particularly contested region and events there reverberated around the world. In Morocco, the emerging nationalist movement developed social networks that spanned three continents and engaged supporters from CIA agents, British journalists, and Asian diplomats to a Coca-Cola manager and a former First Lady. The book traces how these networks helped the nationalists achieve independence—and then enabled the establishment of an authoritarian monarchy that persists today.

David Stenner tells the story of the Moroccan activists who managed to sway world opinion against the French and Spanish colonial authorities to gain independence, and in so doing illustrates how they contributed to the formation of international relations during the early Cold War. Looking at post-1945 world politics from the Moroccan vantage point, we can see fissures in the global order that allowed the peoples of Africa and Asia to influence a hierarchical system whose main purpose had been to keep them at the bottom. In the process, these anticolonial networks created an influential new model for transnational activism that remains relevant still to contemporary struggles. Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/574673363270180/

62] – There is usually a silent peace and justice vigil on Fridays, from 5 to 6 PM, sponsored by Homewood Friends Meeting, outside the Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St.  The next scheduled vigil is on Oct. 4. Black Lives Matter.

63] – On Fri., Oct. 4 from 5 to 9:30 PM, participate in the Chesapeake Film Festival Environmental Shorts and Reception, hosted by The Nature Conservancy MD/DC and Chesapeake Film Festival at the Avalon Theater, 114 S. Washington St., Easton, 21601-2912. Tickets are at chesapeakefilmfestival.com. Enjoy, for example, "Chesapeake Waterways," a series of documentary shorts directed by Dave Harp and Sandy Cannon-Brown.  TNC's Deborah Landau and Joe Fehrer are featured in the film and will join a post-screening panel discussion led by the filmmakers which will include Matt Pluta and Zack Kelleher of ShoreRivers and Alan Girard of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.  The rivers and creeks of Maryland’s Eastern Shore once seemed endless havens of beauty and abundance, but tragically we have polluted these treasures. Water quality is poor. Excess nutrients create algae growth, which chokes out light, oxygen, underwater grasses and estuarine life. But thanks to our professional and volunteer riverkeepers, there is hope. Dedicated scientists, environmental activists, educators, volunteers, and policy and legal advocates are working daily to protect and restore our rivers.  Visit http://chesapeakefilmfestival.com/video/environmental-shorts-1/ for tickets and more information.  Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/2469432796479418/.

64] – On Fri., Oct. 4 at 7 PM, see the film THE PUBLIC, as part of the First-Friday Free Film Screening/Peace Center of Delaware County, 1001 Old Sproul Road, Springfield, PA with doors open at 6:30 PM for refreshments. Directions and more are at www.delcopeacecenter.org . Or call the Brandywine Peace Community, 484-574-1148.

This is a film from Emilio Estevez (director of BOBBY and THE WAY) comes a tale of people cold and homeless inside one of the last 'places of democracy-in-action': a public library. Within their walls, we see manifested issues not just of homelessness, but of race, class, addiction, mental illness and income inequality.

  THE PUBLIC opens as its Cincinnati setting is experiencing a severe cold snap. All the shelters for homeless people are filled, and two have died from exposure. The public library is a daytime refuge for homeless people. Facing deadly temperatures, dozens of the library’s homeless regulars decide to stay the night beyond closing hours in an "occupy" type of action.  Tired and beside themselves, librarians, having built emotional connections with their homeless patrons, attempt to side with them. However, what begins as an act of civil disobedience becomes a stand-off with police, with rush-to-judgment media speculating about what’s "really happening,” and a political candidate seeing an opportunity to score points with the public.

The film is also written by Emilio Estevez, who stars as the head librarian.  The memorable cast includes Alec Baldwin, Jena Malone, Taylor Schilling, and Jeffrey Wright. Michael Kenneth Williams is particularly memorable as the homeless man who gives voice for the homeless 'occupiers.'  The story speaks honestly about two of our society's most challenging issues—homelessness and mental illness.

65] – On Fri., Oct. 4 from 7:30 to 9 PM, hear about Respect God's Creation- the Nonviolent Campaign to Stop the Atlantic Sunrise Gas Pipeline presented by Sr. Sara Dwyer at the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, 503 Rock Creek Church Rd. NW, WDC 20010.  The U.S. region of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, an international order of Catholic sisters, have been part of a nonviolent campaign to stop the construction of a natural gas pipeline underneath a strip of land they own in West Hempfield Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Despite the Adorers’ refusal to cooperate with this endeavor, the Williams Corporation and Transcontinental Pipe Line Co. (Transco) has gotten approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granting them the right to construct, maintain and operate a pipeline on this land for the Atlantic Sunrise Project.  The Adorers received a request from the grassroots coalition, Lancaster Against Pipelines, to install and use, and to invite other people of faith to use, a portable prayer “chapel” on their land. The purpose of this structure is to draw people to prayer and reflection about just and holy uses of land.

While the Adorers understand that the federal court order of eminent domain, once it goes into effect, can allow Williams/Transco to call for the removal of the “chapel” from the easement, they believe that having this structure on their land, for however long, gives tangible witness to the sacredness of Earth. In a legal case that attracted national attention, the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the fossil fuel industry over the religious freedoms of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ when they upheld the forced seizure of the Sisters’ land for a climate-warming pipeline. This project, and subsequent court ruling, represented a blatant violation of the Adorers’ deeply held religious convictions about the sacredness of the Earth. After a careful consideration of their options, the Adorers filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court on September 7, 2018. 

  Sr. Sara, a sister of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, will speak about her order's commitment to protect and care for God's creation and share the story of the inspiring faith-based nonviolent witness to stop the pipeline. As October 4 is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, she will also speak about the common threads of spirituality and mission of St. Francis, Dorothy Day and Pope Francis and how they invite us to be a Gospel witness today. For more info about the campaign to stop the pipeline see: https://adorers.org/pipeline/.  Contact the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker: 202-882-9649, artlaffin@hotmail.com

66] – There is an opportunity to participate in ballroom dancing, usually every Friday of the month in the JHU ROTC Bldg. at 8 PM.  Turn south on San Martin Dr. from the intersection of Univ. Parkway and 39th St.  Drive on campus by taking the third left turn. The next dance will be on Oct. 4. Call Dave Greene at 301-570-3283; or email eneergdivad@gmail.com
67] – On Sat., Oct. 5 from 8:30 AM to 6 PM, get on the Harriet Tubman Bus Tour,  hosted by the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park & Museum, 300 Oella Ave, Catonsville 21228.  Travel to the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Visitor Center. Visit over ten stops along the Underground Railroad Byway. Listen to Master Griot Janice Curtis Greene portraying Harriet Tubman as she unweaves stories and songs.  There is a cost to the bus trip.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/344882943058738/.

68] – These goods are WANTED:  Eyeglasses; Musical Instruments; Hearing Aids; Adult & Children’s Bicycles; Portable Sewing Machines; Women’s Pocketbooks; and Baseball Equipment. The churches of the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center in Columbia will send your no longer wanted items listed above to a needy family in Latin America, Africa or inner-city Baltimore. The sewing machines and musical instruments need to be in working order; the other items need not be.  Drop them off at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center parking lot on Twin Rivers Rd. on Sat., Oct. 5 from 9 AM to 1 PM.  Tax receipts will be given.  For further info, call Tom McCarthy at 301-774-7069.

69] – Tune in to the NATIONAL SOLAR TOUR by visiting 7116 Garland Ave., Takoma Park 20912 on Sat., Oct. 5 from 9 AM to 5 PM. Go to https://www.nationalsolartour.org/open-houses/1601/.

On Sun., Oct. 6 from 9:30 to 11:30 AM, visit 1715 Brisbane St., Silver Spring 20902.  See https://www.nationalsolartour.org/open-houses/3915. This weekend is a fantastic opportunity to visit one of the 850+ solar open houses and 79 local solar tours across the country, in your state, and near you!  See solar panels up close... Ask solar homeowners questions about how their solar systems work... Learn why people in your community made the choice to go solar... And connect with other people in your community who support solar energy!  The National Solar Tour is free and open to the public — everyone is welcome to attend. Whether you are a solar owner, completely new to solar, or somewhere in between – this event is for you. Email solartour@solarunitedneighbors.org.

70] – Hike the South Wind Loop Trail on Sat., Oct. 5 from 9 to 11 AM, organized by the Howard County Sierra Club Group at 6490 S. Wind Circle, Columbia 21044.Contact Bryan Gale at bryanmgale@gmail.com or (240) 593-8255. This is a short hike through “Forest, River, and Meadows” in the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area. Hike 2.3 miles through wooded and open meadow trails, stopping along the way to discuss the varied habitats of the area and how humans impact it. This hike is best for Adults and children 8 and older. Beginners welcome. Long pants and closed toed shoes recommended. Hat/Sunglasses, water bottle, sunscreen, and insect repellent advised. Any animals must be leashed.

71] – On Sat., Oct. 5 from 10 AM to 1 PM, get over to Bikemore and the Doors Open Bike Tour, hosted by the Baltimore Architecture Foundation at 2209 Maryland Ave., Baltimore 21218.  Bikemore will showcase some of the city's local bicycle infrastructure while visiting some of the Doors Open tours. Riders will visit various Doors Open Baltimore sites while cycling on bike friendly streets advocated by Bikemore. The ride will be at an easy slow pace and as flat as possible.

Bikemore is Baltimore’s livable streets advocacy organization. It advocates for policies and infrastructure that create thriving neighborhoods in Baltimore, and works to expand protected bicycle infrastructure between our neighborhoods and work within neighborhoods to ensure policies are in place so the goods and services people need are easily accessed on foot or by bike.  Focus on putting people before cars and expanding opportunity for all of Baltimore's residents.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/1300453670114734/.

72] – Enjoy Coffee and Conversation with Our Revolution Baltimore on Sat., Oct. 5 from 11 AM to 1 PM at R House, 301 W 29th St., Baltimore 21211.  Back on the job and need a break from the work grind? Formal meetings aren't your style? Just want a place to talk politics and activism? Have a question about or idea for OR Baltimore? If any of these apply to you, or you just want a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning, then come out for a fantastic monthly Coffee and Conversation with OR Baltimore. Email ormdbaltimore@gmail.com.

   Did you know that the General Motors CEO made $21.87 million in compensation last year, about 281 times the pay of the median worker? If she worked 40 hours a week, that works out to around $10,500 per hour! United Auto Workers (UAW) are striking nationwide against GM, and the UAW members who still remain at the closing White Marsh plant have joined the strike. The union is striking for fair wages and healthcare, a reversal on the recent closure of the White Marsh and other plants, and a path to permanent status for temporary workers. Join in solidarity with our fellow workers down at the White Marsh plant on Sat., Oct. 5 at 10 AM for a big rally! Gather at 10301 Philadelphia Road, White Marsh 21162.  Email ormdbaltimore@gmail.com.

73] – Each Saturday, 11 AM – 1 PM, Chester County Peace Movement holds a peace vigil in West Chester in front of the Chester County Courthouse, High & Market Sts. Go to www.ccpeace.org. Email ccpeacemovement@aol.com.  

74] –  Each fall the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space organizes Keep Space for Peace Week where it invites activists around the world to hold local events. And each October Baltimore peace groups participate in Keep Space for Peace Week by going to the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, Maryland.  As part of Keep Space for Peace Week, the Baltimore Nonviolence Center will organize a demonstration on Saturday, October 5 from 11 AM to noon at the NSA at Fort Meade. We will be leaving Baltimore at 10:15 AM.  If interested in joining us, contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at comcast dot net.

A letter to the director of the NSA and to the NSA Inspector General will be posted soon.  Also don’t miss the film OFFICIAL SECRETS, taken from a true story, in which the NSA is engaged in criminal activity. What Katherine Gun did in 2003 should give us all the courage to speak out. Join us on Saturday if you can.

75] –   On Sat., Oct. 5 from 5 to 7 PM, come to a Climate Action Open House, hosted by the Citizens Climate Lobby DC at HOLE IN THE SKY, 2110 5th St. NE, Unit 2, 2nd Floor, WDC 20002.  This festival-style open house features different stations with climate actions. Take action immediately and connect with the local movement for a national response to climate change. There will be a short presentation from people working on Juliana v. United States -- the groundbreaking youth-led legal case which argues that a safe climate is a constitutional right. There will be food! Please bring your own cup, plate, and silverware. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/370647860536985/.

76] – Two books by Fred Wilcox are still in print.  The first one is “Fighting the Lamb's War Skirmishes with the American Empire” by Philip Berrigan and Fred A. Wilcox with a FOREWORD by Tripp York.  It can be purchased by Wipf and Stock: https://wipfandstock.com/fighting-the-lamb-s-war.html.  It is a Memoir in paperback/ISBN: 9781532660078/240 pages/republished 8/21/2018/ Retail Price: $26.00/and Web Price: $20.80.

The second one is “Uncommon Martyrs The Berrigans, the Catholic Left, and the Plowshares Movement” by Fred Wilcox, who profiles members of this anti-war movement, whose Christianity compels them to acts of civil disobedience against the military industrial complex.  The ISBN is 0201522314/$6.50 for a hardcover, and it can be purchased at Powell's Books.  See https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/book-reviews/view/7094/uncommon-martyrs.

77] –   The Trump Administration is again beating the war drums.  Most recently, the target is Iran.  Should the Trump administration initiate an act of war against Iran, consider joining us. It is a violation of U.S. law for the Trump Administration to attack a country that has not attacked us, as only Congress can declare war. The Trump administration is nevertheless beating the war drums for war against Iran and Venezuela. Should a war criminal, John Bolton, convince Trump to attack either of these countries, such a military strike would demand an immediate and unequivocal response from us to show that we will not tolerate his abuse of power.

Let's mobilize to show that we the people will not tolerate another military adventure, which would be bound to have profound negative consequences. If a military strike against Iran or Venezuela takes place, then meet at 33rd and N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218. If the attack is before 2 PM local time, then the event will begin at 5 PM, local time. If the attack occurs after 5 PM local time, then the event will begin at 5 PM, local time, the following day. Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.   

78] -- If you would like to get rid of books, videos, DVDs, records, tarps and table cloths, contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at comcast.net.

79] -- Can you use any book shelves? Contact Max at 410-323-1637 or mobuszewski2001 at comcast.net.

80] -- Join an extraordinary global campaign for the elimination of nuclear weapons: http://www.globalzero.org/sign-declaration. A growing group of leaders around the world is calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons and a majority of the global public agrees.  This is an historic window of opportunity.  With momentum already building in favor of Zero, a major show of support from people around the world could tip the balance. When it comes to nuclear weapons, one is one too many.

81] – A Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil takes place every day in Lafayette Park, 1601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 24 hours a day, since June 3, 1981. Go to http://prop1.org; call 202-682-4282.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

“One is called to live nonviolently, even if the change one works for seems impossible. It may or may not be possible to turn the US around through nonviolent revolution. But one thing favors such an attempt: the total inability of violence to change anything for the better" - Daniel Berrigan

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