Friday, April 30, 2010

Baltimore Activist Alert - Part 1

Baltimore Activist Alert Apr. 30 – May. 17, 2010

 

"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 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski [at] verizon.net.

 

The Baltimore IndyMedia Center publicizes peace-related events. Go to http://www.radicalendar.org/group/_baltimore.

 

1] Books, buttons and stickers

2] Web site for info on federal legislation

3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists  

4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLA  

5] Used stamps for humanitarian causes

6] A cat needs a home – ASAP

7] Footprints for Peace – to May 1

8] Protest high utility rates – Apr. 30

9] White House vigil – Apr. 30        

10] Justice for Palestine/Israel vigil – Apr. 30

11] WIB Inner Harbor vigil – Apr. 30

12] WIB Roland Park vigil – Apr. 30      

13] Homewood vigil -- Apr. 30

14] Film CAMDEN 28 – Apr. 30              

15] NPT Review Conference – Apr. 30 – May 2

16] Vigil at Walter Reed – Apr. 30

17] Anti-Hate Crimes March – Apr. 30

18] Ballroom dancing – Apr. 30

19] Immigrant Rights March – May 1              

20] Youth Peace Conference – May 1              

21] Olney vigil to end the war – May 1                              

22] Visit Timore-Leste Embassy – May 1 

23] Peace vigil in Chester, PA – May 1

24] Our Harbor Day – May 1

25] Peace vigil at Capitol – May 1                    

26] International Workers Day – May 1

27] Homeless Shelter Benefit – May 1

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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 410-366-1637.

 

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 donmuller@msn.com.  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] – You can help safeguard human rights and fragile ecosystems through your purchase of HOCOFOLA Café Quetzal. Bags of ground coffee or whole beans can be ordered by mailing in an order form. Also note organic cocoa and sugar are for sale.  For more details and to download the order form, go to http://friendsoflatinamerica.typepad.com/hocofola/2010/02/hocofola-cafe-quetzal-order-form-2010.html.

 

Be sure you indicate ground (G) or bean (B) for each type of coffee ordered. Make the check out to HoCoFoLA and send it with your order form to Nancy Meier, 10 Pepperdine Circle, Catonsville, MD 21228.  Contact Pat McLaine at 410-964-0960 or pamcl@aol.com.  The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you will be notified where to pick it up.

 

5] – Brad Hathaway spearheads an effort to sell donated used stamps to raise money for different humanitarian causes around the world. Go to www.mattapoisettquakers.org, and click the link for the stamp ministry.  Carefully clip canceled postage stamps and send to Quaker Missions, PO Box 795, Mattapoisett, MA 02739. Send no small flag stamps or Liberty Bell Forever stamps.

 

6] –A sweet young gray and white female cat, fixed of course, needs a new home, because her daddy is moving to Beirut, Lebanon to live with his new wife! All the supplies come with her-litter box and litter, food, flea meds. Contact Ellen Barfield at ellene4pj@yahoo.com to give this lovely companion a warm and inviting home.

 

7] –  Footprints for Peace, an International Peace Walk, has started its march from the Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, TN and is heading for the United Nations, aiming to arrive on Sat., May 1.  Go to http://footprintsforpeace.tripod.com/E10/NPT/npt_walk.htm.

 

8] – Responding to public complaints over high gas and electric bills, the MD Coalition for BGE Re-regulation will hold a demonstration outside of the Public Service Commission at 6 St. Paul St. on Fri., Apr. 30 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM.  The Coalition is calling for the P.S.C. to hold public hearings to determine how well BGE is working with the public to avoid shut-offs, and to hear proposals for cost reduction strategies. So far the P.S.C. has refused to give a definitive answer to the Coalition’s request for public hearings. Contact Leo Burroughs at 410-523-6118.

 

9] – A peace vigil takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM at Lafayette Park facing the White House.  Join the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker and friends. Contact Art Laffin: artlaffin@hotmail.com 

 

10] – A vigil for Justice in Palestine/Israel (now in its 8th year) takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM at 19th & JFK Blvd., Philadelphia (across from Israeli Consulate.  It is sponsored by Bubbies & Zaydes (Grandparents) for Peace in the Middle East. Email cswartz@pil.net. Go to http://phillyjewishpeace.org/.

 

11] – Every Friday from noon to 1 PM, Women in Black, Baltimore, host a vigil at Pratt and Light Sts. in the Inner Harbor. Peace signs and flyers about the siege will be available. See http://www.peacepath911.com/ or write wibbaltimore@hotmail.com or call 410-467-9114.

12] – There is also a noon vigil, weather permitting, on Fri., Apr. 30 at Roland Park Place at 830 W. 40th St.  Call 410-467-9114

 

13] – There is a silent vigil on Fri., Apr. 30 from 5 to 6 PM outside of Homewood Friends Meeting, 3107 N. Charles St., in opposition to war with Iraq. Placards say: "War Is Not the Answer." The silent vigil is sponsored by AFSC, Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings.

 

14] – The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee is hosting its latest FILM & SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS DVD SERIES. The theme is Seeking the Truth Through Documentaries.   The fourth film in the series is THE CAMDEN 28 [USA, 2006], and it will be shown on Fri., Apr. 30 at a private home.  If interested in seeing the DVD, RSVP to Max at 410-366-1637.

 

As director, Anthony Giacchino uncovers a gripping lost chapter in the history of human rights activism with this documentary, reminiscence about a predominantly Catholic group's efforts to defy the Vietnam War by compromising the Selective Service System. More than 30 years after they were tried and cleared of breaking into a Camden federal building in a botched attempt to destroy draft records, these men and women are still the coolest cats in the room, recalling from the same courtroom where they were prosecuted how their nonviolent resistance to the war was a moral duty consistent with their Catholic faith. Most of the film takes place outside the courtroom with a mix of interviews and archival footage through which the struggle of the Camden 28's decision to confront the government's exploitation of the poor comes alive.  

 

Doors open at 7 PM, and the DVD starts at 7:30 PM.  There is no charge, and refreshments will be available.  A discussion will follow.

15] – United for Peace and Justice is calling for citizens to come to New York City on the eve of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, Apr. 30 - May 2.  Thousands of people from around the world will gather for a weekend of inspiring and powerful activities to demand that President Obama and the leaders of the other nuclear-armed nations commence negotiations on a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons.  To join the UFPJ Nuclear Disarmament/Redefining Security working group, contact its convener, Jackie Cabasso: wslf@earthlink.net or 510-839-5877.

16] – SHED LIGHT ON US WAR CASUALTIES: FROM THE FRONT LINE TO THE BACK DOOR of Walter Reed Army Medical Center (North Gate), every Friday night, from 7 to 9 PM in the middle of the 7100 block of Georgia Ave., NW. The vigil calls for peace, care for the wounded, and full benefits for all veterans.  Contact Bruce Wolf - Haunteddog@aol.com.

 

17] – On Fri., Apr. 30, Trans-United and its many allies are having a candle light vigil to address the recent hate crimes against LGBTQIA people. The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersexed, and Androgynous people of Baltimore are not having it.  There will be a six-block march starting at Mount Royal and North Aves. at 7 PM and ending at the corner of Maryland and North Aves. There will be speakers, music and prayer.  Donations will be collected to pay for a No More Hate Crime Banner and t-shirts for the Gay Pride parade in June.  Call 410-685-6567 or go to www.equalitymaryland.org.

18] –  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 Apr. 30. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

19] – March for Immigrant Rights with the Trail of DREAMs on Sat., May 1 from 9 AM to 2 PM. Gather at Tenants and Workers United offices, 3801 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria VA.  Join the Trail of DREAMs as they conclude their 1,500 mile journey from Miami to DC to support immigrant rights. They've walked from the tip of Florida through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia - 1,500 miles - calling for solutions to our failed immigration system and facing intense anti-immigrant sentiment, including the KKK, along the way. Walk with Gaby, Luis, Felipe and Carlos on their final six mile walk into Washington, D.C. for a rally for immigrant rights in Lafayette Park

20] – On Sat., May 1, there is a Youth Peace Conference at Montgomery College – Takoma Campus (optional day of service on May 2.) Young people will be leading some of the interesting workshops that will be held, and there will be a report back in the afternoon and at least two Montgomery County Council members will be in attendance.  Call 301-570-0923. Go to http://conference.peaceactionmc.org/ for specific info about the conference sponsored by Peace Action Montgomery.   

21] – The Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste requests the pleasure of your company to an exhibition featuring the country’s historical photographs, tourism, handicraft and traditional dress on Sat., May 1 from 10 AM to 4 PM at 4201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 504, WDC  20008.  Call 202-966-3202.  During the exhibition, the embassy will serve Timorese organic coffee and lemon leaves. A box of organic coffee will also be given to visitors. The Expo is free and open for the public.

 

22] – Friends House, 17715 Meeting House Rd., Sandy Spring, MD 20860, hosts a peace vigil every Saturday, 10:30 to 11:30 AM, on the corner of Rt. 108 and Georgia Ave. in Olney, MD.  The next vigil is May 1. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167. 

 

23] –  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.

 

24] – Begin on Sat., May 1 at 11 AM at 2640 St. Paul St. before marching to the Inner Harbor.  Join with the United Workers and celebrate Our Harbor Day by being at the participation plays – one each on Work, the Earth, Education and Harriet Tubman.  The last play will be performed after a parade to City Hall.   Go to the website to see the schedule:  www.unitedworkers.org.  Everyone is welcome to participate on Saturday, but RSVP at 410-230-1998 or info@unitedworkers.org.

 

25] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on May 1. Look for the blue banner with the message, "Seek Peace and Pursue It.--Psalms 34:14." The vigil lasts one hour and is silent except when one responds to the occasional questions. Go to http://www.quaker.org/langleyhill/seekpeace.htm or email seekpeacevigil@yahoo.com.

 

26] -- On Sat., May 1 celebrate International Worker's Day and support the nearly 25 years of work of Howard County Friends of Latin America (HoCoFoLA). If you cannot attend, you can still support our efforts by sending a donation to HoCoFoLA, PO Box 94, Columbia, MD 21045.

 

The event is from 6 to 9 PM at the Owen Brown Community Center, 6800 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD 21045.  Enjoy food, music, dance and a silent auction.  Admission is $10 per adult & $5 per child, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Go to www.friendsoflatinamerica.org or contact Michael Alicea at 410-997-5662 (bronxny711@verizon.net).

 

The Silent Auction items and rules have been added to the website. There are over 40 items that you can choose from. Go to http://friendsoflatinamerica.typepad.com/silent_auction_2010/.  The on line bidding closes on Sat., May 1 at 5 PM

 

27] – Gimme Shelter Productions continues to do consciousness/fundraising events about the plight of the homeless and for the shelters that serve them. On Sat., May 1 at 7 PM, there will be a benefit performance, featuring music & poetry by Suzanne X, Ron Williams et al.  The benefit will take place at Peace & a Cup of Joe, 713 W. Pratt St. Admission is $5.  Call 443-869-4515. Go to www.awareandoutraged.wordpress.com.

 

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

 

"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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