Baltimore Activist Alert

Baltimore Activist Alert June 20 – June 26, 2011

 

"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] Bring the World Home continues        

7] Art Along the Trials – through Sept. 3

8] Protest the death penalty – June 20    

9] Marc Steiner on WEAA – June 20 – June 23

10] Men & Fatherhood – June 20

11] Conference of Mayors planning meeting – June 13

12] MoveOn meeting – June 13

13] Celebrate new Solidarity Center space – June 13

14] Paths to Peace – June 13

15] Help support South Sudan students -- June 13

16] Call Eric Holder – June 14

17] Computers & Privacy conference – June 14

18] War Is Not the Answer demo – June 14

19] New Media & Your Rights – June 14   

20] Film class – June 14

21] Film STEALING TRUST – June 14

22] Rebelling against Economic Tyranny – June 14

23] Support David House – June 15

24] Elder Abuse Awareness – June 15

25] Philadelphia peace vigil – June 15

26] Cut military spending talk – June 15

27] WIB Frederick vigil – June 15

28] Chestnut Hill, PA vigil – June 15

29] Energy Efficiency Expo – June 16

30] Palestine/Israel Roundtable – June 16

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1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available.  "God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions" stickers are in stock. Donate your books to Max. Call him 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. The coffee comes in one-pound bags.

 

Fill out the form and mail it with a check made out to HOCOFOLA on or before the second week of the month.  Be sure you indicate ground or beans for each type of coffee ordered.  Send it to Adela Hirsch, 5358 Eliots Oak Rd., Columbia, MD 21044.  Be sure you indicate ground (G) or bean (B) for each type of coffee ordered. The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you will be notified where to pick it up.  Contact Adela at 410-997-5662 or via e-mail at adela4peace@verizon.net.

 

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] – Catch the "Bringing the World Home" exhibit in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps!  The exhibit is in the UMBC Library Rotunda through the end of the semester and consists of 5 display cases featuring photos and artifacts from UMBC's faculty, staff and students who have served in the Peace Corps, including many current and alumni Shriver Peaceworker Fellows.  The center case features pieces from the Peace Corps founding era (a tribute to Sarge Shriver!) and the surrounding case highlight experiences from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, and the Americas.  If you are coming from off campus, give Joby Taylor a call at (410) 455-6398, and he will give you a tour.

 

7] – Art Along the Trails continues at Carrie Murray Nature Center Leakin/Gwynne Falls Park, 1901 Ridgetop Road, Baltimore, MD 21207.  The exhibit is up through Sept. 3.

 

8] – Members of Fund Our Communities plan to gather on Mon., June 20 at 8:45 AM outside the Hilton Hotel at the Inner Harbor, 401 West Pratt Street,  21201 as the U.S. Conference of Mayors vote on a resolution calling for an immediate end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and to redirect the savings to urgent needs at home.  At 11:45 AM, FOC activists will attend the press conference after the vote.  If you want to carpool to the Hilton, be at the Safeway, 25th & Charles Sts., at 8:15 AM.  Call Max at 410-366-1637.

 

9] – There is usually a vigil to abolish the death penalty every Monday from 5 to 6 PM, outside the prison complex and across the street from Maryland's Super Max Prison, at the corner of Madison Ave. and Fallsway in Baltimore.  Recently death row was moved out of Baltimore, but it was decided to continue the vigil. The next one is scheduled for Mon., June 20. Call 410-366-1637.

 

10] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Thursday from 5 to 7 PM 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.   

 

11] – On Mon., June 20 from 6 to 7:30 PM at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 1525 Newton St. NW, there will be a discussion with Jeremy Adam Smith "Switch Hitting: How Women's Soaring Economic Power is Changing Men and Fatherhood." Women now represent half the U.S. workforce.  It is clear that most women have learned to switch hit—to play equally well in the workforce as in the family.  Author Smith explores why the next step in the gender revolution is up to men--and how they can be mobilized for truly family-friendly policies.

 

12] –  See the film "Finding Our Voices: Stories of American Dissent" on Mon., June 20 at 6:30 PM at the New Deal Cafe in Roosevelt Center, 113 Centerway, Greenbelt, MD.  The free screening starts at 7 PM, but an optional vegan meal will be served at 6:30 PM.  The discussion will be led by Laurel Jensen, coordinating producer of this Dream Catcher Films 2008 documentary about the post-9/11/2001 anti-war movement.  Go to www.findingourvoices.com.

 

This "Reel & Meal at the New Deal" program is part of the City of Greenbelt's Peace Month. It was planned by the Prince George's County Peace & Justice Coalition, one of several organizations who sponsor the third-Mondays film series to raise awareness of, and inspire action on, their social and environmental concerns. Email justpeacepg@earthlink.net or call 301-577-2350.

 

13] – On Mon., June 20 at 7 PM, hear a discussion "Finding a Path to Peace:  Why Christian, -Muslim relations matter," the third of a series ("Islam: A Religion of Peace or of Terrorism?" with speaker Imam Johari Abdul Malik," of three weekly Monday evening presentations in June led by Rev. Dr. Clark Lobenstine at St. Rose of Lima parish Woodlands Building – Duggan Room, 11701 Clopper Road, Gaithersburg, MD.  Email Kathryn Heetderks at kheetderks@strose.com.  Register at http://www.strose-parish.org/site_swish/adults.html.

 

14] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore usually meets on Mondays at 7:30 PM, and the meetings now take place at Max's residence.  At the next meeting on June 20, the agenda will include a review of the Conference of Mayors, the annual 4^th of July visit to the NSA and a Hiroshima-Nagasaki commemoration.  To get directions, call Max at 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net. 

 

15] – Max Obuszewski was arrested with 32 others on March 20 outside the Quantico Marine Corps Base protesting the inhumane treatment of Pfc. Bradley Manning.  He is scheduled to appear at 9:30 AM for a district court bench trial facing two charges—malicious obstruction of traffic and failure to disperse—and the maximum sentence is a year in jail, fines and court costs. The trial will take place in Prince William County, Virginia. At the district court level, there are separate trials for about 15 defendants, as others pled guilty.  If we are each convicted, we will appeal and try to consolidate the cases at the circuit court level and seek jury trials.  Call Max at 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net. 

 

16] – Protest Corporations Who Pay No Federal Taxes on Tues., June 21 at 10 AM at McPherson Square, 15th & I St. Sts., NW.  Join ONE DC as the group opposes Bank of America's tax evasion and call for new sources of revenue from large corporations as an alternative to spending cuts to Save Our Homes! There will be a march to Bank of America, 730 15th St. NW. RSVP to Dyana Forester at dforester@onedconline.org.

 

17] – Palestinian Authority-Hamas Unity Agreement to be explored by Dr. Matti Steinberg on Tues., June 21 at noon at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW. WDC.  The discussion will look at the agreement in the context of the growing protests throughout the Middle East and the roles of Israel and the Arab states in the coming months.  RSVP to info@fmep.org or call 202-835-3650.

 

18] –. On Tues., June 21 from noon to 1:30 PM, explore The Humanitarian Law Project Decision: Problems for Peacebuilding, Aid, and Free Speech One Year Later at the First Amendment Lounge at the National Press Club, 529 14th St., NW, WDC 20045.  The Charity and Security Network invites you to this discussion about the far-reaching effects of the Supreme Court's ruling in Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project and learn what the Administration and Congress can do to remedy these problems.   Ambassador Nancy E. Soderberg, president of The Connect U.S. Fund and a former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. will make a special announcement during the event. There are four speakers and a moderator.  Lunch will be provided for this free event.  RSVP at ssazawal@charityandsecurity.org.

 

19] – There is a vigil to say "War Is Not the Answer" each Tuesday since September 11, 2001 at 4806 York Road. Join this ongoing vigil.  The next vigil is June 21 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM.  Call Max at 410-366-1637.

 

20] – At the Baltimore Free School, 1323 N. Calvert St. from 6 to 9 PM on Tues., June 21, Ben McCusker will continue with his film screening and discussion class.  Go to www.freeschool.redemmas.org. 

 

21] – There will be a training: The Media & Your Message (Be Heard!) on Tues., June 21 from  6:30 to 8:30 PM at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, FBR Branch @ THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave., SE (Southern Ave. Metro/Green Line with parking available. Empower DC & DC Jobs with Justice present this Grassroots Leadership Education Program. The facilitator will be the director of the Praxis Project-Makani Themba-Nixon.  RSVP to Parisa at (202) 234-9119 or Parisa@EmpowerDC.org.

 

22] – The Baltimore Food & Faith Project's 2011 Annual Summer Film Series presents this film "Vanishing of the Bees" which examines the alarming disappearance of honeybees and the greater meaning it holds about the relationship between humankind and mother earth. Enjoy some locally grown popcorn and afterwards, discuss as a group how we can help bring back our bees. See it on Tues., June 21 at 7 PM at Stony Run Friends Meeting House, 5116 N. Charles St.  Call 410-502-5069.

 

23] – From Wed., June 22 through Sat., June 25, Witness Against Torture returns to Washington, D.C. On Jun. 22, there is a DAY OF PREPARATION, which includes a noon to 2 PM vigil at the Department of Justice and a 5 PM dinner at St. Stephen's, followed by a 6:30 PM action planning meeting.  On Thurs., June 23, there will be a DAY OF ACTION starting at an 11 AM solemn procession from the White House to the Department of Justice to the Supreme Court to Congress.  On Fri., June 24 it will be a DAY OF FASTING.  Vigil at the DOJ from noon to 2 PM.  On Sat., June 25, join a DAY OF SOLIDARITY from 7 AM to 7 PM for a vigil at the White House with the Torture Abolition Survivor's Support Coalition.  Go to www.witnesstorture.org. RSVP at fast@witnesstorture.org.

 

 

24] – Each Wednesday from 4:30 - 5:30 PM, the House of Grace Catholic Worker holds a weekly vigil for peace in Iraq outside the Phila. Federal Building, 6th & Market Sts. The next vigil is June 22. Call 215-426-0364.

 

 

25] – Each Wednesday, the Northwest Greens hold a peace vigil from 7 to 8 PM outside the Borders Book Store, Germantown Ave. at Bethlehem Pike in Chestnut Hill, PA. The next vigil is June 22. Call 215-843-4256 or email nwgreens@yahoo.com.  

 

26] -- Pray for Peace at 7:30 PM on Wed., June 22 at St. Ignatius Church, 740 N. Calvert St., Baltimore.  Contact Charles Cloughen at 410-321-0199 or frcharles@verizon.net.

 

27] – The WEEKLY ROUNDTABLE SEEKING A JUST PEACE IN PALESTINE/ISRAEL takes place from 12:30 - 1:30 PM on Thursdays at Potter's House, 1658 Columbia Road NW, WDC.  Join a civil discourse which explores the history, issues, myths, realities, and truth of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Contact Alice Azzouzi at 202-232-5483.

 

To be continued.