Baltimore Activist Alert June 27 – June 30, 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] National HIV Testing Day – June 27
9] Human Rights on the Hill – June 27 – July 1
10] Protest the death penalty – June 27
11] Marc Steiner on WEAA – June 27 – June 30
12] Cardin supports war on Libya – June 27
13] Book talk NATURE ETHICS – June 27
14] Meet to plan visit to NSA and other places – June 27
15] Toxic chemicals conversation -- June 28
16] EPA reps define water pollution -- June 28
17] Chaos in Choco – June 28
18] War Is Not the Answer demo – June 28
19] Film class – June 28
20] See two environmental films – June 28
21] Film STEALING TRUST – June 28 & July 11
22] CPT in Palestine – June 28
23] Organize for Wind Power campaign – June 28, 29 & 30
24] Starving For Justice Fast & Vigil – June 28-July 2
25] Pakistan's Nukes – June 29
26] Philadelphia peace vigil – June 29
27] Film THE TIME THAT REMAINS – June 29
28] Chestnut Hill, PA vigil – June 29
29] Palestine/Israel Roundtable – June 30
------
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] – Monday, June 27 is NATIONAL HIV TESTING DAY!! The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one out of five people living with HIV in the U.S. are unaware of their HIV Status. National HIV Testing Day's message - "Take the Test, Take Control" - emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and treatment for those who are HIV positive. Go to www.napwa.org or www.hivtest.org or www.gytnow.org.
9] – The 10th Annual Human Rights on the Hill is happening Mon., June 27 from 9:30 AM until Fri., July 1 at 4:30 PM at UDC David A. Clarke School of Law, 4200 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC 20008. It will explore a Decade of Direct Action & Diplomacy, Initiating a Peoples' Revolution for Human Rights in America and Abroad and Implementing International Human Rights Law in Our Domestic & Foreign Policy. Several groups are sponsoring this event. Go to http://www.law.udc.edu/events/event_details.asp?id=164151. Contact Joe Libertelli at 202-273-7338 or jfl@udc.edu.
10] – 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 27. Call 410-366-1637.
11] – 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.
12] – On Mon., June 27 at 6 PM at the World Trade Center, 401 E. Pratt St., the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs is hosting "...to the Shores of Tripoli: Democracy on the March in a post bin Laden World with Sen. Ben Cardin and members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. The event is limited to members and guests. At 5:15 PM, there will be a reception followed by the 6 PM address. Reservations are required and may be made by phone (410-727-2150), fax (410-727-2174), email (bcfaprograms@verizon.net), and via the Council's website (www.bcfausa.org).
13] – On Mon., June 27 at 7 PM at Red Emma's, 800 St. Paul St., hear Marti Kheel talk about her book "Nature Ethics: An Ecofeminist Perspective," In her ground-breaking book, she explores the underlying worldview of leading figures in the field of "nature ethics" (more commonly known as "environmental ethics"). Examining the influence of gender on environmental thought, she critiques an orientation which seeks to save the "Wolf" by killing wolves. Kheel offers a reminder that nature ethics must include empathy and care for individual animals as well as concern for larger wholes like "species," "the ecosystem" or "the land." She co-founded Feminists for Animal Rights in 1982, holds a doctorate from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and is a visiting scholar at U.C. Berkeley at the Division of Society and Environment. Email info@redemmas.org or call 410-230-0450.
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 4th of July visit to the National Security Agency and a Hiroshima-Nagasaki commemoration. To get directions, call Max at 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net.
The plan is to go to the NSA at 10 AM on Monday, July 4 for a one-hour demonstration. In the evening Cindy and Sharon will host a potluck gathering. Please RSVP as to your interest in visiting the NSA and/or the potluck.
15] – Would you like to join a conversation that has just started about how to create more support for environment and health causes, and particularly for the Healthy Kids Healthy Maryland campaign. The conversation will be on Tues., June 28 from 1 to 3 PM at 2 East Read St., 8th floor Levi Conference Room. RSVP to Rebecca Ruggles, coordinator, The Green Funders, at rebeccaruggles@verizon.net. Sarah Doll, national coordinator of SAFER States, will speak by videophone about how other states have been moving forward on chemical reform. SAFER States is "a coalition of states who are in the lead in championing solutions to protect public health and communities from toxic chemicals." Maryland is one of those states, with a pending proposal for comprehensive chemical reform which will come up for consideration next session.
16] – Join EPA & Hip Hop Caucus @ Bus Boys and Poets, Cullen Room, 1025 5th St. NW, (at K St.), WDC on Tues., June 28 at 2 PM. This will be a small meeting with senior officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to discuss the draft guidance for determining whether a waterway, water body or wetland is protected by the Clean Water Act. Light refreshments will be provided. RSVP to Jennifer Bynoe at 202.293.5902 or events@hiphopcaucus.org.
17] – On Tues., June 28 from 4 to 5 PM, the Washington Office on Latin American and AFRODES-USA invites all to a discussion on "Changing Course: A Prominent Leader's View on How to Address the Needs of Afro-Colombians, Indigenous, and Displaced Persons in the Chocó" at WOLA's office, 1666 Connecticut Ave. NW, 4th Floor Conference Room, WDC. It will feature Zulia Mena, Afro-Colombian Activist from Quibdó, Chocó, who will present her perspective of the current political, social, and economic challenges facing the Chocó. She will also provide recommendations for how national and international authorities can help Chocoans address the institutional crisis in the region and build the capacity of people to attend to the vast needs of Afro-Colombians living in Chocó. Simultaneous translation from Spanish to English will be provided.
18] – 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 28 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Call Max at 410-366-1637.
19] – At the Baltimore Free School, 1323 N. Calvert St. from 6 to 9 PM on Tues., June 28, Ben McCusker will continue with his film screening and discussion class. Go to www.freeschool.redemmas.org.
20] – Watch a double feature: "The Plow That Broke the Plains" & "The River" on Tues., June 28, 6:30 to 9 PM at the Accokeek Foundation, 3400 Bryan Point Road. "The Plow That Broke the Plains" is a 1936 film that explores the factors that led to the formation of the Great Plains Dust Bowl. "The River," from the following year, documents the growth of trade and travel along, and subsequent weakening of, the Mississippi River. Call 301-283-2113 or go to http://accokeekfoundation.org/.
21] – See the film "STEALING TRUST: MARYLANDERS SPEAK OUT ON SCAMS, FRAUDS AND FINANCIAL ABUSE" sponsored by the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition as part of its work to protect the interests of Maryland consumers through education and advocacy and to ensure fairness and safety in the marketplace (www.marylandconsumers.org). It is co-sponsored by the Megaphone Project, a Baltimore-based media maker that amplifies the voice of under-served communities by producing film and media messages that inspire action and create social change. (www.Megaphoneproject.org).
There are two upcoming screenings. On Tues., June 28 at 7 PM, Red Emma's, 800 St. Paul St., will host a showing. Or see the documentary on Mon., July 11 at 6 PM at the Southeast Anchor Library, 3601 Eastern Ave., Baltimore MD. You hire a contractor to renovate your home but he walks off with your life savings and leaves you with an empty shell. You sign up with a company that promises to settle your debts, pay thousands of dollars but end up deeper in debt and more desperate than ever. You lose your job and contact your lender about modifying your mortgage but the banker ignores the law and evicts you from your home. The new documentary film "Stealing Trust" examines how bad things can happen to good people and what we can do to stop the financial abuses that cause such tragedies. Contact Franz Schneiderman at 410.624.8981.
22] – On Tues., June 28 at 7 PM, the Emergence Community Arts Collective and Aaron Cobet will host Rich Meyer to talk about Christian Peacemaker Teams [CPT] 733 Euclid St. NW, WDC 20001, A Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) is a living answer to the question, "what would happen if Christians devoted the same discipline and self-sacrifice to nonviolent peacemaking that armies devote to war?" Rich organizes tours through Palestine for CPT. These teams seek to follow God's Spirit as it works through local peacemakers who risk injury and death by waging nonviolent direct action to confront systems of violence and oppression. Visit http://www.cpt.org/. Go to www.ecacollective.org.
23] – CCAN is preparing for a wind power campaign in Annapolis in 2012. The organization is looking for you to help a local wind campaign network in Baltimore, Prince George's County or Montgomery County and do calls. In each area there will be two core teams working on two key goals this summer and into the fall – doing door to door neighborhood outreach and community events, and organizing town hall meetings and other special events.
Contact Keith Harrington, CCAN [mailto:maryland@chesapeakeclimate.org] to sign up for a call:
Prince George's: Neighborhood Outreach Team Call, Tues., June 28 at 7 PM; Prince George's: Town Hall and Special Events Team Call, June 28 at 7 PM; Baltimore Area: Neighborhood Outreach Team Call, Wed., June 29 at 7 PM; Baltimore Area: Town Hall and Special Events Team Call, June 29 at 7 PM; Montgomery County: Neighborhood Outreach Team Call, Thurs., June 30 at 7 PM; and Montgomery County: Town Hall and Special Events Team Call, June 30 at 7 PM.
24] – Starving for Justice, the annual Fast & Vigil at the U.S. Supreme Court, will be held June 29 to July 2 daily from 8:30 AM until 8 PM to commemorate two important Court rulings: Furman in 1972 and Gregg, four years and four days later. The four-day Fast & Vigil takes place on the sidewalk in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, considered by many to be the heart of the legalized killing machines in this country. Fasting starts at 12:01 AM on June 29 and participants break fast at midnight on July 2. Participants are invited to sleep out in front of the courts on the night of July 1. Participate with the Abolitionist Action Committee (AAC). Go to http://www.abolition.org/fastandvigil/.
The adjacent United Methodist Building will be open the entire time for air conditioning, bathrooms and for drinks. Join the roving vigil at any point throughout the days by checking out a museum or the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival WHILE WEARING ABOLITIONWEAR and leafleting D.C. crowds.
On Tues., June 28 at 9 PM, there will be a Last Supper as a group at the Capital City Brewing Company, 2 Mass. Ave. NE. The phone there is 202-842-2337, and food orders must be placed no later than 10 PM. At 11:30 PM, the fasters will head over to the court for a midnight opening gathering to start the fast together. They will vigil until 12:30 AM.
June 29 marks the 39th anniversary of the 1972 Furman v. Georgia decision in which the U.S. Supreme Court found the death penalty to be applied in an arbitrary and capricious manner. July 2 marks the 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court's 1976 decision in Gregg V. Georgia, in which new death penalty laws were upheld and state-sponsored prisoner killings were allowed to resume.
On Wed., June 29, from 6 to 8 PM, there will be an Abolition Teach-In featuring Delia Perez-Meyer (death row family member from Texas), Marilyn Shankle-Grant (death row family member from Texas), Mike Stark (local activist with Campaign to End the Death Penalty), Phyllis Prentice (Witness to Innocence board member) and Shujaa Graham (California death row exoneree from Witness to Innocence).
On Thurs., June 30 from 6 to 8 PM, there will be an Abolition Teach-In featuring a "Maryland Night" with Abraham J. Bonowitz (emcee from the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty), Jane Henderson (Executive Director of Maryland Citizens Against State Executions), Bonnita Spikes (murder victim family member and member of Governor O'Malley's Board of Victim's Services), the Honorable Michael G. Summers (Delegate to the Maryland House of Delegates), and Randy Steidl (Illinois death row exoneree from Witness to Innocence.
25] – On Wed., June 29 from noon-1:30 p.m., the Federation of American Scientists is hosting Charles Blair and Hans Kristensen who will discuss "Growing Terrorist Threat to Pakistan's Nuclear Arsenal" at the Hunan Dynasty, 215 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, WDC. RSVP by June 27 to rsvp@fas.org.
26] – 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 29. Call 215-426-0364.
27] – As part of the Voices of Palestine Film Series, you can see the film "The Time That Remains" on Wed., June 29 at 6:30 PM at The Jerusalem Fund, 2425 Virginia Ave. NW, WDC 20037. It is a humorous, heartbreaking film composed of autobiographical episodes from the life of writer/director Elia Suleiman. The film explores life among the Israeli Arab community, and is shot largely in homes and places in which Suleiman's family once lived. Inspired by his father's diaries, letters his mother sent to family members who had fled the Israeli occupation, and the director's own recollections, the film spans from 1948 until the present, recounting the saga of the filmmaker's family in subtly hilarious vignettes. Inserting himself as a silent observer reminiscent of Buster Keaton, Suleiman trains a keen eye on the absurdities of life in Nazareth.
This film is the first in the "Voices of Palestine" Summer 2011 Film Series. The annual film series is hosted jointly by The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development and The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University. All films are in English or have English subtitles, and there is no charge. Contact The Jerusalem Fund at 202-338-1958 or info@thejerusalemfund.org.
28] – 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 29. Call 215-843-4256 or email nwgreens@yahoo.com.
29] – 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.
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. 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
No comments:
Post a Comment