Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Baltimore Activist Alert - Part 1

Baltimore Activist Alert Sept. 7 – Sept. 13, 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.

 

Tune into the Maryland Progressive Blog at http://mdprogblog.org.

   

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] Protest fracking -- Sept. 7-8

7] Philadelphia peace vigil – Sept. 7

8] City Council 10TH District candidate debate – Sept. 7

9] City Council 11TH District candidate debate – Sept. 7

10] Chestnut Hill Peace Vigil – Sept. 7

11] Shoulder-to-Shoulder – Sept. 8

12] Nuke weapons testing demo – Sept. 8

13] ANA benefit – Sept. 8

14] Pax Christi Momentum – Sept. 8

15] Film SHOUTING IN THE DARK – Sept. 8

16] New Jim Crow – Sept. 8

17] Town Hall planning meeting – Sept. 8

18] White House vigil – Sept. 9

19] WIB Inner Harbor vigil – Sept. 9

20] WIB Roland Park vigil – Sept. 9

21] Justice for Palestine/Israel vigil – Sept. 9

22] Silent vigil – Sept. 9

23] Green Friday – Sept. 9

24] Legal Cultivation Party – Sept. 9

25] Hear about Plowshares actions - Sept. 9

26] Ballroom dancing – Sept. 9

27] Farmers Market – Sept. 10

28] LCV seeks Spanish speakers – Sept. 10

29] Farmers Market – Sept. 10

30] Olney vigil – Sept. 10

31] Strategic dialogue – Sept. 10

32] Reservoir Hill Festival – Sept. 10

33] West Chester, PA demo – Sept. 10

34] Silent vigil at Capitol – Sept. 10

35] Gardening workshop – Sept. 10

36] Save public education – Sept. 10

37] Support Muslims rally – Sept. 10

38] No tax dollars to Israel – Sept. 10

39] Casa Baltimore/Limay benefit – Sept. 10

40] Film SHUT DOWN THE SOA – Sept. 10

41] Gimmie Shelter benefit – Sept. 10

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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] – Protest the poisonous "fracking" industry at a pro-fracking conference of a state-wide lobbying group, Marcellus Shale Coalition, to be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center on Wed., Sept. 7, noon to 2 PM.  There will be a rally on Broad St., between Arch & Race Sts., followed by a march through Center City Philadelphia. Then on Thurs., Sept. 8, from 8:30 AM to 5 PM., attend "Freedom From Fracking: Building Strategies Together" conference. At 5:30 PM, there will be a Blessing of the Waters Service at Penn Treaty Park. The activities are sponsored by Protecting Our Waters: www.protectingourwaters.com. Go to www.shalegasoutrage.org.   

 

7] – 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 Sept. 7. Call 215-426-0364.

 

8] – There will be a debate between candidates for City Council 10th District on Wed.., Sept. 7 from 6 to 7:45 PM at the Brooklyn Library, 300 E. Patapsco Ave.. 

 

9] – There will be a debate between candidates for City Council 11th District on Wed.., Sept. 7 from 6:30 to 8 PM at the Univ. of Baltimore Business Center Auditorium, 11 West Mt. Royal Ave. 

 

10] – 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 Sept. 7. Call 215-843-4256 or email nwgreens@yahoo.com.  

 

11] – The National Religious Campaign Against Torture is part of an interfaith campaign called, Shoulder-to-Shoulder: Standing with American Muslims; Upholding American Values.  It began one year ago and was born out of an emergency interreligious gathering on September 7, 2010 to develop a unified plan for the faith community to address the anti-Muslim sentiment that was gripping the nation.  On Thurs., Sept. 8 at 11 AM, there will be a national interfaith remembrance at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C.  The goal is to present a national interreligious voice for healing and resilience, 10 years after 9/11. Four religious organizations will be honored.  Contact Rev. Richard L. Killmer, executive director of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, at 202-547-1920.  Go to www.tortureisamoralissue.org.

 

12] – On Thurs., Sept. 8 from 3 to 6 PM, Rep. Edward Markey (MA), Erlan Idrissov, Amb. of Kazakhstan, Paul Walker, Global Green USA, Rose Gottemoeller, assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, verification and compliance, Daryl Kimball, Arms Control Association; and Rep. Shelley Berkley (NV) will discuss "Two Decades Without Nuclear Weapons Testing" in 121 Cannon House Office Bldg., WDC.  RSVP at GGUSADC@GLOBALGREEN.ORG.

 

13] – Join the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability at a benefit happy hour at Madam's Organ in D.C.'s lively Adams Morgan neighborhood on Thurs., Sept. 8 from 5 to 8 PM.  Enjoy food and drink, comedy and music.  There is a request for $5 at the door, and all proceeds will go to Alliance for Nuclear Accountability's (ANA) nuclear disarmament and environmental remediation efforts. This October ANA supporters will trek 50 miles through the Grand Canyon to raise money for and awareness about cleaning up nuclear waste. Call 202-544-0217 x 2503 or go to www.ananuclear.org.

 

14] – On Thurs., Sept. 8 at 6 PM, Jim Wallis will present the keynote address at the Pax Christi Momentum conference at the Caldwell Auditorium, Catholic University of America, 620 Michigan Ave., NE, at the Catholic University of America, and his theme will be "Peace & Reconciliation: Spiritual Reflections a Decade After 9/11."  The event will also include an hors d'oeuvres reception and a silent auction. Colleen Kelly, founding member of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, will be presented with Pax Christi USA's 2011 Teacher of Peace award.

 

Tickets for this event are $50. Purchase your ticket online, or contact Pax Christi USA at 202-635-2741 or Paxchristiusa@gmail.com. Visit http://paxchristiusa.org/programs/momentum-2011/.

15] – SHOUTING IN THE DARK: The Documentary the Bahraini Government Doesn't Want You to See will be shown on Thurs., Sept. 8 at 7 PM at Busboys and poets, 5th & K Sts. NW, WDC.  With turmoil and hard-fought revolutions taking place all across the Arab world, very little light has been shed on the plight of the Bahraini people in their quest for freedom, and the subsequent violence that has been wrought upon them. Join CODEPINK and friends for a screening of the Al Jazeera documentary, the only in-depth account of what is going on in Bahrain with shocking content that has caused uproar and sent the Bahraini government into hysterics trying to cover it up.  Go to www.codepink.org.

16] – The Students Against Mass Incarceration (SAMI)-Howard Univ. will host a Town Hall forum called the "The New Jim Crow" to discuss the issues of mass incarceration, recidivism and police terrorism in the Washington D.C. area on Thurs., Sept. 8 from 7 to 9 PM in the Mackey Building (architecture bldg), Howard U.  The title of the forum is inspired by the book THE NEW JIM CROW written by Michelle Alexander which is a reference to the legal discrimination experienced by returning citizens specifically, employment, voting rights, and access to public housing and student loans. Call 607-339-8188 or stdntsagainstmassincarceration@gmail.com.

17] – There will be a Town Hall planning meeting on Thurs., Sept. 8 at 7:30 PM at 2305 Gold Mine Road, Brookeville. MD 20833—phone 301-570-0923. If you want to participate in the meeting but can't come, you can call 218-936-4700, 980221#. There is an on-line petition to urge Rep. Chris Van Hollen to do the right thing, as a member of the Super Committee:  http://demdan.org/petitions/Rep-Van-Hollen-Stand-Up-for-Us-on-the-Super-Committee  The focus of the meeting will be to get organized for the Town Hall Meeting on military spending in Silver Spring on Mon., Sept. 20. 

 

18] – 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.   

 

19] – 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 will be available. See http://www.peacepath911.com/ or write wibbaltimore@hotmail.com or call 410-467-9114.

 

20] – There is also a noon vigil on Sept. 9 at Roland Park Place at 830 W. 40th St.  Call 410-467-9114.

21] – 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/.

22] – There is a silent vigil on Fri., Sept. 9 from 5 to 6 PM outside of Homewood Friends Meeting, 3107 N. Charles St., in opposition to war in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. Placards say: "War Is Not the Answer." The silent vigil is sponsored by AFSC, Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings.  Since it is First Friday, there will be a potluck dinner after the vigil.

 

23] – Bill Barry indicates that the Green Party will be holding Green Fridays, where people socialize, plot and scheme the overthrow of the dynasty and have a good time.  The first one will be on Fri., Sept. 9 starting at 5 PM at the Chameleon Cafe, 4341 Harford Road in Baltimore.  Email Bill at wbarrymd at hotmail.com.

 

24] – There is a Legal Cultivation Party on Fri., Sept. 9 from 6 to 8 PM at The Contemporary Museum, 100 W. Centre St. Enjoy the company of lawyers as you experience the exhibit LOL: A Decade of Antic Art, which is centered around the idea of freedom, something that lawyers know all about.  Lawyers get in for free.  Call 410-783-5720.  Go to http://www.contemporary.org.

 

25] – Nourishing a Passion for Peace and Justice - stories of recent Plowshare actions - by Elizabeth McAlister is on for Fri., Sept. 9 at 7:30 PM. September 9 will mark the 31st anniversary of the first Plowshares action, when eight peacemakers, including Liz McAlister's husband, Phil Berrigan, entered the G.E. weapons plant in King of Prussia, PA and enacted the biblical prophesy to beat swords into plowshares. Since 1980, there have been nearly 100 plowshares-disarmament actions. Liz McAlister, co-founder of the Jonah House community, mother and grandmother, and a leader in the nonviolent resistance movement for over 40 years, will share about the recent Plowshares action and other acts of resistance that have resulted in three of her community members to be imprisoned, and reflect on what is required in these times to nourish a passion for peace and justice.  She will speak at the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, 503 Rock Creek Church Rd. NW, WDC, 20010. Contact Art @ 202-360-6416 or artlaffin@hotmail.com.

 

26] – 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 Sept. 2.  Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

 

27] – Go to the West Baltimore Farmer's Market for fresh fruits, vegetables, breads and other treats every Saturday from 8 to noon.  CPHA has worked with the West Baltimore Marc TOD and Transit Inc. (WBMTTI) to establish a Farmer's Market at the West Baltimore Marc Train stop at Smallwood Road at Franklin and Mulberry Sts.  Since opening in June, over 300 people buy fresh groceries there every Saturday morning. WBMTTI will continue to include the community in the transit-oriented developments on the west side and continue to improve the area around "the highway to nowhere" until it becomes the highway to somewhere. Go to www.cphabaltimore.org.

 

28] – The Maryland League of Conservation Voters helps elect candidates who care about the environment and will use their elected office to protect the Maryland we all love. LCV is working in Baltimore City to elect our endorsed candidates who see the connection between a strong economy and a clean environment, and in partnership with Casa de Maryland there are two  priority races--elect Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake for mayor and Odette Ramos for District 12 City Council. 

 

On Sat., Sept. 10, the Maryland will be going door to door to get out the message and get out the vote.  If you speak Spanish and want to help in this vital work, please contact Dannielle Lipinski at 410.280.9855 x203 or dlipinski@mdlcv.org. 

 

29] Join a Peace Rally: in Defense of Al-Islam, Muslims and the Better of the "Two Americas" on Sat., Sept. 10 from 9 AM to noon outside the Dept. of Justice, 950 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC.  This will be an opportunity for peacefully inclined, law abiding Muslims in America to join hands with equally-inclined non-Muslims, and engage in proactive First Amendment pushback on some of the major human rights issues of the day (issues that affect us all directly or indirectly). Call 301-220-0133 or email peacethrujustice@aol.com.  There are many endorsers, including The Peace Thru Justice Foundation and the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR).

 

30] 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 Sept. 10. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167. 

 

31] – United Workers is kicking off another series of Strategic Dialogues. Join students, faith leaders, artists, media makers, community organizers and United Workers leaders in the next installment of this series. With unemployment and jobs on the tip of everyone's tongues, this issue will be the focus on Sat., Sept. 10 from 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM at 2640, 27th & St. Paul Sts. A lite breakfast and lunch will be provided.  RSVP at 410-230-1998 or ashley@unitedworkers.org.  Go to http://unitedworkers.org.

 

32] –  On Sept. 10 from 11 AM to 7 PM, there is a Reservoir Hill Festival and Resource Fair at the corner of Whitelock St. and Linden Ave., sponsored by the St. Francis Neighborhood Center, 2405 Linden Ave. This Baltimore Block Party is dedicated to the memory of Fr. Tom Composto. Enjoy live music and entertainment, crafters, food and drink vendors, neighborhood tours, and a Resource Fair. Call 410-669-2612.  Max will be there selling books, buttons, stickers, vinyl, CDs and DVDs.

                     

33] –  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.

 

34] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Sept. 10. 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.

 

35] There is an Organic Gardening Workshop: Seed Saving on Sat., Sept. 10 from 1 to 3:30 PM at the Accokeek Foundation, 3400 Bryan Point Road, Accokeek, MD. Save seeds from this year to get a head start on planting next year. This is geared toward backyard gardeners. The ticket price is $25; members get in for $20. Call 301-283-2113.

 

36] – Bess Altwerger, Maryland teacher-educator and co-organizer of the SOS March and Conference, and retired AFT local 481 member Betty Maloney will talk about what is needed to win quality public education for all and to defend the teachers' unions on Sat., Sept. 10 at 2 PM.  Also there will be a presentation The Fight to Save Public Education: Eyewitness report from the national Save Our Schools conference and march  In late July, thousands of teachers, students, parents, and community and labor activists mobilized in Washington, D.C. to call for an end to the war on schools.  The event, under the auspices of the Radical Women and Freedom Socialist Party, will be held at the Howard County Central Library, 10375 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia, MD. Call 410-964-2878 or email fspbaltimore@hotmail.com.  Visit www.socialism.com.

 

37] – There will be a Peace Rally: In Defense of Al-Islam, Muslims and the Better of the "Two Americas" on Sat., Sept. 10 at 2:15 PM at the Department of Justice.  This will be an opportunity for peacefully inclined, law abiding Muslims in America to join hands with equally-inclined non-Muslims, and engage in proactive First Amendment pushback on some of the major human rights issues of the day (issues that affect us all directly or indirectly). Call 301-220-0133 or email peacethrujustice@aol.com.

 

38] – There is a Stop U.S. Aid to Israel protest on Sat., Sept. 10 at 2:15 PM in front of the White House on Pennsylvania Ave.  The purpose of these demonstrations is to declare opposition to US aid to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.  U.S. tax dollars go toward supporting an illegal and humiliating occupation of Palestinian land, the construction of illegal settlements, the annexation of Palestinian farmland and the purchase of weapons and arms used in night raids and military strikes.

 

39] – There is a fundraiser to benefit Casa Baltimore/Limay sister-city projects on Sat., Sept. 10 from 5 to 10:30 PM at the home of Joanne Capizzi and Howdy Burns: 5 Candlestick Dr., Lutherville, MD 21093.  Donations will be matched 1-to-1!  No donation is too large, but no one is turned away! Donations also taken online at www.CasaBaltimoreLimay.org.  BRING a checkbook, potluck dish, lawn chair or blanket and musical instrument.  Live music provided by Michael Spittel, Tom Chalkley et al. Founder Nan McCurdy and Miguel Mairena plan to attend. RSVP and carpool info at 410-662-6292 or CasaBaltimoreLimay.org.

 

40] – The documentary: "Somos Una América: Shut Down the SOA" can be seen on Sat., Sept. 10 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at Busboys and Poets, 5th and K Sts. NW, WDC.  This is the FIRST U.S. screening of the new SOA Watch documentary, an exciting 25-minute look at voices from all over the Americas and what's happening within the movement to oppose US militarization. It was produced by Gabriela Uassouf, SOA Watch activante from Argentina and film-maker extraordinaire.  

 

Following the screening, hear from some of the SOA Watch "White House 15", anti-militarization activists who committed civil resistance at the White House on April 10, following the SOA Watch march to close the SOA/WHINSEC. Go to www.soaw.org.

 

41] – Gimme Shelter Productions is doing its thing and has an all star line up on Sat., Sept. 10 with the Charm City Labor Chorus joining poets and musicians Alan Barysh, In the Clear, Michael Monroe, Suzanne X the Barrage Band, Myra Brosius, Peter Conrad and Ron William in a benefit for the Soul Kitchen. The Soul Kitchen is a collaborative endeavor between the Govans Presbyterian Church and Gimmie Shelter Productions to have monthly dinners for the homeless and needy in the area around the church. This event takes place at the Govans Presbyterian Church, 5282 York Road at 7:30 PM. A $10 donation is requested. Call 410-627 8774.

 

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

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