Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Baltimore Activist Alert - Part 1

Baltimore Activist Alert Dec. 8 – Dec. 14, 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] Occupy Freedom Plaza – Dec. ??

6] Occupy Baltimore -- Dec. ??

7] Two films to benefit Casa Baltimore/Limay – Dec. 7

8] Rally for Jobs – Dec. 8

9] Civil Resistance Works – Dec. 8

10] Support peasant leader – Dec. 8

11] "BROWN" IN BALTIMORE – Dec. 8

12] What Are You Eating? – Dec. 8

13] WPC Activist Awards – Dec. 8

14] Jobs discussion – Dec. 8

15] Crisis in Horn of Africa -- Dec. 8

16] Women Mending Afghanistan -- Dec. 8

17] Book WARS OF AFGHANISTAN – Dec. 8

18] Film WAR WE ARE LIVING—Dec. 8

19] LARAMIE PROJECT – Dec. 8 – Dec. 11

20] White House vigil – Dec. 9

21] WIB Inner Harbor vigil – Dec. 9

22] WIB Roland Park vigil – Dec. 9

23] Justice for Palestine/Israel vigil – Dec. 9

24] Silent peace vigil -- Dec. 9

25] Greg Palast at 2640 -- Dec. 9

26] Barry Levinson films – Dec. 9 & 10

27] Ballroom dancing – Dec. 9

28] Farmer's Market – Dec. 10

29] Life & Justice – Dec. 10

30] Olney peace vigil – Dec. 10

31] West Chester, PA demo – Dec. 10

32] Silent vigil at Capitol – Dec. 10

33] Rally for Housing – Dec. 10

34] Angry Afro-Latino – Dec. 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] – The occupation of Freedom Plaza, 14th & Pennsylvania Ave. NW, continues as U.S. troops, contractors and mercenaries remain in Afghanistan now for an 11th year.  The idea is to make the space a Tahrir Square, Cairo or Madison, Wisconsin.  NONVIOLENTLY resist the corporate machine by occupying Freedom Plaza to demand that U.S. resources be invested in human needs and environmental protection instead of war and exploitation.  Stop the Machine! Create a New World! Go to http://october2011.org/.

 

6] – Occupy Baltimore continues at McKeldin Square, Pratt and Light Sts.  General assemblies take place at 8 PM each evening.  Sign up at http://groups.google.com/group/occupy-baltimore/.  Ask for the digest or you get hundreds of emails. 

 

7] – See two films and benefit CASA Baltimore/Limay on Wed., Dec. 7 at 2640 ST. PAUL ST. The first film will shown at 7 PM, and it is SOUTH OF THE BORDER, a documentary by Oliver Stone. It includes interviews with Hugo Chavez and other Latin American leaders. 

 

At 8:45 PM, watch UNDER THE SAME MOON, a heartwarming family tale.  Rosario works illegally in the US to provide a better life for her son Carlitos in Mexico.  Longing for his mother, Carlitos stows away in a van headed for the border.  An already treacherous journey gets worse when Carlitos is separated from his smugglers. 

 

The requested donation is from $6 to $8.  Proceeds will help send a delegation of Baltimoreans to visit our sister city, San Juan de Limay, Nicaragua. Go to www.CasaBaltimoreLimay.org.

 

8] – On Thurs., Dec. 8 from 10:45 AM to noon in Upper Senate Park, join thousands of unemployed workers and faith, labor and community activists in an interfaith prayer vigil on Capitol Hill. Unless Congress acts, lifeline aid for nearly 2 million jobless workers will be cut off Dec. 31 when extended unemployment insurance benefits expire. Over the course of 2012, an estimated 6 million jobless workers will lose these essential benefits if Congress continues to focus on keeping tax cuts for the 1% rather than helping the 99%. RSVP at http://local.americawantstowork.org/weareone/events/show/5038

 

9] – The International Security Studies Program, Project on Leadership and Building State Capacity, and Georgetown University's Center for Peace and Security Studies present Why Civil Resistance Works:The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict.  There will be a book discussion with authors Erica Chenoweth, Assistant Professor of Government at Wesleyan University, and Maria J. Stephan, strategic planner at the US State Department, on Thurs., Dec. 8 from noon to 1:30 PM on the 6th Floor Moynihan Board Room, Woodrow Wilson Center in the Ronald Reagan Bldg., One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC

 

The authors argue that nonviolent campaigns have been more successful than armed campaigns in achieving ultimate goals in political struggles, even when used against similar opponents and in the face of repression.  Lunch will be provided. RSVPs are required to ISS@wilsoncenter.org.

 

10] – On Thurs., Dec. 8 at 12:30 PM, GHRC will join the Guatemala Solidarity Project, School of the Americas Watch and Rights Action at the Guatemalan Embassy at 2220 R St., NW, WDC 20008, to call for the release of political prisoner and Q'eqchi' peasant leader Ramiro Choc. Join in demanding an end to the repression of indigenous and peasant communities and the criminalization of their leaders.  Ramiro Choc's unjust incarceration is part of endemic violence and systematic repression against peasant communities in Guatemala that is causing increasing hunger, extreme poverty and conflict. Call the embassy the same day at 202-745-4952.

 

11] – In this sensitive, readable and well-researched book, "BROWN" IN BALTIMORE, Howell S. Baum shows how Baltimore officials tried and failed to integrate the city schools. There is a symposium with the author, a professor at the Univ. of Maryland, and presented by the Johns Hopkins Urban Health on Thurs., Dec. 8 at 3:30 PM at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St. Call 410-502-6155.

 

12] – Do You Know What You Are Eating?  Learn about healthier alternatives for the entire family, including the difference between various types of milk, fruits, and vegetables. Learn how to read a nutrition label and how to fight and prevent common illness on Thurs., Dec. 8 at 4 PM at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Cherry Hill Branch, 606 Cherry Hill Road, Suite 100.  Call 410-396-1168.  Go to http://www.prattlibrary.org/locations/cherryhill/.

 

13] – On Thurs., Dec. 8 from 6 to 9 PM, the Washington Peace Center Activist Awards Grassroots Gala will take place at All Soul's Church, 1500 Harvard St. NW, WDC 20010.  Go to www.washingtonpeacecenter.org.

One of the recipients is Leslie Salgado. For ticket information go to http://activistawards2011.eventbrite.com/?ref=ecount.  There will be great music and performances, dancing, free food, cash bar and lots of inspiring progressive activists who deserve a night to party.

 

14] – There is a Jobs for the 99% Panel Discussion.  What is the public role in developing the hospitality industry in and around Baltimore? When city and state government 'invest' in projects that give Companies tax breaks or other benefits in order to create jobs, what kind of jobs are created?

 

Hospitality is the second largest industry in Baltimore, and it is the sector of the economy that is growing in our city. It's critical that these jobs of the future be family-supporting, decent jobs. Workers from BWI Airport, an Inner Harbor hotel, and Baltimore Convention Center food service workers will share their experiences and engage in a discussion about ongoing campaigns to improve these jobs on Thurs., Dec. 8 at 6 PM at the Light Street Presbyterian Church, 809 Light St., corner of Light & E. Churchill Sts. Contact UNITE HERE! Local 7 at 443-438-5647.

 

15] – On Thurs., Dec. 8 at 7 PM, Al Jazeera English presents "Fault Lines, Crisis in the Horn of Africa" at Busboys & Poets, 14th & V Sts NW, WDC. A correspondent travels to Somalia to examine the conditions of the worst drought in the Horn of Africa in 60 years. Afterwards there is a Q&A with correspondent Sebastian Walker and Somali Human Rights Activist Dr. Sadia Ali Aden.  RSVP to Roxana.elliott@aljazeera.net.

 

16] – Women Mending Afghanistan is a lecture by  

Rachel Lehr, director of Rubia, Inc. on Thurs., Dec. 8 at 7 PM at Maryland Institute College of Art,

Main Building, Rm 110, 1300 Mt. Royal Ave., Baltimore 21217.  She will talk about Rubia's community-building work in Afghanistan.  On sale will be handmade Rubia embroidery and other items.  Contact:  Soheila Ghaussy at ghaussys@hotmail.com or 443-423-1154.  Go to http://mica.edu.

17] – Peter Tomsen, former ambassador and special envoy on Afghanistan (1989-1992), reads from his book "The Wars of Afghanistan: Messianic Terrorism, Tribal Conflicts, and the Failures of Great Powers," on Thurs., Dec. 8 at 7 PM at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, central library, 400 Cathedral St. Call 410-396-5430.  Go to http://www.prattlibrary.org/locations/central/.

18] – WOMEN, WAR, & PEACE -- Part 4 of 5: "The War We Are Livin" will take place on Thurs., Dec. 8 from 7:30 to 9 PM at the Radical Expression Infospace, 5525 Illinois Ave. NW, WDC. 

 

Women, War & Peace was a bold new five-part PBS television series challenging the conventional wisdom that war and peace are men's domain. The vast majority of today's conflicts are not fought by nation states and their armies, but rather by informal entities: gangs and warlords using small arms and improvised weapons. The series reveals how the post-Cold War proliferation of small arms has changed the landscape of war, with women becoming primary targets and suffering unprecedented casualties. Yet they are simultaneously emerging as necessary partners in brokering lasting peace and as leaders in forging new international laws governing conflict. With depth and complexity, Women, War & Peace spotlights the stories of women in conflict zones from Bosnia to Afghanistan and Colombia to Liberia, placing women at the center of an urgent dialogue about conflict and security, and reframing our understanding of modern warfare. Featuring narrators Matt Damon, Tilda Swinton, Geena Davis and Alfre Woodard, Women, War & Peace is the most comprehensive global media initiative ever mounted on the roles of women in war and peace.

Radical Expression Infospace is excited to host this special 5-part screening of Women, War, and Peace on Thursdays this fall. Refreshments will be provided and admission is on a sliding scale from $1 to $10. 

 

 

19] – The UMBC Theatre continues with its performances of "The Laramie Project" by Moises Kaufman and the Members Tectonic Theatre Project.  Directed by Nyalls Hartman, there will be shows through Sun., Dec. 11. 

 

On Oct. 6, 1998, Matthew Shepard, a young gay man, was beaten and left to die tied to a fence in the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming. He died 6 days later. His torture and murder became a national news event that highlighted the nation's deep-seated cultural bias against homosexuality. A month after the murder, members of the Tectonic Theater Project traveled to Laramie and conducted interviews with the people of the town. From these interviews came the play "The Laramie Project." Poignant, moving, and theatrically enticing, it is one of the most celebrated plays of the last decade.

 

The performance schedule is as follows: Thurs., Dec. 8 at 8 PM, Dec. 9 at 8 PM, Dec. 10 at 8 PM and Dec. 11 at 2 PM.  Call 410-455-2917 or go to www.umbc.edu.

 

20] – 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.   

 

21] – 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.

 

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

 

23] – 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/.

 

24] – There is a silent vigil on Fri., Dec. 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.  

 

 

25] – Baltimore Higher Education for a Real Democracy (B-HEARD) and Red Emma's co-sponsor a teach-in by Greg Palast on Fri., Dec. 9 at 7 PM at 2640 Space, 2640 St. Paul St.  Best known as the investigative reporter who uncovered how Katherine Harris purged thousands of African-Americans from Florida voters rolls in the 2000 Presidential Election, Palast authored the New York Times and international bestsellers "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy" & "Armed Madhouse."His latest book, "Vultures' Picnic: In Pursuit of Petroleum Pigs, Power Pirates and High-Finance Predators,"is the pulp non-fiction story of British Petroleum bag men, CIA operatives, nuclear power con men—and "The Vultures," billionaire financial speculators who, through bribery, flim-flam and political muscle, take entire nations hostage for mega-profits. Call 410-230-0450.

 

26] – Johns Hopkins University at 7 PM on Fri., Dec. 9 in Hodson Auditorium will show the documentary THE BAND THAT WOULDN'T DIE.  At 2:30 PM on Sat., Dec. 10 in Hodson Auditorium see the film DINER GUYS. 

 

And at 5 PM on Sat., Dec. 10 in Shriver Hall, see DINER. Maryland Film Festival announces the DINER Anniversary Open Conversation on Sat., Dec. 10 at 8 PM in Shriver Hall, Johns Hopkins Homewood Campus.  The conversation will be with Barry Levinson, cast and special guests!  The tickets are $35.  Go to http://www.missiontix.com/events/product/13013. This unique tribute, a fundraiser to support the work of the Maryland Film Festival, will include a live auction and a post-conversation dinner for All Access pass holders.

 

27] – 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 Dec. 9.  Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

28] – 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.

 

29] – On Sat., Dec. 10 from 10 AM to noon, join Life and Justice Concerns of the Catholic Church in Virginia, presented by the Virginia Catholic Conference (VCC) in conjunction with the Catholic Diocese of Arlington's Peace and Justice Commission and the Catholic Diocese of Richmond's Office of Justice and Peace. Several subjects will be explored: Beginning of Life, Death Penalty, Economic Concerns, Education, Immigration and Health at Holy Family Parish, 14160 Ferndale Road, Dale City, VA 22193.

 

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 Dec. 10. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167. 

 

31] –  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.

 

32] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Dec. 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.

 

33] –  There is a rally for Housing for All from noon until 2 PM on Sat., Dec. 10 at the Martin Luther King Library, 901 G St NW, WDC—use Chinatown Metro stop. Last year, DC government cut $20 million from housing programs, ignoring the huge need for affordable housing in the city. There are 47,500 District families who pay more than half of their income in rent, and over 6,500 people are homeless. It's time for D.C. to restore the commitment to affordable housing – we need the city to invest in housing for all residents.  Lunch will be served.  Email efalcon@cnhed.org or call 202-745-0902 x 205.

 

34] – Through political commentary, author, screenwriter, activist, and journalist Kevin Alberto Sabio addresses issues surrounding African heritage of Latino culture: Raise Your Brown Black Fist: The Political Shouts of an Angry Afro-Latino on Sat., Dec. 10 at 2 PM at Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, 830 E. Pratt St  Call 443-263-1800.  Go to http://www.africanamericanculture.org/.  The price is $8, but seniors/students/children pay $6.

 

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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