Baltimore Activist Alert - Part 3

0] Get in the Gitmo Cage on Pennsylvania Ave. – Jan. 10

41] War Is Not the Answer – Jan. 10

42] Annapolis Summit 2012 – Jan. 10

43] "Wind Works for Maryland" rally – Jan. 11

44] Close Guantanamo Action Day – Jan. 11

45] Nuclear Threat Initiative – Jan. 11

46] Philadelphia peace vigil – Jan. 11

47] Occupy Faith meeting – Jan. 11

48] Committee for Palestinian Rights meeting - Jan. 11

49] War on homosexuals in Uganda -- Jan. 11

50] Green Currency Meeting -- Jan. 11

51] Chestnut Hill Peace Vigil -- Jan. 11

52] Citizens United Party -- Jan. 12

53] Save Hamilton Post Office – Jan. 12

54] Buy DREAMING NICARAGUA

55] CCAN is hiring

56] Support Baltimore Brew thru Kickstarter campaign

57] Support finishing film THE ACTIVISTS thru Kickstarter campaign

58] Sign up with Washington Peace Center

59] Fund Our Communities campaign

60] Submit articles to Indypendent Reader 

61] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records

62] Do you need a television and/or a computer?

63] Join Global Zero campaign

64] War Is Not the Answer signs for sale

65] Click on The Hunger Site 

66] Fire & Faith  

67] Join Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil

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40] – Witness Against Torture is seeking help.  It has set up a Guantanamo "cage" on Pennsylvania Ave. in front of the White House.  The plan is to keep it there until the human chain gathers on Wed., Jan. 11. It needs people to spend some time with the cage.  The shifts are in 3 hour blocks, and go from 1 to 4 AM, 4 to 7 AM, 7 to 10 AM, etc.  If you are available to take a block, email Matt at daloisio@earthlink.net.

 
41] – 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 Jan. 10 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM.  Call Max at 410-366-1637.

 

42] – The Baltimore Business Journal and The Marc Steiner Show will host Gov. Martin O'Malley, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael Busch for a two-hour program. Breakfast and networking will begin at 7:30 AM on Wed., Jan. 11; the program begins at 8 AM. WEAA 88.9 FM will broadcast the program at noon the same day. Register for the Annapolis Summit with Hannah Fishman at 410-454-0500.  Go to http://events.bizjournals.com/57171.

 

On Fri., Jan. 13 from 5 to 7 PM, there will be a special edition of The Marc Steiner Show on WEAA.  It will replay the Annapolis Summit 2012.

 

43] – The Marylanders for Offshore Wind Coalition is organizing a "Wind Works for Maryland" rally on the steps of the State House on the first day of the 2012 Assembly on Wed., Jan. 11 from 10:30 AM until noon. Gather in Lawyer's Mall, Maryland State House, 100 State Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401. Call 410.419.5664 or email tgadhia@mdlcv.org.

 

There is carpooling from Baltimore.  Sign up to either ride or drive at http://www.tinyurl.com/WindWorksCarpools.  You could try calling Laura McDonald at 214-500-5017, who is leaving from Charles Village at 8:30 AM. Go to http://www.marylandoffshorewind.org/.

 

44] – Close Guantanamo Action Day is Wed., Jan. 11, and it begins at noon with a rally @ Lafayette Square across from the White House.  At 1 PM, people will become part of the Public Witness/Human Chain.  Go to http://www.nrcat.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=575&Itemid=410. Sign up at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/gitmo2012.

 

On Wed., Jan. 11 at 9 AM, doors open at the New York Ave. Presbyterian Church, 1313 New York Ave. NW (Radcliffe Room) for people who need a warm place to gather and/or to leave bags; volunteers will be onsite all day, with beverages and snacks. If you want to join the National Religious Coalition Against Torture in the human chain, stay together at the rear, identified as the White House Group. The group at the Supreme Court will be the 171 orange-jump-suited folks representing the prisoners at Guantanamo. The chain is expected to end at 2:15 PM, and some participants are expected to march to the Presbyterian Church for an interfaith reception.  At 3 PM, there will be an interfaith prayer, about 45 minutes long.  At 5:30 PM, the church will close, so all belongings left earlier must be removed. Call 860-216-7972 or email jhumphries@nrcat.org. Go to www.nrcat.org.

 

45] –  On Wed., Jan. 11 from 12:30 to 2:30 PM, former Sen. Sam Nunn and the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) staff will give a briefing on the NTI Nuclear Materials Security Index at the W Hotel, 515 15th St., NW, WDC. The event is open by invitation only. RSVP to Elise Connor at connor@nti.org.

 

46] – 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 Jan. 11. Call 215-426-0364.

 

47] – On Wed., Jan. 11 from 6 to 8 PM, Occupy Faith will meet to discuss its plans and priorities for 2012 and to organize the "People's Prayer Breakfast" to be held Feb. 2.  Occupy Faith is a coalition comprised of representatives, members and leaders of Mosques, Temples, Churches, Synagogues, Interfaith and Ecumenical bodies, and other faith-based institutions & organizations who have come together to stand with the Occupy Movement as it works towards the goals of economic justice & inclusion for everyone.  The group works with both Occupation encampments, McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C. with the intention of creating an active faith-based support network for the Occupy movement.  Email nspwashingtondc@gmail.com or call  410-262-8365.  This meeting will be held at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1313 New York Ave. NW, WDC 20005.  The Metro stops are Orange & Blue Lines - McPherson Square; RED, Orange & Blue Lines - Metro Center.  RSVP nspwashingtondc@gmail.com. 

 

48] – On Wed., Jan. 11 at 6:30 PM, the Committee for Palestinian Rights (CPR) book club meeting is on "The Birth of Israel: Myths and Realities," by Simha Flapan.  The author explores and debunks seven myths concerning the birth of Israel which have become fairly well ingrained in most people's understanding of this issue. The book was written in 1987, is 243 pages long, plus Notes, but is a fairly easy read.  The Howard County library has only one copy, so it would have to be ordered from Amazon or a book store.  Consider coming even if you haven't read the book; the discussions are interesting. Meet at 6:30 PM at the Café at David's Natural Market, 5430 Lynx Lane, Columbia, MD 21044-2302.Order a sandwich or salad, if you wish, at 410-730-2304.by 2:30 PM, to be held for you at 6:30 PM.

 

49] – Join the Baltimore Ethical Society and First Unitarian Church of Baltimore to learn about the struggle for Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender rights in Uganda and the negative influence of U.S. evangelicals pressing for anti-homosexual laws in Africa. "The Struggle for GLBT Rights in Uganda" is on for Wed., Jan. 11 at 7 PM at the First Unitarian Church of Baltimore, Charles and Franklin Sts.  Go to http://meetu.ps/6tvlT.

 

Rev. Kiyimba has led the opposition against the anti-homosexual laws being advocated in Uganda and adopted by the Ugandan Parliament.  In early 2011, following the issue of a warrant for his arrest, Rev. Kiyimba fled Uganda and has been living in sanctuary in the U.S. He was the minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kampala, Uganda, a congregation which focuses its social mission on alleviating the profound generational pain caused by HIV/AIDS in African societies. In 2004, Rev. Kiyimba founded the New Life School, a residential K-8 school and orphanage for children whose parents had

died of HIV/AIDS. The school and orphanage has grown to serve over 500 children, and Rev. Kiyimba and the faculty and staff of 13 persons represent the school's greatest resource.

 

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Kampala has spoken out against the anti-homosexual laws being advocated in Uganda by US evangelicals and adopted by the Ugandan Parliament. In 2010, shortly after LGBT activist David Kato was bludgeoned to death after being targeted for assassination in the Ugandan press, Kiyimba organized a conference, "Standing on the Side of Love: redefining Valentine's Day."

 

The Baltimore Coalition of Reason wishes to thank our member organization First Unitarian Church of Baltimore for extending this invitation to hear the Rev. Kiyimba.  This lecture is part of the Zoerheide lecture series sponsored by First Unitarian.  Visit http://BaltimoreCoR.org/. Email volcheck@acm.org.

 

50] –  The Baltimore Green Currency Association meets every Wednesday at 7 PM at Breathe Books, 810 W 36th St. # A, Baltimore, MD 21211-2554.  Call 410-235-7323.

 

51] – 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 Jan. 11. Call 215-843-4256 or email nwgreens@yahoo.com. 

 

52] – College Park and Friends Against "Citizens United" are doing a PARTY on Thurs.,  Jan. 12 at 2 PM and/or at 7 PM with s potluck at 6:30 AM at the Friends Meetinghouse, 2303 Metzerott Road, Adelphi MD 20783.  It is the TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY of the Supreme Court decision.  Celebrate and Act ! ! ! BRING HEALTHY ENTREE FOR POTLUCK DINNER and laptops and IF ANYONE CAN BRING WI FI FACILITY (AirCard or Blue Tooth).

 

At 2 PM, create signs/plan actions/hear from organizers, including those from Occupy. The purpose of the signs is to explain the local "Street Theater, starring Will Kastens" -- local street theater designed for the January nationwide days of action surrounding the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's Citizens United v. FEC ruling. This ruling allows unlimited corporate spending in elections.

 

Bring sign making ideas (materials, if you have them) and help the street theater to really get the message across. And/or come at 7 PM for the gathering to hear from national planners & OccupyDC; and help plan actions for the coming week.

 

Prepare for rallies and other actions on the Supreme Court steps with Cornel West on Jan. 20, possibly again at the Supreme Court on Jan. 21 and at College Park City Hall, 4500 Knox Road, on Jan. 24 at 8 PM with Councilman Patrick Wojahn. RSVP CarolNezzo@gmail.com or 301-864-5267.

 

53] – There will be a meeting on Thurs., Jan. 12 at 6:30 PM at the Hamilton Presbyterian Church, 5532 Harford Road, to stop the closing of the Hamilton Branch Post Office.  Email Bill Barry at billbarry21214@gmail.com.

 

54] – David Gullette is both a Sister City organizer (www.newtonsanjuan.org) and an author.  His new novel is DREAMING NICARAGUA, and all proceeds benefit the work of the Newton/San Juan del Sur Sister City Project.  The book is available by Fenway Press.                 

  

DREAMING NICARAGUA: Jesse Pelletier is a Vietnam vet who runs a cheap hotel named Ospedjae Gringo Pinolero in San Juan del Sur, a beach town in southern Nicaragua. The year is 2000. Jesse's previously-estranged daughter, Suzy, is visiting him for the first time; she falls for a local ecological activist, Camilo Sanchez, who promptly disappears. Or maybe he has been disappeared. Counterpointed with this realistic millennial material is an earlier, imagined San Juan del Sur, in the 1850s, where another Jesse Pelletier, veteran of the Mexican War, has married a local girl and runs a hotel catering to the Gold Rush-bound passengers of Cornelius Vanderbilt's New York-San Francisco steamship line. The parallel timeframes and intrigues and characters (including Mark Twain and the "Filibuster" chief, William Walker) echo off against each other as the tension rises.

 

To order a copy of the book, send a check for $18.50 (which includes shipping and handling) to Fenway Press, 68 Pembroke St. Newton, MA 02458. To use PayPal, go to http://fenwaypress.wordpress.com/dreaming-nicaragua/.

 

55] – CCAN is Hiring. Do you want to fight global warming while gaining valuable grassroots organizing knowledge and experience? If so, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network has the perfect internship for you. It is hiring interns for the spring semester to work out of the Takoma Park and Richmond offices. For ten years, CCAN has been working in Maryland, Virginia, and DC to fight climate change by standing up to polluters and working to pass clean energy policies. Call 1-240-396-1981.

 

56] – Baltimore Brew - News for Your City is seeking your financial help.  The news outfit has launched a Kickstarter Campaign. Help It Keep Percolating.  They are asking readers, as well as supporters of quality community journalism around the country, to help out by dropping a generous donation into the Kickstarter tip jar.  Visit the Baltimore Kickstarter page today or donate directly at Baltimore Brew, 623 W. University Pkwy., Baltimore, MD 21210.

 

57] – Melody Weinstein of www.melofilms.com notified me that the documentary film she has been working on with Michael Heaney is nearing completion. Titled "The Activists," it chronicles the anti-war movement over the last 10 years, and the major players in the movement. They have filmed us in Baltimore and D.C. and New York City and other places.  After years of filming and researching, they look forward to showing the final cut in a few short months.

 

They have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for finishing the film and have until January 11 to reach the goal of 15K.  To support the film, go to http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/melofilms/the-activists-war-peace-and-politics-in-the-street.

 

58] – The Washington Peace Center has a progressive calendar & activist alert! Consider signing up to receive its weekly email: info@washingtonpeacecenter.org.

59] – Fund Our Communities campaign – is a new grass roots movement to get support from local organizations and communities to work together with their local and state elected officials to pressure Congresspersons and senators to join with Congresspersons Barney Frank and Ron Paul, who have endorsed a 25% cut to the federal military budget.  Bring home the savings to state and county governments to meet the local needs which are under tremendous budget pressures.  Go to www.OurFunds.org.      

 

60] – The new Indypendent Reader is seeking articles for its web site at http://www.indyreader.org.  Submit an article. 

 

61] – If you would like to get rid of books, videos, DVDs or records, contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net. 

 

62] – Can you use a television set and/or a computer, monitor etc.? Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net. 

 

63] – Join an extraordinary global campaign for the elimination of nuclear weapons: http://www.globalzero.org/sign-declaration. A growing group of leaders around the world is calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons and a majority of the global public agrees.  This is an historic window of opportunity.  With momentum already building in favor of Zero, a major show of support from people around the world could tip the balance. When it comes to nuclear weapons, one is one too many.  

 

64] – WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER signs from Friends Committee on National Legislation are again for sale at $5.  To purchase a sign, call Max at 410-366-1637.

 

65] – The Hunger Site was initiated by Mercy Corps and Second Harvest, and is funded entirely by advertisers.  You can go there every day and click the big yellow "Give Food for Free" button near the top of the page; you do not have to look at the ads. Each click generates funding for about 1.1 cups of food.  So consider clicking.  

 

66] – Go online for FIRE AND FAITH: The Catonsville Nine File. On May 17, 1968, nine people entered the Selective Service Offices in Catonsville, Maryland, and burned draft records in protest against the war in Vietnam. View http://www.prattlibrary.org/digital/.

 

67] – Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil takes place every day in Lafayette Park, 1601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 24 hours a day, since June 3, 1981.  Go to http://prop1.org; call 202-682-4282.

 

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/.

 

"One is called to live nonviolently, even if the change one works for seems impossible. It may or may not be possible to turn the US around through nonviolent revolution. But one thing favors such an attempt: the total inability of violence to change anything for the better" - Daniel Berrigan