Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Baltimore Activist Alert - November 11 - 30, 2014

22] Power to the Peaceful – Nov. 11
23] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – Nov. 11
24] No JHU Drone Research – Nov. 11
25] Dine with the bishops – Nov. 11
26] Send a caravan of Baltimore activists to the School of the America Watch’s vigil – Nov. 11
27] Why is the US bombing in Iraq and Syria? –Nov. 11
28] Privacy workshop – Nov. 11
29] Film “The Lovebirds” – Nov. 11
30] IWW meeting – Nov. 11
31] A novel “Brotherkeeper” – Nov. 11
32] Vietnam War in Poetry – Nov. 11 - 12
33] RN Ebola Strike and National Day of Action – Nov. 12
34] Claudia Paz y Paz, the former Attorney General of Guatemala – Nov. 12
35] SpiritHouse Project – Nov. 12
36] “Electronic Iran” – Nov. 12
37] Islamophobia – Nov. 12
38] "Prospects for a Nuclear Agreement with Iran" – Nov. 12
39] RN Ebola Strike and National Day of Action – Nov. 12
40] SpiritHouse Project – Nov. 12
41] “Electronic Iran” – Nov. 12
42] Islamophobia – Nov. 12
43] Deportation protest – Nov. 12
44] Join a Witness for Peace delegation in November
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22] – Gather on the National Mall, 900 Ohio Dr. SW, WDC, on Tues., Nov. 11 at 4 PM and join CODEPINK for "Power to the Peaceful" in front of the Air and Space Museum, during The Concert for Valor (http://www.theconcertforvalor.com/), a major national event going until 2 AM, which will pay tribute to America's veterans. Join them before the concert to hand out flyers and hold banners or staff our Make Out Not War Kissing Booth!! The event will celebrate the peacemakers, and call for a more informed foreign policy that focuses on diplomacy, not war!
Support our troops, keep them home!! See https://www.facebook.com/events/723309561093704/?ref=6&ref_notif_type=plan_user_invited,

23] – Each Tuesday from 4:30 - 5:30 PM, the Catholic Peace Fellowship-Philadelphia for peace in Afghanistan and Iraq gathers at the Suburban Station, 16th St. & JFK Blvd., at the entrance to Tracks 3 and 4 on the mezzanine. The next vigil is Nov. 11. Call 215-426-0364.

24] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. Join this ongoing vigil on Nov. 11, but note today demonstrators will be there from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Call Max at 410-366-1637.

25] – On Tues., Nov. 11 at 6:30 PM, attend an Alternative Dinner for Catholic Bishops at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 120 N Front St., Baltimore 21202. This modest dinner is free and open to the public. Catholic Bishops attending their annual meeting in Baltimore have been invited. Email cookerh1251@gmail.com. A discussion with the bishops on moving from Just War to Just Peace will be held.
There is a Peace Dinner 2014 hosted by the Pax Christi Metro DC & Alliance Catholic Worker on Tues., Nov. 11 at 6:30 PM--‘From Just War to Just Peace: Our faith isn’t a theory’--at St. Vincent de Paul Church (Basement), 120 North Front St., Baltimore. Soup and Bread will be provided. This year’s Peace dinner presents an opportunity for the Catholic Peace Movement and their Hierarchs to find concordances on the continued contribution that the Church has to make to the cause of peacemaking and in proposing Jesus Christ and His Gospel of Nonviolence to a militaristic culture often resistant to its message of nonviolent enemy Love.

Exploring together what a relational Christ-like witness (Just Peace) looks like as opposed to a theoretical one (Just War), this event has the prospect of being a lively yet serious, fruitful discussion. Bishop Francis Kalabat of the Chaldean Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle said recently when speaking of the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, “We are called the Church of Martyrs...That’s our pain and our saving grace. Our faith isn’t a theory. It’s not a set of teachings. It’s a person and we’re called to be like him. When I look at this evil, I want to be Rambo. But that won’t do any good. We carry the cross for a reason.”

An open invitation is extended to all who wish to attend, especially our Bishops who will be gathering in Baltimore for the Fall Assembly of the USCCB. All are welcome to St Vincent de Paul Church. Alliance Catholic Worker can be reached at .

26] – On Tues., Nov. 11 at 7 PM, the Baltimore November Vigil Organizing Collective is trying to raise resources to send a caravan of Baltimore-area activists to Columbus, Georgia for School of the America Watch’s November Vigil. All resources above the amount needed to achieve this goal will be forwarded to SOAW to offset the costs of organizing the largest annual anti-militarization gathering in the United States. Two Salvadoran guest speakers from CISPES, two Nicaraguans from Casa Baltimore's Sister City of Limay, two D.C. activists, and two Baltimore activists will participate in the panel. Contact Owen Silverman Andrews at owen.s.andrews@gmail.comor or 845-323-9821. The event will take place at Huntingdon and Fox Sts. in the Remington neighborhood, Baltimore.

27] – At St. Stephen's Church, 1525 Newton St. NW, WDC (Columbia Heights Metro, Green Line) on Tues., Nov. 11 from 7 to 9 PM, get some answers. Why is the US bombing in Iraq and Syria? Where did ISIS come from and is it an imminent threat to the US? What are the root causes of the conflicts in this region? What is the impact of US military intervention - now and in the past? And are there alternatives to US military action or other solutions? Join the Washington Peace Center at a teach-in with Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies, author of many books on the Middle East, and Ramah Kudaimi, US Campaign Against the Israeli Occupation and Washington Peace Center, Syrian-American activist.

28] – There is a privacy workshop at the Emergence Community Arts Collective, 733 Euclid St. NW, WDC, on Tues., Nov. 11 from 7 to 9 PM. This course will be a hands on workshop which will teach people how to use various Open Source Software (OSS) programs and apps that provide secure and private communication and information (file) sharing via the Internet. Participants will bring their laptops, tablets, and smart phones, and leave with working software and practices to communicate and share data securely (encrypted) and anonymously (privately). Many of the applications covered are listed on the website https://prism-break.org. Contact Jabari Zakiya at 202-390-6398 or jzakiya@gmail.com. The cost is a $10 donation.

29] – At Bloombars, 3222 11th St. NW, WDC, on Tues., Nov. 11 at 7 PM, see “The Lovebirds (Os Pássaros do Amor)” (2007, 81 min), by Bruno de Almeida. The film intertwines six stories in the course of one night in Lisbon, Portugal. Go to http://tinyurl.com/the-lovebirds-trailer. After the film, participate in a discussion. Email at info@bloombars.com.

30] – On Tues., Nov. 11 at 7:30 PM in the Free School Classroom, Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, there is a Monthly IWW GMB Meeting. Just sign up for the OBU (One Big Union)! The Baltimore Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World urge you to come and pay your dues, sign up for a red card, and find out what the Wobblies are working on. Call 443-602-7585. Go to http://www.redemmas.org.

31] – On Tues., Nov. 11 at 7:30 PM @ Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, hear the story of “Brotherkeeper” about the moral dislocation faced by veterans returning home from war. The story focuses on the enlistment of one young man into the Marines, and the two Marine veterans who try to guide the youth in making his decision, while they battle the demons that came home from the battlefields with them. “Years of working, living, and sorting out what war has done to myself and those I love, and those I've helped are spun together in this story,” says author Lawrence Winters about his book. “No one goes unaffected by the aftereffects of war. How we embrace this truth shall determine our path into the future.” “Brotherkeeper” shows the human cost of the invisible wounds suffered by many of our veterans. It also offers hope that these wounds can be healed, and families and communities can be made whole again. This story is not only for veterans, their families and loved ones, but for the civilians of our country who want to understand the moral consequences of war. Call 443-602-7585. Go to http://www.redemmas.org.

The author is a Marine combat veteran of the Vietnam era. More recently he has retired from a 25 year career as counselor at Four Winds Hospital in Katonah, New York, where he spent the last decade as the director of Veteran Treatment. This novel is his second book. His first book, “The Making and Unmaking of a Marine,” was an autobiography.

32] – On Tues., Nov. 11 and Wed., the 12th at Haverford College, hear The Vietnam War in Poetry: Ancient History or Prescient Harbinger? Does the Vietnam War have any relevance to the world and the country we live in today? Can poetry about the Vietnam War inform our understanding of the world and the country we live in today? Hear the poets John Balaban (Path, Crooked Path), D. F. Brown (Returning Fire), David V. Connolly (Lost in America), Joseph T. Cox (Garden’s Close), W. D. Ehrhart (Beautiful Wreckage), & Dale Ritterbusch (Lessons Learned). Go to http://www.haverford.edu/HCAH/center/events/vietnam_war.php.

On Tues., Nov. 11 there will be a Public Reading at 7:30 PM in Sharpless Auditorium. On Nov. 12, there will be a Panel Discussion from noon to 1 PM in Chase Auditorium.

33] – There is an RN Ebola Strike and National Day of Action on Wed., Nov. 12. From California to Maine, registered nurses plan to make their voices heard louder on a National Day of Action for Ebola Safety Standards. This comes after hospitals across the country refuse to set proper safety protocols and training with optimal personal protective equipment.

Please sign petition: Tell President Obama and Congress to mandate hospitals protect nurses and healthcare workers-- http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/page/s/national-nurses-united-urges-you-to-take-action-now. A centerpiece to the actions will be a two-day strike by 18,000 RNs and nurse practitioners at 66 Kaiser Permanente hospitals and clinics who have pressed the giant HMO for improved standards for weeks. Kaiser officials have repeatedly dismissed the nurses’ concerns. A strike, for example, will take place at Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C., affecting 400 RNs. Go to www.NationalNursesUnited.org.

34] – At the Kay Spiritual Life Center, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC, on Wed., Nov. 12 at noon, hear from Claudia Paz y Paz, the former Attorney General of Guatemala. She assumed the position in 2010 and was the first woman to hold the position. Call 202.885.3321 or email kslc@@american.edu.

35] – At Freedom Plaza, 14th St. NW and Pennsylvania Ave., WDC, on Wed., Nov. 12 at 12:30 PM, the SpiritHouse Project will hold a national memorial service that raises up the names and lives of the 1000 unarmed African American women, men and children who were slain by police since 2007. Forty people will read names from the Black scrolls. Call 202-431-0764 or write rubysales@spirithouseproject.org.

36] – Niki Akhavan's book presentation of “Electronic Iran” at ICC 241, 3700 O St. NW, WDC, on Wed., Nov. 12 at 12:30 PM, will trace key developments on the Iranian Internet, highlighting often overlooked aspects of its diverse landscapes. Paying particular attention to the role of state actors and supporters online, Akhavan reveals the state's conflicted relationship to the Internet. This book also discusses both the successes and troubling aspects of independent activists and content producers online. Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/electronic-iran-with-niki-akhavan-tickets-13992334449.

37] – At Lohrfink Auditorium inside the Rafik B. Hariri Building, Georgetown University, 3700 O St. NW, WDC 20057, on Wed., Nov. 12 from 3 to 4:30 PM, the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) will be co-hosting an event with the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU) to discuss Islamophobia in the context of an increasingly diverse America. The event will highlight ISPU's latest research on anti-Muslim prejudice and its connection to bigotry targeting other communities. The event will also feature four panelists who are experts and advocates on issues affecting African-American, American Muslim, and Workers' Rights communities. Visit http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=024c52ddc6ac7c38b0dc7af59&id=c42a0ac329&e=80f735122c.

38] – On Wed., Nov. 12 from 3 to 4:30 PM, Robert Litwak, Wilson Center, Mark Mazzetti, New York Times, and Jay Solomon, Wall Street Journal, will dwell on "Prospects for a Nuclear Agreement with Iran" at the Wilson Center, Sixth Floor, Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC. RSVP at http://pages.wilsoncenter.org/111214MichaelAdler_MexicoEventInvitation.html.

39] – Scientists at Harvard, Syracuse, and Boston Universities released a study recently on the health "co-benefits" of reducing CO2 emissions from power plants. Co-benefits are the accompanying gains that would come as emissions of other harmful air pollutants are also reduced. The analysis found that 3,500 lives could be saved each year, with significant health benefits in all the lower 48 states. Why does this matter now? Because the best scenario the study examined was the one based on the EPA's proposed new "Clean Power Plant."
Join Physicians For Social Responsibility for a special webinar presentation on Wed., Nov. 12 at 3 PM EST on the findings of the study by report coauthor and longtime PSR member Jonathan Levy, ScD. Sign up for the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8934936413859454465. The webinar will explain how a strong Clean Power Plan will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and greatly improved health.

40] – Get over to the Goethe-Institut, 812 7th St. NW, WDC, on Wed., Nov. 12 at 6:30 PM for a screening of the documentary “The Red Orchestra (Die rote Kapelle).” For the first time, surviving members of the German resistance tell their story in this documentary film by Stefan Roloff, the son of a member of the group. This highly acclaimed film incorporates a pioneering animation technique and a haunting soundtrack by the influential New York City rock musician Martin Rev.

Largely unheard of, the largest civil anti-Nazi resistance network was comprised of members who were a cross-section of social levels, political views, and religious persuasions. They ranged from cleaning ladies, aristocrats, professors, students, artists, and lawyers to military officers and government employees. The oldest arrested was 86; the youngest was 16. And, perhaps most striking for that time, 40% of the group's members were women. They were an underground network that helped people escape persecution and conducted a truth and information campaign.
Hitler reinstated death by hanging specifically for members of this group, and attempted to keep their existence top secret to avoid their setting an example for the public. Named the Red Orchestra by the Gestapo to discredit them as communists, the survivors became targets of a second wave of persecution during the Cold War. This event is organized in commemoration of the Night of Broken Glass (Kristallnacht). Tickets are $7/$4. Call + 1 (202) 289-1200 or email emailinfo@washington.goethe.org.

41] – A four-day transformational leadership training is happening from Wed., Nov. 12 at 7 PM through Sun., Nov. 16 at 2 PM at the New Organizing Institute, 1133 19th St. NW, Suite 850, WDC. It will give tools and skills to bring clear vision, focused action, and greater fulfillment to our lives and work for social change — and to empower others to do the same. See http://coachingforsocialchange.org/summit/.

42] – On Wed., Nov. 12 at 7:30 PM in the Free School Classroom, Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, enjoy a book talk—“Growl: Life Lessons, Hard Truths, and Bold Strategies from an Animal Advocate.” Equal parts personal narrative, social history, and impassioned call for rethinking animal advocacy, Growl describes Kim Stallwood’s journey from a meat-eating slaughterhouse worker to a vegan activist for all species. He explains the importance of four key values in animal rights philosophy and practice—compassion, truth, nonviolence, and justice—and how a deeper understanding of the role not only leads us to discover our humanity for animals, but also for ourselves. He discusses the importance of feminism for him as a gay man in the evolution of his animal activism. Call 443-602-7585. Go to http://www.redemmas.org.

43] – President Obama and the Dept. of Homeland Security have the legal authority and the moral responsibility to act. But they have refused to respond, they have refused to meet, and they have refused to act. Their time is up and on Thurs., Nov. 13 at 11:45 AM, Face to Face with People Fighting their Deportations will be at the White House to protest. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/628898850554228/?ref=6&ref_notif_type=plan_user_invited.

44] – Join a Witness for Peace delegation Colombia: Learning from Afro-Colombian and Indigenous Struggles for Economic Justice and Land Rights, which goes from Nov. 19 through Nov. 29. The delegation coordinator is Elise Roberts (920-421-2269, wfpumw@witnessforpeace.org). Then there is Cuba: In the Shadow of the Eagle which runs from Nov. 22 through Nov. 30. The delegation coordinator is Aldo Guevara (508-929-8585 or 512-300-9791, aguevara@worcester.edu).

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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