Friday, May 22, 2015

Baltimore Activist Alert May 22 – May 25, 2015

Baltimore Activist Alert May 22 – May 25, 2015

"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.

1] Books, buttons & stickers
2] Web site for info on federal legislation
3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists
4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLa
5] Two friends are looking to buy a house in Baltimore
6] Cyprus Friendship Program
7] Get your animal friend in the Maryland SPCA 2016 calendar – through June 15
8] Jobs with Justice – May 22
9] Peace Vigil at the White House – May 22
10] All Lives Matter – May 22
11] Stop Farm Fresh – May 22
12] “Do Guns Make Us Free?” May 22
13] Pray for Peace– May 22
14] Ballroom Dancing – May 22
15] Annual School of Life Celebration – May 23
16] West Chester, PA demo – May 23
17] March Against Monsanto – May 23
18] Ethical District Showcase – May 23
19] “Remembrance Sunday” – May 24
20] Protecting tenants – May 24
21] Baltimore’s rebellion – May 24
22] Pentagon Vigil – May 25
23] Marc Steiner on WEAA – May 25 – May 29
24] Orioles game benefit May 25
25] 2015 Solidarity Cyclers – May 25
26] Pledge of Resistance/FOC meeting – May 25 - maybe
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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 mobuszewski at Verizon dot net.  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 mobuszewski at Verizon dot 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 Francine Sheppard at 5639B, Harpers Farm Rd., Columbia 21044. The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you will be notified where to pick it up. Contact Francine at 410-992-7679 or FrancineMSW@aol.com.

5] – Two friends are looking to buy a house in Baltimore.  Let Max know if you have any leads—410-366-1637 or mobuszewski@verizon.net.

6] – Since a civil war in 1974 the island of Cyprus has been divided in two with a United Nations patrolled border. Turkish/Muslim Cypriots are in the north. Greek/ Christian Cypriots are in the south. Animosities and prejudices run deep. Experts believe that Cyprus is at a crossroads between renewed conflict or becoming as example in the Middle East of how two such cultures can live in peace.

The Cyprus Friendship Program, based on the successful model that helped build peace in Northern Ireland, brings over a Muslim and Christian teen to stay with an U.S. host family for the month of July (or ½ month if paired with another host family). This bonding experience in a neutral environment almost always results in a strong friendship. Programming here and after their return to Cyprus turns them into peace builders who are trained in how to influence their peers.  The teens are chosen for their maturity, leadership potential, and English speaking ability. You choose the gender and age (from 15 to 17). To learn more contact Tom McCarthy at 301-774-7069 or Thomas.McCarthy@RaymondJames.com.

7] – It's time to look through all your pet photos and to enter your favorites in the Maryland SPCA 2016 Pet Calendar Contest. The 2016 Pet Calendar will be a full-color, wall calendar, released in the fall of 2015. Thirteen of the best photos will be selected for the cover and pet-of-the-month pages. All entered photos will appear in the calendar. Only 400 photos will be accepted through June 15, so enter today! One free calendar is provided for each photo entered; each entry is $50 to the Maryland SPCA.  Call 410-235-8826 or email give@mdspca.org.

Photographs must be of animals, no people. High-resolution photos are preferred. Small photos, especially those taken by phones, are difficult to enlarge (photos filtered through Instagram and other social sharing apps are often low-resolution and will appear grainy in print). There is a $10 discount for each online photo entry. Be sure to use discount code SAVE10 at checkout! Go to https://www.kintera.org/AutoGen/Register/ECReg.asp?ievent=1135915&en=4dIxHFPfE3LGKPMiF2JDLLNsFeLBIKNoHhIJKMPvHeKCJQOrEfIRKRNlE6IFLWPEE.

8] – Be at the AFL-CIO, 815 16th St. NW, WDC on Fri., May 22 from noon to 1:30 PM for a screening of an organizing discussion between DC restaurant workers, members of the EJC worker committee, and painters fighting for a union contract at a local company.  The event is co-sponsored by DC Jobs With Justice and Restaurant Opportunities Center of Washington DC.  Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/108940056103729/.

9] – On Fri., May 22 from noon to 1 PM, join the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in a vigil urging the powers that be to abolish war and torture, to disarm all weapons, to end indefinite detention, to close Guantanamo, to establish justice for all and help create the Beloved Community! The vigil takes place at the White House on Pennsylvania Ave. NW.  Contact Art @ artlaffin@hotmail.com or at 202-360-6416.

10] – There is usually a silent peace vigil on Fridays, from 5 to 6 PM, sponsored by Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings, outside the Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St.  The next vigil is on May 22.  On that Friday it will remind us that Black Lives Matter as well as All Lives Matter. 

11] – There is a community meeting at 7 PM on Fri., May 22 at the Church of the Messiah, White Ave. & Harford Road.  Go to www.norofohamilton.com.  The organizers opposes the Royal Farms gas station, but they are for a Northeast Anchor library.  Elected representatives, including Del. Cory McCray, Councilperson Curran and 2016 City Council candidates will be invited so they can inform the community of their vision for the district and how to make the North East Anchor Library in Harford Road a reality.  Contact Roop Vijayan at <roopvijayan@gmail.com.

12] – On Fri., May 22 at 7:30 PM, attend a book release event—“Do Guns Make Us Free?” with Firmin de Brabander--@ Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201.  Possibly the most emotionally charged debate taking place in the United States today centers on the Second Amendment to the Constitution and the rights of citizens to bear arms. In the wake of the Sandy Hook school massacre in Connecticut, the gun rights movement, headed by the National Rifle Association, appears more intractable than ever in its fight against gun control laws. The core argument of Second Amendment advocates is that the proliferation of firearms is essential to maintaining freedom in America, providing private citizens with a defense against possible government tyranny, and thus safeguarding all our other rights. But is this argument valid? Do guns indeed make us free? The author is a MICA faculty member, whose new book, “Do Guns Make Us Free? Democracy and the Armed Society” is out this month from Yale University Press. At 6:30 PM, there will be a reception to celebrate the book's release. Call 410-433-3269 or go to http://www.redemmas.org.   

13] – Pray for Peace at  7:30 PM at the Sacred Heart of Jesus,  600 S. Conkling St., Highlandtown , Baltimore ( one block south of Eastern Ave.) on Fri., May 22.  There is walled parking behind the church with a ramp to the church. Contact Charles Cloughen, Jr., Interfaith Peace Partners coordinator, at ccloughen@episcopalmaryland.org or 410-321-4545.

14] – 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 May 22. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

15] –  The Annual School of Life Celebration in honor of the Patroness, Mary, Help of Christians is happening on Sat., May 23 from 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM.  A mass will be performed followed by interfaith prayers, songs and chants.  At 12:30 PM enjoy a vegetarian lunch. At 1:30 PM watch a film “Proof of Heaven” with Eben Alexander.  RSVP at shantiyoga2@schooloflife.org.

16] –  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

17] – On Sat., May 23 at noon gather in Lafayette Square, H and 17th Sts. NW, WDC.  Join with millions of activists from around the world who will once again March Against Monsanto, calling for the permanent boycott of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and other harmful agro-chemicals. Currently, marches will occur on six continents, in 52 countries, with events in over 400 cities. In the US, solidarity marches are slated to occur in 47 states. See https://www.facebook.com/events/388623991306255/.

18] – On Sat., May 23 from 6:15 to 9:15 PM at the Impact Hub DC, 419 7th St. NW, WDC, this Ethical District Showcase starts as a networking mixer with a Panel Discussion including representatives from all across the fashion/maker and sustainability industries. Afterward, a few select ethical accessory designers and wellness companies will showcase products and services within a vendor market, and finally it ends with a runway show. Then the Elemental Fashion Show will turn up a tempestuous combination of chic garments and accessories. For every element, there is a related fashion campaign being launched along with an "underground" theme challenging ideals and promoting the importance of advocacy, social justice, and solidarity.

Proceeds from the Ethical District Showcase and Elemental Fashion Show will support EcoHermanas, a local coop of female social ecopreneurs, and artists leading international projects and educational programs in environmentalism, and the arts. Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eco-fashion-showcase-tickets-16950456271.

19] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102, Baltimore 21201-4661, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion from 10:30 AM to noon. On May 24, “Remembrance Sunday” will be hosted by Karen Elliott and Hugh Taft-Morales.  BES members and guests will have a chance to celebrate people who have died but left us with gifts that enrich our lives. Whether the person was a family member or a historical figure, we owe so much to those no longer with us. We miss their living presence but take solace in the work, ideals, friendship, and love they offered to the world. In our quest to live more meaningful and ethical lives, we can turn to those who have gone before for inspiration, guidance and strength. During this platform program, members and guests will be offered a chance to honor someone important in their lives. It can be in honor of a relative, friend, mentor, or historical figure. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

20] – Jews United for Justice has started a campaign to win strong DC investments in affordable housing and to strengthen laws that protect tenants. It’s important to the Jewish community that DC is diverse and affordable. Join JUJ at Moishe House, 1452 Harvard St. NW, WDC on Sun., May 24 from 1 to 3 PM on Shavuot to eat, learn some traditional and modern Torah on housing, and get the details on how to preserve affordable housing in the city! Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/404873503027248/.

21] – Get over to the Baltimore Solidarity Center, 2011 N. Charles St. on Sun., May 24 from 5 to 7 PM for a discussion hosted by Workers World Party & FIST; "Why we call the Baltimore Uprising a rebellion, not a riot." The discussion will be led by Lamont Lilly, an anti-police community organizer from Durham, North Carolina and a contributing writer to the Workers World newspaper. Call 443-221-3775 or visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1474258302865030/.

22] -- There is a weekly Pentagon Peace Vigil from 7 to 8 AM on Mondays, since 1987, outside the Pentagon Metro stop.  The next vigil is Mon., May 26, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker.  Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649.  The vigil will be outside the Pentagon's south Metro entrance and in the designated "protest zone" behind bicycle fences across from the entrance to the Metro.  By Metro, take Yellow Line and get out at the "Pentagon" stop. Do not go to the Pentagon City stop! Go up south escalators and turn left and walk across to protest area. By car from D.C. area, take 395 South and get off at Exit 8A-Pentagon South Parking. Take slight right onto S. Rotary Rd. at end of ramp and right on S. Fern St. Then take left onto Army Navy Dr. You can "pay to park" on Army Navy Dr.,  and there is meter parking one block on right on Eads St. Payment for both of these spots begin at 8 AM.  No cameras are allowed on Pentagon grounds. Restrooms are located inside Marriott Residence Inn on corner of S. Fern and Army Navy Dr. 

23] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Friday from 10 AM to noon 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.  
 
24] – There's an O's-Astros Memorial Day, Mon., May 25, game at 1:35 PM.  Also it is a game with an O's cookout apron giveaway.  For $13, you can get great seats! Tickets can be delivered to Baltimore area residents, or one can meet Lou Curran at the Babe Ruth statue or pick up tickets at Will Call.  Call or text 410-499-8899!    Net proceeds will be shared among MdSPCA, Md Public Interest Law Program (MPILP), University of Baltimore Students in Public Interest Law (UBSPI), Maryland Legal Aid, Public Justice Center, Md. Criminal Defense Attorneys' Assn. (MCDAA), NACDL's Foundation for Criminal Justice, Association for the Public Defender of Maryland (APDM), and the Norm Uziak memorial children's scholarship fund.

25] –Go to 1211 Delafield Pl. NW, WDC on Mon., May 25 at 6:30 PM and join CISPES in welcoming the dedicated 2015 Solidarity Cyclers back from their 3-day excursion! A group of cyclists are undertaking a Herculean 180-mile ride through Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland over Labor Day weekend, and they aren’t just doing it for fun and exercise (though we imagine they will get lots of both). They are riding to raise funds so CISPES can continue to support the struggle of Salvadoran communities and workers against US-funded “development” projects that threaten human rights and environmental health. Bring food, and drinks will be supplied. Let laura@cispes.org know what you’re bringing or ask her for suggestions. See https://www.facebook.com/events/1444406025856340/.

26] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore usually meets on Mondays at 7:30 PM, and the meetings take place at Max’s residence.  However, it must be determined when to do the next meeting.  Should May 25, Memorial Day, be skipped.  If yes, the next meeting would be June 1. The proposed agenda will include anti-drone activities, Freddie Gray, John Sarbanes/Ben Cardin, JHU graduation peace diplomas, annual July 4 visit to the NSA and the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net.

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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