Baltimore Activist Alert March 12 - 26, 2017

Baltimore Activist Alert March 12 - 14, 2017

"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 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski [at] verizon.net.

1] Books, buttons and stickers

2] Web site for info on federal legislation

3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists  

4] Two friends are looking to buy a house in Baltimore

5] Call Sen. Mike Miller to tell him pass a fracking ban

6] “Fragility and Resilience”-- Mar. 12

7] March for the immigrants – Mar. 12

8] Celebration of the Life Restoration Ministry – Mar. 12

9] Baltimore Bystander Training – Mar. 12

10] Fundraiser for the ACLU – Mar. 12

11] Whistleblowing Protections Talk -- Mar. 12

12] Pentagon Vigil – Mar. 13

13] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Mar. 13 – Mar. 17

14] It happened in Northern Ireland – Mar. 13

15] The Battle Over Women's Rights and Family Values -- Mar. 13

16] Two Documentaries on Feminist Activists -- Mar. 13

17] Get Money Out of Maryland conference call – Mar. 13

18] Protest the NRA – Mar. 14

19] D.C. Environmental Film Festival - Mar. 14 – 26

20] Philly peace vigil - Mar. 14

21] Stop JHU’s drone research -- Mar. 14

22] PeaceSeekers Meeting – Mar. 14

23] Film “Roadmap to Apartheid” – Mar. 14

24] Avoid PACIFISNM AS PATHOLOGY – Mar. 14

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1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available.  “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Call Max at 410-323-1607.

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.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 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] – Janice and Max are looking to buy a house in Baltimore.  Let Max know if you have any leads—410-323-1607 or mobuszewski at Verizon dot net.

5] – Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility has asked for help.  We must ban fracking in Maryland. However, a few senators appear to be the main obstacles to a ban.  Call Senator Mike Miller at 1-888-997-5380 and tell him you support a fracking ban.

6] –  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 Sun., Mar. 12, the Sunday Platform Address is “Fragility and Resilience”
with Hugh Taft-Morales, ethical leader.  There are many times when as individuals, or as a country, we have felt fragile. Times can be hard, and the strengths we rely upon can slip from our grasps. We can be knocked down. How do we get back up? How do we go on? What is resilience, and from where does it spring? Hugh Taft-Morales explores the important trait of resilience to survive health challenges, national crises, and ecological threats. At a time when many are feeling grave uncertainty about the future, maybe paradoxically it is in our very fragility that resilience is born. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org. 

7] --   On Sun., Mar. 12 from 2 to 5:30 PM join a Maryland Rally Against Bans, Walls, Raids hosted by Zainab Chaudry at Mount Vernon Place, 699 Washington Pl., Baltimore 21201.  Rally against the latest, revised Executive Order, Muslim Ban 2.0, and condemn discriminatory policies targeting immigrants and refugees.  Demand that our elected leaders, including Governor Hogan, break their silence and stand up for the most vulnerable members of our communities.     Learn how YOU CAN HELP PUSH BACK against these policies and EO's. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1638823986425511/.

8] – You are invited to the 7th Anniversary Worship Celebration of the Life Restoration Ministry on Sun., Mar.  21 at 3 PM at Oak Street AME Church, 123 West 24th St., Baltimore 21218.  Rev. Cecelia Bryant, anointed global visionary woman of God, will be the Preacher.  Rev. Dr. Mankekolo Mahlangu-Ngcobo will receive the 2017 Harriet Tubman Award.  Contact Rev. Dr. Mankekolo at mailto:mankekolo@aol.com.

9] – On Sun., Mar 12 from 4 to 6 PM, come to a Baltimore Bystander Training at Memorial Episcopal Church, 1407 Bolton St., Baltimore 21217. In light of the current political climate and the uptick in immigration enforcement, many Baltimoreans have expressed a desire to respond and protect the rights of their immigrant neighbors. CASA invites YOU to Memorial Episcopal on March 12 at 4 PM to learn about your role as a bystander when an immigration raid is happening and how you can more generally support our immigrant communities and CASA's work. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/178013329363172/.

10] –  Extreme Vetting, a Fundraiser for the ACLU, is happening at the Momentum Dance Theatre, 534 8th St. SE, WDC, on Sun., Mar. 12 from 7 to 9 PM.  The Momentum Dance Theatre presents this production of artists' response to the climate of fear and anxiety generated by the Trump administration. Using song, dance, music, spoken word and humor, artists from diverse backgrounds and perspectives share their experiences, react to the current political atmosphere and offer ways we can all stand together.  There will be a Q&A after the performances. Admission of $20 includes food and drink. ALL proceeds benefit the ACLU. Space is limited so reserve your ticket by emailing momentumdancetheatre@gmail.com. Connect at https://www.facebook.com/events/204920066652754/.

11] – Get over to the Whistleblowing Protections Talk by Nancy Modesitt at the Arlington Public Library, 1015 N. Quincy St., Arlington, VA, on Sun., Mar. 12 from 7 to 10 PM. Professor Modesitt will address the fundamentals of whistleblowing law, including rights of employees in the public and private sectors, common issues that arise for whistleblowers and employer responses to whistleblowing. There will be a Q&A. Modesitt is an Associate Professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law, where she teaches Employment Law and Employment Discrimination Law. She is the lead author of “Whistleblowing: The Law of Retaliatory Discharge.” RSVP at http://tinyurl.com/zjq7fgz.

12] – 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 Mar. 13, 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. 

13] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Friday fr6m 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.

14] – On Mon., Mar. 13 from 1 to 5 PM hear about Northern Ireland’s Lessons for Israeli-Palestinian Peace at the U.S. Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave. NW, WDC. RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/northern-irelands-lessons-for-israeli-palestinian-peace-sen-george-mitchell-and-experts-on-the-tickets-31075866754.  Sen. George Mitchell and other experts on the situation in Ireland will comment on if the peace accord there can be a model. When Northern Ireland’s combatants finally made peace in the 1990s, they did so on a broad foundation of grassroots reconciliation and economic development work, built over more than a decade by the International Fund for Ireland . USIP and the Embassy of Ireland will gather former government officials, peacebuilding practitioners and scholars to examine what worked in advancing peace in Northern Ireland—and what lessons might be applied to the difficult process of peacemaking and peacebuilding between Israelis and Palestinians, at a time when some are proposing a similar funding mechanism for that conflict. Mitchell, who served as an envoy in both peace processes, will be the keynote speaker.

15] – Catch the book talk “Divided We Stand: The Battle Over Women's Rights and Family Values that Polarized American Politics” at Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC, on Mon., Mar. 13 from 7 to 8:15 PM.  Although much has been written about the role that social issues have played in politics, little attention has been given to the historical impact of women activists. The book DIVIDED WE STAND reveals how the battle between feminists and their conservative challengers divided the nation as Democrats continued to support women's rights and Republicans cast themselves as the party of family values. We cannot fully understand the present without appreciating the events leading up to Houston and thereafter. The author Marjorie J. Spruill teaches courses in women's history, Southern history, and recent American history at the University of South Carolina. See http://www.politics-prose.com/book/9781632863140.

16] – Two Documentaries on Feminist Activists for Global Justice will be shown as part of Beyond the Classroom, 4250 Leigh Rd. 1102 South Campus Commons, Building 1, College Park, MD, on Mon., Mar. 13 from 7 to 9 PM as part of the Spring 2017 Series on "People Power: Activism for Social Change."  The first is FEED THE GREEN: FEMINIST VOICES FOR THE EARTH which challenges the cultural imagination surrounding the destruction of the environment and its impact on femicide and genocide. This informative documentary, by Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies professor and scholar Jane Caputi, highlights an active global resistance movement and an alternative imagery communicating resistant green consciousness.

  The second is PASSIONATE POLITICS, a documentary that brings Charlotte Bunch’s story to life, from idealistic young civil rights activist to lesbian separatist to internationally-recognized leader of a campaign to put women’s rights on the global human rights agenda. Interweaving past and present interviews with rich archival material, this is at once a deeply emotional portrait of a lifelong activist and an inspirational chronicle of the building of a global movement. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/252768295183217/.

17] – Get Money Out of Maryland has a weekly teleconference, every Monday evening at 8:30 PM.  Call 605-475-6711, and use the Code 1136243#.  Go to http://www.getmoneyoutmd.org/.

18] – On Tues., Mar. 14 at 10 AM join the monthly gun violence reduction vigil outside the NRA headquarters remembering the Sandy Hook Elementary school shootings.  The NRA is located at 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030.

19] -- The D.C. Environmental Film Festival will take place at locations throughout D.C. and in Maryland from Tues., Mar. 14 at 4 PM through Sun., Mar. 26 at 10:30 PM.  See environmental films at over 50 venues. Go to http://dceff.org/.

20] – 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 Mar. 14.  Call 215-426-0364.

21] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. join this ongoing vigil on Mar. 14  from 5:30  to 6:30 PM. Call Max at 410-323-1607.

22] – On Tues., Mar. 14 at 7 PM, there will be a PeaceSeekers Meeting, a program of Pacem in Terris focused on world peace, at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1502 W. 13th St., Wilmington, DE 19806.  Go to http://depaceminterris.org/.

23] – Baltimore Palestine Solidarity presents “Roadmap to Apartheid” on Tues., Mar. 14 with the doors opening at 6:30 PM at  Homewood Friends Meetinghouse,  3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218.  The film starts promptly at 7 PM.  Apartheid is a word most commonly associated with the system of racial segregation in South Africa. The same word has also been applied to describe the State of Israel.  See what apartheid looks like in both cases, the similarities and differences between the two, and how boycott, divestment and sanctions can play a role in ending this system of oppression. Homemade Arabic food will be available before and after the film.  The suggested donation is $5.

24] – On Thur., Mar. 14 at 7:30 PM at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, is hosting Ward Churchill, author of an ignorant essay “Pacifism as Pathology in which he has attacked the Berrigan brothers and claimed pacifists are hypocritical,  de facto racist and ineffectual. He lost his position at the University of Colorado, when he was accused of research misconduct in 2007, He sued, and lost in a case which the U.S. Supreme Court eventually refused to hear. I was considering going to challenge his position on pacifism, but now think I will instead attend the film about apartheid at Homewood Friends Meetinghouse.  It is sad that Red Emma’s is giving this guy a platform.  Call 443-602-7585.  RSVP at http://www.redemmas.org.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; 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