Baltimore Activist Alert - September 10 - 11, 2015

32] "U.S.-ROK Civil Nuclear Cooperation" – Sept. 10

33] Book talk on Voting Rights – Sept. 10

34] “Underestimated: Our Not So Peaceful Nuclear Future” – Sept. 10

35] "Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG)" meeting – Sept. 10

36] See the new Jews United for Justice office– Sept. 10

37] "The Iran Nuclear Deal: The Technical Debate Clarified" – Sept. 10

38] Thank Rep. John Sarbanes for his promise to vote for the Iran Deal – Sept. 10

39] Vigil at Rep. John Delaney’s office– Sept. 10

40] Film FBI’S WAR ON BLACK AMERICA – Sept. 10

41] Thank Mikulski, Cummings & Sarbanes & urge Cardin to reconsider – Sept. 10

42] Police-community relations – Sept. 10

43] Hear from Eugene Puryear – Sept. 10

44] To Change Everything: Anarchism and the New Social Movements – Sept. 10

45] U.S. Nuclear Policy Toward China – Sept. 11

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32] – On Thurs., Sept. 10 from 10:15 to 11:30 AM, Marie DuMond, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); Gary Samore, Harvard University; and Sharon Squasonni, CSIS, will discuss "U.S.-ROK Civil Nuclear Cooperation" at CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW, WDC. RSVP at KoreaChair@csis.org.

33] – On the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act this August, President Obama urged Congress to restore a key provision of the VRA that had been dismantled by the Supreme Court in 2013. This 1965 bill has received renewed national attention lately, due to the Court’s decision and high-profile recent attempts across the country to restrict access to the voting booth, through voter ID laws and limited voting hours. But the backlash against a free and equal democratic process is far from a new phenomenon.

In his new book, “Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America,” journalist Ari Berman tells the moving story of the transformation of the country under the VRA, as well as the long counterrevolutionary efforts to undermine it. While the act gave the right to vote to millions of Americans and is viewed as one of the crowning achievements of the civil rights movement, we are still fighting fierce battles over race, representation, and political power, decades later.

Join New America, 1899 L St. NW, Suite 400, WDC, on Thurs., Sept. 10 from 12:15 to 1:45 PM for a discussion on the VRA.  Go to https://www.newamerica.org/.

34] – On Thurs., Sept. 10 from 12:30 to 2 PM, Henry Sokolski, Nonproliferation Policy Center, will talk about “Underestimated: Our Not So Peaceful Nuclear Future” at the National Defense University, Lincoln Hall, Room 1119, Fort McNair, WDC. RSVP to Nima Gerami to Nima.Gerami@ndu.edu.

35] – The Md. Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council (JRCC)  has scheduled the first of two "Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG)" meetings on Thurs.,  Sept. 10 from 2 to 4 PM at CCBC Catonsville, Mathematics and Science Hall (MASH). Room 034.  Parking is available in white-lined spots, lots 3 and 5 are closest to location.  There will be a summary data presentation by Pew Charitable Trusts.  Then there will be a facilitated discussion: Stakeholders in Catonsville.  The meeting will offer report progress on a comprehensive study of Maryland criminal justice policies-- and how they could be improved. It also will offer a rare opportunity for public comments.  If your organization would like to speak, RSVP to Cara Sullivan of the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention at cara.sullivan@maryland.gov or 410-821-2851.

36] – Visit 1100 H St. NW, Suite 630, WDC, on Thurs., Sept. 10, 2015 from 4:30 to 7 PM and see the new Jews United for Justice space. Enjoy drinks, hearty snacks, a sneak peek at their whiteboards covered with wonky notes, and excellent company with community and allies. RSVP at http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5483/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=79380.  

37] –  On Thurs., Sept. 10 from 4:30 to 6 PM, Frank von Hippel, Princeton University; Olli Heinonen, Harvard University; and Hossein Mousavian, Princeton University, will comment on "The Iran Nuclear Deal: The Technical Debate Clarified" at George Washington University, 1957 E St. NW, Room B17, WDC. RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nuclear-policy-talk-the-iran-nuclear-debate-tickets-18364372332.

38] – Join a Vigil for Peace & Diplomacy on Sept. 10 from 6 to 7 PM near Rep. John Sarbanes’ Towson office, corner of Bosley and Allegheny Aves., Towson 21204. Congratulate Rep. Sarbanes for his word that he will vote for the Iran Deal and continue to put pressure on Sen. Ben Cardin to change his mind and vote for diplomacy, not war. 

Can you help deliver a Thank-You letter to Rep. Sarbanes’ office at 5 PM, just prior to the letter? Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at Verizon dot net.

39] – Come to a vigil on Thurs., Sept. 10 from 6 to 7 PM at Rep. John Delaney's Office, 9801 Washingtonian Boulevard, Suite 330, Gaithersburg, MD 20878.  This is a vigil for peace and diplomacy--to encourage Rep. Delaney to support the Iran agreement and to oppose any "poison pill" bills designed to undermine the agreement.  Bring hand-made signs.  Call Jean Athey · 301-570-0923.

40] – "The War on Black America" Community Discussion during Black Lives Matter Week of Action will happen at the Capitol View Library, 5001 Central Ave. SE, WDC 20019, on Thurs., Sept. 10 from 6 to 8:30 PM.  Watch a documentary called "FBI's War on Black America" followed by a forum discussing various issues such as history, social movements, state violence etc. "This documentary explores the lives and deaths of people targeted by the US government's COINTELPRO program, an FBI launched program aimed against organized efforts by African Americans to gain rights guaranteed by our constitution."  Use the Benning Road Metro Station off the Blue & Silver Lines.

41] – On Thurs., Sept. 10 at 6:30 PM, come to McKeldin Square, Light and Pratt Sts, Baltimore 21202.  Publicly thank Senator Mikulski and Reps. Cummings and Sarbanes for endorsing the agreement with Iran and express disappointment with Sen. Cardin's decision to oppose the diplomatic path and risk war. Light candles to symbolize the power of peace and diplomacy as will many tens of thousands in cities and towns all across the nation. These events are sponsored by MoveOn.org. Bring your own white candle and a cup or plate to protect your hand.

42] – Go to a Town Hall at Florida Avenue Baptist Church, 623 Florida Ave. NW, WDC, on Thurs., Sept. 10 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM to focus on the policing of Black women and girls in D.C.  The ACLU of the Nation’s Capital (ACLU-DC) is co-sponsoring several town hall forums throughout the month of September 2015 to hear District residents’ perspective on police-community relations. In partnership with local and national organizations and the faith-based community, ACLU-DC would like to reach communities disproportionately impacted by policing and incarceration. The ACLU-DC will share the findings of recent studies highlighting issues in criminal justice practices in the District but more importantly listen to community perspectives on policing and public safety.  We hope to connect with District residents across all eight wards and across all racial, class, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, nationality, immigration status and religious lines.  Get over to http://aclu-nca.org/news/aclu-to-hold-town-hall-forums-on-policing-in-district.

43] – Join the Washington Ethical Society, 7750 16th St NW, WDC 20012, on Thurs., Sept. 10 from 7 to 9 PM to learn about alternatives to our current criminal justice system and mass incarceration. Hear from Eugene Puryear, an activist and representative from Stop Police Terror Project DC, and Saleem Hylton, a representative from DC Area Restorative Practices. Then we will have a facilitated discussion with everyone present about the possibilities for the future.  This event is part of the week of actions from the Black Lives Matter Spokescouncil. Get over to

https://www.facebook.com/events/411777759024026/.

44] – On Thurs., Sept. 10 at 7:30 PM @ Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, hear about To Change Everything: Anarchism and the New Social Movements.  This panel brings together organizers from Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and North America to discuss the significance of anarchist ideas and tactics in the 21st century. The participants will compare experiences from the wave of protests and uprisings that has swept the world since 2010—exploring the role of demand-based politics in both catalyzing and limiting movements, examining a variety of forms of repression, and critically evaluating experiments with direct democracy. They will conclude by assessing the prospects of contemporary struggles for self-determination in an era of globalized capitalism and state control.

All of the presenters are contributors to a recent outreach and dialogue project, To Change Everything, which appeared earlier this year in over twenty languages: www.tochangeeverything.com. Call 443-602-7585.  Go to http://www.redemmas.org. 

45] –  On Fri., Sept. 11 from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM at George Washington University (GWU), 1957 E St. NW, City View Room, Seventh Floor, WDC, eleven speakers will tackle "U.S. Nuclear Policy Toward China." RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1S4OOswBBZyL22TrkYtYl2D_-xGsNCLIypePMH3timjo/viewform.

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 

Baltimore Activist Alert - September 9 -10, 2015

23] Support the Iran Deal – Sept. 9 - 10

24] Europe & the Iran Deal – Sept. 9

25] Amazon Watch talk – Sept. 9

26] Environmental Justice Coalition meeting – Sept. 9

27] Struggle of women in Afghanistan – Sept. 9

28] Compare Israel’s and Iran’s nuclear programs – Sept. 9

29] Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform General Meeting – Sept. 9

30] Practice singing a climate song – Sept. 10

31] No change on venue – Sept. 10

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23] – CodePink is gathering as follows: On Wed., Sept. 9 from 8 AM to 1 PM, vigil on the House side at corner of New Jersey and Independence Aves. SE (across from the Longworth House Building).  Stand in line at 8:30 AM for a 10 AM to 1 PM Hearing in the House Foreign Affairs, 2172 Rayburn. At 12:30 PM, march to Ted Cruz/Donald Trump/Sarah Palin/Glen Beck rally (meet at corner of 1st and Independence Aves. SW) at Capitol South Metro.  The Trump rally starts at 1 PM.  From 3 to 5 PM, lobby on the House side.  At 8 PM, Seal the deal" Light Brigade Action is happening on the walkway in front of the Visitors Center at US Capitol Building.

 On Thurs., Sept. 10 at 8 AM, join the all-day vigil on the House side at the corner of New Jersey and Independence Aves, SE, across from the Longworth House Building, as well as lobbying in the House. From noon to 5 PM, lunch together in Rayburn Cafeteria followed by lobbying in House.  At 6:30 PM. The DC Vigil for Peace & Diplomacy is at Dupont Circle NW, sponsored by MoveOn. Call Michaela (432-934-5715) or Medea (415-235-6517).

24] – On Wed., Sept. 9 from 12:15 to 1:45 PM, hear from Jean-Marie Guéhenno, International Crisis Group; Wolfgang Ischinger, Munich Security Conference; Suzanne Maloney, Brookings Institution; and Cornelius Adebahr, Carnegie Endowment, tackle "How Europe Will Respond to the Iran Nuclear Agreement" at the Carnegie Endowment, 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC. RSVP at http://carnegieendowment.org/events/forms/?fa=registration&event=4976&lang=en.

25] – Amazon Watch and Bank Information Center Invite You to a "Green-Bag Lunch" Presentation: Indigenous Rights in the Peruvian Amazon 2015.  Resource Extraction, Indigenous Territory, and a Tale of Two IDBs will be discussed by Hamner Manihuari Curitima, Lizardo Cauper and Wendy Pineda, AIDESEP on Wed., Sept. 9 from 12:30 to 2 PM at Bank Information Center conference room, 1023 15th St. NW, 10th Floor, WDC. Peru's Amazon jungle - the fourth largest extension of tropical rainforest in the world - continue to be a hotbed of controversy and social conflict. With falling commodity prices, the Peruvian government has weakened environmental legislation to encourage greater investment. At the same time, indigenous peoples are continuing to organize and demand respect of their rights, including an initiative to expand collective indigenous land ownership from roughly 1/5th of the Peruvian Amazon to 50%. International financial institutions like the Inter-American Development Bank are playing a schizophrenic role, supporting indigenous land titling through a climate mechanism while threatening it through a major land titling loan.

Come hear straight from leaders with Peru's largest and internationally respected indigenous federation, AIDESEP. What are the key threats to Amazonian indigenous peoples? How are those peoples organizing to defend their own rights and self-determination? How can the international community play a constructive role?

26] – Come to the Sierra Club Offices, 50 F St. NW, Eighth Floor, WDC, on Wed., Sept. 9 from 6 to 8 PM for a meeting of the DMV Environmental Justice Coalition to learn more about what communities of color, low income groups, and others overburdened by environmental hazards, greenhouse gas emissions and co-pollutants are doing in DC, MD and VA.  The Black Lives Matter will critique white supremacy, and you are urged to learn more about it. Enjoy refreshments. RSVP to JimDriscoll@NIPSPeerSuport.org or 520-250-0509. Go to http://www.ceejh.org/dmv-ej-coalition or contact Coalition Coordinator Dr. Sacoby Wilson, Professor, University of Maryland-College Park, at swilson2@umd.edu.

27] – Come see and hear about the struggles, determination, and resourcefulness of the women and all people of Afghanistan, AWF’s efforts to partner with them to build a positive future, and what is happening for “average” people who don’t make the headlines. The event will take place at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 3615 Harford Road, Baltimore on Wed., Sept. 9 from 7 to 9 PM.  Enter a free parking lot from Chesterfield Ave. off Harford Rd. The church hall entrance is off the parking lot. The church is on the #19 Bus Route.  See photographs and hear stories from this summer by Fahima Vorgetts-Gaheez, director, Afghan Women’s Fund. She travels to Afghanistan regularly for the Women’s Fund, an all-volunteer solidarity organization working with women’s groups and villages in rural areas on survival and rebuilding projects. This summer she spent six weeks there, meeting with AWF partners and projects, talking with women (and men) who are displaced persons, teachers, farmers, organizers, entrepreneurs, medical workers, activists, officials and elders, students, and others. Handicrafts and other items will be available for purchase. All proceeds go to AWF projects in Afghanistan.  Contact Alicia at aluckste@wacdtf.org or 443-722-2024

28] –  From 7 to 9 PM  on Wed., Sept. 9 hear about  Israel and Iran: A Comparison of Nuclear Programs at  La Casa, 3166 Mt. Pleasant St. NW,  Kenyon and Mt. Pleasant NW. Use the Columbia Heights Metro. Despite being a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), since the 1979 revolution and especially over the past ten years, Iran has come under unprecedented scrutiny by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations Security Council over its nuclear program. Meanwhile, Israel, one of only four NPT non-signatories (Pakistan, India and North Korea are the others) and the only state in the Middle East actually possessing nuclear weapons, has remained free from any meaningful international oversight. While Iran has suffered debilitating economic sanctions over unproven suspicions that it might have a clandestine nuclear weapons program, Israel, with and arsenal of hundreds of modern nuclear weapons and a sophisticated delivery system capable of targeting the entire Middle East and Europe, is permitted to act with impunity.  This blatant double standard over the Iranian and Israeli nuclear programs has been recognized by many observers as weakening the international nuclear non-proliferation agenda.

John Steinbach is an activist, educator, researcher and writer, and has written extensively on environmental, economic, social justice and nuclear issues. His published works include the map and database Deadly Radiation Hazards USA co-authored with his late wife Louise Franklin-Ramirez. Other titles include Environmentalism & Social Change, The Israeli Nuclear Weapons Program, Comparing Israel’s & Iran’s Nuclear Programs, Nuclear Nightmare: The Bush Administration and U.S. Nuclear War-Fighting. 

Mr. Steinbach has been active against nuclear power and weapons since 1970, participated in the first protest against Fermi 2 south of Detroit. In 1981, he was arrested, along with 2,000 others, at the Diablo Canyon Blockade. Earlier the same year he helped co-found the

Hiroshima/Nagasaki Peace Committee of the National Capital Area, which educates the community about the need for nuclear disarmament, and hosts an annual delegation of atomic bomb survivors.  Mr. Steinbach lives and works in Prince William County, VA and was the recipient of the 2007 Prince William Human Rights Award.

Dr. Bahram Zandi is an Iranian physicist and a peace & justice activist.  Currently he is co-chair of the International and the Steering Committees of the Green Party US and a delegate to the Federation of the Green Parties of the Americas.  Dr. Zandi will provide an overview on Iran's past history and its resistance to colonial powers which leads to the current situation. 

29] – There is a Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform General Meeting on Wed., Sept. 9 @ 7:30 PM at the Annapolis Friends Meeting, 351 Dubois Road, Annapolis.  The MAJR Coordinating Council meeting will report on its plans and request approval by the general membership present.  Also, the three committees will report.  There will be an update on the Md. Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council and the focus groups, with requests for volunteers for a couple of tasks.

30] – In conjunction with Grandparents Climate Action Day, jubilant singers are needed to SING FOR THE CLIMATE and give our leaders the message that we must change our nation's energy policies while there is still time to avoid catastrophic changes in the Earth's climate.  We are elders, parents, grandparents, students and maybe YOU!  There are practice times at 7 AM on Thurs., Sept. 10 outside of Union Station, front left side and at 10:45 AM on the lawn in front of the Capitol, close to the House Office Buildings.  To join, RSVP to lpiser@aol.com or 215 913 8362.  Listen to the video and practice the song at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGgBtHoIO4g.

31] – Gather at the Clarence Mitchell Courthouse, Court House East, 111 N. Calvert St, on Thurs., Sept. 10 from 8:30 to 11:30 AM.  The next major issue is the question of changing the location of the Freddie Gray trial. No change of venue, convict the accused and then jail them. 

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 

Baltimore Activist Alert - Sepyember 5 - 22, 2015

30] Challenge Southern Heritage Rally – Sept. 5

31] West Chester peace vigil – Sept. 5

32] Revolution in Rojava --- Sept. 5

33] Film SELICHOT – Sept. 5

34] See the film WALL-E – Sept. 11

35] Climate chaos, poverty & war actions – Sept. 22

36] Sign up with Washington Peace Center

37] Join Fund Our Communities

38] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records

39] Do you need any book shelves?

40] Join Global Zero campaign

41] Join Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil

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30] – Come to Upper Senate Park, Constitution Ave. NW, WDC 20001, on Sat., Sept. 5 at 10:30 AM for a lively and very loud counter-presence against the Southern Heritage Rally taking place at 11 AM. The Southern Heritage Rally is what appears to be a national convening to celebrate Confederate pride. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/492487267593408/.

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] – On Sat., Sept. 5 at 7:30 PM @ Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, hear about The Revolution in Rojava: an evening on the situation in the autonomous cantons in the Kurdish controlled areas of Northern Syria. In the middle of a brutal civil war and the rise of ISIS, the Kurdish communities in Northern Syria are not only defending their autonomy, but building a social revolution.  The autonomous cantons are experimenting with new forms of communal democracy, designing much needed patterns for political and cultural freedom, and developing and drawing on a militant feminist critique of existing gender relations.  And they're under constant threat from almost all sides. Find out what's going on in Rojava from Golala Arya, Washington, D.C. area Kurdish activist, Ruken Işık, Gender and Women’s Studies, UMBC, and Omer Pacal, HDP (People's Democratic Party) member.  Call 443-602-7585.  Go to http://www.redemmas.org. 

33] –  See the film SELICHOT AT THE AVALON THEATER, 5612 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC on Sat., Sept. 5 from 8 to 11 PM.  This is a BLACKS & JEWS, A TIKKUN OLAM STORY. In these days of heightened awareness regarding race and racism in America, the story of Julius Rosenwald and his support for African American schools and housing in the early 20th century is particularly timely. Rosenwald, who was a part-owner of Sears, Roebuck and Co., was influenced by the educator Booker T. Washington. He joined forces with African American communities in the Jim Crow-era South to build over 5,300 schools. Inspired by the Jewish ideals of tzedakah (charity) and tikkun olam (repairing the world), and a deep concern over racial inequality in America, Rosenwald used his wealth to become one of America’s most effective philanthropists.  Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/selichot-at-the-avalon-theatre-tickets-17584615057.

34] –  The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee, Baltimore Quaker Peace and Justice Committee of Homewood and Stony Run Meetings and Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility are continuing the FILM & SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS DVD SERIES.  The DVDs will be shown at Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218, usually on the First Friday.  After the peace vigil, there will be a potluck dinner. At 7:15 PM, from September through December, a DVD will be shown with a discussion to follow.  There is no charge, and refreshments will be available. The series theme is CAN WE HAVE HOPE FOR THE FUTURE?

On Fri., Sept. 11 see the film WALL-E (USA, 2008, 98 min.), an-animated comedy produced by Pixar Animation Studios.  Directed by Andrew Stanton, the story follows a robot named WALL-E, who is designed to clean up an abandoned, waste-covered Earth far in the future. He falls in love with another robot named EVE, who also has a programmed task, and follows her into outer space on an adventure that changes the destiny of both his kind and humanity. The film is seen as a critique on larger societal issues. It addresses consumerism, corporatism, nostalgia, environmental problems, waste management, human impact on the environment, and risks to human civilization and the planet Earth. Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at Verizon dot net.

35] -- The National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance is planning an action on September 22 in the D.C. area. We will gather at 10 AM in Rep. Paul Ryan’s office to challenge him that the wars must end, that Mother Earth must be saved and that we must eliminate income inequality. We will occupy Rep. Paul Ryan’s office.

After delivering a letter and speaking with staff members, we will next gather for a rally in Murrow Park, before arriving at 1 PM at the White House.  There we will try to deliver a letter to the White House, raise the same issues and risk arrest. Let Max know if you can join us in D.C. for this action. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net.

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

37] -- Fund Our Communities campaign is a 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 former 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. 

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

39] -- Can you use any book shelves? Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net.

40] -- 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.

41] – A 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

How Obama defeated AIPAC on Iran.

haaretz.com

How Obama defeated AIPAC on Iran

http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.674119?date=1441200922596

PETER BEINART Sep 02, 2015 3:04 PM

It’s now virtually certain that the Iran nuclear deal will survive congressional challenge. If opponents pass a bill rejecting the agreement, supporters have the votes to sustain U.S. President Barack Obama’s veto in the House of Representatives. In the Senate, a bill condemning the deal may not even garner enough votes to pass in the first place.

The interesting question is why.

The first, and most obvious, answer is that when a president really wants something in foreign policy, he’s hard to stop. After World War II, when America established a de facto global empire, the balance of power between the president and Congress tipped. The executive branch now contains a vast, semi-secret national security bureaucracy that makes split-second decisions — for instance, whether to launch a drone strike halfway across the world — without ever asking Congress. Members of Congress have become accustomed to deferring to presidents overseas in a way they don’t at home. Even when the Iraq War grew politically toxic, Congress never cut off its funding. Congress still refuses to vote on Obama’s war against ISIS; they’d rather leave it to him.

The Iran deal is unusual in that members of one party — the GOP — are refusing to show that deference. In fact, opposing the president on Iran has become a way for Republicans to rally their political base. But that merely brings us to reason number two that the deal is almost certain to pass: The more partisan the opposition to it becomes, the more Democrats rally behind Obama in response.

This is a huge problem for AIPAC. For years, the organization has worked to ensure that both Democrats and Republicans provide the Israeli government unquestioning support. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, by embracing Mitt Romney in 2012, colluding with Republicans to organize a speech to Congress behind Obama’s back this spring and making Ron Dermer, a former GOP operative, his top representative in Washington, has made AIPAC’s work harder.

AIPAC itself has also changed. In the 1980s, when it was led by Tom Dine, a former staffer to Ted Kennedy, Democrats comprised a larger share of its membership. But over the decades, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush have made hawkish Jews more comfortable in the GOP. Others have left the Democratic Party because of Barack Obama. Orthodox Jews, who vote overwhelmingly Republican, also play a larger role in AIPAC than they did a few decades ago.

As a result, while AIPAC remains immensely powerful, the distribution of its power has changed. Last year, the organization’s problems attracting liberal Democrats even led it to appoint a director for progressive engagement.

AIPAC’s power doesn’t come from its staff in Washington. It comes from its ability to mobilize influential people in a state or district, people who know their member of Congress well. But if fewer of the AIPAC activists in a given state or city are Democrats, their Iran views carry less weight with Democratic members of Congress. In the words of one Jewish official who has spent time discussing the Iran deal on Capitol Hill, “Members have commented on how AIPAC’s membership has changed. They say that when they walk into an AIPAC meeting, it feels to them like they’re walking into a conservative, Republican space.” Why should Democrats listen to Republican AIPAC activists who will oppose them no matter what?

But there’s a third reason Obama is going to win on Iran. By framing a vote against the deal as a vote for war, he’s effectively harnessed the legacy of the Iraq war. Before Iraq, ambitious Democrats considered hawkishness the politically safer bet. That had been the lesson of the 1991 Gulf War. Only ten senate Democrats had voted to authorize it. And after the war proved a triumph, two of them, Al Gore and Joe Lieberman, were rewarded with spots atop their party’s presidential ticket in 2000.

The politics of the Iraq War proved exactly the opposite. It was his opposition to the war that led Howard Dean to come from nowhere to almost win the Democratic nomination in 2004. Opposing the war helped Obama beat Hillary Clinton in 2008. Opposing the Iraq War also helped make MoveOn.org a force inside the Democratic Party, and it is MoveOn, more than any other single group, that Democrats fear crossing if they vote against the Iran deal today. Most senators fantasize about being on a presidential ticket one day. And as the Jewish official notes, Democratic senators are “keenly aware that there’s no candidate for president today running on their record of the support of the Iraq War.”

Barack Obama ran for president, in part, to change the politics of national security; to give Democrats the confidence to do what they believed was right. As he said in Iowa in late 2007, “I don’t want to see more American lives put at risk because no one had the judgment or the courage to stand up against a misguided war before we sent our troops into fight.”

Now, as Obama’s presidency enters its twilight, it is clear that he has succeeded. Republicans may be as hawkish as ever. But Democrats no longer feel the need to keep pace. They no longer worry as much that by supporting diplomacy, they look weak or soft.

On national security, Obama has changed the terms of debate. And there is nothing Benjamin Netanyahu or AIPAC can do about it. 

 © Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. All Rights Reserved

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

Baltimore Activist Alert - September 3 - 4, 2015

21] Understanding the Iran Deal – Sept. 3

22] Film SON HOMBRE – Sept. 3

23] Limiting Nuclear Weapons – Sept. 4

24] Protest Saudi Arabia – Sept. 4

25] Peace vigil at the White House– Sept. 4

26] Black Lives Matter Vigil – Sept. 4

27] Film CHOCOLATE CITY – Sept. 4

28] Film MATEWAN – Sept. 4

29] Ballroom Dancing – Sept. 4

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21] – Understanding the Iran Deal with Zia Mian is happening on Thurs., Sept. 3| at 7 PM at the Germantown Friends School, Yarnall Auditorium, 31 West Coulter St., Germantown/Philadelphia 19144. What are the major parts of the Iranian nuclear deal agreement and what would they accomplish?  What are the agreement's implications for nuclear weapons nonproliferation in the Middle East and the long term prospects for peace in the region? What if the agreement crashes and burns in the U.S. Congress.

Mian, a physicist and peace activist at Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security, will be addressing these concerns directly under the auspices of the Germantown Friends Meeting’s Adult Class Committee.  The talk is sponsored by numerous groups, including American Friends Service Committee & the Brandywine Peace Community.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/855205207897602/.

22] – See director Cary Fukunaga’s film SON HOMBRE [Mexico/USA, 2009,  96 mins.] on Thurs., Sept. 3 at 7:30 PM at the Creative Alliance at The Patterson, 3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore 21224.  Sayra (Paulina Gaitan), a Honduran teen, hungers for a better life. Her chance for one comes when she is reunited with her long-estranged father, who intends to immigrate to Mexico and then enter the United States. Sayra's life collides with a pair of Mexican gang members (Edgar Flores, Kristyan Ferrer) who have boarded the same American-bound train. Tickets in advance are $10 or $7 for members.  At the door, tickets are $12 and $9.  This screening is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Despues De La Frontera/After the Border on view at the Creative Alliance through Sept. 26. To schedule a tour, email curator Tanya Garcia at tanya@creativealliance.org.

23] – On Fri., Sept. 4 from 9 to 11 AM, Sharon Squassoni, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Andrew Kuchins, CSIS, Steven Pifer, Brookings Institution, Guy Roberts, former Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Weapons of Mass Destruction Policy, NATO, and retired Col. Jeff MaCausland, will tackle "Limiting Non-Strategic Nuclear Weapons: Results of a Track II Dialogue." At CSIS, Second Floor Conference Room 212-B, 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW, WDC. RSVP at http://my.csis.org/csis/CSIS1700/CSISEventRegistration.aspx?eventcode=2015_366.

24] – Come to the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC, on Fri., Sept. 4 at 10:30 AM as the Saudi government is relentlessly bombing the country of Yemen, killing thousands of people. In Saudi Arabia, horrific punishments from beheading to lashings are routinely carried out by the government. It’s time to break the cozy relationship between our government and the Saudi regime!

There will be a march to the Ritz Carlton down the street at 11:30 AM where a day-long gathering of Saudi leaders will be taking place. A new coalition of human rights organizations--composed of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, CODEPINK, the Middle East Crisis Committee (Connecticut) and Peace Action (Massachusetts)--is calling on the United States to end its alliance with the absolute monarchy. Go to www.SaudiUS.org or https://www.facebook.com/events/546137095546092/.

25] – On Fri., Sept. 4 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.

26] – 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 scheduled vigil is on Sept. 4. Black Lives Matter. Though this is the First Friday, there will not be a potluck or a film.  The potluck dinner will occur on September 11, followed by a viewing of WALL-E.

27] –  Come to the ATU Union Hall, 2701 Whitney Place, Forestville, on Fri., Sept. 4 from 5 to 9 PM, as ATU Local 689 will be having a Cocktail Hour/Movie Night. Enjoy light refreshments and at 7 PM a movie called "Chocolate City."

"In 2003, over 400 families from the Arthur Capper's housing project in South East Washington DC were forced from their homes as part of a massive nation-wide redevelopment program.  "Chocolate City" explores the rapid gentrification of Washington DC through the eyes of a group of local women who are fighting to return to their neighborhood. Although living in the shadows of power, their story celebrates the strength of communities and the capacity of art to inspire change."

This event is open to EVERYBODY, please feel free to attend if you would like to have a drink, get to know members (and vice versa) and watch a really cool movie about organizing in D.C. and the strength of communities. Visit http://www.atulocal689.org/.

28] –  Go to the Peace Center of Delaware County, 1001 Old Sproul Road, Springfield, PA 19064 for the First-Friday Free Large Screen Film Series on Fri., Sept. 4 at 7 PM to see a special Labor Day weekend showing of a film classic, MATEWAN, based on a true story of  justice and struggle. A union organizer comes to an embattled mining community dominated by a mining company and its hired thugs.   Written and directed by John Sayles, the film stars Chris Cooper, James Earl Jones, Mary McDonnell and David Strathairn. The screening is co-sponsored by the Brandywine Peace Community. Go to http://www.delcopeacecenter.org/ or call 610-544-1818.

29] – 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 Sept. 4. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

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 

Can you meet with a Sarbanes aide on September 3?/Six citizen activists engage with Sen. Cardin at JHU to support Iran Deal!

Friends,

Are a constituent of Rep. John Sarbanes?  Can you come to D.C. on September 3 at 1 PM to meet with his foreign policy staffer?  Let me know ASAP.

Max

Six citizen activists go to Johns Hopkins University to urge Senator Ben Cardin to vote for the Iran Deal!

  Johns Hopkins University President Ron Daniels invited thirty JHU students on September 1 to a discussion with Senator Ben Cardin on the proposed Iran nuclear agreement. Sen. Cardin requested an open conversation with Hopkins students. Cardin is the Ranking Minority Member on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Said Cardin, “Our young people have the most at stake when we consider questions of long-term global stability, so the opportunity to test my thinking on the proposed agreement with students will be an integral part of my decision-making process. Maryland’s universities draw some of the sharpest minds in the world, and I look forward to learning more about their views on the world.”

Recognizing that Sen Cardin has rejected my request for a meeting with peace and justice activists and my suggestion that he host a town hall meeting on the Iran Deal, I am cynical of the reason given for meeting with Hopkins students. As someone who has been to many lectures at Hopkins and at Goucher College, I have observed that many students lack the knowledge and information on the subject at hand.  They, like I was in college, are generally there to garner some understanding of the issue, and unlikely to challenge the speaker, especially a U.S. senator.  For example, at a lecture by a deputy director of the National Security Agency at Goucher College, I was there to challenge him for the NSA’s repeated abuse of the U.S. Constitution.  Almost all of the questions asked by the students were quite banal.  One even asked how can he get a job at the NSA. 

Nevertheless, around 9:30 AM on September 1, six citizen activists, Steve Buff, Charlie Cooper, Cindy Farquhar, Dick Ochs, Theresa Reuter and Max Obuszewski,  responded to the Pledge of Resistance’s call to greet Sen. Cardin during his visit to the Homewood Campus of Johns Hopkins University.  On May 8, 2012, eight members of the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance sat in President Daniels’ office for a about eight hours protesting killer drone research being performed by the university.  Since then, when we have tried to conduct a protest, security has chased us off campus. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory receives about $1 billion from the Navy to work on military contracts, and over the years this research has been met with protests.  On Tuesdays, just outside the campus, the Pledge of Resistance holds a protest condemning the university’s swarming drones research.

We were discreet when we went to Hodson Hall on JHU’s campus, assuming we might be removed before we had an opportunity to speak with Cardin.  However, it soon became apparent that security had no interest in stopping us from protesting.  We covered both entrances, and two people went inside.  I was outside when President Daniels walked by as he entered Hodson Hall.  Inside, Cindy asked him if we could attend the meeting.  He pretended to take the request seriously.  But of course, he eventually responded that the room was full. A representative of Progressive Maryland had also tried to get inside the meeting, but she was denied entry.  So she joined us for a while outside, and took a photograph of us holding our signs exhorting Cardin to support the Iran Deal.

While the meeting was ongoing, we gathered outside to query students about their opinions regarding the Iran Deal.  A vast majority of students indicated they had no opinion.  I did not hear of one student who was against the deal, but there was only one student who supported the agreement.  He was from North Florida and firmly in favor of the Iran Deal.  He was also a big fan of Bernie Sanders.

Around 11:15 AM, Cardin and his retinue left Hodson Hall.  Cardin was gracious enough to engage in dialogue with us.  Two of his staffers who were there met with us on August 20 outside Cardin’s Baltimore office. That day we were informed that Cardin will not reveal his vote until after the Senate returns to D.C. after Labor Day  Outside Hodson Hall, we indicated how important it was for him to voice support for diplomacy, not war.  My sign said Senator Cardin Support President Obama, Citizens of the USA, People in the Middle East. Vote for Iran Deal.

As we completed our civic duty for the morning, I was approached by Officer Long who was in plainclothes.  He reminded me that I was banned from the campus because of the sit-in in President Daniels’ office.  I indicated that I was not aware the ban was still in effect.  He said it was, so I suggested we take it to court.  He then backed off from his authoritarian position.  He then asked me to contact him whenever we planned to protest on campus.  He indicated that while he was aware that I was always respectful when engaging in a protest, other members of the security force might not be so understanding.

  At 5:30 PM on September 1, Cindy, I and others were outside the campus protesting drone research and conversing with students.  We were elated to find out that thirty three senators agreed to vote for the Iran nuclear agreement.  We just need one more to prevent an over-ride of Obama’s possible veto.  Will Cardin or Mikulski be the next in line?  Or will they vote for war?  Mikulski as a senator, and Cardin as a presentative, voted against the invasion of Iraq.     

 While we are hoping our senators and representatives do the right thing, MoveOn and others groups are planning vigils around the country on September 10.  Join us in supporting diplomacy, not war.

Max Obuszewski

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