Baltimore Activist Alert - September 28 - 30, 2015

14] Religion and the media – Sept. 28

15] Situation in Syria – Sept. 28

16] “Writing on the Wall, Selected Prison Writings of Mumia Abu-Jamal” – Sept. 28

17] Safe alternatives to solitary confinement – Sept. 29

18] "Solving Japan’s Plutonium Problem" – Sept. 29

19] Situation in Tunisia – Sept. 29

20] Peace vigil – Sept. 29

21] Vigil against JHU’s drone research – Sept. 29

22] “Black Prophetic Fire” – Sept. 29

23] Mentally ill in prison – Sept. 30

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14] – At American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC, on Mon., Sept. 28 from 9:30 AM to 4 PM, join the School of International Service for a day-long public forum and conversation among academics and journalists from the Washington Post, Pulitzer Center, National Catholic Reporter, and AU faculty, among others, about journalistic and media reportage on the role of religion in public debate and activism on climate change.  The appearance of the papal encyclical on the environment, 'Laudato Si', will serve as the workshop's orienting point of reference. An important concern throughout will be how the political agency of religion is represented in media coverage, to identify prevailing frames and their effects, to explore alternative frames, and to suggest what might be missing from current reportage and public debate.

This meeting is open to the public and co-organized by CLALS and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. The workshop represents a continuation of collaborations between the Pulitzer Center and American University, including with AU’s School of Communication. It is also part of a Luce Foundation-funded CLALS project on Democratic Contestation in Latin America, dedicated to exploring the relationship of religion to the environment across the region. Contact Rob Albro (albro@american.edu).

15] – In the light of the present barbaric violence and drastically destructive war that devastates Syria and Iraq by the Syrian regime, on one side, and all kinds of Islamist jihadi phalanges, on another, many local Middle Easterners and Western decision-takers and opinion-makers call for protecting the minorities in the region and encourage them to form a united front of ‘alliance of minorities’ to defend themselves and grant their survival in the region. In this presentation at Georgetown University, WDC, on Mon., Sept. 28 from 10 AM to noon, Najib George Awad will try to pause at the use of the term ‘minority’ and to scrutinize its factual meaning in the light of the real context that originated the revolution in Syria. He will demonstrate that in the Syrian sitz im leben, the notion of ‘minority’ is definitely neither numerical nor confessionalist in nature. It is the outcome of a minoritization policy that was exerted on Syria by the ruling regime. In the light of perceiving the ‘policy of minoritization’, which he will shed light on, Awad shall be ending the presentation with an assessment of the ‘alliance of minorities’ trend that stems out of the above mentioned call for protecting the minorities, calling the Christians and other minorities in the region to avoid this trend and beware of its dire danger.

Awad is a religious scholar, author and poet from Syria. He is Associate Professor of Christian Theology and the Director of the International PhD Program in Hartford Seminary, Connecticut. Go to http://www.eventbrite.com/e/christians-in-contemporary-syria-what-does-minority-mean-with-najib-george-awad-tickets-18523246529.

16] – Come to Busboys and Poets Brookland, 625 Monroe St. NE, WDC, on Mon., Sept. 28 from 6:30 to 8 PM for Mumia Abu Jamal’s D.C. book launch.  Enjoy a conversation between IPS' and WPFW's Netfa Freeman and the book’s editor and close friend of Mumia, Johanna Fernández who is a Baruch College Professor, former Fulbright Scholar, and a coordinator of the Campaign to Bring Mumia Home.

At a moment when the nation is grappling with the realities of—and backlash to—police violence in communities of color, join the Institute for Policy Studies for a talk and book signing of “Writing on the Wall, Selected Prison Writings of Mumia Abu-Jamal” that couldn’t be more relevant, provocative or timely, and reads like a syllabus for understanding the daily civic and political realities of those marginalized by racism and class inequality. Go to http://www.ips-dc.org/events/book-event-writing-on-the-wall-selected-prison-writings-of-mumia-abu-jamal/.

17] – On Tues., Sept. 29 from 9 AM to 12:30 PM with a (continental breakfast starting at 8:30 AM, there is a conference Safe Alternatives to Solitary Confinement: A Human Dignity Approach, which will be held at Top of the Hill Club, One Constitution Ave. NE, WDC.  Register at https://www.z2systems.com/np/clients/vera/event.jsp?event=1000.

With bipartisan momentum for change in Congress, presidential attention, and the Association of State Correctional Administrators calling for a reduction in its use, the time is now for addressing the overuse of solitary confinement and its adverse effects on individuals and public safety. Join the Vera Institute of Justice and members of the advisory council for its Safe Alternatives to Segregation Initiative to hear about critical “on the ground” change strategies and reform efforts being tested and implemented by correctional leaders around the country—and the reasons behind them.

Participants include: Maurice Chammah, staff writer, The Marshall Project; Dr. Craig Haney, professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz; Joerg Jesse, director general of the Prison and Probation Administration of the Ministry of Justice of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany; Carrie Johnson, criminal justice correspondent, NPR; Gregg Marcantel, secretary of New Mexico’s Department of Corrections; Richard McCarthy, assistant superintendent, Hampden County, Massachusetts Correctional Center; Fred Patrick, director of Vera’s Center on Sentencing and Corrections; Shaka Senghor, director of strategy and innovation at #cut50; Rick Raemisch, executive director, Colorado Department of Corrections; Reverend Ron Stief, National Religious Campaign Against Torture; Sara Sullivan, project manager for Vera’s Safe Alternatives to Segregation Initiative; Nicholas Turner, president of the Vera Institute of Justice; and Bernie Warner, secretary of the Washington State Department of Corrections.

18] –  On Tues., Sept. 29 from 12:30 to 2 PM, James Acton and Toby Dalton, from the Carnegie Endowment, will tackle "Solving Japan’s Plutonium Problem" at the Carnegie Endowment, 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC. RSVP at http://carnegieendowment.org/events/forms/?fa=registration&event=5010&lang=en.

19] – The Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy (CSID) cordially invites you to a discussion with the former Foreign Minister of Tunisia - Tunisia's Democratic Transition: Will It Succeed? What can the U.S. do to help? It takes place at 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC, on Tues., Sept. 29 from 3 to 4:30 PM.  Coffee and light refreshments will be available.

 His Excellency Dr. Rafik Abdessalem, Tunisian Foreign Minister (2011 - 2013) and member of the Executive Committee of the Nahdha Party, represented the first democratically elected government of Tunisia. He is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the Nahdha Party, in charge of External Relations, and of the Political Committee. He was in charge of media for Nahdha from 2001 to 2007, also serving through that period on its Consultative Council, the party's highest decision-making body. Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tunisias-former-foreign-minister-dr-rafik-abdessalem-tickets-18693440584.

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 Sept. 29.  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 Sept. 29  from 5:30 to 6:30  PM.  Call Max at 410-366-1637.

22] – The Monthly African-American Authors’ Book Club is reading “Black Prophetic Fire” by Dr. Cornel West at the Owen Brown Interfaith Center, 7246 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, on Tues., Sept. 29 from 7 to 9 PM.  This monthly book group always features books written by African-American authors. The book group meets on the final Tuesday evening of each month. West, with distinguished scholar Christa Buschendorf, provides a fresh perspective on six revolutionary African American leaders: Frederick Douglass, W. E. B. Du Bois, Martin Luther King Jr., Ella Baker, Malcolm X, and Ida B. Wells. In dialogue with Buschendorf, West examines the impact of these men and women on their own eras and across the decades. He not only rediscovers the integrity and commitment within these passionate advocates but also their fault lines.

23] – Go to the True Reformer Building, 1200 U St. NW (Green Line), WDC, on Wed., Sept. 30 from 8 AM to 5 PM, as MWPHA will bring together public health professionals and stakeholders from across the DC metropolitan area to learn, network and engage with peers.  Across the nation, individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) are three times more likely to be in jail or prison than in a mental health facility. Additionally, national studies estimate 40 percent of SMI individuals have spent some time in jail, prison, or community corrections. Public health agencies and partners such as education, housing, law, business, and justice system will need to work together to address the role of mass incarceration as a driver of health disparities—both behind bars and in communities—and look at opportunities to apply a public health framework to address aspects of the criminal justice system that deepen social inequalities and exacerbate health disparities.

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 

Edward Snowden Inspires Global Treaty for Online Privacy

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/32626-edward-snowden-inspires-global-treaty-for-online-privacy

Excerpt: "The documents leaked by Edward Snowden made crystal clear how far surveillance had gone off the rails in the United States. The same is true internationally."

The treaty would address privacy concerns globally. (photo: fStop Images/Epoxydude)

Edward Snowden Inspires Global Treaty for Online Privacy

By David Miranda and Joseph Huff-Hannon, Rolling Stone

27 September 15

Activists hope to enshrine fundamental rights to privacy against illegal mass surveillance for people around the world

  Remember when John Oliver joked with Edward Snowden about the NSA's ability to collect dick pics? "The good news is there's no program named the Dick-Pic Program," the whistleblower reassured Oliver, and perhaps we should take that as some form of cold comfort.

The bad news is that two years after Snowden's leaks started ricocheting around the world, and despite some notable gains — a mass surveillance clause in the Patriot Act struck down, an ambitious new Internet Bill of Rights passed in Brazil — the surveillance state is fighting hard to hold on to the ability to vacuum up calls, emails and data on on all of us.

    Last month a U.S. federal appeals court reversed a judge's order to stop the NSA from bulk collecting telephone data on hundreds of millions of Americans. Meanwhile, in Colombia, a recent investigation found intelligence agencies illegally collecting vast amounts of data on innocent citizens without judicial warrants, using American technology. And across the pond, UK intelligence services are lobbying hard for a new expanded "snoopers charter" to enshrine greater surveillance rights and data collection into law.

   Dedicated program or not, that's a hell of a lot of dick pics sucked up by the surveillance state.

It's kind of funny, but not really. Because what we're watching is an entrenchment by governments across the world who, once they've developed a taste for the ever-expanding grab bag of affordable snooping technology, have no intention of kicking their mass surveillance habit.

It doesn't have to be like this. Whistleblowers who bravely show us how states work in the shadows are a public good, and the documents leaked by Edward Snowden made crystal clear how far surveillance had gone off the rails in the United States. The same is true internationally: Angela Merkel, Dilma Rousseff— nobody is safe and secure in their communications.

Now we have a chance to change this, on a global scale.

   Looking at the arms trade for lessons in international regulation isn't an obvious place to start, but it's instructive. A global treaty to regulate an industry used to working in the shadows started out as a pie-in-the-sky idea, and the betting odds were slim. With arms pouring into war zones in Central America and elsewhere, leaving death and destruction in their wake, former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias wondered how the global arms trade, fueled by profit-hungry arms manufacturers, could ever be held to legally enforceable human rights standards?

   Late last year and many battles (literal, rhetorical and political) later, Arias watched his idea became international law, in the landmark Arms Trade Treaty. Signed by more than 130 countries and ratified at the UN, the treaty is designed to make it more difficult for arms dealers to ship weapons to conflict zones rife with human rights abuses. The agreement is imperfect, with major arms-dealing nations like China and Russia opting out, but it's a massive step toward reigning in one of the shadiest businesses on the planet.

    This is a case study the surveillance state may want to pay attention to, because lost causes turn into wins when people and movements set their hearts and minds on bringing about change. This week a group of privacy activists and campaigners, including the authors of this article, are previewing another pie-in-the-sky proposal — a global treaty to enshrine fundamental rights to privacy against illegal mass surveillance. The idea took flight in the wake of the revelations by Edward Snowden, whose work inspired the proposal, and it feels as urgent as ever given that governments large and small continue to be addicted to the cheap thrill of illegal mass surveillance.

  Why a a global treaty? Because surveillance is abstract until it's personal. A drop of inspiration for the treaty came from the 2013 arrest of one of us, David Miranda, by UK intelligence services at Heathrow Airport, in an act of retaliation against the Snowden leaks. As the scope and scale of the snooping kept making headlines, and Snowden's initial temporary visa ran out the clock in Moscow, the two of us worked together on a campaign with global civic network Avaaz to push the government of Brazil — one of the more outspoken governments on the issue — to grant Snowden asylum there.

   But it soon became clear that despite president Rousseff's public bluster against the NSA (her own calls were intercepted by the agency, it was revealed), it was going to be politically impossible for Brazil to go out on a limb on its own. With the mass surveillance genie so far out of the bottle, no single government is equipped to go up against it, much less set protocols for the protection of whistleblowers who reveal surveillance or other government crimes. A problem of this global scale requires a global response — an international legal framework to protect all of our privacy.

Wishful thinking? Maybe. But the idea is incredibly popular. When polled, majorities worldwide say they want something done to protect citizens against mass surveillance, and tech giants like Apple and IBM are already way ahead of the curve, encrypting user communications to protect against government snooping. The core principles of a treaty are already the topic of serious conversation at the United Nations; last month the UN's new special rapporteur on privacy, Joseph Cannataci, spoke on the need for a Geneva Convention-style law to safeguard our data and combat the threat of surveillance.

   A draft of a treaty is circulating to a handful of sympathetic governments already, and in the coming weeks and months it will be circulated among other experts and civil society groups, to build out a bulletproof document. Last week author Naomi Klein even passed a copy to the pope's office (the two are now climate change activism allies), and the office has requested a copy in Spanish for review. The pontiff has a lot on his plate these days, but this issue strikes close to home; after all, the NSA spied on his communications during the Vatican conclave that elevated him to the papacy.

Papal blessing or not, the cat is out of the bag on this proposal — and soon, hopefully, the NSA and its partners in global surveillance will no longer get a pass on hoovering up our data, dick pics and otherwise.

C 2015 Reader Supported News

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 Sept. 27 - 28, 2015

Baltimore Activist Alert Sept. 27 - 28, 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 and 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] “Peace, Poverty, and the Planet” – Sept. 27

7] The Walk 2015 – Sept. 27

8] U.S. – Cuba Relations – Sept. 27

9] Sustainability at JHU – Sept. 27

10] Dave Zirin at Book Festival – Sept. 27

11] Pentagon Vigil – Sept. 28

12] Rebrand the football team – Sept. 28

13] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Sept. 28 – Oct. 2

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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 410-366-1637.

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.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] – 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] – Janice and Max are looking to buy a house in Baltimore.  Let Max know if you have any leads—410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at Verizon dot net.

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 Sept. 27 the platform address is “Peace, Poverty, and the Planet.” Hugh Taft-Morales explores what it will take to bring lasting peace to the planet. While grateful for the energy and time diplomats and strategists contribute to contain violence, he wonders if such efforts will fail without a radical change of perspective on the part of most of the human race. From a Humanist perspective, the recent Encyclical Letter of Pope Francis entitled “Our Common Home” can be instructive. It emphasizes the fundamental interrelatedness of all of nature and society. War, greed, and exploitation feed off each other. To build peace, we need sustainability and justice. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

7] – An INTERFAITH EVENT: "THE WALK 2015," is happening on Sun., Sept. 27 at 1:30 PM as THE TRADITION CONTINUES.  As many of you have read, the organization of 9/11 Unity Walk has closed its doors.  The interfaith community is grateful for their contribution and wishes them well in their future endeavors.  In response to both the heartfelt inquiries following their announcement and in recognition of the faith communities along the route committed to the event, a small group of volunteers is moving forward with providing an opportunity to come together again.  Please see the message below regarding The Walk 2015.

Keep the Flame of Interfaith Journeys Burning! Since communities along Embassy Row have confirmed their desire to continue to host a program with opening ceremonies beginning at Washington Hebrew Congregation at 1:30 PM, there will once again be a glorious and unique opportunity to journey together.  Just days after Pope Francis visits our nation's capital with a call to action for all of humanity, not Catholics alone, we are joining the Archdiocese's campaign, https://walkwithfrancis.org/ to honor the Pope's humble call to service and to note the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the ground breaking encyclical which called for interfaith dialogue between and among religions throughout the world.  What actions can we take, individually and collectively, to, in the words of Gandhi, "be the change we wish to see in the world?" Email or go to http://thewalkdc.wix.com/online-flyer-event or https://walkwithfrancis.org/.

8] – On Sun, Sept. 27 from 1:30 to 4 PM the Howard County Friends of Latin America invite you to a discussion U.S. – Cuba Relations:  New World or More of the Same?  Mavis Anderson, senior associate of the Latin America Working Group, has worked to end the embargo on Cuba for nearly two decades.  This discussion will be held at the East Columbia Branch Library, 6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia 21045. Contact Leslie Salgado at 410-381-4899.

9] – The BALTIMORE GREEN FORUM, a monthly environmental education and discussion forum, will occur on Sun., Sept. 27 starting at 4 PM at the Maryland Presbyterian Church, 1105 Providence Road, Towson 21286.  This month’s topic is What We Have Learned from 9 Years of a Sustainability Program at Johns Hopkins University. Ashley Pennington, program manager for the Office of Sustainability, will examine Evolution of the University Wide Sustainability Initiative, 2006-2015, and What We Have Learned.

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She will describe all the efforts to prevent the otherwise inevitable loss of initiative.  These efforts include constant adjusting of tactics, recalibrating priorities, addressing new challenges to campus efforts and engagement, and cultivating a wide network of peers, partners and programs.  All this complex web of efforts and strategies will continue to be needed to achieve the necessary changes, sustain them, and make the university a world leader in sustainability.  

During the optional roundtable discussion period from 5:45 - 6:30 pm, you will no longer be restricted by the above support group rules.  So, you are free to critique your support group experience and the rules and to make other suggestions.  If you are interested in participating again, you can help plan the next one.  

BGF is willing to facilitate such a group on a regular basis.  The group will probably want to meet at times and places other than the regular BGF monthly meetings.   But a small group could meet at the church during a BGF event in a different room.  A small parlor room is available.   In any case, the consensus a year ago after the first Support Group on 5-18-14 was that we should offer one at least once a year.

The Forum seeks to educate and stimulate dialogue about what humans can do to make modern civilization more sustainable, including adjusting to finite resource limits and preserving biodiversity and a healthy environment. This is done through 8 monthly meetings a year.  The topics are far ranging.  They vary from local to planetary and from philosophical to scientific to very practical. The Meeting Format:  There is a speaker and Q&A from 4-5:15 PM.  Then there are brief announcements by representatives of other organizations that also seek sustainability and environmental protection.  The idea is to promote collaboration among these organizations.  Next, there is an optional roundtable discussion until 6:30 PM.  Finally, there is often a small gathering at a nearby restaurant.

BGF is open to the public and is free of charge, but donations to Maryland Presbyterian Church are collected during the meeting to thank the church for their generous gift of the space to us. Call Sam Hopkins at 410 554 0006 or email baltimoregreenforum@gmail.com.  Visit http://www.baltimoregreen forum.org. 

10] –  On Sun., Sept. 27 at 5 PM, Dave Zirin is joined by Adam Mansbach, author of  the novels "Angry White Black Boy" and "The End of the Jews," at the Radical Bookfair Pavilion at the Baltimore Book Festival, Inner Harbor, Light and Pratt streets. Call 410-752-8632 or go to baltimorebookfestival.com. 

  

11] -- 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., Sept. 7, 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. 

12] –  At Farragut West Metro Station, 18th and I Sts. NW, WDC, on Mon., Sept. 28 as 8 AM to 10 AM, join Rebrand Washington Football, a new grassroots organization, to circulate petitions demanding that Dan Snyder, owner of Washington’s football team, change the team’s name, which is a slur against Native Americans.  Petitions will be circulated at Metro stations around the area this fall.  Or download a petition from the website and circulate it on your own!  Contact rebrandwf@gmail.com.

13] – 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.  

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 24, 2015

45] Action for Climate justice – Sept. 24

46] Collect climate petitions – Sept. 24

47] Discuss economic issues – Sept. 24

48] Discuss Ferguson – Sept. 24

49] Workers coops – Sept. 24

50] Washington Peace Center volunteer orientation – Sept. 24

51] Human rights in Mexico – Sept. 24

45] – Come to the National Mall between 4th & 7th Sts. NW, WDC, on Thurs., Sept. 24 at 7 AM.  On this historic day, as Pope Francis addresses a joint session of Congress, gather in support of his call for urgent action to address the climate crisis and create a new future of economic equality, social justice, and environmental equity. It is our Moral Duty to Take Action for Climate Justice, Now! President Obama: Commit to a binding international climate treaty and pledge drastic reductions in carbon emissions – doubling the current U.S. commitment – to ensure a livable planet.  The U.S. Congress: promptly ratify a strong climate treaty and pass legislation that will facilitate a responsible, just and worker-friendly transition from a dirty fossil-fuel economy to one powered by clean, safe renewable energy.  To the People: Commit to making lifestyle changes that reflect an awareness of and respect for all people and our shared global environment. Visit http://moralactiononclimate.org/index.php/2-uncategorised/1-join-us-for-climate.

On Thurs., Sept. 24 from 7:30 AM to 12:30 PM on the National Mall join the Moral Action on Climate Justice Rally, as Pope Francis addresses Congress. CREDO is an activist organization, and we work with all kinds of allies who can help advance our progressive agenda.  In the tradition of our partnerships with groups like J Street, American Friends Service Committee, Pax Christi, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Catholics for Free Choice, Sojourners, Faithful America and other progressive religious groups, we are inviting climate activists in the DC area to support the Pope's plea for climate justice in person.

   The Pope's landmark encyclical Laudato Si' was a powerful moral call for action against the urgent threat of climate change.  It should especially be a wakeup call to Republicans in congress who claim to seize the mantle of religion even as their actions put the fossil fuel industry ahead of the safety and well-being of all living things on Earth. At the rally, organizers will broadcast the Pope's speech to Congress on a massive jumbotron so everyone can follow along.  After the speech, he'll come out of the Capitol and make an appearance directly to the crowd gathered on the Mall.   Rally speakers include Archbishop Pedro Jimeno Barreto, Dolores Huerta, and Rev. Dr. William Barber, and will feature musicians Moby, Natasha Bedingfield, and Sean Paul. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/forms/moral-action-on-climate-rally-924?source=credo-action.

46] – On Thurs., Sept. 24 from 7:30 AM to noon, can you collect signatures on the Papal Climate Change Petition.  If available, contact Bob Cooke (cookerh1251@gmail.com) or Jason Miller (jason@franciscanaction.org) or copy petitions from https://catholicclimatemovement.global/ and bring a pen and clipboard to solicit signatures in the John Marshall Place Park area (or elsewhere). 

47] – Come to the R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center, 2730 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE, WDC 20032, on Thurs., Sept. 24 at 8:30 AM for the third in a series of conversations about economic issues affecting individuals and families in the community. This meeting will consider current research and best practices, address what it means to be “unbanked” or “underbanked,” and discuss ways to empower low- and moderate-income individuals in the District of Columbia.  Participants can expect a robust discussion about cross-sector credit strategies that can contribute significantly to a more inclusive, equitable DC economy.  

Program begins promptly at 9 AM. A networking lunch catered by Union Kitchen will be served at noon. This event is hosted by Capital Area Asset Builders, Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development, Comptroller of the Currency, Corporation for Enterprise Development, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Visit  

http://www.unitedwaynca.org/pages/economic-inclusion-a-series-of-discussions-to-improve-financial-health-in-d.

48] – Come to American University, Kay Lounge, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC, on Thurs., Sept. 24 from 1:30 to 3:30 PM to meet Rev. Cori Bush, a leader of nonviolent protests in Ferguson, a health professional, a Nursing Supervisor at an area hospital, a pastor, and a mother of two teen boys, who has been harassed and beaten repeatedly by police. She has received death threats, been evicted from her home by a St. Louis corporation because her "grass was too long", and followed by police nightly because she has demanded transparency and integrity in governance and police operations. Also meet Dr. Dave Ragland, a native of Ferguson who founded the Truthtelling Project. See https://www.facebook.com/events/1153014774714753/.

49] – Be at the United Black Fund, 2500 MLK Jr. Ave, SE, WDC, on Thurs., Sept. 24 at 6 PM and hear about creating worker coops in DC. In spring of 2015, ONE DC members traveled to Baltimore, New York City, and Philadelphia to visit and learn from established worker-owned cooperatives. A Black Workers Center is a Black resident-led space that seeks to create & maintain racial & economic justice through popular education, direct action & the creation of worker-owned alternatives. Go to http://www.onedconline.org/bwc_sept_24.

50] – Are you interested in fighting against war, racism, and supporting building a stronger grassroots movement in DC? Are you interested in meeting other activists and building a local community? If so, come out to the volunteer orientation on Thurs., Sept. 24 from 6:30 to 7:30 PM at 1525 Newton St., WDC.  RSVP to Darakshan Raja by sending an email with subject line: RSVP for volunteer orientation at Darakshan@washingtonpeacecenter.org.

51] – On Thurs., Sept. 24 at 7:30 PM @ Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, hear from Guadalupe Moshan Álvarez, a human rights defender that works as the principal attorney that gives legal advice at the front desk of the Fray Bartolomé Human Rights Center (FrayBa) in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. As an indigenous, Tzotzil woman from the highlands of Huixtan, Chiapas, Guadalupe knows well the context of socio-political struggle against the political class' development plans that threaten communities in her state. For this reason, she has been accompanying indigenous communities in their pursuit of justice for over 10 years. In the past year alone, Guadalupe attended to more than 1,300 denouncements of human rights violations. The work she and her coworkers do is powerful, unique, and inspiring. This 7-minute documentary gives a brief explanation of their work. Call 443-602-7585.  Go to http://www.redemmas.org.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; 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 

ON EVE OF POPE’S VISIT, CITIZEN ACTIVISTS ATTEMPT TO INFORM PAUL RYAN AND OBAMA TO HEED THE PONTIFF/FIFTEEN OF THEM ARRESTED AT THE WHITE HOUSE

ON EVE OF POPE’S VISIT, CITIZEN ACTIVISTS ATTEMPT TO INFORM PAUL RYAN AND OBAMA TO HEED THE PONTIFF
FIFTEEN OF THEM ARRESTED AT THE WHITE HOUSE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 23, 2015

Contacts: Joy First 608 239-4327 or joyfirst5 at gmail.com, Malachy Kilbride 301-283-7627or malachykilbride at yahoo.com,  or Max Obuszewski 727-543-3227 or mobuszewski at verizon.net

WHO:  Members of the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance (NCNR) have been speaking out against the illegal actions of the United States government since 2003.  They have organized numerous actions across the country involving nonviolent civil resistance as they call attention to the crimes of our government. For example, on April 22, 2015 [Earth Day] they gathered first at the EPA headquarters, and second at the Pentagon.  At the Pentagon, eight of them were arrested when they requested a meeting to discuss the military’s role in climate chaos.

WHAT:  More recently, members of NCNR wrote letters to Rep. Paul Ryan and President Obama [these letters are available upon request] seeking meetings to urge them to heed the call of Pope Francis to make drastic policy changes to bring about real change in ending war, poverty, the climate crisis, and systemic violence.  However, there was no response to either letter, so twenty citizen activists first went to the Longworth Building to go to Ryan’s office and later close to one hundred activists gathered at the White House.  This was part of the week of actions called for by Campaign Nonviolence with over 325 actions around the country between September 20 and 27.

    Just prior to the historic visit of Pope Francis, who was to arrive that day at 4 PM, after the visit to Congress there was a rally first in Edward R. Murrow Park and another on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House.  Amidst heavy security, speakers challenged the issue of Islamophobia, nuclear weaponry, fossil fuels, global inequality, corporate control of governments, climate chaos and the attack on polar bears, killer drone strikes and other issues in which our government is complicit.  During the White House rally some twenty-five of the citizen activists went to the visitor’s entrance to the White House to seek a meeting.  After their request for a meeting was rebuffed, many of them sat down in solidarity with the world’s suffering.  While sitting there, they noticed many people including members of the media, a climate delegation from France and other officials did get through to the White House.  Members of the French delegation were very supportive of the sit-downers, and took copies of the letter sent to Obama.  Since people were entering through this gate, some of the activists got in line.  Again they were rebuffed, and eventually fifteen of them were arrested by an inefficient force of Secret Service officers.  Besides being incompetent—Max Obuszewski was frisked three times and had his socks removed on Pennsylvania Avenue—the officer mistreated some of the activists.

WHEN AND WHERE:
SOWING THE SEEDS OF HOPE: FROM CONGRESS TO THE WHITE HOUSE
SEPTEMBER 22, 2015

   At 10 AM, the delegation at Ryan’s office discovered the door was locked.  On the door was a sign “Entry restricted to those with an appointment.”  Since a letter was sent requesting a meeting, we knocked and Rebecca peeked out.  She said we cannot enter.  After some discussion, the activists left bags of seeds of hope and articles about Ryan’s disastrous Republican budget, and then taped messages on and around the office door.  Great displeasure was expressed that citizens were denied the basic courtesy of entering the office of a member of Congress.  Before going to Murrow Park, some of the group went to Rep. Mark Pocan’s office and received a warm reception, which included food and drink.  NCNR selected Ryan’s office, as he is representative of all that is wrong with Congress, with their disregard for doing what is in the best interest of the people of the United States and of the world.

  At the noon RALLY in Murrow Park, 1800 block of Pennsylvania Ave. NW, some of the speakers were Marie Dennis of Pax Christi and Sister Megan Rice of the recently-released Transform Now Plowshares. Then the gathering marched on Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House, while Art Laffin, of D.C.’s Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, sang SINGLY NONE.

  Around 1 PM there was a bevy of speakers including the Rev. John Dear, Campaign Nonviolence, Kathy Kelly from Chicago’s Voices for Creative Nonviolence, the writer David Swanson, Code Pink’s Medea Benjamin, Ellen Barfield, one of the fasters outside the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and others.  Each one had an unique perspective on the ills of our government.

During the rally a group implored the Secret Service to facilitate a meeting as requested in the NCNR letter.  Instead the officers informed the delegation, there was a need for an appointment.  Again we were confronted by Catch 22.  We request an appointment, receive no response, and then we are told we need an appointment.  It was almost inevitable that the citizen activists who believe strongly in their right to petition the government would be arrested.  Those taken into custody were as follows: Joe Byrne, Baltimore’s Jonah House, Don Cunning, Carol Gay, Mary Ellen Marino and Manijeh Saba, all from New Jersey, Joy First and Phil Runkel, from Wisconsin, Kathy Kelly, Art Laffin, Malachy Kilbride, a Maryland Quaker, Joan Nicholson, a Pennsylvania Quaker, Max Obuszewski, Baltimore, D.C.’s Ellen Taylor, Brian Terrell, Iowa, and the venerable Eve Tetaz in a walker, Washington, D.C. They were charged with disorderly conduct and are scheduled to be arraigned on October 15 in D.C. Superior Court.  Many of them will go to trial to challenge a government which refuses to meet with them, and instead has them arrested.  They were arrested around 2:15 PM, and were not released until about 9 PM.  As the pope was greeted, the defendants were stuck in a D.C. jail.  It is presumed that the pope will not be informed that U.S. dissidents were also jailed, like those in Cuba.

They came to Washington to call on our government to heed the words of Pope Francis and to stop the warmongering, protect Mother Earth and end income inequality.  If our elected officials fail to heed the pope’s warnings, our planet will continue to suffer irreversible and deadly consequences.  Kelly, recently returned from meeting children in Afghanistan

WHY:  Under the banner of Campaign Nonviolence, thousands of U.S. citizens across the country are taking a public stand against all violence in a movement for a culture of peace and nonviolence free from war, poverty and the climate crisis.  Swanson, from World Beyond War, spoke about the need to take immediate action, stating, "As the climate crisis moves beyond reversibility and the war-made crisis of the Middle-East continues to be worsened by governments seeking to fix it with more war, we cannot afford to take a year and a half off for election-distraction. The world needs radical change in Washington right now."

Kelly said this,  "The Obama administration bears responsibility to educate the U.S. public about the greatest terrors we face, - the terrors of what we are doing to our own environment. Not one dime of U.S. resources should ever again go to war profiteers, war planners, and Pentagon exploits.  Instead, those resources should be used to alleviate the impact of climate change and to meet human needs within the U.S. and beyond."

Campaign Nonviolence is a grassroots movement to mainstream active nonviolence using the vision of Martin Luther King, Jr. that calls us to become people of nonviolence and to resolve personal and global conflicts nonviolently. For information on Campaign Nonviolence contact Ryan Hall at info@paceebene.org or 510-268-8765 or www.campaignnonviolence.org .

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

Uruguay Shows the Way by Leaving Secret Trade Deal

www.commondreams.org/views/2015/09/17/uruguay-shows-way-leaving-secret-trade-deal

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Uruguay Shows the Way by Leaving Secret Trade Deal

A strong coalition of trade unions, environmentalists and farmers working together on an effective public campaign were able to take on the interests of the world's biggest companies and win.

Viviana Barreto, Sam Cossar-Gilbert

Thousands in Uruguay participated in protests against TISA earlier this year. (Photo: Courtesy of Montecruz Foto/CC BY 3.0)

Last week the Uruguayan government decided to end its involvement in the secret negotiations of the Trade in Services Agreement TISA, signifying an important victory in the global fight against bad trade deals.

TISA is a radical new deal that aims to go far beyond current trade rules and force States to further open their markets to foreign corporations, privatize public services and reduce regulations. These measures often mean job losses, less environmental protection, and less accessible healthcare and education.

Uruguay has created a blueprint for how to stop this corporate-driven agreement.  It is time for  other countries to follow the lead and end TISA once and for all.

After months of intense pressure led by unions and other social movements—including a general strike on the issue—the Uruguayan President listened to public opinion and left the US-led trade agreement.

The overwhelming majority of members of the ruling Frente Amplio party believe that the deal would undermine the government's national development strategy and therefore considered it “unadvisable to continue participating in the TISA negotiations”.

The little-known TISA negotiations involve 52 nations, who together comprise around two-thirds of the global economy: the United States, European Union and 23 other countries, including Turkey, Mexico, Australia, Pakistan, Taiwan and Chile. It relates to the 'services sector' of the economy, which in the EU makes up approximately 75% of the total economic activity.

The agreement being negotiated aims to do away with "domestic regulation" of services with a special focus on certain sectors where free exploitation by corporations would increase at the expense of public interest, such as: finance, telecommunications, internet and e-trade, government procurement, transportation, energy services, postal services and the so called "environmental services."  For example, this means prohibiting countries from adopting privacy laws that limit cross-border data flows of sensitive information or require strong data protection.

Despite its wide ranging effects on every part of our economy, TISA is negotiated in complete secret. The public will not know the full details of the text for five years after the agreement comes into force or the negotiations are otherwise closed. It is travesty of democracy that our elected governments will not tell us the laws they are making. The only information available about the agreement has been leaked by Wikileaks.

TISA is driven by the US administration and big business who promote it as a way 'to boost growth and productivity.'  Yet as Jane Kelsey of the University of Auckland explains, "the main goals of the negotiations are to increase the commodification of services usually performed by the State (such as education, health care, leisure, transportation, etc.), to put more pressure to privatize public utilities and to dismantle the State’s regulating capacity."

The TISA negotiations, together with the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) act to further empower transnational corporations through special rights and provisions.  It is also an attempt to  counter the growing economic and geostrategic importance of the emerging BRICS bloc (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

Yet these trojan horse trade deals are not inevitable.

By leaving the TISA negotiations, Uruguay has created a blueprint of how to beat these  corporate-driven agreements. A strong coalition of trade unions, environmentalists and farmers working together on an effective public campaign were able to take on the interests of the world's biggest companies and win.

Information and clear communication was key to the campaign. The negotiation texts released by WikiLeaks and assessments by international experts helped to break the secrecy surrounding the negotiations. Then when Uruguay entered the TISA negotiations in February social movements were able to launch a public awareness campaign that gave rise to ongoing public debate in the media.

The Stop TISA campaign was able to successfully lobby and engage the government on the issue. It exposed the negative effects that Uruguay’s participation in the trade deal would have on key government policies in health and education, as well as the role of the State to address inequality.

For example, TISA attempts to transform healthcare into a tradable commodity would "raise health care costs in developing countries and lower quality in developed countries,"  according to Dr. Odile Frank of Public Services International.

Building a strong coalition of social movements and non-profits  against TISA enabled a popular opposition to the agreement to grow rapidly across diverse sections of society, from doctors to train drivers. The Workers’ Trade Union Federation of Uruguay (PIT-CNT) played a crucial role in organizing mass mobilization. Thousands marching in the streets and a general strike against TISA increased pressure on the government and led it to walk away from the deal.

Stopping TISA in its tracks is a huge victory for the Uruguayan people and their fight for a more just and sustainable future. It is time for all other countries involved in the negotiation to do the same and end this bad trade deal.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License

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