Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Baltimore Activist Alert - November 19 -20, 2014

42] Electricity Development – Nov. 19
43] Feminist organizing – Nov. 19
44] Address International Corporate Power – Nov. 19
45] Lobby Rep. Sarbanes – Nov.19
46] SEEDS OF HOPE – Nov. 19
47] Rory Fanning al Busboys and Poets – Nov. 19
48] Book talk WAGING PEACE – Nov. 19
49] Honduran activist at Red Emma’s – Nov. 19
50] Middle East Institute conference – Nov. 20
51] What’s next for Iran? – Nov. 20
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42] – At 1100 New York Ave. NW, 7th Floor West Tower, WDC, on Wed., Nov. 19 from noon to 4:30 PM, check out that the nexus of electricity, development, and security is significant, yet its nuances are too often overlooked. This half-day event will bring together development and energy experts, government officials, and policy makers to better establish the important linkages between power, security, and development, share successful implementation strategies and consider how these successes can be replicated in diverse contexts. The panel will examine electricity as a foundation for sustainable development and security with a specific focus on the distinct needs of rural versus urban communities. Panelists will discuss the potential impact of reliable electricity supply on local and national security, education, women’s economic empowerment, and agriculture. Focus will also include the problems generated by lack of access to affordable electricity and how communities are currently affected. Visit https://www.americansecurityproject.org/event/electricity-supply-what-it-means-for-security-development-and-geopolitics/.

43] – At the Kay Spiritual Life Center, Downstairs Lounge, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC, on Wed., Nov. 19 at noon, the speaker is Lisa Veneklasen, a co-founder of JASS/Just Associates. This is an international feminist organization founded in 2003 as a community of practice by activists, popular educators, and scholars from 13 countries. Working with women and diverse organizations and social movements in 27 countries, JASS trains and supports activist leadership and grassroots organizing and builds and mobilizes alliances amplified by creative media strategies to influence change in discriminatory institutions, policies and beliefs. See http://www.american.edu/ocl/kay/%20%20.

44] – On Wed., Nov. 19 from 4 to 5 PM EST, Taking Action to Address International Corporate Power with Kirsten Cross, Corporate Accountability International, and Melinda St. Louis, Public Citizen-Global Trade Watch. This is the last of the webinars: Building a Faithful Response to Corporate Power. The Faith Economy Ecology Transformation Working Group hosted this series with faith leaders, experts on corporate power, and advocates for change. Register at registration@epsusa.org.

45] – As part of the national "Educate Congress" Campaign Letter Drops, on Wed., Nov. 19 at 4:30 PM, the Pledge of Resistance will go to Rep. John Sarbanes’ office, 600 Baltimore Ave., Suite 303, Towson, MD 21204, to deliver a letter. The letter urges him to oppose “Fast Track,” “Smart Track,” and any other expedited approval procedures, and to oppose all clandestinely negotiated deals including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Also he should vote against new or renewed Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF). The Iraq War helped create ISIS. More warfare will only increase turmoil and bloodshed in the Middle East.

Other demands are as follows: remove the time limit for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment; establish a Full Employment National Trust Fund for Employment Opportunity Grants; levy a tiny excise tax on securities transactions; amend the program which authorizes the Secretary of Defense to transfer military equipment to law enforcement agencies; cosponsor H.R. 292 The New Columbia Admission Act to set forth procedures for admission into the United States of the state of New Columbia; and speak out against killer drone strikes. Let Max know if you can sign on to the letter and go to Sarbanes’ office--410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net. Are you a constituent?

46] – Go to the West End Cinema, 2301 M St. NW, WDC, on Wed., Nov. 19 at 6 PM to see "Seeds of Hope," which gives viewers a human perspective on Eastern Congo's rape epidemic, where sexual assault has become so widespread—an estimated 48 Congolese women are raped every hour—it can be hard to fully understand the devastation through statistics alone. In this documentary, we also meet the perpetrators of rape, among them soldiers from the Congolese army. These men give extraordinarily open testimony as to why they rape and their attitudes towards their horrific acts. Fiona Lloyd-Davies is an award-winning filmmaker and photojournalist who’s been making films and taking pictures about human rights issues in areas of conflict since 1992. Go to http://pulitzercenter.org/event/seeds-of-hope-democratic-republic-congo-fiona-lloyd-davies-war-conflict-rape-women.

47] – Rory Fanning discusses his new book, “Worth Fighting For: An Army Ranger's Journey Out of the Military and Across America,” in conversation with Dave Zirin at Busboys & Poets, 5331 Baltimore Ave., Hyattsville, on Wed., Nov. 19 at 6:30 PM. Pat Tillman's death by friendly fire was covered up just days before his comrade Rory Fanning—who served in the same unit as Tillman—left the Army Rangers as a conscientious objector. Disquieted by his tours in Afghanistan, Fanning sets out to honor Tillman's legacy by crossing the United States on foot. Told with page-turning style, humor, and warmth, Worth Fighting For explores the emotional and social consequences of rejecting the mission of one of the most elite fighting forces in the world. It is only through the generous and colorful people Fanning meets and the history he discovers that he learns to live again. See http://www.busboysandpoets.com/events/event/author-event-rory-fanning-discusses-his-new-book-worth-fighting-for-an-army.

48] – Lifelong activist David Hartsough will talk and sign his latest book, "Waging Peace," on Wed., Nov. 19 at 7 PM at the Friends Meeting of Washington, 2111 Florida Ave. NW, north of Dupont Circle Metro. Hartsough's activism goes back decades to his childhood meeting with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He will talk about his years in the civil rights movement including the work against segregation in Arlington County, Virginia, working for peace during the Vietnam War years, against nuclear weapons, the Central American conflict, to the present wars and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. He will talk about the present day challenges to peace abroad, Syria, and the conflicts within the United States, including what is happening now in places like Ferguson, MO. A book review of David's book "Waging Peace" can be read at http://warisacrime.org/content/giants-earth-review-waging-peace-david-hartsough. Contact TERRY DAVIS .

49] – On Wed., Nov. 19 at 7:30 Pm @ Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, hear from Honduran activist Karla Lara. On June 28, 2009, a military coup ousted the democratically elected president of Honduras and gave a re-birth to the popular resistance struggle. Since this day, numerous sectors of society have joined forces to resist the increased militarization of their traditional homelands. Despite the politically motivated attacks against journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders, LGBTQ activists, and organized field workers, the people of Honduras continue to organize for justice and dignity. The presentation of the feminist singer and activist will provide an update on the current human rights crisis which has led to the recent exodus of thousands of children seeking refuge from the violence and extreme poverty. She will be joined by Dr. Adrienne Pine of American University, a militant medical anthropologist who has worked in Honduras, Mexico, Korea, the United States, and Egypt. In her book, “Working Hard, Drinking Hard: On Violence and Survival in Honduras,” she argues that the symbolic violence resulting from Hondurans’ embodied obsession with certain forms of 'real' violence is a necessary condition for the acceptance of violent forms of modernity and capitalism.

The goal of this tour is to raise awareness on the current human rights crisis in Honduras. The main points to highlight include the increased militarization since the 2009 coup d’etat, attacks against journalists and independent media outlets, indigenous struggle for territorial autonomy, the feminist resistance within social movements, and the roots of mass migration. Catch Fighting for Housing from Baltimore to the Bay Area. James Tracy presents "Dispatches Against Displacement," a special event celebrating the release of an essential new book on the brutal back story behind the hypercharged gentrification associated with Silicon Valley's colonization of San Francisco. Joining the author will be organizers and members of both the Right to Housing Alliance, which is building power to fight for the rights of residents in Baltimore public and low-income housing, and the United Workers, whose grassroots community land trust campaign is laying the foundation for permanently affordable housing in Baltimore. Housing is a human right—and organizing is how we defend it! Call 443-602-7585. Go to http://www.redemmas.org.

50] – At the Grand Hyatt, 1000 H St. NW, WDC, on Thurs., Nov. 20 from 8:45 AM to 5:15 PM, the Middle East Institute will host its 68th Annual Conference which will bring together prominent experts and foreign policy practitioners to delve into the many vexing questions and challenges that have come to the fore in the almost four years of unprecedented change for the Middle East, and to look ahead to what to expect in the coming year. Registration is free for this all-day event, which will feature expert panels examining key regional developments in 2015. Go to http://www.mei.edu/events/2014-annual-conference.

51] – On Thurs., Nov. 20 from 9:30 to 11:30 AM, Sen. Mark Kirk (IL), Rep. Ted Deutch (FL), and Mark Dubowitz, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Eric Edelman, Foreign Policy Initiative, and Ray Takeyh, Council on Foreign Relation, will discuss "Looming Deadline and Unanswered Questions: What's Next for the P5+1 and Iran?" The event, sponsored by the Foreign Policy Initiative, will take place at SVC 203-02, Capitol Visitor Center, WDC. RSVP at http://www.foreignpolicyi.org/content/looming-deadline-and-unanswered-questions-whats-next-p51-and-iran.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs

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