Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Baltimore Activist Alert - August 18 - 20, 2015


Baltimore Activist Alert Aug. 18 - 20, 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] Civic Education discussion – Aug. 11

7] Peace vigil in Chester, PA – Aug. 18                                      

8] No JHU Drone Research – Aug. 18

9] Act now to get Congress to vote for Iran deal – Aug. 18

10] See the film “Huey P. Newton: Prelude to Revolution" – Aug. 18

11] China’s Missiles and the Implications for the United States" – Aug. 19

12] Convince Rep. Sarbanes to vote for the Iran Deal – Aug. 19

13] Baltimore Green Party meeting – Aug. 19

14] Bikes for homeless youth – Aug. 19

15] Stop Police Terror Project – Aug. 19

16] "Shedding Light on the Iran Nuclear Agreement” – Aug. 20

17] Get over to Sen. Cardin’s office in Rockville – Aug. 20

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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 CafĂ© 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@verizon.net.


6] – There is a LEAD Initiative: Civic Education Lunch on The Power of Education taking place on Tues., Aug. 18 from noon to 1:30 PM at Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park, 1417 Thames St. The U.S. system of public education was created with two vitally important purposes: to prepare youth for success in a career and, of equal importance, to provide the knowledge and skills to be informed, engaged citizens. Public education is the only opportunity program offered to all youth, at no charge, and it is critical to the future of Baltimore’s children. Hear from three education experts.  Lunch will be provided. Contact Sarah Long at slong@businessvolunteersmd.org or 410-366-6030 ext. 210.


7] – 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 Aug. 18.  Call 215-426-0364.


8] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. Join this ongoing vigil on Aug. 18  from 5:30 to 6:30  PM.  Call Max at 410-366-1637.


9] – The vote Congress will take in early September on the Iran deal will likely be the most important vote on war and peace of the decade—equal in importance to the 2002 vote to go to war with Iraq. Without this deal, we could soon be in yet another devastating war in the Middle East.


The vote will be close, and Maryland is one of just ten states that could determine the outcome of the deal.  Senator Cardin is still deciding whether to support it, and as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, his voice is influential. 


That is why we must ensure that Senator Cardin hears from us that this deal is the best path to peace. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, hanged by the Nazis in 1945, said, “Not to speak is to speak . . .  Not to act is to act.”  We agree—we believe that peace demands action.  And so we beg you to:

Call Senator Cardin’s office at (202) 224-4524.  Tell the receptionist that you want peace with Iran and that Senator Cardin should support the Iran deal.  If you’ve already phoned his office, make another call!  If you can, also call Senator Mikulski's office, and tell her the same thing:  (202) 224-4654.

Participate in the “Peace with Iran Phone Banking Marathon” with Jewish Voice for Peace of the DC Metro region, Tues., Aug. 18, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.  Join with others to make calls to MD and VA supporters of peace to encourage them to call the three vitally important Senators in our area who are still undecided. RSVP to jvpdcmetro@gmail.com to get the address and directions.


10] -- See the film “Huey P. Newton: Prelude to Revolution” at the Emergence Community Arts Collective, 733 Euclid St. NW, WDC, on Tues., Aug. 18 at 7 PM.  There will be a discussion after the film and an opportunity to write letters to prisoners.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/850255291736549/.



11] – On Wed., Aug. 19 from 10 to 11:30 AM, Henry "Trey" Obering, Booz Allen Hamilton, Dean Cheng, Heritage Foundation, Mark Schneider, National Institute for Public Policy, and Bryan Clark, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, will address "China’s Missiles and the Implications for the United States" at the Hudson Institute, 1015 15th St. NW, Sixth Floor, WDC. RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinas-missiles-and-the-implications-for-the-united-states-tickets-18059466350.



12] – As part of the national "Educate Congress" Campaign Letter Drops, on Wed., Aug.  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 vote in favor of the Iran deal. 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?



13] –  There is a Baltimore Green Party meeting on Wed., Aug. 19 at 7 PM at 218 East Lexington Ave., Suite #203 (a block and a half from City Hall – KNICKERBOCKER Building). To gain access to the building, dial #203  on the box.  The meeting is on the 2nd floor at the top of the stairs.  Come and help prepare for the 2016 election season. Your ideas, your activism, and your participation are needed. Send an email to baltimoregreens at gmail.com.  Go to http://www.baltimoregp.org/.



14] –  Come to La Casa, 3166 Mt. Pleasant St. NW, WDC, on Wed., Aug. 19 from 7 to 9 PM to hear about the research of Mai Abdul Rahman regarding the growing number of homeless youth in DC and the Bikes for Youth Programs. One of the most striking findings is the dire need of DC's homeless youth for reliable transportation, which was identified by the vast majority of the youth in the survey and interviews, Study participants suggested that the lack of reliable transportation impacted their ability to attend school, maintain school enrollment, find or keep a job. This was also substantiated by DC shelter personnel.



Regarding Bikes for Youth Program, Bikes for the World will help to acquire bikes for young homeless youth (16-24) to enable them to attend school and work, along with helmets and locks prior to school opening. Bikes for the World will also donate additional USED bicycles and bike workshops to help youth learn about bike safety, bike maintenance, learn the city landscape, and other essentials.



This project will be conducted in cooperation with several groups, including Bikes for the World, Latin American Youth Center, American Palestinian Women's Association (APWA),and DC Metro Science for the People. There ae several invited speakers including Jean-Louis Peta Ikambana (AFSC) - DC Human Rights Report, Sterling Stone (Gearing Up) - bikes for homeless youth, Rahman, the researcher, and Jane Zara (attorney) - DC homeless civil rights litigation (FHA…) in light of the recent Supreme Ct. decision, Inclusive Communities.  Email mai.abdulrahman@gmail.com or janezara@gmail.com.



15] – On Wed., Aug. 19 at 7 PM at 617 Florida Ave. NW, WDC, Stop Police Terror Project DC invites you to learn more about the organization. Email stoppoliceterrorprojectdc@gmail.com.  The group looks forward to seeing you as the organization reorganizes, refocuses and reasserts its commitment to ending racist militarized policing in the Washington D.C. area. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1609728349281813/.



16] – On Thurs., Aug. 20 from 8 to 9:30 AM, Ilan Sztulman, Head of Public Diplomacy, Israeli Embassy, and Clifford May, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, will look at "Shedding Light on the Iran Nuclear Agreement." This is a two-part discussion with the second event on Aug. 31. Both events will take place at Tikvat Israel, Sanctuary, 2200 Baltimore Road, Rockville. RSVP to the Tikvat Israel Office at (301) 762-7338 or office@tikvatisrael.org. The suggested donation is $5.


17] – Join Peace Action on a visit to Senator Cardin’s Rockville office at noon on Thurs., Aug. 20 to express our desire for him to vote for the Iran deal: 451 Hungerford Drive, suite 230.  Go to http://www.peaceactionmc.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  






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