JUST! NEWS!
Number 153 – October 8, 2009
JUST! NEWS! is a newsletter devoted to bringing news about justice and peace issues effecting the Montgomery County community, the greater Washington D.C. area, the nation and the world
Upcoming events appear after advocacy opportunities and general news listed at the beginning of this newsletter
“… it is the law of love that rules humankind. Had violence, i.e. hate, ruled us, we should have become extinct long ago.” Mohandas Gandhi (from My Faith In Nonviolence)
Afghanistan and the Nobel Peace Prize – we continue to hope and pray that President Obama’s reception of the Nobel Peace Prize will lead him to try to resolve the situation in Afghanistan in a much more peaceful manner than is currently planned. Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, who won the prize in 1984, said Obama’s award shows great things are expected from him in coming years. “It’s an award coming near the beginning of the first term of office of a relatively young president that anticipates an even greater contribution towards making our world a safer place for all,” Tutu said. “It is an award that speaks to the promise of President Obama’s message of hope.” Let us pray that President Obama will bring real change regarding the way the United States deals with international conflicts such as the war in Afghanistan that he inherited.
Afghanistan War Protest News – for more news and photos on the protests that took place in DC this week, please go to http://www.jonahhouse.org/ , http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike_benedetti/3985066150/in/set-72157622398881531/,
Rochester, NY police violence at Afghanistan War Protest– see the written and video account of police overreaction to the protest that took place there this week – http://rochester.indymedia.org/feature/display/19958/index.php. If anyone wants to a copy of Emmanuel Charles McCarthy, of the Center For Christian Nonviolence, thoughts on the Rochester police overreaction, please let me know and I will forward his e-mail (or contact him at emmanuel222@gmail.com and ask him to forward a copy of his e-mail on this event to you).
Support Providing Low & Moderate Income Housing for Seniors in Rockville – Contact Rockville Authorities Today! Take Action! Victory Housing, a developer of low and moderate income housing for seniors, plans to build – in downtown Rockville - an 86 unit apartment building for independent seniors. The county owns the land and selected Victory as the developer and manager, but the City of Rockville must approve the plans for construction. Please visit: http://www.victorycourt.com/ to learn more.
Rockville’s mayor and council must now decide whether to allow Victory to use an unpaved, unused sliver of land of less than an acre – some 15 feet wide – that lies between Victory Court and the adjoining townhouse development. Victory needs that land to construct the building Victory plans, with the parking spaces Victory believes its residents will need, and to keep the number of trees between Victory Court and the adjoining townhouses that planning rules require. Please send an e-mail to encourage the City of Rockville to do this (it is being opposed by a a number of local residents who do not want this facility built).
AIM (Action In Montgomery) will have a delegation attending the Rockville City on Monday evening, October 12th to support Victory Housing (see below for details – all are welcome to attend).
Ride to SOA Watch gathering, Fort Benning, GA (Nov. 20-22) – need a ride? Contact Mary Shapiro (202-294-2906), who has room for 2 or 3 people.
Sunday, October 11th, 6:30 pm – an evening with Jim Forest at Viva House, Baltimore Catholic Worker on Sunday, October 11th at 6:30 P.M. Jim has been part of the Catholic Worker since 1960 http://orthodoxwiki.org/Jim_Forest. He has written a biography of Dorothy Day, Love Is the Measure http://www.amazon.com/Love-Measure-Biography-Dorothy-Day/dp/0883449420 . He is currently working on a revision of this book. Jim will speak on Dorothy as well as Thomas Merton and nonviolence. His work, Living With Wisdom: A Life of Thomas Merton has helped us understand the depth of Merton’s view of the world -http://www.amazon.com/Living-Wisdom-Life-Thomas-Merton/dp/088344755X. For more information, call 410-233-0488 – Viva House, 26 S. Mount Street. Baltimore, MD 21223.
October 12, 2009, Victory Housing Hearing - 6:45PM Prep, 7-7:30/7:45 Hearing – Rockville City Government, Rockville City Hall • 111 Maryland Avenue • Rockville, MD 20850. See details of this situation noted on the first page of this newsletter.
October 12, 2009, 7-9 pm – an Evening with David Alan Harris, MA, LCAT, ADTR “Using Dance Movement Therapy to Heal African Survivors of War & Beyond the Classroom, 1102 South Campus Commons, Building 1. An University of Maryland Semester of Peace event.
http://www.beyondtheclassroom.umd.edu/btccalendar.php.
October 13, 2009, 3 pm – Rally For Immigrant Justice – West Lawn of the Capital Building, 1st Street and Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Stop the Raids and Work for Just and Humane Immigration Law Reform. For more information, go to http://www.ncicmetro.org/ or e-mail egarces@ncicmetro.org.
October 14th, 2009, 7 pm – ”An Introduction to the Consistent Ethic of Life” at Our Lady Queen of Peace parish, Arlington, VA (Founders Room). OLQP Parishioner and Pax Christi International Co-President Marie Dennis is the speaker.
October 14, 2009 7-9 pm – Atrocities, Resilience, and Healing: Peace-Building Lessons from African Child Soldiers Wednesday Stamp Student Union, Colony Ballroom University of Maryland, College Park. An University of Maryland Semester of Peace event.
Thursday, October 15th – Progressive Health Care Rally – West Side of the Capitol Building, West of the Capitol building, between Independence Ave. SW and Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC -(Map). To sign up, go to http://www.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=99001.
Thursday, October 15, 6:30 pm – Silkwood – DC Labor Film Fest’s 1st Annual WHISTLE BLOWER FILM SERIES – at the Capitol Visitor’s Center, located on the East front at First Street and East Capitol Street, NE. FREE admission; open to all. Presented by the National Whistleblowers Center. This dramatic film is based on the true story of Karen Silkwood (Meryl Streep), a rank-and-file worker at a plutonium factory, who was accidentally exposed to a lethal dose of radiation. Historically, the company downplayed employee complaints about radiation sickness, much to Silkwood’s frustration. Her own ordeal made Silkwood an activist. When she was about to go public with evidence of the company’s poor safety record, the corporate powers went to extreme lengths to ensure that Silkwood’s story was never told. US, drama, 1983; 131m; directed by Mike Nichols Speakers: Howard Kohn, author “Who Killed Karen Silkwood” & David Burnham, former New York Times reporter. Click here to view the movie trailer.
Friday, October 16, 2009, 2:30 pm – Churches for Middle East Peace announces that Daniel Levy, Director of the Washington-based Middle East Task Force at the New America Foundation and Senior Fellow at The Century Foundation, will be the guest speaker for their next network conference call. Dial (270) 696-2525 and then enter the access code 693031. You are responsible for domestic long distance charges associated with this call. The call will last approximately 45 minutesThis call will be an opportunity to hear an update on peace efforts and prospects for a negotiated, sustainable resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Mr. Levy was a member of Israel’s delegation to the Taba negotiations with the Palestinians in 2001, and the Oslo B Agreements in 1995 under Prime Minister Rabin. During the Barak government, he worked in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office as Special Adviser/Head of Jerusalem Affairs, later serving as senior policy adviser to then Israeli minister of justice, Yossi Beilin. Mr Levy was the lead Israeli drafter of the Geneva Initiative (2003) and an analyst for the International Crisis Group. In the early 1990s he held the elected office of the World Union of Jewish Students Chairperson in Jerusalem. Mr Levy is a member of J Street’s advisory council. He writes regularly for Ha’aretz, Guardian Online, Huffington Post, and Foreign Policy, among other publications. Background reading includes “So, did Netanyahu really win,?” Daniel Levy, Haaretz, October 4, 2009; “More than just a photo-op,” Daniel Levy, Foreign Policy, September 23, 2009.
Sunday, October 18, 2009, 2 pm – They Killed Sister Dorothy. Showing of award-winning 90-minute film on life and mission of Sr. Dorothy Stang, who was killed in 2005 for her work with the poor in Brazil. O’Connor Auditorium, Trinity Washington University, 125 Michigan Ave., NE, Washington, DC 20017. Light refreshments served. Further information: sndbcunit@aol.com.
Sunday, October 18, 2009 – Unity Walk – Faith leaders inspire a Gandhi type walk – in a powerful statement reminiscent of Gandhi’s Walks, every church, synagogue, mosque and temple on Embassy Row opens their doors to each other and symbolically the world. People of all faiths will come together for the Annual 9/11 Unity Walk, the signature event in Washington, DC for building bridges between faiths.
Sunday, October 18, 2009 – Earth Forum of Howard Co. presents Mike Tidwell, Chesepeake Climate Action Network, 3 pm, First Presbyterian, Columbia, MD. Hot Planet Love: a story of Global Warming, Passion, and Doing the Right Thing. This new multimedia, eye-popping presentation by Mike Tidwell, Dir.CCAN, combines storytelling, music, film and humor to explore climate change with honesty, hope, and committed action. Presentation feedback, climate advocacy, and Green Central Station emphasis groups follow the program. Included are information tables to view and refreshments to enjoy. Earth Forum is held the 3rd Sunday at 9325 Presbyterian Circle, off Rt. 29 & 108, Columbia. Free. Join in and bring a friend. Sign up requested or information at earthforum@firstpreshc.org or call Nancy (410)750-1479 for info
Thursday, October 22, 6:30 pm: The Insider - Presented by the Union of Concerned Scientist – DC Labor Film Fest’s 1st Annual WHISTLEBLOWER FILM SERIES at the Capitol Visitor’s Center, located on the East front at First Street and East Capitol Street, NE. FREE admission; open to all. Gripping drama tells the true story of Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) a former tobacco executive who comes under personal and professional attack when he decides to appear in a “60 Minutes” expose on Big Tobacco. When the 60 Minutes episode on malpractices in the tobacco industry is not aired because CBS parent company Westinghouse fears angering major advertisers, the whistleblower and the journalists must battle to get the truth to the public. Also stars Al Pacino stars as producer Lowell Bergman and Christopher Plummer as Mike Wallace. US, drama, 1999; 157m; directed by Michael Mann. Speaker: Dr. Jeffrey Wigand. Click here to view the movie trailer.
Friday, October 23rd, 6 pm – 11th International Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation Awards Dinner – Bethesda Marriott, 5151 Pooks Hill Road, Bethesda, MD – For more information, go to http://www.hcef.org/.
Saturday, October 24th, 8 am to 5 pm – 11th International Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation Conference – Building Peace Through Faith and Dialouge – co-sponsored and hosted by the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, 3900 Harewood Rd, NE, Washington, DC 20017. Discounted Registration prior to October 15th. For more information, go to http://www.hcef.org/.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2009, 2:30 PM TO 6 PM – TENT OF ABRAHAM-BALTIMORE COALITION PRESENTS: NEW APPROACHES TO COMMUNITY AMONG THE THREE ABRAHAMIC FAITHS - STONY RUN FRIENDS MEETING HOUSE, 5116 NORTH CHARLES STREET, BALTIMORE 21218 (Charles Street south of Northern Parkway). PROGRAM: PANEL DISCUSSION – Eileen Eppig, SSND, Christian Faith Tradition; Rabbi Joel Zaiman (ICJS) Jewish Faith Tradition; Faheem Younus Qureshi, MD -Muslim Faith Tradition. Includes questions and answers, personal reflection time; panel remarks on going forward from here; Muslim Afternoon Prayer; “TENT OF ABRAHAM” INTERFAITH PRAYER with Jewish, Christian (Sr. Patricia Kirk, OSB), Muslim (Iman Daud Hanif) prayer leaders. SHARED FOOD/DRINK. ALL ARE WELCOME. ADMISSION FREE [DONATION REQUESTED]. Contact Chuck Michaels (cwmichaels@igc.org) or see Pax Christi Baltimore website, www.paxchristibaltimore.org , Chuck Frascati (frascati00@comcast.net), Attaulla Khan (attaulla2000@yahoo.com) - WWW.TENTOFABRAHAM-BALTIMORE.ORG.
Sunday, October 25, 7:00 pm – A Faith Community Response To Environmental Conservation and Justice – Presented By The Howard County Interfaith Coalition for Compassion and Beth Shalom Congregation featuring Joelle Novey, Program Director of Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light and Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin, Director of Baltimore Jewish Environmental Network. This event will be held at Beth Shalom Congregation 8070 Harriet Tubman Lane Columbia, MD. Learn how Individuals and Faith Communities Can Reduce the Threat of Global Warming; Individuals and Faith Communities Can Conserve Energy and Protect Our Environment; and Individuals and Faith Communities Can Promote Environmental Justice. For additional information contact either Mitchell Krasnopoler at (410) 313-9033 or mkrasnopoler@gmail.com ; or Sue Carpenter at (410) 964-1306 or sue3san@gmail.com. This program is presented as part of a series promoted by the Howard County Interfaith Coalition for Compassion this fall.
October 25-28 – J Street’s first national conference, Driving Change Securing Peace, which will take place this at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Washington, DC. This promises to be the largest gathering ever of pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans. J Street will be joined by fourteen other participating organizations at this exciting event, including Rabbis for Human Rights-North America. J Street was established just over a year ago and in that short time it has given a strong political voice to the pro-Israel, pro-peace community. The organization has grown its email list to more than 105,000 Americans and taken over 350,000 online actions to support a sensible approach to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab conflicts peacefully and diplomatically.
Tuesday, October 27, 8 PM – Speak Truth to Power: Voices from Beyond the Dark – written by Ariel Dorfman, based on the book by Kerry Kennedy – Featuring the Voices of Peacemakers, as read by Catholic University Students, Pryzbyla Center Food Court, the Catholic University of America -Presented by Pax Christi CUA. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ariel Dorfman was inspired to write a theatrical presentation based on interviews with over fifty human rights activists from around the world. The resulting play was first presented at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D.C. in September 2000, and broadcast as part of PBS’s The Kennedy Center Presents. The play has been performed at theaters across America and around the world. Dorfman says of the work: “It has not been easy for these voices to reach us. First, they had to overcome fear. There is always fear at the beginning of every voyage, fear and its malignant twin, violence, at the beginning of every voyage into courage … They found a way of speaking out, the men and women whose voices have now reached us decided that they could not live with themselves if they did nothing, they could not stain their lives by remaining silent. They understood that if they witnessed this suffering inflicted on themselves or on others, and did nothing, they were, in some twisted way, being turned into accomplices”. Pax Christi CUA will stage an innovative and informal production of this penetrating work with the voices of Catholic University students. Admission is free, and open to the public. Catholic University is at 620 Michigan Ave NE and is accessible via the Brookland-CUA stop on Metro rail’s red line. Complementary desserts will be offered. We hope you can join us.
Thursday, October 29: The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers – Presented by the DC Environmental Film Festival and The Impact Arts + Film Fund, The Project On Government Oversight – DC Labor FilmFest’s 1st Annual WHISTLEBLOWER FILM SERIES; at the Capitol Visitor’s Center, located on the East front at First Street and East Capitol Street, NE. FREE admission; open to all. 1971: America is embroiled in a dirty war based on lies. A president is abusing the power of his office, ignoring the will of the people, congress and the courts. He promises peace while planning a war without end. One man, at the center of power, armed with a safe full of secret documents, leaks the truth about the Vietnam war to the New York Times. He risks life in prison to end the war he helped plan. His act of conscience and desperation triggers a Constitutional crisis, Watergate, the only Presidential resignation in history and finally helps end the war. Henry Kissinger called Daniel Ellsberg, “the most dangerous man in America” And three decades later, he’s still at it. This documentary tells a story we need now. US, doc, 2009; Produced and directed by Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith. Speakers: Daniel Ellsberg, directors Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, POGO Executive Director Danielle Brian. Click here to view the movie trailer.
Wednesday, Nov. 4th – 6:30 – 9:30 pm - DC Bill of Rights Coalition is sponsoring a nuts-and-bolts workshop to help you file one or many Freedom of Information Act requests. Learn how to file FOIA requests with state and local government agencies, appeal denials of information, and other follow-up issues. Experienced FOIA experts available to consult. Public Citizen, 1500 – 20th St., NW; (Dupont Metro) light snacks available. FREE – For more information, contact Sue Udry: sue.u…@defendingdissent.org.
Wednesday, November 11, 7:00 p.m., St. Camillus Catholic Church, Silver Spring, MD – Bread for the World’s founder and first president, Art Simon, is coming to speak and sign his new book – The Rising of Bread for the World: An Outcry of Citizens Against Hunger, tells the story of Art’s early years, the founding of Bread for the World, and the victories and challenges that laid the groundwork for the powerful voice against hunger and poverty we’ve become.
Friday, November 13th, 6:30 pm (dinner) - Sounds of Hope at the Potter’s House 6th Annual FUN-raiser for Little Friends for Peace. Mary Shapiro, a professional musician and educator will perform along with others. The show starts at 7 with Mary leading a family sing along, followed by her original songs on the CD with the support of musician and producer Russ Downs. The J and B Blues Project (14 year old twins that really rock!) will close the show. Tickets are available at the door (sliding scale: $15-$50) and benefit Little Friends for Peace. For more information contact Mary at 202-294-2906.
November 14-15, Washington, DC, the International Peace Bureau (IPB), the oldest and most comprehensive international peace federation, will hold a conference focusing on militarism’s hindrance to development. As a IPB member and conference co-sponsor, Peace Action will coordinate meetings between international peace advocates and representatives from Congress, as well as the Administration. Learn more about the conference.
November 15, 5 pm – Pax Christi Metro DC Second Annual Peacemaker of the Year awards Mass and Dinner. Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Tom Gumbleton at Our Lady Queen of Peace parish in Arlington, VA followed by the dinner and presentation of the award to Sister Alice Zachmann, the founder of the Guatemalan Human Rights Commission and co-founder of TASSC. As many of you know, Alice will be leaving the DC area in the beginning of 2010 so this will be a good time to see and thank her and also hear some words from this humble woman about her life.
November 20-22nd – SOA Watch, Fort Benning, GA – join about 20,000 people who will be in Columbus, GA this weekend calling for the closing of WINSEC (formerly the School of the Americas). For more information, go to www.soaw.org.
Saturday, November 21, 2009 – 2009 Help the Homeless Walkathon - National Mall, Washington, DC. Registration opens at 7:00 A.M.; Pre-Walkathon Program begins at 8:30 A.M.; Walkathon begins at 9:00 A.M. Cost: $15 for youth; $30 for adults. Further information.
November 22nd – 2:30-5:00 pm – Greenridge Baptist Church, 21925 Frederick Road, Clarksburg, Maryland 20871. Faithfulness Together gathering – join leaders in ministry, social service and local government as we enter into constructive dialogue about women and children living on the margins in our community. Expect to share honestly listen deeply and plan effectively to do the work we are compelled to do because of our Faithfulness Together. Keynote Speaker – Rev. Lula G. Williams, Director of Religious Affairs for the Children’s Defense Fund. We will also celebrate The Neighbors Campaign, which is in many ways a product of our collective work at last year’s gathering. It is the hope of our County Executive that we will continue to envision new ways to lift our county through our Faithfulness Together. Register Today for Faithfulness Together Online at https://www2. montgomerycountymd. gov/MeetingRegistration/.
REFLECTION: 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 U.S. around through nonviolent revolution. But one thing favors such an attempt: the total inability of violence to change anything for the better. - Daniel Berrigan, poet, peace activist, and priest.
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