ADVOCACY NEWSOctober's Action of the Month: Publish for Peace with Iran October 2nd, 2008 Dear Friends of Justice, Like the rest of the country, we've been watching what is going on in Capitol Hill this week very closely. The apparent meltdown of our financial institutions is undeniably alarming. On the one hand, several of us have our concerns about our government borrowing billions of dollars in order to bail out major corporations, when it can't seem to find the money to pay for education or health care for its citizens. On the other hand, we know that an economic downturn would hurt millions of people. There are no clear solutions, as evidenced by the non-partisan voting. On Monday's House vote, 140 Democrats and 65 Republicans were in favor; 95 Democrats and 133 Republicans against. Last night's Senate vote saw 40 Democrats and 34 Republicans approve the measure, while 10 Democrats and 15 Republicans opposed it. What is clear is that this is an issue of great concern to the American people. In fact, so many of us emailed our Representatives on the proposed bailout that Congress had to temporarily suspend external emails in order to prevent an overload. It's likely, this flood of constituent input influenced the vote on Monday. Legislative activism in action. Speaking of voting, just a friendly reminder that the Faithful Democracy election resources are still available at UUA.org. In This Issue:
In faith and for justice, (1) Oct. Action of the Month: Publish for Peace with Iran Last Wednesday, Unitarian Universalist Association President William G. Sinkford participated in a meeting between members of the United States peace movement and the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Rev. Sinkford was one of twelve attendees invited to address President Ahmadinejad. You can read his remarks and get the complete story at www.uua.org. The UUA invites UUs across the nation to join Rev. Sinkford in practicing citizen diplomacy by participating in our October Action of the Month: Publish for Peace with Iran. We aim to publish an op-ed or letter-to-the-editor in each of the 19 UU districts. You can find all the resources you need to draft a letter at our Action of the Month Campaign Headquarters. (2) SUCCESS: Immigration: No More DeathsIn mid-September, representatives of the humanitarian aid organization No More Deathstraveled to Washington, D.C. to present the stories of migrants abused by the U.S. Border Patrol to Congress. No More Deaths was founded in 2006 to provide food, water, and medical care to people crossing the Arizona desert in increasing numbers, due to new border walls blocking easier border crossings. It is now sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson. From 2006 to 2008, No More Deaths documented 400 stories of abuse shared with them by migrants, and has released them in a 104 page report titled Crossing the Line: Human Rights Abuses of Migrants in Short-Term Custody on the Arizona/Sonora Border. The report, and a 2 page executive summary, is available for download at No More Death's website. We wanted to lift up their good work and let you know how you can help. No More Deaths is staffed completely by volunteers. Consider making a financial contribution to their important work, or volunteering. They have a donations page that lists needed items, including socks, washcloths, and band-aids. Something as simple as a pair of socks can save a life. (3) Report on Sept's AotM: Tents of Hope for Darfur September's Action of the Month for Darfur was a wonderful success! Nearly 400 people visited our campaign page this month resulting in 198 letters to the White House. Over 40 congregations have received materials from the UUSC. An estimated 4000 postcards will be sent on behalf of women's rights in Darfur to key policy makers. Dozens of UU congregations across the country have begun pitching their Tents of Hope at their churches. To read stories of their projects and see pictures of their tents please visituua.org/congregationallife/communityinvolvement. It is not too late to join the Tents of Hope Campaign. For more information, please visituua.org/socialjustice. (4) RESOURCE: Van Jone's "Green Collar Economy" He electrified our General Assembly, telling us how we can address global climate change while at the same time revive our failing economy. Since his Ware lecture, it's become painfully clear that our economic situation is even worse than we thought. Now Van Jones, founder of Green for All, has a book coming out: The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems, giving detailed, concrete examples of the ideas he alluded to in June. Read about Van's vision for a Green New Deal - an inclusive, green economy strong enough to lift millions of people out of poverty. Click here to learn more about the book and order a copy. The Green Collar Economy officially debuts Tuesday October 7th. In case you didn't know, a book's success is usually determined by how well it sells in the first week. That's because strong initial sales will cause the media to take notice, giving it more exposure and thus generating more sales. (Think New York Times Best Sellers List.) So if you are interested in buying the book, it's important to do so immediately. Strong early sales will empower our ally, Green For All, and the entire environmental justice movement to advocate for a morally just economy - one that protects both nature and all humans. (5) October 6th: UU's Plan to End TortureThe National Religious Coalition Against Torture (NRCAT) is looking for UU Congregations. Currently, nearly 60 UU communities across the United States have joined with NRCAT to oppose torture here and abroad. Now they are looking for more people to join their fight against inhumane treatment of prisoners. Check out the nearly 300 US houses of worship who have taken a stand against torture at the NRCAT slideshow. If you have not yet received their "Torture Is A Moral Issue" banner, please visit nrcat.org. We welcome you to join the conference call hosted by NRCAT, the UUA, and the UU Service Committee on October 6 at 3PM Eastern Time. There, we will be discussing future events such as the November 12th lobbying day and the January Action to End Torture. To call in, please dial 800.868.1837 code 22937881#. (6) Repro Choice: Volunteer in South Dakota to stop the Abortion Ban!South Dakota is the scene of a major showdown over reproductive freedom. On November 4, South Dakotans will vote on Measure 11, a ban on virtually all abortions. Local activists in South Dakota are reaching out to their neighbors for help! The South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families is looking for volunteers this weekend, October 3rd through 5th and in the upcoming weekends until the election. Would you like to join Sioux Falls or Rapid City this weekend to volunteer? The ACLU would cover nearly all expenses - transportation, hotel lodging, and most meals -- you'd only need to bring your volunteer spirit! Measure 11 represents government intrusion in the doctor/patient relationship, endangers women's health, and interferes with a profoundly difficult decision. We must join with South Dakotans to stop this attempt to overturn Roe v. Wade. For more information, please contact your local ACLU organizer: Idaho: Lily Fawcett, lfawcett@acluidaho.org or (208) 344-9750, x. 201 Iowa: Marty Ryan, legis.program@aclu-ia.org or (515) 243-3576, x. 12 Kansas: Donnie Morehouse, dmorehouse@aclukswmo.org or (816) 756-3113, x. 234 Minnesota: Jana Kooren, jkooren@aclu-mn.org or (651) 645-4097, x. 123 Montana: Hayley Smith, hsmith@aclu.org or (212) 549 2639 Nebraska: Laurel Marsh, lmarsh@aclunebraska.org or (402) 476-8091 Wisconsin: Stacy Harbaugh, sharbaugh@aclu-wi.org or (608) 469-5540 Wyoming: Linda Burt, wyoaclu@aol.com or (307) 637-4565 (7) Upcoming Dates and DeadlinesOctober 6: UUA, UUSC, NRCAT Call Against Torture October 9: Yom Kippur October 11: National Coming Out Day October 13: Indigenous People's Day October 26: United Nation's Sunday November 2: End of Daylight Savings Time November 4: Election Day November 8-9: Tents of Hope for Darfur-Washington, DC November 11: Veteran's Day November 15: Rough-draft for Peacemaking SOC sent to congregations November 20: Transgender Day of Remembrance Contact Us: Washington Office Adam Gerhardstein Kat Liu Grace Garner Lisa Swanson Alex Winnett Congregational Advocacy & Witness Susan Leslie Audra Friend |
Congregational Advocacy & Witness Washington Office for Advocacy |
Action News
10/02/2008 10:18:00 AM / Comments (0) / by Shawna
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