Lets Start an e-mail conversation
Now Playing: Prioritizing on a few issues?
Topic: Idea from Nancy
ANNOUNCEMENT: Death Penalty Forum

To be held at Utica College at 7:00 PM, April 14 in Willard Conference Room, DePerno Hall

Speakers to Include:

Bobby McLaughlin, Former NY State Prisoner Convicted of a Murder Charge then Exonerated & Released after 6 years

Ted Orlin, Professor, Departments of Political Science and Criminal Justice at Utica College

Rev. Madeline McDonald, Whitesboro, Retired United Methodist Pastor, Volunteer Chaplain at Walsh Hospital, a DOC Maximum Security Correctional Facility, Rome, New York

Barrie Gewanter, Director of the CNY Chapter NY Civil Liberties Union (NYS Affiliate of the ACLU)

Please plan to attend.

Friendly Folks of the Social Action Committee

In the work for a more just, peaceful and healthy communities, there are millions of issues, and consequently, it is quite easy for our heads to spin and for us to be rendered paralyzed by the overwhelming amount of worth causes. It seems to me that for the sake of being effective, as well as for the sake of our own sanity, we could make
attempts to focus.

We could brainstorm the issues that interest us
most and then narrow our focus together by choosing which particular issue(s) we would like to work on as a group.

Perhaps we can brainstorm over email this week, before the monday night meeting with Naomi, so that we are a bit more prepared.

There are, of course, issues on the local, state, national and international levels. All of which, we propably all agree are important.

I am excited to be in a group that has passion to address pressing issues of national and international concern-- some of which we
discussed last meeting (e.g. social security, filibustering, Central American Free Trade Agreement, Plan Colombia...).

Again, i see some value in focusing on one or two state/national/international issues.

In addition, I like the idea of choosing one local issue, in which we can become involved. This way we can be face to face with real people and real places. Furthermore, we would then have the opportunity to collaborate with another church (like St. Francis DeSales:).

Does this sound like a good approach to people?

What are our capablities and limits as a group of 10-20 concerned citizens who meet bi-monthly for one hour?

Lets start an email conversation....

spring rain,

Nancy Groves

PS: Issues that i'm drawn to:
the death penalty in NYS and in US. *
poverty in utica*
biotechnology*
media (bias, accuracy, diversity, corporate consolidation...)*
*each of these is a whole can of worms, it is true.

The wisdom of a maligned President
Topic: "Divided We Fall!"

Go to my blog "Reclaiming Our Voices" for an essay on how a manipulation of wedges issues hides the real divide in America, as described by President Clinton this past year.

Submitted by Doreen
Now Playing: Love and Resistance in Wartime: Chris Hedges
Topic: by Sarah Ruth van Gelder
?I have been in ambushes on desolate stretches of Central American roads, shot at in the marshes of southern Iraq, imprisoned in the Sudan, beaten by Saudi military police, deported from Libya and Iran, captured and held for a week by the Iraqi Republican Guard during the Shiite rebellion following the Gulf War, strafed by Russian Mig-21s in Bosnia, and fired upon by Serb snipers. . ."

From War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning, by Chris Hedges

Click here to see full article: "War Time"

Welcome to the UUU Social Action Committee Blog
Mood:  bright
Topic: What's New!
This blog is set up for members and friends of our Social Action Committee to make announcements or share information with other committee members, as well as members and friends of the congregation, and the local community at large.

If you have any news to share, you can post it. The blog manager will be notified and can send out an announcement to other members of the committee on our e-mailing list.

All comments should be respectful in language and content, and relevant to the work of our committee. We reserve the right to monitor and remove postings that would be offensive.

Include links to other sites that may have information related to issues of interest to us.

This page also includes links on the left side to elected representatives, the media, UU organizations and other groups trying to make a positive difference. We can add more links, just suggest ones by writing socialaction@uuutica.org. You can also send text for new entries to this address, and ask for them to be posted.