Congratulations to Kate Oser!
Topic: Receives Honorary Degree

Congratulations to Kate Oser, who was awarded the honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, by Utica College at their annual commencement May 15, 2005.

Kate was recognized for her many years as a social activist.

Click on her name to read full article.

Take a Stand on Dafur
Topic: Contact Congress
At church on 5/22/2005, JoAnn had handouts on Dafur and sample letters to send to our US Senators, etc.

In case you were not there, or if you are high tech like & pressed for time like me, there are ways to contact your representatives via the internet.

Please note the links below and the text of the sample letter is at the end of this posting.

You can copy and paste this into a word processing document (that can be faxed or mailed), a web form of a representative, or an e-mail note.

Our social action pages have links to the US Senate, but the link below will bring you to them as well.

Feel free to reply if you have questions or suggestions regarding this issue.

Take A Stand Go to this link for links to more information.

http://www.uu-uno.org/darfur/links.htm

UUSC: Send a Letter to the President Bush

U S Representatives Fax Phone and Web info:

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/cgi-bin/newseek.cgi?site=ctc&state=ny

Sample Letter to your Senator

(Copy and paste into an e-mail note, fax note or web form)

[Your contact information here]

[date]

[Your Senator’s contact information here]

Dear Senator [Your Senator’s last name here],

A human tragedy is unfolding in the Darfur region of Sudan. If you have not done so yet, I urge you to co-sponsor the Darfur Accountability Act of 2005 (S. 495).

Last summer, for the first time in its history, Congress called an ongoing conflict genocide and acted during the crisis, rather than after violence ceased. However, the U.S. and the international community are now procrastinating while crimes against humanity continue. The failure to sustain pressure on the government of Sudan is a death sentence for thousands of people in Darfur. Strong action by the Senate as prescribed by S. 495 will put the U.S. back on the right track.

S. 495 calls on the U.S. to support the expansion of the African peacekeeping force, to take legal actions against the government of Sudan and perpetrators of the crimes, and to insist that the Sudanese Government allow humanitarian workers and monitors in Darfur. Such actions are necessary in order to stop the violence and displacement.

The genocide in Rwanda ten years ago and the failure of the United States and the international community to prevent it must animate your conscientious action today. The U.S. promises of “never again” will be empty words on worthless paper if the nightmares of Rwanda, Srebrencia, Kampuchea, and the Holocaust are repeated in this century.

We commend Congress for its past work to prevent further killing in Sudan, but more must be done NOW to succeed. Genocides can be prevented. Failing to act effectively is unthinkable.

Sincerely,

[Sign your name here]

[Print your name here]

Kent State Shooting, May 4, 1970
Now Playing: "Four Dead in Ohio" Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Topic: 35 years ago . . .
I just got back for Kent, Ohio. I tend to the do a pilgrimage to Kent State University every 5 years since 1990, to attend the commemorative ceremonies honoring the 4 students who were killed by the National Guard on May 4, 1970, following protests about the Viet Nam War, its expansion into Cambodia and the subsequent campus occupation by the Guard.

May 4 Task Force

This year, the key note speaker was Bill Schultz, Executive Director of Amnesty International. Bill Schultz is also a Unitarian Universalist Minister and former President of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

He reported that following the shooting, public assembly was banned by the City Council, and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation was the only Church in Kent to hold a memorial service for the slain students.

I am not totally sure about this, but I think Reverend Schultz said he was either a ministerial intern or associate minister at the Kent UU Congregation at the time of these events.

There were many fine speakers, and a lot was said about carrying on the mission today, to bring peace and justice to the world. Bill Schultz said that fear leads to folly, but can be averted by the masses, when they seek to empathize and understand those who are oppressed. He cited examples.

I have added Amnesty International to the Social Action blog page, and have added this message as well, since I think it is relevant. There was an anti-war rally following the commemorative ceremony.

Bill Gazitano

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.