FUSsa-talk Mailing List: Fw: [SAC-News] Keeping Families Together, GA News & More!

[jojane (jojane]

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From: SAC-News <UUA [at] mail.democracyinaction.org>
To: jojane [at] juno.com
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:55:08 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [SAC-News] Keeping Families Together, GA News & More!
Message-ID: <636945064.1670537764 [at] org.orgdb.mail.democracyinaction.org>



Keeping Families Together, GA News & More!
Dear SAC-News Readers: 
This week we are sending you a copy of our Washington Office Advocacy
News - Keep Families Together - as it has information about our GA Public
Witness event on Valuing ALL Families - Standing on the Side of Love with
Immigrant and BGLT Families on Friday June 27 from 5:00-6:30 p.m., a
pre-GA training on Ending the War in Iraq, and action alerts on
legislation to keep immigrant families together and more. Please see
below. 
Additionally we are including in this issue of SAC-News: 
Announcement of the 2008 Bennett Award for Congregational Action on Human
Justice and Social Action Recipient. Congratulations to Mount Vernon
Unitarian Church, Alexandria, VA! Read about their program here. 
A list of proposed Actions of Immediate Witness. This year the Commission
on Social Witness asked people who intend to propose Actions of Immediate
Witnesses (AIWs) to send them ahead of time, so that they can be shared
with other UUs. See here. Other AIWs can be proposed at General Assembly,
but this listing is intended to help people connect and organize. Check
it out! 
Lastly, the UUA filed a shareholder resolution with WalMart last Friday
asking them to include gender identity in their non-discrimination equal
opportunity employment policy. The resolution received support from 6% of
the shareholders. For a first time resolution, this is not insignificant
and more than double the amount necessary to allow the UUA to re-file
next year. Now we can continue to stay engaged with the company and
continue dialogue. The Rev. Jonalu Johnstone, Program Minister of First
Unitarian Church of Oklahoma City, presented the resolution on behalf of
the UUA. You can read her colorful report Excursion to Wallyworld here. 
In faith, Susan & Audra 




ADVOCACY NEWS


Keep Families Together
June 11th, 2008





Dear Friends, 
In This Issue:
ACTION: Immigration - Keep Families Together 
SUCCESS: Peacemaking Congregational Study/Action Issue 
NEWS: Decline in teen sex and increase in condom use level off 
SAVE THE DATE: Pre-GA Activist Training to End the War in Iraq 
SAVE THE DATE: GA Public Witness Event - Valuing ALL Families 
ACTION: Religious Freedom - Boy Scouts 
Upcoming Dates and Deadlines 
Consider this week's issue of Advocacy News a tribute to families. First
off, a reminder that Father's Day is this Sunday. Don't forget Dad and
all the people who serve as dads in your life. Second, this week's action
focuses on keeping families together. The Child Citizen Protection Act
aims at keeping the parents of U.S. born children from being deported.
And third, if you hadn't already heard, the Public Witness event at
General Assembly in Ft. Lauderdale this year will be "Valuing ALL
Families" in support of both BGLT and immigrant families. Unitarian
Universalist family values call us to value all families, and to support
them and help keep them together. 
Finally, we pause to recognize the loss of life and misery from the
severe weather that has gripped much of the country this week - flooding
and tornadoes in the Midwest, extreme heat along the Eastern seaboard.
Our prayers and thoughts are with you. 
In faith and for justice, 
Lisa, Grace, Alex, Adam, Kat and Rob 





(1) ACTION: Immigration - Keep Families Together
Congressman Jose Serrano (D-NY) has introduced the Child Citizen
Protection Act, or CCPA (H.R. 1176), which would allow immigration judges
to consider whether deportation is "clearly against the best interests of
a US citizen child" and prevent deportations in cases where a non-citizen
parent of a citizen child is at risk of being deported. As raids and
deportations increase, more families of mixed immigration status are
being torn apart. The CCPA would offer hope to families that include at
least one non-citizen parent and a U.S. citizen child-which make up 15%
of all families in the United States. Families for Freedom's website
provides a postcard that you can print out and mail to your
Representative, urging him or her to support the CCPA. For more
information, see Families for Freedom's fact sheet on CCPA, available in
English and Spanish. 






(2) SUCCESS: Peacemaking Congregational Study/Action Issue
This week marks Alex's one year anniversary working for the Unitarian
Universalist Association as the Program Associate for Peacemaking.
Working with amazing theologians, peace activists and dedicated Unitarian
Universalists, he has learned a lot about what UU peacemaking looks like.
In the next few days, he will be sharing just a few of the many
realizations he has made when it comes to UU Peacemaking. To read them,
please go to uuasocialjustice.blogspot.com. 
Monday: No Creed, No Peace Testament 
Tuesday: Unitarian*Universalists' long and difficult relationship with
peace 
Wednesday: Just War and Pacifism - A false dichotomy 
Thursday: Theology of Conflict 
Friday: No Justice, No Peace 






(3) NEWS: Decline in teen sex and increase in condom use level off
A study done by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found
that the ten year decline in the percentage of teenagers having sex
leveled off between 2001 and 2007 and an increase in condom use among
sexually active teens leveled off in 2003. The survey also found
"disturbing hints" that the teen sex rate is increasing and that the
condom use rate is decreasing but officials said that the trend lines are
not at a point where statisticians can be sure. While a decrease in
condom use among teens cannot be confirmed it is still disturbing to see
that usage has leveled off. Now, more than ever, we need to tell our
Representatives to Get REAL! and support comprehensive sexuality
education in the form of the Responsible Education About Life Act (REAL)
for our nation's youth. For more information about the study, check out
the Washington Post article or visit the CDC website. 






(4) SAVE THE DATE: Pre-GA Activist Training to End the War in Iraq
November is coming fast, which means that it's a great time to step up
our organizing and advocacy against the unjust and immoral war in Iraq.
Learn how UUs can raise our voices and carry a message for peace into the
2008 elections and beyond. Join UUSC and the UUA for a day-long activist
training before General Assembly. Participants will get updated policy
information and practical tools and skills for taking effective action. 
Speakers: 
Camilo Mejia, Iraq Veteran, founder of Iraq Veterans Against the War 
Tom Andrews, Former Congressman, National Director of Win Without War 
Rev. William Sinkford, President of the UUA 
Charlie Clements, President of UUSC 
When: Wed, June 25, 2008, Noon - 4pm 
Where: Panorama Ballroom, Hyatt Regency Pier 66 
2301 S.E. 17th Street Causeway 
Fort Lauderdale FL 33316 
UUA & UUSC is hosting the training free of charge, but space is limited.
For more information, and to register please contact Michelle Rudy at
gacountdown2008 [at] uusc.org 






(5) SAVE THE DATE: GA Public Witness Event - Valuing ALL Families
This year's Public Witness event at General Assembly will be Friday,
5:00-6:30 PM. 
Join UUA President William Sinkford & interfaith and community leaders as
we stand on the side of love with Immigrant and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, &
Transgender Families. There will be testimonials from a UU BGLT family
about how Florida laws have kept them apart, stories from immigrants
(Florida Immigrant Coalition), a call to support Vote No on 2 (Florida
ballot initiative mandating that marriage be defined as between a man and
woman) and support for immigration reform and the Citizen Child
Protection Act (which keeps undocumented parents of citizen children in
the US). And food and music! 
For more information see this flyer 






(6) ACTION: Religious Freedom - Boy Scouts
Urge the Senate not to fundraise for the Boy Scouts of America! The
Senate Committee on Banking is considering legislation which would create
a commemorative coin for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), an organization
which discriminates against non theists and gays. If passed, the
legislation would direct the U.S. Mint to produce commemorative coins,
raising an estimated $3.5 million dollars for the BSA. Urge your Senator
not to support the commemorative coin through the Secular Coalition for
America's online action campaign. You can edit the text of the email to
reflect your personal faith identity. To learn more, check out: 
UUA's 1999 Statement: Work to Change Discriminatory Policies of Boy
Scouts of America 
Congress's $3.5 million "Bake Sale" for the Boy Scouts 






(7) Upcoming Dates and Deadlines
June 15: Father's Day 
June 19: Juneteenth/Emancipation Day 
June 19: Night of 1000 Conversations 
June 25-29: General Assembly in Ft. Lauderdale, FL 
July 4: Independence Day 
July 24: Let Justice Roll: Anniversary of the Victory to Raise the
Minimum Wage 






Contact Us:
Washington Office: 202.393.2255
Rob Keithan
Director
rkeithan [at] uua.org, x15
Kat Liu
Assistant Director
kliu [at] uua.org, x13
Grace Garner
Legislative Assistant for Women's Issues
UU Women's Federation Clara Barton Intern
ggarner [at] uua.org, x12
Adam Gerhardstein
Legislative Assistant for International Issues
agerhardstein [at] uua.org, x21
Lisa Swanson
Legislative Assistant for Economic & Racial Justice
lswanson [at] uua.org, x22
Alex Winnett
Program Associate for Peacemaking
Mary Bonner Memorial Intern
awinnett [at] uua.org, x20



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