Muusja Mailing List: E-EVENT UPDATE FOR FEBRUARY 9, 2007

[Lauren Culbert (lculbert]

MUUSJA E-EVENT UPDATE FEBRUARY 9, 2007
 
Minnesota UU Social  Justice Alliance--Bringing  together UUs to work
collectively for social change.
 
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This  update includes announcements about: 

A. Local Social Justice News
B. National UU Advocacy
C. Social Justice Links

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A. LOCAL SOCIAL JUSTICE NEWS

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1.
FRI, FEB 9
7:00 - 9:00 PM
FIRST UNIVERSALIST CHURCH, 3400 DUPONT AV. S. MINNEAPOLIS
SOCIAL HALL
 
STEALING AMERICA: VOTE BY VOTE is a documentary on election integrity by
award-winning filmmaker.  Discussion of the issues and how you can help
Minnesota UUs promote the passage of federal reform for 2008 at General
Assembly in June.  Free popcorn; pizza for small contribution.  RSVP.
Sponsored by the "Protecting Voting Rights" MUUSJA Working Group and
Association of Universalist Women of First Universalist Church.  All are
welcome! 
Contacts : Carol Johnson 612-825-3322 or Jenny Thomas jjthomas [at] 
skypoint.com.

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2.
SUN, FEB 11
12:30 - 2:00 pm
FIRST UNIVERSALIST CHURCH, 3400 DUPONT AV. S. MINNEAPOLIS
CUMMINS ROOM

JOIN US for a planning meeting for the Protecting Voting Rights Working
Group.  For more information on the issue of election integrity, see the
article, "Unverifiable Votes: Our Election System Is Broken.  Can the New
Congress Fix It?" at http://www.washingtonspectator.com/.  New participants
encouraged.  Light lunch provided.  RSVP. jjthomas [at] skypoint.com
Home: 612-920-4246 Mobile: 612-386-5724

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3.
TUES, FEB 13
AND EVERY TUESDAY AFTER THAT FOR A TOTAL OF EIGHT WEEKS
9:00 AM TO 5:00 PM
YOUR CONGRESSPERSON'S OFFICE

OCCUPATION PROJECT: A LOCAL CAMPAIGN OF SUSTAINED NONVIOLENT ACTION TO END
THE IRAQ WAR

Every Tuesday for eight weeks, beginning February 6, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(or whenever the office closes) Offices of Constituents' Congresspersons and
Senators. This local campaign will challenge our United States
Congresspersons and Senators to publicly declare that they will vote against
any further funding for the war in and occupation of Iraq. Every Tuesday,
beginning February 6, constituents will enter the offices of their
Congresspersons and Senators at 9:00 a.m. and begin a vigil that will last
until 500 p.m. or whenever the offices close. The plan is not to be
disruptive, but rather to be a presence for one full day each week to remind
our elected officials that the people of Minnesota want an end to the war on
Iraq and that we want them to vote to stop funding the war and to bring the
troops home now. There are team leaders for each office, who will ensure
that there is a continual presence for the entire day. It is recommended
that the team leaders and those who accompany them, set up a visual in the
office, which could include such things as a wreath, a peace flag, a poster
indicating the number of dead and injured American soldiers and Iraqis, etc.
It is anticipated that people will be coming in at different times of the
day and they are encouraged to bring in poems or other things that they
might want to read and leave. People might want to dress in black and/or
wear black armbands. Groups are encouraged not to be disruptive to the work
of the office; however, they might choose to quietly read the names of
American and Iraqi dead and ring a bell every few minutes or some other
meaningful action. Vigils will not take place in the offices of Minnesota
Congresspersons and Senators who commit to vote against further funding for
the war on Iraq.

The following individuals have been asked to be team leaders:
Senator Norm Coleman's office: Sarah Standefer, 612-379-4716,
<scsrn [at] yahoo.com>
Senator Amy Klobuchar's office: Marie and John Braun and Barbara Palmer,
612-522-1861, <braun044 [at] umn.edu>; Joe and Elaine Mayer (Rochester),
507-289-4154, <eljomayer [at] hotmail.com>
Congressman Jim Ramstad's office: Roxanne Abbas, 763-476-7643,
<rabbas [at] usinternet.com>
Congresswoman Betty McCollum's office: Betty McKenzie, 651-644-1337,
<macconis [at] usfamily.net>
Congressman John Kline's office: Sue and Greg Skog, 651-454-3850,
<family4peace [at] msn.com>
Congresswoman Michelle Bachman: Sr. Merle Nolde in the St. Cloud Area; other
team leaders to be announced.
Congressman Tim Walz: Joe and Elaine Mayer, 507-289-4154,
<eljomayer [at] hotmail.com>
Congressman Colin Peterson: Jim Hubley (Marshall), 507-532-6846,
<jhubley [at] chartermi.net>; Lucy Tokheim (Willmar), 320-769-2142,
<lucytokheim [at] frontiernet.net>
Congressman James Oberstar: Michelle Obed Naar, 218-728-0629,
<obedsinduluth [at] yahoo.com>
Congressman Keith Ellison: Congressman Ellison has said that he will vote
against funding.

If you are available to help, please contact your team leader or the Twin
Cities Peace campaign-Focus on Iraq at 612-522-1861. Organized by: Twin
Cities Peace Campaign-Focus on Iraq. FFI: 612-522-1861.

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4.
THUR, FEB 15TH
DEADLINE TO SIGN UP FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE TRAINING

Social Justice Training for UUs!
Friday, April 13th        1:00 - 5:00 pm
(before Prairie Star District Annual  Conference starts Friday evening...)
First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis
900 Mount Curve (up the hill from the Walker Art Center)
www.firstunitariansociety.org
$35 per person

Strengthening UU Justice-making: linking community service & social change,
and deepening UU leadership
Trainer:  Rev. Valerie Ackerman. Contact Jo Haberman to register
jojane [at] juno.com, (612-822-8870) 

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5.
WED, FEB 21ST
MINNESOTA STATE CAPITOL

UU'S ARE HEADED TO ST. PAUL for MN Environmental Partnership's 2007
Citizen's Day at the Capitol to support RES & Greenhouse Gas Cap bills!

Come for the day (get briefs, meet with legislators) or just for the NOON
rally in the rotunda. Carpool at 9:30am from FUS -- sign up at the social
action table or call Madalyn, 612-926-5249

DEADLINE TO REGISTER: Feb 13
Sign online at www.mnpartnership.org

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6.
 
B. NATIONAL UU ADVOCACY

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1.
NEW SANCTUARY MOVEMENT PLEDGE

The New Sanctuary Movement is a coalition of interfaith religious leaders
and participating congregations, called by our faith to respond actively and
publicly to the suffering of our immigrant brothers and sisters residing in
the United States. 

We acknowledge that the large-scale immigration of workers and their
families to the United States is a complex historical, global and economic
phenomenon that has many causes and does not lend itself to simplistic or
purely reactive public policy solutions. 

We stand together in our faith that everyone, regardless of national origin,
has basic common rights, including but not limited to: 1) livelihood; 2)
family unity; and 3) physical and emotional safety. We witness the violation
of these rights under current immigration policy, particularly in the
separation of children from their parents due to unjust deportations, and in
the exploitation of immigrant workers. We are deeply grieved by the violence
done to families through immigration raids. We cannot in good conscience
ignore such suffering and injustice. 

Therefore, We Covenant To: 

1) Take a public, moral stand for immigrants' rights 

2) Reveal, through education and advocacy, the actual suffering of immigrant
workers and families under current and proposed legislation 

3) Protect immigrants against hate, workplace discrimination, and unjust
deportation 

If you would be interested in receiving a document about congregational
involvement please write to my associate Audra Friend at afriend [at] uua.org. 

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2.
IN RECOGNITION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH, the UUA web site is featuring stories
about congregational solidarity with African Americans communities and
efforts to dismantle institutional racism. Our first story is called Belmont
UUs offer religious response to racism. It is a moving story about how
people in the suburbs can put their faith into action and act in solidarity
with people in the inner city.
http://www.uua.org/news/2007/070205_blackhistory.html 

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C. SOCIAL JUSTICE LINKS

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To find out about other local and national social justice events, check out
these websites.  

UU SOCIAL JUSTICE AND OTHER UU LINKS:
Unitarian Universalist Association:  http://www.uua.org/

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee:  http://www.uusc.org/

UUA Washington Office for Advocacy http://www.uua.org/uuawo/new/

UUA Congregational Advocacy and Witness:
http://www.uua.org/programs/justice/

Minnesota UU Social Justice Alliance (MUUSJA):  http://www.muusja.org/

Prairie Star  District: http://www.psduua.org/

FOR UU SOCIAL ACTON CHAIRS, sign up for regular e-news from the UUA, called
Sac-news www.uua.org/mailman/listinfo
 
UU Ministry for Earth http://uuministryforearth.org/index.shtml

UUs for a Just Economic Community http://www.uujec.net/

UU Committee for Socially Responsible Investing
http://www.uua.org/finance/sri/ 

UU Gulf Coast Advocacy http://www.uua.org/news/gulfcoastrelief/advocacy.html

OTHER SOCIAL JUSTICE LINKS: 
*note: if you are  member of a group who would like us to list your web
site, send it to muusja-editor [at] muusja.org

Alliance for Sustainability www.afors.org
 
Minnesota  Alliance of Peacemakers  http://www.mapm.org/
 
Women Against Military Madness at  www.worldwidewamm.org
 
Progressive Calendar subscribe by emailing  shove001 [at] tc.umn.edu.
  
Planned Parenthood of Minnesota:   www.ppmns.org
 
NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota:   www.prochoiceminnesota.org

Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing (MICAH):
http://www.micah.org/
 
Code Pink: www.codepink4peace.org

Center for Victims of Torture: http://www.cvt.org/main.php

Network of Spiritual Progressives: http://www.spiritualprogressives.org/

Network of Spiritual Progressives, local chapter http://www.nspmn.org/