Muusja Mailing List: E-EVENT UPDATE FOR APRIL 4, 2007

[Lauren Culbert (lculbert]

MUUSJA E-EVENT UPDATE FOR APRIL 4, 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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1.
The Legislature is on break this week giving OutFront Minnesota and the
thousands of supporters of GLBT rights a chance to plan how we can work to
pass good legislation for our community! Governor Pawlenty has threatened to
veto the bills that advance GLBT rights. The same people who worked so hard
to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to ban same-sex marriage and
civil unions are now trying to prevent legislation granting basic human
rights to GLBT people- the right to see a loved one in the hospital or the
right to be treated equally in providing health insurance for our families. 

The Legislative Session is scheduled to end during the third week of May.
With your help we can ensure that this year will mark the first time GLBT
rights legislation gets enacted in well over a decade. 
FFI http://www.outfront.org/action/news030507.html

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2.
FRI, APRIL 6
VARIOUS SHIFTS
PLANNED PARENTHOOD HIGHLAND PARK
 
ON GOOD FRIDAY, almost 1,000 protesters will descend upon Planned
Parenthood's Highland Park clinic in a day-long effort to intimidate and
harass our patients and staff. It is important to let patients and the
larger community know that there is support for Planned Parenthood and the
services it provides.

Sign-Up TODAY to take part in our Good Friday Solidarity event. The purpose
of this event is to provide a peaceful, pro-choice presence at our Highland
Park facility. Planned Parenthood has been providing quality, affordable
health care services for the men and women of Minnesota for almost 80 years;
we have no intention of letting anyone intimidate us or close our doors.
FFI http://www.ppmnsaction.org/ppEventSignup/register

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3. 
MON, APRIL 9
7:30 PM
PLYMOUTH CHURCH
1900 NICOLLET AVE, MPLS

THE NETWORK OF SPIRITUAL PROGRESSIVES WILL MEET on MONDAY, APRIL  9, at
Plymouth Church (1900 Nicollet Ave, just south of downtown Minneapolis.
Enter through the door under the canopy off the parking lot in back of the
church).

In keeping with our new format, affinity groups will meet at 6:30 and the
chapter meeting will start at 7:30 sharp. Also come at 6:30 if you like for
snacks and conversation or for a brief orientation for new members. It was
very exciting at the last meeting to see 9 groups deeply engaged in
discussion of 9 separate NSP topics of concern to them. So come at 6:30 if
you have joined a group, but also come if you just want to drop in on one or
more of the groups and hear what is happening. A list of the current groups
and a contact person is below. 
Start your own group if you like!

At the full chapter meeting Karn Anderson will teach us the fundamental
techniques of Non-Violent Communication developed by Marshall Rosenberg.
Enthusiastically endorsed by many of our members,  NVC  can provide a
crucial skill for us as NSP moves into dialogue with those of different
viewpoints.

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4.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11
6:00 PM
FILM: "ABSTINENCE COMES TO ALBUQUERQUE"
First Universalist Church
3400 Dupont Avenue, Minneapolis

Adults and youth (8th grade and older) are warmly invited to view this
amazing documentary about abstinence-only sex education in an Albuquerque
school district and the controversy that ensues. Personal stories, community
profiles, and expert interviews help highlight the differences between a
strict abstinence-only-until-marriage approach and more comprehensive
sexuality education like the UUA/UCC program, Our Whole Lives.  Includes
discussion of ways we can promote comprehensive sexuality education in
Minnesota and a report by members of our new MN Sexuality Education Advocacy
Team about their recent training in Washington, D.C.   "Abstinence Comes To
Albuquerque" replaces our original plan to show  "The Education of Shelby
Knox."

Sponsored by MUUSJA's Reproductive Rights: Sacred Choice campaign and
Minnesota Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. FFI: Contact Jody
Beresford at (612) 669-9977 or jmberesford [at] aol.com
 
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5.
FRI, APRIL 13
5:30 TO 7
INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURE AND TRADE POLICY
2104 STEVENS AV S. MPLS

JOIN AUTHOR David Korten for a discussion on his new book, The Great
Turning: From Empire to Earth Community. How can we turn this moment of
environmental and economic crises, into a new era grounded in community,
caring and cooperation? David Korten is an author and co-founder/board chair
of the Positive Futures Network. 

ABOUT IATP
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy promotes resilient family
farms, rural communities and ecosystems around the world through research
and education, science and technology, and advocacy. IATP operates offices
in Minneapolis and Geneva.

Free. Refreshments are served.RSVP to Allison Page apage [at] iatp.org

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6. 
SUN, APR 15
1 PM TO 6 PM
PLYMOUTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
1900 NICOLLET AT FRANKLIN

MAKE PLANS NOW FOR GENEROSITY WEEKEND. April 15th is the symbolic date for
the paying of income taxes in the United States.  Make a statement about the
uses of those taxes that we all pay. 

Generosity Weekend is a national weekend of action, held on April 13-15,
2007, and dedicated to a new way of achieving national security for the
United States. Today, most of our elected officials believe that the way to
make the U.S. safe is to dominate and control the rest of the world. We
believe a more effective way to make the United States secure would be to
work with the rest of the world to eliminate poverty and repair the damage
to our environment. In doing so, we would address the root cause of
terrorism while drying up the anti-American sentiment on which it feeds. 

The Minnesota Chapter of the Network of Spiritual Progressives invites you
to participate in Generosity Weekend, culminating in a Generosity Sunday
Rally at Plymouth Congregational Church from 1-6 pm on Sunday, April
15th.Come to the rally, and bring your friends and colleagues.
http://www.nspmn.org/gensunday.html

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B. NATIONAL UU ADVOCACY

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1.
RAISE THE DRUMBEAT FOR DARFUR AT GA 2007

The UUSC (Unitarian Universalist Service Committee) is holding a full-day
training to increase awareness and organize action to address the genocide
in Darfur. Small group workshops will be facilitated by experienced
activists to help participants build the skills necessary to organize the
Drumbeat for Darfur within their own communities. The full-day workshop runs
from 9am-5pm on Wednesday, June 20, 2007. Participants are urged to organize
a team of three from their congregation to attend together. Registration is
free but space is limited. For more information, visit the UUSC website,
www.uusc.org. 

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2.
MON, APRIL 16
WASHINGTON DC

DC VOTE: EMANCIPATION DAY RALLY. http://www.votingrightsmarch.org/

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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/