Greetings!
Thank you to the 60+ MUUSJA Connection readers who contacted your House member in support of the Waxman-Markey climate bill! It was very exciting for this bill to have passed the House while UUs were assembled in Salt Lake. Be on the look out for a Senate action alert soon after they return from August recess.
That same eventful weekend in late June saw a wonderful, colorful, eye-catching contingent of UUs, complete with brand new marriage equality banners and wedding-gowned brides-to-be march in the Twin Cities Pride Parade. Congrats to the marchers and banner-makers!
Voter Rights success
During General Assebly in Salt Lake, a multi-state team of activists, with leadership by our own Jenny Thomas and Carol Johnson, passed an Action of Immediate Witness! The AIW calls on UUs and UU congregations to take action this year to improve and help pass pending federal election reform legislation.
 You can get full details - including video footage of Jenny brining the AIW to the floor of the Assembly for the vote - at the Voter Rights page of the MUUSJA web site.
GA attendees also saw Minnesota's Mark Ritchie, together with California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, receive the Wilton Peace Prize. Mark also spoke at a MUUSJA lunch during GA, and our powerhouse team of Jenny and Carol also organized a richly informative workshop featuring a former Utah elections official. Check it all out!
Walk for MUUSJA. Walk for Justice.
Enjoy Minnesota's transition to autumn, get some exercise, and help MUUSJA to continue to achieve our goals -- for LGBT rights, open and fair elections, climate change and women's health. Make plans now to walk in our first-ever MUUSJA Walk for Justice on Sunday afternoon, September 20th. Details are on our web site now!
In faith,
Ralph Wyman
MUUSJA Director/Organizer
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| MUUSJA Action News: |
 UUs Out 4 Marriage Writing Workshop
Today, Wed, Aug 5th, 6 - 9 pm
Unity Church Unitarian
732 Holly Ave, St. Paul
Space is still available for a few drop-ins to tonight's Coming Out writing workshop. Facilitated by Karen Hering of Unity Church, this is a wonderful opportunity to do some personal writing in a structured environment. You need not share your work, but you may want to think about National Coming Out Day on October 11. Fee is $15-20 if you have not pre-registered.
MUUSJA EcoMinds
Thursday, August 6th
6:30 potluck/pizza, 7 - 9 pm meeting
First Universalist Social Hall
3400 Dupont Ave S, Minneapolis
Agenda items include:
· H.I.R.E. Minnesota & Green Jobs working
group
· 350.org Day - UU Ministry for Earth has put
together a very thorough page for this event: http://www.uuministryforearth.org/350.htm
· American Clean Energy Act (Waxman-Markey) -
Senate action coming soon
· Begin drafting the 2009-2010 EcoMinds proposal
for MUUSJA
Please
bring your calendars so we can confirm a regular monthly meeting time for the
2009-2010 program year.
MUUSJA Board Meeting
Wednesday, August 19 7 - 9 pm Unity Church Unitarian 732 Holly Ave, St. Paul 55104 All
are warmly welcomed to attend and to join in conversation at our monthly board
meeting and/or our fundraising committee. Contact Ralph at 612-998-6624 or rwmuusja@gmail.com for information or to request an agenda for either meeting.  Walk for MUUSJA on Sunday, September 20th
Celebrate the last day of summer with an afternoon fund raising walk to support MUUSJA's work building a UU moral voice for a just and sustainable world. Starts and ends at First Universalist Church in Minneapolis. Walk to the beautiful Peace Garden, or around Lake Harriet. Registration and Pledge Form now online! E-mail to Carol Johnson if you would like to volunteer with food, the registration table, or as a helper along the walk route. |
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UU & Allied Social Justice Events
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Peace Day Lantern Ceremony
Thursday, August 6, 2009
9:00pm - 10:15pm
Powderhorn Park lake,
Minneapolis, MN
The Peace Day Lantern Ceremony commemorates the first atomic bombings
of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th and 9th, 1945 and honors the
people that perished in those bombings and all wars. The Lantern
Ceremony is an ancient Buddhist tradition celebrated in many Asian
countries around the world, including China, Thailand and Japan.
Japan's Buddhists believe the souls of their ancestors visit them every
year so they put out lanterns to guide the spirits and when the visit
ends the lantern is set adrift on the water to light the path back to
heaven. Now every year on August 6th, it not only commemorates those
who died in the world's first two nuclear attacks, it also includes all
those killed in past wars and is an expression of hope that nuclear
weapons will never be used again.
Minnesota Neighbors for
Peace Metro-Wide Potluck Picnic
Sunday, August 9, 2009
4:00-8:00 p.m.
Newell Park, 900 North Fairview Avenue (corner of Fairview and Pierce Butler
Route), St. Paul
All friends and neighbors interested in efforts for peace and
justice are welcome! Please join us for this fun annual picnic - a time to
feast and socialize with friends old and new while enjoying a beautiful summer
evening. Please bring a dish to share as well as your own beverages, and blanket or lawn
chair. Grills are available at the park and charcoal will be provided. Plates,
utensils, napkins, and cups will also be provided.
Merriam Park Neighbors for Peace are the sponsors. Note: No alcohol is allowed in the park and dogs must be on a leash at all
times.
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MUUSJA is dedicated to building the UU social justice movement in Minnesota. Please contact us with your event suggestions, questions about how to get involved, or to update your information with us.
Sincerely,
Ralph Wyman, Director/Organizer
MUUSJA
612-998-6624
rwmuusja@gmail.com
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Like seeing UUs take action on your issues?
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Support us!
Help make MUUSJA a clear moral voice for justice with your donation to MUUSJA. We accept secure, tax deductible, online donations via Paypal: Thank you to the Prairie Star District of the UUA, our fiscal sponsor. You can also use this PayPal link to collect pledges for the 2009 MUUSJA Walk for Justice! |
UU Ministry for Earth joins the call: 350.org International Climate Day Oct 24th!
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UU Ministry for Earth, the UU-United Nations Office, the UUA Green Sanctuary Program, UU State Advocacy Networks, and the UUA Office for Advocacy and Witness all call upon UU congregations to participate in the International Day of Climate Action on October 24.
The next weeks and months are critical for addressing climate change.
By
late September, the Senate climate bill will have passed or failed.
Passage is needed to send an empowered and credible US delegation to
the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, December
7-18, 2009.
The world's leaders must arrive
at that conference with the voices of their people ringing in their
ears, calling them to take strong action to lower atmospheric CO2
levels to 350 parts per million (ppm).
Why 350? Scientists generally agree that if we continue to allow the amount of carbon in the atmosphere to top 350
ppm, we can't sustain a planet similar to the one we know and to which
life on Earth is adapted. Currently, the CO2 in the atmosphere measures
well above 350 ppm.
350 represents more
than just a benchmark for a safe climate - there are deep moral and
spiritual reasons for getting back below 350.
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How to Answer the Call
Pledge to participate on October 24 by signing up on the UUMFE registry. By registering, you will receive emails updates as UU-related actions and plans evolve. Register
your participation on the 350.org website, and identify yourself as a
UU! 350.org will soon be unveiling a full set of tools to help you
manage your local event and build a strong local climate group in the
lead-up to 24 October. To be in the loop, register your commitment to
participate now. Connect with UU EcoMinds! Attend an upcoming EcoMinds meeting or let us know that you want to connect with other Minnesota UUs on climate change. |
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