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by Dave Nichols
I think we need to continue to talk about what has happened and is happening in Gaza. If we don’t then their situation will likely get worse. Between September 12 2005 and Oct 7, 2023 Israel sealed off Gaza allowing it very limited access to the outside world. They restricted food and other supplies from entering Gaza. Israel used snipers to kill and maim Palestinians who peacefully demonstrated against Israel's policies. On October 7, 2023 Hamas launched an attack in southern Israel. It resulted in the death of 1100 Israelis. At that point Israel embarked on a campaign of genocide in Gaza. Some people say that calling it genocide is a slanderous exaggeration but The UN High Commission of Human Rights*, made this determination last fall, laying out in detail the criteria and evidence that constitutes this claim. Since the cease fire started in October Israeli attacks on Gaza have slackened but not stopped. They have killed approximately 600 people. For the 2 million Palestinians surviving in destroyed Gaza life is tenuous with only sporadic deliveries of food and water and medicine. On November 17 the UN Security Council passed a resolution authorizing the formation of a Board of Peace. In this resolution Donald Trump was granted personal authority over Gaza. He now effectively rules Gaza. The rights previously given to Palestinians to determine their future were forgotten. There is not a single Palestinian member on the board. According to the UN resolution, Hamas must disarm. This is a condition for Israel to withdraw. Trump commented a few weeks ago that he will give Israel the green light to resume the genocide if Hamas does not comply. Israel has always used the pretext of an armed Hamas in order to ethnically cleanse Gaza. This evidenced by their destruction of civilian infrastructure, starvation, and explicit statements by Israeli leadership. Our government has actively supported Israel in these crimes against Palestine. We have given Israel more military and economic aid than any other country. We constantly vote against UN resolutions condemning Israel. We witnessed our university students being arrested and expelled from universities. Universities were also being sued by the government and they capitulated to the demands of the administration to eliminate and discussion let alone protest. Congress repeatedly tries to pass resolutions that prohibits speech against Israel. Congress tried to ban TikTok until it was purchased by a pro Israeli family. For those of us who resist and call out for the human rights of minorities and immigrants in this country we should also resist and speak out for the same reasons against our governments participation in destroying the lives and the rights of Palestinians. * UN website: Israel has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, UN Commission finds | OHCHR
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by Jenny Blanchard
“If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, “society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him. We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.” Those are not my words, but the words of President John F. Kennedy less than a month before he was assassinated. Kennedy gave the last major speech of his life at Amherst College, where he spoke at length about the role of art in a free society. Considering these words, it’s obvious why, when Congress debated what kind of monument they would build to honor the slain president, the consensus was that it would be most appropriate to build a living memorial in the form of a world class arts center to honor Kennedy’s ideals. For more than 50 years, the Kennedy Center has served as the capital’s premier cultural center — until now. Donald Trump, who has no concept of the meaning of either art or culture, had his flunky board commandeer Kennedy’s memorial by renaming it in his own honor. This move is much more than offensive; it is dangerous, as Trump has now vowed to oversee all programming at the newly named Center to ensure that it aligns with his vision of American culture and history. In short this represents nothing less than state censorship of free expression. This is not the first time in human history that we have seen government overreach with respect to arts and culture. But what we can learn from history that it is often under the most repressive regimes, ranging from Nazi Germany to the McCarthy Era in the United States, that the arts respond most strongly. America’s artists have already resisted this latest attempt at dictating conformity in a hundred different ways. They have protested and they have refused to perform, to the point that the Kennedy Center will remain closed for two years, purportedly for renovations, but in reality, no one will agree to perform there! These artists will continue to speak out, and they will summon all their talent and creativity to tell the truth. There is no way that Trump and his lame attempt at branding America in his image can possibly compete with that. We have already witnessed cancellations in the lineup of major productions and refusals to perform from a host of artists. By refusing to perform at the newly named venue, the artists of the world have demonstrated that they are just as powerful, if not moreso in their silence. My piano teacher once shared with me her response to individuals who support cuts in funding to support music education: “In that case, she replies, you can never listen to music again for the rest of your life.” You should see the panic-stricken expressions on people’s faces when they hear these words. This is the power of art, whether you are Woody Guthrie or YoYo Ma, or you are a humble musician sharing your gifts with our own UU Congregation. As Kennedy said at Amherst, “The artist, however faithful to his personal vision of reality, becomes the last champion of the individual mind and sensibility against an intrusive society and an officious state.” Otherwise, the only art remaining will be the art of suppression. by Eoin Carroll
Birds, bats, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, small mammals, and most importantly, bees are pollinators. They visit flowers to drink nectar or feed off of pollen and transport pollen grains as they move from spot to spot. Pollinator populations are facing multiple threats and are experiencing massive declines worldwide. The major threats are habitat degradation and fragmentation, pollution, pesticides, pests, pathogens, and climate change. Insect pollinators have been affected the most. Pollinators are important because between 75 and 95% of flowering plants require pollination. This includes around 1200 food crops. It is estimated that one out of every three bites of food comes from plants that depend on pollination. The good news is that there are ways you can help. Two really good ways are to plant for pollinators and to reduce or eliminate pesticides. Habitat opportunities abound on every landscape, every site can provide some habitat. Here at the UUCWV we will be planting a pollinator garden this Spring. Even though it is just a small piece of our property it can still have an impact. Pollinators rely on certain flower species for nectar and host sites. Native plants, or plants that have historically been a part of the natural environment of a region, provide the most benefit to pollinators. The introduction and expansion of non-native plants, or plants that have not historically been part of a region, impact the abundance of native plants required by pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and birds to forage and reproduce. Non-native plants such as cultivar and hybrid plant species are, in most cases, not good for pollinators as they can result in double flowers, changes in flower color, and sterile flowers with no pollen. Furthermore, the expansion of grass lawns reduces plant species richness and the overall biodiversity of developed areas. Home use of herbicides and insecticides may inadvertently remove important plants required for pollinators to survive. Habitat alteration or reduction may impair a pollinator’s ability to navigate and reproduce. Reduced immune response in bees is also associated with pesticide use. You can find more information on native plants that would be suitable for your home at Homegrown National Park and the Pollinator Partnership. A web search will take you to these organizations that have lots of information to help you learn about how you can help. by Brian Dugas
Risks to the people of this country and the world may be the greatest they have ever been. The last I heard, the Doomsday clock is just 85 seconds to midnight. I personally suspect that things are never going to go back to the way they were. What it will look like in the future is hanging in the balance right now. Whether we will have an authoritarian state owned by corporations and the wealthy, or a government that is actually of the people, for the people, and by the people will be determined in the very near future. If you have ever wanted to get involved, now is the time to do it. What our Social Action Committee is currently doing. Social Action Committee: Voting Immigration, the Environment Voting Primary elections May 19th where Democrats and Republicans select the candidates that will represent their parties in November, and General or Mid term elections November 3rd All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 in the U.S. Senate Will determine the 120th US Congress, 39 State and Territorial elections, and many state and local elections
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The Social Action Minute
One of the most popular features of our Sunday services is our Social Action Minute. During this time, a member of the Social Action Committee speaks on a topic of their choice in order to bring awareness and a call to action to the members of our Congregation. These are the archives of the Social Action Minutes presented at our Sunday services. If you missed a service, or are interested in the topic, you can revisit it and get information here. Archives
April 2026
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