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by Jennifer John
Protest music is a genre of songs tied to movements for social or political change. The music serves as a voice for dissent, often becoming anthems that rally people around causes such as civil rights, human rights, or anti-war efforts. It uses powerful lyrics and melodies to challenge the status quo, expose oppression, and inspire action. “The Resistance” is the name of a YouTube channel that is a hub where musicians can anonymously post the protest music they have created. The channel began nine months ago and, as of yesterday, has over 2,600,000 views. Some of the songs on the channel use humor and satire to point out the absurdities of current events, but I’m going to show you four short clips of some of their most inspirational protest music. Think of how many people are being inspired and encouraged by just this one channel’s music! In the description of “The Resistance” YouTube channel, they say, “Feel free to share any of these songs anywhere you wish, on your social media or with your own audience.” They want their music to “spread far and wide...” Please consider sharing any you find inspirational.
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by Brian Dugas
Like many of us, I watch the news every day with anxiety and frustration, so I wanted to say something positive today. I want to talk about change, particularly in relation to our government. I used to teach about the Constitution on the high school level, I'm not a scholar on it by any means, but I did attend some enhanced training on it at what used to be called the Freedom Foundation in Valley Forge, and the US Institute of Peace in Washington DC. You probably know that the Constitutional Convention was a very contentious gathering of men from a variety of backgrounds trying to build a government from scratch using plans proposed by different states. The convention was held here in Pennsylvania from May to September of 1787. As a result of that convention, they created the structure of the government that we currently have: three branches (Executive, Legislative, Judicial), each with their own duties and responsibilities (separation of powers), with checks and balances between the three of them (which has been severely tested lately). I’m not sure whether you know it or not, but the Founding Fathers were concerned about several issues that have become very important lately, among them: the federal government having too much power, and the ability of the Constitution to be changed to reflect the needs of the people. Thomas Jefferson actually felt that the Constitution should expire or be radically revised regularly, and of course the Bill of Rights was written by James Madison to limit government power and protect individual liberties. The ability to change the Constitution was written right into the document, and has been used 27 times, the first ten being the Bill of Rights. For those of you who may have forgotten, amendments are proposed by a ⅔ vote in both the House and Senate or by a National Convention called by ⅔ of state legislatures, then it has to be ratified by ¾ of the states(38) through either state legislatures or state conventions. This is not an easy thing to do, made that way purposely by people who were afraid of the states getting too much power to make their own changes. I'm sure you can see that the people of this country would have to be very anxious or frustrated to push hard enough for the changes that need to happen. “Are we there yet?” We may be soon! I apologize to those of you who didn't come to church for a civics lesson, but what has become obvious is that changes are coming whether we want them or not. Mark Twain once said “If you want to change the future, you must change what you are doing in the present”. Confucius said “To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often”. I believe that for far too long we have enshrined the Constitution as infallible and not subject to change, not even the Founding Fathers who wrote it believed that was true. Change is coming to this country whether we want it or not, in fact I think we can all agree that it has changed significantly over the last year. But change does not have to be bad, historically it has brought about many positive things. From a historical perspective change is “a fundamental concept for understanding how societies move from past states to new ones, encompassing revolutions, gradual shifts, innovations and social movements”. We are in the midst of a social movement, and for those like me who have had their eyes opened to the prejudice, injustice, and corruption in this country's past, we have an opportunity to do better right now. That is what I would call a positive message! by Eoin Carroll
Last month I told you that the three largest pollutants of the Chesapeake Bay are sediment and excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus). The majority of these pollutants ended up there via surface transportation caused by stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff is precipitation (rain or snow) that flows across the land. Undisturbed land can absorb most precipitation and produce almost no runoff. It can do this by interception (keeping the precipitation from even reaching the ground), evapotranspiration (releasing water from its leaf pores), and by infiltration (allowing the precipitation to permeate into the ground). Trees can intercept between 2000 gallons (deciduous) and 4000 gallons (conifers) per year per tree. Infiltration rates
For stormwater planning purposes, lawns are categorized as impermeable surfaces due to their low rates of infiltration. As land is developed, rain that falls on roofs, driveways, sidewalks, patios, and lawns runs off the surface rapidly picking up pollutants as it goes. This can also cause flooding and stream bank erosion. It also reduces groundwater recharge. The old way of dealing with stormwater was to collect, channel, and remove the water as quickly as possible. The new way is to spread it out, slow it down, and infiltrate as much of it as possible. If you are a homeowner, you can help reduce stormwater runoff by:
Penn State Extension has a great guide called The Homeowner’s Guide to Stormwater which is available on their website and from Extension offices. It has lots of information and ideas to help reduce the amount of stormwater runoff from your property. by Jenny Blanchard
The state of Indiana has been engaged in a political battle over redistricting, an effort led by the Republican majority in the state legislature in an already deeply red state. At the same time this debate was waged in the Indiana State House, Pres. Donald Trump posted a social media screed in which he called Minnesota Governor Walz “seriously retarded” for his stance on the issue of immigration. In response to Trump' s use of this derogatory and ignorant slur, Republican State Senator of Indiana Mike Bohacek stated that he was offended by the president’s language and that he would oppose all redistricting efforts. Sen. Bohacek wrote that he has been “an unapologetic advocate for people with intellectual disabilities” since one of his daughters was born with Down syndrome. The Indiana state senator made the point that “words have consequences.” Suddenly Mike Bohacek became this inspirational Gandhi-esque figure for taking the moral high road. Certainly his actions are commendable and worthy of praise. But the larger implication of his moral stance is that only if we are personally touched by an issue can we speak on behalf of an individual or group that is struggling. Shouldn’t empathy for those who suffer go beyond the narrow parameters of our own lives? Empathy is what we experience when we feel another person' s pain or joy. It is very literally our ability to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, to understand and share their feelings. At the same time, it is a myth that empathy requires a shared experience. In reality, empathy requires perspective – not a matching or identical history. You don’t have to live someone else’s life to care deeply about them. Shouldn’t Senator Bohacek be morally equipped to condemn the rhetoric of Donald Trump whether or not one of his children struggles with cognitive development? Certainly, Sen. Bohacek has a more intimate and immediate connection with this issue. But does this mean that he alone is in a position to speak out? Does this give the other Republican state senators, or the rest of us for that matter, a free pass to remain silent? For example, I am not a person of color. I am not a member of the LGBTQ community. I am not a Holocaust survivor, nor am I a Palestinian living in Gaza. But if I allowed those facts to limit my capacity for empathy and compassion, I would be denying one of the most basic and profound parts of my own humanity. We have an unwavering moral obligation to transcend the limitations of our own circumstances in life if we are ever to be truly human. It is in this way that we are able to make the conditions of others our own. The alternative is to live a detached and isolated existence where, in the words of American playwright Edward Albee, “we neither love nor hurt because we do not try to reach each other.” |
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
January 2026
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