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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
Immigration
Environment
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by Lilly Gioia
Both the PA League of Women Voters website and the national League of Women Voters website boldly warn that America is facing a CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS. “It is time to take our democracy back,” they urge. ARE WE REALLY IN A CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS? The League defines a Constitutional Crisis this way: “When the executive, the legislature or judiciary branches cannot or will not adequately protect the US Constitution, when there are explicit attempts to dismantle a functional democracy within any of the three branches, or when any level of federal government takes action to destroy democratic institutions in a manner that intentionally or purposefully jeopardizes the US Constitution – When these events occur, the constitution is deemed at the highest serious risk and warrants full-scale action to preserve and protect democratic institutions and civil society.” According to the League’s statement, “Since the Trump administration took office in January 2025, we’ve seen increased attacks on our democratic systems and a failure by Congress to intervene. This came to a head in early April when the president defied a Supreme Court order to return the wrongfully deported Marylander, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia. On April 16, 2025, a US District Court Judge, James Boasberg, ruled that there is “probable cause” to find the Trump Administration in criminal contempt of court for violating his order to immediately pause deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. The executive branch’s blatant disregard for an order by the judicial branch constitutes an attack on our democratic system. Therefore, we consider our country to be in a Constitutional Crisis. The League’s plan is called UNITE & RISE 8.5. Through engagement, education and collective power, 8.5 million voices are needed to be heard by the mid-term election in November. The League invites us to: BE ONE! Many Unitarian Universalists are already committed to this goal through their support for UUtheVOTE, but the League has been organizing women’s advocacy groups around the nation since April 17, 2025. Their effort began with this statement: From the flagrant disregard for congressional authority and governmental checks and balances to defying Supreme Court orders, one thing is abundantly clear: our country is in a Constitutional Crisis. We the people must fight back. That is why the League of Women Voters is launching a powerful new initiative, Unite and Rise 8.5. Through Unite and Rise 8.5 we will engage and mobilize 8.5 million voters to protect and preserve our democracy. Unite and Rise 8.5 aims to build a movement of 8.5 million individuals to unite and rise up against the anti-democratic actions of this administration. Launching in May 2025 and running until the 2026 midterm elections, this initiative is part of the WOMEN DEFEND DEMOCRACY campaign. The number 8.5 million is the estimated number of voters it would take to bring about change through nonviolent protest. This is based on research showing “Nonviolent protests are twice as likely to succeed as armed conflicts...and those engaging a threshold of 3.5% of the population have never failed to bring about change.” According to a University of Florida study, approximately 245 million Americans were eligible to vote in the 2024 general election. If 3.5% of those eligible voters –8,575,000 people—engage in non- violent protests, we WILL bring about meaningful change. Unite and Rise 8.5 will fight for our democracy on multiple fronts from the courts to the streets. More actions will be outlined in the future, but if you go online to LWV.org or PALWV.org, you will find action items already under way beginning with signing their “commitment.” by Eoin Carroll
Two months ago I told you that the three largest pollutants of the Chesapeake Bay are sediment and excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus). Last month I explained that the majority of these pollutants ended up there via surface transportation caused by stormwater runoff and talked about ways homeowners could help reduce this. This month I am going to talk about ways that everyone can become more watershed friendly regardless of where they live. I have taken these tips from WatershedFriendlyPA.org which has many other ideas as well. First I will talk about reducing contaminants in wastewater. Sewage plants are marvels of technology but there are many things that they are not equipped to process. Here are some of the most common ways you can help out:
Lastly you can get involved in community-based actions.
Your Watershed Circle will be trying to spread the word about upcoming events. If you hear of one, please let us know so that we can help publicize it. We will be adding these to the congregational announcement email that is sent out each week. by Brian Dugas
For today’s Social Action Minute I would like to tell you about a few of the sermons we will be having this month, and our Collection for a Cause. On January 11th Rabbi Laurie Green will be speaking to us in person. Rabbi Green is the new Rabbi at Temple B’nai Brith here in Kingston, and is a distinguished speaker and Social Activist having served congregations in CO, DC, MD, NY, OH and now Pennsylvania as an Interim Rabbi, a Settled Rabbi, an Associate Rabbi and a Rabbi Educator. She is an activist for Social Justice, having won the Phylis Silver award for Social Action, and having taken part in a number of successful campaigns including Marriage Equality in NY and labor organizing in CA. In her sermon called “Angel Tears of Empathy” she will speak about how we have lost the ability to have empathy for anyone who disagrees with us. Empathy is central to our religious teachings. This demonization of empathy is at work in negative ways in our own country, in Israel/Palestine, and in other places around the world. Please join us on January 11th as we welcome Rabbi Green for the first time. Then on January 18th we will have speakers from the “The Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration” CADBI which is our Collection for a Cause this month. CADBI is working to build a mass movement both inside and outside of prison to take a stand against Death By Incarceration and other harsh sentencing practices. Pennsylvania prisons currently hold approximately 5,100 people serving life sentences. In Pennsylvania, life means your natural life, with no possibility of parole. You receive mandatory Life Without Parole (LWOP) in Pennsylvania if you are convicted of first or second degree murder, even if you were only present at the incident and were not accused of being the person who pulled the trigger. On September 24th I had the privilege of working with members of CADBI when they used our church as a stop on their state wide caravan aimed at increasing awareness and support for their cause. I have to admit that as a former law enforcement officer, I was a bit skeptical about what they were trying to do, but just like I have learned repeatedly over the years, I still have a lot to learn. I used to be well aware of the felony murder rule (2nd Degree) that says that if someone is killed during the commission of a felony (robbery, arson, burglary) then everyone who was involved with that crime is liable for murder, even if they did not have the intent to kill. My old self would have said “good - if you do the crime, you do the time”, but my new self went to this meeting with an open mind and learned that maybe this isn’t always fair. I heard from a mother whose son was the driver of a getaway car, and wasn’t aware that someone had a gun, a gun that was used during the crime to kill someone. So they all go to jail together right? Wrong, the actual killer provided information to the DA and walked away with less time, while the rest continue to serve their life sentences. In my mind there used to be no distinction, they were all guilty. I said to myself “I’ll just do my job and leave the rest to the lawyers who will surely do the right thing, right?” Wrong again. This is not justice, this is injustice, and if I’d known things like this was happening…….well I don’t know what I would have done, but I know what I can do now. Please join us on the 18th to learn about their cause, to hear their stories, and join me as I learn another one of those hard life lessons. 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.
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.” by Dave Nichols
I’ve noticed my gas and electric bills are much higher than they were a few years ago. Reviewing old bills I found that during the past year gas/cubic feet went up 27% and electricity/kWh increased 18% annually for the last three years. Across the state the gas and electric rates have climbed in a similar trajectory. At a rate substantially higher than overall inflation. Most of the gas and electricity in this country are distributed by investor owned utilities. However about 30% of the electricity and 5% of the gas are distributed by publicly owned or co-op owned utilities. PPL and UGI are investor owned. Over the last three years investor owned utilities electricity rates have increased 49% more than inflation. In contrast, publicly owned utilities have increased 44% below the inflation rate. Utilities are monopolies in that only one utility is allowed to operate in a given territory. There is a competitive market for the gas and electricity itself but the utilities own and charge for the infrastructure to distribute the energy to your home. You can see these charges separated out on your utility bill. Utilities have been given monopoly rights to the distribution because it is inefficient to have competing infrastructure such as gas pipelines and electric lines in the same area. The monopoly right is conditioned on a social contract that permits the utility to earn a reasonable profit for the investments they make to the infrastructure. However, the investment must be necessary, cost effective, and environmentally sound. This contract is regulated at the state level by the PUC, the Public Utilities Commission, appointed by the governor and approved by the state senate. According to the organization, The American Economic Liberties Project, the crucial reason that the investor owned utility rates have increased well over the general inflation rate is that they are granted excessive rates of return by the utility commission. Concurrent with the excessive rate of returned allowed by Utility commissions is the incentive to invest in unnecessary projects. Public Utilities finance their infrastructure investment by selling bonds in the general market. Their cost is not influence by individual profit motive. The investor owned utilities have been able to unfairly charge consumers because of a weak public utilities commission. The American Economic Liberties Project has published an in depth discussion of the problem and recommendations such as having the state legislature enact codes that set utilities rate of return to market based cost of capital. They recommend the state provide legal assistance to consumer advocacy groups. They recommend that advocacy groups to decide upon a single economic model to define a fair rater of return on capital. They also recommend the commission provide clear explanation to the public on how to comment at public hearings. You can read the complete article on their web site. The link is provided in the written transcript of this talk on the UU Social Action web page. Resources Rate of Return Equals Cost of Capital: A Simple, Fair Formula to Stop Investor-Owned Utilities From Overcharging the Public This discussion did not include the subject of electric grid improvements required for the transition to renewable energy, for re industrialization, and for data centers. If utilities are allowed to charge exorbitant rates for these grid investments, consumers will pay dearly. There is a proposed PPL rate increase hearing Monday Dec 8 @ 6:00 PM at the Scranton University Brennan Hall-Rose Room 5th floor, 320 Madison Avenue Scranton, PA 18510. Tell the PUC: Pennsylvanians Should Not Pay for Data Center Energy Exploitation The Sierra Club has more information about the hearing. You can find it at their website or use the link printed in the transcript. by Lindsey Riddell
As we move into the holiday season, it’s important to be aware of negative and harmful aspects of this time of year, specifically Thanksgiving. The traditional Thanksgiving story ignores the brutal history of colonization, including genocide, land theft, and the destruction of Native cultures. It also perpetuates harmful stereotypes and contributes to the marginalization of Indigenous people. There is also a reinforcement of inequality and power dynamics, specifically the societal pressure to be grateful can be especially harmful for members of disadvantaged groups and may discourage them from challenging injustice. How Can We Rethink, Rework, and Revolutionize Thanksgiving Celebrations?
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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
January 2026
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