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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!
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by Matt Thornburg
The US Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in Louisiana v. Callais--a case that aims to overturn Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act which protects racial minority voting power by mandating the creating of majority-minority districts. Careful observers of the Court indicate the 6-3 conservative majority will probably overturn Thornburg v. Gingles, the landmark case that established this important tool for minority representation. This decision would be foolish and dangerous to democracy in an era of increasingly sophisticated gerrymandering techniques. American jurisprudence regarding redistricting and gerrymandering is voluminous, convoluted, and contradictory. The Supreme Court of the US has abdicated any judicial responsibility for partisan or--likely--racial bias in gerrymandering. It is a frustrating and sad state of affairs. However, in some states, including Pennsylvania, the State Supreme Court has waded into the argument. In Pennsylvania in 2018, the Court ruled in League of Women Voters v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that the current districts violated the state's constitution and its guarantee of free and equal elections. While the districts the court mandated plan approved are far from perfect, they represent a substantial step in the right direction, moving Pennsylvania against the larger national current of hypergerrymandering and unfairness. Three of the four justices in the majority on that case are currently in a judicial retention election facing a major dark money effort to roll them back. Because gerrymandering so often plays out in the courts, ordinary voters are often frustrated and powerless to its effects. However, I encourage you to vote to retain the current justices--Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht--and preserve Pennsylvania from hypergerrymandering. by Lilly Gioia
The Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE was invented by President Trump supposedly to root out waste, fraud and abuse. Its true purpose is to create a vast central data base holding the personal information of every American. Recently a Social Security whistle-blower exposed how DOGE has secretly relocated the files of 73 million beneficiaries to an unsecured cloud platform that only they have access to. This unsecured cloud could be hacked by identity thieves around the globe. Outraged Social Security advocates are demanding that Senator Mike Crapo, chair of the Senate Finance Committee institute an immediate investigation and hold public hearings, which so far, he hasn’t done. If this troubles you, you may want to call Senator Crapo and demand he act, as I’ve done. The issue of protecting our private information held by government agencies goes far beyond Social Security. The Trump Justice Department is also demanding every state surrender its data bases to the federal government, under the pretext of assuring election security. Thus far Governor Shapiro and Secretary of State Al Schmidt have refused, asserting that such a federal mandate is illegal. Last week the national League of Women Voters, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, along with five individual plaintiffs, filed a class action lawsuit. They are challenging the unlawful creation of massive government data bases that consolidate sensitive and legally-protected personal information on millions of people to unlawfully open investigations and purge voter rolls. The coalition is represented by Democracy Forward, Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington (CREW) and Fair Elections Center. The lawsuit charges DOGE and the Department of Homeland Security have secretly merged personal data from across the federal government into centralized “Interagency Databases” in direct violation of the Privacy Act of 1974 and the U.S. Constitution. Records from the IRS, Social Security, US Department of Health & Human Services, U.S. Labor Department, and state voter registration databases—containing Social Security numbers, tax information, medical records, biometric data and children’s case files—being secretly and unlawfully collected and consolidated is a “clear example of the constitutional crisis we are living through,” League of Women Voters CEO Celina Stewart said. “Our federal government is abusing its power to access American’s personal information, and several states are using that private data to harm voters and our individual right to privacy.” John Davisson at Electronic Privacy stressed that “This country was founded on the principle that the government has no business arbitrarily intruding in our private affairs. Yet this administration is trampling on our privacy at the grandest scale, illegally hoarding our sensitive personal information and threatening our most cherished rights. The law is clear: no national data bank. Together we’ll put a stop to this in court.” The lawsuit is LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS V. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY. by Troy Van Denover
In a research paper by Gregmar I. Galinato, WSU Pullman and Ryne Rohla, now working for the Office of the Attorney General Washington State Private prisons proliferated in the U.S. since the mid-1980s. In 1984, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA, now CoreCivic) established the first privately-owned and -operated incarceration facility in Hamilton County, Tennessee (Mattera et al., 2001). The private prison industry experienced substantial growth through the late-1980s and early-1990s where annual industry revenues rose from $14 million in 1984 to $120 million in 1994 (Mattera et al., 2001). The capacity of private incarceration facilities increased from 3000 beds in 1984 to 20,000 beds in 1990, followed by annual increases of 50% until 1994 where it slowed to an annual increase of 25% for the latter half of the decade (Mattera et al., 2001).2 One hypothesis raised concerns the impact of private prisons on incarceration rates in the U.S., which is highest in the world (Walmsley, 2018). The American Civil Liberties Union asserts private prisons significantly increased the incarceration rate in the U.S. since the mid-1980s (Shapiro, 2011). Stringent crime laws along with the private prisons may have contributed to the rise in incarceration rates. For example, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 ("1994 Crime Bill") increased funding for law enforcement and expanded punishments for a variety of offenses including weapons crimes, immigration violations, hate crimes, sex crimes, and gang-related crime. Such laws can facilitate underlying mechanisms which causally relate the increase in private prisons to incarceration rates. One potential mechanism is through lobbying and direct contributions to politicians and officials in exchange for favorable policies which increase incarceration rates (Ashton and Petteruti, 2011). Two prominent examples illustrate the plausibility of this mechanism. First, in the “Kids for Cash” scandal in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, two judges received money from two private juvenile detention centers in exchange for harsh judgements on juvenile offenders to increase the number of residents in the centers (May, 2014). The judges sentenced minors convicted of misdemeanors to internment in private youth correctional facilities in exchange for $2.6 million in kickbacks. Second, lobby groups for private prisons supported California's three-strikes rule and Arizona's anti-illegal immigration law for harsher penalties on crimes and longer sentences (Cohen, 2015). CoreCivic lobbied for increased appropriation measures from the Office of Federal Detention Trustee and for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to maintain or increase the “bed quota,” a policy mandating a minimum of 34,000 inmates at any given time regardless of illegal immigration levels (Ashton and Petteruti, 2011). Another mechanism is overcrowding in public prisons (Wilson, 2014), which might dissuade judges from assigning marginal convicts to prison. Private prisons may reduce this capacity constraint, leading to more incarcerations. The role of these mechanisms remains unstudied. There is also gap in the literature in understanding the channels by which private prisons influence incarceration levels such as incentivizing arrest rates leading to more trials, influencing guilty verdicts, or changing the individual likelihood of incarceration over probation. Scot Weybright, Washington State University Today Current U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi was previously a paid lobbyist for Ballard Partners who represented wealthy special interests including The GEO Group, a private prison company that has faced criticism for safety violations, providing inadequate health care, and poor management practices. according to the U.S. Senate Committee of the Judiciary. The GEO Group looks to rake in upwards of billions of dollars with the increased incarceration of those unlawfully detained by ICE and the current rounding up of the homeless and mentally ill. What You Can Do A Pennsylvania lawmaker is proposing legislation to prohibit state and local contracts with private prison facilities and corporations in Pennsylvania. State Representative Perry Warren (D-31) says he intends to introduce legislation to prohibit private prisons in Pennsylvania, highlighting a range of issues associated with them. Rep. Warren argues that criminal justice is the responsibility of the U.S. government, not for-profit private entities. The memo says that 99,754 individuals were incarcerated in privately owned prisons in the U.S. in 2020, according to the Sentencing Project. He added that private prisons have a history and are often associated with questionable behavior and poor service when compared to state-run facilities. According to the Office of Justice Programs, private prisons are often accused of prioritizing profit over inmate well-being, which can lead to increased violence, understaffing, poorly maintained facilities, and other issues. The memo claims that private prison companies have little incentive to rehabilitate inmates. “While we cannot change federal law, we must take action as a state to end the privatization of corrections, prisons and immigrant detention centers at the state and local level. There is no acceptable reason for private entities to be in charge of the custody, care and rehabilitation of any incarcerated individual,” the memo says. The bill has not yet been submitted for introduction. Please contact your state representatives to urge them to support State Representative Perry Warren in submitting this bill and getting it passed in Pennsylvania. We can lead the way locally and affect the national policy in the coming year. by Lindsay Riddell
Nineteen states are suing over President Donald Trump's recent executive order on voting that he signed last week. Trump's March 25th order seeks to make dramatic changes to voting and election administration and threatens that if states do not comply they could lose federal funds and face potential action from the U.S. attorney general. Among the changes, the executive order directs the Election Assistance Commission – an independent, bipartisan body — to rewrite the federal voter registration form to include a requirement that Americans must show a copy of a proof of citizenship document to register to vote in federal races. It also aims to prevent states from counting mailed ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but arrive after the election, which 18 states currently allow. The lawsuit from the states argues that these changes cannot be ordered by a president, since it is up to states and Congress to decide how elections should be run. It also argues the president cannot direct the Election Assistance Commission to take actions since it is an independent body, and that adding a proof of citizenship requirement on the federal registration form conflicts with existing federal law. Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers are backing federal legislation that will change federal law to require proof of citizenship to register to vote. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, would block millions of eligible voters from participating in our democracy. Like Trump's executive order, it includes citizenship documentation requirements that would exclude millions of eligible citizens from registering to vote if they don't have passports, access to their birth certificates, or if those documents do not reflect their name following a name change. This would include trans people and tens of millions who change their name upon getting married. Beyond this, it would require voter roll purges – disenfranchising eligible voters while furthering lies about voter fraud. Trump’s executive order could be blocked by the courts, but the SAVE Act is up for a vote. The SAVE Act isn't about safeguarding elections. It's about silencing voters. Tell Congress to vote no on this dangerous bill and protect our voting rights. by Jennifer John
I recently heard about a part of psychology that I hadn’t been fully aware of before, but it seems especially pertinent to all of us who hope to practice social justice in today’s society. I saw a video on the YouTube channel “Parkrose Permaculture” by Angela, who lives in Oregon. She described the “bystander effect.” She referenced several articles, and one was Simplypsychology.org which defines the “bystander effect” as “a social psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to help a victim when others are present. The greater the number of bystanders, the less likely any one of them is to help.” If a large number of people are present during a crisis, each person may think, “Surely someone else is going to do something.” That is in contrast with a situation where you are the only other person there. You would feel solely responsible because there is no one else to step in. Something else that contributes to the bystander effect is that people are expected to behave in “correct and socially acceptable” ways while in a crowd. No one wants to misjudge the situation and be embarrassed. Also, everyone may be gauging everyone else’s reaction and think that if no one else is acting that maybe it’s not a true emergency. It may be easy for each of us to think that if we were witnessing an emergency situation in public that, of course, we would jump right in to help, but the bystander effect is real and if we’re unaware of it’s impact, we might be frozen on the sidelines, not doing anything. However, just knowing about it might be enough to help us in that moment. In 1970, social psychologists Latané and Darley proposed a five-stage model called the “Decision Model of Helping,” explaining why bystanders may or may not decide to intervene. “At each stage in the model, the answer ‘No’ results in no help being given, while the answer ‘yes’ leads the individual closer to offering help.
The first thing you can do is use your voice- step up and say, “This is not ok, stop.” Enough voices saying “stop” might be all it takes. Another step is to take out your phone and document what’s happening. If you think the situation has become serious enough to get law enforcement involved, ask the victim, if possible, “Do you want me to call the police?” If you can’t physically get involved, make eye contact with another bystander and say, “You, help this person; they need help.” If you are a victim: Point at people in the crowd, make eye contact, and say, “You, help me.” If you know anyone’s name in the crowd, call them by name rather than just yelling, “Help!” Just learning about this psychological phenomenon makes you more likely to overcome it in the moment. Please check out the links below to articles and the video by Parkrose Permaculture: “You Need to Understand the Bystander Effect and How to Overcome It” Parkrose Permaculture YouTube Channel Video “Bystander Effect in Psychology” Simply Psychology Website “How to Break Free of the Bystander Effect and Help Someone in Trouble” Popular Science Website by Brian Dugas
Yesterday, March 8th was International Women’s Day. The theme “For all Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” Michelle Wu - Mayor of Boston Jasmine Crockett - Congresswoman from Texas Alexandria Ocasio - Cortez - Congresswoman from NY Janet Mills - Governor from Maine What do they have in common? All are women, 3 of the 4 are minorities, all have been elected to leadership roles where they live - but now there is something more. All four have chosen to take on the role of national leadership in this country's time of need. In this country, great leaders have always emerged in times of crisis. For those of us who were lucky enough to learn and teach about American history, we recognize that it is precisely those times of crisis that we are forced to rise to the challenge, for great leaders to emerge, and for major changes to occur. This country and the majority of the world has been led and controlled by men throughout history. Stop and think for a minute where this has gotten us - to this very spot we are in right now. I personally feel it is time for a new type of leadership in this country and the world. I believe that we are currently in one of those critical periods and on the verge of great change. I hope that we have the wisdom to support great leadership regardless of race or gender. At this point it seems like it is our only hope. Now I’d like to share some opportunities for those who want to get involved: Sunday, March 23rd, after the service - workday at the community garden. We will start clearing and organizing the community garden at Hillside Farms. Everyone is invited to join in the work and to reap the bounty during harvest time. If you want to participate somehow, but the community garden is too much, perhaps you can have a garden at your own home this year. I have learned from personal experience that it is not too difficult, and your property really can support a garden regardless of how small it is. If this is of interest to you, but you don't have the knowledge to feel comfortable with starting your own garden, then speak to one of us. There is a wealth of gardening knowledge right here in our congregation and we would love to share. We can even organize classes if that would help. So get your green thumb on, and get gardening! Wednesday, March 26th, 6:30PM at Burke Auditorium on King’s College for A Conversation with Attorneys. We have worked with other organizations in the Wyoming Valley to provide people with the latest legal information available on a wide variety of topics. Lawyers from the valley and beyond have offered to speak and answer questions. Their concern about the status of our rights is quite evident through the interactions we have had, and I would urge you to join us at this event for your own benefit, and for those who might need support in the future. There is no fee or registration required, and everyone's invited. Thursday, April 24th, 10:00 - 3:00, Daryl Lewis, Black Lives Matter, on Wilkes Barre Square, Wellness Fair, Volunteers help with set up, registration, operations etc. The Wellness Fair provides medical assistance and support for a variety of medical issues to the public in collaboration with the City of Wilkes Barre Health Department. by Brian Dugas
In the 2024 elections: 75 million people voted Democrat, 77 million people voted Republican, and 89 million registered voters didn’t vote at all. Sit with that for a minute, and think about what it says about the confidence that people have in the structure and operation of our government. It’s shocking, but not surprising. We have had a front row seat to the absurdities over the last few years At this point I am more concerned about the impact that this new government is going to have on the lives of the people in this country. Not the rich who control the government and have padded their nests, but the ordinary person, and especially those marginalized populations who have relied on the government for some level of protection. While the support at the national level is at great risk, there is still much that we can do at the local level. Towards that end, I would like to share with you some of the things we are doing to build resilience in our congregation. Resilience is defined as: “the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness” Building resilience has long been the goal of the Green Team who’s projects included the solar panels on our roof, the efficient heating and cooling system, and of course, the community garden. For those of you who don’t know, last year we partnered with Hillside Farms to plant and harvest a community garden on their property. This year we intend to do the same with individuals able to take ownership of their own rows. Through communicating with others, we hope to coordinate the crops we produce so that at harvest time we might have a wide variety of goods to share with each other. Now imagine expanding that coordination to include home gardens so that everyone can plant and share in the harvest. There is no telling the cost or availability of these goods next year or the years beyond. Next is the Social Action Committee which has talked about building resilience at the last couple of meetings. Our committee already oversees the support to many organizations through the collection for a cause program, and supports food pantries both inside and outside the church. Recently, we have decided to expand our efforts into pastoral care and congregational safety. Our partnership with the Peace and Justice Center has flourished to include the upcoming meeting called United We Stand where we will meet on Zoom with three attorney’s on Monday, January 6th at 8:00PM, to be followed by an in person gathering at Kings College with both local and regional attorney’s. These meetings are oriented towards building a knowledgeable, informed and strong community able to withstand the challenges of the next few years. Lastly, I would like to share with you that the Social Action committee of the B’nai B’rith Synagogue has reached out to us and would like to form a partnership. This partnership is just in the exploratory phase, but this is how we build a resilient community. If you would like to be part of anything I have mentioned, speak to any member of the SA Committee or Green Team. by Jenny Blanchard
President-elect Donald Trump has issued more than 100 threats to investigate, prosecute, imprison or otherwise punish his perceived opponents. The U.S. House of Representatives gave the president-elect a powerful tool to accomplish that goal. On Thursday, Nov. 21, the U.S. House passed legislation in the form of H.B. 9495 that would give the Treasury Department unilateral authority to strip the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit it claims support terrorism. This would be a dangerous piece of legislation in any administration. It could be used to arbitrarily target nonprofits, including news outlets, universities, and humanitarian aid organizations like OXFAM , and civil society groups – even our own congregation. It expands the sweeping powers of the executive branch to stifle political dissent; in short, to silence the voices of anyone the President perceives as an enemy of the state by labeling them as terrorists. by Brian Dugas
Last week I spoke to you about the possibilities. Well, the impossible has come to pass. This country has made it’s bed, and we will see how well we can lie in it. The entire world will be impacted by this decision, but it will be up to our local communities to come together and make it through the upcoming dark times. I’d like to read you a poem by Mikko Raima: It’s when the earth shakes And foundations crumble That our light is called To rise up. It’s when everything falls away And shakes us to the core And awakens all Of our hidden ghosts That we dig deeper to find Once inaccessible strength. It’s in times when division is fierce That we must reach for each other And hold each other much Much tighter. Do not fall away now. This is the time to rise. Your light is being summoned. Your integrity is being tested That it may stand more tall. When everything collapses We must find within us That which is indomitable. Rise, and find the strength in your heart. Rise, and find the strength in each other. Burn through your devastation, Make it your fuel. Bring forth your light. Now is not the time To be afraid of the dark. As a congregation we have some decisions to make, where we will stand and where we will draw the line. I have spoken to our President, Isaac, and they will be discussing this at the upcoming board meeting. If you want to have a voice in that decision, you are invited to join them on November 19th at 7:00PM. If you're not afraid of the dark and want to awaken your hidden ghost, please join us at the Social Action Committee meeting on Tuesday, November 12th at 8:00PM. |
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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