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.

• Modern Protest Music Clips  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIdracEe-Hk
• “How Do You Know?”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9q8Sb73JHU
  
• “We Dissent”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpKIT5NQBY8
  
• “Call Me Antifa”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLo5BgzXWtc
  
• “The Tide is Turning”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO4vsId9kfc
  
• The music in the intro is from “The False Narrative” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoYh2X5VHOM
  

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 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?

• Before enjoying your meal, take a moment of silence. Remember and honor the ancestors and people occupying this land before colonization.
  
• In some households, American history is completely detached from Thanksgiving itself. Now considered “Family Day,” many families focus on reflecting, gratitude, and family bonding instead.
• Prepare and enjoy a meal using ingredients native to your location! Experiment with decolonizing your dinner for the evening.
• Plant and support native biodiversity in your community. Repair the damage of colonization on the Earth.
• Recognize this November 27th as a Day of Mourning in honor of Native ancestors and the struggles within indigenous communities today and historically.
  
  • An annual tradition since 1970, National Day of Mourning (NDOM) is a solemn, spiritual and highly political day. Many indigenous people fast from sundown the day before through the afternoon of that day (and have a social after NDOM so that participants can break their fasts). It is also a day that participants feel strength in action and solidarity.
    

by Lilly Gioia

To counteract the propaganda of Jerry Falwell and his Moral Majority Unitarian Universalists were among the founders of the Interfaith Alliance, now a national voice for Freedom of Religion, for those of all faiths or no faith. I’ve been a long-time supporter of the Interfaith Alliance.

In late October the Interfaith Alliance with the assistance of Democracy Forward sued the Trump administration to obtain facts about their newly formed “Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias.” President Trump’s February 6, 2025 Executive Order created this group to “review all federal departments and agencies for Anti-Christian Bias and recommend actions the President can take to “rectify past injustices of anti-Christian conduct.”

The Alliance promptly filed a Freedom of Information (FOIA) request to check on how the Trump order was being implemented, to no avail. That is why they’ve just sued the U.S. Justice Department, U.S. State Department, and U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs so that these agencies are forced to fulfill the FOIA requests. The Alliance says: “We are the antidote to the Trump Administration's use of religion to justify authoritarianism.”

There has been no evidence of widespread anti-Christian bias in the United States. Experts have found that perpetuating this myth is deeply offensive to the actual persecution of Christians around the world.

When this executive order was first announced, the Interfaith Alliance organized 26 prominent Christian leaders to denounce it – and made national news in the process. The Christian leaders call out how the administration itself may now serve as the most prominent source of anti-Christian bias in the United States today. Recall how President Trump attacked an Episcopal Bishop in Washington Cathedral when she made a scriptural plea for “mercy” during President Jimmy Carter’s funeral service.

I applaud the Interfaith Alliance for all the organizing they’ve done to involve communities of faith in highly successful No King's Day Rallies.

You may find out more about their valuable work at interfaithalliance.org.

by Brian Dugas

On Thursday a man and his daughter were taken off a street in Dunmore by ICE agents.

In Lehigh Valley ICE arrested 17 people in June who were working on an “unoccupied property.”

In Honesdale employees at a restaurant were detained.

There are multiple claims of people being detained in Wilkes Barre and the Poconos The Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority is leasing space to Homeland Security Investigations(HSI) which is the investigative arm of ICE The Luzerne County DA has signed an agreement with ICE to participate in the 287(g) program, which deputizes state and local law enforcement for immigration enforcement.

As ICE activity in the region continues to grow, a small group of concerned citizens have met repeatedly to get organized and figure out what we can do. There are two of us enrolled in a program with Villanova that trains and certifies people to provide legal support, which is currently nonexistent in Wilkes Barre. The closest agency certified to do it is Catholic Social Services in Scranton, and while that trip isn’t too bad for those of us with a car, it is an enormous challenge for someone without access to a vehicle.

I have learned a lot since I started on this quest to work with immigrants in our region. As Joyce Myers said “ It’s never too late for a new beginning in your life.” I didn’t ask for this, and I certainly wasn’t looking for it. As far as I’m concerned I’m just reacting to what is happening in our country. In a strange way this crisis is giving me the opportunity to reinvent myself once again. I never really considered myself much of a rebel, but I can see that our country needs a few of them right now.

And I’m once again reminded that you are never too old to learn something new. I have learned that there is a large population of immigrants living in Wilkes Barre. They are working and thriving in our community with very little interaction with the rest of us. That there are some very real heroes working with them, but they are few in number, and have very little support. And of course, they are all terrified of what is happening all around them.

I have been reminded again that if you truly want to understand someone, you need to hear their story. I learned this lesson the first time in my high school classroom where a bunch of obnoxious little teenagers changed my perspective on many things, and started me down a path that has taken me all over the world and then right back here to NEPA.

I am thankful to the VIISTA program and the local community members who have once again forced me out of my comfort zone and introduced me to a group of wonderful people who are just trying to survive.
If you have the desire and the courage to step out of your comfort zone, Beth and I are driving down to Hazleton to meet with the people who are running the Hazleton Integration Project which is “a community based effort that seeks to unite the people of many different cultures who call Hazleton home”. We will be leaving Monday at 5:00PM if you would like to join us.

or

You may feel more comfortable providing a Christmas gift (toys) to children aged newborn to 13. A group called Latinos Unidos en NEPA will be distributing them to children at a couple of locations on December 20th. You can either provide the gift or join us at the locations.

The bottom line is that none of us asked to be living in times like this. But here we are. As Gandalf said to Frodo when he learned about the crisis their world was facing, and expressed his desire for a less difficult life “ So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.”

The world is filled with heroes who never wanted to be. They were people just like you and me who stepped forward when the times demanded it. Those times are here again. See you on the front lines.

by Jenny Blanchard

Both the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times failed to endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, breaking a decades-long tradition of doing so. Journalists across the globe have condemned this decision as a dereliction of duty in an election where the choice could not be starker. It is important to note that both papers are owned by billionaires whose own fortunes would benefit from the economic and tax policies of a Trump administration. 

Newspapers should be an independent public forum exempt from the interests of corporate entities or high net worth individuals. The failure to endorse reflects cowardice on the part of both papers, and a number of senior editors have resigned in protest. The Washington Post is fond of boasting that “democracy dies in darkness.” It appears that sometimes it dies in broad daylight.

by Brian Dugas

Meeting of the Community Justice Alliance, tomorrow, 9/29 at 5:30, Maffei Commons Room, King’s College, next to the Chapel up the hill from the Luzerne County Courthouse.

VIISTA certification course, Villanova University. There are many reasons for immigration: warfare, poverty, government collapse, climate change, economic reasons and many more. We have also learned about the ineffective and inept immigration policies in this country. We need an immigration system that recognizes the value and diversity that immigrants bring to this country and provides an effective path to citizenship. That is not what we currently have. The immigrant community is under attack and has asked for our support.

Legal Support
Challenges are great. There is no legal support for immigrants in Wilkes Barre. Hazleton and Scranton are more organized and have access to pro bono Immigration lawyers. Our goal will be to develop the legal network we need in WB or sharing resources with Hazleton and Scranton. VIISTA participation -Fundraising Fidelity Bank.

Other Support
Services and assistance that can be provided by people who do not have partial accreditation. Provide support such as transportation, interpretation, assistance with social services, moral support and friendship.
UUA  https://www.uua.org/loveresists/accompaniment

Love Resists through radical presence and support of local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ​and court accompaniment programs.

Accompaniment programs can make a real difference in our immigration and criminal justice systems. Accompaniment helps stop deportations, reduce bond fees, and keep families together. By centering people’s dignity and choices in a system that takes away dignity and choices, we care for those who are criminalized for their being.

More and more congregations are looking for ways to do this effectively; to resist the current administration’s racist actions and to stop unnecessary deportations. ICE and court accompaniment programs enable supporters to journey alongside people fighting for their own freedom and dignity, and hold the system accountable. In our immigration and criminal justice systems that often results in unjust outcomes, accompaniment programs can make a real difference.

Protection of Rights
ICE operations in NEPA monitor activity, call the hotline, response from a trained investigator.  Hotline, Training, Response.

by Lindsay Riddell

Misericordia University celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Ruth Matthews Bourger Women with Children Program last weekend.

Since its founding in 2000, the Women with Children Program has provided free housing and an array of supportive services to economically disadvantaged single mothers and their children, enabling them to pursue their college degrees. One of only eight programs of its kind in the nation, it has served hundreds of families and continues to be a state and nationally recognized two-generation model for access and opportunity in higher education. Through the gift of free housing, financial assistance, access to quality child care and an array of social, academic and family enrichment programming, Women with Children provides a comprehensive response to the needs of families.

Mothers receive support through individual goal planning, academic support and tutoring, career services, on-campus counseling, parenting and informational workshops. Mothers are given priority placement for on-campus work study opportunities and assistance with internship placements. Children are offered the opportunity to pursue extracurricular activities including sports camps, summer camps, swimming lessons, a children’s garden and library and involvement in the Kids on Campus program during the school year. Mothers are assisted in securing childcare by providing information and case management services on state certified day care centers and eligibility requirements for childcare subsidies. The University also offers a 40% subsidy for child care to eligible families.

Katherine Pohlidal, Director of the Program said “This anniversary reminds us that access to education can change the trajectory not only of individual lives, but the lives of entire families. And we now know the positive generational impact our program creates as we see the children of our student mothers achieve college degrees themselves.”

Research has shown that the pathway out of poverty is through affordable housing and education, both which are provided by this program.

For more information or to make a donation to support the Ruth Matthews Bourger Women with Children Program, please visit, www.misericordia.edu/wwc.

by Matt Thornburg

The legal system in America is not a friendly place for children. The defects of its institutions are well-documented (1) those with wealth can often effectively buy a chosen verdict and (2) systemic inequalities disproportionately benefit and hurt certain races, sexes, sexual orientations, gender identities, and ethnicities--just to name a couple. Children are sadly often affected by these same inequalities but face additional barriers--the legal system is steeped in language and rituals that are difficult for adults to understand let alone children; and kids just aren't always able to articulate their perspective, needs, and feelings just yet. In Luzerne and Wyoming counties, approximately 500 children reside in the foster care system, victims of abuse and/or neglect. Because of an overburdened and under resourced support system and the challenges court presents to young people,  children swept into this pipeline experience tremendous disruption in their lives.

One solution is the Court Appointed Special Advocate or CASA system. This system uses adult volunteers in the community who are trained to work with children in the foster care system who experience abuse or neglect. CASAs effectively serve as the voice for these children--speaking the language of the court system and leveraging their training in the best interests of the child. CASA of Wyoming Valley is a 501(c)3 that I believe our congregation has support before. I have gone back and forth on whether to get involved and finally reached out to begin training. If you're interested, CASA of Wyoming Valley is easily located online and very responsive to prospective volunteers. In a day and age where it seems our whole society is fraying, helping the most vulnerable in our community is a good first step.