by Jenny Blanchard

We’ve all seen those iconic images – the house with the blue shutters, the red chimney, and the white picket fence, complete with a driveway and a two-car garage. There is often an apple tree in the front yard with a tire swing. American schoolbooks and culture are replete with these images, despite the fact that children living in Puerto Rico are totally baffled by these images since none of their house resemble those depicted and apple trees do not grow in Puerto Rico. 

What is lionized in our society is not so much the dwelling itself, but owning the home, as home ownership has long been considered an integral part of that increasingly unattainable American dream. This worship of property has led to the cruel dismiss al of a large swath of our population known as renters. Those who rent are often unfairly stigmatized as less mature and financially irresponsible. Cities and towns view often view renters as a transient population that is less invested in the health of their local communities.

If a municipality has a high percentage of renters, they are often looked down upon as eroding the tax base by not paying property taxes. This is a common fallacy: While they do not pay property taxes directly to the government, they contribute indirectly through their monthly rent, as landlords factor these tax obligations into their rental prices. Credit applications often ask if you are a renter, and use these responses as a way to measure financial stability. Worst of all, renters are far more vulnerable to evictions. As of 2026, roughly to 90% of landlords are represented by attorneys in eviction cases, while only about to 10% of tenants have legal representation.

All too frequently, the worship of the ownership society means that you’re on your own. Renters clearly need more protections against arbitrary evictions, excessive rent hikes, predatory leasing and unfair fees. But more than anything, they need to be afforded respect and freedom from societal shame and judgment.

In his book Eviction , Matthew Desmond speaks eloquently of home as “the center of life. It is a refuge from the grind of work, the pressure of school, and the menace of the streets. The home is the wellspring of personhood. When we try to understand ourselves, we often begin by considering the kind of home in which we were raised.”

These words are true regardless of whether we rent or own a home. Home is not the property we own, but the place we live, and it should always be a refuge.

Summer is here and the world is flush with lush green growth.  Nature is fully alive and bursting with growth.  Unfortunately, this is also the prime season for mosquitoes.  Besides being a nuisance they can also be carriers of serious health problems like the West Nile Virus.  At this time of year you will see lots of advertisements by companies that sell various types of mosquito fogs.  Unfortunately there is no scientific evidence that fogging reduces the mosquito populations.  However these broad spectrum pesticides do kill a lot of our pollinating insects including some like dragonflies that help to reduce mosquito populations.

The main reason that fogging doesn’t work lies in the life cycle of the mosquito.  Once the female gets a blood meal from us or other animals she lays her eggs in stagnant water.  There they hatch into larva which then molt several times and finally pupate.  From the pupa the mosquito then emerges, waits for its wings to dry, and then starts flying around to mate and find a new blood meal.  This entire cycle can take anywhere from four days in the warmest part of summer to as long as a month in cooler weather.

Any method that relies on just killing adult mosquitoes is thus bound to fail as there are many more mosquitoes in the pipeline so to speak.  Unfortunately there is no silver bullet that can eliminate mosquitoes.  The best way to reduce the number of mosquitoes relies on a number of steps meant to reduce the number of larvae.

Homegrown National Park has introduced the mosquito bucket challenge which is a nature friendly way of reducing the mosquito population.  It involves building mosquito buckets which provide an enticing habitat for the female to lay her eggs.  It then uses mosquito dunks which contain a biological larvicide called Bti which prevents the larvae from developing into adults.

There are six steps in this responsible way of mosquito management.

Step 1 - Support a healthy habitat by planting native plants and avoid sprays to help encourage our native dragonflies, birds, and bats that eat mosquitoes.

Step 2 - Make a mosquito bucket to target larvae in a controlled spot before they become biting adults.

Step 3 - Dump standing water.  Female mosquitoes will only lay their eggs in still water.  It can be a very small amount of water so search your property for containers, gutters, or saucers that might be a tempting breeding ground.

Step 4 - Treat standing water that you cannot dump.  Use mosquito dunks in bird baths, rain barrels (if they have openings - close barrels will not be a problem), and ponds.

Step 5 - Protect yourself by using screens, fans, repellents, and protective clothing to help reduce bites.

Step 6 - Spread  the news and get your neighbors involved.  Mosquitoes don’t respect property lines and even if you remove or remediate all the breeding sites on your property, they will be happy to use your neighbor’s yard instead.

Building the bucket is pretty simple and you can find the complete instructions and much more information on the Homegrown National Park website.

by Lilly Gioia

On Friday the Defense Department announced it has removed 180 separate religious affiliations from the U.S. military’s list of religious affiliation codes. The code for Unitarian Universalists was eliminated as well as Humanists, Atheists and pagan traditions, and many others. A statement by the Unitarian Universalist Association said, along with dozens of other religious traditions, UU’s will now be categorized broadly under “OTHER” in military religious affiliation codes.

This decision does not impact the status of our UU military chaplains, but may make it more difficult for our uniformed UUs to access the spiritual care that they need. At this time the UUA is diligently working with our UUA counsel and partners in a variety of faith traditions to craft a strategic response that faithfully represents our values and demonstrates clear support for our UU service members and their families, as well as all those who are impacted by the DOD policy.

As Unitarian Universalists, “Today we declare that no government action can erase our faith nor lessen the powerful and necessary grounding it provides for those who serve.“

These new reforms mark the first time the code list has been revised since March 2017, decreasing the total number of faiths from 211 to 31, according to Military.com. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth intends to enhance the delivery of targeted religious support from the Chaplaincy. This is the same Pete Hegseth who recently prayed at a Pentagon Christian service for VIOLENCE “against those who deserve no mercy.”

The revised list does include Agnostics, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Judaism, Sikhs and “Other.” The rest are Christian-based groups (22 in all), everyone from Baptists, Catholic, Assembly of God, Evangelical, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Non-Denominational, Mormons and even Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Who’s not there anymore? Deists, Druids, Heathens, Humanists, Magik, Pagans, Shaman, various Wicans and Unitarian Universalists.

This represents a stark change from 2017 when the Armed Forces Chaplains Board endorsed an expansion “to standardize and better identify religious preferences recognized by the military services.”

In December 2025 Secretary Hegseth announced his intention to “make the Chaplain Corps great again.” He stressed prioritizing religious liberty and practice in the military by executing a “top-down shift, putting spiritual well-being on the same footing as physical and mental health.”

A former U.S. Army chaplain told Military.com that the revised list is
“horrible.” Mickey Weinstein, cofounder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, told Military.com that the new DOD list is a “middle finger to the United States Constitution’s separation of church and state. Reducing the number of religious faiths from hundreds to 31 is another absolute, clear, filthy, and disgusting unconstitutional, immoral and unethical attempt to force only the approved solution, getting closer and closer to Christian nationalism,” Weinstein
said.

Herman Mehta, author of the Friendly Atheist Substack, questioned the exclusion of so many faith groups, including Atheists. “There are reasons to include folks, not just for accuracy, but because it makes it easier for people of minority beliefs to get the help they need.” “The new list “looks like a list made by Christian nationalists who have no awareness of the world that exists outside their bubble, but who know that there are some different kinds of Christians,” Mehta said.

Scott MacConoway, Government Affairs director for the Secular Coalition of America, stated that the military is slightly more religious than the population in general. About 25% will probably choose No Religion. That is about 525,000 service members. About half of them would say they are spiritual, but not religious. The rest would identify as atheists or humanists or something else.

The Religion News Service commented that Unitarian Universalists and Deists who are now excluded from the latest list, are among signers of the Declaration of Independence, although Unitarians and Universalists were separate groups at the time.

by Jenny Blanchard

This week the Office of Personnel Management in Washington issued a draft proposal that would implement a government-wide non-disclosure agreement for all federal employees. Under this proposal, all new and current civil servants would be required to protect any "non-public, confidential, or proprietary information". The stated purpose of this requirement was to cut down on unauthorized leaks of information to the press and media, especially those that might threaten national security. Violators could face potential firing, civil penalties, and even criminal charges.

There are many inherent dangers to this proposal. It could undermine whistleblower protections. Employees could be easily intimidated, making them hesitant to report fraud or corruption. The use of the terms “confidential” and “non-public” are purposely broad and expansive, creating confusion among federal employees and empowering government officials to silence their critics.

We feel compelled to ask: Who owns information? Most certainly some information is private and confidential – your medical history, as an example. Job interviewers cannot ask questions that reveal protected characteristics such as race, religion, age, or disability status. At the national level, disclosing the identity of an intelligence agent immediately endangers lives. There are instances where we are compelled to safeguard information.

When the Freedom of Information Act was passed in 1966, this law gave any person the right to request access to the records of any government agency. Consumer groups have used this act to retrieve undisclosed reports on infant deaths linked to dangerous products. Investigative journalists obtained records revealing that the Department of Homeland Security was monitoring social media accounts to track dissent.

Going public with information has changed the course of events in our country. Daniel Ellsberg leaked the classified documents the Pentagon Papers, revealing that successive U.S. presidential administrations had systematically and secretly misled the American public and Congress about the scope and the likelihood of success in the Vietnam War. An employee of the U.S. Public Health Service named Peter Buxtun leaked information to the press to expose the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, an unethical, decades-long experiment on Black men.

The distinction between private and public information is far too complex to be reduced to this sweeping and authoritarian NDA. Most egregious of all, the NDA requirement inhibits the public’s right, our right, to know. This right to know is at the foundation of our democratic principles. It allows us to hold public officials accountable, it forces government agencies to operate transparently, and gives each one of us the power to make an informed decision. What we don’t know can most certainly hurt us

by Lindsey Riddell

Founded by a military veteran, Jeff Swire, Patriots Cove offers more than a retreat—it’s a 40-acre sanctuary nestled in the mountains of Noxen, Pennsylvania, complete with an accessible trout stream, fruit orchard, lodge, pavilion, ADA Hunting blinds, food plots, Caregiver center, and accessible trails. Designed to invite physical rest and spiritual renewal, the property is fully wheelchair accessible and thoughtfully outfitted with fishing docks, rest areas, and communal gathering spaces.

The Cove retreats serve those who were ill or injured in the line of duty—and those patriots whose situation is terminal, as well as the dedicated caregivers who support them—offering free meals, lodging, fishing, and hunting gear. But beyond the comforts of a getaway, Patriots Cove cultivates community, healing, and a renewed sense of purpose.

They foster camaraderie through environmental stewardship, inviting veterans, first responders, and caregivers to serve as mentors, fishing guides, and volunteers, uniting participants and volunteers alike in revitalizing the Beaver Run waterway and strengthening bonds through service.

At their core, they are devoted to serving those who have served, helping them heal, and empowering them to embrace life’s next chapter with renewed purpose and belonging.

For more information, you can check out their website at www.PatriotsCove.org. 

bby Eoin Carroll

Many of the environmental problems we have today have a common cause, habitat loss and what we have replaced that habitat with.  Some of these problems are:

• Reduction of bird species
• Loss of insects especially pollinators
• Increases in flooding
• Excess sediment and nutrients draining from our watersheds
• Native trees and shrubs at risk from imported insects and diseases

We have replaced our forests and meadows with lawns, trees, and shrubs from Asia, Europe, and South America.  They were picked for their decorative value with no thought to how they will interact with the native ecosystems. In doing so we have created ecological deserts.  These plants are unable to support the complex food webs that are necessary for healthy ecosystems.

An even larger problem is that some of these non-natives become invasive and cause a great deal of damage.  They are laws that prevent me from throwing my garbage over the fence into my neighbor’s yard.  However there are no laws keeping me from planting a highly invasive shrub like Japanese Barberry that produces a lot of seed and has become a serious problem in our forests.

Even if we had the political climate that would support creating new national parks, they would still be too small and separated from one another to preserve native species in the amount needed.  What is needed is to restore some of the habitat in our front or backyards to support our endangered world.

However this doesn’t mean that you have to remove all of your landscaping and replace it with expensive native plants.  Most homes today have a lot of lawn.  If you are using it then great leave it alone.  However if the only time you walk across it is to mow you should consider replacing parts of it with native plants.  If every homeowner would replace 10% of their lawn with native plants we would have the equivalent of a really large new national park, hence the name Homegrown National Park.

This new park would also have the very important function of creating corridors for our native species.  You can think of each of them as being part of a puzzle that once assembled will produce a lovely picture.  You can learn much more at the website homegrownnationalpark.org.

I recognize that getting started can be scary and you may feel pretty intimidated by the task.  I recommend that you start small.  A great way to start is to add rather than subtract.  Try some native trees or shrubs.  Later this summer the Master Watershed Stewards will be having our native tree and shrub sale.  You place your order on-line and then pick-up the plants on a date in the Fall.  I will send out more information when it is available.

The Master Watershed Stewards also has a native plant sale which has just started.  There are five different kits featuring a selection of native plants for different types of locations.  They are being sold as plugs which is a great way to buy native plants, although you do need to baby them for the first couple of months.  The sale will go on until July 4th or until we are sold out.  You will pick up the plants in September which is a great time for planting native plants.  Please talk to me if you would like to know more.

by Lilly Gioia

It’s a joy for me this morning to bring our congregation some really great news for a change. Last Monday the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that our state’s long ban on public funding for abortion care through Medicaid is unconstitutional! A 4-3 majority opinion ruled our state constitution under the PA Equal Right Amendment, enshrines a “fundamental right to reproductive autonomy” and that a ban on public funds for abortion is unconstitutional.”

Here in Pennsylvania, our courts have made this landmark decision to protect the right of pregnant women to CHOOSE to have an abortion. This truly has national implications.

Under the PENNSYLVANIA ABORTION CONTROL ACT OF 1982, public funds were forbidden for abortions with very limited exceptions. Seven years ago in 2019 a group of medical care providers filed a lawsuit, arguing this law effectively served as an abortion restriction on women in poverty. This case has been argued by the PA Women’s Law Project, a group our congregation recently donated to through our Sunday Contribution for a Cause. As a long-time member of our UU Justice PA Reproduction Justice Task Force and supporter of the Women’s Law Project, I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to open an email Friday that said:

"Dear Lilly,
It’s been a beautiful, uplifting week celebrating our victory with you and advocates across the country. This ruling’s majority opinion is a powerful recognition of reproductive autonomy as a fundamental right: 
Recognizing this fundamental right to reproductive autonomy ... is necessary to restrict state government to its proper sphere, thus protecting our liberty, Judge Matthew Wolf, a Democrat, wrote. “This will mean that the state will face judicial scrutiny of its attempts to coerce reproductive choice. THOSE CHOICES ARE THE PEOPLE’S, NOT THE GOVERNMENT’S.”

The Court found that denying Medicaid coverage of abortion care constituted
a “sex-based discrimination” that failed to hold up to legal scrutiny. The Women’s
Law Project case argued that “There is no comparable exclusion of any health
coverage – reproductive or otherwise – for men.”

Also, Medicaid coverage is provided for pregnancy and childbirth for women who carry a pregnancy to term, “but the Coverage Exclusion forbids coverage of abortion unless the mother would otherwise die or the pregnancy results from rape or incest.” The medical costs of coverage a pregnancy and childbirth far exceed the cost of an abortion.

Governor Shapiro welcomed this ruling saying, “I’ve long opposed this unconstitutional ban, and a governor, I did not defend it – because a woman’s ability to access reproductive care should never be determined by her income.”

by Jenny Blanchard

During my childhood, my parents took my brothers and me on a trip to Washington DC, a journey that so many American families make, to view the monuments, the Smithsonian Museums, and the seat of government. As we were standing on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, we saw several federal workers assembling Easter lilies (it was springtime) in the shape of a cross. My father, ever the rebellious spirit, went over to speak to the workers. When he returned, I asked my father about the conversation. I then received my first lesson on the separation of church and state.

While Easter lilies in the shape of the cross on the grounds of a federal building may seem like a relatively benign example of a religious display in a public institution, we are now confronting a very real threat to our democracy from the religious right in the form of Christian nationalism, and there is nothing benign about this movement.

Christian nationalists subscribe to the notion that the government of the United States should declare America a Christian nation and that U.S. laws should be based on what they define as Christian values. Most alarming of all, they believe that God has called Christians to exercise dominion over all areas of American society.

During the second Trump administration, leaders of federal agencies have started hosting official worship services in government buildings led by Cabinet members during work hours. At one of the Department of Defense monthly Christian worship services, Secretary Pete Hegseth framed the war in Iran as divinely sanctioned, repeatedly invoking “God’s almighty providence” and expressing certainty that God is on the side of the US military. The defense secretary has promised to give “no quarter” to the “barbaric savages” of the Iranian regime and called on the American people to pray for victory “in the name of Jesus Christ”.

The Department of Homeland Security and ICE have consistently misused Bible verses in their public communications to legitimize attacks on immigrants. In ads posted by DHS to their social media account, dark images of helicopters and masked federal agents ominously scroll as the narrator quotes from Isaiah: ”Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me.’

Christian nationalism activists are at work in American education, from posting the Ten Commandments in classrooms to requiring Bible studies in public schools. Proponents of Christian nationalism vigorously advocate for banning books in schools and libraries. They pressure educators to avoid teaching, or to alter, historical facts about slavery and race in America.

The Christian nationalism movement has led to discrimination, and at times violence, against religious minorities and the nonreligious, women, and members of the LGBTQ community. One of the most damaging actions Christian Nationalists took was to fight public health orders designed to protect all Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Christian nationalists ignored health precautions, based on their misguided belief that "God's chosen people" are protected from illness.

If my father had stood on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on January 6 of 2021, he would have been shocked by the signs displayed by the insurrectionists: a wooden cross and wooden gallows; “Jesus saves” along with Don’t Tread On Me;” Christian flags and Confederate Flags; even a prayer in Jesus’ name after storming the Senate chamber. The floral cross he objected to years ago might have seemed a minor issue compared to these violent images and hate-filled rhetoric.

But the principal remains the same: The United States was not founded to be an officially Christian nation or to espouse any official religion. The individual rights and diversity we enjoy cannot be maintained if the government takes on the trappings of a faith-based state.