This Sunday’s Program May 20 – Our Fifth Principle in Action – Congregational Meeting and Elections,
Membership Committee
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UUFS Building and Grounds Workday
April 28th, 9 am to 1 pm
Handy with a paint brush, hammer or trowel, or not, the B&G committee needs you! Come join us for a work day to get our fellowship looking its best, inside and out.
- Yard work: Weed and mulch flower beds, weed pulling, wood edging, stick.branch pick up, smooth out clam shell “pot holes”
- Paint board room and hallway/door trim outside of rest rooms.
- Prep and paint baseboard heater in bathroom.
- Fix supports for folding counter in social room.
- Put shelving in storage rooms 1&2.
- Front entrance: Paint front door and trim, remove weeds, put up sign directing people to the main entrance
- Replace or paint water stained ceiling tiles.
- Replace dingy light covers in sanctuary.
- Wash sanctuary windows.
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May 11, 2012
What’s Happening Now?
DREAM Act Referendum
A new coalition, Educating Maryland Kids, has been formed to support passage of the DREAM Act referendum and UULM-MD will be a part of this coalition. The official kick-off of the DREAM campaign will be held on Wednesday, May 23rd, 10:00 a.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 12621 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD, 20905.
The DREAM Act was passed by the Maryland General Assembly and signed by Governor Martin O’Malley in 2011. Those opposed to the provisions of the Act have gathered enough verified signatures–55,736–to place a referendum on the November 6, 2012 ballot asking voters whether they support the law or not.
The DREAM Act provides for in-state college tuition rates for Maryland’s immigrant children, documented or undocumented, who meet specific criteria. These criteria include requirements that:
- they must have attended Maryland high schools for at least three years;
- their parents/guardians must have paid Maryland income taxes for those three years and must pay for their college expenses;
- they must apply first to community colleges;
- they must be academically eligible;
- and they will not displace any Maryland resident eligible for admission.
In addition, this law benefits our military families living in Maryland and veterans who register within four years of discharge.
UULM-MD will be working with the Coalition, including UUs for Socail Justice, to promote trainings and educational programs. Please note a special one for UUs for this coming Saturday.
Training to Support the Maryland DREAM Act
Saturday, May 12 9:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Cedar Lane UU Church
Bethesda, MD 20814
A training about the Maryland DREAM Act and how to lead individual and small group conversations about the Act and the November ballot referendum–for members of Maryland UU churches. Training will be conducted by Rev. Louise Green . For more information, contact h_strang1@verizon.net. Funding support for this program is provided by Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice.
Additional trainings about the Act and about how to lead individual and small group conversations in support of the Act and the November ballot referendum are scheduled in various locations around the state, including:
DREAM Action Team Meeting
DREAM training in Washington DC
DREAM Action!
DREAM Training in Columbia at the Owen Brown Interfaith Center
DREAM Training in downtown Silver Spring at Bethel World Outreach Church
DREAM Training in Gaithersburg
For details and to RSVP for any of these events, go to
http://www.md-iaf.org/events.
Please contact us at info@uulmmd.org if you are interested in being involved in UULM-MD’s work with the Coalition on this issue. Our hope is to have at least one Liaison from each congregation to work with us and the coalition on actions to allow Maryland to implement the DREAM Act. As additional information becomes available, we will post it on our website, www.uulmmd.org and ourFacebook page.
Health: Tobacco Tax and the Maryland Budget
Governor O’Malley has called a Special Session of the Maryland General Assembly for Monday, May 14, 2012, to deal with budget issues left over from the 2012 Session. The following is an action request from the Health Care for All Coalition of which UULM-MD has been a member for over six years.
“As many of you know, the regular 2012 General Assembly Session ended without passing a critical revenue bill resulting in “Doomsday” budget cuts in health care, education and public safety that would severly hurt Maryland working families. A key part of the revenue package which did not pass, was our proposed life-saving tax increase on little cigars and smokeless tobacco, which had been a part of the Governor’s budget.
We cannot let the current situation move forward. These “doomsday” cuts would hurt working families the most…..
This is a critical piece of how we move forward in the Special Session. It is good politics, and is crucial public health policy that will save lives, and raise revenues that the state desperately needs to fund important health care programs like tobacco cessation and Medicaid.
So, what can we do? Good question! Please contact yourrepresentatives before May 14, and tell them when they return to Annapolis that they should restore the Doomsday cuts and support the tobacco tax increase agreed upon by the House and Senate Budget Conferees.”
If you can, please join us for a rally in support of our goals on Monday, May 14th at 5:30PM on Lawyers’ Mall in front of the State House.
To contact the Governor, go here. To find/contact your delegates and senators, go here.
Marriage Equality
The UULM-MD joins UUA President, the Rev. Peter Morales, in applauding President Obama’s decision to declare his support for the freedom to marry for all loving couples. “Like many Americans, President Obama says his position on this issue has evolved over the years, and today it seems clear that the arc of the universe is bending toward justice,” affirms Rev. Morales. The UUA called for the freedom to marry for same-gender couples in 1996. UUs will continue to stand on the side of love for marriage equality until the freedom to marry belongs to all.
Maryland faces its own decision day this November 6th, when we expect a challenge to the law, The Civil Marriage Protection Act (HB 438), passed by the 2012 General Assembly and signed by the Governor, to be on the ballot. Those hoping to overturn the law are attempting to gather 55,736 verified signatures by June 30th. If they succeed, the language for the referendum will be available in August.
UULM-MD is working in coalition with Marylanders for Marriage Equality to provide to UU congregations information, educational programs, and resources for actions to take on the expected referendum. UULM-MD’s co-chairs for the referendum effort are Rev. Diane Teichert, Minister, Paint Branch UU Church, who will be working to involve ministers and lay leaders, and Rev. Lisa Ward, Minister, UU Fellowship of Harford County, who is coordinating our interfaith work on this issue.
Please let us know by contacting us at info@uulmmd.org if you wish to be involved in UULM-MD’s work with the Coalition on this issue. Our hope is to have at least one Liaison from each congregation to work with us and the Coalition on actions to allow Maryland to implement The Civil Marriage Protection Act of 2012.
As more information becomes available, we will post it on our website, www.uulmmd.org, and Facebook page.
We Need You!
UULM-MD is composed of UUs from throughout Maryland, but like most groups, we need more input, involvement, and funds to continue to be an effective, coordinated voice for our liberal religious values. UULM-MD is now a key participant in major coalitions working on issues that you have indicated are important to you. You can help UULM-MD continue to make a difference by:
–Volunteering a few hours of your time to work on important issues, including the DREAM Act, marriage equality, offshore wind energy, health care reform, LGBT rights and repeal of the death penalty. You can find a Volunteer Form by going to our website.
–Becoming a member or renewing your membership for $25 and/or making an additional donation by going to the Become a Member page on our website;
–Encouraging a special collection/donation from your congregation to help support UULM-MD’s work;
–Asking other UUs to join UULM-MD and forwarding this email to other UUs;
–Becoming a contact person for your congregation for UULM-MD or one of its key issues, especially for the upcoming referenda on the DREAM Act and The Civil Marriage Protection Act by contacting us at info@uulmmd.org or calling 410-266-8044, ext.111;
One of UULM-MD’s founders, the Rev. Bill Murry said at our first Annual Meeting in 2005:
“Institutionalized injustice can only be changed through power. Religious people often think that power is bad and so we do not trust it and we are afraid to use it. But power itself is neither good nor bad. It depends on how it is used…
Advocacy is about systemic change. It attempts to influence policy and policy makers….It attempts to change unjust laws and social structures that are the cause of suffering. It’s not just aspirin–it’s surgery. To do advocacy requires patience and persistence and hard work, but when it succeeds, the payoff is terrific!”
Just think! What if Maryland voters manage to stop the implementation of marriage equality and the DREAM Act this November? What if UUs were heard as frequently as the other religious voices? You can be a part of the efforts needed to overcome the well-funded and passionate voices against equality and be among those who Stand on the Side of Love.
UULM-MD has current updates on our Facebook page and on ourwebsite. If you would like to become more involved, obtain background papers, or obtain other information, contact us atinfo@uulmmd.org or call 410-266-8044, ext. 111. To see past UULM-MD email and legislative alerts, go to our website “Alerts” page.
The Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of Maryland
c/o Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis
333 Dubois Road Annapolis, MD 21401
info@uulmmd.org www.uulmmd.org
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UULM-MD is funded in part by the Fund for UU Social Responsibility and the UU Church of Annapolis Endowment Fund
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| Dear Friend,
Wages of only $2.13 an hour. No paid sick days. Discriminated against, and even fired, for being a person of color.
These are the working conditions reported by employees of restaurants in the Darden Restaurant group, which owns and operates approximately 1,900 restaurants worldwide, including Capital Grille, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and Longhorn Steakhouse.
Take action in solidarity with restaurant workers who are demanding fair treatment — contact Darden today! Tell them that restaurant workers deserve better. Tell them that, as a consumer, you care about how restaurants treat their employees.
Keith Jones is an African American server who was hired at Capital Grille in Maryland when it opened. He was lauded for his excellent service. However, when management changed hands and sought to “clean up” the restaurant, they fired Jones and almost all the other people of color who were servers, saying they did not “meet Capital Grille standards.”
You can take action in solidarity with Keith Jones and Darden restaurant workers around the country. Contact Darden now. Tell the company that workplace discrimination and exploitation are unacceptable.
Darden’s sales total more than $7 billion annually. Yet Darden restaurant workers are paid as little as $2.13 per hour for tipped employees and $7.25 per hour for non-tipped employees, with no paid sick days.
Workers have filed a class-action lawsuit against Darden Restaurants for discrimination and wage theft at its high-end Capital Grille restaurants. The lawsuit has been supported by the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) United, the same UUSC partner that brought you the ROC National Diners’ Guide 2012!
More than 2,000 UUSC members and supporters are already using the ROC diners’ guide to choose compassionate consumption when dining out. Now, take the next step — make your voice even louder by contacting Darden today!
Sincerely,
Kara Smith
Associate for Grassroots Mobilization
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689 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139-3302
Ph: 617-868-6600 Fax: 617-868-7102
Copyright © 2011-2013 All rights reserved.
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| I buy a lot of books, some from my local bookstore and some from Amazon. Recently I purchased Van Jones’ new book, “Rebuild the Dream.” I paid for this with my Visa card and it will be shipped to me by Federal Express or UPS. Imagine my shock when I learned that each step of this transaction was providing revenue that supports the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC. ALEC is the organization that has promoted the “stand your ground” laws highlighted in the tragic shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Florida; Arizona-style, anti-immigrant legislation; laws that undercut voter registration in communities of color; and anti-environmental legislation. Yes it’s true. Amazon, Visa, Federal Express, and UPS all provide substantial support to ALEC. All I can say is: What are they thinking?
In addition to being a customer of these companies, I also have another relationship. As the Treasurer of the Unitarian Universalist Association, I am responsible for overseeing our denomination’s investments, and we hold stock in each one of these companies. I am outraged that these companies are funding ALEC, and shocked that these companies that depend on their relationships with millions of consumers would risk their hard-earned reputations by aligning themselves with ALEC and an agenda that is very often directly harmful to our communities. That’s a bad business decision that hurts us as a shareholder.
In the past days alone, McDonald’s, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Kraft, and Wendy’s have all agreed to cut ties with ALEC due to pressure from consumers like you and me. Let’s keep up the pressure.
Please join the leadership of our denomination in asking Amazon, Visa, Federal Express, and UPS to cut their ties with ALEC.
Click here to sign our petition.
ALEC presents itself as a non-partisan organization “that supports pro-growth, pro-jobs policies and the vigorous exchange of ideas between the public and private sector to develop state based solutions.” Its approach is to bring legislators together with business leaders to work jointly on crafting “model” legislation that can then be introduced, often verbatim, on a state-by-state basis. In addition to promoting “pro-business,” low/no tax legislation, ALEC pushes an ultra-right, pro-gun, anti-immigrant, voter disenfranchisement agenda—and ALEC is enabled by their corporate supporters. The (mostly Republican) state legislators, who make up the membership of ALEC, provide about 1% of the organization’s budget, while the rest comes from companies, many of which you and I do business with every day. None of ALEC’s work would be possible without its corporate funders.
The laws ALEC promotes stand in stark contrast to several of our Unitarian Universalist principles:
SB 1070 and its anti-immigrant copycats violate the spirit of “The inherent worth and dignity of every person.”
Voter I.D. proposals that disproportionately disenfranchise minorities fly in the face of “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.”
Stand Your Ground legislation has shown how it gets in the way of “The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.”
For several years now, the UUA has been working with other investors, including the American Federation of State and Municipal Employees and Walden Asset Management, to promote our values and press companies to disclose their financial relationships with lobbying groups like ALEC. Now we have the best example yet of why these alliances are bad for business and disastrous for our communities. This shareholder coalition has filed resolutions with many leading companies asking for full disclosure of their lobbying and political expenditures. The votes will take place over the coming months. We will continue to pressure them privately and to speak out at their annual shareholder meetings.
But we don’t have to wait. Right now, let’s urge Amazon, Visa, FedEx and UPS to stop funding ALEC. They deserve better company than that. You can join me in sending a message to these companies today.
Click here to urge Amazon, Visa, Federal Express, and UPS—companies the UUA holds shares in—to cut ties with ALEC.
Simply put, companies we do business with should not be aligning themselves with an organization that is doing such incredible harm to our communities.
In faith,
Tim Brennan
Treasurer
Unitarian Universalist Association |
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We will be holding a pre-spring building cleanup. Please plan to come and help!
Our goal is to remove some of the clutter in:
1) the unused bathroom off the back of the fellowship hall
2) the area between the sanctuary and the front door plus the offices/storage rooms to the side
3) back porch and basement (depending on time and resources)
If you have stored things in those areas that need to remain, please notify building@uufs.net or place a postit or other label on the item/box with your name and content. We will be removing items to one of three places: the Salvation Army, the Habitat store, or the landfill.
Join us for a potluck after our service with Dr. Michael O’Loughlin and the 9th Annual Making Peace, Not War Observance. After the potluck we’ll continue our observance at the 2:00-3:00 pm PALS SILENT PEACE VIGIL,
on the corner of Route 13 and college Ave.
Please Join Us for Our Annual Dinner
Our theme this year is “The Wonderful World of Chocolate”.
The Annual Dinner is the kick off to our pledge drive or Stewardship Campaign.
Even if you forgot to sign up, please just bring a dish to pass and come on out at 6 pm. You’ll hear all about our financial plans and goals for the upcoming church year while enjoying wonderful fellowship with our Members and Friends.
We hope you’ll join us.
Hospitality Committee
If you have any questions, contact hospitality@uufs.net
Victory!
Marriage Equality Passed the Senate 25-22!
The historic Maryland Senate votes taken on Thursday, February 23rd on The Civil Marriage Protection Act (HB 438) will lead to the enactment of a law authorizing Maryland to end marriage discrimination against same gender couples.
Join Us in Annapolis
Join us in Annapolis on Thursday, March 1st at 5:00 p.m. for the final step in the legislative process when Governor Martin O’Malley will sign HB 438 into law.
“The Governor invites you and your members to the signing of the Civil Marriage Protection Act on Thursday, March 1st at 5 p.m. at the Maryland State House at 100 State Circle in Annapolis. Please join us as we celebrate our victory and this historic day.“
If you have questions, you may contact us at info@uulmmd.org or call 410-266-8044, ext 111.
Thank You: The Governor, legislators, Marylanders for Marriage Equality, coalition partners and other supporters expressed frequently that UUs played a crucial role in obatining passage of HB 438. The Standing on the Side of Love banners and signs, lapel badges and pins were very visible throughout the process. We made a difference!
Please thank your Senator who voted YEA for passage.
Senators voting YEA in 2011(SB 116) & 2012 (HB 438). Senators voting YEA in 2011 included Brochin, Conway, Ferguson**, Forehand**, Frosh**, Garagiola**, Gladden, Jones-Rodwell**, Kasemeyer, Kelley**, King**, Kittleman*, Klausmeier, Madaleno**, Manno**, McFadden**, Montgomery**, Pinsky**, Pugh**, Ramirez**, Raskin**, Robey*, Rosapepe, Young**, Zirkin**.
*Sponsor in 2012
**Co-sponsor in 2011 & 2012
Your Message  lease thank your Senator–and your Delegates (see sidebar) if you haven’t already done so–and tell them why you appreciate their historic vote on HB 438 for marriage equality. Also, don’t forget to thank the sponsor and leader for the legislation, Governor Martin O’Malley.
It helps to include in your email or call:
- your name and address and that you are in his/her district;
- note that you are a Unitarian Universalist; (It’s important to show that people of faith appreciate their vote.)
You can find a link to legislators’ email addresses here. You can find your legislators’ names here. You can also call 410-946-5400 or 301-970-5400 and ask to be connected.
We need your help to fund our continuing work on this and other issues important to UUs. You may go to the UULM-MD website to join UULM-MD and/or make a donation or send a donation to the address below.
The Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of Maryland is funded in part by the Fund for UU Social Responsibility.
The Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of Maryland
c/o UU Church of Annapolis
333 Dubois Road Annapolis, MD 21401
410-266-8044, ext. 111
info@uulmmd.org www.uulmmd.org
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February 29, 2012
Save the Date
Wednesday, March 7: SB 872, Repeal of the Death Penalty hearing; Senate Judicial Proceedings, 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 7: 12 noon, Rally at Lawyer’s Mall in support of the TobaccoTax-Healthy Maryland Initiative.
Wednesday, March 7: SB 526, Tobacco Tax-Healthy Maryland Initiative hearing; Senate Budget and Taxation, 1:00 p.m.
Friday, March 9: HB 1153, Tobacco Tax-Healthy Maryland Initiative hearing; House Ways and Means, 1:00 p.m. |
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Contact Your Elected Officials
Governor Martin O’Malley
MD State Senators
MD State Delegates
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Delegates Who Supported HB 438
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| Alston, Anderson*, Barkley*, Barnes*, Barve*, Beidle, Bobo*, Bohanan, Bromwell*, Busch*, Cardin*, Carr,* Carter, Clagett*, Clippinger*, Conaway, Costa, Cullison*, Dumais*, Feldman*, Frick*, Frush*, Gaines*, Gilchrist*, Gutierrez*, Guzzone*, Hammen*, Harrison, Haynes*, Healey, Hixson*, Holmes, Hubbard*, Hucker*, Ivey*, Jones*, Kach, Kaiser*, Kelly*, Kramer*, Lafferty*, Lee*, Love, Luedtke*, Malone, McHale*, McIntosh*, Miller*, Mitchell*, Mizeur*, Morhaim, Murphy*, Nathan-Pulliam, Niemann*, Oaks, Olszewski, Pena-Melnyk*, Pendergrass*, Reznik*, S.Robinson*, B.Robinson*, Rosenberg*, Ross*, Simmons*, Stein*, Summers*, Tarrant*, Turner*, Valderrama*, Waldstreicher*, Washington*, Zucker*.
*2012 Co-sponsors
Not voting for major reasons: Rudolph and Tu |
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