Say No to Three Strikes... petition

Please consider signing the "Say No to Three Strikes Law" petition of UU Mass Action.  Go to this link to see more information and to sign the petition.  The petition will be delivered at a press conference this Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Massachusetts State House.

UUs Join Vets' "Eat In" at Babylon Restaurant in Lowell

Table of folks from the UUCiA

This past Tuesday, January 10, several folks from the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Andover joined Veterans for Peace and North Parish in an "Eat In" to show support and solidarity with Babylon, an Iraqi-owned restaurant in Lowell.  (I took the picture to the left, which shows some of the UUCiA folks who were there that night.)

What was the reason for the "Eat In"?  Last week, in the middle of the night, someone threw a very large stone (20 lbs) through the window of Babylon.  This was, of course, disturbing and intimidating for the Iraqi immigrants who own and work at the restaurant.

Pat Scanlon (right), talking here with a vet of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Pat Scanlon, a Unitarian Universalist himself (member at North Parish), is the Coordinator of the Smedley D. Butler Brigade of Veterans for Peace, and he organized VFP and (in turn) local UUs to participate in the action, standing on the side of love.  (In fact, here's a write up from the Standing on the Side of Love site: click here.  There's a great photo there of the Rev. Lee Bluemel and the folks from North Parish, taken by Lowell Sun photographer Julia Malakie.)  Pat Scanlon is also a member of the Merrimack Valley People for Peace, an organization dear to many at the UUCiA and North Parish.  I snapped the photo of Pat above.

The story got wonderful coverage.  There was a front page story by Robert Mills in the Lowell Sun; click here to read. (More photos by Malakie here.)

There was lots of Internet and blog buzz about the story, including this piece by blogger CR Krieger: click here to read and see his pictures.

I am holding flags, with Leyla from Babylon Restaurant. (Credit: Julia Malakie)

To the right is a "Twit pic" taken once again by Malakie; I am the one in the yellow Standing on the Side of Love hat and Veterans for Peace coat/flag (I'm Secretary of the local VFP chapter). Also in the picture is Leyla, part of the Babylon Restaurant family.

Of all the coverage, perhaps the most incredible thing is the coverage the "Eat In" received from Rachel Maddow, who did a feature on it as a "best new thing in the world with zero percent politics".

At the end of this post, below, please click on the video of the clip from the Rachel Maddow Show.  Toward the end of the clip are some photo stills.  The first still shows folks from the UUCiA -- you might recognize the faces from the picture at the top of this post!  A photo still shortly thereafter shows folks from North Parish.  How about that?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Moving from Intervention to Treatment... Occupy, part II

Picture: From October 9, 2011... "You Can't Evict and Idea" projection at Occupy Boston

  

The Occupy Boston camp was raided a couple of hours ago. The city of Boston was wise to wait until there were only a few dozen folks left at Dewey Square, versus coming Thursday night when there were 1000+ of us.  Apparently about 40 people were arrested, and apparently it went peacefully.   

I am concerned for the people who were homeless (that is, homeless before the Occupy Movement even started), who were receiving more shelter and food and help at the Occupy Boston camp than just being on their own. I hope we can still support them.

I can't help but feel sad that the Occupy Boston camp is gone, as I found the OB phenomenon pretty amazing and impressive in so many ways. I will miss visiting OB and feeling that spirit of idealism and hope.  I will miss the Sunday UU Vespers.  I will miss many things...

But I keep thinking of this sign that I saw at OB several weeks ago:

The sign says, "America, this is your intervention!" And that's how I feel about the Occupy Movement to date: It has been an intervention.  I think it has been a successful wake-up, or "intervention", and now it's time for Part II of the Occupy Movement:  "treatment".  May the movement continue, and may it continue to be nonviolent and creative!  To borrow from the chant, "We are unstoppable, another world is possible!"

Merrimack Valley Project... what a great organization!

Last night I went to the Annual Convention of the Merrimack Valley Project.  What an amazing organization!

The Merrimack Valley Project (MVP) has been around since 1992, uniting "leaders from across the Merrimack Valley to win improvements to our state and region that have benefited thousands of people".

MVP has increased opportunities for jobs; worked for immigrant rights; worked to create and maintain safe, affordable housing for all; and worked to create safer cities and neighborhoods.

I am hoping to get more involved.  I'm so grateful that they do the work that they do.  I'm proud that the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Andover is one of their member groups.

They have a current project that is very exciting to me:  "Fight Foreclosures and Evictions in our Neighborhoods!  No More Evictions: MVP is calling on banks and mortgage companies to stop all post-foreclosure evictions in the cities and towns of our region. Vacant properties hurt families and make our city streets and neighborhoods more dangerous. Let all families stay and pay rent!"

Click here to make a contribution to MVP.