The U.S. Senate is expected to vote this Friday on S. 1039, a bill called the “Prevention of Unconstitutional War With Iran Act of 2019” (Sen. Tom Udall, (D-New Mexico). This bill, adopted earlier in June in the House, is meant to cut off funding for a war in Iran. The U.S. Constitution declares that a U.S. President cannot declare war without Congressional approval. We’re on the brink of a needless, destructive and costly war with Iran. Besides withdrawing from a 2015 nuclear arms containment treaty, which Iran has been in compliance with, the Trump administration instituted sanctions to cripple the Iranian economy. The U.S. deployed battleships and a battery of Patriot missiles off Iran’s coast. Iran responded by shooting down a U.S.drone. President Trump claimed he exercised restraint by not attacking Iran. However, #45 ordered 1,000 more troops into the area, expanded economic sanctions on Iran’s leaders and said any Iranian attack on “anything American” would be “met with “overwhelming force” which could mean “obliteration”.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said this is a blind escalation with the hope that the Iranians will come to the table in the end or the hope that the Iranians will rise up and topple the regime”. Senator Murphy further said the threats from Iran were a “predictable response to the Trump Administration’s attempt to squeeze Iran with severe economic sanctions and to isolate the regime diplomatically”. U.S. saber rattling has come perilously close to triggering an all out war. It violates common sense and undermines our core value of treating our fellow human beings with dignity.
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On June 4th, Rep. Jon Hoadley (D-Kalamazoo) and, on June 5th, Senator Jeremy Moss introduced bills to amend Michigan’s main civil rights law, the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act, to protect the LGBTQ community. The new amendments would protect people based on their “sexual identity or expression” (who they are) and their “sexual orientation” (who they love). The Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act, passed in 1976, makes it illegal to discriminate in matters of housing, public accommodations and employment based religion, race, color, national origin, sex marital status, age, height, weight or family status.
Michigan’s Civil Rights Commission, in 2018, deemed that LGBTQ people are a protected class. The new bills would add the force of law to back up these human rights protections. Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced her support for these amendments when they were introduced even though Republican leaders have said they don’t plan to move on them. Similar bills have been introduced in the Michigan legislature nearly a dozen times without getting adopted.
This is where the Arc of Justice comes in. Justice seeking people need to inform Michigan legislators that the public SUPPORTS LGBTQ rights. It just WRONG that LGBTQ persons can legally be married in Sunday, but can still be fired from their job or evicted from their apartment on Monday because of who they are or who they love.
According to an April 2019 Quinnipiac poll, 92% of all Americans DON’T think that “employers should be allowed to fire someone based on their sexual orientation or sexual identity”. Currently, 21 states have provisions in their laws protecting their LGBTQ residents. 40 Michigan communities have passed ordinances that protect the rights of their LGBTQ citizens. Large corporations have often been ahead of politicians in terms of promoting equality for people in the LGBTQ community. They want to hire and retain the best people. They see equality policies as being good for business. On June 5, 2019, Glassdoor, a company that assists with job searches, wrote about the “Amazing Companies that Champion LGBTQ Equality Hiring Now”. Click HERE for this story.
As advocates, we must encourage elected officials to catch up with the public and with large businesses — to move our state forward on the arc of justice.
Some conservatives believe that under the umbrella of “religious liberty” people with “firmly held convictions” should be able to deny rights to LGBTQ people. MUUSJN, along with allies in the women’s and LGBTQ justice movements, strongly DISAGREES. Our religion calls us to show respect for the dignity of ALL people. Religion should not be used as an excuse to discriminate against women and people from LGBTQ communities.
A national coalition of organizations is inviting the public to demonstrate for gun violence reform throughout the nation. In Michigan, there are at least eight wear orange demonstrations in: Lansing, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Traverse City, Ypsilanti, Detroit and Saginaw.
For more details on each of event search by city or a zip code on this site: www.wearorange.org
Here’s the time, date and places for these Michigan demonstrations:
UU’s are invited to request Linda Brundage, a member of the UU Church of Greater Lansing and Executive Director of the Michigan Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence Prevention, to be a speaker on the problems of gun violence and what we can do about it: 517-337-3024
WHY DOES THE WEAR ORANGE CAMPAIGN USE THE COLOR ORANGE? This is how the Wear Orange campaign explains it:
“Orange is what hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others from harm. Orange is a bright, bold color that demands to be seen. Orange expresses our collective hope as a nation – a hope for a future free from gun violence.”
BACKGROUND
The American Friends Service Committee, along with social justice and faith partner organizations (including the National Immigrant Justice Center, United We Dream, the Franciscan Action Network, Sojourners, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the Unitarian Universalist Association, the UU Service Committee) has been collaborating to demand that the Homestead Detention Center near Miami, Florida be shut down. They have declared that the week of June 9 – 16 be a time of focused action to demand that Congress and the Secretary of Health and Human Services shut down the Center and expedite efforts to reunite youth with their families or sponsors. This email will provide background information and let you know what you can do.
The U.S. Government is currently holding at Homestead Detention Center over 3,000 teenagers, many of whom were separated from their families by U.S. immigration officials. Most of these youth were crossing the border fleeing violence and poverty in three Central American countries of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
According to the American Friends Service Committee, instead of being released to family members or other sponsors, many are spending weeks or even months in inhumane detention facilities some attorneys have called prisons. Because Homestead is a federal emergency influx facility, immigration advocates say it’s not required to comply with state child welfare laws.
Furthermore, the Homestead Detention Center is the only child detention facility in the U.S. that is operated by a for profit business, the Caliburn International Corporation that runs the facility through a contractor, Comprehensive Health Services. The federal government has approved the expansion of the number of teens being held in this facility from 1,320 in December 2018 to 2,350 in March 2019 to 3,200 beds in mid-April 2019. The longer children stay in this facility, instead of being promptly matched with their parents or with sponsors, the more profit Caliburn can make. In April, the Caliburn Corporation cancelled offering a $100 million stock offering on its services after there was an outcry about the company making money off the children.
Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) who was allowed to visit Homestead in March 2019, said you should have an “expedited process to have kids placed with sponsors”. “The principle is you don’t keep kids locked up”. Other Florida legislators have not been allowed to tour the facility. The former head of Department of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielson, said in April that the process of placing children in the custody of sponsors in the U.S. “encourages more migrants to make the trip north”. Shortly after that statement, Nielson was fired by a Trump tweet for not doing enough to stop migration to the U.S.
The American Friends Service Committee is sending three messages to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar:
BACKGROUND
On May 17th the U.S. House voted 236 – 173 to adopt the Equality Act. Eight Republicans joined all House Democrats in support HR 5, a comprehensive bill that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people based on housing, employment, public accommodations, jury service, federal funding and education. ADOPTION OF THIS BILL IS A HISTORIC MILESTONE! This was the first time this bill was reported out of committee after it was first introduced in 2015. Thanks to all who called their U.S. Representatives to support this legislation.
The bill, introduced in the Senate by Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), was sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee. All 10 Democrats on the Judiciary Committee and 35 other Senators are now Equality Act co-sponsors. If two of 12 Republicans on the Judiciary committee were to support the bill it could pass out of committee. Unfortunately, there are two major barriers to passage in the Senate: Judiciary Committee Chair Senator Lindsay Graham and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Senator Graham has been a “consistent opponent of everything from marriage equality to protecting LGBT workers from employment discrimination”, according to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). As far as Senator McConnell, the HRC indicated he has a 0% rating in terms of his support for LGBT rights.
So how does one influence Senator McConnell, Senator Graham and Republicans on the Judiciary Committee to say YES to the Equality Act? Three thoughts:
Despite significant advances, LGBTQ people across the country remain vulnerable to discrimination on a daily basis and have too little recourse. Millions of LGBTQ Americans have the right to marry, but no explicit non-discrimination protections in other areas of daily life. The Equality Act extends to the LGBTQ community the same protections already available to other Americans. The Trump administration has declared its opposition to The Equality Act after bowing to pressure from conservative organizations such as the Family Research Council, March for Life and Heritage Action. Conservatives argue this Act would violate the “religious freedom” of people of faith.
MUUSJN, a religious based organization, in alliance with other faith groups and with allies in women’s and LGBTQ justice movements, strongly DISAGREES. Our religion calls us to show respect for the dignity of ALL people. Religion should not be used as an excuse to discriminate against women and people from LGBTQ communities.
Across the country, we are seeing a new wave of extreme bans on abortion, stripping away reproductive freedom and representing an all-out assault on abortion access. This is Trump’s anti-choice movement… and it’s terrifying, particularly for women of color and low-income women who are most affected by these bans.
We will show up to speak out and fight back against this unconstitutional attempt to gut Roe and punish women. Politicians shouldn’t be making decisions best left to women, their families, and their doctors.
This Tuesday, May 21st at noon local time at statehouses, town squares, and courthouses across the nation–with other events throughout the week–we will show up to speak out and fight back against this unconstitutional attempt to gut Roe and punish women.
Here are some of the 45+ organizations that are partners in the #StoptheBans national day of protest: ACLU; American Association of University Women; American Humanist Association; Black Women’s Roundtable; Catholics for Choice; Center for American Progress; Coalition for Labor Union Women; Emilys List; Healthcare for America Now; Indivisible; MoveOn; NARAL Pro-Choice America; National Council of Jewish Women; National Organization for Women; Planned Parenthood Action Fund; SEIU; Sierra Club; Voto Latino; Women’s March
This year Rep. David Cecilline (D-Rhode Island) re-introduced The Equality Act (HR 5), a bill that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people based on housing, employment, public accommodations, jury service, federal funding and education. This bill was recently adopted by the House Judiciary Committee on a 22-10 vote to advance it to the full House. All democrats voted for the bill; all republicans voted against it. This bill has 240 co-sponsors, enough to get adopted in the House. Senator Jeff Merkley has also introduced the bill in the Senate. The more support this bill gets from the public, the more likely it will be to get adopted in the U.S. Senate. Despite significant advances, LGBTQ people across the country remain vulnerable to discrimination a daily basis and have too little recourse. Millions of LGBTQ Americans have the right to marry, but no explicit non-discrimination protections in other areas of daily life. The Equality Act extends to the LGBTQ community the same protections already available to other Americans. The Trump administration this week declared its opposition to The Equality Act after bowing to pressure from conservative organizations such as the Family Research Council, March for Life and Heritage Action. Conservatives argue this Act would violate the “religious freedom” of people of faith.
MUUSJN, a religious based organization, in alliance with other faith groups and with allies in women’s and LGBTQ justice movements, strongly DISAGREES. Our religion calls us to show respect for the dignity of ALL people. Religion should not be used an excuse to discriminate against women and people from LGBTQ communities.
Even though some conservatives will oppose this legislation, this is a moral teaching moment to let policy makers know where the majority of Americans stand on this issue. A recent Quinnipeac poll (April 26-29, 2019) indicated that 92% of Americans “don’t think an employer should be allowed to fire someone based on their sexual orientation or sexual identify”. Furthermore, that poll showed that 70% of Americans are “open to electing a gay president”.
House Bills 4320 and HB 4321 are on the agenda of the House Judiciary Committee that is scheduled to meet on May 7th. These bills are likely be adopted in this committee and sent to the full House for a vote. These bills ban a safe, standard abortion procedure. They include criminal penalties for doctors of two years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.
Senate Bills 165 and 166 ban and criminalize abortion at or after 20 weeks with the only exception being to save the life of the mother. The bills would impose sanctions of up to 15 years in prison and a $7,500 fine for doctors performing the procedure.
On Thursday, April 25th, a panel of three federal judges ruled 3-0 that Michigan must redraw dozens of Congressional and state legislative districts for the 2020 election because they unconstitutionally “advantaged Republicans and disadvantaged Democrats”. Judy Karandjeff, President of the Michigan League of Women Voters, which filed this lawsuit, declared that this ruling was a “great victory for the voters of Michigan and for our democracy”. The three federal judges reportedly based their decisions on emails and other records produced during the closed door redistricting process that was managed by Republicans and their consultants. One consultant said, “We’ve spent a lot of time providing options to ensure that we have a solid 9-5 (congressional) delegation in 2012 and beyond.” A Republican Congressional aid said that the process “in a glorious way makes it easier to cram ALL the Dem garbage in Wayne, Washtenaw, Oakland and Macomb counties into only four districts”. For more information, click HERE.
The ruling requires the GOP legislature to re-draw boundaries for 9 of 14 Congressional seats and 25 of 148 State legislative districts by August 1st. The number of changed districts, however, would be larger because of the impact on adjacent districts. Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s signature would be required for this plan. If this new map isn’t agreed upon by August 1st, the federal judges ruled that they would create the map that could affect races for both Congress and the Michigan legislature in the 2020 election. Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey has said “we will comply with this most recent ruling while we await the outcome of the appeal”. The state Republican party has said it will appeal this decision to the U.S. Supreme Court to “uphold the will of the people”. Currently, the Supreme Court is ruling on two gerrymandering cases in North Carolina and Maryland. One source indicated that the high Court could rule by the end of June.
The three federal judges’ ruling, which would also step up state Senators elections by two years, would apply to the 2020 election. After that, the Voters Not Politicians ballot proposal, approved by 61 percent of Michigan Voters, would be implemented to reduce gerrymandering in the 2022 election.
We live in interesting — and more hopeful — times.
This week the House and Senate Judiciary Committees voted, on a bi-partisan basis, to adopt versions of raise the age bill packages that would ensure that 17 year-olds are not automatically tried as adults. Instead, youth can be tried in juvenile justice courts and are less likely to be sent to prisons for adults. Michigan is one of only four states that prosecutes 17 year-olds as adults. Statistics show that states that have enacted similar raise-the-age laws have experienced a significant decrease in juvenile court referrals and recidivism.
Alicia Guevara Warren, Kids Count in Michigan Project Director at the Michigan League for Public Policy, said “Michigan is one step closer to joining the rest of the country in having the cases of 17 year olds originate in the juvenile courts”.
