The Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica

Peace & Social Justice Committee

Formed in October 2002 as the Peace & Civil Liberties Committee, the Peace & Social Justice Committee educates about and organizes against unjust wars, such as the current US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and fights against encroachments on civil liberties in the name of patriotism. Understanding that wars are driven by economic forces, the committee also educates and organizes on issues caused by the global economic crisis. We generally meet at 12:30 p.m. on the 3rd Sunday of each month and we welcome all members and friends of UUCCSM to join us at our meetings and events and to participate in our e-mail discussion list. The chair of PCL is Roberta Frye .

Recent PCL events have included:

Jan. 30, 2011: Over 200 people fill our sanctuary for Peace Sunday, sponsored by Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace, Unity-and-Diversity World Council, and UUCCSM Faith in Action. FIA Chair Rick Rhoads delivered the concluding call to action.

Jan. 31, 2010: Resolution from PCL supporting prompt US withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan passes at a Faith in Action Commission Town Hall Meeting. Now PCL will put the motion to a congregational vote and enlist the aid of other UU churches in promoting this resolution at the UU General Assembly in June.

Nov. 8, 2009: Panel discussion on the war in Afghanistan and what to do about it. Chuck O’Connell, lecturer in sociology at UC Irvine; Mohammad Nouri, Committee on American-Islamic Relations.

Oct. 25, 2009: Presentation of documentary film Afghan Women: A History of Struggle and discussion led by filmmaker Kathleen Foster.

Sep. 18, 2009: Presentation and discussion on capitalism and socialism. James Devine, Professor of Economics, Loyala Marymount University.

June 17, 2009: Video, Capitalism Hits the Fan, by Richard Wolff, Professor of Economics, U. of Massachusetts.

May 3, 2009: 7 members participated in a conference on Afghanistan at USC sponsored by Interfaith Community United for Justice and Peace.

March 21, 2009: Participated in a march and rally in Hollywood against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

January/February 2009: PCL collected 71signatures on a petition to President Obama to withdraw all troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. No reply from the White House.

Meeting Minutes

March 20, 2011

Attending: Roberta Frye, Cathie Gentile, Nora Hamilton, Peggy and Rick
Rhoads, guest Wayne Christensen

Minutes: Peggy Rhoads

1.     Anti-War March, March 19. Eleven people from UUSM attended the march,
organized by Answer.org., including Joan Verdon, Carol Allen Roberta Frye,
Natalie Kahn, Kerry Thorne, Patrick Meighan and Amy Thiel and their
children, and Rick and Peggy Rhoads. Five of us took the bus, making our
trip an outreach on the march to others on the bus. We marched under the
Veterans for Peace blimp, and Peggy met one of her former students at SMC, a
veteran who organizes the Arlington West installation on Santa Monica beach
and who is the contact for the Veterans for Peace Los Angeles chapter. We
met members of the MLK Coalition for Jobs, Justice, and Peace, including
Kwazi Nkrumah and Freddy Monroe, as well as about 4000 others, a major
increase from last year, with many more young people, high school and
college age, and families joining. Cathie reported that the Huffington Post
published a slide show of the event. The main media sources were
conspicuously absent or dismissive.

2.     Cathie Gentile reported on the NCAT (National Committee Against
Torture) petition campaign. Those who are not members of UUSM cannot be
counted on the petition Ten percent of the UUSM membership needs to sign for
the resolution to join NCAT to be brought to the May 15 congregational
meeting.

3.     Rick Rhoads has written an article for the April UUSM newsletter
advertising the importance of attending the Pacific Southwest District
Assembly on May 21—22. Cathie, G., Rick R., and Fred Kushner of the
Fullerton UU Church will lead a workshop on organizing immediate withdrawal
of occupation troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Our efforts at DA should
strengthen the movement to pass this resolution at General Assembly in
Charlotte, North Carolina June 21 through 26. Delegates to GA, of which UUSM
can send eight, must be approved by the Board of Directors. Those who want
to be delegates should inform the Board of Directors as soon as possible.
Peggy will bring this up at the April Board meeting, Tuesday, April 12.

4.     Wayne Christensen of the League of Displaced Women in Colombia,
showed slides of the work being done by this group, which is defending the
status of women in Colombia who have been displaced by the continuing
conflict between the Colombian government, paramilitary groups, and the FARC
guerillas. The League is also participating with these women in building a
self-help community that provides some refuge from the conflict. The U.S.
government is heavily involved in Colombia politically, economically, and
militarily through its own bases (7 on the borders of the country) and
through its training of the Colombian military at the School of the Americas
in Georgia. Wayne reports that the Israeli government is also involved
through its training of Colombian paramilitary forces. For more information,
please see the website www.ligademujeresdesplazadas.org. The PSJ committee
will look into setting up an evening, after May 4, at UUSM for Wayne to
speak to the members and friends of the church.

5.     The next PSJ meeting is Sunday, April 17, at 12:30 PM.

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January 17, 2010

Present: Rick Rhoads, Peggy Rhoads, Dan Yoder, Kathy Converse, Marguerite Spears, Joan Verdon, Shirley Gholson, Johnie Watson, Roberta Frye, Marge Zifferblatt, Wendy Gladstone, Carol Allen, Diana Spears, Lloyd Drum

Next meeting:  Sunday Feb. 21 12:30 Cottage

Agenda Items

1.    Resolution on withdrawing from Iraq and Afghanistan/FIA Town Hall meeting Jan. 31

Discussed that we would like to go to UU General Assembly in June in Minneapolis to get it passed.  Need to get a good turnout at the Town Hall meeting.  Asked everyone to call people they know to encourage them to attend Town Hall. 

2.    Relaunching the economic crisis survey

Rick got info from Liz Fuller on how to put survey on-line. Discussed members going to after-service coffee time and have clipboards with survey, asking people to answer questions.

Diana suggested putting pressure on Obama to pass new laws affecting financial situation, and to bring up creating and getting signatures at 1/31 Town Hall.  We need to show the connection between money spent on wars resulting in less dollars available for domestic needs.  Nora has been working on getting speaker on economic crisis – has not found anyone yet.

3.    Help at Haiti fundraising event Saturday January 30 afternoon

Diana and Marge volunteered to help at event. Rick will send out a call to our committee and throughout FIA for people to take 2-hour shifts. (last sentence added by Rick)

4.    Suggestions for future speakers/films

A few of the committee have seen Robert  Greenwald’s “Rethink Afghanistan” and reported that it was excellent.  Joan volunteered to contact Robert Greenwald to request his hosting a showing of the film, even though we would not be able to do that before Town Hall meeting.

5.    Other Items

Peggy suggested someone research and put together a statement of the need for our nation to pass people’s rights legislation (CEDAW) which our country is one of the few who have not passed it.

— Minutes prepared by Joan Verdon