First Church Unitarian of Athol E-Newsletter
– March 14th, 2017
WORSHIP SERVICES
In this case, it feels weird to say “no news is good news.” I have begun the solitary practice of lighting my personal chalice Sundays at 10 a.m.
(Yes mom, I still call warders to the compass points as well). The Chalice at the Orange Universalist Church is lit a half hour later and joins this warmth spiritually. I would love to hear from you on how you and yours are celebrating these days. Please drop a note or give a call.
Our Family
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Sending strength to Peg in hopes that winter chills leave her feeling better soon. Sue, Bob and Angus, as always, in our thoughts. I saw David recently and helped him carry a couple of things out to his car. Hope you are settling into the new place. Prayers sent to various Watson clan members that they weather their respective medical and/or transportation issues.
Our Greater Community
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1. Last week I shared the invitation for LET MY PEOPLE GO! Exodus from Fossil Fuels: An Interfaith Witness for Climate Action (and NVCD training opportunities) March 26th.
I heard from Hattie who says “I will drive to Alewife and take a red line to the statehouse. If anyone wants to go with me I will be happy to
have passengers, leaving Athol at 9 AM.” – She includes her number. Please contact me if you want it as this letter may find it’s way onto
the web.
2. The New England Chapter of Liberal Religious Educators Association is holding their spring retreat and conference Wednesday April 25th-427th,
2018 in Northampton. learn more about it on our website at:
New England LREDA Spring Retreat 2018
3. As we are all dreaming of summer lately, those of you with nieces and nephews or friends with kids between 7-15 may wish to tell them and
their parents that Camp Quinebarge is a UUA-related, nonprofit, traditional, coed, overnight summer camp in Moultonborough, New
Hampshire. The camp is offering a 20% discount on tuition to the first 50 first-time UU campers who register before April 15. You can find more
information about this camp on their website at: Camp Quinebarge Website
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Folks, I’ve had the same email address for a long time and as many of you know, that means lots of spam from various sources find their way
into my mailbox. Every once in a while it gets a little funny, not that what I am sharing today qualifies as anything other than strange.
These days, I find it interesting how often my liberal and conservative spammer friends use almost identical tactics to attempt to mobilize me
into taking action, one way or the other, often in the form of asks for donations. (which we should be doing too 😉 )
The latest from my spam filter are two emails that arrived one after the other. One from Liberty Council, and the other from Move-On.org. The
topic on everyones mind was Planned Parenthood and the need to either ‘defund them,’ or stop the people trying ‘defund them.’
From Move On:
“Republican leaders like Speaker John Boehner are calling for a formal investigation into Planned Parenthood after an edited video surfaced
that falsely accused the organization of selling organs. This is the GOP’s latest stunt to take away women’s rights to their own health care
needs.
Women and the men who love them must stand up, or we will have no rights and neither will our daughters. We all need to fight for our
reproductive rights and healthcare for all women.”
source: https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/stop-the-attack-on-planned
From Liberty Council:
“This showdown in Congress is coming just as the non-partisan General Accounting Office (GAO) released a new report detailing the actual total
amount of taxpayer funds going to Planned Parenthood.
It’s stunning…
According to the GAO, between 2013 and 2015, Planned Parenthood and its affiliates spent $288 million in federal funds and another $1.2 billion
in funding from Medicaid (which includes a combination of federal and state funds) for a total of $1.5 billion over three years from federal
health programs.
The report is the first to break down funding amounts by Planned Parenthood affiliates, showing that $544 million — more than one-third
of total funding — went to those affiliates that have since been referred to the Justice Department for investigation for their role in the harvesting and selling of aborted baby body parts.”
Source: http://libertycounsel.com/report-how-we-are-losing-to-planned-parenthood
From Planned Parenthood:
Sadly I did not receive any spam from Planned Parenthood, themselves. I had to contact them to find how they communicate to us around this issue.
Here is what they are telling people:
” ‘Defunding’ has become a popular term, but it isn’t an accurate way to describe the threats facing Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is
not ‘funded’ by the federal government. There is no line item in the federal budget for Planned Parenthood, and we don’t get a blank check
from the government. Instead, we get grants and reimbursements for specific programs.
So when people talk about ‘defunding,’ what they mean is blocking patients who rely on public health care programs from going to Planned
Parenthood health centers for care. If the current defunding bills are passed, people using programs like Medicaid could no longer get services
like birth control, cancer screenings, annual exams, and STD testing and treatment at Planned Parenthood. Many would have nowhere else to turn
for the health care they need.”
Source: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/facts-figures
At the First Church Unitarian, Athol, we have been concerned with truth and Social Justice all our lives. Sometimes it’s difficult to know
where one can have an impact. For me, it starts with a critical eye on what news is coming to my inbox and making sure I am prepared to respond
to the issues no matter how badly the divisive poles wish to get me to blindly react.
Thanks for the opportunity to add to your spam in my own way. I hope you find it, as intended, moderately considerate, caring, and communicative.
Best,
Steve
If you know anyone who would like to be added to our mailing list, please forward them a copy of this invitation to join, all I need is their email address, and I’ll take it from there.
“Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy, and mutual valuing.” – Rollo May