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Ethical Action
The Ethical Culture movement
attributes unique dignity and worth to every human being.
The movement, therefore, promotes a wide variety of Ethical
Actions based on its humanist tenets. Many members of the
Ethical Society of Boston are active in projects,
organizations, and causes that help individuals or promote
social justice.
The Society's Ethical Action
Committee helps to facilitate and coordinate these efforts.
This page presents editorials and letters on issues of
importance that members have acted on. There are also links
to other organizations that promote causes members
participate in or support.
Events
Topics
Activist Links
Special Projects
Events
Ethical
Action Committee Meeting
The Ethical Action
Committee meetings are currently in hiatus. Call Michael Bleiweiss at
(978)689-2874 for more information.
MassCare Ben Gill Gala
Saturday, April 17, 2010 at 2:00 P.M. at Ryles Jazz Club: 212
Hampshire St., Cambrige, MA. Join us at this fundraiser
for single-payer health care. Tickets are $35.
Contact MassCare at (617)723-7001 or
info@MassCare.org for
more information or to order tickets.
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Activism
HR 676
and SB703
-- Federal Single Payer Healthcare
Support federal legislation for national single-payer
healthcare. There are currently 86 cosponsors in the House
from the 110th Congress who have been sworn into the 111th
session. Contact your
Congressional Representative to thank them for their
sponsorship or to urge them to sign on.
HB 2127
-- State Single Payer Healthcare
Support legislation for single-payer
healthcare in Massachusetts. Contact your
State Representative to to urge them to sign on
or support this bill.
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News
Reported by Natalie Klavans
The state of South Carolina had planned to issue a special
"Christian" license plate featuring a cross, a stained-glass
window and the words, "I believe" until they were stopped by a
ruling by U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowen Currie. The state
legislature had passed the measure authorizing the special
plates unanimously. Lt. Governor Andre Bauer actively supported
this act before it was challenged through litigation sponsored
by Americans United for Separation of Church and State. They
brought the suit to court on behalf of four local clergy; the
Rev. Dr. Thomas A. Summers, Rabbi Sanford T. Marcus, the Rev.
Dr. Robert M. Knight and the Rev. Dr. Neal Jones in addition to
the Hindu American Foundation and the American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee.
AU Legal Director Ayesha N. Khan said, "The I Believe license
plate sends the message that South Carolina has a favored
religion. That’s one message the state is not permitted to
transmit."
On December 11, 2008, the U.S. district judge issued a
preliminary injunction forbidding the state to issue or
manufacture the license plates and she ordered the state to
inform people who requested the plates that they would not be
available. On January 15, 2008 the judge will release a written
opinion.
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Special Projects
Environmental Buyer's Guide
The
Ethical Society of Boston has developed a booklet called A
Consumer's
Guide to Wise Choices for You and the Environment.
This is an informative
compact guide to what is proper and what is dangerous in regard
to Appliances, Household Cleaners, Food and Health, Toiletries
and Cosmetics, Pet Products, Lawn and Garden Products, as well
to infants and children. Wide-ranging but not too
technical, it recommends Best Buys, National Reports, Ways to
Prioritize, Actions to Take, and many other matters you will
want to learn about.
The
booklet may be obtained for only $5 by contacting us at P.O. Box
38-1934, Cambridge, MA 02238.
Carbon Footprint Reduction Project
This year we offer you a step by step plan that involves
personal behaviors that you can change and that individually
and collectively can significantly decrease the amount of CO2
that we contribute to the atmosphere. We plan to track, month
by month, how much CO2 we save
and we will tally the total effect of the Ethical Society of
Boston over the course of the year.
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Topics
Single
Payer Health Care: Sample Letter
Dear "Insert Your
State Representative's Name Here",
In 2006 Massachusetts enacted Chapter 58, a
health care reform law. Unfortunately it
does not adequately address the problem. It
has added millions of dollars of additional
expenditures to the already high costs,
offered coverage to the newly insured which
excludes much care and/or requires high
deductibles and co-payments, increased the
complexity of the system, and still does not
cover everyone.
There is a proposal in the State
legislature that will provide quality
health care to all Massachusetts residents
at reasonable cost -- HB2127, An Act to
Authorize the Establishment of a
Massachusetts Health care Trust," sponsored
by Rep. Matt Patrick in the House and Sen.
Pat Jehlen in the Senate. It will eliminate
the huge waste of money inherent in the
private, profit-driven healthcare insurance
business. and the loss of health insurance
when someone loses a job or changes jobs
which is the consequence of employment based
health insurance. It will be accountable to
the citizens of Massachusetts and flexible
enough to change as the Commonwealth's
health care needs change.
HB2127's single-payer system will provide
quality health care for less money than
governments, businesses, and individuals
currently pay into the health care system.
It will reduce administrative costs from as
much as 40% to 5%. It will provide
continuous coverage to all, as well as
enabling the economies inherent in global
budgeting and bulk purchasing of
prescription drugs. It will set aside up to
1% of the Trust for medical research and
will pay for the retraining of former
insurance company employees.
It is the only health care bill that truly
meets the needs of Massachusetts residents.
Currently, it is referred to the Public
Health committee. I (We) urge you to
support it and to contact your fellow
legislators and urge them to enact it.
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Anti-War Curriculum
For the past few years, a member
of the Ethical Society of Boston has been developing a
curriculum for children to inoculate them against war. The
details of this program are given at the link above.
At the 2009 annual Assembly of the
American Ethical Union , the following resolutions were
approved:
Resolution on
Climate Change
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Activist Links
Economic Justice -
Government
- Health Care -
Human Rights -
Labor Issues -
War on Terror and Iraq
Economic Justice
United for a Fair Economy:
Works to focus public attention on economic inequality in
the United States and its implications for American life and
labor.
Alliance for Democracy:
Works to reduce corporate domination of politics, economics,
the environment, culture and information.
Co-op America: A
national nonprofit organization providing the economic
strategies, organizing power and practical tools for
businesses and individuals to address today's social and
environmental problems.
Alliance for
Retired Americans: Works to improve the lives of the
elderly and people of all ages. It is one of the leading
activist voices for older Americans and is one of the
largest organizations today representing senior citizens and
their families.
Massachusetts Coalition for
Healthy Communities: A nonpartisan organization whose
purpose is to defend the economic, social, and democratic
foundations upon which healthy communities are built. The
Coalition provides networking and coordination services to a
diverse array of public interest groups who are working for
community protection and improvement.
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Government
United States Senate:
Official U.S. Senate Web site
United States House of
Representatives: Official U.S. House of Representatives
Web site
Commonwealth of
Massachusetts: Official Web site for the state of
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Legislature: Official Web site for the
Massachusetts state legislature.
Ethical Action Reports: A newsletter produced by the
Ethical Action Committee of the Washington (DC) Ethical
Society on proposed or pending legislation in Congress.
Common Cause: A nonprofit, nonpartisan citizen's
lobbying organization promoting open, honest and accountable
government and opposing corruption and big money special
interests.
Citizens for Participation in
Political Action (CPPAX) A democratic, grassroots
organization that works for justice and peace through
political action.
Center for Responsive Politics:
A research group that tracks money in politics and its
effect on elections and public policy.
Progressive
Secretary: Sends progressive e-mail letters on your
behalf to Congress, the President and other officials on
peace, ecology, civil rights and other issues. You are asked
to approve each letter or you can send the letters yourself.
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Health Care
Health Care for All:
Provides assistance and advocacy for people without health
insurance and lobbies for universal, single-payer health
care.
Mass-Care: A
consortium of organizations working for single-payer health
care.
Families USA: A
national nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to
the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care for
all Americans.
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Human Rights
AEU National
Service Conference The American Ethical Union's
non-governmental organization representative to the United
Nations
Religious Coalition for
Reproductive Choice: A national interfaith coalition
representing the mainstream, pro-choice views of people of
faith and countering religiously-based anti-choice
arguments.
Amnesty International:
An advocate for the freeing of political prisoners and
prisoners of conscience all over the world.
Criminal Justice Policy
Coalition: An organization dedicated to the advancement
of effective, just, and humane criminal justice policy in
Massachusetts.
The Earth Charter
Campaign: Pushing to promote a world-wide dialogue on
common values and to craft and implement a People's Earth
Charter to secure a sustainable future based on justice,
equity, peace, and ecological security.
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Labor Issues
Fair Trade
Federation: An association of fair trade wholesalers,
retailers, and producers whose members are committed to
providing fair wages and good employment opportunities to
economically disadvantaged artisans and farmers worldwide.
War on Terrorism and
Iraq
United for Peace and
Justice: A listing of events and actions that are taking
place to oppose war around the world
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