The Unitarian Universalist Principles, and How they are Violated by Greed and other Examples of Profitoriented Power

1 The inherent worth and dignity of every person; Sweatshops around the world that make our cheap, high fashion clothes while paying pittances to workers in slave-like conditions, who all too frequently die in buildings with sub-standard construction or locked doors; dehumanized prisoners in our national prison-industrial complex; torture and the absence of rights for those caught in the terrorist gulags of privatized military contractors; Housing discrimination red-lining that is used to segregate whole neighborhoods to protect property values. 2 Justice, equity and compassion in human relations; Efforts to avoid or eliminate unions wherever possible; discrimination against women or ethnic groups; locking employees who cannot effectively complain to authorities into a store; minimum wage stagnant for many years, while Congress votes itself 7 pay raises; reduction in the average wages for the middle and lower class, at the same time as geometric increases in executive pay is widespread 3 Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations; The Patriot Act and illegal wiretapping (with the collusion of our communications companies) are used to spy on dissidents in addition to suspected or potential terrorists and increasingly the public in general. Actions against immigrants and undocumented workers. 4 A free and responsible search for truth and meaning; Increasing attempts within our government to provide preferential treatment to faith-based initiatives that are in harmony with those in power; increasing use of corporate-sponsored textbooks and curricula in our nations schools; stereotyping of all Muslims after 9/11; corporate promotion of private educational institutions with fewer quality controls. 5 The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large; Substantial evidence of electoral abuses favoring consistently one party over another; voting machines not open to inspection; evidence of top-level collusion to sway presidential elections; efforts to disenfranchise minorities who might be more likely to vote for one party than another; secrecy of corporate donations; Supreme Court deciding our elections; the loss of our democratic rights when we go to work for a corporation. 6 The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; Corporate lobbying pressure for the U.S. not to sign a number of international treaties that seek to bring increased peace, liberty and justice for all: (elimination of landmines, restriction of armaments trade, military budget greater than most of the rest of the worlds combined with pressure to purchase weapons not wanted by the Pentagon); corporations establishing operations in locations where justice is frequently questionable, employees are sometimes in conditions similar to slavery; corporations allowing dictatorial or abusive governments to mistreat or even kill nationals seeking to hinder their plans or operations. 7 Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. Lobbying for the lowering of air quality regulations, other environmental controls; pressure to make millions of acres of national forests and oil/natural gas fields available for despoiling by extractive corporations; mountaintop removal; slaughter of dolphins, sea turtles and undesirable fish catches in illegal nets; clear-cutting of old growth timbers that destroy indigenous peoples way of life and cause the extinction of many species; species extinction to permit mining, agriculture, industrial development, etc.