Patriotism, Youth, and Young People

Using a rights-based approach, UUSC actively supports our men and women in the U.S. military as they return from Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries. As part of our opposition to the war, we lift up their basic human right to speak out, petition Congress, and express dissent against the war.

Active-duty military personnel, veterans, and their families in the United States have articulated some of the most powerful reasons why the war in Iraq is unjust and why the fight to maintain our civil liberties is so crucial. Yet, some of these brave individuals, the very people who have put their lives on the line in service of our country, have had their rights limited by government officials. To guarantee their right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, UUSC advocates for and supports two national organizations, Appeal for Redress and Veterans for Peace.

UUSC has also developed partnerships with Muslim-American organizations working with non-Muslim communities. Muslim-Americans have been unfairly targeted by many post-9/11 policies, suffering racial profiling, illegal surveillance, and restrictions on their due process rights. We have engaged Unitarian Universalist congregations and other progressive faith communities, inviting them to build cooperative relationships with Muslim communities. Our work includes:

• Supporting and working with youth and young people to defend civil liberties in the United States and abroad.
• Increasing understanding and cooperation between UU and Muslim youth and young people.
• Increasing intergenerational work.
• Addressing the right to dissent in the time of war and specifically during the Global War on Terror and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• Supporting and increasing active patriotism by assertion of the freedoms of speech and assembly.
• Supporting and defending the civil liberties of active duty soldiers, especially those whose rights are threatened by their opposition to the Iraq War.
• Supporting the right of soldiers' families to dissent.