by Brian Dugas

Undoubtedly you all know that next week is a very important week, with the elections on Tuesday. I can't remember when an election has seemed to be more important.  My relatives and I have had many discussions around why this is so. Their point is that the oligarchy and corporate interests are in control of our government, and both parties are complicit in the current system. So why vote?

I do think that it is time for changes to our government so that it better reflects the needs of the American people, but it is important to have the right people working on the changes. This time, those people need to be representative of all of the groups of our society that make up our unique culture and I think we have learned from this election,  they need to be caring, kind, and able to cooperate with others with opposing views.  I certainly hope that there are still people like that in our government.

Back in the day, when you could trust a poll, the Pew Research Center was one of the more trusted sources of information that I can remember. I wanted to share with you the results of their polling for the 2024 election.  They asked people what was most important to them, and these are the results for what is “Very Important” on the survey - the average of D and R.

#1 The Economy                                     81%        D68%    R93%
#2 Healthcare                                         65%        D76%    R55%
#3 Supreme Court appointments    63%        D73%     R54%
#4 Foreign Policy                                   63%        D54%    R70%
#5 Violent Crime                                    61%        D46%    R76%
#6 Immigration                                      61%        D39%     R82%
#7 Gun Policy                                          56%        D59%    R53%
#8 Abortion                                             51%        D67%    R35%
#9 Racial and Ethnic Inequality        37%        D56%    R18%
#10 Climate Change                             37%        D62%    R11%    

Tops for Republicans: The Economy, Immigration, and Violent Crime
Tops for Democrats: Healthcare, Supreme Court Appointments, the Economy, and Abortion

It’s interesting to see how the current status of political decisions in America affect these polls.  For example just 35% of Republicans consider Abortion as being very important, while 67% of Democrats do. I'm sure it's not all that important to Republicans since the overturning of Rowe V Wade, and it’s equally very important to Democrats who now have to again fight the battle to establish women’s reproductive rights.  And I won’t even mention Climate Change at the bottom of the list.


And of course this survey does not take into account those very important issues that we all know are just lurking beneath the surface: Voting rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, Gender rights, Christian Nationalism, White Supremacy and Fascism just to name just a few.

The bottom line is that next week we will have the answer to the direction this country will be taking for the next four years. As a congregation our path based upon that election might be very clear, or very convoluted.  I do know that as one of the few liberal churches in the Wyoming Valley we may be at the forefront of the social upheaval occurring across the country whether we like it or not.  It is important to remember that we will determine our way forward together, and that as a community we are strong enough to weather the coming storms.

Next Sunday I will once again be doing the social action minute.  I hope that I will have positive news to share with you.  If not, our work truly begins as we determine our best way forward. One thing for sure, as Ben Franklin famously said after the signing of the Declaration of Independence “We must, indeed, hang together, or most assuredly, we shall all hang separately”.

So Get Out and Vote!

by Jenny Blanchard

Both the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times failed to endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, breaking a decades-long tradition of doing so. Journalists across the globe have condemned this decision as a dereliction of duty in an election where the choice could not be starker. It is important to note that both papers are owned by billionaires whose own fortunes would benefit from the economic and tax policies of a Trump administration.

Newspapers should be an independent public forum exempt from the interests of corporate entities or high net worth individuals. The failure to endorse reflects cowardice on the part of both papers, and a number of senior editors have resigned in protest. The Washington Post is fond of boasting that “democracy dies in darkness.” It appears that sometimes it dies in broad daylight.

by Matthew Thornburg

At the risk of preaching to the converted, tomorrow is the last day in Pennsylvania to register to vote and participate in the 2024 election. I of course urge anyone who may have overlooked this, to register and make your voice heard in a few short weeks. But it’s also important to remember that next door in Ohio, that deadline passed two weeks ago. On the other hand, in some states, such as our neighbor to the south, Maryland, folks may register to vote on Election Day if they wish. And in one state—North Dakota—there is no voter registration.

Justice Louis Brandeis famously called the states “laboratories of democracy.” And so it is that this patchwork of state laws has the advantage of showing us which practices work and which do not. No surprise either, that people lead busy lives, procrastinate, and wait until the last minute to register to vote—often missing the deadline. We know from comparison that allowing voters to show up, register, and vote leads to an increase in turnout of about 3 percentage points among those eligible.

Every day further away from the election you set the deadline to register to vote results in literally thousands of people missing the window across a state and having to sit out the election. I therefore urge you to register to vote if you have not already, and support reforms in our state that make it easier to do so.

by Brian Dugas

Luzerne County, PA — In This Together NEPA, along with impacted voters, has filed an injunction with the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas, seeking injunctive relief to reinstate mail ballot drop boxes for the upcoming November 5, 2024 General Election. We are proud to be represented in this action by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). CFC November ACLU, CFC October Action Together NEPA.

The decision by Luzerne County’s administration to eliminate all drop boxes just weeks before a major election is a clear violation of voter rights, disproportionately affecting seniors, individuals with disabilities, working voters, and voters who rely on these secure and accessible options. Since 2020, drop boxes have provided a trusted, secure method for voters to cast their ballots in Luzerne County, with strict security measures in place, including video surveillance and secure chain of custody. Their removal poses a significant threat to voter access and participation. Luzerne County Council meeting Tuesday, October 8th, Board of Elections meeting Wednesday, October 9th.

The Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank, under the umbrella of CEO, distributes food to organizations feeding those in need in four counties in NEPA. These organizations include food pantries, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, group homes for the disabled, day care centers, children's camps, and senior citizens. One of the members of our congregation (Jenny) volunteers at one of these food pantries serving Lackawanna County: BreadBasket of NEPA.

When a group of UU members volunteered at the Weinberg Food Bank in August, we learned that the need for food has never been more serious than during the last year. The Weinberg Food Bank has had difficulty meeting this rising demand. In the past, the Weinberg Food Bank made weekly deliveries to participating organizations. BreadBasket was just informed that for the remainder of the 2024 calendar year, the Weinberg Food Bank will only be able to deliver food every other week to all organizations that depend on these donations.

We have established an internal food pantry to help members of our own UU congregation, and we remain committed to this important project. Our food pantry is located in the lower level of the church, and it is open to anyone in need. The generosity of our community keeps this pantry well-stocked, and we are grateful. I'd like to ask the congregation to also consider a designated donation of one critically-needed item of food each month for the BreadBasket Food Pantry.

Jenny could communicate this need to Monica in the announcements (for example: October Is cereal, November peanut butter, etc.). In this way, we could support both our own UU congregation and the greater community, where the need is dire and growing. At the BreadBasket Food Pantry in downtown Scranton, we feed on average 100 households a week (that gives you a picture of the scope of the problem, as we are only one of seven food pantries in Lackawanna County).

The Women's March in Washington, D.C. and other locations is planned on NOVEMBER 2, 2024. (Saturday) Climate Reality NEPA, Saturday, October 26th, 4:00PM. Solar Sparks and Campfire Chat - learn about the value of solar power by visiting Rob and Margaret’s solar panel array. Meet and talk with other people from the Wyoming Valley concerned about our environmental welfare.