<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif"><span id="gmail-docs-internal-guid-1b595222-7fff-f2b0-f229-29760e92d25f"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">The Today\u2019s Issues group will meet this Sunday, September 15, 9:30 to 10:50 am, to discuss responses to the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the general state of the Democratic Party and other opposition to the Trump regime.   </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">     The decline in the Democratic Party relative to the Republicans has been a trend for some time, and may be accelerated in response to the shooting.  Here are some suggested readings FYI.</span></p><br><ul style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">The decline of the Democratic Party Reading: T</span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/us/politics/democratic-party-voter-registration-crisis.html?unlocked_article_code=1.f08.olU5.DQOBaiAD9yLn&amp;smid=url-share" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">he Democratic Party Faces a Voter Registration Crisis:</span></a><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"> The party is bleeding support beyond the ballot box, a new analysis shows </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/09/05/iowa-senate-democrats-turek-scholten-ernst-00542371" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">2 Friends, 1 Senate Race and the Democratic Quest to Win Over \u2018Normal\u2019 People</span></a><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">. From Politico.  The Democrats struggle for \u201cauthenticity\u201d   </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><a href="https://religionnews.com/2025/09/10/charlie-kirk-evangelical-trump-supporter-dies-after-shooting-at-utah-campus-event/?utm_source=RNS+Updates&amp;utm_campaign=e57aa02d8b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_09_11_04_20&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_c5356cb657-e57aa02d8b-128764788" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">Charlie Kirk , who &#39;plugged in&#39; young Christian conservatives, dies at 31</span></a><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">, Religion News Service.                                 </span></p></li></ul><br><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">The Today\u2019s Issues discussion group meets on occasional Sunday mornings at 9:30  in the parlor of the Religious Education building next to the Unitarian Universalist Church at 232 Third St. in Marietta or you can join us on Zoom. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Click on this link if you wish to join the discussion on Zoom. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.728;margin-left:36pt;text-indent:18pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://zoom.us/j/92505235702?pwd=RmUyN1FOUjhBVHRYSDBWY2dUZWxFQT09" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">https://zoom.us/j/92505235702?pwd=RmUyN1FOUjhBVHRYSDBWY2dUZWxFQT0</span></a></p><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br></span></div></div>