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Free Speech Applies To All

At the school board meeting, during public comment time (the same 3 minutes any district resident may use to say almost anything), I prayed for peace, Godly wisdom, unity, and protection over all board members, all staff, and all students. That prayer wasn't political theater. It wasn't grandstanding. It was a plea for peace and Godly wisdom. Some didn’t like that I prayed - fair enough. This is America. You're free to disagree. That’s the point of freedom. Then came claims that my praying was unconstitutional. That the board was “endorsing religion” by not stopping me. ...

The Second Amendment

The 10/9/25 issue of The Alpena News contained an op-ed column authored by Jeffrey Brasie, ‘America has become a shooting gallery’. In his column Brasie calls for more gun control and cites violence statistics from the Gun Violence Archive, ABC New/Axios, Pew Research, and CNN, all left-wing organizations. Brasie says, “Other sensible options exist that uphold the Constitution’s Second Amendment”, whatever those are, in addition to the five he listed. Dan Wos of the Ammoland blog has a different view, one that I ascribe to. He states “Let’s be clear: the Second Amendment ...

Who’s Really Grandstanding?

It’s disappointing to see Alpena Public Schools Board President Eric Lawson accusing members of the public of “grandstanding” when they choose to speak up at board meetings. The truth is, it appears Mr. Lawson himself is the one engaging in the very behavior he criticizes. At a recent meeting, he attempted to stifle public expression by banning applause, an announcement that came with the unnecessary presence of county deputies, presumably to intimidate citizens exercising their First Amendment rights. Ironically, Mr. Lawson spent more time reading his prepared speech about ...

Puzzle Solved!

It was always a puzzle. Why would school board members Eric Lawson, Monica Dziesinski, Sarah Costain and AJ MacArthur seek to bankrupt our school system by implementing, what has become known as, the Potty Policy. They were advised by Thrun Law and the ACLU that the policy would incite an expensive lawsuit. These four board members claimed the policy was necessary for safety and dignity reasons.This claim was shown to be disingenuous when it was revealed the private school where Dziesinski and Costain’s children are enrolled has no Potty Policy. If they were sincere about their ...

It’s time for fairness on the school board

I’m really worried about how some of our school board’s conservative members are being treated. These are good people who stepped up to serve our community — and instead of support, they’re getting constant attacks and harassment, with their words twisted and their intentions misrepresented, all because of their beliefs. It’s always the same group of Democrats behind it — you can even see their names in the paper. They make it their full-time job to show up at every meeting, write angry letters, and they were at the “No Kings” rally recently. They’re still hung up on ...

Keep Church and State Separate—Especially in Our Schools

A group calling itself Voice of the North has appeared online, demanding that religion be brought “back” into our public schools. They claim moral authority while hiding behind anonymity—and they’ve crossed a line our Constitution drew for a reason. Public schools exist for all children, not just those who share one group’s faith or beliefs. Forcing religion into classrooms violates the First Amendment and undermines the very foundation of religious freedom. True freedom of religion also means freedom from religious imposition. When the state promotes one faith over others, ...