No prayer is  the correct move

Thank you, Mr. Fuller, for bringing the county board's penchant for prayer to light so that the intolerant and ignorant act can finally be put to bed.

As a humanist, I've been sick to my stomach the last few days over my local government's need to profess faith in Jesus Christ. While faith plays an important and necessary role in many lives, it has no place in our government. Yes, there are non-Christians in this county and yes, we contribute to the economy and the community too. Whether intended or not, the county board is sending the message that they have no tolerance for other beliefs, that they have no concept of the law and that government is not meant to serve everybody.

In the last election, this nation showed that it wasn't one dominated by the white Christian. It will take everybody, regardless of belief, to fix our problems. President Obama said it best in his inaugural address: "We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers." Time to take that message to heart.

Or should I take my tax dollars and discretionary income and go somewhere else?

— Adam Pulver

Beaver Dam

No prayer — why should we care?

It  has been brought to the public's attention that the county board of supervisors will no longer start the meeting with a prayer. Does anyone really care?

I am of the opinion that a godless man had no business in the political process.

Our Founding Fathers of the constitution all agreed to this principle. What I read in the constitution guarantees the right of freedom of religion and this principle must remain true to the intent of our Founding Fathers.

Since the leaders of our land removed prayer from our schools, nothing good has happened.

Children born out of wedlock and teenage abortion have run amok. Take a long hard honest look at the statistics.

The county sheriff who served his time overseas in the Middle East could probably tell you firsthand what happens to a godless nation.

You are the first-line supervisors. You represent us, your local neighbors, friends, and families of Dodge County. Please do not cater to an atheist! In doing so you are putting the preferences of the few over the right of the many.

God's provident love gave our fathers this great nation, and I am deeply concerned about the direction that your board member buddies are taking. Now more than ever we need a leader of good character, not atheist, humanist or socialist.

As I see it, we as Americans are going to be a thing of the past with in a few years if we don't take a stand! I would expect you to raise your voice in objection to this! Too many lies have blinded the masses in the name of political correctness! This is an issue of character not policy!

I still have freedom of speech don't I? I am speaking out!

— Len Wenzlick

Iron Ridge

County board prayer — what would Jesus do?

There have been a lot of letters in the paper about saying prayers at county board meetings.

It has been kind of nasty. Some writers have even said that the no -prayer crowd is going to burn in hell. So I decided to ponder on what Jesus would do. A favorite scripture from Matthew Chapter 6 came into my mind: "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily, I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."

And of course we all know that Jesus ran around saying this radical stuff until the hypocrites got so mad, they shut him up for good. So my humble opinion is that the board should try the praying in the closet thing and just dedicate their meetings to governing fairly and wisely.

Jesus and many great men and women who followed him knew that your moral compass is not revealed by your words but by your deeds.

— Margaret Sherman

Beaver Dam

Prayer is not  unconstitutional

I looked it up!

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution reads "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

So, can someone, maybe from the Freedom from Religion Foundation, please explain to me how saying a prayer at the beginning of a Dodge County Board meeting is unconstitutional?

I can see that banning the prayer might fall under the "prohibiting the free exercise thereof" section but I don't think that's what the FFRF folks are getting at.

 I consider myself a mainstream in the majority guy. Things like this, the majority having to bend to the will of the lunatic fringe, make me angry. It also illustrates the saying "you deserve the government you elect." If it is not unconstitutional I would like to end by saying: "God bless America."

— Robert G. Gionet

Mayville

Prayer established at many government levels

As the former Dodge County clerk for 20 years, I am familiar with the practice of prayer at the beginning of each county board meeting.

 In the past this responsibility was rotated among various religions in the county, Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc. until it became harder each month to find a member of the clergy who could fit this into their already busy schedule. At that point, a county supervisor took over that responsibility. If prayer before the meeting "is illegal" as some have said, how is it legal for the Wisconsin State Legislature and the Congress of the United States to precede their meetings with prayer?

Perhaps if Mr. Fuller or any other supervisor is uncomfortable with the current practice, they should arrive five minutes late for the meeting, and they would not have to listen to the prayer.

— Dorothy Ebert

Beaver Dam

Government is  running amok

 Wake up Dodge County!                        

With all the issues we are facing today — recession, exploding deficits,Wall Street corruption, political corruption — one of our supervisors has decided to fight against prayer at a county board meeting. This is another reason all politics should be local. That way if someone is out of line, the people can vote them out of office.

I am afraid that groups like Freedom from Religeon Foundation and others in Washington, D.C., are trying to take over more and more of our lives.

Socialism has failed wherever it has been tried, yet we insist on heading more and more toward government control of our lives.

 I appreciate people like Mr. Borchardt for standing up to these lawyers. We need more people like him in politics.

Oestreicher benefit   support lauded

The Jim Oestreicher Benefit would like to thank everyone involved in the success of the fund raising event to assist with medical expenses. A special thank you to the following businesses and individuals for their contributions:

Ace and Alice Oestreicher, Applebee's, Barber Ann's, Bayside Supper Club, BDCH - house keeping department, BDCH - human resource department, Benevento's, Carol's, China Palace, CS Unique, Culver's, Deb and Henry Hilscher, Dick and Shirley Thieme, Dick Sether, Dos Gringos, Earth Shine, EDCI, Family Video, Groenewold Painting, Helen Rahn, Horicon State Bank, Jane Groenewold, Jenny Goss, Jerry and Judy Hampton, Jill Kehrmeyer, Jodie Sager, Johnnie's 66, John's Bar, Jolene Schultz, Kate and Tony Gunderson, Key West Tanning Salon and Spa, Kinne Floral, Kohl's, Kornely's Craft Store, Lester and Kathy Hilscher, Lidtke Motors, McDonald's, Michels Pipeline, Moda Bella Salon, Moonlight, Moonshiner's, Mr. Mac and the Graphic Arts Class, Paul and Lori White, Phyllis Kitsemble, Pizza Hut, Ponderosa, Rechek's Food Pride, Ron and Ann Schulz, Ronnie and Lisa Fiegel, Schmitt Challenge Inc., Schultz's Cheese Haus, Silica Appliance and Electronics, Staples, Taco Bell, Tammy Giesick, The Nights Before (TNB) Band, Vickie Sekel and Wheeler's.

— Jim and Julie Oestreicher

Beaver Dam