Having spoken Monday in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, we return Wednesday night to the Southside of Milwaukee at Souls Harbor Baptist Church (3800 S. Howell Avenue, Milwaukee, phone 414.342.1234), where you can join us in celebrating Charlie Kirk’s legacy, Turning Point 1st Vice Chair Brett Galaszewski will attend.. 

These two areas were our top priority in 2024, when we distributed 402,000 voter comparisons. Most of our bilingual comparisons were delivered in Milwaukee’s Southside, while most of our congressional comparisons were focused in and around Juneau, where Derrick Van Orden vs. Rebecca Cooke comparisons were distributed ahead of Van Orden’s decisive victory — his largest win margin (61.2%) among the 15 counties with at least 10,000 votes in that pivotal congressional race.

Monday night’s speeches marked the culmination of two years of presentations in Juneau County. The presentations at both the beginning and the end of that campaign highlighted what Wisconsin Faith and Freedom President John Pudner identified as the three key fronts in the battle for freedom. Wednesday night’s venue will be the site of the first Wisconsin Faith and Freedom Salt and Light Conference, and initially smaller version of similar events such as the North Carolina Faith and Freedom Coalition Salt and Light Policy Conference Sept 26-28. Pastor Paul Hoover’s recent sermon on Ephesians 6:18-20 and speaking boldly set up this “to be scheduled” event.

Jack Anderson, the former chair of the University of Wisconsin Turning Point chapter, was brought by Pudner to Juneau in August 2023, where Anderson addressed the first of the three fronts for freedom — Academia — a battle that was the centerpiece of Turning Point’s work under the leadership of the late Charlie Kirk.

Carol Lee Ferrero of the Pacific Justice Institute was then recruited by Pudner to come to the same location Monday night to deliver the main speech on PJI’s battle against lawfare. A portion of her speech is included further down in this blog and begins about 15 minutes into the recording.

Pudner himself spoke about the third threat: the criminal actions that culminated most horrifically in the murder at Mass on the first day of a Catholic school year in Minnesota, and then the assassination of Charlie Kirk last week. Regarding the first time he grasped how outnumbered law enforcement truly is in trying to stop heinous crime — Pudner referred to experiences from working for Ollie North in a 1994 U.S. Senate race, to issues raised on the Trump vs. Harris candidate comparisons when Pudner lead off the Trump 47 surrogate bus tour in September 2024, to a recent demonstration in Huntsville, Alabama by the group SkyFire — showing how law enforcement innovations such as SkyFires drones that have become the very first responders can prevent future tragedies.

While those were the three fronts Pudner identified, another fascinating development came from one of the attendees, Ken Van Doren, who has started another 501(c)(3) and set up an essay contest at c-see.org/contest you should check out.

The invitations were extended by Roger Lipski, Chair of the Juneau County GOP.

Transcript from the Juneau Speeches (lightly edited)

Introduction
Roger Lipski opened by welcoming attendees and introducing John Pudner, noting his work on voter comparison pieces for President Trump and Wisconsin Attorney General candidate Brad Schimel.

1. Lawfare

Pudner began by thanking Carol Lee Ferrero and the Pacific Justice Institute for their work in exposing and fighting lawfare. He described how PJI has stood up to attempts directed at those who cannot defend themselves, that are similar to last year’s legal attempts to bankrupt and imprison President Trump. Pudner gave a local example of a Catholic school, where activists staged insisted their son wear the girls uniform..

“This is the first of the three pods,” he explained, “stopping lawfare before it destroys our freedom.”

2. Academia

Pudner then turned to the second front: academia. He recalled how in 2023 he brought Jack Anderson, UW–Madison’s Turning Point president, to speak in the same room.

“This was Charlie Kirk’s mission,” he said. “Campuses are giving credibility to movements that confuse young people — to benefit the billion-dollar trans industry that prey on that confusion.”

Pudner cited his Newsweek oped of billions in Chinese money given to the University of Pennsylvania, and his concern that compassion is often twisted into enabling destructive ideologies. 

3. Law Enforcement

The third front, Pudner said, is law enforcement. He reflected on his early campaign experience with Ollie North, who taught him to respect “the thin blue line.”

Today, however, officers are often outnumbered, under-resourced, and unsupported by leaders. Pudner described Milwaukee’s inability to stop street takeovers, then contrasted that with the demonstration he was recently invited to in Huntsville, Alabama, where the group SkyFire equips law enforcement with drones that respond to 911 calls.

“Imagine if this system had been in place at open-air events,” he said. “We might have stopped tragedies like last week.”

Pudner recounted how the Skyfire drones both stop law enforcement from wasting time where they are not needed, such as a humorous case where law enforcement and ambulances were requested because passers by though an elderly man was having a heart attack in front of the a pizza place, but the Skyfire drone quickly arrived and showed in photos that the man was fine and has just chosen to lie down to eat his pizza. Even the pepperoni’s were visible.

In a serious case of domestic violence, a man planned an elaborate escape route after abusing a woman then going under porches and tunnels, down a creek, through a forest all at night – only to be immediately arrested when he emerged because the Skyfire drone with night vision heat sensing technology gave real time photos to officers who were waiting for the arrest.

Pudner said during the time waiting with the nation to hear if Charlie Kirk could have possibly survived, he could only think of the presentation he had just seen knocking these drones could easily spot a shooter above a venue and have likely prevented the assassination.

Pudner also addressed financial crime, pointing to ActBlue’s unverified credit card processing that enables billions in unverified contributions to liberal causes. He highlighted new Wisconsin legislation (AB 385) that would finally ban the practice at the state level.

“These are the three fronts — lawfare, academia, and law enforcement — that we must defend against to preserve freedom,” he concluded.

Closing Reflections

In his closing, Pudner spoke personally about Charlie Kirk. He recalled a brief but memorable conversation in California, where Kirk paused to talk at length about a mentor, Brent Hamachek, demonstrating his sincerity.

“Not every politician is genuine,” Pudner said. “But Charlie was one of the good ones.”

From the crowd, Ken Van Doren joked that he couldn’t believe politicians weren’t always honest, starting laughter throughout the room. The moment lightened the room, but Pudner ended on a serious note: “Evil has exposed itself. Now there’s no question what we’re fighting.”

He thanked attendees, urged prayers for Charlie’s family, and closed by reaffirming his alignment with the Pacific Justice Institute and Wisconsin Faith and Freedom’s shared mission.

Carol Lee Ferrero — Pacific Justice Institute (rough paraphrase of comments)

Carol stated recent events have intensified her resolve — referencing the tragic school shooting that targeted Catholic school children. She spoke as a Catholic and a mother, recalling the Guardian Angel “buddy” program where older students mentor younger ones, and how those acts of courage were tragically highlighted by violence.

She referenced remarks from a September 3rd hearing on natural rights, emphasizing that American principles hold rights as given by a Creator — a central point in the Declaration of Independence. A few days later she noted President Trump’s press conference on the Religious Liberty Commission and reflected on signs of renewed governmental attention to religious liberties. As an attorney at PJI, she said she had not anticipated seeing such a strong public focus on protecting religious freedom, and she finds that encouraging.

Carol described Charlie Kirk’s public evolution — from a more secular start to a person of faith — and admired his courage in the end to speak openly about his convictions.

She then turned to specific Wisconsin examples PJI has handled:

• Public accommodation and city ordinances: Carol explained how broad nondiscrimination language in some local ordinances could be interpreted to force religious institutions to open facilities for functions that conflict with their beliefs — for example, churches renting space to groups whose positions contradict church teaching. PJI represented churches and a Christian radio station in First Amendment challenges, arguing the ordinances would unduly burden religious exercise.
• Faith-based organizations and employee selection: She described cases where nonprofits and volunteer organizations formed across denominations faced pressure when staff or volunteers openly promoted views contrary to the organization’s founding religious beliefs. PJI’s approach, she said, is to defend a faith-based organization’s right to select staff and volunteers consistent with its religious mission.
• Healthcare and end-of-life issues: Carol recounted a harrowing case of a 19-year-old who was nearly declared beyond help — and how a network of attorneys and advocates worked to ensure he received proper testing (a nuclear flow test) and care. The case taught her the importance of having healthcare directives in place; she recommended everyone download and complete a health-care directive form (she pointed to Wisconsin Right to Life resources) and make sure trusted witnesses have copies.
• COVID-era vaccine mandates: Carol reviewed PJI’s extensive work defending health-care workers and students who lost opportunities because they refused COVID-19 vaccine mandates on conscience or religious grounds. She summarized how federal CMS actions pressured hospitals to require vaccines, causing many patient-facing employees and nursing students to face lost jobs, rescinded residency positions, or forced resignations. Carol described the strain this created for hospitals — emptied staffing, darkened wards, overwhelmed emergency rooms — and how PJI litigated many of these cases across Wisconsin and nationally.

She gave examples of reasonable-accommodation failures: employees given humiliating or punitive “accommodations” that effectively isolated them, or residency candidates booted from programs despite their professional qualifications. She stressed that determining sincere religious belief is complex, and employers should not act as theologians — rather, they should respect conscience claims and follow appropriate legal standards.

Carol closed by acknowledging the difficult era healthcare faced during the pandemic, the personal toll on families, and the long legal fights PJI took on to defend conscience and religious exercise across a range of contexts. She urged continued vigilance to protect the rights of faith-based organizations, healthcare workers, schools, and families.