Randy Blaser

Randy Blaser was a community journalist for nearly 30 years, including 22 years as an editor for Pioneer Press. He has won numerous journalism awards …

• Freedom worth far too much to trade

  Are we giving up our liberty in order to obtain a little safety? That’s the question raised by revelations last week that our government, via the National Security Administration, is collecting all sorts of data Americans use daily texting on their smart phones, talking on their cell phones and searching on their computers.

• Boy Scouts finding their moral compass

  The Boy Scouts of America last week took a giant leap forward for some, but backward for others, when it decided to allow openly gay boys to participate in Scouting.

• Remnants of rampage haunt us still

  The 25th anniversary of the Laurie Dann shooting spree on the North Shore passed last week with little need to note the fateful date. All of us who lived through it and still have kids in school are reminded of it nearly every day.