A Fundraiser for Jessica Ahlquist

Fantastic! Thank goodness we have such wonderful people in the world.

Brilliant!!!  Thanks, Hemant!

Chipped in. Jessica is about 1/4 my age, yet she is an inspiration to me. Go Jessica!

Google is your friend…

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Jessica+Ahlquist

It’s my pleasure and an honor to be able to contribute in some small way to this courageous and inspirational young woman.  My best to you Jessica.

Hi Tia This is the link to that PayPal page: http://www.chipin.com/contribute/id/8d0a74d899b36f56

It sure takes me to the right PayPal page (after a redirect)

I’m a Christian who is appalled by the behavior of the students at this school. I don’t have much money, but I’m definitely sending some her way.

Thank you for being a good person that Jesus would not be ashamed of.

LOL, that’s something I would say! Man, I hate being a johnny-come-lately sometimes.

Those “who believe in a higher power” showed the effects of
their beliefs when they decided to harass and threaten Ms. Alquist.  It seems that there was a big enough problem –
in their minds – before she did anything. 
She just brought their big problem to the surface.

There is more to a writing than “sentiment”.  The first problem is that the “sentiment” was
directed to God, which contravenes long-standing law.  The banner was placed a year AFTER the
Supreme Court ruled such displays illegal. 
It was ratified recently by the school board, which showed its disdain
for the law and for the views of people who did not think like them.  Long-standing displays of contempt for both
the law and for minority religious views, it seems to me, need to be dealt
with.

Do you suppose that “little tolerance” might best have been
shown towards people with minority religious views, and towards obeying the
law?  What is it about flaunting the
clear, settled law of the land and heaping abuse and threats on someone who
feels oppressed by it that convinces you that continuing that behavior is the
right course?

If you don’t understand the contributions, perhaps it is
because you don’t understand “fair and equal treatment” and how it was NOT
given to this girl.  That people want to support
her in some way for having to put up with the stupid, aggressive threats of
those around her seems to me to be eminently understandable.

Again, no, she did not create more hate in the
world.  She just turned over the rock in
which all that hatred – by Christians – was exposed. 

It is the backlash that she is exposed to – the hate, the verbal violence, the exclusion from her community – that makes me want to show her my support.. 

I wouldn’t really have cared for this story otherwise..

..

Why are SOME religious ppl so violent, hateful, angry!?!?  Don’t they realize she is still a kid?? Don’t they realize that this is what they call evil?

Amazing.

Hans, this just kid was recruited by the ACLU and she wasn’t the first to be asked. she didn’t know what secular ,divisive or ostricised meant until the ACLU told her. She is just an average student whom without this help wouldn’t be able to get to a higher level of education. she is barely a  b average student. She was so ostricised by the banner yet she shoves Atheism down everyones throat at that school. what a hyprocrite!

Read the above.

“The school offered to remove the only part of the prayer that had anything to do with religion and it was still refused” 
You have that backwards. Jessica offered to settle for changing the language. The school refused. Saying this is “high school” is no excuse when a 16 year old girl is facing death threats and bullying to the point she needs a police escort. 
How tolerant would you be with a Wiccan Prayer on those same walls ?  The establishment clause protects everyone. It is in the interest of everyone that it exists, and should be rigorously enforced.

Forget the whole part about America being secular, how would you like to go to a event day after day and get preached to about a faith other than your own? You wouldn’t. It would get to you, and what’s worse, you’d either have to go along with it or should you refuse probably get punished for it. You know what, let’s get back to that secular part… which you should be grateful for, because it means that in public you don’t have to deal with this religious stuff from other groups (and they won’t have to deal with you). It’s the whole point of secularism, to allow all religions to do their thing and not be encroached upon by other religions, or gov’t, or anyone, provided you don’t do it in public. Or we can just have a religious war, you can all fight it out, and the winner gets to be the only game in town.

Jessica’s got more intelligence and guts at 16 than most people show their entire lives… try showing a little respect.

Chipped in in the name of my late wife.  Thank you,  Jessica, for standing up for all of us who value the Constitution.

When I went to bed last night, the total was over $9,500… this morning it says a little over $3,300… what gives?

That was it, thanks!

No… being an atheist is about not believing in a god or gods. If you don’t believe in anything, you’re a nihilist.

Why would I cop it?  God is love.

College is ridiculously expensive these days, and I should know…my fiance and I are having the hardest time finding a house to buy with the limited amount we’re allowed to borrow. Our student loans are holding us back. But, I still feel passionately enough about this cause to chip in a small amount to support Jessica…and this way maybe someday she won’t be stuck in the position we’re in.

I hope this gets reported as well – I’m sure a lot of folks will be amazed at the amount of money raised for this brave girl.  “How much was raised?  Really?  By whom?  Are there that many people supporting her?  Are there that many atheists?”

Yes there are.  Our ‘silent’ minority is finding it’s voice in increasing amounts every day.  By contributing, you not only help Jessica, you support her and show our cause support as well.

Nobody likes your joke, you stupid a–!

Chipped in! Every little bit helps.

I like Jessica for what she did & she deserves recognition however she is not a “hero” & this worship by atheists is getting out of hand.

The money you are raising to send one girl to school could be used for much worthier causes like the Freedom From Religion Foundation that fight for everyone’s 1st Amendment rights & could make it possible that these things are a thing of the past. Or a scholarship fund for all the freethinking kids in America to have a chance at higher education. Supporting 100s of freethinkers instead of just one.

Before everyone jumps down my throat – again I like Jessica & I am not saying anything bad about her or what she did. I disagree with the atheist hero worship I am seeing.

You know nothing about Jessica except for this one incident. For all we know she is a horrible student & no college will take her, or she has plans to be a hair dresser (nothing against the profession but has nothing to do with 1st Amendment rights), or will suddenly become a born again xtain, or whatever.

Everyone is jumping on a bandwagon without questioning anything. It is all reactionary with no thought put into who or what we are actually supporting. That is that same mentality of the theists – sheep following whatever someone says they should.

Again – nothing against Jessica. This is about atheists acting like sheep & that is really disappointing to me to see.

Consider suicide erik. You know nothing of me either.

Absolutely I think anyone who donates to a charity without looking into the cause & the organization itself is acting like a sheep .

I am bringing critical thinking to an emotional issue & while you may not appreciate that fact do not confuse it for “disdain”. I believe the atheist community is capable of greater things outside of just reactionary causes.

I am not personally attacking Jessica or you.

I wouldn’t exactly call following through on a law suit an ‘incident’, much as I wouldn’t call applauding her actions ‘worship’. Consider this a scholarship that she exclusively has met the criteria for.

Sent!  I don’t think she’s a ‘hero’.  That word is WAY overused in my opinion.  But how is what she did not brave?  She knew what the response from Christians would be, and they didn’t disappoint.  
The thing to me is: she stood up for herself.  How many teenagers feel the same way as she did and do nothing?  TONS.  I don’t blame them.  I’d be afraid too if I were in high school.  But she did something about it and that should be encouraged IMO.  

Here is a link to more about Harrison Hopkins who fought his school http://www2.wspa.com/news/2011/may/18/9/no-graduation-upstate-school-ar-1837419/.

Here is a link for Damon Fowler who fought his school too http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2011/05/damon_fowler_and_the_abuse_of.php.

These are just two of the students this year that also fought for Seperation of Church & State but have not gotten the same response from atheists as Jessica has.

I am sure I could fill this with even more students that are just as brave & deserving of recognition.

Yes that is what I meant just give $100 dollars to freethinking kids or just 1 penny. Come on you know what I am actually saying. 

$30,000 was raised for Damon & that is great! But you could have given $10,000 to three freethinking students looking for higher education & it would be based on merit i.e. kids would have to apply for the money.

Are Jessica, Damon, Harrison, really braver & thusly more deserving than other freethinking teens in the country or do they just happen to go to a school that violated the 1st Amendment?  

Not all schools violate the constitution-doesn’t mean there aren’t brave, freethinking students going to them. That is what I want people to think about & recognize.

They are heroes.  We do support them.  They have gotten love from the community.  You can’t raise money for everyone (not effectively, anyway), but you’re more than welcome to try.  

If I tried to set up a national scholarship fund for freethinking teens would I have your support? I mean would you help get donations using your fame & connections? I couldn’t do it alone – I would need help.

I am 100% serious about this. I think it would be a wonderful thing to do & I would be willing to try but again I couldn’t do it alone.

It will take me some time to set up a non profit & have that information available. I want to gauge the interest of the atheist community before taking on a project of this size & I am starting with you & this comments section.

Assuming my future plans met with your approval would you help with enthusiasm? In your opinion do you think the atheist community would support the fund now & in the future?

If you are uncomforatable answering my questions in public since for all you know I am a complete nut case I totally understand. I have other resources & will be moving forward regardlesss. I do respect your opinion tho so your thoughts would be appreciated.

Oh I realize there is a lot to do & a lot of things will have to come together & maybe nothing will come of it due to many factors but I believe that supporting the next generation of freethinkers is very important & there is a country full of kids who don’t have rich parents, or national press that deserve the chance for a higher education & I am willing to work towards that goal.

“What the 15 other college bound freethinking students that the FFRF awarded money to just this year? ”

They got money! So what about them?

I chipped in, a little, and am honored to support this young woman. 

Shouldn’t people do what’s right because it’s right?  Considering all of the youth in our country who can’t afford a college education, why should she be given special treatment? I support here standing up for separation od church and state, but sending her to college for free when so many others are much poorer seems a bit over the top.

Well if you believe freedom of speech as you do separation of church and state I have every right to comment on it.

Well, if it makes you feel morally superior go for it.

Pointing out that you’ve said something stupid is a far cry from saying you didn’t have a right to say it.

I have no idea how poor or not the girl is.  What does that have to do with scholarship funds?  We award students with superior grades or athletic ability, regardless of their financial situation.  Why not reward a child with superior courage and moral conviction?

I really don’t understand your point of view.  Why is it hypocritical to support this girl’s scholarship fund? Obviously there are other deserving students in the world, but you can’t help them all.  Does that mean you should help none?  Where is the hypocrisy?

In your op you “support her standing up for separation of church and state.”  And you say that it was the “right” thing to do.  Yes, people should just do the right thing, but they don’t.  There are lots of other kids at Jessica’s school, and that banner had been there for awhile.  No one else stood up against it.  Only her.  You really don’t see how that makes her unique, special, and worthy of admiration?  She was willing to take on this burden when no one else was.  

How does supporting a girl who (in your words) did the right thing show a hatred of all Christians? Much less a desire to divide people?

She brought a lawsuit based on the Constitution and established court cases.  The law is on her side.  Morals include following the law.

I don’t hate Christians – much of my family and many of my friends are Christians.

I disagree with those who are calling for violence against a person who rightfully called into question the breaking of the law.  I support those who fight for the law to be followed.

And I support Jessica in particular because she fought for the law in a well publicized case and is getting threats from “they will know us by our love” Christians for the most part.  No one deserves threats for following or fighting for the law.  No one.  She has earned my respect and support, and those who are so vocally against her (often in violent terms) cemented my desire to help her any way I could, including this fund.

I’m proud to contribute a bit of money to help this student succeed.

yes.

Actually, there will never be peace and harmony in the world as long as religion and religions (how many thousand different ones are there anyway?) exist. Remember, Native Americans lived and prospered; raised children and respected their elders, had loving communities and enjoyed the bounty and beauty of this land we call America long before Christianity rolled in with the tide and declared that everyone should be a Christian. How laughable.

One, you sound very… concerned. Two, it’s textbook unconstitutional. The school takes public funds, therefore it must NOT encourage any religion over any other (or a lack of one). The neutral stance is to display no religious material whatsoever, which almost every other school and public institution manages to do. Three, if you recall (which you don’t), In God We Trust was put on American money as a hysterical outgrowth of McCarthyism and the Red Scare. It’s not a statement of faith or history, it’s a fevered anti-communist sentiment. Four, you claim to know what “all teenagers” feel, including the one who took this all the way to court, which definitely implies a strong feeling that you claim must not exist. Five, she gave the school the option to alter the banner and they categorically refused, stating repeatedly their STRONG Christian convictions and thus clearly contravening the separation of Church and State (see two). Six, you say you don’t judge, and then you say “there will never be peace and harmony in the world as long as there are people like the Ahlquists” (no apostrophe on plurals, really. Yes really). So, I guess seven is: You’re a troll.

We know. We know. The banner is “traditional”.
(Making enemies is not always a bad thing.)

> do not use it as a tool to change was has been for many years ie:
>  the CHSW School “Prayer” Banner  as you  call it. 
> We should be fighting for the future, not the past.

I agree we should. That means to place people’s rights above outdated traditions.

> “If you don’t like what it says then don’t look at it.  For that matter,
>  you should not be handling the dollar bills with which you buy all
> the things you want.  I believe on the bills it says “In God We Trust”.

Or maybe she should fight to end that particular error as well, as she said she hopes to do one day. Seriously, religious mottos on money? Shouldn’t Christians be even more offended by that than atheists?

I just see a large blank area above this comments section. I don’t see any instructions on how to make a donation. Perhaps this page is not constructed to display properly on iOS devices? If so, you might want to fix that! Either way, how do I make a contribution?

Jessica, I saw your Secular Student talk and I am incredibly impressed. I hope this scholarship will help you to go to a great College, I have no doubts you will thrive in College/University! 

High school is not quite a decade ago for me, and I remember for certain I couldn’t have done this while facing as much crap this brave young woman has had thrown at her.
Following this story has made me realise that, in a small way, things are occasionally going right in the world.
As a college student myself, I don’t have a lot of money, but I have contributed. If we want the future to be better, we can start by making sure people like Jessica have the best opportunity possible to affect it.

20 Dolleroos from Australia now added to the fund.

Chipped in! Thanks. I think the response is horrid, so called ‘Christians’ and youngsters to boot. So sad.

Jessica’s the future! Go! We’re behind you.

Jessica is a horrible person and she deserves to suffer, not a make a dime. She feels no remorse for what she did and her actions make so many people upset and hurt and she forced a community to pay money it can’t afford for legal costs. She deserves none of this money, it should go back to the tax payers of Cranston and I hope nothing but the worst for her!

No remorse for her actions? Why are you expecting remorse? That’s for people who actually do bad or wrong things, not for people who uphold the law.

The community was in no way forced to pay anything for legal fees – it was their choice to fight a battle they could not win.

Now, if people have hurt feelings because they wanted to keep slaves and
they’re not allowed to any more, well, they can just go cry into their
soup.

And  Hemant, stop getting involved in stuff that you have no idea what’s going on. She’s ruining a school and community and for no reason. Clearly you haven’t even read what she took down but it has zero controversy, she just wanted to cause i scene, and she has! Mind your business, rather than just doing stupid stuff because you can, do something useful with that money, like paying a poor town back the money it spent on legal fee’s because of this piece of trash. Educate yourself man, stop being ignorant! 

The town was clearly violating the law. Why should it be anyone’s job to repay their debt? They were acting illegally, refused to comply with the law when it was pointed out to them, and paid for it. Jessica didn’t ruin the community, much of the community is acting like a bunch of immature theocrats, and Jessica is extremely brave for standing up for the Constitution. She caused a ‘scene’ because something illegal and unfair was going on. We need more young people like Jessica around to stand up for the freedoms we are supposed to enjoy as Americans, one of which is no Government endorsement of religion. (And Cory, I bet you’d be singing a different tune if there was a official Muslim school prayer.)

Proud to help.

Does anyone who’s giving realize that she now wants outta the school that she’s causing all this trouble in! She can talk the talk but she’s afraid and running before she walks the walk! And you wanna support this! PLEASE THINK MAN! THIS IS WRONG!

Nice way to waste money. And believe me, i said much more! And I’m yet to hear one person say a reasonable argument against my points. Hoping that she learns from her mistakes, there’s nothing wrong with that. What the hell did she think was gonna happen? And everyone who’s picking one her has that right, just like she had a right for making a pointless thing happen over a sign that basically said “I hope you have a great day”. Your move, see if any of you can actually make a valid argument other than saying things like FUCKER.

If there is a god he will surely judge you for your hateful actions. Enjoy hell!

So true!  I mean, who WOULDN’T want to go to a place where your fellow classmates threaten you with bodily harm.

Say, Cory, do you know what “curb stomping” is?

I admire Jessica for taking a stand to support the separation of church and state, and made a contribution to her college fund.

Jessica, I don’t have any money to give you (I’m a grad student living on loans from the government), but I am so proud of you. I’m a Christian and I truly, honestly, deeply believe that religion of all kinds should be kept entirely out of the public sphere. The hatred your classmates have showed you will not go away; it’s going to get worse. Christians are scared; they see happy, functional people controlling their lives. They see their influence slipping away. Most terrifying, they’re seeing a “browning” of their neighborhoods.

Things will get better, but not for a long time. Not for us. Not for our children. Perhaps for our grandchildren. In one-hundred years time, you will have been on the right side of history. Please, please don’t give up your fight for what’s right. It can and will be scary. As an avid pro-choice activist and feminist, I’m often threatened. It keeps being scary. But every night, when I lie in bed, I know that people like you are out there, keeping America what she was meant to be.

Good luck to you. I hope you find your dream college and live out your dream life. Keep being strong. Keep being right. I don’t know if you’ll read this or not, but I’m going to be keeping you in my thoughts.

All the absolute best,
Maryanna

you mean “normal folks who believe that religion is good”. (as oposed to see) As the ad says, you can be good without god. The point is you don’t need to be religious to be charitable/moral/a good person. and no, religion is not politically incorrect, religious people are still the majority, you are NOT the victim here. sorry.

Clear your cache!

I tried to put the donation box on my own site (obviously i would link back to your wonderful site), but the html didn’t work. Sad day. Is there another way, another set of HTML that I can throw directly into the post?  Or should I just link it?
Also, would you mind if I put you on my blogroll?

If that prayer banner had contained Catholic-exclusive invocations (such as calling on Mary or the saints to intercede), or Jewish-exclusive ones (prayers for Israel, Hebrew terms that hadn’t spread to Christianity)…you can bet your bottom dollar that the hardline Protestants at Cranston West would have been just as offended as Jessica Ahlquist was.  They would have complained just as loudly about Constitutional rights being more important than tradition, and they probably would have won a lawsuit similar to Jessica’s.  The only major difference?  The threats against those Protestants would be far fewer and less intense.  Jessica Ahlquist does not deserve to suffer physically, mentally, OR spiritually for defending her basic human right to believe as she chooses.

Jessica Ahlquist is my hero for the day.  Atheists need to look out for one another.  With that in mind, I’ve donated to her college scholarship.   I would encourage everyone to do the same.

Oh yeah, I also wrote to the State Rep who went on the radio and insulted Jessica.

If you seriously wanted to face adversity for cash, you could surely find an issue that gets people angry at you. The difference is that you’d be doing for profit what she does out of personal conviction.
You admit that your opinions are not controversial where you live; neither are mine where I live. Neither of us therefore has any sense of what it actually means to be loathed by the entire community we grew up in – our childhood friends, their parents, our teachers and florists and politicians – for what we believe in.

I’m a Christian and I’m more than happy she won her case.  What she did allows me to raise my child in the religion I see fit, instead of what others would want of my kid.  By doing this I can still keep her education in the classroom and teach her our religious education at home and at the church-where it belongs.  

What I believe as a mainline Christian is different than what a Catholic believes, different than what a fundamentalist believes, different than what a evangelical believes, and different than what a Mormon believes. When she sued her school over a religious banner it actually supports people of faith, allowing them to raise their children in their belief at home instead of allowing an authority figure at school (teacher, principal, etc) the opportunity to teach our children what we personally do not want our children to be taught.  (Example: an evangelical might teach my child that gays and lesbians are sinners, a fundamentalist might teach my child that only a man can be the head of the household, a Mormon might teach my child that abortion is a sin.  These are all things that are NOT taught at my church and I don’t want these views shoved down her throat.)

Anyway, I’m more than happy to support this brave y0ung woman and there will be money coming her way within a week or so.  It’s not much but every bit helps!

Thank you.  And I do make my point known in public-I’m just not all that loud about it.  I don’t have the lungs to scream like the religious right.

There are more than you think-we just don’t hold up hateful signs and scream until we’re red in the face. And most of us are cool with a person believing whatever they feel is right for them.  A few of us are even open to civil discussions about it.  

To Jessica. . .   Thank you for standing up for the rights of ALL Americans, whether they realize it or not.  And, to Question Everything, you did make a valid point and I sure did do a little bit of research on Jessica to see if she seemed like a studious person.  After reading some of her blog, I feel good about having contributed to her scholarship fund. 

What’s up with ChipIn? The website  appears to be non-responsive, and the widget is gone.

Edit: Never mind, the ChipIn website and the widget are both working again.

I’ve made a small but heartfelt contribution – bravo Jessica.

I have seen many people voicing opposition to a scholarship fund for Ms. Ahlquist on a few blogs and even some here, and I think that they are missing the point. Here we have a young lady who has stood up for her rights, for the Constitution and law of the land, and for the rights of those who are attacking her. She has persevered through a court case, ostracization, threats of death and torture, and ridicule and insults by her peers, community, and elected officials. She has done so with poise, intelligence, dignity, grace, and even a sense of humor, that is all too rarely seen in today’s society. This is not a matter of reward, but of necessity. Ms. Alhquist represents the better qualities of mankind, and we have a need, almost to the point of duty, to see individuals such as her continue to succeed, so that we all, as a society, can be ameliorated.

Exactly! This is a future leader, spokesman, or at the very least another member of society that thinks instead of prays.

Just chipped in! Bravo, Jessica

I’m donating $10 to Jessica’s scholarship fund, not because I’m rewarding her for her actions (which I think were not only right, but brave – and you don’t often get a reward for just doing what’s right), but because it’s the best response I can think of to make to the utterly loathsome and disgusting excuses for human beings who think it’s ok to threaten to beat or rape a 16 year old girl.

For every “Christian” posting their hatred and bile here and elsewhere, you are foul. You are evil. You are representing your religion and faith in Jesus in the worst way possible, and I despise you from the depths of my soul.

You can always send a check to the American Humanist Association — just make sure it says “for Jessica Ahlquist”

I am really impressed by this fundraiser, Hemant!  So far there are 1403 contributors (including the small donation I just made) and the average donation so far actually works out to just $26 per contributor.  These kinds of donations are actually the type I am most likely to give to, for a few reasons:
1. I have very little extra money to spend, and it’s easy to do the math and see that most other donators also don’t have much extra to spend, so I still feel like I’m really contributing even if I only have a few dollars.2. I would rather spend money on a targeted focus of one person because I know that my money really is making an impact for that one person.  Donating to FFRF etc. is great but I love that I can point and think “I helped this (ultra-deserving personal role model) person go to college and my donation paid for half a textbook” or something like that.  That means something directly to that person.3. In a drive like this, the numbers (of contributors) count.  Seriously, donating $1 as a token of support to show that you care, does in fact show that you care about the cause and that you support it.  It’s not just the sum of money raised that is impressive, but I find the number of contributors equally if not more impressive- and if I only have $1 or $5 I can spend right now, then that solidarity will mean something to the person benefitting, too.  4. Lots of causes catch my attention and make me want to donate, but the truth is that every time I tell myself I’ll donate $50 next pay check to this cause, something comes up that I need it for or I just forget about it.  So I donate what I can spare, when I can spare it, and don’t hold myself accountable for donating to something later.  So it all comes down to money for me- I feel a personal connection to the beneficiary, which makes me feel good, and I know that both the small amount and the number I represent in the mix of donors will make an impact to everyone who reads those numbers.  My tiny donation makes an impact that I can see.  So that’s how I choose to spend my money.  And for what it’s worth, all the people crying “what about the other atheist students who need college money?” sound an awful lot like “What about all the non-gay kids who are bullied and kill themselves? Don’t they need their own It Gets Better project?” and all the other arguments like that that don’t make sense.  Jessica getting money to go to college doesn’t preclude anyone else getting money to go to college, and I would not have donated anything to anybody today if I had not read about this fund on here and from Greta Christina again today reminding me I want to do that.  Jessica- thank you for inspiring me and making the world I live in a better place.Hement- Ditto, and please keep doing these types of drives, because they really work for people like me, and hopefully my reasoning makes sense.  

Just wrote you back. All fixed!

you’re a whiny one aren’t you

you’re a whiny one aren’t you

this girl doesn’t deserve one penny i dont beleave in a higher power but this girl didnt do nothing but cause problems and still if you think she didnt why give here money she didnt do anything great and isnt it the little boys freedom to hang up what he beleaves in  its not like the church hung it there every one has there beleifs i dnt get why this girl cares so much shes a loser who doesnt kno shit about religon

Every tie I try to donate I get an UNTRUSTED CONNECTION thing that pops up saying it could be something impersonating the site.  I don’t want to type in my bank information on something that could be trying to steal it. 

It hasn’t been tampered with. It may just be an issue with the Chipin website. However, when I tested it just now, it looked to be working just fine.

Just now, it looks like there is a “trusted connection” problem with the fund; has it been tampered with?

It hasn’t been tampered with on my end. It may just be an issue with the Chipin website. However, when I tested it just now, it looked to be working just fine.

****Sigh** It’s “atheists” like her and many here that make me almost ashamed to be an atheist. This little brat is no hero. She acts vindictive and most comments I’ve heard from her are snide and conniving. Money grubber. And you all bought it. Way to go ACLU…always supporting the losers.

Please Tim, the ACLU could care less about the constitution. MONEY.

HOW has Jessica Ahlquist acted vindictive, snide or conniving?  In WHAT way has she been a money-grubber?  Please be specific.

The ACLU supports people of all beliefs.  They are paid for their work, just like anyone else.

 You really haven’t read that much if you don’t understand. She has had death threats for standing up for the US constitution’s separation of church and state. I personally don’t think the banner is hurting anyone (I am an atheist and it doesn’t bother me – but then I am a Brit and we are more used to ignoring the place religion has in government), but the fact is that it is unconstitutional. So, she is not getting $40,000 for being intolerant, she is getting it for standing up to the intolerance displayed towards her. The irony is that if the school district hadn’t chosen to waste its energy on fighting an unwinnable case, she would only have been a small story.
Also ironically, as some people have pointed out, separation was probably intended as much to give churches freedom as the state.

I also got dire ‘untrusted connection’ warnings from Firefox, but breezily ignored it anyway…
hope my contribution does indeed end up in Jessica’s college account!
 

Yay! Just chipped in $77 to make it a cool $45,000!

Jessica is a true American patriot. She is defending one of the fundamental principles on which the United States was founded, and those who have victimized her can only be described as traitors to that great nation. Make no mistake, if the Founding Fathers were alive, they would be standing proudly by her side. They would also be shocked to see so many of their fellow citizens betraying the ideals for which they fought so hard.

I have made a small donation, because I think she deserves to be rewarded for showing courage, poise, and a sense of humor in the face of such despicable treatment. As she is approaching college age, and with tuition fees in the US so high, I think a college scholarship is a splendid way for people to show their support and give her a helping hand.

Thank you for doing this! I was listening to an old interview with Ms. Ahlquist and she mentioned that a lot of people don’t like her. Well, hopefully this scholarship fund gives some perspective on how many people like her A LOT.
I made a small contribution last night, and today I ordered an “Evil Little Thing” shirt.  

Only Australians can provide best management courses in
Australia. Because of brilliant academic faculties and world-class educational
institutions, Australian study is accepted in all over the world. Choose any
best college in Australia for better qualification and bright future. 

 a

Resolve all kind of pesky server problems issues once and
for all with the help of professional server support companies. Exclusive
online server support resources offer Server repairs, remote monitoring and
management for all components of your server infrastructure. 

There are many IT consultants Sydney offers you efficient
and quick IT consulting services for your business success. To understand what
their clients need, IT consultants must put together rational service
catalogues. Furthermore, permanent IT consultants must monitor business value
to earn customer loyalty in an aggressive marketplace.