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!

Great idea, I will repost on my blog as well to hopefully help the cause.

Google is your friend…

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

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.

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

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

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

how embarassing… isnt being an atheist about not beleiving anything? and not going out of your way to be a complete scumbag about anything to do with god? is god exists, your gonna cop it

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

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.

You can’t read this story and not throw at least a few dollars her way,  Good job Jess!

Contributed. I wish it could be more, but every bit helps, I suppose. Great idea, and thank you Jessica for your hard work!

Iunno, I like the idea that a student like Jessica will be able to attend university without needing to hold a job at the same time, or without extra debt holding her down.

If she did this at 16 imagine what she can accomplish at 26.

And yes, she is a hero.

Do you have your browser set to accept cookies?

There’s
enough information on the web—on news sites and other longstanding
organizations’ sites—to know that Ms Ahlquist intends to go to college
and seems capable of holding her own once there. Given that she uses
reason well and is willing to think for herself, my guess is that she
will do well in college.

I’m in.  Jessica’s an inspiration, or ought to be, to kids everywhere.

If you’re believing in the WRONG god, YOU’RE gonna cop it.

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

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

Nobody likes your joke, you stupid a–!

I don’t believe that Jessica asked for any money, either from the lawsuit or from the community. If you don’t want to give to this cause, then simply don’t. There’s no need to chastise those who find it worthy.

When I read about how much hatred is being spewed towards this bright, lovely young girl, I felt sick about it.  I’m going to ‘chip in’ so Jessica realizes she’s not alone; and so those who think they can bully her into thinking like they do, know she’s not alone.

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.)

There are many freethinking teens who have done what Jessica did & got the same hate thrown at them. Why aren’t they getting free college, why aren’t they “heros”, why aren’t atheists throwing love & support at them?

How about Harrison Hopkins of South Carolina who got his school to stop graduation prayers? What the 15 other college bound freethinking students that the FFRF awarded money to just this year?

There are other teens out there fighting for their Constitutional rights & have plans to continue to fight but they just haven’t gotten the press Jessica has.

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.

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.  

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! 

Damon Fowler did get the same response and over $30,000 was
raised for him

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2011/05/26/an-interview-with-damon-fowler-and-his-brother-jerrett/

Raising (and using) money seems to be more effective when it’s
focused on specific people or efforts instead of having a general charity to
cover a broad range of people and things. Dividing $20,000 among hundreds of freethinking
kids will give less than $100 to each, which could be argued that no real
difference would be made and isn’t a worthier cause. Taken to the extreme, 2 Million could be helped by giving each a penny.

Jessica is a voice in this community because she has fought
for our rights and, with our support, we hope she can continue to make a big
difference for everyone. She has said that she wants to continue in this activism
and inspire others.  This fundraising is
not done to diminish the efforts of others. Just like the point of celebrating Martin
Luther King Jr. Day is not to diminish the efforts of others that fought for
civil rights. But, I guess your response would be why MLK Day instead of Rosa
Parks Day. There are always details about a person’s efforts and their story
that draws in more people than others. To a lot of people Damon’s and Jessica’s
stories are the most inspiring and those are the ones they want to give the
most recognition. 

To think about it in another way, why are you a fan of one band more than
another when they both make music? Are there things outside of the music
that influence your support of them?

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.

Yeah Jessica!  I hope you use all the college money to go to the best college, become the President of the US – (of the matriarchal variety) – and do away with ALL religious BS in the United States!  You GO GIRL!  :))))  SO happy!!

As soon as my PayPal updates I will contribute. I would like to say that I am very proud of what Jessica has accomplished .  I am one of those dreaded “Theists” in fact I am a Polytheist.  I also believe in everyone’s right to choose to whether they believe in Deity or not.  I also believe that as theists we have an obligation to our Deity to act in a manner that brings Honor to ourselves and those we worship, regardless of what name we call our God/Goddess.  Polytheist or Monotheist we have an obligation to conduct ourselves according to the precepts of our religion and that does not include verbally attacking someone.

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

I can assure you, as someone who has become acquainted with Jessica and her extended family, that she is someone you would be glad to support. And with just a bit of Googling, you could find enough evidence, including interviews of Jessica, to gain that impression yourself.  Beyond subsidizing the education of a young, courageous activist who promises to contribute disproportionately to the good of our society, our contributions represent tangible expressions of support that cannot but impress those who oppose her and her cause.

I am wondering, by the way, if you consider all people who contribute to worthy causes as acting like sleep. How could one contribute to this fund in a way that would not trigger your reflexive disdain? Do you include in the “everything” that you claim to question your own construction of this situation?

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’d need to know more details about how it would be run before I respond. How many students? Who’s holding the money? Etc.

I think you’re facing a challenge because other groups already give general scholarships and I’m not sure how this would be different. In theory, you have my support. But I’d want to know who’s getting the scholarships, why, how much, etc. That depends on how you market the organization and how much in contributions you can get. A lot of questions need to be answered, you know?

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.

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

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!

You mad bro?

FYI, this just got mentioned on the Religion New Service daily highlights:
http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?%2Frnsblog%2Fwednesday_godbytes_sopa_tea_party_jesus_scholarship_for_atheists%2F

Cory Vingi is a lying sack of shit. Here’s a post on his Facebook wall:
“I
couldn’t be more upset up the crap going on at Cranston West. And i
hope nothing but the worst for Jessica Ahlquist who started that.”This dumb fuck doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Because of your post, Cory, I’m actually going to donate more to Jessica’s college fund. Fucker.

Dumbass, you have no reasonable argument. Your entire argument is, “Wah Wah Wah! She took down a prayer mural and I hope bad things happen to her!!” There are no valid points there, douche.

People have a right to criticize her, but they don’t have a right to make threats against her and her family. Your ignorance spewed on this board suggest that you support threats and violence against her. For that reason, you have no credibility.

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?

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 have the right to comment, but you should take the time to educate yourself so’s not to look like an ass. Fortunately for us, we also have the right to call you out on being wrong.

Clear your cache!

She stood up for a cause that was important to her, and supported by the law. And while it IS the right of every individual to exercise their free speech and voice their dislike of her position or the ruling that was handed down, no one has the right to threaten her. That is what is known as assault. We have laws against that too. And so if she does decide to transfer to a new school so what? That is her right. And hopefully by getting the banner (which was inappropriate) removed from the school, hopefully she has made that school a bit more comfortable for any current or future student (or staff for that matter) that would feel uncomfortable with the banner. 

She has a right to go to school, go to classes and not worry about being threatened, hurt, raped, having things thrown at her or worse. Kids have killed kids before. She has a right to not be in that position. She HAS walked the walk. She asked for it to be taken down, she offered compromise in simply changing the wording to be more inclusive and then she took it to a legal battle when the ‘adults’ refused to remove or reword the banner. 

Is she a hero? No. Thats not what being a hero is about. Is she a wonderful human that understands that all of us have rights and that the minority need protection form the majority? Yes.

And for every one of the people who have called her names, threatened her and so on, are THOSE the christian values you wish to display?

By all means, I appreciate the blogroll link!

Also, does this HTML work?

You’re the uneducated and ignorant one, Cory. 

For every message you post we will increase our donations! For every message you post here I will give an extra $20 to Jessica… Your move!

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.

I think it’s braver when you pursue your cause in an environment as hostile as the one she was clearly in.

I’ve driven along the road leading to the abbey at Monte Cassino, but it wasn’t while under constant gunfire in WWII like some of my compatriots did, ergo, not a hero.

I’m almost at 300 signatures, but that isn’t nearly enough. If 1100 people can donate to her college fund, 11 more can sign the petition to get rid of Representative Peter “evil little thing” Palumbo. Send it to your friends and make it known throughout the atheist community.

http://www.change.org/petitions/peter-g-palumbo-vote-peter-palumbo-out-of-office-or-have-him-resign

Man, I should had being more assertive about atheism at high school. My student’s wages are killing me, you know. It would be nice to have it paid by strangers while becoming a celebrity.

Except this kind of crap only happens in United States of Freedom And Prosperity, not in the Banana Republic of Brazil. Here, who’d know, you can’t say something anti-religious and expect people to a) get angry about it sou you can b) ask for people to pay for your education. You actually have to put up with indiference and WORK to pay for it.

How can I get a Green Card so I can be bullied and have my scholarship paid by you guys?

You rock! Thanks for being awesome.

the First Church of Atheism congratulates you Jess! I hope our small donation helps you get the education you will clearly use well.

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.)

I read what she had removed from the school and as a Christian I’m offended that it was even posted in a public building.

A prayer shouldn’t be in a public building.  You know that and I know that it shouldn’t have happened.  If  any other faith had wanted to hang a banner that was religious in nature would you personally allow 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?

No, this is being based on your own religious bias. You all hate all Christians prejudging all who are because you are no better than RW extremists who wish to divide people. And if you truly want to”reward” people with “superior” moral conviction you better get busy with that fund drive. There are plenty more where she came from of all races and creeds. The bias here is truly hypocritical.

You’d have my support.

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.  🙂

Yeah, well….they don’t have the right to threaten her LIFE.

And I hope EVERY LAST ONE of those D-bags gets charged with cyberbullying(you DO know it’s a crime, right, Cory?)and crowds the state’s jails.

Nice way to NOT think, pal.

I was wondering how large the fund was getting, last I checked it was ~$32,000, but now I just get “Could not load data for event ID 8d0a74d899b36f56.”

Did the deluge response just kill the donation applet or something?  

God I hope so.

Anyone know where the counter is and what the donation amount is currently?

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

Thank you so much for your support.  One way that Christians who don’t have money can support this young woman is to spread these ideas to fellow Christians.  I am the only atheist in a religious family that I love very much.  I have no desire to trash their religious beliefs.  I do, however, believe that we all should have the freedom to guide our children in the best way we, as parents, know possible.  Not allowing a school institution to guide our children in spiritual matters is something we ALL can agree on.  

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.

I’d like to see a timeline of support on this ChipIn thing—particularly to see what happened after the NYTimes article. Possible?

WWCSD:  The scholarship is a good idea.  Why not keep one candle in the dark brightly lit?  It’s what Carl would do.

Just because the Catholic church and other Christian church goers quite often know nothing about what they preach and some quite often do more harm than good; does not make a sweet prayer written by a child many years ago offensive. This request for removal was ignorant and childish. This prayer had nothing offensive in it, to remove it hurt many people who believe in a god; just because you don’t believe does not give you the right to take it away from others, it was not asking for anyone to believe, or was it saying anything bad about non believers. 
There are many ignorant religious people throughout the world and many ignorant non religious people also. It is not fair to punish all of them because some are ignorant fools. This was ignorant to remove this sweet sentiment written by a child that was not in any way offensive to enlightened non ignorant atheists. The only reason this could have been a violation of her constitutional rights was if she was forced to read it every day. She had a choice to look the other way she did not have to read it  nor did anyone else. It would only have been a violation of her rights if any of the children were forced to read it or it was read allowed or copies distributed. Please stop rewarding this girl for what she did, all she did was prove her intolerance for her fellow human beings as well as her ignorance. The school offered to remove the only part of the prayer that had anything to do with religion and it was still refused; they tried to make her and others more comfortable even though it went against what they believed. This girl has no tolerance at all and no respect for others. The only wrong doing was how people treated her after she shared her beliefs, but this is HIgh School it  should have been expected. Perhaps if she had been more tolerant  of their beliefs they would have been more tolerant of hers.

“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.

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.

Hello.  I can’t use PayPal.  Is there any way I can donate anyway?  I can’t even use the credit card option because PayPal won’t let me.

“you will agree that I have every right to comment on it.”
Can you understand the difference between someone preventing you from speaking and someone speaking in opposition to your opinion?  Freedom of speech works both ways.

She is a freethinker, and eloquent speaker and a fighter for the rights of us all.  She has suffered because of her battle.  I can spend my money on whatever I choose, and I choose to spend it on this.

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.

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.  🙂

Where has the link to Jessica’s scholarship fund gone?

I have to say, the amount of money getting thrown at this girl is ridiculous. Yes, we should have funding for atheist students to go to college. However, there are so many kids out there that are atheists, that get bullied and punished and are struggling to pay for school that don’t get their education paid for. To single out one girl ostracizes the entire young atheist community. Christian organizations help out all their young, fellow Christians, but it seems like the adults in the atheist community don’t care about high school and college aged atheists unless we’re bringing huge amounts of press to the issue. Don’t the rest of them deserve help? I’d like to say I’m not bitter, but I am. Right now I’m going to community college because I can’t afford anything else, and looking at stories like this reminds me of all the times I got cussed out and beat up on the bus and at school because I was an atheist. In Bellevue, Nebraska and Tampa, Florida, these communities do not look kindly on non-believers. And I got no reward other than an intellectual one, and if it was good enough for me, why isn’t it good enough for her? We all get threatened, and a lot of us get more than threats. This is just an outrage, it really is.

that’s pretty naive.  1) without religion, people find another reason to start wars and creeds. 2)Native Americans weren’t all peaceful, they waged wars as well-just like any other group. assuming otherwise is condescending.

I heard about Jessica’s scholarship fund on the way to work and decided to donate.  I had previously heard through several sources about her struggle and ultimate court victory and decided I needed to donate to let her know that she is NOT alone, that what she did was right, and to encourage her to continue to show the courage that I wish I had, not only at her age, but even now.  Way to go, Jessica!

When I got to the ChipIn box, I noticed that the current total was $39,705 with 1499 people having donated.  Now, 40,000 sounded like a nice round number to me, so I donated $295 to bring the running total to $40,000 (and also to raise the number of donors to 1500).

Now, I challenge and encourage all of you.  Let’s make the $40,000 mark just the start on our way to… what?  $60,000?  How about $80,000?  Or even $100,000?  Let’s do something nice for Jessica to counterbalance all of the hate and vitriol she’s had to endure.

Jeff

http://m.christianpost.com/news/atheists-to-reward-ri-teen-with-40k-for-prayer-banners-removal-69807/

Here is a VERY BIASED article about this scholarship fund.  For one thing the word scholarship is in quotes, implying that the author of the article doesn’t really believe that the money will be used for Jessica’s eduacation.  Second of all, the article states that Jessica intends to transfer to another school.  Is this a new development, or an outright falsehood ?  Everything I have read says that Jessica intends to graduate at Cranston West.  If this is a falsehood, perhaps someone should post a comment to this article admonishing them to not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
 

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

you’re a whiny one aren’t you

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.

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.

****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.

I’m pretty disappointed by the tone of the comments on this site. The pretense of the friendly athiest doesn’t come through at all. It seems the community is more interested in giving the thumbs up to spiteful jabs at christianity than they are in meaningful dialogue. It’s rather small minded.

As for Jessica for you she may be a hero, to me she is selfish. I don’t know how she has been treated, and I don’t condone any over reaction to this situation but how is a prayer banner that has been there for 50 years hurting anyone? Now she gets 40,000 dollars for being intolerant?

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!
 

Indeed, the ACLU could care a *lot* less than they do. But if they cared less, they wouldn’t fight these violations.

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.

Anyone know what jessica plans to study at college?

Apparently you don’t get it, Michael. What Jessica did takes great courage. That sign and signs like it have no business in public. Suppose I put a sign up in public saying “God Is Dead” –Nietzsche. Would you accept that, just walk by it and ignore it? I feel the same way about Christian banners. They insult my intelligence. Too often I’m too busy to bother to find out who to talk to to get them taken down. Ms. Ahlquist did my job for me and I appreciate it and donate to her future.

If you have nothing but hurt and heartache to show for your whole life, perhaps Ms. Ahlquist is on the right track and you have been mistaken all this time. It is not too late to reject ignorance and superstition.

When I donated $20, the average donation here to Ms. Ahlquist was $26. I think this is a great way to reward courageous teenagers. Pocket change to us, but real bucks to her. She deserves it! She is my hero! 

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

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

Gotta put this out again…

WWJD is now “What Would Jessica Do”

Keep on keepin’ on, J. 😉

I am not worried, as when Jesus reappears, this will be an eye opener for the “ATHEIST’S”, who will be destroyed, along with all who have not ———————-, read the bible!
 

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That a boy Ben send some money to that pathetic pawn for her parents and the ACLU. I have family that goes to that school and it’s only the communist left media sensationalizing things once again!! Two idiots who were expelled because of that threat caused the media to print unfounded stories.

Read the above.