Okay, bear with me if this story sounds like a repeat.
You may have heard about 16 year old public high school student Jessica Ahlquist in Rhode Island.
It's been a diary twice at Daily Kos within the past week.
Kestrel9000 wrote a recommended diary about Jessica this weekend, and on Monday, Karen Hedwig BackmanFollow wrote a similar diary called “Heavenly Mother …+*”.
After noticing a prayer banner in her public school’s auditorium, she went to the administration and requested that it be removed because the banner's display in her public high school violates the constitution. After many meetings at the school and school board level, the school board decided 4 to 3 to keep the banner. Jessica and her father filed a lawsuit with the ACLU. After many months, a federal judge last Thursday ruled in favor of Jessica's complaint.
The judge's 40 page decision can be read here.
Since then, Jessica has been getting death threats. And, earlier this week, local Rhode Island representative Pete Palumbo called the teenager an “evil little thing” who was “being coerced by evil people” while on a radio show.
Well, today, Rhode Island state senator (District 12), Beth Moura, posted on Twitter the following: “Look at ACLU’s sweetheart Twitter acct and rhetoric of her followers. Not good.”
Moura later tweeted/asked why Ahlquist was against the banner when she uses money with “In God We Trust” printed on it.
Here's a copy of her tweets:
What is it with these two elected officials who attack a 16 year old girl? Why do they think it’s okay to verbally attack a child?
To quote from the blog of The Friendly Atheist:
[Moura] later deleted many of her tweets, but Twitter user @_canyouseeme got the screenshots, though. Here, here, here, and here.
You can contact Moura here and here to let her know what you think.
The decision to remove the prayer banner is getting incredibly pushback.
I can't begin to imagine how difficult it has been for Jessica and her family and friends. Just searching on her name in her local newspaper's website turns up numerous entries.
Regardless, Jessica is still a thoughtful poised teenager. She posted a video response to all the questions she has been receiving since the decision on YouTube two days ago. Already, she's had over 50,000 viewings. BTW, best YouTube name ever. Talk about taking something and owning it.