Jessica Ahlquist is a brave young woman who took a wildly unpopular stand for her principles in Cranston. Her lawful challenge to the Cranston prayer banner was an affirmation of the First Amendment on several levels, not just the separation of church and state, but the right of free speech and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances.
But since she took her stand, she has paid a heavy price - hate mail, social shunning, death threats and more.
There is an effort afoot to give her a head-start on her adult life - probably someplace other than Cranston, by raising money for a college fund.
So far, more than 1500 donors have kicked in more than $41,000 to help ensure Jessica gets the kind of schooling that will equip her to do great things as an adult.
If you wish to contribute, check in here. The link to the direct-giving site has already been hacked and sabotaged (which figures), so check in with The Friendly Atheist for current links. The special fund-raiser for Jessica Ahlquist is scheduled to run until February 29.
EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm not taking comments on this article and took down all the comments that slipped through. The issue of whether you think Jessica is a "evil thing" or not, or how you feel about "In God We Trust" being on US currency has already been re-hashed in dozens of comments on Progressive Charlestown. It's all been said. It's boring. It's irrelevant. I posted this piece because I think Jessica is a smart, brave young woman who should go to college and serve society by her own lights. If you think otherwise, start your own damned blog.