What follows is the Twitter report that I sent from my seat last night in the Cranston High School East auditorium, as residents of Cranston for and against an appeal in the case of Ahlquist v. Cranston. I intend to write a fuller account of my impressions of the evening -- the flashes of good will, the disturbing spectacle of hostility -- but it was a long night and that will have to wait.
These run in chronological order, from early in the evening to about 11 PM:
These run in chronological order, from early in the evening to about 11 PM:
- After 'they' sang God Bless America, 'we' sing America the Beautiful, are told to "GO HOME" #prayerbanner
- Class of '63 wants to take religious words off mural, rather than remove it #prayerbanner
- State rep wants appeal; because obviously majority of residents want it #prayerbanner
- State rep says decision will lead to other attacks on constitution #prayerbanner
- State rep says she's fought for rights... #prayerbanner
- Speaker says there a place for this mural, but not in the school #prayerbanner
- Speaker is being jeered for talking about being discriminated against #prayerbanner
- The vilification of atheists represents a lack of compassion #prayerbanner
- Speaker was booed for saying school is a community of learning... #prayerbanner
- Teacher says her classroom is not a temple... #prayerbanner
- Churchgoer says to love and accept others as they are #prayerbanner
- Churchgoer discourages cruelty, belittling, wonders: why the fuss? #prayerbanner
- Churchgoer says, fight violence in social media, instead of the mural #prayerbanner
- Speaker is sad this case didn't provoke critical, constructive discussion #prayerbanner
- Speaker asks, why not notice the district's accomplishments instead? #prayerbanner
- Speaker says... continue the discussion WITHOUT a legal battle #prayerbanner
- Resident admires the mural's values, but... it is Christian. #prayerbanner
- Catholic supports Jessica BECAUSE of history of religious oppression #prayerbanner
- Catholic says tax dollars should not support one religious view #prayerbanner
- Believer supports Jessica, in view of history's religious oppression #prayerbanner
- Resident sitting behind me is calling every speaker against the banner, sotto voce, a fecking 'hypocrite' #prayerbanner
- Speaker asks that this case be a chance to model adult behavior #prayerbanner
- Taxpayer, mother, says appeal makes no sense #prayerbanner
- Taxpayer, mother, says, devote attention to education, not appeal #prayerbanner
- Mother remembers prayer in school as coercive, confusing #prayerbanner
- Vet says, mural is not a govt. document, so allowable #prayerbanner
- Speaker reminds that we don't go to school to pray #prayerbanner
- Speaker reminds us that Dalai Lama is an atheist #prayerbanner
- Speaker says no appeal... conserve tax dollars #prayerbanner
- Resident says appeal, as someone has to take a stand #prayerbanner
- Teen invokes Roger Williams and religious tolerance #prayerbanner
- Teen asks, what's next, taking IGWT off money? #prayerbanner
- Speaker says progressive agenda is filth, evil, tragic #prayerbanner
- Speaker says the suit was cowardly #prayerbanner
- Student, a catholic, was shocked to learn of the suit #prayerbanner
- Student says this is about morals [and is adamant, rambling] #prayerbanner
- Teen doubts taxpayers want city to quit, tail between legs #prayerbanner
- Speaker says, supporters should fund appeal, not taxes #prayerbanner
- Speaker says appeal would snuff hope of fiscal health #prayerbanner
- Speaker says personal feelings beside the point #prayerbanner
- Father recalls daughter speaking against budget cuts #prayerbanner
- Father says, we can't even spend $1k on trash bags! #prayerbanner
- Father says, do not gamble with my kids' education #prayerbanner
- Speaker thinks SCOTUS ignores 200 years of US history? #prayerbanner
- Speaker: they're pushing our god out of public life! #prayerbanner
- Speaker somehow equating this case with communism #prayerbanner
- Speaker feels ill at spectacle of divisiveness #prayerbanner
- Business owner says, save school money for education #prayerbanner
- Resident says mural does not promote a religious belief! #prayerbanner
- Speaker says prayers need not be religious, nor amen #prayerbanner
- Speaker warns of traditions being torn down #prayerbanner
- Atheist being booed for being atheist #prayerbanner
- Atheist to give $500 to preserve banner outside school #prayerbanner
- Speaker asks if supporters would support an Allah mural #prayerbanner
- Financial planner says appeal makes no fiscal sense #prayerbanner
- Resident says RW would find mural violation of SOCAS #prayerbanner
- Speaker asks if they can appeal figure of $173k #prayerbanner
- Priest says, I never viewed it as a prayer #prayerbanner
- Teen teebower says, I am a servant of god #prayerbanner
- Classmate says JA was never bullied #prayerbanner
- Classmate says, this is a CHRISTIAN community #prayerbanner
- Mother says the Ahlquists are wasting the school's money #prayerbanner
- Resident says, appeal, don't surrender our rights #prayerbanner
- While other speak, Chris Young is signing up more pro-appeal folks, to keep out-of-towners away from mic #prayerbanner
- Speaker says ours is a DIVERSE nation, not Christian #prayerbanner
- Mother says her kids' freedom of speech ignored #prayerbanner
- Mother worried US on slippery slope, losing freedoms #prayerbanner
- Speaker notes string of attacks on religion in US #prayerbanner
- Speaker invokes Obamaplot, MLK, looming endtimes #prayerbanner
- Conspiracy theorist gets rousing applause #prayerbanner
- Speaker asks if JA changes her mind, can mural stay? #prayerbanner
- Speaker [not a linguist] observes that "Amen" is not religious -- it's just an 'affirmation'! #prayerbanner
- Speaker says mural is a poem, TITLED "School Prayer" #prayerbanner
- Speaker thinks suit came from JA's sense of entitlement #prayerbanner
- Speaker defines 'artifact', says mural is one #prayerbanner
- Speaker says if mural goes, so should museum artifacts #prayerbanner
- Speaker says victor gets the spoils, to write history #prayerbanner
- Mother says HER mother would support an appeal #prayerbanner
- Wistful speaker remembers school prayer #prayerbanner
- Alumna of '63 says when JFK died we said the creed, not prayer #prayerbanner
- Man sitting in front of me explains why he wants an appeal: America is in a sorry state #prayerbanner
- Pastor says, we choose the traditions we honor #prayerbanner
- Pastor says RI first place to have religious liberty #prayerbanner
- Pastor says prayer not a govt. matter #prayerbanner
- Speaker says post a disclaimer or take it down #prayerbanner
- Speaker offended by Christian patriarchy #prayerbanner
- Unassuming woman sitting next to me has filled seven notebook pages with angry words about atheists #prayerbanner
- Speaker critical of Catholicism booed loudly #prayerbanner
- Speaker recalls only Hanukah lesson from school #prayerbanner
- Father says, hey, no one forced to recite prayer #prayerbanner
- School committee members giving their yeas, nays... #prayerbanner
- Lawyer with 24 years of experience says, this is a winnable case [displays dubious legal acumen] #prayerbanner
- District executive is "first and foremost a teacher", yet will gamble with $500k of student funding #prayerbanner
- Committee member supports a "minority of one", is booed #prayerbanner
- Committee member says that for all the funds people have said is available, "not one dime" has been given #prayerbanner
- Committee member (Brahe bless her) asks, where were donations when we cut music? #prayerbanner
- The final vote, to cacophony of boos, is against appeal #prayerbanner
- Yet the pro-appeal folks don't seem fazed; perhaps the vote reinforces their self-image as victims? #prayerbanner
- At Dunkin Donuts rally point after the decision, Ahlquist dad wary of "goons"; JA just wants a donut #prayerbanner
- I agree with James Croft -- let's raise money to cover the city's legal costs http://bit.ly/wb4vo0 #prayerbanner
