January 26, 2012

Got up, helped Jess make her interview with the BBC, then had lunch with her. Another long, busy day. But things are looking up.

January 25, 2012

What a day. Worked all day to pull together the rally/protest at the Cranston School Committee meeting to take some of the heat off Jessica. It went really well. To tired to write more yet.

January 24, 2012

Tomorrow morning at about 9am I'll be on the Helen Glover Show, WHJJ.

this is because of the press release I sent out about the mini rally I'm planning at the Cranston School Committee meeting tomorrow night.

I also videoed the RI Council of Churches Press Conference in support of Jessica, and would have had the video up already, except that I drove Jess to her New York Times interview.

Oh, and the BBC wants to interview Jess and I as well.

This has been crazy.

January 23, 2012

Today I did not accomplish much, except the first draft of the longest blog post I've ever done.
I helped my wife Kathy out with her business, and spent my free time organizing the big event for the next Cranston School Committee meeting.

January 22, 2012

Got up and checked out the paper: My niece Jessica was on the front page again. But this time, it was different. The paper was running a series of articles, five in all by my count, that were basically in support of Jessica and the ruling in her favor by Judge Lagueux. Check out:

Still a lively experiment

Religion still has a place in schools, says scholar

Mural at Bain removed without fanfare last year

Ex-prayer-mural supporter now advocates removing religious words

Timeline: The school prayer at Cranston West


Judge details how, why he ruled

Also, in a feature called "IN QUOTES THE WEEK THAT WAS" the Providence Journal ran the following:

“Not once in my four years have we been forced to read or say the prayer. Please consider appealing the decision to take down the prayer. … If we’re gonna go down, let’s go down fighting.”

Cranston West Student Council President Patrick McAssey, addressing the School Committee about the controversial prayer banner in his school.

I note this because Patrick McAssey is the student who emailed me and asked me to remove the video of his statement to the Cranston School Committee from last Tuesday night, claiming that his statements were for the School Board only and that as a minor he thought his comments should not be put on YouTube for all to see. I disagreed with his logic, but removed the video because he is a minor and I didn't want to link him forever to words he might regret. But this quote in the newspaper is making me rethink my decision.

Given the potential for a sudden swing in support for Jessica's position, I've organized a Facebook event to get people out to the next School Committee meeting this coming Wednesday. Here's the link:

Support Jessica Ahlquist at the Cranston School Committee Meeting

I'm hoping to get at least a hundred people to attend.

Meanwhile, Jessica was in Florida, giving this excellent talk about her experiences:

The rest of my day was spent grocery shopping and driving my son back to UMass Amherst.

I already miss him. 

January 21, 2012

Woke up to some good news. The providence Journal published my op-ed in defense of Jessica Ahlquist, "Roger Williams would have been proud".

My big plan to go to Connecticut and visit the florist who completed the order to Jess has been scuttled by the snow, but I'll get out there with my camera soon enough. Today looks like a day of shoveling, reading and hot chocolate.

January 20, 2012

I spent the morning and early afternoon editing an interview with Ken Fish that I'm doing to help my friend Jenny Norris to complete her master's in social work.  Ken is a 70 year old gay activist who has lived through the entirety of this recent period of gay rights and gay acceptance. He recounts the gay bars of the 70s, the AIDS epidemic of the 80s, the civil rights victories of the 90s, and the ongoing struggle for full marriage equality and acceptance.

If I had known how good the interview was going to be, I would have brought two cameras. As it stands, it is a compelling, moving watch.

As soon as Jenny and Ken give me permission, I'll post it here, and everywhere else too.

Also today, it snowed! I shoveled my walk and driveway, and my neighbors walk. She said she'd make me fritatas, and I did not say no.

More snow tomorrow. Fun.



Chris Young made a video about the prayer banner. Of course the comments have been disabled.