An Open Letter to Jessica Ahlquist

Dear Jessica Ahlquist,

     Thank you for standing up for our Constitution-- and the Separation of Church and State.  I read about your case on Daylight Atheism.  I also found the Rhode Island Supreme Court Decision at http://www2.turnto10.com/mgmedia/file/445/cranston-prayer-banner-ruling/
   
     I salute your bravery.  In my opinion, it is far easier to be an activist away from one's own community than it is in one's own "backyard."  I have found that out through my own experiences with participating in Queer Nation actions in other cities vs. writing a letter to the editor of my hometown newspaper.

     I've searched the Internet and have read through all of the responses that I found generated by the court's decision.  Sadly, I am not amazed by hatred and verbal abuse contained in some number of those responses.  As you well know, bullying is not confined to high school students.  The enthusiastic expression of a sincerely held religious belief is easily distinguishable from threats to "mess you up."

     I wish you the very best in your future endeavors,

     radical sapphoq

To the Vatican

 Dear Vatican, Popes, and all the rest:


     I have been educating myself about Rwanda and the genocide there in 1994.  You have claimed that actions of the individual are not necessarily condoned by Rome.  Allowing a priest who fled Rwanda to continue in priestly functions, i.e. work as a priest, in Florence UNDER A DIFFERENT NAME certainly seems like complicity to me.  Whether he calls himself Anthanase Seromba or Don Anastasio Sumba Bura, you surely cannot honestly claim not to have known what happened over there in Rwanda before showing up in Florence, Italy.  Did you think he fell from the sky?  Yeah, he turned himself in to answer charges of perpetrating [perceived] racial [actual] violence and murder.  But only under pressure by external sources.  Anthanase Seromba is where he belongs-- in a prison in Dabon serving out his life sentence for genocide and extermination.  No thanks to any of you.

                                    No Love,


                                    radical sapphoq

http://www.arushatimes.co.tz/2008/12/un_tribunal_3.htm
 http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/publisher,ICTR,,,48b690172,0.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/mar/29/pope-catholics-rwanda-genocide-church
 http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=10171
http://www.mail-archive.com/stopnato@listbot.com/msg01466.html
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/priest.sentenced.to.life.for.role.in.rwandan.genocide/17336.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16189347/ns/world_news-africa/t/ex-priest-gets-years-rwanda-genocide-case/