This Kid Has Moxie
Posted on August 3, 2005
To call this young woman a kid almost belittles what has occurred here. Helena Aldridge is showing wisdom beyond her years. The Saint Petersburg Times reports on this amazing individual.
As a child, Helena Aldridge developed a passion for defending the rights of others.
Now on the brink of adulthood, the 18-year-old finds herself in disagreement with a group that ardently defends individual rights: the American Civil Liberties Union.-source
Haven’t we all? The biggest misconception about this site is that we are anti-civil rights, boy that could not be further from the truth.
Aldridge, who lives in Largo, graduated in May from East Lake High School. Faced with the prospect of paying for a five-year stint in the pharmacy program at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, she gratefully accepted a $450 scholarship from the Elks Lodge and two $500 scholarships from the NAACP.
She was thrilled this summer when she learned she was one of three Florida teens to receive a $1,000 Norman Elliot Kent Youth Activist Scholarship from the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.
The group, based in Miami, offers the awards to graduating seniors who have demonstrated a strong commitment to civil liberties and civil rights through student activism.
Then Aldridge read up on the organization.
While she found much to applaud - the ACLU has been protecting rights guaranteed in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights since 1920 - she was dismayed at what she perceived as the group’s abortion rights stance on abortion and its opposition to prayer in public schools.
Aldridge, who is a member of Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Clearwater, is opposed to abortion. She supports prayer in schools.-source
Not just that Helena, but they have also supported communism since 1920, as well as selectively protecting people rights that are in their best interest, not necessarily America’s.
She called the ACLU last week and left a message saying she had decided to decline the scholarship.
Alessandra Meetze, a spokeswoman for the ACLU, expressed surprise at Aldridge’s decision.
“It’s a first for us,” she said. “We regret that she made that decision, but we certainly respect it.”-source
They would be shocked, at the audacity of a teenager to actually stand up for what she believes and not accept their dirty money fleeced from the American taxpayer.
Aldridge’s mother, Joyce, supported her daughter’s decision.
“We respect their positions, but it was just difficult to align with them in reference to receiving money from them,” she said.
Aldridge’s activist history dates back to the days when she began tagging along with her older sister, Shana, who was president of the Clearwater youth branch of the NAACP. She began attending rallies to encourage young people to sign up to vote. She became a member of the youth branch when she was about 12.-source
We applaud you Helena Aldridge for standing up for what was right. We truly do need more people like you out there that understand the danger of the ACLU, and can recognize what they are doing is wrong, and not in our best interests. If I was a richer man Helena, I would surely donate to your college fund.
“We know the bottom line is that there are always ways to go to school,” Mrs. Aldridge said. “There are a million sources out there for scholarships. It’s just a matter of applying.”-source
We wish you all the luck Helena. You truly are an inspiration.
Please read the whole story about this amazing individual
Thanks Indepundit and Outside The Beltway and Mudville Gazette
» Filed Under Abortion, Church And State
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21 Responses to “This Kid Has Moxie”
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Wish there were a fund to donate to this girls education.
“Alessandra Meetze, a spokeswoman for the ACLU, expressed surprise at Aldridge’s decision.”
They finally met someone with principle!
If that little gal had a paypal account I would send her a little to help.
Thanks Zaph for posting this.
WOW! I am very impressed, and I am with y’all (we should start a college fund for her).
“Stop the ACLU Scholarship Fund”
-A fund that will help young Americans Beat the ACLU with their own sickle and hammer.
Sound Good?
Always admirable when someone is willing to sacrifice for principle. Aldridge disagrees with the ACLU, and therefore declined their $1000. Similarly, the ACLU - an organization that defends the rights of everyone, including Nazis and Klansmen, to free speech - could not agree to stipulations from some foundations that they stop defending promoters of bigotry, and therefore declined more than $1 million. I may have my disagreements with the ACLU - heck, I may have my disagreements with Aldridge, who knows? - but I respect people who are willing to take a stand for principle, regardless.
That said, why not take the money? If I need to raise money, and I have to choose between impoverishing my friends or impoverishing my enemies, I’d rather impoverish my enemies. In declining the scholarship, Aldridge effectively gave the ACLU a $1000 donation (without getting any charitable tax deduction, either). That seems like a strange thing to do for an organization she opposes. Nice symbolism, yeah, but generally I favor substance over form.
But, hey, that’s just crass little ol’ me….
Stand up kid. She’s got a great future ahead of her and it takes guts to make a stand like that. She should run for Congress.
Agreed. And besides, money isn’t everything to live for. It’s nice to see someone taking a break from running the monetary rat race to actually take a stand.
That girl has character. Something seriously lacking today. Great read.
Do you know if there has been a fund set up where we can go to donate money for a college fund? This young lady has really stuck by her principles and I think she should be rewarded for that.
I’ll research and see what I can find out.
nobody…
“That said, why not take the money?”
Such an asinine statement from one who just said: “Always admirable when someone is willing to sacrifice for principle.”
And… “I respect people who are willing to take a stand for principle, regardless.”
“I favor substance over form.”
Just how would you know?
I have yet to see any evidence in your postings, that you have intimate knowledge of either, other than your ability to form something without substance.
If you were here to learn something, would be one thing.
To teach would be another. You are doing neither!
If someone start a fund for her please let me know as I want to donate. God bless that child, she will someday be somebody (that is the opposite of Nobody)
Yeah, yeah, so people tell me. Even my English teacher thought I could enhance my appreciation for symbolism. But, hey, I’m descended from a long line of engineers; what can I do?
Like, remember the anti-apartheid movement? Sure, I could see the benefit of boycotting S. African products, sports teams, travel, etc. But I never understood the benefit of divesting the stock of companies that do business in S. Africa. If we own the stock, then we can vote in shareholder resolutions not to do any further investing in S. Africa, to adopt the Solomon Amendments (barring racial discrimination by the corporation, even if legal), and engage in accounting maneuvers to defer paying taxes, thereby starving the central government, etc. But if all the people of good will sell their stock, they will be selling - by necessity - to people who don’t care. How was that supposed to help the situation? “Symbolically.” Seemed like a big price to pay for symbolism.
My mind just doesn’t work that way, I guess. Sorry if I offend you; again, none was intended.
What’s with you people? The ACLU would defend your rights if you needed them. Just because they defend the rights of any American who interprets their rights as having been violated, even if that disagrees with your views, you want to stop that? Remember freedom? Freedom to choose, freedom to speak, freedom to act is what the ACLU represents, yet you continue to villify and scorn, name-call and attempt to ridicule. What is it you want? A “Christian” country? How is that a free country to non-christians?
A pro-life country? How is that free to Pro-choice people?
A “Republican” country? Is that free to non-republicans?
By all means offer constructive counter arguements, but the hate I feel from this site is distructive and negative.
Hey - free speech, ya know?
My point exactly. Free speech, but to try and impose your own way of thinking and make it law is the exact opposite of freedom. Remember Communism? Thats what you’re talking about here - you call the ACLU Commies yet you want to restrict the rights of individuals who don’t agree with you which is exactly how the USSR ran their crap.
Reasoned arguement and the consensus of opinion is what this country is based on , not hatred towards those who’s ideas differ from your own - that’s not the American way. Live the Freedom you say you love.
the Administration Bldg state of Minnisota. I wonder if they know you are using a state computer to troll blogs?
nobody.really:
It must be the engineering brain, because the thought crossed my mind too. I still think she did the right thing in this case, but I’m with you on impoverishing my enemies.
However, I HAVE been called “Machiavellian” by moonbat trolls.
Which reminds me, I ordered a “free Quran” from CAIR, too. Not because I want it, but to lighten their wallets.
I’m so glad to hear that there are kids out there like this.
Richard said:
“Freedom to choose, freedom to speak, freedom to act is what the ACLU represents, yet you continue to villify and scorn, name-call and attempt to ridicule. What is it you want? A “Christian” country?”
I don’t think we need a Christian country, however, it seems that the ACLU is all for freedom of speech as long as it has no moral or Christian value and as long as it doesn’t impose on the ears of those who “feel” they shouldn’t be forced to hear it.
Freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion. I don’t hear a peep from the ACLU about Qurans and other religious materials being bought with taxpayer money for prisoners at GITMO.
thank you for this blog http://www.bignews.com
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