Speech & Debate Page #8

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with a great big army.

No, no, no, no!

I appreciate diversity,

- but hoodlum antics will not be tolerated.

- Say hi to YouTube, b*tches!

Guys, this isn't the first time

we've done this.

I got a bad feeling about this.

That's what you said about the

Portland trip, and that was amazing.

Portland was

a hellish experience.

Well, yeah, Portland was the worst day

of our lives, but just stay calm.

Everyone must stick to

their three-minute open mike.

This is for your own benefit,

so everyone gets

the chance to speak.

Okay? And with that said,

um...

the first at the open mike is...

Diwata Jones.

Hi. I'm Diwata Jones.

Though some of you

might know me as Sister Berthe

from sophomore year's production

of The Sound of Music.

[light clapping]

Before me is the set

for Once Upon a Mattress.

Sadly, I will not

be participating

in this year's show

due to miscasting.

As disturbing as

this news has been

to a lot of people

in the community,

I'm grateful it's led me

to an amazing new group

of people here at North Salem.

I recently became part of the

newly-formed Speech and Debate team,

the first team

in the school's history

to almost make it

to octo-finals

at the highly prestigious

Portland Invitational.

[light clapping]

And now, with

my remaining two minutes,

I'd like to show you

our team's work

to prove that the school

should support,

metaphorically and financially,

our worthwhile endeavor.

Arnie, lights.

- [bell ringing]

- [audience chattering]

Where am I?

I must have fallen

through a wormhole

and traveled back in time.

But to when?

And to where?

Boy, what you doin'?

Boy, what you thinkin'?

Boy, what's your name?

It's Abraham Lincoln

I've landed in a land

That's strange and foreign

Tell me your name

It's Mary Warren

Boy, this is Salem

I just had my trial

They think I'm a witch

They think I'm vile

They said

Girl, you'll hang

You must confess

So I lied and said

Yes, I am possessed

You held it in

I held it in

But, Mary, you lied

I held it in

Don't you feel awful?

Yes, but I'm alive

This girl is headstrong.

Abe, I lied in court

But what the heck

I lost my honor

Not my neck

Today is a tough day for me.

I was just on my way

to have a talk with my parents.

What kind of talk, Abraham?

Oh, you know. I just wanted

to share with them

that I'm a little different,

that I love them,

but I also love

the way army men look,

in and out of their uniforms.

Wow. Too bad there's no place

for you to share your feelings.

Why don't you join

the Recycling Club?

You don't have to talk about what's

on your mind when you can recycle.

Do you want my advice, Abraham?

Yes, Mary Warren.

Hold it in

I want to share my feelings

No, don't be obscene

Just hold it in

But my voice matters

Not if you're a teen

Swallow your feelings

Don't you want to run

The country someday?

Yes, you think

I can do it?

Not if you're gay

But, Mary, speaking

My mind is not a sin

Trust me, I'm a Puritan

Hold it in

Yeah

Keep your feelings inside

Just hold it in

Girl, I can't lie

Just swallow your pride

Please don't riff.

If I hold it in

I'll lose my bravery

If you hold it in

You will end slavery

You win

I win

[together] - If you

hold - If I hold

It in

Yeah

Two teenagers, lost,

separated by different times,

yet united in their quest

to speak their minds.

Far-fetched? Perhaps.

But far from true? Far from it.

Teenagers today are holding

lots of things inside...

like feelings,

fears, and fetuses.

But by keeping these things

hidden inside,

who are kids really helping?

Themselves?

Or the adults who would

rather ignore these subjects

than have to engage them?

After all, do we live

in Salem, Oregon,

or Salem, Massachusetts,

circa 1692?

Puritanism seems to be

alive and well in Salem,

so I ask, would Mary Warren's

naked forest dancing

be any more welcome today?

Let's find out.

Arnie!

["Freedom '90" playing]

I was every little

Hungry schoolgirl's

Pride and joy

And I guess

It was enough for me

I think there's something

You should know

I think it's time

I told you so

There's something

Deep inside of me...

Featured ensemble, my ass.

Take back your picture

In a frame

Take back your singing

In the rain

I just hope you understand

Sometimes the clothes

Do not make the man

All we have to do now...

Is take these lies

And make them true

Somehow

All we have to see

Is that I don't belong

To you

And you don't belong

To me, yeah yeah

Freedom

Freedom

Freedom

You've gotta give

For what you take

Freedom

Freedom

Freedom

You've gotta give

For what you take

Heaven knows we sure

Had some fun boy

What a kick

Just a buddy and me

What a kick

Just a buddy and me

We aren't leaving

until we have a GSA!

We won't rest until

Mary Rodgers' real lines

are put back into

the school play!

We won't stop until

the newspaper can write

about issues that actually

concern the student body.

We won't stop...

until people are held

accountable for their actions.

Try and stop us!

You can't possibly

stop us from...

[man in audience]

What's going on?

Saw your video online.

You were awesome.

Thanks.

[shushes]

Oksana recorded it on her Razr,

so the quality's sh*t,

but 84 views.

We might go viral, people.

Can I see, please?

If those 84 people

tell their friends,

who tell their friends...

I say we monetize

my YouTube account

- instantly. I'm serious.

- [reporter] Hey.

Guys, look.

Hey.

Are you guys students here?

Yeah.

We've been hearing there have

been some issues with teachers.

Censorship.

And a play was rewritten

without the author's permission.

Do you guys know

anything about that?

Yeah. This is your guy.

He'll tell you everything

you need to know.

Okay.

Hey. I'm Solomon.

I used to work

for the school paper.

Rachel. Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

So do you like working

at the school paper?

[chuckles] Uh...

It was something else. Uh...

- [message received tone plays] -[Solomon]

Well, I started when I was a sophomore.

That was last year.

At the beginning,

it seemed like a better choice

than yearbook...

What?

- What?

- No, this has got to be a joke.

What?

- [Solomon] Anyway...

- What? Accept it!

No!

You didn't realize

he was into you?

No.

You... What about gaydar?

It was turned off.

I was too nervous.

This is crazy.

[message received tone playing]

No.

What?

He says he wants

to go out on a date.

Oh, my God.

That is amazing.

[Solomon] have a point of

view on my own school.

I had to report on topics

that were already decided on,

and that's the opposite

of reporting.

But the newspaper,

the arts, our clubs,

Look. That's him. That's him.

What's important to our lives.

But all of these things,

they were just a symptom

of the larger problem.

No one was listening to us.

Well, Solomon, we're on air,

and you're talking

to five million people.

I promise someone's

listening now.

[Solomon] Well, it all

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