I, Ashu M. G. Solo, filed the following:

1. Civil rights case against the City of Saskatoon (Mayor's Office) and Councillor Randy Donauer for prayer recitations at government organized events

2. Code of Conduct complaint against Mayor Don Atchison for potential online campaign advertising violations

3. Civil rights case against the City of Saskatoon (Saskatoon Transit Services) for promoting holidays from only one religion on city buses

4. Human rights complaint against the City of Saskatoon (Executive Committee) for retaliating against me by not reappointing me to the Cultural Diversity and Race Relations Committee and not appointing me to another civic committee or board

5. Human rights complaint against the City of Saskatoon (City Solicitor’s Office) for retaliating against me by trying to deprive me of my right to directly communicate with members of City Council and by telling employees of other City of Saskatoon departments to not talk to me

6. Human rights complaint against the City of Saskatoon (Cultural Diversity and Race Relations Office) and City of Saskatoon (Living in Harmony Ad Hoc Subcommittee of Cultural Diversity and Race Relations Committee) for retaliating against me by not considering my submissions to the Living in Harmony Contest

This site contains my media releases, some case documents, emails to City Council, etc.

I don't waste my time arguing with opponents.

The backlash makes me much more determined to fight against bigotry and shows the need for these civil rights cases, so I'll be filing more civil rights cases. You ain't seen nothing yet.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Christmas messages on buses

From: Ashu M. G. Solo [mailto:amgsolo@mavericktechnologies.us] 
Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2012 1:02 PM
To: 'mayors.office@saskatoon.ca'; 'randy.donauer@saskatoon.ca'; 'eric.olauson@saskatoon.ca'; 'darren.hill@saskatoon.ca'; 'pat.lorje@saskatoon.ca'; 'charlie.clark@saskatoon.ca'; 'mairin.loewen@saskatoon.ca'; 'troy.davies@saskatoon.ca'; 'zach.jeffries@saskatoon.ca'; 'ann.iwanchuk@saskatoon.ca'; 'tiffany.paulsen@saskatoon.ca'
Cc: Murray Totland
Subject: Christmas messages on buses

City Council,

“Merry Christmas” on programmable bus signs doesn’t offend many people who are of Christian ancestry because their families celebrate it and they're accustomed to it.  I’m not of Christian ancestry and it offends me.  It offends other people too.  Why do you want to offend people?  Why does “merry Christmas” need to be on programmable bus signs?  If “merry Christmas” is so important to people, they can stick it on their own vehicles.  I don’t want my taxpayer money funding city buses that promote a religion I don’t believe in. 

People argue that Christmas is secular to non-Christians, but the people they’re talking about are mostly of Christian ancestry and the same can be said about all religious holidays.  Eid is secular to non-Muslims who are of Muslim ancestry. Hannukah is secular to non-Jews who are of Jewish ancestry.  But the bus doesn't display messages for Eid or Hannukah.  It can't display messages for all religions because there are over 10,000 religions, 150 of which have 1 million or more followers (http://www.adherents.com/misc/WCE.html).  This doesn't include branches of each religion.  Therefore, it shouldn't display messages for any religions.

A group of people approached me to make this complaint, but I was also extremely offended by the Christmas message when I saw it and made this complaint.

It has been claimed by some that this issue is petty.  If it’s petty, why are you budding into this issue?  If it’s petty, why did I get massive media coverage?  If it’s petty, why did I get numerous hate messages?  If it’s petty, why did I get a threat?  This is a yearly occurrence on Saskatoon buses.  I’m not the one being petty.  My opponents are the ones being petty by insisting on having “merry Christmas” on Saskatoon buses.  This isn't just about religious messages on Saskatoon buses.  If this goes to the human rights commission, this is about getting a permanent ban on religious messages by the state throughout the province.  I strongly believe that it’s always better to vigorously stand up for what’s right than passively sit down for what’s wrong.  I wanted to start a national debate on religious messages by the state like I started a national debate on prayer recitations at civic events and that's what exactly what I’ve done.  I’m on the nationally syndicated Roy Green Show today to discuss this complaint.

Take a look at some of the online comments in articles on my bus message case and see the religious bigotry and racism that you're defending by wanting to keep religious messages on city buses.  You're supporting the people making these hateful statements against me and the person who made a threat against me.

Ashu M. G. Solo
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