Just a beginning

Letter to the editor: "Just a beginning" by Ashu M. G. Solo in The StarPhoenix

http://www2.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/forum/story.html?id=f03ed341-43c4-4bd1-b677-7d6ae87d23c0

This letter was edited by the newspaper.

MEDIA ADVISORY: City of Saskatoon Rejects Prayer Policy and Forces Solo to Continue Proceeding with Prayer Recitation Case

MEDIA ADVISORY:  City of Saskatoon Rejects Prayer Policy and Forces Solo to Continue Proceeding with Prayer Recitation Case

SASKATOON, SK, Nov. 26, 2013 - In a cowardly move, the City of Saskatoon's Executive Committee, which is composed of the mayor and all councillors, decided on November 25, 2013 to not implement a prayer policy to prevent religious prayers at civic events.  Therefore, secularism activist Ashu M. G. Solo is being forced to continue with his prayer recitation case against the City of Saskatoon and Councillor Randy Donauer with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission (SHRC).

SHRC will consider the City of Saskatoon's frivolous and vexatious application for summary dismissal of Solo's case.  Solo expects the application for summary dismissal to be rejected.  Then Solo expects SHRC to make another attempt at mediation, but the City of Saskatoon and Donauer haven't participated in mediation so far.  Finally, Solo expects that SHRC will take his case to Court of Queen's Bench to be decided upon by a judge.

"What's the point of getting elected if a politician doesn't have the guts to stand up for what's right?" Solo asked.  "The Executive Committee caved to the public backlash.  I tried from the beginning to resolve this case in a cooperative manner.  Now they're forcing me to go all the way in the legal process.  The status quo will not prevail."

Solo will seek a judgment from the Court of Queen's Bench that has the effect of banning prayer recitations at government organized events throughout the province of Saskatchewan and that has significant persuasive value in other provinces.  This will also outlaw prayer recitations at the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly and at Yorkton City Council meetings.

Further information:

Ashu M. G. Solo
amgsolo@mavericktechnologies.us

Justin Trottier
Canadian Secular Alliance
info@secularalliance.ca

MEDIA ALERT: Solo's Response to Prayer Guidelines Proposed by City Solicitor's Office

From: Ashu M. G. Solo [mailto:amgsolo@mavericktechnologies.us]
Sent: Friday, November 22, 2013 12:31 AM
Subject: MEDIA ALERT: Solo's Response to Prayer Guidelines Proposed by City Solicitor's Office

Dear Media:

In response to my prayer recitation case against the City of Saskatoon and Councillor Randy Donauer, the City Solicitor’s Office has suggested a pre-meal meditation and generic event meditation followed by a moment of silence for city events.  These will be considered by the Executive Committee, which is composed of the mayor and all councillors, at their meeting on Monday, November 25, 2013. 

The last 25 pages of the attached Executive Committee report, which can also be found at

http://saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/City%20Clerks%20Office/Boards%20and%20Committees/agendasandminutes/Pages/default.aspx, talk about the secularism issues I’ve raised in Saskatoon.  Their suggested pre-meal meditation and generic event meditation can be found on the second last page of this report or in Charles Hamilton’s StarPhoenix article at http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/City+pitches+inclusive+greeting+place+prayer/9197104/story.html.

After I filed this case with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, the City of Saskatoon has been forced to make an effort to be more inclusive, so my advisors, supporters, and I have already helped the City of Saskatoon become more respectful of diversity. 

If the city drops the idea of a moment of silence and makes a few minor word tweaks to the suggested pre-meal meditation and generic event meditation, I’m willing to drop my civil rights case against the City of Saskatoon and Randy Donauer.  I’m not looking for money in this case.

The pre-meal meditation suggested by the City Solicitor’s Office follows:

Let us together bow our heads.

We take this moment to pause, before the enjoyment of a meal well-prepared for our celebration, to recognize and appreciate the gifts from nature provided, the work of human hands contributed, and sacrifice represented for our benefit.

Each of us have our own beliefs. Whether we are thankful for the bounty provided by one God or many, from a great spirit energy that is common to us all, or simply from the good people behind the door to the kitchen, we are all together in this moment, full of the grace that comes from being thankful for a gift that is given.

May we all enjoy the gift that is the good meal before us.

Amen.

They have made more of an attempt to try to accommodate people of monotheistic religions, polytheistic religions, aboriginal spiritual people, atheists, and agnostics.  I would be willing to accept this pre-meal meditation if they drop the instruction to bow people’s heads and if they drop the word “amen.”  Bowing heads is not done in all religions and is certainly not done by atheists or agnostics.  “Amen” is a term used to end religious prayers in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.  The City Solicitor’s Office acknowledges in their report to the Executive Committee that the term “amen” is Christian in nature.

In addition to the pre-meal meditation, the City Solicitor’s Office has proposed a generic event meditation.  I don’t believe that the City of Saskatoon currently has generic event prayers, so I don’t see the need to add one now.  The City Solicitor’s Office is creating more problems by proposing a generic event meditation.  The generic event meditation suggested by the City Solicitor’s Office follows:

Thank you for life and the world, for everyone with whom we share this together.

Thank you for today. Let us choose today's goals wisely and live today perfectly.

Let us ensure that we love and respect ourselves and others.

Guide us through our lives to live gracefully.

Amen.

This generic event meditation is more focused on thanking a higher power or God and asking for guidance from a higher power or God, especially when they say “thank you for life and the world,” “thank you for today,” and “guide us through our lives to live gracefully.” Also, they should drop “amen.”  I would be willing to accept this generic event meditation if they replaced it with the following language:

Let us be thankful for life and the world and for everyone with whom we share this together.

Let us be thankful for today.  Let us choose today's goals wisely and live today perfectly.

Let us ensure that we love and respect ourselves and others.

Let us live our lives gracefully.

The mayor and councillors should accept my proposals, so they stop wasting taxpayer money and so their friend Donauer can put his legal problems behind him and focus on his bid to be one of Harper’s regressive lackeys.  Maybe I’ll run against Donauer in the next federal election.  Who else will have the guts to call him out on his religious discrimination and bigotry for initially insisting on having Christian prayer recitations at civic events?

If you have any questions, I can be reached at amgsolo@mavericktechnologies.us.  You can also talk to Justin Trottier, spokesperson for the Canadian Secular Alliance and founder of the Centre for Inquiry Canada, at info@secularalliance.ca.  Justin is extremely familiar with this case. 

Best regards,

Ashu M. G. Solo