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.

Friday, November 22, 2013

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

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