This is an update to the events I wrote about three weeks ago, in "Top Comments: Another One Drives the Bus Edition".
Once again, tonight's title owes apologies and humility to Weird Al Yankovic, and by extension to Queen.
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Grab yourself a Tim Hortons (no apostrophe!) coffee and an orange croissant, and join the festivities below.
To recap: The public transit system in my village painted one of its buses with rainbow colours, and the slogan "Ride With Pride", in celebration of the annual Gay Pride Festival. Over the course of a week or so, the bus was sent out on a different route, with a different driver, each day.
The Pride Bus in happier days, pre-snow
One particular bus driver employed by transit, Jesse Rau, made a public fuss that he would not drive that bus, on the grounds that it was against his religious beliefs. Problem was, he hadn't been asked to drive it. His public noise-making seems to have been endorsed and encouraged by Artur Pawlowski, a local anti-gay preacher and general public nuisance. Among his claims to fame are the pronouncement that the major flood we had here two years ago was God's punishment for (gasp!) Calgary's embrace of tolerance and equality. Apparently Pawlowski is auditioning early for the role of Pat Robertson.
National Post image of downtown under water, June 2013
Well, good old Jesse's back in the news again, proving once again you can't keep a good martyr down. Or something.
You see, Rau was fired from his job as a bus driver not for not doing his job, but for publicly trashing his employer and dragging its goodwill into the mud.
They said he was entitled to his religious beliefs but went beyond that and made false and misleading comments during various media interviews.
Rau, of course, plays the part of the innocent victim. Tell me you didn't see this coming:
"A healthy country cannot have its citizens silenced on important issues for fear of losing their jobs or worse," Rau said in the news release. "We need men of character who are willing to truly sacrifice in their efforts to rescue this country."
His words are now being put out in the form of a news release. By whom, you might wonder?
The announcement was made in a news release issued by Artur Pawlowski, a spokesman for Calgary's Street Church, an outspoken and politically active group that has condemned gay people on its website as minions of Satan.
Why do these self-righteous gasbags always seem to hitch their wagons to hate groups? And why the announcement now?
Because Jesse Rau has announced that he's running for a seat in Parliament, that's why. The federal election happens here October 19, and Rau will be a candidate in the riding (Americans would call it a district) of Calgary Signal Hill. That's just a stone's throw from where I live, but just beyond the border of my own riding. So I won't be able to vote against him. Pity.
Rau will be running under the banner of the Christian Heritage Party. In 2011, CHP fielded 46 candidates, and got less than 1% of the popular votes in the ridings they contested. I suppose my fellow minions of Satan are going to responsible when he loses. Good.
TOP COMMENTS
September 27, 2015
Thanks to tonight's Top Comments contributors! Let us hear from YOU
when you find that proficient comment.
Flagged by mopshell:
In Desert Rose's diary "Carly Fiorina Doubles Down on Lie on MTP", DisNoir36 calls out the MSM (or traditional media, if you prefer) on not doing their job to point out facts vs. lies.
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TOP MOJO
September 26, 2015
(excluding Tip Jars and first comments)
Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary FAQing Top Mojo.
1) Yet the media by BDA in VA +300
2) Might help if Our Party stopped treating theirs by corvo +271
3) Beautifully written; made my heart smile by worldlotus +145
4) We're experiencing one of Gladwell's by 510AreaBrainStudent +143
5) It Was Our Pleasure, Joan by JekyllnHyde +132
6) I was taken by the line... by The grouch +115
7) I was in line at the library waiting to check out, by tallen387 +114
8) Pretending the crazy guy isn't crazy... by eodell +103
9) Bernie shares a core principle with the Pope. by Eileen B +102
10) Hillary Clinton Supports the Oil and Gas Industry, by unapologeticliberal777 +100
11) Thank you so much, JekyllnHyde. You are a by JoanMar +91
12) All we did was lift a bit of the burden off by Puddytat +87
13) thank you SO MUCH for this fascinating by chimene +84
13) Exactly, corvo by snoopydawg +84
15) the difference is: by coyote66 +83
16) This is one of those diaries that come along by NWTerriD +75
17) Figurer Iran into the supply matrix by MarEng +73
17) I was a handful of people who publicly protested by soaglow +73
19) Already there by prwsag52 +74
20) Here's Juanita's take on the GOP by Old Redneck +71
21) mississippi is 50% federal transfer payments by patbahn +70
22) You've been in my thoughts and will remain there by BoiseBlue +68
22) There is a by OLinda +68
24) I think President Obama has been a C+ president by patbahn +67
25) Chills - and smiley tears, thank you by Caerus +65
26) No, feckless Dem "leadership" and watered down by JVolvo +63
27) Sunday Talk by OLinda +61
28) Popcorn futures up. by raptavio +59
28) {{{Joan}}} by bastrop +59
30) The political polarization is as big as it was... by Shockwave +58
30) This attitude is more often seen by cynndara +58
30) Oops, my bad by LaFeminista +58
30) We love you sis. We know you have always been t... by Denise Oliver Velez +58
TOP PHOTOS
September 26, 2015
Enjoy jotter's wonderful PictureQuilt™ below. Just click on the picture and it will magically take you to the comment that features that photo. Have fun, Kossacks!
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