Pastafarian minister sworn into office

[Oceander]

Pastafarian minister sworn into office

Published January 6th, 2014 by Bobby Henderson

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Encouraging news, reported by The Observer out of Dunkirk, New York:

    A unique style of headwear was present during newly-seated Pomfret Town Council member Christopher Schaeffer’s oath of office Thursday afternoon, but it wasn’t intended to keep his head warm.

    Schaeffer wore a colander (a strainer typically used to drain water from spaghetti) while Town Clerk Allison Dispense administered the oath of office to him before the board’s reorganizational meeting.  When the OBSERVER asked afterward why he wore a colander on his head, Schaeffer said he was a minister with an even more unique organization – the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

This may be the first openly Pastafarian sworn into office. For sure, the first to be sworn in wearing a colander.

I imagine Council member Schaeffer is getting a lot of heat because of the news coverage.  Some people will see it as obnoxious or a sign that he’s not taking the oath of office seriously.  But I am completely confident that Schaeffer will distinguish himself as a Council member of the highest caliber.

Scaeffer’s statement at the end of the article says it all:

    “Mostly, I’m just looking forward to making sure that the town is run smoothly and we meet the needs of all of our citizens,” he said.  “If anybody ever has any concerns or questions, I hope they contact me, because I want to make sure that everyone is represented.”

You can read the article here at the Observer.

[jmyrlefuller]

Guess the party.

Yes, you guessed it: Schaeffer is a Democrat. He actually ran for state senate here, I think back in 2008. His opponent was incumbent Cathy Young, the epitome of a GOP-establishment politician. (He lost in a 4-1 landslide, as most of Young's typically token opponents do.)

I was so disgusted with Young that I actually voted for Schaeffer in that contest. If I had known he was a Pastafarian, I'd have just written my name in. Pastafarians are the worst kind of atheists: using a blatantly fake religion to ridicule others based on their beliefs.