A better reception than Stephen Harper would get

So there I was yesterday at city council, sitting at the back of the press gallery, caught up in conversation with councillor Adam Vaughan, when suddenly everyone around us stands up. The room goes quiet as council suspends its activities, but we continue our discussion—at least until the dulcet tones of the bagpipe start squealing in our ears. Must be serious. “I guess we better stand,” I say. Once on our feet, we realize there’s a bunch of burly guys in military fatigues. Vaughan gets annoyed. “What’s with the military presence in council chambers?” he asks. Then I spot the reason. “Oh, it’s the Grey Cup,” I say. Vaughan gets more annoyed. “Why are we standing?” he asks. “Why the bagpipes? And what’s with the military guys?” Why, because a football trophy has entered the room! Silly Adam! He just doesn’t get it, does he? Former Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington, paraphrasing his hero Karl Marx, put it best: “Religion is not the opiate of the masses. Sports is.”