dizzy

Ontario has had these for years. The proceeds from Support Our Troops plates goes to support military families and injured and ill soldiers, sailors, airmen/airwomen (including those with operational stress injuries). Treasury Board puts restrictions on how public dollars can be used to support CF Members and their families. Funds like Support Our Troops and Soldier On are just a way to provide more flexibility in how (and how quickly) military members and their families can be helped out. If nothing else, it's a relatively benign way of expressing your alliegance to the troops, no more dangerous to the public discourse than a licence plate with a Toronto Maple Leafs graphic on it.

It's certainly possible, but it would be an incomplete narrative.

Religion is one component, a good lens into the cultural attitudes that govern and influence society, a good frame within which to discuss questions related to ethics and the evolution of morality. My son has been taking these courses since they began. He's currently in his first year of high school, more than halfway through the year, and religion hasn't come up in this class once. They're currently studying ethics in marketing.

What evidence do you have of a particularly foul odour hanging over this course vs any other? The course's driving focus is on teaching kids to explore ethics and the philosophical underpinnings of rational thought. Religion is but one part of the overall course load. Unlike the world religions or modern western civilizations classes I took, this course is taught over a period of 10 yrs, giving students an opportunity to actually develop a competence in the subject matter.

All public school social studies courses do... unless you can show me one that 'fairly' represents the historical perspectives and contributions of all peoples.

It's never been a secret that the curriculum would not equally represent all faiths in terms of time allocated. The course is designed to reflect both the contemporary and historical culture of quebec.

This is not a religious course in that it does not teach dogma. Rather, it's part social studies, part philosophy. Kids are taught about religions from a cultural perspective, alongside discussions on contemporary issues and larger ethical questions. Most of the classwork focuses on discussion and debate, with the goal of encouraging the kids to form defensible opinions. If anything, religion is just a vehicle, the real content of this course focuses on teaching students to reason. Here's info on the course objectives and outcomes, from the MELS website: Reflects on ethical questions http://www.mels.gouv.qc.ca/progression/ethiqueCultureReligieuse/index_en.asp?page=competence_01 Demonstrates an understanding of the phenomenon of religion http://www.mels.gouv.qc.ca/progression/ethiqueCultureReligieuse/index_en.asp?page=competence_02 Engages in dialogue http://www.mels.gouv.qc.ca/progression/ethiqueCultureReligieuse/index_en.asp?page=competence_03 WRT the SCOC, the court stated that there was no charter basis on which to rule against the curriculum. How is anyone confusing this with judicial activism or federal intrusion on provincial jurisdiction???

Hitler? Wow, Godwin's law applied in less than 4 posts!

I don't think you have a sense of the shear weight of the assets we held in kandahar, at various locations, and the kind of labour required to remove them. Yes, we left kandahar, but people have to get our shit back, unless you'd rather leave it for another country to enjoy? If you really want to get technical, we haven't left a combat role because the 500ish soldiers now in kabul training the ANA will, in moments, face conflict. But, as for our men and women in KAF and the region's FOBs, we're done.

Quebec separatists are a blend of young urbanites with grand optimism (based on the new cultural paradigm and economy emerging in Montreal), the old ethnic chauvinist elite (the socialists) and a bunch of people in places like Saguenay, who are just believing what they're told. There is also a latent right wing constituency that has parked their vote with the PQ/BQ in the past, only because there were no other stable pro-sovereignty options. A sovereign quebec would not be a socialist paradise, as there are too many skilled and imaginative people here that want better.

Umm, nope. http://citation.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/0/4/7/7/pages104773/p104773-6.php

And I'm sure that you've also met christians who would like to turn our secularist nation into a theocracy. I will fight alongside you against those who want to challenge any of the notions supporting our democracy. But you need focus, padawan. Extremism is the enemy, not islam.

http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/1080036016/no_irish_no_blacks_no_dogs_bigger.jpg

The article mentions a prayer service on Fridays. Friday is Jumu'ah.

That wouldn't likely be an issue, as christians get the day off from school on their holy day.