Scotty

He executed a large number of people, sometimes simply because they refused to embrace his faith, sometimes because they were personal enemies, or had mocked him years earlier.

Writing a dirty book is like killing an entire family?

I think children's interests lie with a free and open society, not one terrified of child molester to the extent it abrogates its citizens basic human rights. There's no evidence the anti porn people have accomplished anything of value despite their frenzied efforts.

People forget that at one point in that election the PCs were in front of the Liberals. Their subsequent slaughter was mostly Campabell's fault. She made some terrible decisions, and, from accounts we've seen since then, was more interested in her love life than in the campaign.

I got a call from a local candidate last night asking me if I'd be willing to have a sign put on my front lawn like I did last time around so I guess they're starting to gear up for an election. Over what? Over who can win more power. I have yet to hear anything that makes me more than yawn from any of them. So I decided to make my own platform with a few key policies I think will be both workable, and will win me a lot of support. 1 Health Care I would put back 1% of the GST cut that was made earlier. The money would be specifically earmarked for the provinces to build nursing homes for seniors. The priority would be to provide temporary nursing care to get sick seniors out of hospitals across the country and free up beds. 2 Science I would cancel the current R&D tax credits which are so often misused by business and turn that $3.5 billion into direct grants only available for real science and technology research. 3 immigration All new immigrants would be required to have an approved job offer before coming to Canada. That job has to be one which will provide a livable wage. ie, not in a factory paying minimum wage, not as a busboy or dishwasher. Landed immigrants who lose that job will have 90 days to find another approved job or leave the country. Before citizenship can even be applied for, a stringent language test must be passed. Landed immigrants who commit any crimes will be immediately deported on conviction. The refugee determination system will be entirely revamped, and the legislation put under the notwithstanding clause so as to avoid expensive and time consuming litigation. All refugees whose identity is not proven will be held until their cases have been dealt with. Economic migrants, who currently constitute the bulk of refugees, will be deported. Refugees accepted into Canada will not be permitted to apply for citizenship for ten years. During that time, if the danger posed to them in their home countries is considered to have dropped, they can be sent back. Any refugee who travels willingly to his home country for a visit will be assumed to no longer be at danger and will be removed from Canada. 4 employment. Employment and Immigration will be tasked with finding work for all unemployed who are physically and mentally capable of doing work. If that means cutting weeds by the side of the road, or performing janitorial services at government buildings then that's what they'll do. A new retraining system will be undertaken to provide real skills training for in-demand positions, especially in the trades. Healthy unemployed who refuse to be retrained or work will receive no benefits - ever. Energy/environment All new large buildings in Canada will be required to be built with geothermal heating and cooling systems. Consumers protection The government will open up the banking, investment, cable/satellite TV, cell phone and internet industries to foreign competition without restriction.

Once I've bought all that information on you I'll hire behavioural psychologists who will then tell me everything about how you think and behave.

You get back to me when the 'radical Christians' start blowing up markets and buildings, okay?

Mostly after the ones who fought it had died off.

Hang on. It's not just the radicals which consider the Koran to be the literal word of God. All of Islam and all its branches are in agreement on that. The Koran is the divine word of God, and it is telling people virtually everything about the moral, spiritual, economic, military and political behavior God requires of them. And unlike the Bible, no re-interpretation of the Koran is possible because Muslims believe it is perfect, and any questioning of its present interpretation is heresy - which is still subject to criminal sanction in most Muslim countries. Therefore, I don't think it's out of line, when looking at some of the pretty nasty stuff in the Koran, to question what Muslims, as a whole, are taking from it, and what effect Islam has had on the cultures of those who have embraced - or submitted - to it. It is not small not tiny. The number of Muslims actively engaged in terrorism might be small, but when you can take polls in the Muslim world and find 60%, 70%, 80% of people supporting Sharia law, which I and most other secularists regard as pretty damned radical, then I think you have to forget about thinking only a tiny percentage of Muslims are radicals. If 80% of a population, as in Egypt's population, believes anyone who dares convert from Islam to something else must be killed, well, excuse me for thinking these are not exactly moderates. You can insult Christianity all you want and not fear violent retaliation from Christians. Plays and movies mocking Jesus have been shown repeatedly. Artists have mocked Christianity repeatedly. Remember that the National Gallery of Canada plunked down public money for "Piss Jesus" which was a cross encased in a jar of urine. Yet decades after writing a book which some inferred insulted Islam, Salman Rushdie still has to have police protection. And people are still coming from all over the Muslim world trying to bomb or kill the Danes who dared to draw and publish a few cartoons which featured a likeness of Muhammad. Christians might get upset about something insulting their religion but they're not likely to track you down in the street and stick a knife into you with their protest note. The practitioners, the followers, of Islam seem, to a far, far greater degree than anyone else, to be ready and willing to commit murderous acts of violence on behalf of what they see as God's will. And even many of those who aren't willing to commit those acts are willing to countenance them in God's name.

Money can buy private detectives to find out whose sleeping with whom, who's cheating and stealing, where the bodies are buried. Money can buy education and tutoring. Money can buy private advice, as in an investment advisory, or accountant to advise you how to avoid taxes. Money can buy access to those private intelligence offerings that some of the security corporations offer up to other corporations for a price. Given enough money I could find out everything there is to know about you. Money CAN buy knowledge.

What about gay porn? Well, there'll be wine anyway. You can work otside the home, but only if your man says you can, and your boss will have a ruler to measure your skirt length - oh yes, you will be wearing a skirt! No more jeans for you! Birth control, of course, will be illegal.

But porn is big business! It's highly profitable, and something the third-world can't take away from us because they don't have any white people! Also, it makes people happy!

You are clearly in error.

And all of this is supposed to instruct me in why it is necessary to lower the income taxes of people making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year?

You know, the next time you have absolutely nothing of substance to contribute you might reconsider contributing it.

I think the point is Ford knows damned well that the number of gay supporters listed among his supporters was probably minuscule.

Well... that's a relief.

Didn't the city threaten to withhold funding over the same reason last year?

Would it ban porn? I like porn.

Of course its a historical document. That isn't even in question. It's ACCURACY can be questioned, of course - although you better not do it in a Muslim state. The point isn't its accuracy, though, it is what manner of guide it is to the billion odd Muslims out there who believe it to be the literal word of God.

An awful lot of people felt an awful lot of enmity towards all Germans at the time. They held them responsible for the doings of their nation - with some justification.

All Muslims, so far as I know, interpret the Koran as the literal word of God. To even question this is a crime in many Muslim states.

Whether you think it's fiction is really not relevant to the discussion. The Muslim world certainly doesn't think it's fiction. In fact, the Muslim world embraces the words of the Koran wholeheartedly. The Koran is considered, by Muslim authorities, to be the literal word of God, and a guide for the behaviour of all Muslims. I don't claim to be an expert on it, but I've read enough, and seen enough video of young Muslim boys and men sitting, cross-legged on the floor, heads bobbing up and down as they chant the words of the Koran, over an over, for hours after hours to realize what kind of indoctrination they're getting. Tell them the Koran is a work of fiction. For that matter, go to some Muslim countries and try to tell anyone its a work of fiction. You will be arrested, and in some places, sentenced to death for such words.

Would you like to produce some quotes or cites where the 'regime' said Stats Canada was 'generally useless when it comes to serving Canadians' needs"?

You forgot big tax cuts which were weighted in their favour.