Students must learn about other religions: judge

Parents say new course threatens Christian faith

(Originally posted on NationalPost.com)

Graeme Hamilton, National Post

Published: Wednesday, September 02, 2009

MONTREAL -- Christian parents who objected to their children being taught about other religions in a mandatory new Quebec school course have suffered a serious setback with a ruling this week that the teachings do not infringe their religious freedoms.

Quebec Superior Court Justice Jean-Guy Dubois dismissed a bid by parents in Drummondville, Que., who said the course on ethics and religious culture introduced across the province last year was undermining their efforts to instill Christian faith in their children.

"In light of all the evidence presented, the court does not see how the ... course limits the plaintiff's freedom of conscience and of religion for the children when it provides an overall presentation of various religions without obliging the children to adhere to them," Judge Dubois wrote.

The course was controversial even before instruction began last September. During the year there were protest marches in some cities, and about 1,700 parents asked that their children be exempted from attending the class. All such requests were refused.

The course's introduction was the final step in the secularization of Quebec schooling that began with a 1997 constitutional amendment replacing denominational school boards with linguistic ones.

As of last year, parents no longer had the right to choose between courses in Catholic, Protestant or moral instruction. The new curriculum covers a broad range of world religions, with particular emphasis on Quebec's religious heritage -- Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism and aboriginal spirituality. It is taught from Grade 1 through Grade 11.

The course's scope was too broad for the parents in the Drummondville case, who cannot be named because their two minor children are involved. During the trial, the children's mother testified that she did not see why her 7-year-old son needs to learn about Islam when he is still forming his own Catholic spirituality. "It's very confusing," she said.

In his ruling, Judge Dubois cited a Catholic theologian who testified that religious instruction is primarily the responsibility of parents, not schools. He added that there is a commitment on the part of the Catholic church to understand other religions.

The Quebec government, which intervened in the case in support of the Des Chênes school board, argued that the course was objective and in no way limited parents' ability to pass their religious beliefs on to their children. Teaching children about other religions is a way to promote "equality, respect and tolerance in the Quebec school system," it said.

Sébastien Lebel-Grenier, a law professor at Université de Sherbrooke, said he is not surprised that the new course survived a challenge under the Charter of Rights.

"What parents were demanding was the right to ignorance, the right to protect their children from being exposed to the existence of other religions," he said. "This right to ignorance is certainly not protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Freedom of religion does not protect the right not to know what is going on in our universe."

He said the course is aimed not at instilling religious values but at trying "to explain to these children the diversity in which we now live in Quebec."

Richard Décarie, spokesman for a coalition opposed to the course, said the decision is a major disappointment. He believes there are grounds for an appeal, but he is not sure the parents involved can afford additional legal expenses. He said they have already spent close to $100,000 fighting the case.

"The course shouldn't be compulsory, because it changes completely how parents keep their moral authority over the education of their children," said Mr. Décarie, of the Coalition for Freedom in Education. "We're not talking about mathematics or French or English here. We're talking about something that involves the essence of the culture of people."

Two other challenges of the course are before the courts, with decisions expected this fall. Parents in Granby went to court after their children were suspended from school for failing to attend ethics and religious culture class. Montreal's Loyola High School, a private Jesuit school, has challenged the course, arguing that it obliges the school to put all religions on equal footing. The school says it already teaches world religions to its students.

National Post

"Penn & Teller: Bullshit!" - The Vatican

Penn & Teller, Bullshit! The Vatican from Brewster on Vimeo.

The Men Who Stare at Goats

By David Pescovitz (Originally posted on BoingBoing.net)

The Men Who Stare At Goats is UK journalist Jon Ronson's terrific, absurd, scary, and funny nonfiction book about the United States military's weird experiments with psychic spying, "Jedi" powers, subliminal sound weapons, and, er, the ability to kill an animal just by looking at it (hence the title). The book is coming to the big screen November 6 in the form of a dark comedy starring Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, and Jeff Bridges. What fun!

"The Men Who Stare At Goats" movie trailer (Thanks, Jason Tester!)
Buy "The Men Who Stare At Goats" book

Previously:

• The Men Who Stare At Goats - Boing Boing
• George Clooney in Men Who Stare At Goats movie - Boing Boing

Medical Marijuana: First California DEA Arrests Under Obama Took Place Last Week

(Originally posted on StoptheDrugWar.org)

A massive DEA operation featuring dozens of heavily armed agents and at least four helicopters ended with the arrests of five people in California's Lake County last week. According to California NORML, the arrests are believed to be the first since the Obama administration announced it would not target medical marijuana providers in states where it is legal unless they violated both state and federal law.

The DEA seized 154 marijuana plants from Upper Lake resident Tom Carter, and arrested him, former UMCC dispensary operator Scott Feil and his wife, Steven Swanson, and Brett Bassignani. Carter is a registered medical marijuana patient and provider, and his wife, Jamie Ceridono, told the Lake County News he was growing for several patients and his grow was legal under state law.

The genesis of the bust appears to lie with an alleged May deal between a DEA informant and Bassignani to purchase marijuana. According to documents filed by Carter's federal defenders late last week, the informant claimed to have arranged to buy marijuana from Carter and to have left a voicemail message for Carter to set up the deal. That same informant allegedly made a deal to buy marijuana from Bassignani.

In the document, the federal defenders said prosecutors made no claim that Carter ever heard the phone message the informant allegedly left, and they set out no evidence linking Carter and the informant.

"All the complaint says is that another individual, Mr. Bassignani, called the informant, claimed he worked for 'Carter Construction,' and arranged a marijuana deal," Carter's defense attorneys wrote. "The deal later took place, and the only other reference to Mr. Carter is the conclusory claim that the informant 'had agreed on the price with Carter.' No context, no specifics, and no other information is provided in the complaint which indicates that Mr. Carter in fact talked to the informant, arranged a marijuana deal, and indicated that he (Carter) was knowingly involved in a marijuana transaction."

Moving that the two felony counts of marijuana trafficking against Carter be dismissed, the attorneys added: "This complaint is sadly deficient with regard to whether Mr. Carter has done anything to indicate that he conspired to break the law. It should be dismissed accordingly."

It is unclear why Feil and his wife were arrested. They are neighbors of Carter and his wife.

Carter and Feil are being held in Oakland, where they are set to have initial detention hearings this week. Federal prosecutors have asked that Carter be held pending trial "on the basis of flight risk and danger to the community."

Carter is a long-time resident of Upper Lake, prominent construction contractor, and community benefactor.

"California already has enough federal marijuana criminals," said CANORML coordinator Dale Gieringer, "It's time for concrete changes in federal law."

While the Obama administration has announced it would not go after law-abiding medical marijuana providers, the DEA has conducted at least two raids against providers in San Francisco and Los Angeles, although there have been no arrests in those cases. The administration has not announced any changes in federal laws or regulations around medical marijuana, and Bush appointees continue to serve in the DEA and the US Attorney's Office of Northern California, which is prosecuting the case.

Surrendering Your Fourth Amendment Rights at the Border

(Originally posted on Daily Kos.)

Today the ACLU filed a lawsuit against U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) demanding records about the CBP’s policy of searching travelers’ laptops without suspicion of wrongdoing. The lawsuit was filed to enforce a Freedom of Information Act request we filed in June, when we requested the criteria used for selecting passengers for suspicionless searches, the number of people who have been subject to the searches, the number of devices and documents retained and the reasons for their retention.

In the policy, the CBP asserts the right to read the information on travelers’ laptops "absent individualized suspicion." So that means searching all files saved on laptops, including personal financial information, family photographs and lists of Web sites travelers have visited, without having any reason to believe a traveler has broken the law.

And after they’re done searching your laptop, they also reserve the right to search "documents, books, pamphlets and other printed material, as well as computers, disks, hard drives and other electronic or digital storage devices." (So you might want to reconsider sending that risque email to your spouse from your Blackberry, ’cause the CBP might see that as well).

Oh, and while you’re at it, don’t carry, send or receive any sensitive or private documents that you might need for work. As we pointed out last year, the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) opposes the CBP policy because it threatens companies’ ability to do business with the rest of the world, especially those companies that are trying to keep trade secrets, you know, secret. Testifying before the Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution last year, Susan Gurley of the ACTE said: "[T]he unjustified retention and/or copying of proprietary and sensitive business information pursuant to the warrantless seizure of laptops and other electronic devices imposes both a personal and economic hardship on business travelers and their corporations."

Talk about kicking the economy while it’s down.

Oh, and this policy includes everyone crossing the border, whether they’re U.S. citizens or not. Think of it as equal opportunity virtual frisking.

We’ll of course keep you posted as this lawsuit progresses. But in the meantime, if your laptop or electronic device has been searched at the border, let us know about it by emailing legalintake@aclu.org.

CIA Torture Files Released

It was announced on Monday that the U.S. is finally going to begin investigating the people responsible for the whole military torture fiasco. John Durham has been appointed as special prosecutor with regards to the case, this apparently due to information contained in the CIA Inspector General's report (available here), released in response to a lawsuit by the ACLU.

Along with the report, the ACLU recieved more than 60 documents dated between 2002 and 2007 in response to two lawsuits. Documents include communications between the Office of Legal Counsel and the CIA regarding interrogation techniques used overseas.

- OLC/CIA Documents 02-05
- OLC/CIA Documents 06-07

Something to ponder

California MMJ bill passes Senate Floor

I recieved an email today from the ASA, regarding a new bill in California introduced by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). Senate Joint Resolution 14, which still needs to be approved by the California Assembly, would urge the federal government to end DEA raids on legal medical marijuana dispensaries in California, to protect defendants in federal MMJ cases, and to expand research into the medical benefits of marijuana.

Well, it's about bloody time. SJR 14 passed the Senate Committee 7-3 on July 15, and the Floor 23-15 yesterday. It now has to pass the Assembly.

The ASA is asking for donations in support of this bill.

Bill text Here.
Fact sheet Here.
More information from the ASA's website.

StreetDogs: This way to separate the atheists from the agnostics and theists

Reposted from: http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=79223

IF YOU’RE still not sure what the difference is between an atheist, an agnostic and a theist, you might appreciate this explanation from the folks at wordpress.com:

The difference between an atheist, an agnostic and a theist can be summarised by their responses to the question: do you have a dog?

The atheist will simply answer, “No”. If you go to his house to search for a dog, you won’t find one. There will be no signs in the house or the yard that there ever was a dog there. None of his relatives or friends will remember having seen a dog there. They’ll ask, “Does he have a dog? How could I not have known?” And they’ll be absolutely right. There are no signs that there could ever have been a dog at the atheist’s house or indeed anywhere where he spends his time. Not at his home, not at his work, nowhere.

The agnostic who thinks that there’s simply insufficient proof for either having or not having a dog will be a great deal less certain.

When asked, she’ll look around her house searching for traces of a dog. When pressed, she’ll say, “Oh, I’ve searched my house, but what’s to say that there’s not a dog in my garage as I’m searching the house, and what’s to say that dog isn’t going to be in my house while I search the garage?”. If asked, “Do you believe you have a dog, despite there being no signs of it?” She’s likely to answer firmly: “There’s simply not enough evidence to support the fact that I don’t own a dog to come to that conclusion.”

Then there’s the agnostic who doesn’t believe that he owns a dog, but is nevertheless not willing to completely rule out the possibility.

When asked, he’ll say, “I have no dog at home, that’s for sure.” Pondering the question further, he’ll say, “But, obviously, I can never be everywhere all at once. So, there must be some small possibility that there’s a dog out there somewhere that’s got a disk on its collar saying I’m the owner. That I don’t know about it isn’t sufficient proof that it doesn’t exist.”

Needless to say, you won’t find traces of a dog at his home either.

Finally, there’s the theist. When asked, she’ll answer an empathic “Yes!” But if you go to her house and search for a dog, you’ll not find a trace of a dog there either. Nowhere is a dog to be found.

Naturally you’ll ask her why she thinks she has a dog when there’s no evidence. You might find relatives and friends who say she has a dog, but who’ve never seen it, heard it, or felt it licking their face.

“It’s a matter of faith,” the theist will proclaim. “I have faith in this (or that) which says so. My friends say so. My parents said so. So who are you to question the fact that I have a dog?”

Other perspectives:

We must respect the other fellow’s religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart. HL Mencken

And if there were a God, I think it very unlikely that He would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence. Bertrand Russell

-MICHEL PIREU: pireum@bdfm.co.za

ID Comic

Reposted from: http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/5017/creationismqk7.gif

Jesus and Mo

Reposted from: http://www.jesusandmo.net/2009/04/24/thor/

A Protest Sign I Liked

Late February protest in Seattle. Story Here.

The REAL 7 Deadly Sins

Buy it Here.

Beware The Spinal Trap

This is a repost of Simon Singh's Guardian article criticizing the BCA, and chiropractic therapy in general.

Some practitioners claim it is a cure-all, but the research suggests chiropractic therapy has mixed results - and can even be lethal, says Simon Singh.

You might be surprised to know that the founder of chiropractic therapy, Daniel David Palmer, wrote that "99% of all diseases are caused by displaced vertebrae". In the 1860s, Palmer began to develop his theory that the spine was involved in almost every illness because the spinal cord connects the brain to the rest of the body. Therefore any misalignment could cause a problem in distant parts of the body.

In fact, Palmer's first chiropractic intervention supposedly cured a man who had been profoundly deaf for 17 years. His second treatment was equally strange, because he claimed that he treated a patient with heart trouble by correcting a displaced vertebra.

You might think that modern chiropractors restrict themselves to treating back problems, but in fact some still possess quite wacky ideas. The fundamentalists argue that they can cure anything, including helping treat children with colic, sleeping and feeding problems, frequent ear infections, asthma and prolonged crying - even though there is not a jot of evidence.

I can confidently label these assertions as utter nonsense because I have co-authored a book about alternative medicine with the world's first professor of complementary medicine, Edzard Ernst. He learned chiropractic techniques himself and used them as a doctor. This is when he began to see the need for some critical evaluation. Among other projects, he examined the evidence from 70 trials exploring the benefits of chiropractic therapy in conditions unrelated to the back. He found no evidence to suggest that chiropractors could treat any such conditions.

But what about chiropractic in the context of treating back problems? Manipulating the spine can cure some problems, but results are mixed. To be fair, conventional approaches, such as physiotherapy, also struggle to treat back problems with any consistency. Nevertheless, conventional therapy is still preferable because of the serious dangers associated with chiropractic.

In 2001, a systematic review of five studies revealed that roughly half of all chiropractic patients experience temporary adverse effects, such as pain, numbness, stiffness, dizziness and headaches. These are relatively minor effects, but the frequency is very high, and this has to be weighed against the limited benefit offered by chiropractors.

More worryingly, the hallmark technique of the chiropractor, known as high-velocity, low-amplitude thrust, carries much more significant risks. This involves pushing joints beyond their natural range of motion by applying a short, sharp force. Although this is a safe procedure for most patients, others can suffer dislocations and fractures.

Worse still, manipulation of the neck can damage the vertebral arteries, which supply blood to the brain. So-called vertebral dissection can ultimately cut off the blood supply, which in turn can lead to a stroke and even death. Because there is usually a delay between the vertebral dissection and the blockage of blood to the brain, the link between chiropractic and strokes went unnoticed for many years. Recently, however, it has been possible to identify cases where spinal manipulation has certainly been the cause of vertebral dissection.

Laurie Mathiason was a 20-year-old Canadian waitress who visited a chiropractor 21 times between 1997 and 1998 to relieve her low-back pain. On her penultimate visit she complained of stiffness in her neck. That evening she began dropping plates at the restaurant, so she returned to the chiropractor. As the chiropractor manipulated her neck, Mathiason began to cry, her eyes started to roll, she foamed at the mouth and her body began to convulse. She was rushed to hospital, slipped into a coma and died three days later. At the inquest, the coroner declared: "Laurie died of a ruptured vertebral artery, which occurred in association with a chiropractic manipulation of the neck."

This case is not unique. In Canada alone there have been several other women who have died after receiving chiropractic therapy, and Edzard Ernst has identified about 700 cases of serious complications among the medical literature. This should be a major concern for health officials, particularly as under-reporting will mean that the actual number of cases is much higher.

If spinal manipulation were a drug with such serious adverse effects and so little demonstrable benefit, then it would almost certainly have been taken off the market.

---

Simon Singh is a science writer in London and the co-author, with Edzard Ernst, of Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial. This is an edited version of an article published in The Guardian for which Singh is being personally sued for libel by the British Chiropractic Association.

The Rap Guide To Evolution

I don't care if you think it's lame, I like Baba Brinkman's new album The Rap Guide To Evolution. It's available for download throughout August. Plus, he's from Vansterdam! (Vancouver, for all you non-Canadians out there...)

Chaser's war on everything

Stolen from Pharyngula

Offensive...?

Yesterday PZ Meyers posted about a bus ad that was deemed "offensive" and taken off city buses in Iowa.

Here's the evil, derogatory, downright offensive ad in question:

There's a poll Here that you might be interested in.

Another example of the comfort religion provides...

Tuesday night, George Sodini walked into a fitness center and shot the place up, killing 3 people and injuring 15. He had this to say in his online diary:

Maybe soon, I will see God and Jesus. At least that is what I was told. Eternal life does NOT depend on works. If it did, we will all be in hell. Christ paid for EVERY sin, so how can I or you be judged BY GOD for a sin when the penalty was ALREADY paid. People judge but that does not matter. I was reading the Bible and The Integrity of God beginning yesterday, because soon I will see them.

So no, you don't need to be an atheist to be a murderous raving lunatic, thankyouverymuch.

Animal Rights Assholes Burn Down CEO's House

Novartis CEO Daniel Vasella had his vacation home/hunting lodge burned down on Monday. The "Militant Forces Against Huntingdon Life Science" (...) have claimed responsibility for the arson. A group calling itself MFAH, which may actually stand for Forces Against Huntingdon Life Sciences, has claimed it burned down the house with 60 L of gasoline, however the Austrian police have reported that the fire was electrical but have not ruled out arson.

SHAC website banner

A Novartis spokesman has told Dow Jones Newswires that the company has not worked with Huntingdon Life Sciences in years.

This comes just one week after someone dug up Vasella's mother's ashes and spray-painted "Drop HLS Now" on her tombstone. Yesterday, Swiss police said that another Vasella family grave has been vandalized with the same graffitti and two crosses, with Vasella and his wife's names on them, stuck in the ground; police have also reported that "SHAC" was spray painted on the gravesite.

In an email to Reuters SHAC has denied involvement in the attacks. However they also defended them, saying "Isn't it about time we stopped the misery of vivisection?" Swiss government official Juerg Buehler stated, "We still have too little solid evidence," but that SHAC can't be ruled out.

Novartis has reported numerous attacks on employees, growing in frequency within the past few months.

Even if they didn't burn down the house, what douchebags.

Faith-Vision Test

I'm gonna say this is a joke:



I got 0, in case you didn't know.

Redistribution of Weath: An Experiment

If you don't get it now, you never will:

Today on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a sign the read “Vote Obama, I need the money.” I laughed.

Once in the restaurant my server had on a “Obama 08" tie, again I laughed–just imagine the coincidence.

Suddenly, it hit me. An experiment is in order.

I asked the server, did he really believe that Obama's platform was a good one? Yes, he did.

When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept.

He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need – the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.

I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10, and told him to thank the server inside as I've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful.

At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn, even though the actual recipient needed the money more.

I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application - at least if it is your wealth that is being redistributed.

Reposted from: http://www.geckotales.com/obamas-economic-plan.htm

Trick or Treat

Reposted from: http://www.geckotales.com/democrats-on-halloween.html

Brian Schweitzer is my hero

Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer (a Democrat, no less) just passed a law that is bound to have a major impact on gun laws around the U.S. The bill states that any firearm made and manufactured in Montana "is not subject to federal law or federal regulation, including registration, under the authority of congress to regulate interstate commerce. It is declared by the legislature that those items have not traveled in interstate commerce."

Did you hear that? Soon, if it passes the Supreme Court, in Montana you do not have to register or get a permit for any firearm, provided it was made in and does not leave Montana.

Apparently Utah and Texas are planning to follow suit. No surprise there.

Why People Hate Capitalism

I recently read an article by "Bruce of Stone Marmot", outlining his opinion of why so many people these days seem to hate capitalism. He explains why capitalism is the ultimate democracy, and why people don't like that: they don't like the responsibility of "casting a vote" with every dollar they spend.

Read it Here.

Scrap The Code

In this article, the FreedomWorks Foundation outlines their top 10 reasons to scrap the American tax code.

According to the article the code is too complicated, incomprehensible, redundant, corrupts the political culture, costs too much to enforce, is abused by congress, penalizes success, costs far too much money, drives political donations, and is not based on principles of justice the way laws ought to be. (In no particular order.)

Read the article Here.

Atheist Bus

The Atheist Bus Campaign

For those of you who don't know, the Atheist Bus Campaign began in Britain as a counterattack to religious fundamentalists posting ads linking to "fire-and-brimstone" websites on UK buses.

The idea grew in popularity following a newspaper article in The Daily Telegraph, innacurately claiming that the original Pledgebank account had failed to raise enough donations (at the time they were not accepting donations).

After the Telegraph article, the story was picked up by bloggers, and spread like wildfire. Since then, the Atheist Bus Campaign has surpassed its £5,500 objective by more than £129,000; altogether, more than $247,500 Canadian dollars.

The Campaign has spread to several different countries:

• Australia - Atheist Foundation
• Canada - Atheist Bus Campaign
• Croatia - Atheist Trams
• Finland - Uskotamon bussikampanja
• Germany - Bus Kampagne
• Italy - Campagna Bus
• Netherlands - Atheïstische Reklamecampagne
• Quebec - Bus Humaniste
• Spain - Bus Ateo
• Switzerland - Atheist Bus
• USA - Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign
• USA - Seattle Atheists
• USA - Why Believe in a God

Source: http://www.atheistbus.org.uk/faq/

Official Site: http://www.atheistbus.org.uk/

Biblical Telephone

Reposted from: http://wizedoodz.net/Bantering/Agnostic.html

Refuting Psalm 14

"The Fallacy of the Fool"

Reposted from: http://freelink.wildlink.com/fallacy.php

...The Fallacy of the Fool was posted to usenet sometime in the distant past (1997 or so). It is a succinct rebuttal of a common theist claim from Psalms 14:1.

MINI-FAQ: Psalms 14:1

"The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that does good." (Psalms 14:1)

ad hominem fallacy: An argument is discounted based on attacking the character of the person making the argument. ("He is wrong when he says there is no God, because he is a fool.")

strawman fallacy: Arguing against a position by creating a different, weaker, or irrelevant position and refuting that position instead of the original. ("There is no God" misrepresents "There isn't sufficient evidence that God exists.")

circular reasoning: The truth of the conclusion is assumed in order to justify the premises. ("The fool says there is no God, because anyone who says there is no God is a fool.")

begging the question: The argument creates a secondary proposition that is related to the primary proposition, which requires a similar argument that is missing. (The existence of God is assumed, while addressing propositions of whether God exists.)

fallacy of inconsistency: The argument is inconsistent with other arguments within the same context.
In the Christian context, Jesus commands against the invective in Psalms 14:1, warning that "whoever says 'You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire" in Matthew 5:22.

special pleading: The inappropriate attribution of emotive functions to objects that do not have that capability. (Hearts are not capable of "knowing" or of feeling emotions.)

redundancy: Psalm 53 is identical to Psalm 14.

questionable premise: It is obviously not the case that all atheists do nothing but bad deeds. This premise is invalidated by a single example of an atheist doing a single charitable act.

Hey There!

I suppose I'll begin my blogging career by posting a bit about myself and what this blog is about.

My name is AnnaMay, and I live in Beautiful British Columbia; home of lumberjacks, snow-capped mountains, and an exasperating political situation. I have a keen interest in free-market capitalism, atheism, and overall libertarianism, which clearly comes in conflict with the socialistic undertones in Canadian politics.

I hope to spread knowledge of and appreciation for the middle-of-the-road libertarian standpoint. The strict right-left politics of North America needs to change, in a time where we have less and less freedom every day, where more money is taken from hard-working citizens and put into stifled, inefficient, bureaucratic government programs based on need rather than what one deserves.

With that in mind, I plan to cater to my fellow atheists, in the hope that some will see beyond the strict liberalism which seems to be the norm among academics, intellectuals, and atheists alike.

I'll wrap this up with a few of my favourite quotes from Ayn Rand's book, Atlas Shrugged.

"So you think that money is the root of all evil?" said Francisco d'Aconia. "Have you ever asked what is the root of money? Money is a tool of exchange, which can't exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce them. Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value. Money is not the tool of the moochers, who claim your product by tears, or of the looters, who take it from you by force. Money is made possible only by the men who produce. Is this what you consider evil?"
http://www.awgibbs.com/money.html

...if devotion to truth is the hallmark of morality, then there is no greater, nobler, more heroic form of devotion than the act of a man who assumes the responsibility of thinking.... the alleged short-cut to knowledge, which is faith, is only a short-circuit destroying the mind.