I was very sad to learn of his passing only this morning. I don’t think there was anyone I’ve ever met who was so enthusiastic about my books. With him, I always knew I had one keen reader.

My deepest condolences to his amazing family. A great loss to the arts and reading.

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“Whether scrapping in the political trenches as a Liberal Party of Canada campaign strategist, or writing about the history of punk music, Warren Kinsella could never be considered a shrinking violet. His new book, Fight the Right: A Manual for Surviving the Coming Conservative Apocalypse (Random House Canada, $22.95 pa., Sept.), is a typically provocative, confrontational guidebook for progressives who want to better understand their conservative adversaries.“

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Here.

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Headlines like this are sloppy and reckless. So too the inane police comments about “we might never know” what motivated the pig who killed innocent people in a place of worship.

He was motivated by hate, for Chrissakes. When he’s quoting the Fourteen Words to everyone (“We must secure the existence of our people and a future for White Children”), his motives shouldn’t be too difficult to ascertain.

Oh, and by the way: ignorance about the motives and methods of the organized hate movement only assists the organized hate movement. Several law enforcement agencies need to get their heads out of their asses, here. They might just prevent some needless deaths, after all.

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[Not sure where it is. In the meantime, here’s what I filed.]

“Where knowledge ends,” British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli once opined, “religion begins.”

So what do we know about the religions of Prime Ministers?

Pierre Trudeau was a devout Roman Catholic, and remained so to his dying day.  John Turner was (and is) deeply committed to Catholicism, and considered the priesthood in his youth.  Paul Martin and Jean Chretien are both Catholics, and both observe the sacraments – although those of us who worked for him recall Chretien occasionally delighting in tweaking the bishops.

The Conservative PMs were religious, too, but not by much.  Joe Clark was a faithful Catholic, whilst comparatively progressive on social issues like abortion and gay rights.  Similarly, Brian Mulroney – who was a Roman Catholic, and educated at Catholic schools – didn’t pay much heed to the clergy on issues as diverse as abortion or free trade, and didn’t pay a price for it.

Lately, much as been written about Stephen Harper’s faith, although it’s difficult to know why. Much of what has been written about Harper’s religious conviction strikes me as uniformed, unfair, or both.

It is unfair, in the main, because everyone’s personal religious views are just that – personal.  Until a politician states that religion will guide his or her decision-making – as Stockwell Day foolishly did in 2000, and as his error-prone B.C. friend Christy Clark did just this week on a Christian television program – it is nobody else’s business.

There is no evidence, none, that Harper favours a comingling of Church and State.  In fact, the reverse is true: he recently and mercilessly put down a legislative attempt by one of his own backbenchers to reopen the abortion debate.  And, apart from periodically requesting in speeches that God bless Canada, he doesn’t seem like much of a religious fanatic, at all.

For example: I have it on very good authority that Harper and his charming wife were not even married in a church.  Nor do the Harpers in any way share the religious fervour of many of their fellow Conservatives, even though Harper himself ostensibly belongs to a Calgary evangelical church.  He is infrequently seen there.

So why, then, did the Globe and Mail’s Lawrence Martin recently devote an entire column to Harper’s evangelical faith, and its connection to Conservative government policy?  The answer remains elusive.  On the one hand, Martin describes the Prime Minister as a “clear-headed rationalist.”  Then, on the hand, he “wonders” about Harper’s “impulses.”

An offended National Post’s Charles Lewis then got in on the act, and expressed chagrin that Martin would write about such a subject, and then proceeded to write about it himself.  Never missing an opportunity to exaggerate a non-existent threat, the Post likened Martin’s single column to – wait for it – “an Inquisition.”  Just, wow.

Then, back at the Globe, a religious broadcaster weighed in, claiming that Harper’s religion was being “probed” (by, er, just Lawrence Martin) and “denominational insiders” (that’s a quote) are “tight-lipped” on the Prime Ministerial faith.  Could that be because they, you know, don’t know?

If so, that’s as it should be.  If Stephen Harper regards his religion as his own business, the rest of us should mind our own. 

(In an possibly unrelated mater, has anyone else noticed that it is Summer, and opinion writers are looking for things to have opinions about?)

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The official web site. Read up, follow the trial, and donate to their defence.

SFH is getting a banner made up to promote the sale of our FREE PUSSY RIOT T-shirts. All proceeds to their defence. Stay tuned.

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Here.

They’ve been searching his place all night. I won’t be at all surprised if they find the sort of propaganda – Steyn et al. – that inspired Anders Breivik.

Words lead to deeds. It is always thus.

UPDATE: He was a member of a hate rock band, says SPLC.

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Shot by Lala. Also in attendance: Daly Beauty, James Bowie, Yaz and Terry of the Mesleys, Brad Lavigne and Rick Smith!

 

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Free Pussy Riot now! Come see SFH at Elmdale Tavern tonight, and raise funds for Pussy Riot’s defence!

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