I agree with you that Canadians as a whole are a lot less religious than Americans, but Harper is very religious and constantly pushing “God Bless” and religious slogans into his speeches. He’s doing everything he can to turn Canada into a Republican version of the U.S. including implementing failed American policies on crime and drugs.

I think the main difference is that Canadians aren’t faschists in the religious approach – no one else needs to believe what I do, and doing so does not make them anyone less patriotic or less valuable than I am.

Harper is just as consumed with relgiosity as any American politician, John Baird is anti-gay and many believe gay himself.

One of the biggest surprises in recent years for my husband and me has been the large number of people we see coming out of conventional marriages later in life, and finally living as the gay people they always were but had denied. And then there are many married men who are still deeply closeted while seeking some homo-sex whenever they get the chance. They are neighbors, family members, friends, and other acquaintances. The sadness in all this, of course, extends to the spouses who have been deceived and left behind, or remain in sterile marriages while possibly being oblivious to the root of their marriage’s defects. But these are the kind of marriages that the anti-gay zealots are actually promoting.

(sounds of hands clapping)

I just really, really wish that people could grow up and be themselves without society thrusting such awful, terrible, wrenching conflicts into ones psyche…where one has to lie to everyone, including oneself, because it seems so necessary to try to be…what is “expected”.

He has a tough row to hoe. Hopefully he’ll do better, now.

He can go hang with Ken Mellman as far as I’m concerned.