Stephen, your idea of barbecuing a Koran is a good one. But let's not stop there. Let's barbecue a religious book each time we have a barbie. Holy smoke, we'd have a good time. And there's a bonus!

Eventually, there would be no religious books and finally the world would be freed from the nonsense that is religion. There'd be freedom from fear, our brains would finally be freed from infantile superstition, wars would stop, and we'd all become realists.

Thanks for your brilliant suggestion!

I'd be interested to know who is backing Pastor Terry Jones, and what is their hoped for outcome, because I find it difficult to believe he is doing this all by himself.

He's somebody's puppet. The question is, whose?

Really says something when an unknown man who has a flock of 50 can ignite such hatred and murder among the Muslims. It says far more about our idiotic leftist immigration policies that has caused so many to pander to terrorism/Islam than anything else.

Arjay,

I had a look at the 'evidence' you put forward in support of your conviction that 911 was not done by Muslims. Unconvincing and at about the same level as the stuff that claimed Armstrong etc did not get to the moon.
I know it is hard for you to accept the evil done in the name of Islam, but your self deception is rather pitiful.

If the Muslims did not commit 911, do you, Arjay, also have a fruit loop story re the London bombings and the Madrid slaughter. What story have you there? Martians?

It is hard for me to decide who frightens and bewilders me more; murderous 'martyrs' or people such as you Arjay who have but a tenuous grip on reality.

Grow up.

Dear Steven,

As I stated in my previous post the major
reason for restricting freedom is to
prevent harm to others. To achieve the
goal of equal freedom for everyone, a
government may have to restrict the liberty
of certain individuals or groups to act in
certain ways. Like most rights, freedom is
not absolute and when an individual's private
acts places lives in jeopardy - those acts will
be curtailed. In the case of Pastor Jones, -
clear concern by US military officers have
been expressed, - of retaliation against troops
in Afghanistan and Iraq - this makes it a case of
National Security.

In case you haven't googled Pastor Jones biography
you need to do so to get a complete picture of the
man. He was expelled from Germany - and is a totally
unbalanced extremist. It's unfortunate that he's
being given so much media attention.

Briar

I doubt anyone is "behind" Jones. I think with Jones, what you see is what you get, a pathetic little man seeking attention. In fact Jones is a bit like Arjay who seeks to turn every thread into a discussion about his bizarre conspiracy theories.

However, even if some mysterious entity (who exactly?) was "behind" him, what of it? Burning your own property is NOT illegal. It may be foolish but, let me say it again, it is NOT illegal.

Foxy,

I am well-aware that Jones is a bedbug.

So what?

He was NOT planning anything illegal. Even scumbags are allowed to express themselves.

Let me repeat that YET AGAIN

It is not against the law either in the US or Australia to burn your own property.

What is more Foxy, if it weren't for the fear that a whole lot of Muslims would be encouraged by equally scummy little "holy men" to feel such hurt by this display of silliness that they had to go out and kill people no one would care. So who is being really silly here?

David G

I have learned to live with the fact that people have strange beliefs.

Case in point?

Back in the early 1990s in South Africa I saw a demonstration against the death penalty. Not being a fan of the death penalty myself I had no quarrel with the demonstrators. What I did find weird was that they were all wearing Che Guevara T-shirts.

I pointed out to the demonstrators that Che Guevara was Castro's executioner, that he had organised the execution by firing squad of hundreds of "enemies of the revolution" in 1959 – 60.

They refused to believe me.

They didn't believe an itinerant Jewish preacher walked on water and rose from the dead 2,000 years ago. They didn't believe that a compendium of seventh century claptrap, much of it cribbed from Jewish and Christian religious texts, was a direct message from the God. And they didn't believe that Che Guevara was Castro's executioner.

In the end people will believe, or not believe, what they choose.