I am sure there are, which is far more reason not to have a "Jewish State". Being a majority Jew in that country does not entitle them to make claims about what the official religion of the country should be. That is called a theocracy. If you want a "Jewish state" then all you are advocating is a back of the bus attitude. If you value pluralism and secularism that is the last thing you should want.

Barbary Treaty(Treaty of Tripoli) Article 11, "As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense, founded on the Christian religion" Signed without dissent by both houses of congress June 10th 1797 by President John Adams.

If you don't want Palestine setting up a Muslim state, then don't do that yourself.

Freedom of religion depends on the government keeping its fucking nose out of the issue. I wish Palestine would get rid of their crescent moon off their flag and I wish Israel would get rid of their Jewish Star off their flag. Those are not pluralistic symbols, they are gang symbols.

You still live in a state, where if a non-violent peaceful Muslim who wants peace, has no chance getting elected to PM of Israel, even if their is nothing written in your constitution preventing a Muslim from trying. Our climate in America has had the same problem in considering non-Penticostal/Baptists. It wasn't until 1960s that a Catholic was elected, and it has taken even longer to elect Jews and our first Muslim in Keith Ellesson and our first open atheist in Pete Stark to our congress, DESPITE NO RELIGIOUS TEST which was in the constitution since the ink dried on it.

There are even some states still today, despite the supremacy clause in the Constitution that have state Constitutions that forbid atheists from holding public office, which would include dog catcher.

So saying that you yourself are open minded, does not mean your country values secularism. It values the western style open market, but it is trying it's best to become a theocracy.

Oh, one more thing.

America is a DEMOCRACY. Everyone above the age of 21 is a legitimate military target for any power who is threatened by America, because they are responsible for allowing their government to be the bully of the Earth since WW2.
It's not pleasant to acknowledge responsibility. But it's plain wrong to ignore it.
I won't be reading any response you make. It'd just piss me off.

I wasn't completely sure the voting age was 18, so I went with the age that you can drink in every state. Poor substitute, I know. > >

Every Province has it's own laws. 16 is the average age for driving, though in Alberta you can start at 14 (farmers, afterall).
18 is the drinking age in Alberta and Quebec (irony, they hate each other), but it's 19 everywhere else.
Smoking laws parallel drinking laws.
Canada is kind of half American, half British, a quarter French, and a third everything else. I know it doesn't seem to add up right, but really it does.

My family came over right after WW2. I haven't done any family tree study, for reasons it'd take awhile to explain. From what I can tell we've not been able to stay put for more than a few years anywhere.

If you have a good income, BC is a perfect place to retire. Ontario is rather crowded and dirty in comparison. And swampy. lol.
I lived in the Okanagan for four and some years, and it was sheer beauty. But a bit expensive.
Might be a bit much snow for you though. I remember times of the year we could only get home driving in reverse for 5 km (front wheel drive). Or walking if even reverse didn't get us moving.

Bring the bug spray. > >

Heh. You should see them in Edmonton. Not quite as problematic in the numbers department, but in the size department they are giants.

I am not a good public speaker for the same reason I wouldn't be a good stage comic. I get severe stage fright. But giving a public speech would be no different than speaking on the radio, no one is actually physically reading your speech.

But as far as being "rabid"? Hardly. When Hitchens has equated God to a cosmic Kim Jong Ill in debates with theists who like him, I find my words tame sometimes. Penn just sold a book with cuss words on every single page and some of those cuss words were aimed at "faith". Penn has always thought that people at heart are good, even when we despise what they might claim on a given subject. I feel that way too.

Red has a good heart I think, in that he wants people to be "civil" to get their point across. But my tactic isn't for the people we already get along with nor is it solely to slap the claims of those I debate with here. It is just as much a display to all that believe that atheists will not sit back and simply take it. It is also a message to other atheists that they do not have to sit back and take it.

NOW, despite how much he might personally hate me, he is wrong in one aspect about me. There are people who upon hearing the word "atheist" despise your existence. These people are whom I am after. The "nasty" verbal brawls I have with theists here are simply verbal boxing. I also give them credit for knowing it is not personal, and for the most part they do not take it personally. When I have these "brawls" it is also sending the message to the real hateful bigots who just will hate your mere existence. I want them to know, more than anyone else, that no atheist can afford to put up with that, nor do I think they should.

What I objected to would be like someone who hates actual boxing, in real life, to step in the ring when both participants agreed to it. Caposkia knew long before Red showed up who I was and how I liked to debate. He accepted that and I give him credit for taking it for what it was and knowing it wasn't personal.

This really only amounted to a personality conflict. These things happen all the time on and off the web, in the work place, with friends of friends, and with even family. I hold absolutely no ill will to Red, but I do object to his absolutes "you must play nice all the time". It simply is not possible, not even in real life.

The best humans can ever do is to accept that people bitch and to not get physical because someone bitches

I hope he comes back too. But also there is a part of reality, that some people will never see eye to eye. I wish him the best.

He is however dead wrong if he thinks I want to kill theists or outlaw religion or don't love theists at all. I can and do love people  who make claims that make me say "I love you but damn that makes no fucking sense".

Not one atheist here can go through their entire life hating all theists. We all have people in our lives we love, but that does not mean our society should set up taboos just to avoid offending religion. Iran and Saudi Arabia set up taboos and even Red and I would not be welcome there.

As far as my word choice and my tactic, anyone who wants to assume that I hate theists will do so no matter what I tell them. I am under no obligation to coddle that insecurity. I am me and that is all I can be or want to be.