Saturday digest

- You know what separates Tony Blair from most other European leaders?

He blames terrorists for terrorism.

- The Dutch government has banned the Muslim burqa. While I can understand the thinking behind this move - integration, assimilation, equality of the sexes - it also trumps the value of freedom of religion and may backfire as Muslims may feel it's a heavy-handed response to the issue of self-segregation, potentially driving even more into the extremist camp.

Besides, why use the power of the state to force people who don't want to be part of broader society to participate in it?

Instead of targetting burqas, I think the Netherlands should dedicate the resources to investigating militant preachers, teachers and other such instigators of hatred.

- Meanwhile, as the Syrian-Canadian Club of Ottawa invites Islamofascism apologist George Galloway to speak at Carleton University in talk titled "War and Resistance", here's an interview with Syrian secular ex-Muslim Wafa Sultan from February of this year which aired on al-Jazeera.

I know which speaker I think is more credible on the subject of the West's relationship with Islam, and it's not the invited guest of the Syrian-Canadian Club.

- Seems like everyone from class warrior John Edwards all the way down to downton Toronto 17-year olds auditioning for a starring role alongside Svend Robinson at the next G-8 conference have an extra $600 laying around for the latest must-have Christmas toy.

- Finally, how about a little applause for O'Reilly for taking on his boss, Rupert Murdoch, over this despicable OJ affair?