"If I roast marshmallows over their books do you think God will still find their souls?"

So here we are, nine years after the fact, and this one will be remembered for some crackpot from the south who threatened to burn the Qur'an circa Fahrenheit 451.

I mean, the freedom of religion is all well and good, so long as you support the right one in the U,S, and A.

It'll also be remembered as the year that those devils from overseas had the audacity to attempt to hold out an olive branch near the site of the twin towers. It seems that the veil of America's so-called multiculturalism has been lifted to show that the fear-mongering and hysteria provided by the media has really worked after all! Hooray!

Back to the Florida story, it really is remarkable how a tiny church, with one bigot at the helm, can draw such global attention. The account of how this Terry Jones fool became an international news story is laid out by the BBC. The man is clearly off his rocker, but kudos on the moustache. Then again, I'm sure a great many people in the south consider him to be some kind of hero...

Tell that to the 1.5 billion (give or take) who were offended by his plans, some of whom have rioted and been killed in the past few days.

This all reminds me of how a small fanatical section of one particular religion can have such a profound impact on others half a world away. Be it Osama or Jones, if you jab people in the right spot, they'll be more than happy to paint a mass of people with the same brush.

Oh, and you know what this year won't be remembered for? This.

I, for one, can't wait to see what kind of hype can be worked up for next year, the big decade anniversaire!! How about some commemorative coins? Flags with Bush's signature perhaps? Or how about some flashy new posters and bumper stickers with that lovely slogan "Never Forget". Oooh, ooh, and I almost forgot - we gotta have some kinda catchy country tune about "America the Brave!"

What a load...