Eight military police officers whose conduct was under examination, have been cleared and the whole matter of whether or not Canadian military police tortured Afghanis is filed away as it should have been -- and would have been if the Globe and Mail hadn't had a bee in its bonnet, intent on rooting out scoundrels it believed were in our military.

Karla Homolka served her time and fled to the Caribbean, determined to avoid the spotlight -- until discovered by former TV reporter Paula Todd: married with three children living in Guadeloupe. It's difficult to have sympathy for Karla Homolka, even as she's persecuted by "public interest" reporters. Better to question the judicial system that freed her. As long as she stays out of trouble, why not leave her alone?

Zambian author Dambisa Moyo proposes a refreshingly original, and correct, take on the state of African affairs: that developing countries plan their own futures and not depend on foreign aid -- that excessive aid fosters dependency, inhibits enterpise, leads to corruption and too often results in tyrannical governments and massive poverty.

What sort of a world do the people who run our courts live in? For defending and recovering his property, Brian Knight was convicted of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and sentenced to 90 days -- three times the sentence that the thief got. How dare this guy be saddled with a criminal record for doing what most of us hope we'd do if we were confronted with the same circumstances that faced Brian Knight.

Leonard Peltier, now 68, has been in prison for 35 years. Since 1977, petitions and pleas on his behalf have been ignored; appeals by the Arhbshiop of Canterbury, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, 55 U.S. Congressmen, and Canadian Parliamentarians, and members of the European Parliament Union. But the FBI is adamant that he killed two of their agents.

The main message in so-called "Muslim cleric" and street preacher al-Haashim Kamena Atangana's tirade against provocatively-dressed women is what it says about some Muslim men. Apparently, men are such lustful creatures that they can't control themselves if they spot a short skirt. He would favor a law requiring women to wear long robes that cover all parts of skin.

A poll of Canadians would probably come out in favour of chuckwagon races as something of an institution around which the annual Stampede is based. If one could turn the clock back to Roman times, a similar poll would also come down in favour of to-death gladiator fights in the Coloseum, and bear-baiting, lions eating Christians and, of course, Ben Hur-like chariot races.

What to do about gun violence in Toronto -- or anywhere else, for that matter? Well, contrary to prevailing opinion, there's a lot that can be done. For starters, we (the police and government) should determine who is doing the shooting. Unfortunately, "Profiling" is a taboo word for many, especially human rights zealots who equate "profiling" with bullying or unfairly picking on a portion of the community.

Now there are psychiatric reports that supposedly claim Omar Khadr more dangerous than ever, surrounded and influenced in Gitmo by committed Islamic terrorists. His return to Canada is on hold because Public Safety Minister Vic Toews wants to consider the contents of these reports. The longer they procrastinate, the more sympathy Khadr gains.

Measures being taken to prevent misuse of the Olympic designation are intriguing, appalling and hilarious. Fines for abuse can total $30,000. There's the 81-year-old grandmother who made tiny sweaters with the Olympic logo for dolls selling for the equivalent of $1.63, proceeds going to a church charity. And the florist rebuked for arranging flowers with the colours of the Olympic rings. Off with their heads!

By reducing foreign aid to Zimbabwe, Canada is said to be threatening chances for democracy in that country after the next election, expected in 2013. The concern seems misguided. Canada has always maintained close and cordial relations with Zimbabwe, but this relationship hasn't advanced democracy in that country.