What an exit! What a classy way to go out. Canada will not soon forget the last words in his very last public communication: "My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear."

Would such sentiments even have occurred to any other politician as their last will and testament? Would any other politician have been taken seriously had they written such words? Jack Layton's final letter, I'm sure, will find its way into history books for decades to come -- a sense of what Canada could be at its very best.

Why do certain media choose to offer platforms to those who spread malicious lies and instill fear about Muslims? Do they agree with those sentiments? Is it to influence their government's policies on multiculturalism, immigration or laws banning Muslim institutions and practices? Is it in the name of free speech for Muslim-bashers? To fill space? To improve ratings? Or merely for the hell of it?

There are several things we must grasp if we're ever going to understand what motivated Anders Breivik's murderous rampage in Norway. As is well known now, Mr. Breivik was a devotee of those many strident voices on the web who accuse the Norwegian Labour Party and its ilk of treason for being too soft on Muslims. For him, the logical response was to slaughter the children of the "traitors" in huge numbers.