The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms took a wee hit last week when a Nova Scotia Supreme Court justice told a retired Dartmouth resident that he has no right to put his surname on a vanity licence plate....

During Lorne Grabher's fight to overturn Nova Scotia's ban on his vanity license plate, the Registry of Motor Vehicles grudgingly revealed to the court a list of 3,128 words it has banned from license plates. To foster greater understanding of the work done by Nova Scotia's dedicated civil servants, I reproduce the list here.

Butts's statement also included what had been missing in the PMO's defense: a full-throated denial, devoid of weasel words. ...

Stop crying wolf. Stop pretending trivial and far-fetched risks are everyday perils. If you must fear something, fear something real. Worry about texting drivers, not great white sharks. Most of all, stop wallowing in ersatz connections to distant tragedies. We live in the safest place in the world, at the safest time in history. We must resist those who would swaddle us in fear....