Mark's Live Blogging

7:31pm ET: The hall is packed. Not every one is seated yet, but it is certainly crowded here. Lots of people are holding Mark Steyn's amazing book "America Alone" for him to sign after his much anticipated speech. Lots of media here.

7:50 pm ET: Andrew Lawtown the organizer of the event is now introducing Mark Steyn and setting the ground rules. People have come as far away as California, Michigan and Toronto.

Mark Steyn has just begun speaking and the crowds are bursting in laughter as he cracks jokes about the state of free speech in Canada.

Mark is now talking about the Jon Stewart's rally for sanity in Washington DC and says Cat Stevens gets no controversy for his outrageous beliefs but a conservative gets a different treatment from the mainstream media.

Mark: I am a human rights activist that is out there to destroy the "Canadian Human Rights Commission".

FUN SURPRISE: We have a bit of interruption here. No interruption. Just a funny surprise... A dominatrix is on the stage (part of the play) and is exchanging with Mark. Oh no, we have an Imam here from Riyadh speaking at the shariapolooza... LOL! So Mark directed them how to find their way to the Sexapolooza and the Shariapolooza. Pics:


Mark now resumes his speech talking about the problems that ails the west. Mark is now addressing the issue of Canada losing the security council vote which he thinks is not a big deal. That Canada had a bigger role in defeating Nazism and Fascism than France or China ever did.

Mark addressing the issue of western debt and un-sustainablity of western way of pleasure or what he calls "Culture of pleasure".

Mark is now tackling the NASA's outreach to the Muslims around the world.

Will Canada in mid 21st century be like what it is today? Will we still like hockey? Immigration to the west and demography are now being touched by Mark.

8:26pm ET: Mark: Ayatollah Khomeini legitimized sex with animals. LOL! "What do I give for lamb kebab"?

Western liberal feminists have sold out their sisters in the Islamic world. Women are commodities in the Islamic world. They're wrapped in a bag and are prosecuted. "No open women in the car, wrapped up just like straight from factory".

Mark is going to sing a song now....

Got a t-shirt from Mark. hahaha! Cause I do know the difference between the Sunni and Shiites.

Mark is now talking about the crumbling of the old world (i.e. West) after its fall. He says we're not ready to surrender without a fight to the applause of the crowd.

"I did not set out to be controversial" but "I am bored with death threats" and we have to "share the risk" - And if you want to kill us "you have to kill us all". Mark ended his speech and the crowd is cheering him loudly. 8:45pm: He is now going to take some questions.

Mark: Current debt is not sustainable. We're piling on debt. We need structural change.

Now an idiot (ironically an Iranian who might probably be a UWO student) is making himself look like a fool by asking an irrelevant question about the US invasion of Iraq. Get a life! - "Do you see a pattern here?" - Mark answered brilliantly again.

9:30 pm: The speech ended with Mark Steyn signing his popular books away for his fans.

Blazing Cat Fur has a few more photos.