Toronto’s top cop, Chief Bill Blair, sent out an internal video to his staff a couple of days ago to express his displeasure at some of his members’ conduct — things like beating handcuffed and defenseless suspects, turning off dashboard cams to hide their behaviour, lying to courts, etc. And part of his statement seemed to hit the nail on the head:
“…you don’t get to be an idiot in our uniform, you don’t get to be an idiot diminishing our organization and you cannot hide behind the badge to abuse the authority so carefully earned and so carefully used by all of us.”
Nice words, but as critics are quickly pointing out, if words are all there are, nothing’s going to change. After all, if there are cops out there who are not only not doing their job but willing to publicly break the law (while simultaneously collecting a hefty salary), I don’t think the situation is one that requires a stern tongue lashing.
“It’s just lies after lies and lies, and I’ve called you guys pathological liars, and you are, so why don’t you take me to court? Let the courts decide. You guys are liars!”
I’m pretty sure Rob doesn’t read TCL, but I know his handlers do so this little tidbit of advice might find its way into his ear: when someone’s slandering or libeling you, it’s you who take them to court, not the other way around.
Also, it’s worthwhile to keep in mind that although the Star revealed the information, of you’re going to be suing anyone it should be the well-named and very public people who are sourced in the newspaper’s claims.
The Star’s Robyn Doolittle seems to be gunning close to the core Rob Ford issue of the moment: his alcohol / drug abuse. Not terribly surprising given both the rumours and some earlier contacts (this date last year, in fact):
The story, apparently, is that Rob made another slovenly mess of himself at a war veteran’s charity ball, and had to be shown out.
Three members of the Garrison Ball organizing committee said Ford was asked to leave because he appeared impaired. One said, “he seemed either drunk, high or had a medical condition.”
Doolittle goes on to name a variety of sadly but understandably anonymous (all fearing the mayor’s wrath), sources who detail the alcoholism that Rob Ford is “battling with” (seems like a warm embrace to me, but that’s just my take). Some of the guest descriptions of Ford from the military ball, however, should remind us that there’s probably more than alcohol involved:
“incoherent,” “stumbling,” “rambling,” “intoxicated,” “slurring,” “seemed to be drunk,” “was nervous, excited, sweaty, out of it.”
I’ve had my fair share of alcohol, and I can’t say that I’ve ever been nervous or excited. Quite the opposite, in fact.
I know that Fordites are going to cling to their main mass no matter what, but to the rest of us, doesn’t it seem like maybe it’s time for a random drug test? And before anyone raises a fuss about inequality, I’d definitely be in favour of all the Councillors taking one.
Yes, that’s Newstalk 1010’s Jerry Agar who recently made a video pushing his brilliant idea to solve Toronto’s commuting problems: telecommuting.
In his video, Jerry tries to make out like he’s the one that came up with the genius concept, or at least was one of its prime champions (which, as a formerly avid Agar listener, I can unequivocally say is a complete lie), and isn’t it amazing how people are finally catching onto it? And he uses a Star article to “prove” his point, no less!
See for yourself:
What I find fascinating is watching Agar weasel between the tight squeezes of his (surprisingly) logical position in support of telecommuting, his even more blusterous support of “free market” and “business knows best”, and then on to, “yeah, but big business like Yahoo don’t want people telecommuting.”
I don’t call people “mentally ill” lightly nor pejoratively (unlike Ford and his neo-Con buddies, I actually believe it exists), but people like Agar exemplify why I’m so quick to jump to the term when talking about their “logic”. I mean, if someone randomly said to you (in the same breath no less), “I love big business! Big business sucks!” , would you not be tempted to say that something is genuinely wrong with their minds?
Sorry, Jerry, just calls ’em like I sees ’em, and you are one messed up individual. Please get help.
According to brother Doug, Rob will continue to pound his recent round of weirdness “ward to ward to ward”. He says there’s nothing wrong with constantly hammering people over the head with casinos (especially when inappropriate), and fist shaking.
Doug also added:
“(Councillors) are good talkers until he shows up into their ward. When you win with 19% of the vote and the mayor wins with 60% in your (ward) — you’re damn right you better be careful.”
Or rather, he “pounded” out a thinly veiled threat to anyone opposing him (as Ford does), to a group of Orthodox rabbis. This, according to Councillor James Pasternak anyway. In any event, it was all re-election this, casino that, pressure your Councillors the other. Blah blah.
True, I wasn’t there to get a gauge on the crowd so I don’t know how bothered they were by Ford’s diatribe and his “disheveled” appearance, but I imagine that since they were there to discuss the Toronto Eruv (which, I’m taken to understand, is some sort of Jewish Sabbath cheating map), it probably wouldn’t have been appropriate.
Councillor Joe Mihevc said of Ford, ” he (almost) grabbed the mic … he did not do honour to our good city. He did not make people tremble with fear [over yet another election threat]. It was just an awkward and embarrassing moment.”
“They’re saying (the city’s revenue) is going to be $100 million, $150 million, $200 million — we’ll see,” Ford said. “I want to get (a casino) first and then we can talk about proposal second.”
But that’s perfectly fine — Rob Ford has clearly shown us that those with more power and responsibility can do whatever the fuck they want with complete impunity, so we all need to just shut the hell up and take whatever they’re dishing out. Clearly, nothing bad could ever come out of it, so why do the “lefties” keep raising a stink about such things?
If you’re a Torontonian, here are two pieces for your consideration:
Three times more lobbyists signed up with the city in 2012 as in 2010. The number of subjects they’re pushing has doubled. Allegations of misconduct have tripled. And the daily communications logged between lobbyists and public office holders appears to be 10 times higher last year than the year before Ford took office, an analysis by the Star has shown.
And with the numbers on the rise, lobbyist registrar Linda Gehrke worries there is dwindling awareness around the “ethical” guidelines set out in the code of conduct.
But for many councillors, the most worrisome result of the new reality is that average citizens and community associations — people without the means to hire Bay Street professionals to plead their case — are being shut out.
This article easily demonstrates the dangers of getting too cozy with lobbyists, a prime M.O. in the Ford’s Toronto is “open for business” agenda. I recommend you read the whole thing, including all of the backroom connections and deals between the mayor’s office and the people who are responsible for all of the projects he’s pushing at any given time (no, the casino wasn’t his idea!)
Basically, if you’re okay with the mayor making hush-hush big-money deals behind pulled curtains, you’d really have to trust in him to be quite honest under such circumstances, no?
I’m going to suggest to you, then, that that mayor isn’t Rob Ford. I mean, the man (predictably) can’t even tell the truth, while (predictably) insulting a few supporters in the process, about that football charity for which he’s already received plenty of attention:
Ford called Don Bosco, in Rexdale, a “tough school” in a “tough area.” Players, he said, have told him they would be dead or in jail if not for the team.
Ford also praised the players as intelligent and hard-working. And he enthusiastically spoke of the happiness he feels when they succeed in life. “You’d be amazed what these kids can do when they have a reason to do it,” he said.
A group of teachers said in an anonymous letter to the board that Ford’s comments were “demeaning” and “filled with untruths.”
In a formal statement on Thursday, the board said some of Ford’s words represented “a completely inaccurate portrayal of our students, our school and the community in which the school is located.”
That’s not me saying it, that’s former mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson claiming that Ford decided that this was the way to go at the CJPAC Action Party last night.
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