|
|
Post by Cranky on May 28, 2013 12:53:08 GMT -5
I argued that we are on our way to British and Enquirer type press in Canada. Well,here is the why. ~~~~~~~~~~ Bob Tarantino: Stacking the libel-law deck against plaintiffs Two weeks ago, Toronto Star journalists reported that they had watched a cellphone video in which Toronto Mayor Rob Ford allegedly appeared to have smoked crack cocaine from a glass pipe. A little over a week later, the Globe and Mail newspaper published a lengthy article in which its reporters alleged that the mayor’s brother, Toronto city councilor Doug Ford, had sold illegal drugs in the 1980s. In the wake of those allegations, which are vigorously disputed by both Ford brothers, it is worth considering the extent to which our courts remain a venue in which “truth” will prevail when a Canadian finds himself the subject of a front-page story damaging to his reputation. When Canadians feel that their reputation has been damaged by false statements, they can sue the authors and publishers for defamation. Historically, Canada has been viewed as a plaintiff-friendly jurisdiction when it comes to this area of law: Until recently, Canadian law offered few defences to most publishers. But that changed in 2009, when the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in Grant v Torstar, which introduced into Canadian law the defence of “responsible communication in the public interest.” Without the decision in Grant, some argue, the stories about Ford likely never would have been published: It simply would have been too legally risky for the Star and the Globe. Many Torontonians are mystified why the Fords haven’t sued yet — and cite this as a reason why they believe the allegations may be true. But the state of law is such that such a suit may just be a waste of the Fords’ time and money, even if they end up having the facts on their side.Before the decision in the Grant case, when someone sued a news outlet for defamation, the onus was on the news outlet to demonstrate the truth of the statements they had published. Effectively, the law privileged an individual’s reputation over freedom of expression and investigative journalism. This had long been a point of frustration for reporters and publishers. Arcane rules of evidence and the reluctance of anonymous sources to take the witness stand meant that it could sometimes be difficult to demonstrate “truth” in open court. The operative legal question journalists ask themselves is no longer “are we correct about this,” but “have we taken steps to ensure that we’re correct about this?” The Grant case changed the legal calculus: News outlets could now defend themselves by demonstrating that they published a story on a matter of public interest, and that they were diligent and “responsible” in the process of their reporting. The operative legal question journalists and their lawyers ask themselves is no longer “are we correct about this,” but “have we taken steps to ensure that we’re correct about this.” In the gap between those two questions can lie a wrongly shattered reputation.The search for truth is not the supreme value in our society. It sometimes should be trumped by other considerations, such as free expression and holding individuals to account. But we should be alarmed when the courts, of all institutions, subordinate truth to other priorities. Rob and Doug Ford are not the ideal potential plaintiffs for this discussion. Within hours of the publication of the stories in question, they had the ability to call press conferences and sit down for interviews to be broadcast on major news outlets. And they have their own weekly show on a major Toronto radio station. In other words, even without the courts, they could easily get “their side of the story” out there, fighting to protect their reputations using the same fusillades of media coverage which had been used against them. Most other people, including you and me, don’t have this sort of media access. So here’s hoping that a Canadian newspaper or television news program never decides to publish a damaging lie about us. Thanks to the Supreme Court’s 2009 decision, it will be very difficult for us to hold them accountable. National Post fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/05/28/bob-tarantino-stacking-the-libel-law-deck-against-plaintiffs/ |
|
|
|
Post by Cranky on May 30, 2013 4:39:34 GMT -5
Toronto Star, an entire section devoted 24/7 to a smear campaign to get him out of office. www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/robford.html~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In case some of you out of towners are not aware of TO politics. Here is a comment from National Post that sets the stage why Pravda Toronto Star and it's urban leftist elitist will do anything, absolutely anything to get Ford. They tried three times to do it legally and failed. They tried to set him up for "ass grabbing" but never happened, even went as far as trying to bring him into a room with a woman and claim sexual assault. They tried to smear him by claiming that he beat young players playing for his football team and the players came out to refute it. They will do ANYTHING to get him out of office......ANYTHING.....and they did. I suggest you don't hold your breath waiting for that "video" to surface...... ~ After Rob Ford’s legal victory, Toronto’s humiliated left has a front-row seat to watch the mayor’s influence grow
What will they do, the massed forces of the Toronto Spring, the great swirling media-leftist agglomeration that had convinced itself that they had the city’s right-wing mayor, Rob Ford, on the ropes? They’ve been counting votes, announcing candidacies, speculating and musing about recapturing city hall from the evil clutches of a mayor who actually wanted to curb the growth of city spending and reverse decades of slide and deterioration.
The story was so big in the minds of the Toronto media that they had spun the possibility of overthrowing Rob Ford into a national event. Was it a symbol of a national reawakening of the left? Unfortunately, all the plans and fantasies—the late Jack Layton’s wife, Olivia Chow, was being trotted out as the left’s likely standard bearer — had been pinned on the outcome of a court case.
In a staggering blow on Friday to the great entrenched left-wing power base in Canada’s largest city — a base that has never accepted loss of control over their sprawling government enterprise — an Ontario Divisional Court threw their hopes out of court. The unanimous three-judge appeal decision concluded that the very foundation of the case was based on a series of manoeuvres by Mr. Ford’s enemies on city council — manoeuvres that were essentially illegal.
Anti-Ford activists on council, with a sympathetic Integrity Commissioner as accomplice, had essentially attempted to force Mr. Ford to repay $3,150 that had been contributed by others to a high school football team at the mayor’s request. Council had no legal authority under the city’s Code of Conduct to punish Mr. Ford in this way, said the court. The attempt was “objectionable” because “council did not have the jurisdiction to impose such a penalty.” It was “ultra vires” — beyond council’s power — and therefore “a nullity.”
Good word, that. Nullity is where the left is at right now.
The rest of the case falls apart as a result. Some are claiming Mr. Ford won on a “technicality,” including Clayton Ruby, the high-profile activist Toronto lawyer who brought the charges into court. Mr. Ruby says he will appeal Friday’s decision to the Supreme Court, but at least one expert in administrative law says such an appeal has little hope.
“The Divisional Court’s judgment is almost certainly the end of the legal saga,” says Paul Daly, adjunct professor of administrative law at the University of Montreal, in a commentary in today’s National Post. “The Supreme Court of Canada has a very limited power to entertain any appeal.”
So now Toronto’s mayor and the city can begin to get back to business. The mayor himself seemed somewhat contrite. He claimed to have found the process a “very, very humbling experience.” That lasted a few seconds before he moved on to say: “We are running this city better than any administration ever has” and that he planned to push ahead with his agenda “for the next six years.” That implies he will be running for another term in 2014.news.nationalpost.com/2013/01/25/after-rob-fords-legal-victory-torontos-humiliated-left-has-a-front-row-seat-to-watch-the-mayors-influence-grow/ |
|
|
|
Post by Cranky on May 30, 2013 4:51:51 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Cranky on May 30, 2013 4:58:13 GMT -5
Here is another smear campaign story about Rob Ford hitting his players.....but never happened. Now take a wild guess which paper spread the smear? Our friends at Pravda. Yup, spread the story and don't worry about the facts. Simply smear with impunity. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Former student football player says Rob Ford never hit him The former high-school football player who Rob Ford is accused of hitting says the mayoralty candidate never laid a hand on him. www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/former-student-football-player-says-rob-ford-never-hit-him/article1212647/~~~~~~~~ Are you still holding your breadth waiting for the video? |
|
|
|
Post by Cranky on May 30, 2013 5:09:24 GMT -5
The legalities and why it's a waste of time for Ford to sue. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Why hasn’t Mayor Rob Ford sued the Toronto Star?
May 24, 2013 - Posted by Thomas Rose Town Hall Libel Law Internet media law Journalism Online Law
By J-Source Law editor Thomas Rose
So why hasn’t Toronto Mayor Rob Ford filed a defamation suit against the Toronto Star and/or the Gawker news site, which incidentally lives by the motto ‘today’s gossip is tomorrow’s news?' Alan Shanoff over at the Winnipeg Sun poses that very question in a recent article that ultimately fails to provide any answer but does seems to actively encourage Ford to proceed with a suit, suggesting that it would in fact be an ‘easy task’. I disagree.
Ordinarily in a libel case, the burden of proof lies with the defendant, in this case that would be the Star, to prove the allegations made were true. That might be difficult under the circumstances as the original allegations were made by individuals thought to be connected to Toronto’s underworld who secretly taped what appears to be a fun filled and as yet unexplained encounter with the mayor.
Without the testimony of those individuals, whose credibility would be suspect from the get-go, and certainly without the video itself, the Star would have a hard time establishing the truth of the matter, that is, did the mayor smoke crack cocaine?
Certainly it can be argued that the existence of strong circumstantial evidence showing the mayor of Canada's largest city mixing socially with self-proclaimed criminals and holding what looks like a typical crack pipe is in the public interest. The video, if authentic, and the allegations of the individual claiming to have made the video raise questions the citizens of Toronto deserve to have answered.
If drugs aren’t being consumed, why is the mayor allegedly seen warming the bottom of the glass pipe with a lighter and then inhaling? Why are the mayor’s words slurred? Why is he allegedly even in the room holding such paraphernalia? Why is he apparently consorting with possible drug dealers? The answers to these questions would allow the public to better gauge whether this is the person they want representing their city and their interests.
For a responsible communication defence to succeed the Star would need to meet other criteria, but at present there is a high probability it would prevail. There are those who feel that the Star acted out of malice, that as an institution it has repeatedly and consistently demonstrated a desire to ‘get’ Mayor Ford, and that this latest scandal is just one more example of the lengths to which the venerable publishing house will go to achieve its goal.
Malice of course is one thing the courts will not tolerate. Which is why allegations of malice would most certainly be raised in a law suit. To this end the Star would need to show that it not only acted in the public interest, but that it did so fairly. Did the Star’s reporters for example, diligently seek out the Mayor’s side of the story, and were those efforts accurately reported?
It has been suggested that the Star did not seek out the mayor’s response in this case. If that is true, the Star might argue that since the American- based information site Gawker had already published the story, it was in the public interest to first provide Torontonians with the benefit of the information gathered by its reporters, and then later seek a response from the mayor. In this way Torontonians would be provided with a Canadian context for the story and not have to rely solely on Gawker. In support of such a claim, the Star would likely need to demonstrate that it has consistently sought out the mayor’s response whenever it was about to publish other stories critical of Ford.
To date, the mayor has not provided anyone with a full response to any of the allegations, apart from dismissing them as ‘ridiculous’ and yet another example of the Star ‘going after’ him.
The mayor’s silence may indicate his lawyers are busy preparing a law suit, but it is not sitting well with the people of Toronto. As of today, all four major dailies serving the city are demanding that Ford answer the charges.
So, why hasn’t the mayor filed a lawsuit, or at least freed his legal team to imply such action is being contemplated? One reason might be that Ford knows that by going after the Star the issue would stay on the public agenda longer than he might wish. Another reason could be that barring the discovery of new information, there is a good chance he would lose his case.
Then again, the mayor may be holding off because the primary target of a libel suit may not be the Toronto Star but Gawker, which has published the most salacious comments about the mayor and his behaviour. But slapping that organization with a libel suit could prove tricky because it is based solely in the U.S. and the issue of whether Canadian law can be applied extraterritorially has not fully been developed.
In 2012, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that defamation occurs where the defamatory comment is published, even when publication takes place on the internet in another country. In other words, if a defamatory statement is published on the internet and accessed in Canada, as the allegations of crack smoking were, the defamed party, in this case the mayor, may be able to sue in Canada. Still, that’s a big gamble, especially if representatives of Gawker refuse to appear in Canada.
In the end, Mayor Ford may decide to wait out the storm, allowing his supporters more time to solidify a narrative that paints him as a victim, a bumbling and mistake prone victim to be sure, but a victim nonetheless. If there is no law suit, if the video never surfaces, and if Ford chooses to offer only selected and limited explanations of his behaviour, the matter could well be left not to a court of law but to the court of public opinion. Toronto's next mayoral election is on Monday, October 27, 2014. j-source.ca/article/why-hasn%E2%80%99t-mayor-rob-ford-sued-toronto-star~~~~~~~~~~ Are you still holding your breadth for that video? Last thought.......If Ford and his money can't sue because given the Supreme Courts ruling, it's a waste of time, image how easily they can smear you and me...and we don't have a prayer. |
|
|
|
Post by CentreHice on May 30, 2013 13:48:00 GMT -5
Two more Ford staffers resign. That's chief of staff fired...and 4 more who have quit/resigned. This story isn't going away. Also from the article: Second arrest
Also Thursday, Toronto police announced they had charged a second man with first-degree murder in the killing of 21-year-old Anthony Smith, who appears in a photo beside Ford that is at the centre of the video controversy.
Hanad Mohamed, 23, of Toronto, was arrested in Fort McMurray, Alta., police said Thursday.
He will appear in a Toronto court Friday on a charge of first-degree murder.
Nisar Hashimi, 23, is also charged with first-degree murder in the Smith shooting after turning himself in to police in April.
Smith was killed outside a King Street nightclub in Toronto on March 28. It appears Smith has his arm around Ford in a widely circulated photo provided to the U.S. website Gawker and the Toronto Star by the same people who showed them the alleged video of Ford appearing to smoke crack cocaine.
|
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 30, 2013 18:14:26 GMT -5
More of his staff bailing out. Running for cover? Or, simply had enough?
More to follow, I suspect.
Cheers.
|
|
|
|
Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on May 30, 2013 23:39:04 GMT -5
Finally saw what everyone is talking about mayor Ford. Toronto deserves him!
|
|
|
|
Post by HABsurd on May 31, 2013 11:18:13 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Cranky on May 31, 2013 15:55:12 GMT -5
Welcome to the brave new world of.......tabloid reporting.
Next up....
Pravda.....FORD GIVES BIRTH TO ALIEN CRACK BABY.
SUN....FORD CALLS CRACK BABY RIDICULOUS
Globe....RIGHTS GROUP SAY FORD HATES CRACK BABIES
Pravda.....FORDS ALIEN CRACK BABY A MENACE
SUN...FORD CLAIMS HE DOES NOT HAVE CRACK BABY.
Pravda...FORD LOST CRACK BABY
And so it goes.......
|
|
|
|
Post by HABsurd on May 31, 2013 16:02:12 GMT -5
Welcome to the brave new world of.......tabloid reporting. Next up.... Pravda.....FORD GIVES BIRTH TO ALIEN CRACK BABY. SUN....FORD CALLS CRACK BABY RIDICULOUS Globe....RIGHTS GROUP SAY FORD HATES CRACK BABIES Pravda.....FORDS ALIEN CRACK BABY A MENACE SUN...FORD CLAIMS HE DOES NOT HAVE CRACK BABY. Pravda...FORD LOST CRACK BABY And so it goes....... [/quote I realize that it doesn't fit in with your wacko conspiracy theories, but you neglect to mention that the National Post endorsed Ford for mayor. |
|
|
|
Post by Cranky on May 31, 2013 16:23:35 GMT -5
Welcome to the brave new world of.......tabloid reporting. Next up.... Pravda.....FORD GIVES BIRTH TO ALIEN CRACK BABY. SUN....FORD CALLS CRACK BABY RIDICULOUS Globe....RIGHTS GROUP SAY FORD HATES CRACK BABIES Pravda.....FORDS ALIEN CRACK BABY A MENACE SUN...FORD CLAIMS HE DOES NOT HAVE CRACK BABY. Pravda...FORD LOST CRACK BABY And so it goes....... [/quote I realize that it doesn't fit in with your wacko conspiracy theories, but you neglect to mention that the National Post endorsed Ford for mayor. And Pravda whored Smitherman. 24/7. They ran endless articles about how great Smithy is and how bad Ford will be. So then went about with fabricated articles and back of gang bangers cars looking for evidence to smear him. Now they want Olivia Chow....a political nobody other then she's a minority and NDP'er. Notice, National Post did not stoop into running in back alleys looking for smear jobs. Nor quote "anonymous sources" like Pravda which are then PROVEN complete fabrications. Beating players? Ass grabbing? Do you want the links again? |
|
|
|
Post by jkr on Jun 1, 2013 12:10:53 GMT -5
No, they went to a crummy apartment to talk with someone who requested anonymity. It's the same thing as quoting an anonymous source. We have no name or face here or any way to verify what he's saying. |
|
|
|
Post by sergejean on Oct 31, 2013 12:59:37 GMT -5
I suggest you don't hold your breath waiting for that "video" to surface...... So it seems that the video did exist after all... |
|
|
|
Post by CentreHice on Oct 31, 2013 15:54:20 GMT -5
Chief of Police, Bill Blair says that video and another are now in the possession of police....and he says it depicts what the previous reporters said. Methinks Ford is finished....and he should be. Can't have the mayor of Toronto doing that....no matter what political stance he takes. Of course, he's saying he sees no reason to resign. Enough bravado and lies. At least play the "I need help" card to perhaps elicit the sympathy celebrities are almost always afforded. Take a leave of absence...come back, say you're clean...and finish your term. If he keeps denying and lying...it begs the question, "About what else has he been dishonest?" And public resentment will build until he's shamed out by demonstrations. If he truly loves the city of Toronto, he'll take a leave (or resign) and get help. Somehow, I can see him denying EVERYTHING....saying the guy in the video is a look-alike. But how will he explain the video footage of his meetings with Lisi...exchanging envelopes and bags in a parking lot? 400 pages of police surveillance over the past few months. He also recommended Lisi for a job at City Hall. From what I've been watching/reading over the past few years, it appears he and his brother truly believe they're above the law...and that rules aren't for them. National Post |
|
|
|
Post by CentreHice on Oct 31, 2013 18:18:27 GMT -5
It should also be noted that Lisi has been charged with extortion in his efforts to obtain the video. Now, why would a friend of the Fords be involved in extortion to get the video IF Ford isn't in it....or IF Ford doesn't smoke crack-cocaine...or, in short, IF Ford was telling the truth? Just connecting the dots that keep appearing..... From the police documents released: ArticleThe newly released documents gave a detailed glimpse into Ford and Lisi’s activities on the evening of May 16 when online gossip site Gawkerand the Star wrote about the video.
At 8:18 p.m. — just 10 minutes before Gawker published its story online — Mayor Ford called Lisi. They spoke for 40 seconds.
For the next 45 minutes, Lisi feverishly contacted an unidentified number, trading nine texts and four calls.
He then called Fabio Basso, who lives at 15 Windsor Rd. The call lasted just eight seconds.
Lisi also called Liban Siyad, an alleged member of the Dixon City Bloods arrested during the June 13 Project Traveller raids on Dixon Rd. The two spoke twice in a matter of minutes.
The only other call police noted in its allegations was 24-second conversation apparently between Lisi and an anger management centre.
Lisi worked late throughout the night, repeatedly calling Basso, whose home, according to several sources, was the setting of the alleged crack video.
From 2:21 a.m. to 10:28 a.m., Lisi furiously texted and called people, specifically David Price, one of Ford’s top aides and long-time friend, police said in their allegations.
Ford called Lisi for the first time nearly 21 hours after news broke about the crack video. The call lasted 22 seconds. Ford called back a minute later from his home phone and cell. The two talked three more times that evening before Lisi spoke to Mohamed Siad, the alleged gang member trying to sell the video. Lisi spent the next day talking to Ford, Siad and another alleged member of the Dixon gang.
And those are just some of the dots. The Fords have to be hoping Lisi won't rat....because if he implicates Ford in the extortion, that's another ball game. |
|
|
|
Post by Skilly on Oct 31, 2013 18:49:14 GMT -5
The Ford stuff is all true, the Duffy affair with the PM is starting to come out too .... Sometimes it isnt left wing smear campaigns , it's actually news, unless we can't use the police as a "source" now?
|
|
|
|
Post by Skilly on Oct 31, 2013 18:53:44 GMT -5
I suggest you don't hold your breath waiting for that "video" to surface...... So it seems that the video did exist after all... Not only that, but the video was found on a hard drive they recovered. It was deleted, but the police forensics were still able to recover it |
|
|
|
Post by franko on Oct 31, 2013 21:52:58 GMT -5
The Ford stuff is all true, the Duffy affair with the PM is starting to come out too ....  |
|
|
|
Post by sergejean on Oct 31, 2013 22:13:01 GMT -5
The Ford stuff is all true, the Duffy affair with the PM is starting to come out too .... Rofl!!!! |
|
|
|
Post by Skilly on Oct 31, 2013 22:54:38 GMT -5
The Ford stuff is all true, the Duffy affair with the PM is starting to come out too .... LOL I was thinking there was a joke in there somewhere!! |
|
|
|
Post by Doc Holliday on Nov 1, 2013 11:21:52 GMT -5
...bah... the Left smearing the Right, the Right smearing the Left... this is why I'm less and less into politics, it's all a big media show now about who will throw the most significant mud pie and who can keep the best straight face while lying through his teeth.
|
|
|
|
Post by CentreHice on Nov 5, 2013 13:52:06 GMT -5
On his Sunday radio show, after a Friday strategy meeting at his mother's house.....he admitted to and apologized for public drunkenness on two occasions. Setting the table with "Blame it all on the booze...."
Today (Tuesday):
"Yes I have smoked crack cocaine. But I am not an addict," he said. "Have I tried it? Probably in one of my drunken stupors," he said, suggesting that he may have smoked it approximately one year ago.
Bingo. Crap happens when you're hammered. We can all relate to that! Come on, folks!
On the John Oakley show yesterday, Oakley asked him, "How are you going to deal with the drinking?"
Ford's answer: "Don't drink as much."
There's leadership. The man has no shame.
|
|
|
|
Post by jkr on Nov 5, 2013 14:57:49 GMT -5
On his Sunday radio show, after a Friday strategy meeting at his mother's house.....he admitted to and apologized for public drunkenness on two occasions. Setting the table with "Blame it all on the booze...." Today (Tuesday): "Yes I have smoked crack cocaine. But I am not an addict," he said. "Have I tried it? Probably in one of my drunken stupors," he said, suggesting that he may have smoked it approximately one year ago. Bingo. Crap happens when you're hammered. We can all relate to that! Come on, folks! On the John Oakley show yesterday, Oakley asked him, "How are you going to deal with the drinking?" Ford's answer: "Don't drink as much." There's leadership. The man has no shame. Oakley is his main enabler. He used to have him on the show when Ford was a councillor. Ford would slam his fellow councillors for their spending. That exchange you quote is an example of Ford's excuse today to reporters - " you didn't ask the right questions." He claims to be a defender of the little guy but he's just another sleazy, deceptive politician. |
|
|
|
Post by CentreHice on Nov 5, 2013 15:38:06 GMT -5
Yes, I remember that, jkr. Ford was a weekly guest...ratting out the spending at City Hall. He was really pre-campaigning for mayor.
Oakley is a very intelligent man. He leans right for sure...but I'll bet he's just having him on now because it makes for "good radio". He's not Rush Limbaugh. I haven't heard him deny...but he's certainly quick to deflect from the Ford problem to the, "What about the Liberals and the gas plants, etc." Two different issues. The Liberals are going to pay HARD at the polls. Ford needs to be gone now....get some help...come back supposedly clean and be a hero. IF he was smart, that's what he'd do. But I have a feeling there's more to the story yet.
|
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Nov 6, 2013 12:04:22 GMT -5
It's one thing after another and it's really becoming tiresome. If they have something on him then the police should issue a warrant for his arrest. It's been dragging on too long now and it's nothing more than a bad soap opera, as well as, a major international embarrassment.
If he's done something wrong then prove it and process the guy.
Enough already!
|
|
|
|
Post by CentreHice on Nov 6, 2013 13:49:32 GMT -5
There could be something yet to come toward that end, Dis.
Right now, it's about integrity and credibility....lying, denying, attacking, deflecting, playing the victim....
Even the apology yesterday....denying he's an addict of any kind....denying he needs treatment....refusing to take a leave....promising it would never ever ever happen again. Sincererly, sincerely, sincerely sorry. Ending with "God bless the people of Toronto."
Are you kidding me!! Still not addressing WHERE (a crack dealer's house) and WITH WHOM (crack dealers) he was smoking the crack. The video and other evidence will prove that.
If anyone's making it into a soap opera, it's Ford.....along with his ever-present brother/protector.
Interesting to see how they're going to deflect what comes out of the rest of the evidence and the Lisi extortion case.....IF Ford's still in office at that time.
|
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Nov 7, 2013 8:23:00 GMT -5
There could be something yet to come toward that end, Dis. Right now, it's about integrity and credibility....lying, denying, attacking, deflecting, playing the victim.... Even the apology yesterday....denying he's an addict of any kind....denying he needs treatment....refusing to take a leave....promising it would never ever ever happen again. Sincererly, sincerely, sincerely sorry. Ending with "God bless the people of Toronto." Are you kidding me!! Still not addressing WHERE (a crack dealer's house) and WITH WHOM (crack dealers) he was smoking the crack. The video and other evidence will prove that. If anyone's making it into a soap opera, it's Ford.....along with his ever-present brother/protector. Interesting to see how they're going to deflect what comes out of the rest of the evidence and the Lisi extortion case.....IF Ford's still in office at that time. Well, for me anyway, I think the could do the city, and the nation for that matter, a big favour by just resigning. It's an international comedy right now. Case in point, a very good friend of mine just went to Australia on business and he returned saying how many people were asking him about Ford. He's on the news over there and he's one of the topics of interest. There's that. There's also all those staffers who just up and left when they did. Like, I don't know the inside stuff on that. Did they just leave because they had had enough, or were they told to tow the line, or ... Then there's his brother, yes. And is admission to smoking crack cocaine. He's a poor example of the leader to the "centre of the Canadian universe" and simply has to go, is all. It would be better for all concerned, including himself. Cheers. |
|
|
|
Post by CentreHice on Nov 7, 2013 16:20:29 GMT -5
DeeperI know we're only human....but.....wow. It just keeps getting worse. His explanation? “I was very, very inebriated,” he said. “I’ve made mistakes. All I can do is assure the people that I…I don’t know what to say, I just wanted to come out, I wanted to, you know…”
He took long pauses between his statements, clearly having difficulty speaking.
“It’s extremely embarrassing,” he said. “The whole world is going to see it. I don’t have a problem with that, but it is extremely embarrassing. I don’t know what to say. I’ve again and again apologized.
“When you are in that state…I hope none of you have ever or will ever been in that state. That’s all I can say.”No....that's not ALL you can say. And you can't just deflect onto the rest of us for pity. We're NOT the mayor of a world-class city....who, via the nature of such a position, has a responsibility to represent that city in a good light. You can say, "I'm taking a leave of absence to get sober." Then start a ROB FORD ADDICTION CLINIC and be a HERO. That's IF you want to have any legacy at all other than "How tragic." This video, as Ford acknowledges, will hit every major news source in the world. He's a global joke right now...serving up new "material" every day. And let's face it....if we saw clips of the mayor of ANY other city on the planet acting in this manner, we would all say he has to resign and seek help. By the way, when people are "in that state" a lot of truth comes out. And I have a feeling a whole lot more truth is going to come out.
|
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Nov 9, 2013 16:24:22 GMT -5
Well Ford finally broke. He had a look of resignation in his face this time. Resignation... That might be in order now.
Cheers.
|
|
