Rob Ford, mayor of Toronto UPDATES

[Guest Kenneth]

When did Ford become a dictator. Whatever the case, these are still allegations based on rumours started by three Star reporters. Not fact (yet) - regardless of which other media sources are reporting it. You'll never convince me that the media would not be less hostile to someone on the left if a similar situation were to arise.

[silver72]

I think the paper or someone should pay the fee, test the film to find out if its real and then go from there. IF its is real, Ford better beat everyone and buy it first.

[BubberMiley]

When did Ford become a dictator.

Uh...he didn't. He's Mayor of Toronto.

Whatever the case, these are still allegations based on rumours started by three Star reporters.

Wrong. It was started by an American reporter from Gawker who is so interested in Canadian politics that he has never heard of Justin Trudeau and assumed that the Trudeau he was calling a faggot was Pierre. The Star reporters never came forward until the Gawker article was already published and CNN was investigating it.

Not fact (yet) - regardless of which other media sources are reporting it. You'll never convince me that the media would not be less hostile to someone on the left if a similar situation were to arise.

Of course I never will. That's because your right-wing victimhood complex is so deeply set, your ridiculous arguments appear reasonable to you. But the rational world understands that a crack-smoking politician will be media bait, no matter what their stripes.

BTW, have you found out who the mysterious "leftist" children's author who had a public meltdown is yet?

[jacee]

Kenneth Today, 01:03 AM

When did Ford become a dictator. Whatever the case, these are still allegations based on rumours started by three Star reporters. Not fact (yet) - regardless of which other media sources are reporting it. You'll never convince me that the media would not be less hostile to someone on the left if a similar situation were to arise.

Ahh! You can relax, Kenneth. There's an explanation.

-chief-blair: agent-ford-successfully-infiltrates-drug-ring

Edited May 18, 2013 by jacee

[scribblet]

Cute...

Thought I'd post this 'cos I think it's pretty good and worth reading the whole thing. It's by a a former Star editor on journalist ethics.

http://j-source.ca/article/opinion-crackgate-stars-rush-publish-alleged-rob-ford-crack-cocaine-story-unsatisfactory

[waldo]

It's by a a former Star editor

a former editor... how about the current editor?

Rob Ford crack scandal: Star editor’s unanswered questions --- Star editor Michael Cooke issues an open letter to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford: “Toronto is entitled to straight answers to straight questions.”

Toronto is entitled to straight answers to straight questions, and here are a few being asked in your city right now over this holiday weekend:

• Do you understand why this damning videotape requires a proper and thoughtful explanation?

• Have you ever smoked crack cocaine?

• How well do you know the men in the photograph that appeared on Friday’s front page? Did you know the man who was subsequently shot dead?

• Did you refer to Justin Trudeau by a homosexual slur?

• Did you refer to your football team as f------ minorities?

• Will you call for a police investigation into these latest allegations?

So many questions. No real answers.

In what has become a long list of questionable incidents involving your behaviour, does it ever occur to you that you have a problem and it isn’t the Toronto Star?

[jacee]

20 Things Worth Knowing About Torontos Crack-Smoking Mayor, Rob Ford

1.

... Ford was charged in Florida with DUI and marijuana possession Ford lied

2.

In 2002, Ford suggested that instead of having a "public meeting" about locating a homeless shelter in his district, "Why don't we have a public lynching?

3.

calling a colleague a "slithering snake" who belongs in the zoo.

4.

In 2005, Ford referred to fellow city council member Gloria Lindsay Luby as "a joke," "a waste of time," and "a waste of skin."

5.

Ford got into a heated argument with a reporter who called him a "fat fuck."

6.

Ford, ... was thrown out of a Maple Leafs hockey game for getting into drunken, expletive-laden arguments with fans (and also calling them "communists"). Asked about the incident by a reporter, Ford claimed he "wasn't even at the game."

7.

Later in 2006, Ford protested against spending $1.5 million to combat AIDS because, If you are not doing needles and you are not gay, you wouldnt get AIDS probably, thats bottom line." When it was pointed out to him that a growing number of women were being infected with AIDS, Ford replied, "Maybe they are sleeping with bi-sexual men.

8.

Ford ... said that if a bicyclist is killed by a car, it was the bicyclist's own fault...

9.

"Those Oriental people work like dogs ... they sleep beside their machines,'' he said. "The Oriental people, they're slowly taking over ... they're hard, hard workers."

10.

Ford was charged with assaulting his wife and making threats against her, but the charges were dropped ...

11.

In June of 2010, Ford was recorded on a phone call telling a constituent that he would try to score some OxyContin for him.

12.

In October of 2011, Ford was met in his driveway by a member of Canadian comedy show This Hour Has 22 Minutes who was dressed like Xena. Ford, finding this absolutely terrifying, went inside and called 911, twice. He reportedly told the dispatcher, "Dont you fucking know? Im Rob fucking Ford, the mayor of this city." ...

13.

On Christmas Day of 2011, Ford's mother-in-law "called police between 4 and 5 a.m. to report that the mayor had been drinking and was taking his children to Florida against the wishes of his wife, Renata." The Toronto Star reported, "According to numerous police and emergency service sources, 911 calls to the mayors Edenbridge Dr. home are a reality for the South Etobicoke division. Exactly how many calls have been made is unknown."

14.

Last August, someone posted a photo to Twitter of Ford reading while driving his car on the highway. ... "moving at about 70 km." Asked whether the allegation was true, Ford replied, "Probably. I'm busy."

15.

Last November, Ford attempted to throw a football.

16.

In February of this year, Ford was asked to leave a gala for members of the military after he was witnessed "speaking in a rambling, incoherent manner that alarmed some of the guests." The Toronto Star reported that it's "an open secret at city hall that the mayor has battled alcohol abuse."

17.

This March, Ford was accused by political rival Sarah Thomson of grabbing her ass during a photo and telling her she "should have been in Florida with him last week because his wife wasnt there."

18.

On St. Patrick's Day, Ford was escorted out of the bar Bier Markt after "storming the dance floor" and exhibiting generally drunken and "incoherrent" behavior.

19.

In April, Ford let off a loud f-bomb after walking face-first into a television camera:

20.

Oh, and in 2012, a judge actually booted Ford from office for violating conflict-of-interest laws. But Ford successfully appealed the decision and was allowed to remain mayor. Which is maybe something he regrets, in hindsight.

RELATED Rob Ford Calls Crack Allegation Absolutely Not True, But Rob Ford Is Also a Liar.

Well Toronto's now an international laughingstock because of Rob Ford.

That should be good for business and tourism!

Edited May 18, 2013 by jacee

[ReeferMadness]

He's been caught lying about a number of things. Why should anyone believe him about this? I believe in innocent until proven guilty but I also believe in probabilities. And here, there is a very high probability that the video is genuine.

Bye, Rob.

[WWWTT]

Rob Ford claims the "crack smoking" tape is real!

However,Rob claims that it is not him,but his twin brother "Mike Ford"!

This is freekin unreal!!!!

Here's the link and you be the judge!

http://dailycurrant.com/2013/05/18/rob-ford-claims-he-has-twin-brother/

Oh by the way,this is satire,I do not believe it is real.

WWWTT

[jacee]

Ahh, satire!

There seems to be a lot of that going around!

Michael's Essay on Rob Ford An urban fable about the leader known as The Round One, magic powder and dark days in the Great City

The Leader, a round and blondish man, was surrounded by enemies, like small dogs barking and tearing at his raiment. Oh, he had fought them before. Indeed, since capturing the Great City, wresting it from the iron grip of the evil Downtowners, he had turned away one catastrophe after another.

Yet he survived.

And his supporters in the mysterious Hinterland cheered his every victory. He won, not through guile or the power of arms, but by simple rhetoric,speaking to the folk in their own simple language.

"It's ridiculous," he cried after each volley of grape.

Many thought his arrogance, his folly would bring him down. But he prevailed. His people understood him.

"It's ridiculous," the Leader cried. And the people nodded. It was all the fault of the court scriveners who wanted his blood to stain the royal purple.

...

But that was long ago. Now the Round One faced a horde of accusers. They insisted he had partaken of the Magic Powder which was forbidden in the Kingdom.

They produced fuzzy images of the Round One seemingly at play with purveyors of the Magic Powder.

His people were angry and saddened. They knew not where to turn. The Round One tried to comfort them before roaring off in his black chariot.

"It's ridiculous," he shouted as the crowds moved closer.

...

The Elders in the Great City shook their heads slowly, knowingly, for they remembered the olden times.

They remembered when the Great Lamport declared:

"In politics, you need more of the kind of men who will crawl out from behind the woodwork.

Edited May 19, 2013 by jacee

[Rue]

None of you have any evidence yet once again you engage in assumptions of guilt.

You follow the belief if you throw out unsubstantiated allegations continuously they must be true simply because they are

continuous.

That is what you are doing-jumping on the band-wagon. You exhibit lynch mentality-mob frenzy-you are quick to portray

Ford as a bafoon drug addicted drunk spaz, and you critics? What are you?

You are just a pack of hyenas surrounding an animal you think is wounded and easy prey.

No more, no less.

There is a legal process. It requires proving someone guilty. On this forum we skip that. We simply throw out the name

calling and assumptions of guilt.

So far you have a video of a fat man tripping while trying to throw a football.

Come back to me when you have something. Until then this pollyanna band wagon frenzy is a joke.

Wait none of you have smoked dope. Oh wait, he's an elected official. He says "fuck" and he's fat and red faced

uh yah.

He squeezes buttoxes.

Uh yah.

The Star as far as I am concerned by running this story without proof once again shows it lacks any ethics. It smeers

by inneuendo and I say to the Star and all of you engaged in your frenzy, put up or shut the phack up. Tsk. There is

that word again.

[jacee]

No doubt by now Rob and Doug have purchased the video and it will never see the light of day.

Point being ... he's an embarrassment to Toronto, and bad for business.

Time for Rob Ford to resign.

POLL:

http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/05/17/is-it-time-for-rob-ford-to-resign/

Edited May 20, 2013 by jacee

[Guest Kenneth]

jacee's strident anti-Ford posts are interesting given the type of people she comes on here to defend.

[Boges]

So if the video hasn't come out, it's assumed that Ford bought the video? Weird.

[Spiderfish]

The Star as far as I am concerned by running this story without proof once again shows it lacks any ethics. It smeers

by inneuendo and I say to the Star and all of you engaged in your frenzy, put up or shut the phack up. Tsk. There is

that word again.

I don't know if this video exists or if it doesn't, i don't who or what is on it if it does. I'm not sure if it shows Ford smoking crack with Somali drug dealers, but it had better not or he's done. I think the truth is going to come out, and it is going to be very interesting when it does. I believe the credibility and reputation of the Toronto Star is every bit as much on the line as Ford's carreer. Bringing forth an unsubstantiated allegation like this is a very risky thing to do, and the repercussions will be just as significant for the Star if the allegations turn out to be false as they will be for Ford if they turn out to be true.

[jacee]

So if the video hasn't come out, it's assumed that Ford bought the video? Weird.

What would you be doing if you were Rob Ford?

Maybe he's having his city staff use city time and resources to send out a fundraising request to city lobbyists:

"Please! Help me buy my ridiculous crack video before it goes viral!"

[margrace]

Too bad one couldn't hear from the Ambulance people in Fords area who for years have been called to his home for years, before he was mayor, to settle domestic disputes and other problems. But they won't talk so it is only hearsay.

[Boges]

What would you be doing if you were Rob Ford?

Maybe he's having his city staff use city time and resources to send out a fundraising request to city lobbyists:

"Please! Help me buy my ridiculous crack video before it goes viral!"

But it's already gone viral without anyone seeing it. It seems people can say stuff without sufficient proof and it doesn't matter, it'll be believed by people that already hate this mayor anyway.

[scribblet]

None of you have any evidence yet once again you engage in assumptions of guilt.

You follow the belief if you throw out unsubstantiated allegations continuously they must be true simply because they are

continuous......................................

The Star as far as I am concerned by running this story without proof once again shows it lacks any ethics. It smeers

by inneuendo and I say to the Star and all of you engaged in your frenzy, put up or shut the phack up. Tsk. There is

that word again.

Well said Rue... Show me the money !!! (proof)

Funny tho, The Star endorsed Smitherman who was an admitted drug addict for 5 years. (and he was a health minister).

As Ms. Corbella says,

http://www.calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/Corbella+Mayor+Ford+afforded+compassion+disease/8403530/story.html

Maybe now that Rob Ford has allegedly been caught on tape smoking crack cocaine, we can finally dispense with the nonsense that drug use is a disease. It’s not, it’s a choice.

Funny how quickly, though, lefties who use that excuse for beautiful losers they admire, or for the downtrodden on their city streets, have abandoned their hackneyed mantra when a person they despise is a user.

So, thank you, Mayor Ford. According to your enemies, you are not a victim or someone suffering from a disease. Here’s hoping that th

But here’s also hoping that this story will expose the hypocrisy, viciousness and lack of compassion of those elites who have been out to first ensure Ford was not elected Toronto’s mayor, and then doing everything in their power to discredit him and to use the courts to remove him from office because they didn’t like the outcome.

[BubberMiley]

Well said Rue... Show me the money !!! (proof)

Funny tho, The Star endorsed Smitherman who was an admitted drug addict for 5 years. (and he was a health minister).

The key word is "admitted", as in "recovering." That's a big difference from someone who may be hanging out in crack dens. But I only have one question to the Ford defenders: Do you honestly believe the video is not real? Not whether there is verifiable proof, because there isn't. But what does your gut tell you---truth or fabrication?

[WWWTT]

But it's already gone viral without anyone seeing it. It seems people can say stuff without sufficient proof and it doesn't matter, it'll be believed by people that already hate this mayor anyway.

Pretty much the same way attack adds work.

The conservatives love those attack adds!

But it's a whole different story when the conservatives are the ones being attacked isn't it?

Payback's a B____!

WWWTT

[jacee]

jacee's strident anti-Ford posts are interesting given the type of people she comes on here to defend.

Another pointless personal attack.

Must be very frustrating trying to be a Ford supporter these days!

[Rue]

Another pointless personal attack.

Must be very frustrating trying to be a Ford supporter these days!

Naw it was not intended to be insulting but J, you throw out the sheeyit it comes back on yah. Seriously. I am not here to attack you personally. I have had the same thing thrown at me from one forum member who inferred I was a pedophile because I am against using the gay pride day parade for anti Israel political charades and I have got into some real good tit for tats on the Middle East but on this topic no one is insulting you. What some of us are saying though is, there needs to be substance before you try destroy a man's career. Right now what we have is the Star continuing to run an agenda of personal attacks on Ford with zero substantiation to the point its blatant.

I have written for magazines and newspapers. I was taught as a journalist many years ago not to state anything I could not prove. Its a simple rule. Any journalist with integrity knows that. To spread an innuendo with zero proof is smeering. Its what is expected in the National Enquirer.

The Star had no business running this story. To say its Editor saw a film of Ford but they can't get a copy of it-that is what they call substantial evidence-evidence you and I ooopsy can't see? We will just have to take the Editor's word for it? Come on.

Did the alarm bell not go off when you were told the people with the alleged film are drug pushers seeking a pay day to release the film. you are quick to assume Ford is a lying sack of ...but the drug pushers? Why are you so quick to rely on anything they provide let alone something they need to get paid for? How does that not set off a red flag with you J?

Be fair. Give me some proof. Until then telling me Rob Ford is fat or red faced or swetty, its just personal attacks.

The list of bad points against him/ The majority are for bad language.Ooooh. Tsssssk.

Do I think he drinks and gets belligerent drinking. Sure. Have you given me a shred of proof he does it while working or in office-no.

If you think you have a film of him smoking crack and calling Justin Trudeau a phag, if that is true, if that is him, then yes its fair game but until then you have buttkiss. (that's Greek for suflaki)

[Guest Kenneth]

The key word is "admitted", as in "recovering." That's a big difference from someone who may be hanging out in crack dens. But I only have one question to the Ford defenders: Do you honestly believe the video is not real? Not whether there is verifiable proof, because there isn't. But what does your gut tell you---truth or fabrication?

Well to me "admitted" and "recovering" means that whilst a politician he was doing drugs and so by the "standards" of the leftist media he should be incessantly hounded and persecuted. His current "remorse" or attempts at "recovery" does nothing to change what he had done...

What I believe about the video is that several Somali gang members claim to have a video and want to sell it - "journalists" from a left-wing rag with an agenda to bring down Ford claim to have seen the video, and so now The Star whilst stating that they can't "verify it's authenticity" is nevertheless trying to convince everyone that it is authentic. Yet they have no real proof, and allegedly the only way that it can be proven is to fork over 200k to a group of Somali gangsters...

[Guest Kenneth]

Another pointless personal attack.

Must be very frustrating trying to be a Ford supporter these days!

Not a personal attack. The Grand River area near Brantford is the hub of organized crime in Ontario, if not Canada - and you make a conscious choice to defend the people involved in it.