Rob Ford's Toronto

[newearthling]

People who vote purely out of hate, ultimately hate themselves.
Ford represents that self hatred to the nth degree. He doesn't feel like he belongs, always has to play the lone wolf card, can't work with anyone, bullies people as a cover up for feeling insecure.
The way to improve things is to work at making sure people feel like they are included, and have a voice. That work will take years.
Ford has done a good job at highlighting the division in the city.
Now, we need someone with vision who can bridge that divide.

 

[voxpopulicosmicum]

you know people dont support ford because they like him. They support ford because they hate you.

It's so true. By extension, maybe Pol Pot was onto something.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

It's so true. By extension, maybe Pol Pot was onto something.

Touche. Someone needs to remind me what "old people" and "new people" stands for in his regime - and how it relates to Ford Nation.

AoD

 

[soimelk]

A "birdie" told me the "Toronto Police source" Warmington cites here isn't even with the police force. He's lying, but why?

Probably a coordinated effort by the Ford camp yesterday to give the appearance that there is no more investigation. Time Warmington's article with the impression given by the OPP that there is nothing to investigate "at this time", you create the perception that Ford is in the clear.

 

[voxpopulicosmicum]

The last paragraph sums it up perfectly. Unfortunately, not everyone reads to the last paragraph.

Unfortunately, in the penultimate paragraph, Gee projects his own wishful thinking about the situation: "To the public, it looks like the kind of bureaucratic turf battle that often overtakes big organizations. Instead of working together to get the bad guys, the two forces appear to be sniping at each other."

In fact, Marcus, I doubt that even you are so blind to reality as to believe the public sees this as a bureaucratic turf battle. You may want to spin it that way, but it don't make it so. No, what it looks like to the public is what it is: there was a wide-ranging investigation of a corrupt politician whose criminal associates bragged about his connection to dirty cops and other corrupt powerbrokers, and that investigation has been inexplicably kyboshed by the "justice" system.

Rob Ford is doing The Wire as a one-man show. We're in Season 4, Episode 3. Sheeeeeeeee-it.

 

[rutefoot]

Probably a coordinated effort by the Ford camp yesterday to give the appearance that there is no more investigation. Time Warmington's article with the impression given by the OPP that there is nothing to investigate "at this time", you create the perception that Ford is in the clear.

And builds his case that the TPS is out to get him

 

[soimelk]

At this point, I believe TPS was getting antsy to get the call from OPP that the rubber stamp had been applied. They placed some leaks to try to put pressure on the OPP. It blew up in their face when someone began interfering, and then the OPP made their fishy announcement.

One view could be that the TPS were not waiting for the rubber stamp from the OPP at this time. Alcoba reported that the OPP had not yet been shown any of the Lisi icloud data. It could mean there was nothing there to show, but if that were the case, I would imagine the TPS would have said so. It looks like the TPS are not walking in lockstep with OPP as the investigation has progressed, and will instead bring their case to the overseers when they are ready.

 

[mrtinfoilsocket]

And builds his case that the TPS is out to get him

The Toronto Sun comment forums are a bad place to be today if you want to keep your sanity. Ford Nation is out in force slinging insults and proclaiming Rob to the be Greatest Mayor EVER. To them, this new found information clearly shows that Rob is innocent of all wrong doing and that the entire thing was a giant witch hunt/conspiracy by the left and the Chief of Police.

Yesterday the OPP basically threw a fuel laden piece of cardboard into the bonfire and I don't think the damage can possibly be overstated. I feel like we're right back to the time before the TPS announced they had the crack video.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Well, the mayor is still the one with a video of him smoking crack - their cheers or otherwise.

AoD

 

[soimelk]

It is possible (but unlikely) that TPS have not shown their full hand to OPP.

It is also possible that the latest outbreak of public sniping is just the tip of the iceberg of hostility and distrust between the two forces, in which case TPS may indeed have been wary of oversharing.

And it is also possible (but unlikely) that yet another investigation has spun off Brazen 2.

Alcoba reported yesterday that the OPP had not been shown any information from the Lisi phone data. Unless there is nothing there of interest to be shown (possible), it most definitely shows that the TPS isn't keeping the OPP in the loop the way people assumed they would.

 

[TRA]

The Toronto Sun comment forums are a bad place to be today if you want to keep your sanity. Ford Nation is out in force slinging insults and proclaiming Rob to the be Greatest Mayor EVER. To them, this new found information clearly shows that Rob is innocent of all wrong doing and that the entire thing was a giant witch hunt/conspiracy by the left and the Chief of Police.

Yesterday the OPP basically threw a fuel laden piece of cardboard into the bonfire and I don't think the damage can possibly be overstated. I feel like we're right back to the time before the TPS announced they had the crack video.

What I don't understand is why Blair took the risk, unless he was forced into this by the Fords, which screams of corruption/manipulation. Hard to understand this any other way.

 

[Gavin]

I'm still furious. Either the case is dead, or this is a colossal communications fuck up. Either way, it's bad bad bad.

 

[Dubster]

The Toronto Sun comment forums are a bad place to be today if you want to keep your sanity. Ford Nation is out in force slinging insults and proclaiming Rob to the be Greatest Mayor EVER. To them, this new found information clearly shows that Rob is innocent of all wrong doing and that the entire thing was a giant witch hunt/conspiracy by the left and the Chief of Police.

Yesterday the OPP basically threw a fuel laden piece of cardboard into the bonfire and I don't think the damage can possibly be overstated. I feel like we're right back to the time before the TPS announced they had the crack video.

Perhaps, unless the TPS gets dead to rights evidence and the OPP looks at it and approves. The optics of the once doubtful OPP getting on board in the face of clear evidence against Ford would be almost worse for Ford. Granted, it prolly ain't gonna happen.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

TRA:

Or maybe, just maybe there are good(ish) cops out there? I mean, just how many of you can tolerate a mayor getting himself involved in gangs and drugs while having to be put into a position of policing said issues?

AoD

 

[newearthling]

This is the orginal article that shows the connection between the Fords and Cortellucci, the guy who owns the Ford fundraising venue in Concord.
http://pagesix.com/2014/03/21/rob-ford-has-friends-in-high-places/
Rob Ford has friends in high places
By Richard Johnson
March 21, 2014 | 6:07pm

How did booze-guzzling, crack-smoking Rob Ford ever get elected mayor of Toronto? And how is he still in office after becoming the laughing-stock of North America?

The answer is that Ford has friends in high places — particularly, Mario Cortellucci, a real-estate developer, who bundled $30,000 to Ford’s campaign. And about half that money was raised after the election to pay off campaign debts.

The Ford administration is in the process of selling off 400 Toronto waterfront acres to private developers for office towers, luxury condos — maybe even an NFL stadium. And Cortellucci is set to get the first parcel.

Jimmy Kimmel, Ford’s biggest fan, said on Wednesday: “He’s a one-man stampede. It’s like he is the star of his own hidden camera prank show . . . I can’t get enough of this guy. I really can’t. If they don’t elect him mayor again, I really want him to move out here [to LA], preferably into my home with me . . . or at least do a reality show, ‘Here Comes Mayor Boo Boo.’