As people around the world are watching all of this unfold, there seems to be more and more discussion of just how he was ever elected and why people in Toronto support him. I think that is the discussion that is really harming the international reputation of the people of Toronto.
Toronto Police obtain crack video of Ford
- Thread starter mentalfloss
- Start date
As people around the world are watching all of this unfold, there seems to be more and more discussion of just how he was ever elected and why people in Toronto support him. I think that is the discussion that is really harming the international reputation of the people of Toronto.
He was elected by taxpayers, people who want an economic relationship with their city. He was elected as being different, someone who was going to change the way politics is done. Of course, that's what they all say. The difference with him is that he actaully did change the way things were done. Just not in a very good way.
Where does his ongoing support come from? The Tea Party types love watching this guy take a wrecking ball to government. To them, government represents everything they despise. That's why they are as contemptible as anarchists, in my opinion. Then there's those that voted for Ford, and don't want to admit they voted for an blustering fool, so they are sticking by him. I suppose there are a few out there who actually think he is genuinely doing a good job. For that crowd, always remember, the problem is not that there are stuypid people. The problem is the stupid people don't know they're stupid.
Do you disagree that this is hurting our reputation?
In Toronto, we pretty much all understand the mechanics of how Ford came to power, but to the outside observer, they are never going to pay attention to any sort of nuanced explanation.
If I saw these antics and then was told that people were fine with it because he said they would lower their taxes, I would think that those people are idiots. There are many fiscal conservatives out there who don't come with all the stupidity. Comparisons to Tea Partyer certainly isn't helping either.
People looking at this from the outside wont understand how separate "Ford Nation" is from the rest of the city.
He definitely needs help, but it is becoming harder and harder to have sympathy for him.
They have given him more than enough opportunity to get help or at least just duck all this controversy for a while.
It is not the role of our city government to spend weeks trying to stage an intervention for the guy. If he isn't willing to get help on his own, there should be a mechanism for us to fire him so that he doesn't take us down with him. That is how it works in almost any other job in the world.
Getting fired would probably be the best thing for him in the long run. If we had a mechanism to vote to recall him, and he lost that vote, it just might just snap a sense of reality into him. It's a big might, but it is the only thing that has a chance at this point.
Busted.
Rob Ford: ‘Narcotic’ video made in February, police say
After learning in May (the document indicates Lisi learned of it prior to the May 16 publication of the crack video stories) that someone was trying to "sell the video to various media outlets" police allege Lisi made aggressive attempts to obtain the video.
"(Lisi) placed several threatening/extorting phone calls to individuals he felt may be in possession of the video recording," the document states, noting the time period of the alleged threats was Thursday May 16 to Saturday May 18. "The accused insinuated that there would be consequences for the failure to return the video recording depicting the video images of the Mayor."
The target of the alleged extortion attempts were two men, Liban Siyad and Mohamed Siad. Siad is the man who filmed the video, the Star has previously reported. Both men lived near the Dixon City towers that are a stones throw from 15 Windsor, the bungalow where the video was filmed.
The description of the video being filmed in February, and Ford apparently doing drugs at the time, is at odds with comments by Ford in recent days. Ford has said he has not done drugs for a year.
Rob Ford: ‘Narcotic’ video made in February, police say
After learning in May (the document indicates Lisi learned of it prior to the May 16 publication of the crack video stories) that someone was trying to "sell the video to various media outlets" police allege Lisi made aggressive attempts to obtain the video.
"(Lisi) placed several threatening/extorting phone calls to individuals he felt may be in possession of the video recording," the document states, noting the time period of the alleged threats was Thursday May 16 to Saturday May 18. "The accused insinuated that there would be consequences for the failure to return the video recording depicting the video images of the Mayor."
The target of the alleged extortion attempts were two men, Liban Siyad and Mohamed Siad. Siad is the man who filmed the video, the Star has previously reported. Both men lived near the Dixon City towers that are a stones throw from 15 Windsor, the bungalow where the video was filmed.
The description of the video being filmed in February, and Ford apparently doing drugs at the time, is at odds with comments by Ford in recent days. Ford has said he has not done drugs for a year.
There's a few slight problems.................as far as I know he hasn't been charged with anything and he's been convicted of nothing, so obviously it's time to "piss or get off the pot". The media are making $millions out of this. We should just wait for the election.
Criminal charges are a whole other issue. If anyone else acted the way Rob has in any other job they would be fired regardless of if they have been charged with anything. He has embarrassed and disgraced his office in so many different ways.
I'm not saying that we have any legal right to fire him. I am saying that for his own sake, getting fired might be the only thing that could possibly get him onto a healthy track. Everyone can plainly see that he is not well, but he obviously can't accept it yet.
I know some people will still argue that he doesn't have a problem, but if you like the guy, wouldn't you hope that this is all caused by a substance abuse problem? If it isn't then you kind of just have to admit that all of this offensive and downright stupid behavior is just who Rob is normally. Isn't that much much worse?
The guy has already admitted to numerous criminal acts.
Yes and as an elected public official that's enough to disqualify him from holding office-just saying 'Sorry' doesn't cut it-what don't people understand about holding public office?
(Note this is a perfect opportunity for the usual suspects here to try to derail this thread/post a lot of Off Topic bull as per their SOP.)
I certainly am disturbed and disappointed about Torontoes municipal government. I don't think it,s a wholesome place for my family and I to visit. Consequently I have cancelled the long planed and looked forward to vacation to see the CN Tower and the Trono Maple Leaves, I am also closing the factory. We will be vacationing in beautiful Halifax a wonderful place full of beautiful drug free public servants and reasonably priced. Who gives a damn about Trono, I hope Ford plays the fiddle next time he smokes.
Yay sarcasm!
Honestly though, the argument that because the sky hasn't fallen yet it is all ok can really only be made because our municipal government has so little actual authority in the first place.
What he is doing is wasting our money. If he can't conduct himself in a way that allows him to be a productive member of our city government, he shouldn't be collecting a paycheck and hiring all his buddies to "work" with him.
I am not going to say that anyone who has ever broken the law in any way should never be allowed to hold public office.
In this case it is just the sheer volume of criminal activity, connections to criminal activity, constant obvious lies about these issues, and general jackassery that have allowed him to so thoroughly disgrace his office in a way that I have never seen before in a 1st world country.
I'm not sure if an off hand remark................"Yeah, I smoked crack", would "fly" in the justice sytem. I think there is a strict protocol that would have to be followed. If he was as drunk as he indicates how does anyone know he wasn't just smoking something he thought was crack. I'm betting for a charge to stick there may have to be a sample of what he was smoking, not to mention maybe a time date and location and available witnesses. For all we know he may have just been "playing" with the media (which is something I'm sure I'd do if they were harassing me night and day).
Having said all that I would say it would be in everyone's best interest including his own if he did have time off away from the job for a month or so, but not as a punitive measure. (These cops that beat the sh*t out of old ladies just get shifted to desk duties or time off with pay) It's in everyone's best interest if he can be returned to health.
He's been Mayor how long? I think Toronto,s municipal government has office problems other than the single leadership problem. Stupid guys in power just like Mr Ford are very easy to employ/retain. I wonder if there aren't much bigger issues lurking.
What constitutes "connections to criminal activity"? Mayors have an obligation to address many matters and pretty well all walks of society. I think the only way that would fly is if it can be proven that he or a family member benefitted financially. I don't think say having a coffee with a Hell's Angel at McDonalds would cut it.