Archive for June, 2013

Jaye Robinson: the mayor is a pussy

Posted on June 11th, 2013 2 Comments

The title of this post takes some liberties with Councillor Jaye Robinson’s comments on being fired from Rob Ford’s Executive Committee, but it’s not far off the mark:

“…it’s unfortunate that the mayor didn’t have the fortitude to tell me to my face that I’ve been removed from executive. I’ve been given no reasons. This is not a mid-term shuffle, this is not a normal time to shift and make adjustments to your cabinet.”

Convicted criminal and known public liar Ford responded with his typical “everything’s fine!”-style comment while taking the opportunity to imply that Robinson is the one lying, this despite the fact that this is the 19th person to abandon Ford Nation. That is, if you don’t include the now-demoted Paul Ainslie, the vitriol the Fords hurl at Karen Stintz, or the ignominiously fired Gary Webster.

Ford’s Club for Sycophants, now that Robinson is gone, is now a proper old boys’ club:

Executive

Filed under: Dispatches, Patrick Bay

Loud and clear

Posted on June 10th, 2013 Be the first to comment

It has become more or less a sick joke with the so-called “right” these days; marking occasions such as National Public Service week while simultaneously, and very publicly, destroying the very things they’re there celebrating; just like Ford’s speech at International Freedom of the Press Day, made shortly after he announced his open war against all the “maggot” media.

One might almost call it a perfect example of irony if it wasn’t so disgusting.

“I want to extend my appreciation to all federal public servants who serve with dedication, professionalism and commitment to the interests of Canadians,” Harper said in a statement issued Sunday.

This is, of course, anti-Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who is doing his damnedest to make Canada’s civil service into a glorified form of slavery, something he’s trying to do to the rest of Canada too because, after all, it’s the absolute highest ideal of the neo-Con business model / government. No, seriously, I defy anyone to name a business that wouldn’t want its workforce labouring for free and cowering in fear at the whims of the owner(s), and that’s what Ford, Harper, and the rest of their slimy cronies, have been pushing for loud and clear.

This is all being done under the manufactured banner of austerity which the politicians have made quite clear will only be saddled on the regular, average taxpayers while they themselves can be free to “misplace” billions of dollars of our increasingly hard-earned money. On top of this, it’s painfully obvious that the government is not in any way interested in making the civil service more effective and they sure aren’t interested in reducing any waste. Regardless of how much they lie in public, it doesn’t take much to put these facts together and to determine what their intent is.

Filed under: Dispatches, Patrick Bay

As City Hall bleeds…

Posted on June 7th, 2013 2 Comments

Lost among the tumult of Rob Ford’s office staff leaving is a Globe piece about brother Doug that exposes more rot surrounding the Ford family tree at City Hall.

We learn that Doug is now the only member of a 13-person Build Toronto board after all of his colleagues quit for one reason or another.

Build Toronto is the group that’s supposed to be revitalizing the east-end waterfront; you know — the people behind the monorail, water hotel, and the Ferris wheel ideas. And just like his brother, Dougie is now trying to get his lapdogs into every vacant position on that board (it’s not hard to guess why):

The prospect of [Doug’s short-listed candidate] Mr. Kraljevic taking over at Build Toronto is a cause for concern among citizen groups who worked for years on plans for the Lower Don Lands only to have them threatened by Mr. Ford and Toronto Port Lands.

“How is this okay?” asked Cynthia Wilkey, chair of the West Don Lands Committee, a coalition of community groups that has worked for more than a decade on the waterfront development.

Ms. Wilkey said she was “gob-smacked” that the head of an agency that flouted the will of council is under consideration for a job managing a large city-owned real estate portfolio.

This must be the Fords’ definition of building a consensus.

Filed under: Dispatches, Patrick Bay

Lessons of gas plants

Posted on June 5th, 2013 Be the first to comment

Ontario Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian has found yet another government body breaking the law simply because they can:

“At the root of the problems uncovered over the course of our wide-reaching investigation was the practice of indiscriminate deletion of all emails sent and received by the former chief of staff to the minister of energy,” Cavoukian wrote.

That is in violation of the Archives and Recordkeeping Act (ARA).

Cavoukian said it is impossible for citizens to hold governments to account if potentially important documents are destroyed.

This is in her quest to find out what happened to the Ontario Power Plant cancellation under Dalton McGuinty, and that’s the conclusion she comes to:

When the government breaks the law, it’s impossible for anyone to hold them to account.

At this point the dull wit of the Ford/Harper supporter would mumble something about these being my Liberals, and why do I keep supporting them, etc.

That’s the sad dry rhetoric that anyone with more than a few brain cells has to endure these days — you’re either with the Conservatives or you’re with the Liberals, and there’s absolutely nothing in between. Doesn’t matter how many times you try to explain that it’s possible to support neither — that just doesn’t quite compute.

But I don’t want to get hung up on that because there are numerous disturbing parallels and trends here:

Ford – Repeatedly broke the law in direct, proven ways; has Chief of Police unwilling to even dish out a dangerous driving ticket, and judges willing to absolve him of any wrongdoing even when it’s proven he broke the law.

McGuinty – See above.

Harper – Has illegitimately seized control of Canada and has committed treasonous act after treasonous act intended to enslave Canadians, all while openly deceiving and lying to citizens, and without so much as a slap on the wrist (in fact, being aided and abetted by those who should be keeping him in check). He is being allowed, even encouraged, to circumvent any legal or moral objections to his regime — just like the two examples above.

I know if you’re reading what I’ve written here for the first time that it sounds like almost insane ramblings — just please do me one favour and follow some of the links, you’ll see that nothing is in any way false or exaggerated. In fact, what I link to doesn’t even come close to the truth once you start digging around, and that truth is a lot darker and more disturbing than what I can dredge up at any given moment.

Even more disturbing are Cavoukian’s further comments:

“I am very disturbed the former minister of energy’s office produced absolutely NO records in response to the speaker’s ruling on the gas plants issue, and that the former premier’s office had so few records that were responsive to two freedom of information requests relating to these decisions.”

She singled out Craig MacLennan, former chief of staff in the energy minister’s office, for deleting all emails, calling it “a matter of great concern” given legal requirements to keep records of public policy decisions like power plant closures.

“It is simply unbelievable that MacLennan would have no understanding of this,” Cavoukian wrote. “I find it strains credulity to think . . . no records documenting the decision-making process were ever created.”

If that doesn’t sound familiar, here’s a reminder:

“In view of the respondent’s leadership role in ensuring integrity in municipal government, it is difficult to accept an error in judgment defence based essentially on a stubborn sense of entitlement (concerning his football foundation) and a dismissive and confrontational attitude to the Integrity Commissioner and the Code of Conduct. In my opinion, the respondent’s actions were characterized by ignorance of the law and a lack of diligence in securing professional advice, amounting to wilful blindness. As such, I find his actions are incompatible with an error in judgment.”

That was Judge Hackland’s take on Rob Ford’s “but I didn’t know anything!” defense at his conflict of interest trial. Clearly the Libs are doing the same thing, and I’m sure I can find plenty of examples of the Conservatives wielding the same bullshit.

As Conservative MPP Rob Leone says (hopefully just ignorant to the irony):

The Libs create “a secret world hidden from the opposition, the media and the public eye . . . people are breaking the law.”

Yes they are, only it’s happening up one side of government and down the other. And as commissioner after commissioner is finding out, the people of Canada are powerless to stop it.

Except, of course, we aren’t. We just need to rise up in sufficient numbers and with sufficient anger to force the powers that be out. If they have seized power of the nation illegitimately and are committing open treason to boot then we are justified in using force to do so (something that the courts and RCMP should be doing), just as we are justified in using force to repel their illegal and tyrannical advances (if the rule of law prevails then surely so must our highest laws, things our courts and the RCMP should be protecting). And if you don’t believe in the law then at least believe in your God-given rights to exist and be free.

Or we can sit back and let the known public liars and repeat criminals run roughshod over everything we think of as Canada, while they pass ever increasing laws designed to literally put anyone at all arbitrarily in chains, as they themselves continue to publicly commit crimes with completely impunity.

You still have a choice…

Filed under: B Sides, Patrick Bay

Where are all the witnesses?

Posted on June 4th, 2013 Be the first to comment

With the Rob Ford crack “tape” seemingly lost forever, people are starting to get antsy. “Where is it?”, they’re rightfully asking. “Without it, who knows if it’s even real!”

Not precisely correct, but still, it’d be good to have a gander at that video, wouldn’t it?

And about that not being correct part, consider this for a moment; many crimes didn’t have video cameras, or good enough video evidence, to prove that they ever took place. So does that mean that all you need to do is to take someone out into a back alley and it’s your word against theirs?

In a court, that wouldn’t be the end of it. There’s this stuff called corroborating evidence — not proof, but strong hints — and in the absence of any recorded evidence we have … eye witnesses.

People tend to forget about this type of sworn evidence: people who actually saw the event in question.

Now I already know what the Ford supporters are saying: “But these are unnamed sources claiming this! Plus they’re drug dealers! Plus they’re lefties!”

Unnamed?

Poppycock!

There are at least five publicly named sources at this point — the reporters themselves — who have claimed (on record, no less), that they saw the video with their own eyes. In court, they’d be witnesses.

Drug dealers?

I doubt it. But the people who claim to own the video, probably yes. Does that mean that those people (the witnesses and the drug dealers are not to be conflated), were able to use their ill-gotten drug money to make up a sensational video? If you believe that Santa comes down your chimney every year, you might buy this one too. Does that therefore make the video fake? Highly unlikely.

Finally, is there any other corroborating evidence to link Ford to drugs? You bet there is. And there’s motive in what the mayor is currently doing too.

Seems to me that with five public and named sources, the likelihood of the video existing being high, the likelihood of the video being fake being low, the fact that not only is the whole thing believable but also likely, and finally, that everything that the Fords have subsequently done points to a clear motive — it all sounds like a pretty solid case to me.

Ford’s defense: his flaccid word.

Filed under: Pictures, Why I'm Right