Ford Desecration Pt IV - the march to Detroit continues

So, to nobody's surprise, Slob and Thug Ford are opting for their usual 'strategy' of brazening out the latest bit of unpleasantness. Or at least, they're going to try to. No doubt that's good enough for their 20 to 30% of  the electorate, i.e. the hardcore supporters made up of angry, resentful morons and bigots, but I think it's safe to say everyone else would desperately like to change the channel on this particular trash tv reality show. And that almost certainly includes a fair number of people who voted for these scumbags the first time around.

Let's recap, shall we? Gawker finds out about a tape with evidence sensational enough to capsize (or to at least cause serious problems for) a 'colorful' Mayor who, typical for his kind, has wrapped himself in the flag of Law 'n' Order. While they're searching for a larger media company to share in the price of purchasing said evidence, word gets out, probably due to one of the other media sources they've approached. They suddenly have to raise the cash themselves, and their method of doing so gives the Fords a deadline to work against. For that week, an unusually subdued Slob all but goes into hiding (by his usual standards, anyway), surfacing only when he has to, avoiding the spoilight when possible, even skipping his precious radio show, the latter being the perfect spot from which to launch a counterattack against his accusers and critics. Which he doesn't do. Curious that last detail, especially for a man who's well known for having a blast furnace for a temper, and most especially if the entire thing is a hoax, as he claims.

The deadline is very nearly up, and Slob abruptly reappears, displaying all the usual bluster and rage we've come to expect from him. He very confidently assures the world at large that the video evidence of his debauchery "doesn't exist." He doesn't say it never existed, of course. It's not exactly a stretch to assume the Fords (or one of their allies) got to the tape's peddlers, and either paid them off or scared them off. (It's worth noting that, if the tape is indeed real, then Slob knows exactly who its sellers are, and will have some idea of where to go looking for them.) Meanwhile, the Globe's story on Thug's colorful past pops up, suddenly made relevant because of Slob's latest oopsy-doodle, and Thug's response is - what else? - DENY, DENY, DENY. But if anything, the Globe's story actually makes the latest scandal about Slob more credible, painting a vivid picture of the background he comes from, which was apparently awash in the world of drugs, and all the accompanying fun to be had in such an environment. It certainly provides credibility to all the reports of his public intoxication, and sheds some light on that oddball episode where he bizzarely offered to score some OxyContin for one of his constituents.

The Fords are either going to wriggle off the hook yet again or try their damndest to do so, but one way or the other, I doubt the stink will wash off this time.

Chalk it up to tribalism, Bacchus. George W. Bush still had a hardcore group of supporters towards the end, made up of something like  27% of the electorate, no matter how much he'd visibly driven his country into the ground.

Maybe the video will surface.  Seems the rats are all jumping off the ship.  Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's press secretaries quit.

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Saw an article in the Star about the interview by homicide detectives with the senior staffer last week regarding the address of the video.  According to the Star article, the interview had nothing to do with a homicide.  It was simply that the cops felt the situation required inspectors who've had experience with sensitive issues that these detectives were used.  So, that's good news.  So, once again I am looking forward to the possible prospect of the video being released.

Press secretary and deputy press secretary quit.

http://livenews.thestar.com/Event/Mayor_Rob_Fords_press_secretary_quits

Ford has chutzpah

http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2013/05/27/rob_ford_hires_don_bosc...

Did Doug Ford sell hashish? SFU prof says this isn't as harmful as peddling tobacco or alcohol

It shouldn’t really matter much nowadays whether or not Toronto councillor Doug Ford dealt hashish when he was young, says criminologist Neil Boyd.

According to the SFU academic, someone who sells tobacco or alcohol is likely doing more harm to the public than someone who peddles hashish, a derivative product of marijuana.

The only problem for Ford is that he’s a politician. Moreover, he’s the elder brother to the more controversial Toronto mayor, Rob Ford.

“If they weren’t involved in politics and there wasn’t a question around whether it’s truthful or not...in terms of harms to society, somebody who sells hashish is probably doing, generally speaking, much less harm than somebody who sells tobacco,” Boyd told the Georgia Straight.

http://www.straight.com/news/385736/did-doug-ford-sell-hashish-sfu-prof-...

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford apologizes for calling reporters 'maggots' 

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/05/27/toronto-mayor-rob-ford-apologizes-f...

http://warrenkinsella.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/20130527-212041.jpg

- from www.warrenkinsella.com

Interesting stories in today's Star involving David Price and Ford's former chief of staff Mark Towhey.  Seems Towhey is an honourable former military man who sincerely believes in small government with a law and order focus, whereas Price seems to be some guy who's there to ride Ford's gravy train (having formerly ridden Doug Ford's hash train).  Price approached Towhey saying that what if, "hypothetically", they knew where the video was.  Obviously he was hoping to hear, "good, let's get it and destroy it and then get on with enjoying our free lunch here."  Towhey, however, is an honest law-abiding man who reported this to police.  Price it seems is pissed off with how things have gone, as evidenced in this video of reporters trying to get a comment from him.  See the two pictures below of Price as a youth and Price now (from the Globe article on Doug Ford's drug dealing days). 

I can't wait for this video of Ford smoking crack (or meth, or herion, or whatever) to come out.  I'm sure it will eventually.

The orignal iPhone may be gone, but reporter Robyn Doolittle has said there are copies of the video.  Eventually, even if it's not sold to Gawker in the month that they're giving the owners to contact them (or given to the Star), someone will upload it to the internet.  I'm guessing the original iPhone exists somewhere too, but even if it doesn't, I think a copy of the video alone would be enough for most people.  Some diehard Ford fans would remain, but the rest would jump ship.

Also, I think Price is pissed off because they did not go out and get the video when they thought they had the chance.  I speculate he's pissed off that he went to the honest chief of staff Towhey instead of just taking action on his own.

If the Fords now have the original video, don't they have copyright protection, if someone else tries to publicize a copy of their video?

So. Uh...The Deputy Mayor has now gone on record as saying he believes in the existence of Hizzonor's crack video.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/05/28/rob_ford_video_scandal_deputy...

Heh, heh. Um...Awk-waaaard. How long before Ford fires Doug Holyday?

Yeah, it appears like it may be from this video showing that it's technically possible to make a totally unconvincing Ford crack video, using the same techniques I used in middle school to insert George W. Bush into Lil' Wayne videos (don't ask), which I don't think was ever in dispute. Oh well.

The Macleans poll now stands at 77% "Rob Ford should resign", 13% no, 9% too soon to tell.
Either Ford Nation is hedging its bets, doesn't read Macleans, or his support is slipping.

[url=http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/05/29/rob_ford_former_staffers_emai... Ford’s former staffers’ emails, telephone records ordered destroyed: sources[/url]

Quote:

Emails and telephone records in Mayor Rob Ford’s office are in danger of disappearing, the Star has learned.

The electronic records, which may reveal knowledge of discussions of the video scandal, were ordered destroyed this week. Sources say people who were told to delete the records are balking at the order.

One source the Star spoke to was alarmed at the potential loss of “evidence of attempts” to locate and retrieve a video of Ford smoking crack cocaine and making homophobic and racial slurs.

The records in question were held on the City Hall server and belonged to departed staff members Mark Towhey, George Christopolous and Isaac Ransom. Towhey was fired for telling the Mayor to seek addiction help; the other two resigned Monday after their communications advice was ignored.

"The Toronto Star" wrote:

Petrujkic did not respond when asked if there was an order to destroy the emails of Christopoulos and Ransom.

You can't even deny it? You're a paid PR hack and you're not on the witness stand. Do as so many of Bush's PR people did: lie and write a book about it later. In the vernacular of the kids these days: bro, do you even evidence tamper?

Anyone want a job?

------------------------------------

Mascarin told CTV News Channel on Wednesday that elected municipal officials can only be removed from office if they’re in violation of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, if they’ve violated campaign financing laws, or if they are incarcerated.

“You have very little ability as an elector, as a city council, or as any other elected official to say ‘we need to remove this man,’ ” Mascarin said.

City council does have the ability to call a judicial inquiry into cases of misconduct, Mascarin said, which would see a Superior Court justice investigate the matter. However, he said, even the judge appointed to the inquiry wouldn’t have the power to remove Ford from office.

“It’s almost a symbolic sort of thing because the judge only has powers to make findings, to reach conclusions and then to make recommendations,” Mascarin said.

Toronto councillor and budget chief Frank Di Giorgio says it’s too early to for council to begin raising the issue a judicial inquiry.

“We have to understand that the mayor has his own way of dealing with problems,” Di Giorgio told CP24. “Here, we’re dealing with a personal problem, potentially, and I think we should give the mayor some additional leeway to deal with the problem at his own rate.”

Di Giorgio said the controversy surrounding Ford has been exacerbated because the mayor’s office is “grossly understaffed” -- a situation that worsened in the last week with the mayor’s chief of staff being fired and two of his spokespeople resigning.

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/could-mayor-ford-be-forced-out-of-office-legally-no-1.1302086#ixzz2UjG3LcPt

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/could-mayor-ford-be-forced-out-of-office-le...

With the exception of personal and political items not related to the business the mayor conducts for the city.

Buying a video of the mayor smoking crack isn't city business.

This story continues to get weirder and weirder all the time.  Now someone from the photo that the dealers gave to Gawker and the Star was arrested in Alberta for murder of another person in the photo, Anthony Smith.  And (less surprising) apparently reports are coming out that Ford knew the address where the video was being held and had a meeting with staff after the story was broke by the Star and Gawker.  link

ETA:  Here's the Star's write-up

There is/was a video of Ford smoking crack, and Ford knew where it was:
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/touch/story.html?id=8454908

[I]
The Toronto Star said sources told it that after Ford said he knew where the video was, he told the senior aides at the city hall meeting the address of two 17th-floor units at a west-end apartment complex, citing "our contacts" as the source of his information.

The newspaper said the sources told it that staffers were alarmed by the implication of hearing so precise a location.

The Star says its report is based on accounts given by those privy to what was discussed the day after the Star and the U.S. website Gawker published news of the alleged crack cocaine video shot on a cellphone.
[/i]

The bloodbath continues:

http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2013/05/30/rob_ford_video_scandal_another_staffer_resigns.html

I have reason to believe that the Toronto Sun is about to run the most sensational Ford story yet.

Apart from the incorrigible Sue Ann Levy, and to a lesser extent Joe Warmington, the paper has been increasingly keeping its distance from Rob and Doug. The Conservatives want them out quickly so as not to continue to stink up their brand.

 One would think that anyone at this point could beat him.

Oh, I know. Hell, by this point, you'd think a turd on a string would be able to win a landslide victory against him. But like I said earlier: (1.) brute tribalism, and (2.) his supporters are the kind who try to avoid at all costs as looking stupid, and they're not going to admit they were wrong about him until they have literally no choice. (And even then, some of them will simply dig in their heels & refuse to do so.)

I have reason to believe that the Toronto Sun is about to run the most sensational Ford story yet.

Oh? Care to share the reason for this suspicion with the rest of us, Nicky?

Mind you, the past couple of weeks must have had the Sun gnashing its fangs in sheer, bloody-minded frustration. The Ford family dynamic turning out to be such a snake pit is the entire journalistic raison d'etre behind the Sun's worthless existance. I can't imagine how infuriating it must have been for them to sit out on all the fun.