marv2
05-18-2013, 12:48 PM
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/05/17/rob_ford_crack_scandal_the_mayor_should_speak_up_2 .html
News / GTA
Rob Ford crack scandal: The mayor should speak up
Speak up Rob Ford. “Ridiculous” won’t cut it. Another sighing swipe at the Toronto Star won’t cut it.
Chris Young / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Mayor Rob Ford leaves his home on May 17, 2013, after published reports said a video appears to show Ford smoking crack cocaine.
By:Rosie DiMannoColumnist, Published on Fri May 17 2013
Standing at a downtown intersection Friday morning, a man with an iPhone plugged into his ears suddenly turned to me and burst out: “OH MY GOD! HAS ROB FORD BEEN SHOT?”
Well, in a manner of speaking. . .
Shot by cellphone video, the smoking gun a smoking crack pipe, Toronto’s mayor allegedly doing the inhaling.
Does it look like a duck? Check.
Does it quack like a duck? Check.
Does it suck and blow like a duck? Check.
Does it, you know, duck, hoping the water will yet again run off its back? Yes, mostly.
“Ridiculous,’’ Ford scoffed, accosted by reporters outside his home and upon arrival at his office. “It’s ridiculous guys.’’
The news grenade first tossed by the U.S.-based website Gawker has sent shrapnel flying every which way. But Ford said not a word in response to questions flung at him during an afternoon appearance for the raising of a Pride flag at city hall.
MORE FROM THESTAR.COM
The Star’s unanswered questions
Star reporters describe meeting in which they viewed ‘crack video’
Time for mayor to step down: Editorial
Did we mention the term “fag’’ apparently emerging from Ford’s mouth on that same 90-second video viewed repeatedly by two Toronto Star reporters? Somebody who looks a whole lot like Ford and sounds a whole lot like Ford utters the slur in reference to Justin Trudeau.
And, about the youth football team the mayor so famously coaches, sometimes dodging out of city hall business to do so, the maybe-yes maybe-no Ford seems to mumble: “They are just f---ing minorities.’’
If some dastardly individuals have gone to extraordinarily creative lengths of video chicanery to make the mayor look terrible, they’ve just about covered all angles: Criminality, homophobia, racism.
That tremor felt in Toronto yesterday wasn’t due only to a 5.2 earthquake.
“Like I said this morning, the allegations are ridiculous,’’ Ford said in his single formal statement. “It’s another story with respect to the Toronto Star going after me and that’s all.’’
Actually, we were beaten to the punch by Gawker. And on its website Thursday night, the Globe and Mail had an interview with the website’s editor — before the Star’s story went up — describing what he’d seen when shown the video in Toronto.
The Star’s reporters, Robyn Doolittle and Kevin Donovan, were provided a preview teaser from the video following some cloak-and-dagger arrangements two weeks ago.
What they insist the video grab shows:
Ford apparently smoking crack cocaine.
Ford apparently smoking crack cocaine in the company of purported drug dealers.
Ford apparently smoking crack cocaine — as those drug dealers assert — in the past six months.
Ford apparently smoking crack cocaine whilst lolling in a chair, waving his arms erratically, lighting the bowl of the pipe, inhaling deeply, eyelids at half-mast, baited into conversation by an unseen person, then jolted alert by a phone trilling: “That phone better not be on.’’
The Star had much earlier been approached by a go-between for the alleged Somali drug/video peddlers, looking to make a deal. The newspaper declined to buy and does not have a copy of the video.
A photo was also given to the Star of a smiling Ford in the company of two men, one of whom was purportedly shot twice in the back of the head two months ago.
The mayor routinely poses for photographs with about anybody who asks, so there are innocent explanations for why he’s standing next to a subsequently murdered young man “known to police.’’
But the confluence of all these provocative events — an alarming cellphone video that may or may not be fake, proximity to alleged drug traffickers — merit more than the guffaw Ford offered Friday.
His brief statement was disproportionate to the gravity of the allegations. His ha-ha posture, yet again blaming the Star for his woes, is tiresomely lame. We’ve been down this road of denial before on multiple occasions: Nope, never got nailed on a DUI in Florida. Nope, never lashed out with profanities against a couple during a hockey game. Nope, never grabbed Sarah Thomson’s ass. Nope, never was asked to leave the Garrison Ball in March because of apparent intoxication of some sort. Nope, never violated municipal conflict of interest laws.
Now this see-no-scandal eruption and little more than a yuk-yuk from Ford.
Surely an innocent man, with what remains of his tattered reputation at stake, would have proclaimed it loudly to the world, rightly indignant about such grievous allegations.
Scenario 1: It’s a lie that has hurt me and my family.
Scenario 2: It’s a lie and I’m stepping down while the matter is investigated.
Scenario 3: I am a deeply flawed man and need help.
Scenario 4: A lawyer’s denunciation of “defamatory’’ allegations, a chortling “ridiculous’’ from the mayor and business as usual.
Ford picked Scenario 4.
Political allies and acolytes who usually have the mayor’s back in time of turbulence — Lord knows those have come fast and furious — did most of the talking Friday instead.
“I don’t know what to say at this point,’’ Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday told reporters in the a.m. “Certainly we all know that videos can be altered and we certainly know that drug dealers can’t be trusted.’’
Holyday said he continues to have complete confidence in Ford, though that might change if the crack use images are substantiated.
Interestingly, there was no ringing counteroffensive from the mayor’s Sancho Panza, brother Doug, which is the usual pattern adopted in big trouble crunches. Indeed, Doug Ford cancelled a previously scheduled noon appearance on CP24.
Whether Ford Nation will rally to the mayor’s defence one more time — this time over a matter that is not merely embarrassing but, as alleged, criminal — remains to be seen.
Whether what seems clear to the naked eye on that video can be believed is also debatable.
Let’s just say, however, that the footage did not come as a staggering revelation in certain quarters of this city, where scuttlebutt about Ford’s alleged drug use has long been a whispered subject.
It had been a strange morning of reporting and non-reporting. The eye-popping story was ignored by many local news organizations overnight. [[The National Post, its editor points out, had a story online at 7:12 a.m.)
Jitters over libel and slander implications is scant justification for the palpable reluctance to aggressively pursue a story of seismic proportions. Of course, there’s no knowing whether other news organizations had seen the video as well. Yet the stunning allegation was out there, rippling, picked up by U.S. and global media, top of the post on Slate before most Toronto media came slouching along in a laggard pack.
We’ve seen this before, though, haven’t we?
The modus operandi has been well established: Don’t cross this administration or there will be consequences.
The proven and unproven: Drugs, booze, public spectacles, private scandals, endless controversies, embarrassments, denials and evasions.
Cops say, about perps who continually pop up in their crosshairs, rotating through the justice system: They’ve got paper.
Rob Ford has got paper. And a city is left wondering about gotcha video.
News / GTA
Rob Ford crack scandal: The mayor should speak up
Speak up Rob Ford. “Ridiculous” won’t cut it. Another sighing swipe at the Toronto Star won’t cut it.
Chris Young / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Mayor Rob Ford leaves his home on May 17, 2013, after published reports said a video appears to show Ford smoking crack cocaine.
By:Rosie DiMannoColumnist, Published on Fri May 17 2013
Standing at a downtown intersection Friday morning, a man with an iPhone plugged into his ears suddenly turned to me and burst out: “OH MY GOD! HAS ROB FORD BEEN SHOT?”
Well, in a manner of speaking. . .
Shot by cellphone video, the smoking gun a smoking crack pipe, Toronto’s mayor allegedly doing the inhaling.
Does it look like a duck? Check.
Does it quack like a duck? Check.
Does it suck and blow like a duck? Check.
Does it, you know, duck, hoping the water will yet again run off its back? Yes, mostly.
“Ridiculous,’’ Ford scoffed, accosted by reporters outside his home and upon arrival at his office. “It’s ridiculous guys.’’
The news grenade first tossed by the U.S.-based website Gawker has sent shrapnel flying every which way. But Ford said not a word in response to questions flung at him during an afternoon appearance for the raising of a Pride flag at city hall.
MORE FROM THESTAR.COM
The Star’s unanswered questions
Star reporters describe meeting in which they viewed ‘crack video’
Time for mayor to step down: Editorial
Did we mention the term “fag’’ apparently emerging from Ford’s mouth on that same 90-second video viewed repeatedly by two Toronto Star reporters? Somebody who looks a whole lot like Ford and sounds a whole lot like Ford utters the slur in reference to Justin Trudeau.
And, about the youth football team the mayor so famously coaches, sometimes dodging out of city hall business to do so, the maybe-yes maybe-no Ford seems to mumble: “They are just f---ing minorities.’’
If some dastardly individuals have gone to extraordinarily creative lengths of video chicanery to make the mayor look terrible, they’ve just about covered all angles: Criminality, homophobia, racism.
That tremor felt in Toronto yesterday wasn’t due only to a 5.2 earthquake.
“Like I said this morning, the allegations are ridiculous,’’ Ford said in his single formal statement. “It’s another story with respect to the Toronto Star going after me and that’s all.’’
Actually, we were beaten to the punch by Gawker. And on its website Thursday night, the Globe and Mail had an interview with the website’s editor — before the Star’s story went up — describing what he’d seen when shown the video in Toronto.
The Star’s reporters, Robyn Doolittle and Kevin Donovan, were provided a preview teaser from the video following some cloak-and-dagger arrangements two weeks ago.
What they insist the video grab shows:
Ford apparently smoking crack cocaine.
Ford apparently smoking crack cocaine in the company of purported drug dealers.
Ford apparently smoking crack cocaine — as those drug dealers assert — in the past six months.
Ford apparently smoking crack cocaine whilst lolling in a chair, waving his arms erratically, lighting the bowl of the pipe, inhaling deeply, eyelids at half-mast, baited into conversation by an unseen person, then jolted alert by a phone trilling: “That phone better not be on.’’
The Star had much earlier been approached by a go-between for the alleged Somali drug/video peddlers, looking to make a deal. The newspaper declined to buy and does not have a copy of the video.
A photo was also given to the Star of a smiling Ford in the company of two men, one of whom was purportedly shot twice in the back of the head two months ago.
The mayor routinely poses for photographs with about anybody who asks, so there are innocent explanations for why he’s standing next to a subsequently murdered young man “known to police.’’
But the confluence of all these provocative events — an alarming cellphone video that may or may not be fake, proximity to alleged drug traffickers — merit more than the guffaw Ford offered Friday.
His brief statement was disproportionate to the gravity of the allegations. His ha-ha posture, yet again blaming the Star for his woes, is tiresomely lame. We’ve been down this road of denial before on multiple occasions: Nope, never got nailed on a DUI in Florida. Nope, never lashed out with profanities against a couple during a hockey game. Nope, never grabbed Sarah Thomson’s ass. Nope, never was asked to leave the Garrison Ball in March because of apparent intoxication of some sort. Nope, never violated municipal conflict of interest laws.
Now this see-no-scandal eruption and little more than a yuk-yuk from Ford.
Surely an innocent man, with what remains of his tattered reputation at stake, would have proclaimed it loudly to the world, rightly indignant about such grievous allegations.
Scenario 1: It’s a lie that has hurt me and my family.
Scenario 2: It’s a lie and I’m stepping down while the matter is investigated.
Scenario 3: I am a deeply flawed man and need help.
Scenario 4: A lawyer’s denunciation of “defamatory’’ allegations, a chortling “ridiculous’’ from the mayor and business as usual.
Ford picked Scenario 4.
Political allies and acolytes who usually have the mayor’s back in time of turbulence — Lord knows those have come fast and furious — did most of the talking Friday instead.
“I don’t know what to say at this point,’’ Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday told reporters in the a.m. “Certainly we all know that videos can be altered and we certainly know that drug dealers can’t be trusted.’’
Holyday said he continues to have complete confidence in Ford, though that might change if the crack use images are substantiated.
Interestingly, there was no ringing counteroffensive from the mayor’s Sancho Panza, brother Doug, which is the usual pattern adopted in big trouble crunches. Indeed, Doug Ford cancelled a previously scheduled noon appearance on CP24.
Whether Ford Nation will rally to the mayor’s defence one more time — this time over a matter that is not merely embarrassing but, as alleged, criminal — remains to be seen.
Whether what seems clear to the naked eye on that video can be believed is also debatable.
Let’s just say, however, that the footage did not come as a staggering revelation in certain quarters of this city, where scuttlebutt about Ford’s alleged drug use has long been a whispered subject.
It had been a strange morning of reporting and non-reporting. The eye-popping story was ignored by many local news organizations overnight. [[The National Post, its editor points out, had a story online at 7:12 a.m.)
Jitters over libel and slander implications is scant justification for the palpable reluctance to aggressively pursue a story of seismic proportions. Of course, there’s no knowing whether other news organizations had seen the video as well. Yet the stunning allegation was out there, rippling, picked up by U.S. and global media, top of the post on Slate before most Toronto media came slouching along in a laggard pack.
We’ve seen this before, though, haven’t we?
The modus operandi has been well established: Don’t cross this administration or there will be consequences.
The proven and unproven: Drugs, booze, public spectacles, private scandals, endless controversies, embarrassments, denials and evasions.
Cops say, about perps who continually pop up in their crosshairs, rotating through the justice system: They’ve got paper.
Rob Ford has got paper. And a city is left wondering about gotcha video.