Toronto Star Pees Its Pants Again

I think that, for some reason, the Toronto Star is still afraid of Rob Ford. Maybe it's just a reflex action. They can't stop saying that they are glad that the "Ford Era" is finally over and . . . can't stop rehashing the "Ford Era's" more lurid moments, over and over again.

They are already running the 2018 "smear Ford" campaign and will probably continue to do so right up until the ballots are cast in 2018.

It's comical. It must be post traumatic stress syndrome.

The Family Compact fumbled the ball in letting Ford get elected and now they have a death grip on it, even after winning the rematch, which they stole fair and square.

Poor Toronto Star. They didn't smear Ford hard enough in the election he won, and they are bound and determined never to let that happen again.

They conducted a campaign of harrassment against Ford from the moment he was elected and never let up. Summarizing, they told us he was a lout, he was boorish, he was a drunk, he smoked illegal substances, he roughed up his wife, he offered her to his friends for sexual pleasure, he ran around with his old high school chums , who were drug users and drug dealers, he abused his position to get a ride for his high school football team on a city bus when it was raining and on and on. It's a long list. They accused him of corruption in getting favors from City Hall for constituents of his.

They lied about how much money he saved the City.

Most of what they complained about was petty, but optically awkward and embarassing stuff. It was what it was.

The Star never understood why voters in Toronto elected Rob Ford. They were blind to voter dissatisfaction with the "entitlement culture" at City Hall.

I suspect that at least some of Mr. Ford's boorish conduct and substance abuse might have been related to his health problems.

en.wikipedia.org...

Ford has had various health issues, including asthma and kidney stones. In 2014, Ford was diagnosed with abdominal cancer for which he is receiving treatment.

In 2009, doctors removed a tumour from Ford's appendix.[30][dubious – discuss] In 2011, Ford was treated for a kidney stone at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.[31] He was hospitalized twice in 2012, again for kidney stones[32] and once for stomach and throat symptoms that aggravated his asthma.[3

It is not at all unusual for people with painful or chronically uncomfortable health conditions to be irritable, seemingly inconsiderate and drug and alcohol dependant.

That doesn't excuse the behavior but it does provide a possible explanation of the behavior which goes beyond character assassination, territory that the Toronto Star would prefer to remain within when dealing with Mr. Ford.

Now we have leaks emanating from an alleged report by Toronto's ombudsman, Fiona Crean.

www.thestar.com...

According to Gawker, uh, I mean the Toronto Star, Crean's report on her examination of the conduct of security guards employed by the City of Toronto, contains examples of the use of these guards by Rob Ford, to shield himself from from press scrutiny when "in his cups".

Shame, shame, shame.

According to the Star, Crean's report will also rehash examples of boorish, clumsy and dangerous hippo-like charges indulged in by Mr. Ford at council meetings, during occasions when the media were pressing him. As far as I know, the score is all even on damages inflicted during the charges. Pam McConnell was bowled over in one charge and Ford sustained a head injury during another, when like a rhino with poor eyesight, he butted his head into a television camera.

Was this information, the alleged contents of the report by Fiona Crean, leaked to the Star by Ms. Crean as a result of pressure emanating from deep within the bowels of the Family Compact apparatus within city government? Did they want to give The Star a scoop as a reward for services rendered during the election of their man, John Tory?

Was it improper for an upright, non-"hippo"critcal newspaper, like the august Toronto Star, to print information leaked from a report prior to its official release, when the tenor of the report might still be changed, or when the report might actually be emmended considerably in a way which would make the Star's interpretation of the report misleading?

I know a tabloid like Gawker would print the leaks because that is the tabloid modus operandi. Print the lies in one edition. Defend the lies in another edition. Print the retraction of the lies in a third edition. Print the reluctant, smarmily worded apology in the fourth edition, at the bottom of the page in which the rag's charitable fund is featured.

Anyway, I, myself, me, certainly would not indulge in this kind of petty political sniping so far in advance of an election. The next election for Mayor of Toronto is in 2018, after all. Of course, I am not suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome as the Toronto Star is.

If Rob Ford, Toronto's next Mayor, actually did commandeer a city bus to keep his high school footballers out of the rain, that would be monstrous of course, in "Star Land". If he didn't want to be seen tipsy in the media and instructed a security guard to block a camera from recording him, that too would be an outrage, in "Star Land".

A lot of the other stuff he either did or is alleged to have done, would be, and was, highly problematic in the minds of Toronto voters, all except saving the hundreds of millions of dollars of course. That was OK.

One doesn't really want to be bothered with this sort of thing, at this point in the city's history.

One tends to side with the "thank God the Ford era is finally over" side of the Toronto Star's bi-polar personality, in matters like this, and not with the obsessive compulsive side of the Star that says, ". . . and furthermore did you know, I guess I told you before a hundred times but just to put finish to the bastard again, that Rob Ford told one of his security guards to stand in front of a security camera, so people wouldn't see that he was drunk again, and he knocked over Pam McConnell too, the clumsy oaf?"

It just seems so addled for a paper to act like the Star does, on the subject of Rob Ford.

I have an actual journalism idea!

End of Part one.

Part two.

Here is a story the Star could look into. It concerns leaks and actually more important leaks, than the ones involving the Ombudsman, leaks that, if they happened, would constitute a more serious threat to democracy and free and fair elections, than knocking over Pam McConnell.

During the run-up to the last election for Mayor, it was obvious to me that Family Compact Man, John Tory, was going to run. He'd been ingratiating himself with the public for some time, as a radio host, familiarizing himself with "the word on the street", as it filters its way onto the talk show airwaves. All well and good. I admired the guy for going that far out of character, in my opinion at least, to connect with ordinary people, . . . people from another planet, so to speak.

But when nominations opened, Tory seemed to take an awful long time to finally throw his hat into the ring. My instincts about these things are usually good, so I couldn't figure out what was holding Tory, "Mr. Dithers" to some, back. It really puzzled me.

All the while, of course, the enigma of the Rob Ford substances scandal was gestating. What did the police know? How was the investigation going? Would the investigation turn up enough dirt on the Mayor to scuttle any hope he might have of re-election? It would be very interesting for a candidate to know that information, particularly if a candidate were averse to taking risks that might lead to yet another embarrassing political defeat. Police information, supplied by a Family Compact insider, to a candidate preferred by the Family Compact would be an invaluable addition to the decision making process at that juncture.

I thought something like those considerations might have been what held Tory back, when it seemed obvious to me that he had intended to run all along, for at least a year or two.

Has the media ever looked into meetings that may have occurred between the police chief at the time, Bill Blair, and John Tory? Did meetings take place? Did Tory and Blair discuss the Ford investigation? If they did, would that have been improper? Would that have constituted an improper leak of confidential and damaging information about the Mayor to a potential political opponent? Is this something, if it actually happened, that potential voters for Mr. Blair, in a future federal election, might find pertinent to the way they cast their ballots?

Another question that The Star might consider asking the former Chief of Police, or even the present Chief of Police, is whether it is the practice of the Metropolitan Toronto Police Force to solicit the social security numbers of people who call to report crimes or suspicious activities in their neighborhoods, prowlers and the like. It strikes me as odd that the police should solicit such information, if they do. It should be a simple task for The Star or some other media outlet to look into this. I've heard that this is the case.

Personally, I am convinced that the government is already snooping far too much into the private lives of its citizens. I don't think Canada should become a police state, even if it is all the rage down in the US. That's one American trend we don't need.

a reply to: ipsedixit

Great post . I always enjoy your writing and thought's . To think that politics has integrity is a bit silly .It's a very dog eat dog vocation that few real people would ever want to throw their hat into .In one sense I guess Rob held out very well considering he wasn't going to be their boy .They made it impossible for us to ignore what they were saying and were willing to push the issue to the top pages of all msm outlets in North America and beyond .

He was really that much of a threat to them .who would have thunk ?

a reply to: ipsedixit

I share your opinion. I love Rob Ford. I live very close to where he grew up and met him more than once at a local pub (at Sullie's Gorman) on Royal York and Westway. Very simple dude, very modest and cool. I liked his policies and what he did for the people of Toronto. He was a major for the people, not for the rich cast. Word on the street is that Ford stepped on some big feet with his policies and tight control on how money was being spent on public projects. And some shady powerful billionaires didn't like that. That being said, again according to the very same voices he was attacked viciously by the super rich crocks of the island and especially from the powerful money holders of LGBT community. We all know how he refused every year to participate in their pride parade and how fiercely he was attacked by them in the media with Toronto Star caring the flag. So the whole campaign of discrediting him was directed by TorStar. I remember some concern citizen going on onto 640AM in the morning and asking all the "crusaders" from the city hall who were attacking Ford on the moral ground that whoever was with no drug, corruption and moral sins, casts the first rock. That summoned up the logical conclusion that despite the fact that he was a public figure and to a certain degree the moral fabric should have been that which other people take as a point of reference, no one was giving a rats ass as long as the average Joe was feeling that the local government was working for their interests and not for the rich crocks of Toronto island. He dropped taxes, never took a penny from the city, giving his salary away every month for the needy, and had a great vision for the future of crumbling infrastructure of Toronto. But feeble minded torontonians have no brain to think for themselves. Unfortunately the people of Toronto are the easiest to manipulate through masmedia. And so they did. Chose the mega crock John Tory, Ted Rogers pupil and representative of the rich class. And very soon we all saw how he quickly he lied about what he promised in his campaign. Within weeks into the office taxes went up, prices of public services went up and the future is grim when you read what's on the plate for Toronto. So if you asked me about Rob Ford I'd say: I don't care if you smoked crack, I don't care if you had few drinks and I don't care if in your privet life you ate your wife's flower (as it was disgustingly pictured on and on by TorStar). All I cared was how you did work for this city, how you eased life for me and made me spent less on taxes and how good was your vision for the public transportation and public spending. Unfortunately you were someone who didn't compromise with crocks and super rich who see city hall and projects on this city as a way to fill their pockets. You didn't compromise with a parade that went against your moral values (even though you never treated anyone with disrespect or discrimination) and kept that day to spent it with your family. Yet you were attacked badly for that. So I hope you beat your cancer Rob Ford and get ready to take this city back in 2018 and give torontonians again some hope. A hope that John Tory is killing it every day. At this point I don't care about who is liberal and who is conservative. All I care is that Toronto stays the city of torontonians. Screw you TorStar and John Tory.

a reply to: the2ofusr1

They really didn't want him around.

Unfortunately, I don't think either he or his brother Doug, made the best use that they could of the issues available to them. Readers of my other Toronto threads will know what I am talking about.

I think, to some extent, John Tory has slid into the Ford seat as far as transit funding goes. The three way splits of expenses between the city, province and federal government really have to go. We can't recover costs fast enough through taxation, and everybody knows it, including John Tory and as Kathleen Wynne's infrastructure funding plans indicate, the Premier herself.

I hope those days are over. We need to spend less on American adventurism overseas and on the military, and more on Canada at home.

a reply to: ipsedixit

I hope those days are over. We need to spend less on American adventurism overseas and on the military, and more on Canada at home.

That would be the correct thing to do but would not be towing the line with the Corporate overlords .The Fed controls the provinces and they control the cities and the banks have control over them all with control of the media .We are bounced one way then the other within the system that will always move us and keep us in their controlled system ,with a false sense of hope that we can escape their control but ,can't .

The whole Duffy affair and the things that are coming to light ,should make that clear .No one is exempt from being thrown under the bus ,and the changes will be made in a direction that will only offer them more protection from the light of day to be shown on what is really going on behind closed doors .

Well you drew me in with that last sentence, Ipse. As grateful and proud as I am to be an outsider, things that happen in Toronto always affect my pocket book if the feds and province are involved. From where I sit, everyone in power on all three levels are increasing my paranoid sense of financial doom. The sleaze involved is gross, highly distasteful and disturbing.

I wish Rob and Doug well. The Star has proven its worth as a rag worthy of a butcher shop floor mop and I fail to understand how it can continue its defamation of character campaign without being charged for that.

a reply to: Telos

I think you are quite right about what is going on behind the scenes in Toronto. The rich, and government is rich, attract grifters who want to profit by proximity.

In city government that translates to vested interests of all sorts. I think both John Tory and the Toronto Star primarily serve those interests. Neither Tory nor the Star, nor Bill Blair for that matter, are evil. They are part of the establishment and know whose team they are on. That team does not often function in the interests of society as a democratic whole.

Rob Ford was a threat to established ways of doing things in the city and tilted more toward the ordinary taxpayer, in wanting to make sure that they got better treatment from government, specifically relief from ever increasing taxes.

originally posted by: ipsedixit
a reply to: Telos

I think both John Tory and the Toronto Star primarily serve those interests. Neither Tory nor the Star, nor Bill Blair for that matter, are evil. They are part of the establishment and know whose team they are on. That team does not often function in the interests of society as a democratic whole.

Well I am not about to judge Tory or Blair, but IMO you laid out a perfect case in your first two posts in how the Star does indeed follow an evil agenda, their own, their parties and what not. If it behaves in a way that is detrimental to the common good how can you say it is not 'evil', though that is a strong word?

a reply to: aboutface

They play hardball. Everybody knows the rules, chief of which is "break'em all, just don't get caught".

In our society the media is owned by powerful interests and it is used to serve those interests. They will take a mile if you give them an inch.

They do, however, maintain a front, that is, that our society is democratic and operates by and for the people. A lot of people believe that. It may not be very true but it does give a window of opportunity to bring pressure on the establishment to do the right things.

In Nazi Germany, individual rights were stated to be subservient to the national interest as a matter of national policy. The national interest was defined in terms of the goals of the Nazi party and eventually in terms of the goals of Hitler personally.

A free press is out of the question in such a state. Where we live, the situation is not so cut and dry.

I don't begrudge the powerful their power and I don't judge those who go with the power and serve it, too harshly. That's the way we are as people. I just want to get into the scrum and push for as much democracy as we can get.

a reply to: ipsedixit

I tend to agree with the hardball opinion that you put forth. I see it for instance in Harper's actions and general insouciance. The amount of spending on his advertising is absolutely criminal in the opinion of many. Yet even when it's pointed out to everyone there are no consequences for him as it's a drop in his vat of election game tricks. The sheer arrogance boggles my mind. I feel absolutely and completely betrayed by our elected officials.

All in all, the Star did report the truth about Rob Ford - the OUT-OF-CONTROL MAYOR of Toronto, did they not?

www.thestar.com...

a reply to: InTheLight

I think they harrassed him mainly about his private life, created a media circus around him that provoked a lot of the behavior that they then deplored in their pages. They were participants in the Ford phenomenon. They denigrated his supporters and belittled his campaign platform, the one that got him elected.

I think they were provocateurs and blew many petty things out of proportion for political reasons. They became the papparazzi, attempting to get someone to shove them out of the way, to make copy, in my opinion.

He admitted a substance abuse problem, so that piece of speculation based on hearsay, on their part, proved to be accurate. He never denied having friends in low places, so that was accurate too.

They may have reported the truth, but I don't think they gave a well rounded picture of it. The Star gave short shrift to his health issues until they forced him out of the second mayoralty race.

Earlier I said that they lied about the amount of money he had saved the city. That could be an overstatement. It would probably be more accurate to say that they never acknowledged how much he had saved the city and consistently low balled that figure.

The Star has had an animus against Rob Ford for over five years now. I think it is time they moved it to the inner pages of the paper and off the front page, where it was this morning.

a reply to: ipsedixit

Well, after all, their interest is in reporting news as best they can, and Rob Ford brought this on himself with his lack of discretion in his private life.

a reply to: InTheLight

I have to disagree with you.

The Toronto Star and most other mainstream media outlets in the western world report the news only insofar as it does not conflict in a serious way with the interests of the owners of the media and the power elite of the countries in which the media operate.

There are some exceptions to this, but they are rare and not fundamental in any way.

Most of the most important news coverage and editorializing in most mainstream media in the entire world, including the Toronto Star, is a smorgasbord of carefully seasoned lies based upon one very big lie, i.e., that 9/11 was not an inside job. Virtually all of the news coverage and commentary relating to developments in the Middle East, the Ukraine and the Caucasus region are based on that lie. It is a lie that attempts to conceal an aggressive American foreign policy being perpetrated on the world to secure control of oil resources and insure American hegemony in the world.

All of the media in Toronto plays along with this lie. The Toronto Star leads the pack in their vilification of Vladimir Putin and projection of American propaganda distortions onto him. In the Star, Putin is an aggressor, but his real fault is that he is a firm resistor of American aggression.

Obviously one could go into this in a lot of detail, too much for the time available to me, but the main point is that on the most important issues of our time, the Toronto Star is a propagator of disinformation.

They have a lot of company in that. Virtually every commentator on Middle Eastern matters in that newspaper and in all other mainstream newspapers, bases commentary on an "agreed upon lie", that 9/11 was not an inside job.

On the issue of Rob Ford, the Star's interest, in my opinion, was to make sure he failed as a Mayor and was not re-elected. Ford achieved a lot but he was not re-elected.

a reply to: ipsedixit

With him recently calling City Council corrupt and what do you make of this quote from Rob?

“I guess the worst one was Daniel Dale in my backyard taking pictures,” Ford told Black when asked about his issues with the media. “I have little kids, and when a guy’s taking pictures of little kids, I don’t want to say that word, but you start thinking, you know, what’s this guy all about?”

Does the word 'pedophile' jump to mind? I think Rob does not need help from anyone in creating scandals and destroying his political career, he seems to have a knack for it

news.nationalpost.com...

a reply to: InTheLight

He is not unique in that. The "dangerous dunce" is every bit as capable of letting his mouth get him into trouble as Rob Ford was. The linked statements are not a Jamaican patois laced rant, but they are a case of ill considered brain drool.

Mr. Tory, like Mr. Ford, doesn't seem to have learned one of the cardinal rules of a public life.

Don't think out loud.

www.thestar.com...

Letting Toronto remain a divided city will increase citizen alienation, sap the city of its strength and could even lead to civil unrest, warns Mayor John Tory. . . .

“We’ve seen what some of the outcomes can be, and I don’t want to be hysterical here, but civil unrest, in the end, is probably the ultimate manifestation of people saying, ‘I’m not included, I don’t feel like I belong here."

What is this knucklehead talking about? I could go on about this in a classic ATS manner, suggesting that the "globalists" are trying to instigate civil unrest in Toronto this summer, but I don't think it is the case.

This is just our new mayor, being what he is, . . . putting it charitably . . . . . terminally vapid.