Rob Ford (Toronto mayor) kicked from office.

funny how with the new vid nobody seems to be mentioning that a few times in the vid he says stepping into the ring. from some points it seems like he could be taling about a charity boxing match. so in that context, is it really all that bad, particularly if one doesn't know the rant is being taped?

gotta love the media and the public in it's rush to take things into context.

I, for one, love the stomping, eye-gouging and attempts-to-kill that go on in your typical charity boxing events … along with the body-trembling enthusiasm of the participants that Mayor Ford so eloquently demonstrated. Where would have this event been held? At the Colosseum in Rome, circa 100 AD?

I, for one, love the stomping, eye-gouging and attempts-to-kill that go on in your typical charity boxing events … along with the body-trembling enthusiasm of the participants that Mayor Ford so eloquently demonstrated. Where would have this event been held? At the Colosseum in Rome, circa 100 AD?

step away from the crack pipe duncs

The only context anyone needs to take from this video is that Ford loves to get shitfaced.

We can cut him some slack on this one though,he does have to live in Toronto after all.

He sounded like the rednecks I know back home. When they get super loaded they all think they can take on GSP (or whatever MMA star they dislike) and will go on a rant exactly like this.

The only context anyone needs to take from this video is that Ford loves to get shitfaced.

along with a decent % of the general pop.

what i find interesting about this situation is the rush to finger wag and how that reflects on our soceity as a whole. duncan was close to the truth in that our soceity is not all that far removed from blood lust exhibited in the colosseum of rome.

the fact is people of all walks of life, both the avg person and people of influence, exhibit these same bahviours as ford (albeit not necessarily to the same degree) at times. by railing against ford we are infact railing against the shame of out own similar actions.

step away from the crack pipe duncs

Good advice …

by railing against ford we are infact railing against the shame of out own similar actions.

Is it hypocrisy to expect better of the mayor of the 5th largest city in North America than to smoke crack and hang out with gangbangers (both living and now dead) and other violent criminals? Just because some people set the standard so low shouldn't make it acceptable.

gotta love the media and the public in it's rush to take things into context.

Was thinking about comments made by Jon Stewart. The one guy who makes a living off stuff like this who thinks it's time to step back.

He's right, he made a confession. It's time for everyone to step back and shut the fuck up. Like him or hate him it's time to let it be and let it play out. Enough of this wanting him to fail and who knows what happens next.

But then again this is what we have become… a society that relishes and actually enjoys watching people fall.

He's right, he made a confession.

He didn't make a confession. When confronted, he admitted to being the person in a video that he spent months denying (and possibly hiding) the existence of. His substance abuse problem aside, isn't there anything to proverb "you are known by the company you keep"? Especially for someone who as sought and attained public office?

But then again this is what we have become… a society that relishes and actually enjoys watching people fall.

Becoming or choosing to become a public figure is like riding on the back of a monster. If you choose to ride the it on the way up, be prepared for the ride back down. The only reason you fly high is from the updraft of followers, admirers and worshipers. Don't make $10 million a year seeking publicity, fame and recognition as a movie star and then complain everybody wants to talk to you, meet you or know about your life. Don't run for elected public office you are going to get irritated when people hold you to a higher standard than their dog groomer.

Was thinking about comments made by Jon Stewart. The one guy who makes a living off stuff like this who thinks it's time to step back.

He's right, he made a confession. It's time for everyone to step back and shut the fuck up. Like him or hate him it's time to let it be and let it play out. Enough of this wanting him to fail and who knows what happens next.

Say what?

Jon Stewart said that the guy needs to check himself in and get help for his problems, or he's going to end up dead rom substance abuse.

He didn't say that everyone needs to accept Ford's confession and move on with life.

Ford needs to take ownership of his problem/behavior and either resign or take a leave from being Mayor and probably check himself into a rehab center. As long as he decides to do neither of those things, he should and will be held to kind the public spotlight that comes with being Mayor of the largest city in Canada.

Say what?

Jon Stewart said that the guy needs to check himself in and get help for his problems, or he's going to end up dead rom substance abuse.

He didn't say that everyone needs to accept Ford's confession and move on with life.

Ford needs to take ownership of his problem/behavior and either resign or take a leave from being Mayor and probably check himself into a rehab center. As long as he decides to do neither of those things, he should and will be held to kind the public spotlight that comes with being Mayor of the largest city in Canada.

And you all think harrassing then guy is going to change anything?

Syncro is right. To many are busy taking shots at the guy. Think for a second….it's shit like everyone taking shots that has pushed people to taking their life. Sure the guy is a goof and makes shitty choices. But it doesn't mean it gives everyone the right to keep doing what they are doing. I can easily see where this is headed and it isn't going to a good ending.

And you all think harrassing then guy is going to change anything?

You understand that he's the mayor of the largest city in Canada right?
That generally comes with a certain level of public scrutiny…. especially when he's just admitted to smoking some crack during said tenure.

I'd agree with your sentiment if he had, say, gotten a parking ticket.

And you all think harrassing then guy is going to change anything?

Syncro is right. To many are busy taking shots at the guy. Think for a second….it's shit like everyone taking shots that has pushed people to taking their life. Sure the guy is a goof and makes shitty choices. But it doesn't mean it gives everyone the right to keep doing what they are doing. I can easily see where this is headed and it isn't going to a good ending.

If he was no longer the Mayor of Toronto, he could get on with his private life … fact is, he is a public figure. Public figures get scrutinized by the Public. That's what Public life is all about. Public sentiment put him in the Mayor's seat, and if public sentiment wants him to step down, then that is par for the course. He is free to ignore it if he wants. If he can't handle the spotlight, he can step down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q_uLzEljo8

Kn.

when someone goes into public life they accept life in a fish bowl period, being as much of a buffoon as he is its pretty hard to have any sympathy for RF

But not only has RF been caught on camera smoking crack, he has been hanging out with known criminals one of whom is now dead and I betcha there is way more juicy stuff to come

was he really a good mayor or do stupid people just vote for him?

this is about way more than harassing a guy with a substance abuse problem…this new yorker article is really good http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2013/11/torontos-rob-ford-problem.html?mobify=0

and this comment at the bottom pretty much nails it…

While Rob Ford is a big pink mess, it's his longstanding ties to violent criminals in the Toronto drug trade that are the real concern. Released police records show that Mayor Ford may have been paying the utility bills for the house in which he was videoed smoking crack last May, a dwelling the police refer to as a "chop shop" (a place where cocaine is processed [HTML_REMOVED] divided for sale). The leaseholders of the house were later hospitalized after being beaten by intruders asking about the crack video, an incident that has been linked to the recent arrest of the mayor's driver on extortion charges. As mentioned by this article, other individuals connected to the video have been shot dead, thrown off balconies, or arrested on drug trafficking and gang charges.

Aside from crack-dealing gangbangers, Ford's entourage and social set contain a surprising number of people with arrests for drug trafficking, weapons, assault, extortion, death threats, attempted murder and murder. Ford’s own sister, Kathy, was shot in the face in an argument between cocaine dealers (one of them her husband) in her parents’ basement in 2005. She survived; her husband was arrested last year for threatening to kill the mayor in what the police say was a dispute over “drug debts.” Councilman Doug Ford, Rob’s older brother and another prominent municipal politician, is also widely reported to have been a leading pot and pill dealer in suburban Toronto during the 1980s [HTML_REMOVED] 90s.

Other Canadian politicians come with bodyguards; the Fords come with enforcers. When the Mayor gets high as a kite [HTML_REMOVED] raves in private (as in a just-released video), people seem to stand a good chance of ending up hurt.