Friday, November 15, 2013

Rob Ford and the Day Toronto Fought Back



His monstrous presence still threatens Toronto. But he is less of a threat than he was yesterday. The good guys are finally winning. The Fordzilla is finally being neutered. 

Toronto city council has voted to both remove Mayor Rob Ford's authority during emergency situations and, under a separate motion, has stripped his power to hire and fire the deputy mayor and appoint members of his executive committee.

They are the first of three motions aimed at leaving Ford as mayor in name only. He will continue his last 11 months as mayor with severely limited powers.

After years of being bullied by that ghastly thug the city council is finally fighting back.

And so are the people of Toronto...



And all I can say is it's about time.

Because he is a shameless liar and a ghastly bully. He is a racist in the world's most diverse city. He is an anti-gay bigot in a city full of gay refugees, fleeing the persecution and loneliness of small towns and rural areas.

He is a crass and vulgar misogynist with criminal connections whose behaviour should disgust all decent people. And make them feel sorry for his family.



He is a brutish Con and the worst mayor Toronto has ever seen.

And those who cynically enabled him can never be forgiven.

And of all his enablers, the most culpable are the strategists, the ones who fashioned his image as the defender of the little guy, the suburban strivers, against the downtown elites, with their degrees and their symphonies — the ones who turned a bundle of inchoate resentments into Ford Nation.

Sound familiar? It is the same condescending populism, the same aggressively dumb, harshly divisive message that has become the playbook for the right generally in this country, in all its contempt for learning, its disdain for facts, its disrespect of convention and debasing of standards. They can try to run away from him now, but they made this monster, and they will own him for years to come.

But right now I think it's time to celebrate the beginning of the end of that nightmare with a special performance of the Rob Ford Opera !!!!



Isn't that great? And you know what I like best about it ? It was written and arranged by Topher Mokrzewski, resident conductor of the CALGARY opera.

Because I can't help but notice that even in the progressive blogosphere, some bloggers in other parts of the country seem to be getting too much pleasure from what they call the "humiliation" of Toronto.

I won't name them so as not to embarrass them. But it's so petty and so wrong. And sadly so Canadian.

So let me, as a Montrealer living in Toronto, set the record straight:

The people of Toronto are NOT humiliated, because most of them, like me, didn't vote for Ford...



They are embarrassed and ANGRY. Not beaten or humiliated.

And what they have been is oppressed by a brutish Con bully, like the country itself has been brutalized by that other Con thug Stephen Harper.

But they are starting to fight back, like Canadians are starting to fight the Con regime.

And I'm proud to join them. Even though I'm just visiting.

Because Toronto IS a progressive bastion.



It is an amazing megalopolis of six million people from all over the world. Who don't lord themselves over anyone. They're too busy getting on with their lives. Or just surviving in the belly of that urban monster.

Which despite its many problems is much much more than Rob Ford.

And belongs to ALL of us...



At least that's what I think. Simon the Montrealer.

Who will NEVER until his dying day ever support the Leafs. Because that would be asking too much eh?  

But still thinks this great Canadian city is worth saving.

And that it's all part of the same struggle.

First we'll remove one Con Tyrant...



And then we'll remove the other...



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14 comments:

the salamander said...

.. a clown mayor Ford with issues .. ok .. uh .. a buffoon (sorry dude.. but its the truth) that has a brother..
and lets get on to penetrating the Harper Immaculate Deception ...
Truly speaking, Oliver, Flaherty, Fantino, Clement, Baird aint that exciting Steve ..
That's all you got aside from the odd Mackay or Kenney or Rempel buzz .. ?????

Our view ... n the Vegas view.. is you are limp, dead in the water .. floating toast ...
and your so called legacy is .. uh .. sinking along with your bitumen economic fable
Wuz a good run Stevie.. but its all over Baby Blue ..

Anonymous said...

Just posted part of this at another w/s discussing similar subject.

Most urban Torontonians did not vote for Ford: http://www.torontolife.com/informer/toronto-politics/2010/10/29/amalgamation-mike-harris%E2%80%99s-gift-that-keeps-on-giving-to-toronto-conservatives/

Here is the detailed breakdown showing that Ford was mainly elected by Etobicoke and Scarborough, not by downtown Toronto: http://torontoist.com/2010/10/which_wards_voted_for_who_for_mayor/

Gerrymandering by Mike Harris apparently was what caused urban Toronto to be led by a mayor they did not want: http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2013/05/23/Rob-Ford-Meltdown/

Hopefully, this will cause the question of the forced amalgamation to be raised again.

Anonymous said...

Mokrzewski is a Torontonian.

Anonymous said...

Excellent stuff Montreal Simon. Thank you for fighting for sanity in a society controlled by fear, intolerance and good old plain stupidity. Your blog is a daily tonic and an inspiration. Much appreciated by mostly anonymous fans.

Anonymous said...

Simon I'm from Alberta, I can"t wait every morning to read your blogs. You are making a difference one person at a time.

Simon said...

hi salamander....the Harper Immaculate Deception? I like it. Now somebody find me an exorcist. ;)
Seriously though....buried in this buffoon story is a murder story that demands some explanations, and if those explanations are forthcoming could change the nature of this scandal. And then the Harperites will really have to do some explaining. Why they enabled a man like Ford even though he was clearly out of control? the Cons may evade the magic bullet, but they will not evade its radioactivity...

Simon said...

hi anon...you're quite right, none of this would have happened if Harris and his gang hadn't forced that amalgamation in order to try to force the suburbs upon a city that they don't like, and that didn't want them. I would really like the amalgamation issue to surface again, and have those who love this city vote for separation....

Simon said...

hi anon...Topher may be from Toronto but he is the resident conductor of the Calgary opera and his video gives the protest against Ford a Canadian dimension that has been sadly lacking. Unfortunately too many Canadians have been laughing along with Jon Stewart and company, without realizing that they are also laughing at themselves. Because Rob Ford and his Con connections aren't just a Toronto problem they're a Canadian one. And we need the support of progressives all over the country to add to the chorus of outrage that may finally bring them all down...

Simon said...

hi anon...thank you for your kind words. I'm just doing my best to get us through these horrible times, and above all to encourage others not to give up. One person can't do much to change the situation, but united we can and we must. I live for the day when this nightmare is over and we can all dream of better things...

Anonymous said...

By the time this is all finished, he's going
to feel like a gelding at a stud farm.

Anonymous said...

I feel Ford is our Crime Ministers problem. Herr Harper and Flaherty campaigned very hard for Ford, just as they did for, Saulie Zajdel. Harper should install Ford in the PMO. He would fit in very nicely, with the rest of Harper's degenerates. Harper and Ford have very similar personalities. Both are despised and neither have the decency to resign. Harper's list of degenerates, is as long as a football field. Several of them are, out and out criminals. Ex BC Liberal Premier Gordon Campbell, is one of the worst henchman favored by Harper.

The reason Harper refused to go Sri Lanka is because of. Sri Lanka published what they thought of Harper and Baird. They posted their opinion of Harper on line, for the entire world to see. Other countries agreed with Sri Lanka. This has absolutely nothing to do with Human Rights. Harper is bringing Communist China into our country. China is one of the worst countries, who abuse their own peoples Human Rights. Communist China has no Human Rights for their people, what-so-ever.

Read of. Mugabe, China, the Red China Army and the blood diamonds. African people are slaves and work under the Chinese Army, pointing their machine guns at them. That is exactly how evil Harper really is. He is an out and out monster, totally disgusting.

Simon said...

hi Alberta...Thank you so much for those sweet words. Whenever I feel like giving up it's readers like you that give me the strength to continue. But now I have a favour to ask you. Could we please borrow Calgary's mayor until the next election? We need a real mayor badly.... ;)

Simon said...

hi David...I wish you wouldn't mention Rob Ford and a stud farm in the same sentence. It's the stuff of nightmares. ;)
But yes the Fordzilla as a mayor in name only is a comforting thought. If we can limit the damage until the day we drive him from office, the city might survive, and we'll all sleep better at night...

Barry Mortin said...

you may want to look at my Rob Ford Buffoon graphic, based on the Obama "Hope" poster. The image is here: http://m-design.ca/?portfolio=rob-ford-buffoon-poster and t-shirts are available here: http://www.cafepress.ca/mf/76584153/rob-ford_tshirt.