No Wise-crack, Please

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past two weeks, you've probably heard that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has been... what's the word here... implicated... in the personal use of crack. Crack as in the drug, not the things in the sidewalk or hanging out of the back of his pants. I don't live in Toronto so I have little opinion on Ford himself or his politics. But I do have a few questions about the whole thing.

 

In the supposed video seen by Gawker and Toronto Star reporters, Ford is supposedly seen making some kind of racist comments about minorities. While in the company of some Somali drug dealers. Maybe these drug dealers are just forgiving people (though I doubt it) but it's hard to believe that they sit there idly by watching Ford take slurs at them. Then again, I suppose they might have been thinking ahead about the possible income the video they were making may have made them and opted to simply bide their time. Still, he's probably lucky he didn't end up with a knife in the throat.

 

Why was Ford smoking crack in the first place? He's a rich SOB who can afford better than crack. He waited a week before making any comment about the allegations - in itself a little suspicious - and when he did, all he said was "I don't smoke crack. I am not an addict of crack." Not "I have never smoked crack." Not "I have never done drugs." Not "I am not a drug addict." Makes you wonder what was in that crack pipe if it wasn't crack.  Not that it would matter if he was lying or not. But there's a lot of wiggle room in that statement.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the allegations turned out to be true. The mayor's actions have been... erratic of late. I guess being mayor is a high stress job. Everyone needs something to help them unwind. I wouldn't even blame him if it turned out to be true.

 

But this is a guy with issues. I'll list the various issues I can remember.

- charged with DUI in Florida. Lied about it during his election campaign.

- escorted from a Leafs game for belligerent behavior towards some out of towners while intoxicated. Lied about it for a few days then fessed up.

- was seen reading paperwork while driving the expressway. Refuses to accept a publicly funded driver.

- had a publicly funded bus provide transport for his football team.

- had an altercation with a teenage football player while coaching a high school team.

- booted from another high school coaching position for comments about the school that made it seem like it was a shit hole and he was God's gift to minorities.

- accused of fondling another city councilor while intoxicated at a function.

- asked to leave another function while intoxicated.

- involved in some kind of scheme to solicit donations to his football fund using city resources.

- ran out of a council meeting to stick campaign fridge magnets on cars in the parking lot before returning to the meeting.

- made of show of "cutting the waist" - to go hand in hand with his campaign pledge of cutting spending waste in the government sector - and then gave up a little over a month in.

- something about assaulting his wife. They are now reconciled.

- dismissed the media as "maggots" and other councilors as "unemployable" in this latest scandal.

- called 911 to remove a well known Canadian satirist from his property.

- has his office staff help him coach football while on public time.

I don't know much about his politics but his personal life is a disaster.

 

What surprised me most is all the people defending the mayor over these allegations. I grant you that the proof is not yet in the pudding so I can understand some skepticism and am inclined to be a little skeptical myself. But so many people in the comments of the stories I read attack Gawker and The Star of bias and tabloid journalism. I can't say as I'm especially familiar with the format of either one. Perhaps The Star does take an uncommon interest in the Ford family. On the other hand, he's a public figure and they are a news outlet. Maybe they make sensationalist claims but that's the new business for you. They are a business and it's a race to get the big scoop to make the bucks. Why haven't either media outlet ponied up the cash to buy the video outright? The owner wants $200,000 for it. Doesn't seem like a lot to you and me for such a big story maybe. But the truth is that neither organization is rolling in dough these days and it would set a bad precedent for anyone else that wants to parley some information into quick cash. I'm meandering a little. Back to the point. People have always enjoyed tearing down public figures whether it's politicians or celebrities. So I find it odd that so many people defend this bulk of bad behavior. Most people cite the Star as an antagonist. But it was Gawker that broke the story. What interest does Gawker, an American outlet, have in the mayor of a town most Americans can't find on a map? Why does the average Joe that Ford is screwing over protect him when his closest staff won't?

 

The money has been raised to buy the video through Gawker's fundraising campaign. But now the owner of the video can't be reached. It's not like he has office hours of 9-5. Yet I strongly suspect you'll never hear from this guy again. My first thought on hearing this story when it broke was that the video owner would be dead by the end of the week. The problem is that Gawker broke the story too early. Without getting a hold of the video, they put the idea out there. Surely Ford knows who took it and has had the person subsequently dealt with, permanently. He strikes me as the kind of guy who would do that.

 

Lastly, more accusations have come to light that Ford's brother, Doug, was a hash dealer in the 80's. This, too, has been denied. Defenders note that an officer on the drug squad in the 80's has no recollection of taking Doug Ford into custody. But why would a cop remember some slinger in the 80's who didn't have a name at the time? That's assuming he was ever even arrested. Just because he was a dealer doesn't mean he ever got caught. If he was a dealer.

 

These are curious times.