Everyone: After a LONG absence from the UT website I finally decided to reply here after seeing the shocking
(at least to me) news about Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's problems with alcohol and substance abuse making big
news in the US in everything from news reports (local in the NYC area as well as national) to late-night TV jokes
from Jay Leno for starters...
Mayor Ford must AT THE VERY LEAST take a leave of absence and/or to go into some kind of rehab for his
alcohol or substance abuse problems...
If I was in Toronto I would have made a point of attending this rally if I could have...
A recent news report I saw mentioned that to remove him from office would require that he be convicted
of a crime as a minimum and seeing this protest which was also mentioned locally in NYC today he is
obviously losing the support of a good portion of Toronto's residents and even though he vows to stay
in office these protests may cause some higher government authority - Ontario's or Canada's federal
perhaps - to remove him from office if he cannot follow through with his duties...
I feel that he would not get away with this kind of behavior if he was mayor of a large US city noting
examples like San Diego,CA's mayor Bob Filner not being able to stay in office after sexual harassment
charges and the most blatant example that I can think of - Washington,DC's former Mayor Marion Barry
being caught on video smoking crack back in January 1990...If anyone googles "Marion Barry" the news
and video shows up...I recall that he played up the "race card" to try and discredit this incident which
is something that Rob Ford could not get away within Toronto today...
SEE:
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Barry AND
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Ford
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Filner for relevant information...
In closing I give credit to Mayor Ford for acknowledging that he has a problem and that he needs to
seek some kind of rehab or treatment for and he does need to get some kind of help and let a
competent official take over the task or running Toronto...
Thoughts from Long Island Mike
P.S. To the Moderator: If you feel that this post is in the wrong topic thread please change or link
my post to "Mayor Rob Ford's Toronto" if need be...Thanks!