St Louis de HaHa

[caroljane]

Caught your attention did it? Good. St L deH is a real place, in Quebec which I have often seen.

I speak however of someone not remotely connected with that worthy township, Robert Ford, the former (the Ontario court says) or current (he says) mayor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, a gentleman(he says) who makes Marion Barry look like Fiorello LaGuardia.

Mr Ford was born with a silver foot in his mouth and he has never,so far, had any reason to take it out. Like most populist politicians he comes from serious money and has never had to let politicics interfere with his day job if he had one. Throughout his terms as city councillor and then mayor he has zealously carried out his job as high school football coachj. . As councillor and mayor, just at random:

He got drunk and pugnacious at a hockey game, asking an interlocutor,"How would you like your nice little wife to be raped by Iranians?" When later queried about this, he roared he was never at the game and the people who said so were leftwing reporters and damn liars. it was a Maple Leafs game, lotsa jumbotron and stuff you know, he later remembered that he was in fact there.

He gave the finger to a citizen (who in fact had voted for him) who noticed him in traffic talking on a cellphone while reading a newspaper and driving, She indicated that this was not a good idea, but he indicated that he is a workaholic and that she was anti-work ethic.

He took on a weight-loss challenge PR thing, during which he gained about 5 pounds, during which he was photographed leaving Kentucky Fried Chicken carrying a large bag. True to his "never spend anything, ever" political mantra, this was on a Toonie Tuesday.

He mugged a reporter, threatening him and demanding his cellphone (Ford weighs about 300 lbs). He laughed on air to the media about how the reporter had run away like a chicken and about his own impulses to beat the wimp up.

Tip of iceberg stuff here and out of context of course. Snapshots of a successful populist politician, nothing to do with his policies or anything, Ford is a high school football coach who has never allowed his political career to interfere with his primary passion. This is why Judge Hackland said he has to quit being mayor, because nothing interferes with Rob Ford's passion, not the law or the guidelines or the oaths he took as councillor or mayor. He never read the durn things anyhow.

Pending his appeal for removal at office, he presided at city council yesterday, where he told Coun. Adam Vaughan that he was "a liar, a liar, a liar' who is "shaking down" people; and told Coun. Janet Davis to "sit down and shut up" and so on.Business as usual in TO, yawn, yawn.

His commitment to his youth team is obviously real, but I just wonder how those kids feel hearing Coach on the radio, on the TV, calling them "Disadvantaged." Over and over on the public media he tells them that they are disadvantaged.

I don't know his team, but I know youth sports teams pretty good. And I do not wonder much, about what they feel when they hear Coach describe them.