Rational Radical

Yesterday, I wrote about claims regarding Andre Marin’s office supposed racist bullying of his staff.  I immediately questioned the veracity of these claims and said that, if one reads between the lines, a different story emerges.  Well, the very next day, look at what is reported (the entire STAR story is in the COMMENTS section below):

New Democrat MPP Peter Kormos visited the ombudsman’s offices at Bell Trinity Square over the noon hour yesterday…Kormos noted the complaints are from “just a handful” of staff and none names Marin specifically. “The staff ranged in size, age and colour, from casual to jacket and tie,” added Kormos, alluding to complaints that employees were asked to adhere to a dress code while Marin often wore tie-dye T-shirts and jeans.  Contrary to what some staffers alleged, many employees had family and personal photos on their desks and cartoons tacked on bulletin boards, Kormos said.

(TONY BOCK/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO)

Computer issues and 100-hour work weeks have kept me away from the blog for a bit.  There are many stories to cover but the two STAR articles in the COMMENTS section seem particularly germane to the intent of this blog.

The first one has to do with the tragic death of Darcy Allan Sheppard, the cyclist who was bumped and then dragged along by Michael Bryant in his SAAB convertible. When this story first broke, readers of this blog may recall that I did not jump in as aggressively as I often do. This is because there were no underlying signs that enabled me to infer things that others sometimes think I’m crazy for inferring–but as readers of this blog know, I have never been wrong in any of my inferences. Some people were salivating over the chance to tear down a “powerful, entitled, elite figure,” which I admit can be fun; but again, I did not take this route because that’s antithetical to critical thinking. Others made this a “class” issue or a “car vs bike” issue.  Others tried to paint a sympathetic picture of Mr. Sheppard.  All of this is still going on, especially since Mr. Bryant was acquitted.  Some argue that he was acquitted because of his position; others argued that he was convicted too quickly because of that position–in order to prevent people from thinking he was getting special treatment.  Some question why Mr. Sheppard’s past is being used against him. And on and on it goes.

For what it’s worth, here’s my take: Mr. Sheppard clearly had a tragic childhood the haunted him until his death. I have the utmost sympathy for him and I know how easy it is for someone with such a history to fall into substance abuse as he did. It’s a further tragedy that he was never able to get the help he needed to battle his demons. But those who claim he was turning his life around obviously don’t know about substance abuse: that is, most abusers make that claim at some point, long before they’re ready to do something about it. And most people who even do something about it are going to fail in their efforts the first number of times. These are FACTS.

Another FACT is that Ms. Sheppard was drunk and aggressive the morning of his death.  And for weeks before, he was assaulting a number of motorists. Does he deserve to die for this?  Of course not. But people have to realize that it has long been shown that we rarely act as we think we would when we’re in a “special” situation. Trained professionals have a hard enough time responding in a calm, rational manner to crises, so why would an average person be expected to do so?  That is, Mr. Bryant was assaulted by a drunk, enraged cyclist who was grabbing into his convertible, trying to get at the steering wheel, with Bryant’s wife beside him. Who wouldn’t take off and try to shake loose this guy? That’s the fact.  And that’s why Mr. Bryant was released before the case went to trial. It happens all the time and the prosecution is LEGALLY OBLIGED to throw out such cases before they go to court.  In fact, I think it happens too often in cases I think they COULD have won. But given the facts of the case that have come to light, there’s no way that a reasonable judge or jury would have convicted Mr. Bryant. That is the fact.  That’s all there is.  Simple.

If you want to discuss how cycle-unfriendly Toronto is, go ahead.  If you want to discuss class wars, go ahead. But be a critical thinker and realize that these issues are irrelevant in the current case.

The only things that bother me about this case is 1) If the VICTIM’S history can be considered relevant in determining the outcome, why is it that the jury is often prevented from learning about the PERPETRATOR’S history, even when this history is directly relevant to the case?!  “It’s prejudicial” is the answer.  Bullshit. If it’s RELEVANT and helps show a certain pattern that can help people understand the current case, it should be included.  And 2) Justice was served because the proper resources were allocated to their fullest extent–likely because of who Mr. Bryant is.  Why can’t more effort be put into investigating and prosecuting other cases so that maybe “normal people” can feel that justice has been served far more than it really is? Fucking messed up system…

As for the next story, I’ll comment on it more later.  But for now, one of my “heroes,” Andre Marin, is in trouble because he and his managers are reportedly bullying anyone in their staff who is “non-white, overweight or older than 40.” Read the Star article in the COMMENTS section.  Maybe Marin is over-zealous in his management style; if so, I hope he is held accountable.  However, reading between the lines, it seems that his staff are used to being paid for doing a bad job, and now they are entitled and take umbrage at the fact that they are being asked to improve on their poor work skills.

I really hope that my initial inferences are correct, since Mr. Marin should be considered by all of us in Ontario to be a true hero.  Since 2005, he has been holding a bunch of incompetent, apathetic, unethical, entitled asshole MPPs and their lackeys accountable for the first time in the history of Ontario.  People don’t like him because he is blunt. Boo hoo.  Maybe he’s power-tripping, which I don’t respect.  But if he’s not acting inappropriately, he has all my support.  Again, if he’s actually ABUSIVE, then I will revise my stance.  For now, this looks like more of a smear campaign by those who do not like to be told they are NOT omnipotent…

Ontario ombudsman Andre Marin. (Adrian Wyld/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The COMMENTS section contains the story of a 12 year-old “boy” who was arrested with a loaded gun. He was caught after a chase by police and was involved in a recent robbery involving several males, in which a female employee was pushed to the ground.  It must have been terrifying for her.  What’s more terrifying is the punk’s list of charges: In addition to several robbery and weapon charges, including careless use of a firearm and possession of a firearm obtained by crime, he also faces eight counts of failing to comply with recognizance. This means that he’s been in trouble with the law numerous times.  And he’s 12.

Yes, young punks have been around since the beginning of time, but the question is: What do we do with them?  If you look at his family, I’m willing to bet the house on this being a messed up family with “parents” who should never have polluted the planet with their inferior DNA stock.  And if you look at the parents’ lineage, I’m sure you’ll see a long line of such miscreants.  So where should the anger be directed?  And what do we do with the little terror?  I wouldn’t want him in school with my children.  But putting him in a youth facility will likely make him into a worse savage than he already is.  I wish we could learn more about these stories to see what exactly happened and–most importantly–what we can do about it to improve on the situation for others.

As some of my readers know, I am very knowledgeable about these matters and the sad truth is, many times very little can be done because the damage had been going on for years and was not noticed or acted upon.  If you are a “normal” person or parent reading this, you might make many assumptions or suggestions that make sense, but they don’t really jibe with the reality.  That is, in cases like these, the back stories are usually so crazy that, if you saw a movie about them, you would think it was a terribly written story since it was so unbelievable.  Believe it…

The COMMENTS section contains the Star story about those two piece of shit cowardly scumbags who recently robbed a 79 year-old man on the subway, within a half-full subway car.  Even though it happened quickly, the man (Mr. Hizel) apparently stood up to push the alarm strip, so I’m sure a number of people must have seen the mugging.  In any event,

The Good News: These rodents have been caught and we can only hope that inmates administer “inside justice” for the brief time those cretins are incarcerated.

The Bad News: These two douchebags will be released very quickly, since this IS Canada/Ontario.

The Worst News: These Arguments for Birth Control are also facing failure to comply and failure to comply with probation charges (I read in another article), meaning that they’ve already been arrested before. And as I always say, just like with cockroaches, for every crime these wastes of skin get charged with, there are far more they’ve really done.  Again, this is Canada, where actions have no consequences, whether you’re a piece of shit low-life criminal or piece of shit low-life politician…

Good news: COPS finally arrested this scumbag family and their crew, who have terrorized many people for years–including many seniors because these pieces of shit are cowards.

Bad news: COPS have known about these Arguments for Birth Control for YEARS but never did anything about them until the Star and other media outlets put the spotlight on these dirt bags.

Bad news: This is Canada, so even though these cock suckers have lived off of MY tax dollars for many years–they all lived off of welfare–and made up to 1 million dollars each year through fraud and intimidation, once again by praying on vulnerable citizens, they will not have to pay anything back, will serve almost no jail time, and will be back to their scumbag antics as soon as our just-ass system gives them a slap on the wrist and lets them off.  And of course, they won’t have to pay back any of the welfare money they robbed from me and every other honest tax-paying citizen.

More news: The COMMENTS section contains the rest of this story about the cretins I’m talking about.  I’ve blogged about them before: moving company terrorists…Police arrest seven in alleged moving firm scam — “Cash only” rates suddenly raised, possessions held for ransom, police allege

No news: From trolls such as Michael/Samantha/Caroline ever since I gave them my challenge.  This story will be another example of why I’m disgusted to live in this country/province. Do they disagree?  We’ll never know…

Arif Adnan Syed, owner of 13 of Desi Movers’ aliases, is arrested at his home on Thursday.

Very recently, a few people (supposedly three but most likely one or two) bitched about my posts chastizing various Canadian/Ontarian/Torontonian institutions and people.  I challenged them to refute anything I wrote but of course they could not do so.  Then of course they disappeared. No, I’m not trying to encourage unintelligent, jingoistic idiots to cheapen the quality of my site.

I just find it funny–or sad, really–that these silly people whined about the aforementioned criticisms yet do not have the courage, intellect or integrity to admit that I was right, when they see that all levels of government are fighting vociferously to prevent anyone from auditing their spending. They are also trying to smear the name of anyone who dares confront them on their unethical, immoral, and possibly illegal spending habits.

So, Michael/Samantha/Caroline are obviously just trolls, who cruise sites such as this one, looking for anything with which to disagree.  When challenged to say more than, “Love it or leave it” like any two year-old child, they flee…And yes, I know what Samantha would say if she were here…

BTW, in case anyone was wondering what inspired me to write THIS post, read the COMMENTS section below to see one more example of the complete failure of our just-ass system.  Even if you don’t believe this guy deserved jail time, he surely deserves far more of a punishment than what the asshole Justice Hugh Atwood gave him for what Atwood called a “callous and cowardly” act in a) hitting someone with his car (possibly unavoidable accident), b) leaving that person for dead, c) trying to cover up the accident, d) never admitting to the crime until confronted with clear evidence of his guilt, and e) apparently showing absolutely no remorse for his murder of an innocent person who worked very hard to provide for his family.

1) As Auditor General of Canada, Sheila Fraser–one of my heroes–has done a lot of good for our country.  She has ovaries the size of basketballs!  I recently reported on the scumbag MPs’ refusal to open their books to an audit, since they believe they are entitled royalty. Well, Sheila Fraser ain’t backin’ down, as you can see in the first Star story in the COMMENTS section.

2) A woman whose laptop was stolen from a hospice not only got it back but was also able to retrieve the photos of her recently deceased teen daughter that had been erased from the computer.  Not only that, but the dirt bag who stole the laptop was arrested.  Of course, since this is Canada, he’ll serve about 30 minutes in jail.  However, in light of other recent crimes whereby the lowest scum of the earth have ripped off the most vulnerable members of society–including a woman who died very soon after her valuables were stolen from her in her hospital room–prison inmates are more inclined to take justice into their own hands.  So, the asshole who stole this woman’s laptop is likely to get true justice while awaiting his bail hearing or trial.

Teresa Solta and her father, Lawence Michalski, hope photos of her daughter can be retrieved from a laptop whose hard drive was erased after it was stolen from her father’s room at the Princess Margaret Hospital Lodge. (STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR)

Readers of my site know that I’m a big supporter of the police.  However, when they cross the line, I have to talk about it. In this case, a mentally ill man was beaten to a pulp. I know that someone with schizophrenia who is not on their medications can appear very odd and scary if their illness is acting up.  So it’s possible that the man in the story in the COMMENTS section gave police cause for concern.  But given his small size, given the damage done to him, given the circumstances leading up to the beating, and given the lack of damage done to the COP, I have to wonder whether the COP that kicked this poor man’s ass is a menace to society.  I’ll keep you posted.

Allegedly beaten by a plainclothes Toronto cop, Michael da Rocha is afraid to leave his family’s Mississauga home. (CHRIS DOUCETTE/Toronto Sun)

Before Caroline/Samantha tries to give me a lesson in politics or history, or complains that she does not understand the point of my title, I should state simply that the following headline from the Star is further evidence that politicians of all stripes in Canada are entitled and corrupt.  The COMMENTS section contains the rest of the story:

MPs rebuff attempts to audit their spending

I reported recently about a school/trustee/school board’s utter failure to address a case of long-term severe bullying against a young child. Here is another story (in the COMMENTS section) about a victim and his parents having to suffer both bullying and the school/police’s lack of action against the bullies. In short, a 5 year-old boy with a prosthetic leg was bullied on a bus and then punched in the eye by a 6-foot 14 year-old punk.  The father finally complains and is told that, instead of being suspended and arrested, the punk and other scumbags get to ride the bus, while the victim and his sister must be driven to and from school by their parents.  What the fuck?

This is Saskatchewan, so I guess it falls under the category of “One More Reason I am Disgusted to be Canadian.”  Or, for those who may not be able to comprehend simple sentences and hyperbole, I guess I could state “One More Reason to be Disgusted at the Actions of Certain Individuals and Institutions in Canada.”  (I hope that makes things easier for you to understand, Samantha/Caroline.)

And for those who are ignorant of facts, I can tell you very clearly that serious bullying can have many long-lasting effects on children.  Idiots who think about only milder forms of “teasing” or about joking around among friends always say something ignorant about the matter and should thus shut up.  Those of us who know about these things can attest to the potential long-term effects of not only the bullying but the response of the people involved–those who are supposed to protect the children.  Yes, most kids “tease” each other without real negative consequences.  But the idiots–especially parents–who are often the most vocal are those who do not know the extent of the bullying.  Usually they are incompetent parents who do not know their children at all, hence these kids turn into little/big monsters.

And before anyone makes ignorant assumptions (you know who you are…), I was never bullied.  I got into a few scraps but, for the most part, was pretty cool with everyone throughout all my years in school.  I was often the one who messed around with the “tough” crowd, with whom I was friends/acquaintances, and when they caught up with me after I pushed them too far, I sometimes suffered the mild consequences.  It was mostly in good fun and I usually laughed about the incident afterward and planned my next act of “revenge.”  And aside from one poor kid that I was stupid enough to join in on the bullying for a brief period when I was really young, I never tormented the “vulnerable” students throughout school in any way; there must have been something inherently “good” about me, regardless of the persona I presented to others during certain years.

So no, I’m not pissed at these fuckers for failing to protect the most vulnerable among us because I was one of those vulnerable people.  I am pissed at these fuckers because every day I see the effects the bullying has on the children both in the present and as they get older.  And every parent, school employee, trustee, police officer, judge etc. who fails to take the appropriate action is a pathetic Argument for Birth Control.