Should the media back off on Rob Ford? Hell No.

If you know anything about writers, you know that they like a story to have a beginning, a middle and an end. If you take away any part of that, especially the ending, you will see them get very antsy and do all sorts of things that reflect that. Like a baby when you take its bottle away or a dog when you take its toy away, the longer that goes the more agitated they get. 

When the media get agitated the people they begin to chase get agitated, defensive, protective and sometimes they clash. No, most times they clash. 
Readers are mostly the same way. They also like to be teased, stimulated and then have it all come to a final resolution. A conclusion. 
I have written extensively on various issues regarding our Mayor, Rob Ford and his troubles. This blog is more about how to end those troubles and what sort of rights the citizens and the media have with regards to someone who holds a public office and refuses to step down. When everyone knows he should step down. 
Is it any of our business what the Mayor of our town does in his private life? Even if it is, is it right to go on his private property and hound him? What role should the media play as our advocate? These are tough questions and if you ask a variable amount of people you will get varying degrees of answers. 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/senate-suspensions-don-t-blunt-mps-questions-for-harper-1.2416779 

"In a surprising move, House of Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer intervened on more than one occasion to warn Mulcair to stick to government business, not party business.
"As I heard it, it seemed mostly to deal with party business but I'll let the Right Honourable Prime Minister answer," Scheer told the Commons.
The prime minister reiterated that Wright has taken responsibility for his actions and was held accountable."

Last week, the Speaker of the House of Commons--Canada's parliament--instructed the leader of the opposition not to ask certain questions of the Prime Minister because it wasn't the public's business. That enraged opposition leader Tom Mulcair. We have never seen him as angry when he stood back up. Most of the time he is like most politicians in question period. He is making points and looking for a snappy sound bite moment to get on the National News. It is a whole lot of scripted acting designed to meet an end goal. Not this time.

The leader of the NDP hit back at the Speaker saying,

 "Just to be clear, perfectly clear, this is about a coverup in the Prime Minister's Office. This is government business. This is the public's business."

Then last week, I saw a posting from a long time friend of mine about how the media should back off Rob Ford, our crack smoking Mayor who refuses to step down in spite of every reason to do so for the good of everyone, including himself. In city government we don't really have an official opposition or question period to call the Mayor onto the carpet to answer for the things he does that we don't think are in the public's interest. The only real recourse we have is when we vote, and until then, the media to watch, find out and report on things. 
We all know Rob Ford is a sick man. He has some sort of major problem, likely a drug and/or alcohol addiction. The right thing to do would be to back off and let him deal with it. But, he is the Mayor and continues to be. So, the media keeps hounding him, looking for answers. Looking for closure to the story which is still very active.
Should the media back off? I say no. Below, I will make my case for why they should not. Not yet at least.
Yes, Rob Ford is sick. If he resigns, then fine, he should be left alone.
If he wants to stay Mayor--and have the power that a mayor does--then he is fair game.
The media, as our voice and investigative interest, is obligated to pursue him and call him out.
Should they be allowed to enter his private property and hound him?
No, that is different. But once he steps on public property and off of his, he is working for the public and must answer for that. And because he is Mayor, he must show up at the place the Mayor belongs and do his job. When he does that, he is fair game. That is part of the deal and what he signed up for.
If Rob Ford wants this to end, all he has to do is quit. He is writing the story now. He needs to write his own ending. Quitting is writing that ending. Once he does that, there is no more story. He isn't the Mayor anymore. Nobody will really care. Not enough to chase him, or hound him, or find out more information. There will be other more important stories to chase. Until he quits, there is no ending and he is still the story.
So, quit today and story over today. That is how it works. If he is still the Mayor, the story is active and the intensity only grows for the final cliffhanger conclusion. People want that conclusion. They have been brought to the edge and until that is resolved they will keep waiting for resolution. For someone to write the ending. Rob Ford has that power now. Only he can end it. The writers will prolong it. That is the only power they have. 

It all reminds me of OJ and the car chase. And then the trial. Until the verdict, or he admitted he was guilty, there was no letup in the interest.There needed to be some kind of resolution to end the spectacle and complete the story. Even though most think he was guilty, the real interest stopped when the verdict came down. The story was over. He got away with it. In that case, the jury ended the story. 

The ball is in Rob Ford's court this time. The writers are on the other side of the net and the citizens are the fans in the stands waiting for someone to win or lose the point. Someone has to finish the point. If Rob Ford keeps hitting it back to the writers, they will only hit it harder back at him. Each time, the suspense grows. 
Should the media back off on Rob Ford? Hell No. Rob Ford should back away from Center Court--diffuse the whole situation--and give himself time to get whatever help it is he needs without the stress and pressure he keeps fostering on his own by not leaving when he should. The longer it goes, the more intense it will get. 
For all he has done wrong, lets just hope this doesn't end with a hostage situation or a suicide attempt. Or something like that. We have seen him blow up already many times and it isn't a stretch to think he will go completely off the deep end and do something that crazy people do when you back them into a corner. That is where it seems it is heading. No matter what, none of us want that. But we also don't want to see him keep his position after all the horrible things he has done. He doesn't get to skate away on that and keep his job. 
So, I say to Rob Ford:
Write the ending to your own story if you want others to stop writing it for you.
If you don't, the story goes on and so does the media frenzy. Only Rob Ford can stop that. If he doesn't, we should never expect others to do it for him. That is the only way the story ends.

And in other news: The Kamakazi Kid

http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/19213920/deputies-woman-claims-shes-karate-kid-kicks-deputy

Deputies: Woman claims she's Karate Kid; smacks deputy

Tracey Smith (AKA, The Kamakazi Kid

SPARTANBURG, SC (FOX Carolina) - Deputies said a woman became hostile towards them, claiming to be the Karate Kid, and resisted arrest by smacking deputies after they were called to a Chesnee home Sunday.
According to a Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office report, they were called to a home about a woman needing medical attention after a relative said she had not been acting right for several days.
When asked what her name was, the woman said she was the Karate Kid, held her arms up, lifted a leg then smacked one of the deputies, the report said.
Deputies tried to restrain the woman, who was identified as 40-year-old Tracey Smith, but they said she continued to hit and kick.
At one point, Smith tried to bite a deputy on the arm, the report said. After warning her, the report said a deputy ended up shooting Smith with a Taser multiple times in order to subdue and handcuff her.
A paramedic responded and took her to a local hospital where Smith told deputies she had huffed gasoline and taken methamphetamines the same day, according to the report.
After treatment, Smith was arrested and charged with resisting arrest, assault, third-degree assault and battery and malicious injury to personal property. She is being held in jail on a $10,000 bond.

And in other news......

Mr. Miyagi say: "Those that huff gasoline and take meth get tasered by police."

And in other news. Republicans now fully endorsing Obama for president.

 http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/23/us/texas-judge-warning/index.html

 Texas judge warns of civil war if Obama is re-elected

(CNN) -- An elected county judge in Texas is warning that the nation could descend into civil war if President Barack Obama is re-elected, and is calling for a trained, well-equipped force to battle the United Nations troops he says Obama would bring in.
The comments by Lubbock County Judge Tom Head, who oversees emergency planning efforts, were broadcast by CNN affiliate KJTV. He made similar remarks on radio station FOX Talk 950.
Saying that as the county's emergency management coordinator he has to "think about the very worst thing that can happen and prepare for that and hope and pray for the best," Head told radio host Jeff Klotzman that he believes "in this political climate and financial climate, what is the very worst thing that could happen right now? Obama gets back in the White House. No. God forbid."
Why are tax hikes politically radioactive?
Referring to unexplained "executive orders" and other documents that Obama and "his minions have filed," Head said, "regardless of whether the Republicans take over the Senate, which I hope they do, he is going to make the United States Congress and he's going to make the Constitution irrelevant. He's got his czars in place that don't answer to anybody."
Obama, Head said, will "try to give the sovereignty of the United States away to the United Nations. What do you think the public's going to do when that happens? We are talking civil unrest, civil disobedience, possibly, possibly civil war ... I'm not talking just talking riots here and there. I'm talking Lexington, Concord, take up arms, get rid of the dictator. OK, what do you think he is going to do when that happens? He is going to call in the U.N. troops, personnel carriers, tanks and whatever."
Head vowed to personally stand "in front of their personnel carriers and say, 'You're not coming in here.' And I've asked the sheriff. I said, 'Are you going to back me on this?' And he said, 'Yeah, I'm going to back you.' Well, I don't want a bunch of rookies back there who have no training and little equipment. I want seasoned veteran people who are trained that have got equipment. And even then, you know we may have two or three hundred deputies facing maybe a thousand U.N. troops. We may have to call out the militia."
Opinion: Taxmageddon headed our way
Sheriff Kelly Rowe told KJTV there had been no conversation about such a civil war scenario. The two have discussed contingencies for emergency management, he said.
KJTV reported that the warning was linked to taxes. Head "indicates a tax increase is needed to shore up law enforcement to protect us," the station reported, adding that a tax increase is under consideration that "would largely benefit the district attorney and sheriff's offices. But the emphasis is more on salary competitiveness than doomsday scenarios."
Head made his controversial remarks Tuesday.
On Wednesday at a county commissioner meeting, he emphasized that his remarks were about "worst case scenario in my opinion," and added, "Do I think those are going to happen? Probably not."
County Commissioner Gilbert Flores told KJTV he was "ashamed" of Head's remarks, and told the judge, "I think you better plan to go fishing pretty soon."
Attorney Rod Hobson jokingly put up U.N. flags outside his Lubbock office, KJTV reported. "When I saw the story I thought, once again, Lubbock is going to be the laughingstock of the entire nation," said Hobson. "What makes it so sad is he is our elected county judge, who is in charge of a multi-million dollar budget. That is scary. It's like the light's on, but no one is home... I'd just like to think he's off his meds."
But video from the Wednesday meeting showed at least one citizen supporting him. "Judge Head, thank you, and God bless," one citizen said.
Head did not immediately respond to an e-mail or phone call to his office Thursday morning.
KJTV reported that an aide to Head said the judge will not be commenting for one or two days.

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 In a follow up to this breaking story, TMI (Too Much Information) was able to contact some of the principles and get further clarification.
Judge Tom Head was again unavailable for comment as he was getting some (head) as, in contrast to his more famous brother Murray "he likes to get his kicks below the waistline, sunshine."

Tom Heads brother, Murray, also could not be reached for comment. He was apparently spending "One Night In Bangkok." However, in the past, he has been on the record as stating  "there's not much between despair and ecstasy."
Apparently, Tom and Murray have been estranged for years with Murray pouting about his brother "it difficult to make a hard man humble."
 Murray and Tom both grew up in Lubbock, but Murray left when he was much younger stating "one towns very much like another , when your heads out over of your pieces brother."
In response to Head's bold statement that  "What do you think the public's going to do when that happens? We are talking civil unrest, civil disobedience, possibly, possibly civil war." a high ranking member of the GOP was quoted as stating emphatically..

"You mean like picket Wall street and occupy just about anywhere and everywhere they can?. I have to say that Republicans everywhere are overjoyed with the prospects of this scenario playing out. Now all our war machine multi-national  friends can get even richer and they can give us cushier jobs when they get booted out of office. We were getting worried when he got us out of Iraq and the rest of the fruitless wars that we would be unemployed and have to actually get real jobs. Now, that is not going to happen. Win, fricken, Win."

And in other news. Republicans are  now fully endorsing Obama for President. The whole Romney/Ryan ticket was just an insurance policy to make sure there were no mistakes with Operation Get Rich Off The War.

And in other news......

http://forum.gatorsports.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=20789

The headline read:

Man arrested for performing sex act while driving

How can you resist reading an article like this? You can't. You just have to know what happened. So, I did.

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 A 36-year-old Jacksonville man is accused of performing a sex on himself while driving south on Interstate 95 near Ormond Beach.

Ronald Ayers was charged with indecent exposure on Wednesday.

He denied performing the sex act, saying another driver who reported him to authorities misunderstood what he was doing while driving – using drum sticks to hit his steering wheel.

Ayers told deputies that he is a drummer who commutes between Jacksonville to Daytona Beach and he frequently simulates playing the drums while driving by hitting his steering wheel with drum sticks.

A woman from Flagler Beach called authorities at 8 a.m. Wednesday and said a driver later identified as Ayers was performing a sex act on himself while driving a Chevrolet Astro Van.

The woman said she was driving alongside his van and she gave authorities his tag number and followed him until authorities pulled him over in Ormond Beach.

When a Volusia County deputy approached his van, "he spontaneously explained that he was hitting drum sticks against his steering wheel as he drove,'' a report said.

He invited the deputy to search the van. The deputy did and found two sets of wooden drum sticks between the two front seats.

"The drum sticks were a natural wood color and closely resembled Ayers's own skin color,'' a report said.

The deputy re-interviewed the woman and asked if it was possible that she confused Ayers's drumming for a sex act.

She was adamant that she had a clear view of his penis. She stated it was not possible that she mistook the drum sticks for his penis.

She said she wanted to pursue criminal charges and completed a sworn written statement detailing what she said she saw.

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 Okay, 3 things.

1) If the guy is jacking off, and driving straight and not bothering anyone, then just don't look and mind your own fucking business. This is no different than porn. If you don't like it, don't watch it. Change the channel. Simple.

2) Why are you practicing drumming with sticks when you are driving on the I95? When you do dumb shit like that, then bad shit happens. Drive the fucking car and put your hands on the steering wheel.

3) Since when is it illegal to jack off while you are driving? I would rather he jacks off with one hand and keeps the other one on the steering wheel than he drums with both and likely causes an accident at some point. Charge him with reckless driving, which is what he has already admitted to.