Ex-Attorney General (Ontario) Kills Cyclist

Politics International Politics
1

Another trial I’ll be interested in watching involves Michael Bryant. I wonder if the legal establishment (with Bryant being a former AG in Ontario) will only provide him with a slap on the wrist given his political connections…Then he’ll definitely have something in common with Teddy Kennedy :laughing: --Harvard-educated politico only receiving a slap on the wrist for a major crime.

Being a strong backer of working men and working women, it pains me to see campaign workers such as Kopechne being murdered by a lecherous drunk such as Kennedy. And yet people mourned this murderer as if he were a Clay, Calhoun, or a Rayburn, instead of a rum-soaked Caligula. It also pains me to see bike couriers being killed by a Harvard-educated lawyer that obviously was talking on his Crackberry or having a temper tantrum without watching out for the “little guy” . These services industry people are treated horribly in Canada, especially by arrogant elitist lawyers that think making it in a small pond gives them some sort of entitlement to be bonafide pricks to the working folks.

Bryant was a strong proponent of a complete ban on handguns in Canada, at one point launching a website named “No Gun, No Funeral.”…Wonder if he now feels the same way about cars and if he proposes to ban them…there are plenty of gun owners and drivers that obey the law…all the time. :hand:

torontosun.com/comment/colum … 6-sun.html

2

How do you know he’s guilty?

3

IT sure sounds as if he is…It sounds as if the biker was ok after the first hit, they had an argument, and then the biker was dragged…in any case, not a very nice way to treat a biker, especially when many governments are promoting greener alternatives to driving cars etc. tbn.ca/forms/OntarioBikePlan-2008-web.pdf

Sure bikers might sometimes get in the way of drivers (much like scooter drivers get in the way of drivers in Taiwan) but if greener economies are to flourish and more people bike, this problem is only going to get bigger, yes? You’d expect the AG to be a lot more patient with bike couriers. Hitting one, then arguing, then driving away while dragging seems to be way over the top.

4

IT sure sounds as if he is…It sounds as if the biker was ok after the first hit, they had an argument, and then the biker was dragged…in any case, not a very nice way to treat a biker, especially when many governments are promoting greener alternatives to driving cars etc. tbn.ca/forms/OntarioBikePlan-2008-web.pdf

Sure bikers might sometimes get in the way of drivers (much like scooter drivers get in the way of drivers in Taiwan) but if greener economies are to flourish and more people bike, this problem is only going to get bigger, yes? You’d expect the AG to be a lot more patient with bike couriers.[/quote]
I heard on the CBC that the police were investigating the possibility that the cyclist was knocked down by the driver in a minor scrape, then grabbed the wheel of the car through the driver’s open window, causing the car to swerve across a busy street, and finally causing the cyclist to fall beneath the wheels of the car. If that’s the case, there is definitely SOME kind of guilt, but guilt can come in degrees, too. I’ll wait for more information before I come to any conclusions.

5

Apparently the biker was in the back of a squad car, just an hour before. Something about drinking and making a ruckus. According to one report, after he was released, there was an altercation between the biker and driver, with the biker hanging on to/ from the driver’s side door, for a number of blocks, with the driver trying to knock him off by brushing mail boxes and the like.

:idunno:

6

I prefer Chewie’s inimitable mash of groundless speculation and gratuitous anti-Kennedy screeds morphing into general anti-liberal-diatribes appended by an unconvincing pledge of solidarity with the working class.

7

just a small point: why call him a “biker” when that’s usually reserved for motorcycle operators? How about “cyclist”?

and the guy in the car is always at fault, because his weapon is much more lethal… even if he’s not at fault.

That’s the cyclist in me talking, obviously.

8

I prefer Chewie’s inimitable mash of groundless speculation and gratuitous anti-Kennedy screeds morphing into general anti-liberal-diatribes appended by an unconvincing pledge of solidarity with the working class.[/quote]

:laughing: :laughing: Love to see how quickly the character assassination against Sheppard, a Metis with a disadvantaged past, starts by the establishment folk. Before he was run over, he was drinking and his loved one called the police. He must have deserved it in some way, right? :unamused: I think a real leader should have been able to diffuse the situation, especially a political leader with such an erudite education, legal experience, and so-called leadership potential (people were saying he was even premier material).

They’re using a Mulroney PR company to represent Bryant (I don’t usually side with Salutin over Mulroney :laughing: )–looks like the call was made really early to this firm. I wonder what other stuff they’ll chose to disclose from the dead cyclist’s background?

theglobeandmail.com/news/opi … le1275192/

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No. Of course not. Why would you think such a thing? What hideous morals you have.

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No. Of course not. Why would you think such a thing? What hideous morals you have.[/quote]

Go back and read the post again (it hasn’t changed but I’ve bolded an area). I’m refering here to articles that were quick to surface (probably released by the PR agency or dug up by some enterprising reporter) about the cyclist’s background.

Hideous morals? No. But I’d advise you read things twice before making a personal attack.

11

I don’t know why you are so mean to this guy.

12

The battle lines certainly have been drawn between motorists and cyclists on this one. That Bryant immediately got a “PR firm” involved in his case certainly doesn’t win him any favours (what’s a bad PR move? Hire a PR firm).

But from where I see it, the surveillance video and other the evidence suggests that in time-honoured messenger fashion Sheppard went off half-cocked after he perceived that Bryant cut him off. So he caught up with Bryant, and then had some sort of collision, though that part’s unclear–Bryant is going about 5 km/h, Sheppard is in front of him, Sheppard seems to get bumped, Bryant backs up and goes around him, then Sheppard catches up to him on his bike again and some sort of altercation ensues with Sheppard off his bike, then the car goes into the oncoming traffic to avoid construction, and apparently Sheppard is hanging off the side of the car.

Sheppard had been drinking and had just been detained by the police at the behest of his ex-wife. He most likely had his dander up and was spoiling for a fight with someone. Bryant served this purpose. Speculation is that Sheppard hung onto the steering wheel of the convertible Bryant was driving (how else could he have hung on?) while Bryant tried to get away from him.

I’m a cyclist, and very sympathetic to the cyclist cause. I think automobiles have been given too free a reign in North American cities, and I wish that Toronto and other cities had the extensive bike lanes and infrastructure that Montreal has (a frozen city covered in snow half the year!). But I also know that if I were accosted in my car by a jerkoff with alcohol on his breath I would attempt to drive away, too. The critical mass morons have turned Sheppard into a martyr, but it’s clear that this issue has nothing to do with cyclist safety in the streets, and everything to do with a man in a temper who was spoiling for a fight with someone and took it too far.

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[quote=“rousseau”]The battle lines certainly have been drawn between motorists and cyclists on this one. That Bryant immediately got a “PR firm” involved in his case certainly doesn’t win him any favours (what’s a bad PR move? Hire a PR firm).

But from where I see it, the surveillance video and other the evidence suggests that in time-honoured messenger fashion Sheppard went off half-cocked after he perceived that Bryant cut him off. So he caught up with Bryant, and then had some sort of collision, though that part’s unclear–Bryant is going about 5 km/h, Sheppard is in front of him, Sheppard seems to get bumped, Bryant backs up and goes around him, then Sheppard catches up to him on his bike again and some sort of altercation ensues with Sheppard off his bike, then the car goes into the oncoming traffic to avoid construction, and apparently Sheppard is hanging off the side of the car.

Sheppard had been drinking and had just been detained by the police at the behest of his ex-wife. He most likely had his dander up and was spoiling for a fight with someone. Bryant served this purpose. Speculation is that Sheppard hung onto the steering wheel of the convertible Bryant was driving (how else could he have hung on?) while Bryant tried to get away from him.

I’m a cyclist, and very sympathetic to the cyclist cause. I think automobiles have been given too free a reign in North American cities, and I wish that Toronto and other cities had the extensive bike lanes and infrastructure that Montreal has (a frozen city covered in snow half the year!). But I also know that if I were accosted in my car by a jerkoff with alcohol on his breath I would attempt to drive away, too. The critical mass morons have turned Sheppard into a martyr, but it’s clear that this issue has nothing to do with cyclist safety in the streets, and everything to do with a man in a temper who was spoiling for a fight with someone and took it too far.[/quote]

Nice post, and so far the most clear report on what happened.

I doubt it will shut up Canada’s equivalent of the “birthers” however.

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[quote=“Mucha Man”]

I doubt it will shut up Canada’s equivalent of the “birthers” however.[/quote]

Nice cheap shot! :thumbsup:And for your information, I’ve never heard of the birthers, don’t listen to Glenn Beck, and have never mentioned Obama and his birth certificate in one post (not in one post).

Love the smear though. :thumbsup: :laughing: Curious to see you going after Conspiracy theorists though…do you apply the same standards to your “View from Taiwan” friends? :smiley:

15

Even more curious to see you admitting you are one. :laughing:

And Chewie, don’t try to smear a man, and add to the destruction of his career, at the top of a thread and then moan about some gentle ribbing later. :unamused:

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Even more curious to see you admitting you are one. :laughing:

And Chewie, don’t try to smear a man, and add to the destruction of his career, at the top of a thread and then moan about some gentle ribbing later. :unamused:[/quote]

I admitted to no such thing (conspiracy theorists), but reading the anti-Bush posts of some of your Hiking Club friends, I thought you had a soft spot for eccentrics. :laughing:

I’m trying to smear the man? Really? Did they hire you to be his PR agent? :laughing: I did no such thing. My original post wonders if he will get off lightly because of his high position and connections with the legal establishment (a question that has been asked in numerous news articles).

The Sun article compared him to Kennedy, so I don’t think that was over the top. Please inform me where you think I’ve actually smeared him? Have you misread posts again? :laughing:

17

First the definition:

Then what you wrote based on a single news article:

In other words, you claim he is a callous murderer of the little people. And an elitist prick who treats service staff badly. I think there is also an alusion to him being on drugs.

Yep, that fits the def of a smear. Care to try again? :roflmao:

18

First the definition:

Then what you wrote based on a single news article:

In other words, you claim he is a callous murderer of the little people. And an elitist prick who treats service staff badly. I think there is also an alusion to him being on drugs.

Yep, that fits the def of a smear. Care to try again? :roflmao:[/quote]

So we’re all supposed to be lovey-dovey to someone when they run over a cyclist? You really should think about giving up travel writing and work in the Canadian justice system…you’d fit right in with your sentimentality. :laughing:

Let’s go over the paragraph I wrote. All the sentences I brought up are fair game as far as I’m concerned and would hardly be characterized as being over-the-top or nasty smears.

Yes. I would hope you’d feel the same way for anyone who is a victim of a crime.

Yes. If someone was acting crazy in the peripheries of my car, I’d realize that harm could be done. I would have parked the car, avoided the person to the best of my ability, and called the cops…driving away in a machine that can do damage (much more than a cyclist or walker) was avoiding the problem…something that a politician shouldn’t do. :no-no: Aren’t they supposed to be setting good examples?

I expected more from this politico, esecially one that had been talked about as possible premier material in the Liberal Ontario camp.

Yes. It’s not an easy job. I would have thought that liberals on this site would be sympathetic to a minority person doing his best to overcome personal problems and doing an honest day’s work for low pay. Geez, I thought that anyone who has taught English in Taiwan, would be sympathetic on this one. :laughing:

Harvard lawyer who wants to take away guns from law abiding citizens? Hmm. To me, that is being a prick to working folks, many of whom depend on their guns when living in rural areas. IMHO, the do-gooder should have been focusing on his own shortcomings instead of being a busy body. As AG, he also While Attorney General he helped create Ontario’s controversial Stunt Driving law, aimed at reducing street racing, and supported seizing and crushing modified vehicles to prevent them from being used in the commission of an offence. Surely, he should have followed better procedures during this altercation?

[quote=“Mucha Man”]
I think there was an alusion to him on drugs [/quote]

You really can’t read at all can you? :unamused: That is the second time you’ve misread my post intentionally today.
Crackberry=Blackberry. I was mentioning that he was probably talking on his cell phone, perhaps even to a PR company (ha ha).

19

What’s the bet that if this had been a Conservative politician Chewey would have been raving about the pc correctness that allows some drunken wife-beater to harass and attack an innocent person going about his business just because the attacker is a member of a racial minority?

20

I don’t think you’re willing to offer odds long enough to induce anyone to take that bet.