Down in Flames

Fact and Fiction and one lame Dog and Pony Show

The G20 Summit is behind us, or at least, the dignitaries and the rioters have left town, but they left controversy, confusion and many concerns and unanswered questions in their wake.

I don’t want to weigh in on the necessity of the Summit itself or to even touch on the enormous cost of the thing.

One major area of concern was the way the Police handled the situation.

While it is understood that a strong Police presence was necessary to contain any violent activity, prevent any rioting and mayhem and damage. We all saw on the news how successful they were with that.  They knew that they would be under intense scrutiny and pressure and this would, in no way be an easy task.

A damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation at best.

There are bound to be groups that will raise Hell about how they were treated and criticize any and all of the tactics used.

That is the nature of the beast and they should have been better prepared to deal with the aftermath and deflect criticism and justify with truth and honesty that what was done was done for all of the right reasons.

I might have been more sympathetic and taken a more supportive stance if they didn’t employ the usual “Bullshit baffles brains methods” that we in the Biker World are so used to seeing and that has served Police forces everywhere so well for so long.

This method usually occurs after a raid on bikers of one stripe or the other wherein at the mandatory subsequent press conference an event is staged to make the raids seem far more successful or necessary in the public eye.

It involves clever staging and the use of props.

There is a difference in truth!

There is indeed a difference between perception and fact.

The fact is that the Police and Politicians want to be perceived as the good guys with only our (The general public) best interests at heart. They would like us to believe that all who don the uniform and wear the badge and take public office work within the perimeters of the law the way we are expected to.

We know however that that simply is not the truth and there are those within these groups that think that those perimeters apply only to others and that they are somehow exempt. We know that there are some for whom the meaning of right and wrong eludes them and they can’t seem to grasp the concept of truth and fair play These truths are laid out for us in the media each and every day.

They also expect the public to believe that all bikers are evil and their express purpose in life is to commit crimes and do evil.

There are good and bad in everyone despite the Police and politicians contention that all bikers are bad all Motorcycle clubs are evil criminal organizations who’s soul reason for existence is crime.

They are bikers for crying out loud!

They just can’t be trusted!

Bikers!

I can see Lord Julian now! Cameras rolling?

OK wring your hands, give us that stern look! OK LJ deliver your line.

“They can run but they can’t hide!”

Good  LJ.

Can you believe it?

There are times when I think that maybe I won’t write a noise column this month. Maybe I’m just beating a dead horse here and that I’m just singing the same old song .

I think that maybe I’m being just a little too hard on the police and Lord Julian in particular.

Maybe I should just let up a little and give it a rest.

I’ve long given up on taking the pictures of those who follow us around persistently taking pictures and harassing us at events as they don’t really interest me or our readers. We regard them more as one would regard cockroaches, vermin, mosquitoes, black-flies or other such pests.

Cops, most of them at least other than the fore mentioned pests, do a thankless job and some do it extremely well with the proper motivation and for all the right reasons!

Some, maybe most, actually deserve all the respect and praise and admiration from the public that most figure that they are owed by merit of merely putting on the uniform.

I almost find myself giving in to that line of thinking.

Then there are the cops that go out of their way to prove that I have to continue because of their bullshit attitudes and their bullshit mindset that they are the best thing to happen to society since sliced bread simply because they got a job and were given a badge and a gun and now they feel that they are something to contend with and they deserve to be treated in a manner that their behavior and demeanor simply doesn’t support!.

We are not talking about the good honest Cop who knows that respect is earned not owed!

We are not talking about the cop who really puts it on the line!

We are not talking about the good cops doing some of the dirtiest jobs imaginable without praise and glory. Not those who do truly heroic things but would deny being a hero but rather doing what his job dictates and assumes the role of protector of the public good seriously and without reservation.

These cops know who they are and they know that I’m not referring to them.

Ding Dong The Bill Is Dead!

I got this e mail as did all members of the OCC and it was welcome news indeed!

“The OCC’s Political Action Committee has confirmation from the secretary of the Legislative Assembly that Bill 117 was NOT carried forward after the Ontario Government prorogued earlier in February.
It’s DEAD & GONE, people!!!!
There IS a tiny chance that it could be re-introduced under another number by a different representative, but it’s HIGHLY unlikely!!!
THANK YOU to everyone for all your efforts and attempts at collecting signatures to put a stop to this…
GOOD JOB everybody!!!!

Cookie
Recording Secretary
Ontario Confederation of Clubs”

So ends the threat of this ill conceived, unnecessary, draconian and completely senseless legislation becoming law.

This was the proposed law that would make it illegal for anyone under the age of fourteen to be a passenger on a motorcycle.

We’re Definitely Not Playing With the Same Rule Book!

“Hey you were being a little presumptuous with that last article and cartoon!” some said in response to my last issues Noise Article here in the Mag and on my website “Down in Flames.” on www.crittercountry.ca.

Others claimed it was wishful thinking on my part and the fix was in from the start and that Lord Julian Fantino would never have to appear in Court to answer to the charges against him as the two tiered justice system that Fantino denies even exists would magically quash those charges and Lord Julian can continue unfettered by the laws that apply only to us lowly citizens.

Our millions of tax dollars that have been already been squandered and ill spent without any accountability on the part of Government and the Police under a veil of secrecy in this whole Aboriginal issue and the mishandling of same are just supposed to be ignored I guess.

The things that would have come out in a trial would have been far too embarrassing for the Provincial Government and the Provincial Police in General and Lord Julian, and the OPP specifically for that to happen.

So once again this whole matter is being swept under the rug in hopes that the citizens of this Province will just do what they have always done in past cases and just shrug their collective shoulders , breathe a heavy sigh and say “Hey, what are you going to do?”

I say “Fuck that!”

“Fuck Lord Fantino and the pompous nag he rode in on!”

We deserve better than this!

Sooner or Later The Chickens Come Home to Roost.

They say that bullshit baffles brains and for years now our pal Lord Fantino has subscribed to that theory faithfully and to the point where he has added his own chapters to the book and look where it has gotten him.

More to the point where is it about to take him?

I have no doubt that things are going to get really interesting, really fast for jolly old “LJ”.

It all stems from the Caledonia fiasco ( Something that I predicted when “LJ” was first given the job and given that his “Bull in a china shop type of approach might not be appropriate to many situations) that it may just bite him on the ass and prove to be the ultimate downfall for our pal “Julie”) and it may well be not that far off. Quite frankly the whole thing stinks to high heaven.

Serve and Protect or Conquer and Rule?

You have to wonder at the tactics of the Powers That Be.

With their constant attempts to further erode and diminish the individual rights and freedoms of the Citizens of this Province it seems clear that the push is on by Lord Fantino to create a Police State wherein he can rule with impunity.

While he is on one hand saying “Trust us we are your friends and protectors.” he is quick to attach instant punishment without any appeal or recourse and make it easier for his officers to find infractions to apply these bigger and better fines and punishments on more and more people.

It should be abundantly clear that he would prefer to create a total state of fear in the populace so when they see a cop instead of feeling comforted by the presence they are instead apprehensive because the Laws have been changed to the point where it is almost certain that the Police, on a whim can determine that they are in violation of some law or other.

The Lord’s Work??

For those wondering what the aspirations of our friend Julian Fantino really are the question may have been answered by the man himself!

Some said he had designs on some high political office maybe even Prime Minister.

I say that that is setting his sites too low!

He has far higher expectations than that.

Not Always What It Seems

It has been said (Usually by Police agencies or those who don’t really read, want to read, or even want others read what I have said and put their own interpretation on it and in some cases have even tried to discourage establishments from carrying the Mag.) that what I write on these pages shows a contempt for the law and a disrespect of all police officers and all of their efforts, policies and motives

Nothing could be further from the truth.

It could seem to some, to indicate that I don’t like cops in general and criticize all cops out of hand.

Again nothing could be further from the truth.

I have nothing but respect for the hard working honest cop who puts on his uniform and goes out each day to do a mostly thankless job that to do it properly requires a dedication and talent that few really possess.

We need the police to keep us honest and to ensure that the laws of society are respected and obeyed.

More Tools?

More tools!
“We need more tools to fight crime!”
That is the constant whine from the Police agencies these days. We need these extra powers to combat the growing criminal gangs they say so we can be more effective and make it easier to prosecute and prove criminal activity.
Are these valid arguments or just excuses for their apparent inability to stop the alarming growing tide of bloodshed that we read about in the newspapers see on the daily news everyday and is plaguing our cities and towns throughout the country?
Funny, but the shooting and killings that I’ve been reading about and seeing reported on the television don’t appear to be Biker related other than some of those involved might have watched a biker ride by on the street before he sprayed a crowd of innocent people with gunfire in hopes of hitting an intended target without any concern for anyone.