Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Mayor Ford won't attend Pride flag raising

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says he can't attend next week's Pride Week flag raising event due to a scheduling conflict.

"No, I won't be able to," Ford said when asked if he was attending the event held on the rooftop of city hall in which Pride Week, a 10-day festival celebrating sexual diversity in downtown Toronto, is officially proclaimed.

"Because I've already committed to something else," Ford said when asked why he was missing the event. He did not provide further specifics.

Ford has already said he will be skipping this year's Pride parade on July 1st as he will be at his family's cottage for the Canada Day holiday weekend.

Ford also missed last year's flag raising ceremony and the pride parade, decisions that earned the mayor a considerable amount of criticism.

But he was praised by many in the gay community when he made an unexpected appearance in May at a rainbow flag-raising marking International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.

The group behind the event — Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays — had initially said Ford had declined their invitation to the ceremony, a move they saw as a lost opportunity for the mayor.

But in a surprise showing, Ford appeared just as the ceremony got underway and took to the podium to read a proclamation against homophobia.

Original Article
Source: CBC
Author: cbc

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