Cue the cheap gags now. Luckily, the universe remains in balance. And Pablo (left) has far better hair. Far better. Really extraordinary hair. Cue the cheap gags now. Luckily, the universe remains in balance. And Pablo (left) has far better hair. Far better. Really extraordinary hair.
Rodriguez is to good hair as the Conservatives are to sordid MPs.
ReplyDeleteStraight dudes know great hair like Aussies know hockey.
ReplyDeletePablo said:
ReplyDelete"I was unable to blow to the officer's satisfaction"
Something tells me I should leave that statement alone.
Does Pablo even think before he talks?
Just goes to show that some Liberals are as arrogant as Conservatives.
ReplyDeleteNice defence there Iggy,so much for transparency...
How fucking drunk to you have to be to be unable to blow into a breathalyzer?
Funny you should ask Cherniak_WTF.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N01v-VCpYw&feature=player_embedded
It took a month before it was brought public. Where was the media on this?
ReplyDeleteHey Cherniak_WTF - WTF kinda name is that? FYI PR did not say he couldn't blow... or do you read?
ReplyDeleteAre the media suposed to report something they do not know? Is there any reason to believe anyone in the media was told about this?
ReplyDeleteFor what it is worth, some info on impaired driving charges:
There are three potential charges (excluding the charges that relate to causing bodily harm or death). These are 1. impaired driving, 2. blowing over .08, and 3. failure to blow.
People who fail to blow are generally trying to avoid arrest on either of the first two charges. I do not think Rodriguez could be charged with impaired driving because it appears there may not have been any witnesses to his driving. He could not be charged with blowing over because he did not blow, so that leaves the third.
Apparently a lot of people try to fake it by pretending to blow, but the devices are not particularly difficult to use so generally, anyone who says they were trying is probably lying.
I deal with a lot of offenders, and I see how their choices are usually impacted by the environment in which they were raised. Abuse, neglect as a child often leads to substance abuse, which often leads to crimes of opportunity in order to fund their addictions. Exposure to violence at a young age often leads to violent behaviour as an adult.
But impaired driving has no such excuse. I believe it is a serious crime that is not treated seriously because most people can see themselves in the place of the offender. Just ask yourself if you have ever driven a motor vehicle when you thought you might be too impaired to do so.
Still, Rodriguez would probably have more sympathy from the public if he simply blew over. The fact he took the additional step of trying to avoid criminal liability is a step too far. I know he is innocent until proven guilty, and I believe that to be true. I am sure he panicked, and so made the wrong decision, but he never should have put himself in that position in the first place. Take a fucking cab.
(And yes, I know I am very self righteous about this issue, and I will not apologize for that. Driving drunk is stupid.)
Liberals seem to have this thing about blowing stuff, apart from elections. Recall during the '06 leadership campaign, Scott Brison of all people, accuses Bob Rae of "sucking and blowing at the same time". Had something to do with nation building in Afgan. Ya right.
ReplyDeleteHere we go again. Another one who will get his hand slapped and made an example of what Canadians ought to be doing when caught drunk driving. Don't you get the idea there is only slime operating in the halls of Parliment?
ReplyDelete"Are the media suposed to report something they do not know? Is there any reason to believe anyone in the media was told about this?"
ReplyDeleteIsn't the job of the media to find the news, not wait around untill someone tells it to them?
I see. So the media should contact each and every police officer in the country, daily, and ask them if they happened to arrest an MP the night before?
ReplyDeleteIt probably didn't come out in the media because no one was hurt and there was damage to a car.
ReplyDeleteIf a person was injured or worse, there would be reason for a journalist to look into. I think the media just didn't know. There were no witnesses - if there were I'm sure one of them would call or write a newspaper about it.
But, hey - let's blame the Liberals for everything and use silly little names like Iffy - that really makes a substantive point - sigh........
C'mon Sandi.
ReplyDeleteNo one got hurt in Jaffers screw up either.
I think all anyone wants is a goose/gander thing...especially as the goose was a _former_ pol and the gander is a current pol.
I think asking 'WTF?' to the media is a fair question.
Cheers,
lance
Gayle I have no experience with the tests and don't know how much effort is required. Is it possible that someone with say, asthma or emphesema, might be unable to blow sufficiently to register?
ReplyDeletelance - if you are going to be fair about it, then why don't you ask how the media is supposed to find out about these things? You cannot simply ignore the facts if you want to make a valid point.
ReplyDeleteRB - my understanding is that the devices do not require much effort, but a respiratory illness could affect one's ability to blow.
ReplyDeleteSo does Rodriguez a breathing disorder? I wondered that myself.
ReplyDeleteIf not...
If not, he is a liar, and not a very smart one at that.
ReplyDeleteIf he actually tries to run a trial without medical evidence he is going to look the fool.
OT question here, but is anyone else using Safari having problems logging onto Blogger?
ReplyDeleteGayle, "the media" have people who's sole job is to watch the police, charges laid, court dates, and upcoming dockets.
ReplyDeleteEspecially in a city like Montreal where crime and policing have been front and centre for a year or more.
I have a hard time believing that no one in the Montreal media capered to a 'P. Rodriguez - refusal to provide a breathalyzer' on the crib sheet and didn't think just maybe that was worth looking at.
Cheers,
lance
I have a hard time believing you want us to accept that argument on face value.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: how long does it take between charges being laid and the first court appearance in Montreal?
In Edmonton that can take 6-8 weeks. It is possible Rodriguez came forward before his court date because he knew it was going to be caught by the media once he hit court.
So maybe instead of the paranoid conspiracy theories, you can bring some facts to the table. I cannot help but notice you have yet to do that.
Rodriguez is a fairly common name and Pablo Rodriguez is hardly a high-profile (hair aside) MP. If I saw the name of a well-known, infamous or uncommonly named MP on a police report, say Trudeau, Jaffer or Ignatieff, I'd probably follow up, but when I hear "Rodriguez" I don't automatically think of the obscure MP, I think of A-Rod.
ReplyDelete"Is it possible that someone with say, asthma or emphesema[sic], might be unable to blow sufficiently to register?"
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly what happened to me many moons ago. After being pulled over for suspected DUI I was given a roadside Breathalyzer test. Being asthmatic I was unable to "blow" into the device to the satisfaction of the Mountie issuing the test. I informed the constable of my condition and requested to be taken home to fetch my medication so I could clear my lungs. Once medicated and breathing properly I told the constable and his partner that, "I'd blow for them all night long". They didn't take kindly to my little joke pointing out I didn't appear to be having any breathing problems. They arrested me and charged me with refusal. A couple of months later I represented myself in court armed with an existing condition letter and prescription documentation from my physician and a verbal statement of my own. I "questioned the validity of two peace officers to make a medical judgment call on someone with a health problem". During her brief deliberation, the judge basically called me a liar saying she didn't believe I couldn't supply a sample, but in fact did have asthma and was correct in saying that it was beyond the officers mandate to make such judgments on people with medical issues. Charge was thrown out. Draw your own conclusions on whether I could have blown into their little hand-held machine or not. The judge did say I'd better not show up her court again telling the same story. I don't think I ever drove under the influence again :)
What wonderful suggestions ya all are making for why Rodriguez could or was it wouldn't blow into the machine.
ReplyDelete"If I saw the name of a well-known, infamous or uncommonly named MP on a police report, say Trudeau, Jaffer or Ignatieff, I'd probably follow up..."
ReplyDeleteI agree, but want to point out that the public does not get to see police reports. They do get to read the names of accused persons on the docket, which only shows up on the day of court.
What Lance would have you believe is that a) Rodriguez has already been in court, and b) that docket was reviewed by every single news organization in the country, all of whom conspired to cover it up.
Since I am in court a lot, I can confidently say that national news organizations are rarely hanging around the courtrooms reading the dockets. When someone who is well known appears on the docket, generally that is discovered by a local reporter and picked up on the national news. So, even if Rodriguez was in court, and some local reporter found his name, it is hardly the fault of the national media if that reporter failed to report it.
This little issue simply demonstrates how far conservatives will go to reinforce the lie that everyone picks on them. It is beyond stupid.
But even now that it's public, it's vanished from the news. Not even wild alegations of busty hookers would keep this in the news.
ReplyDeleteWhat would you like the media to say RR? Should they simply repeat the same story over and over again?
ReplyDeleteAt worst, which is usually the media's starting point, it was an MP driving drunk and getting into an accident. Did people get killed or hurt? Who were these people and what do they say about the accident? Don't they deserve a voice in this? Where was Rodriguez going and how often does he drink? Is he going to seek help for this?
ReplyDeleteWill we even hear demands that he step down till the trial?
I think MADD should run with this one.
"Did people get killed or hurt?"
ReplyDeleteWhen he told people about the charges, he also said there was an accident involving property only, and that no one was affected except him.
So most of the rest of your questions are nonsensical. Even your question about driving drunk does not make much sense since he was not charged with driving drunk.
And if the other parties want to call for his resignation, they may feel free to do so, and no doubt the media will report it if they do.
No investigation from the press? The media is happy to take the MPs representation of the police report as the truth?
ReplyDeleteStill, as desperate as they are to keep the undocumented crimes of Jaffer alive, this gets no press play at all. What a time for the CBC to claim it's not biased.
"The media is happy to take the MPs representation of the police report as the truth?"
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you wait until this goes to trial, which is when the media will hear the facts underlying these charges. Until then they will not have any access to them unless leaked by the police - something that appears to have happened in Jaffer's case.
The only difference here is the side of the house they sit on.
ReplyDeleteJust as the opposition has always been demanding, he should step down till the charges are cleared.