No, but it should shut the members up regarding that matter once and for all, or not. Some bonehead will still thinks so.
Is the police funeral over the top?
- Thread starter Damondean
- Start date
So all cops are assholes. Thanks for giving us your 2 centimes worth. some body who does say much here and now we know why. Back in you cave.
Well, when we had the funeral for the Ottawa cop who was killed just over a year ago (you know, before the G20 and in a completely different city), it was the same thing. Parade, live coverage, and not just a convention centre, but at an arena.
To suggest this had anything to do with taking attention away from the G20 is just ignorant.
Rob Granatstein's column in the Toronto Sun today:
The backlash erupting in response to the police funeral for Sgt. Ryan Russell is sickening.
On talk radio, in my voice-mail, in letters to the editor, calls to our office, not an insignificant number of people are expressing outrage over the events of Tuesday in Toronto.
They’re furious so many police officers showed up.
They can’t believe how much the funeral will cost the city.
They don’t think this police officer deserves the hero treatment for doing the job he’s paid to do.
They’re mad about the massive media coverage.
And, the biggest conspiracy theory of all, they believe it’s a political smokescreen to offset negative attention from the G20 policing debacle.
One caller to my voice-mail even complained, “what did Ryan Russell do for me, to make my life better?”
My problem isn’t with his freedom of speech, but let’s look at the real issues here.
On the morning of Jan. 12, a wild man behind the wheel of a stolen snowplow went demolition-derby on the city.
The normal reaction of every right-thinking citizen would be to run in the opposite direction.
Sgt. Russell ran into harm’s way. He did his very best to stop the rampage before someone waiting at a bus stop, or heading to Tims for a coffee, ended up dead.
“Ryan always put others before himself,” his amazingly strong widow, Christine, said at her husband’s funeral. “This cost him his life.”
If you can’t understand why this death is different from a construction worker killed on a job site, or a woman waiting for a bus, you don’t understand the job of the police.
Of course every death is significant to someone, but the job of the police is to maintain order in society for the benefit of all. As it says on their squad cars they “serve and protect.”
Yes, they are well-paid. But what they do helps make Toronto a safe and great place to live.
Civil society needs the instruments of law and order, and needs them to be effective and trustworthy.
No one gets a free run at a police officer. Period.
Of course, the counter to that position is the G20 debacle.
The burbling undercurrent around the funeral, where 12,500 police officers marched down University Ave. in an impressive, emotional show of unity, is that it’s a PR stunt to try and right the tarnished reputation of a force stained by irresponsibility and brutality on one weekend in June.
There is absolutely no basis to mix one event with the other. Not a single officer or member of senior command that I heard made any mention of the G20 on Tuesday, or during the past week. They are two separate issues.
One can respect Sgt. Russell's sacrifice and still be concerned about some police actions at the G20.
Far from being a “reputation fixer,” this was a typical police funeral — although bigger than we’ve ever seen in Toronto.
That had to do with the particular circumstances of Sgt. Russell’s death. Every one of those officers knows it could have been them dead on the pavement last week.
Officers showed up from as far away as Europe because they are a fraternity and they wanted to show support for Christine and her young son, Nolan, 2.
On the money side, every Toronto officer who attended was off duty and not being paid.
The convention centre only charged the police to recover its cost for the day, but took no profit.
The flowers were donated. The TTC lent buses.
If you think that’s too big a dent on the city’s budget, I’ll cut the first cheque to pay down the cost myself.
As for the media, yes, we provided blanket coverage.
A phenomenal amount. Live on TV and the web, pages of newspaper content, blogs, tweets, photo galleries.
That’s because it was an enormous news story. No one was forced to watch. If the coverage offended you, well, the Cartoon Network is always there to enrich your brain.
By Tuesday night, I was emotionally drained. I can’t imagine how the Russell family feels.
But, as Christine Russell said, “it is with Ryan’s courage and his b**********y, and along with all of you, and all of your support, I am able to stand here.”
For that reason alone, there was only honour in Tuesday’s funeral.
'Nuff said.
http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/rob_granatstein/2011/01/19/16953691.html
The backlash erupting in response to the police funeral for Sgt. Ryan Russell is sickening.
On talk radio, in my voice-mail, in letters to the editor, calls to our office, not an insignificant number of people are expressing outrage over the events of Tuesday in Toronto.
They’re furious so many police officers showed up.
They can’t believe how much the funeral will cost the city.
They don’t think this police officer deserves the hero treatment for doing the job he’s paid to do.
They’re mad about the massive media coverage.
And, the biggest conspiracy theory of all, they believe it’s a political smokescreen to offset negative attention from the G20 policing debacle.
One caller to my voice-mail even complained, “what did Ryan Russell do for me, to make my life better?”
My problem isn’t with his freedom of speech, but let’s look at the real issues here.
On the morning of Jan. 12, a wild man behind the wheel of a stolen snowplow went demolition-derby on the city.
The normal reaction of every right-thinking citizen would be to run in the opposite direction.
Sgt. Russell ran into harm’s way. He did his very best to stop the rampage before someone waiting at a bus stop, or heading to Tims for a coffee, ended up dead.
“Ryan always put others before himself,” his amazingly strong widow, Christine, said at her husband’s funeral. “This cost him his life.”
If you can’t understand why this death is different from a construction worker killed on a job site, or a woman waiting for a bus, you don’t understand the job of the police.
Of course every death is significant to someone, but the job of the police is to maintain order in society for the benefit of all. As it says on their squad cars they “serve and protect.”
Yes, they are well-paid. But what they do helps make Toronto a safe and great place to live.
Civil society needs the instruments of law and order, and needs them to be effective and trustworthy.
No one gets a free run at a police officer. Period.
Of course, the counter to that position is the G20 debacle.
The burbling undercurrent around the funeral, where 12,500 police officers marched down University Ave. in an impressive, emotional show of unity, is that it’s a PR stunt to try and right the tarnished reputation of a force stained by irresponsibility and brutality on one weekend in June.
There is absolutely no basis to mix one event with the other. Not a single officer or member of senior command that I heard made any mention of the G20 on Tuesday, or during the past week. They are two separate issues.
One can respect Sgt. Russell's sacrifice and still be concerned about some police actions at the G20.
Far from being a “reputation fixer,” this was a typical police funeral — although bigger than we’ve ever seen in Toronto.
That had to do with the particular circumstances of Sgt. Russell’s death. Every one of those officers knows it could have been them dead on the pavement last week.
Officers showed up from as far away as Europe because they are a fraternity and they wanted to show support for Christine and her young son, Nolan, 2.
On the money side, every Toronto officer who attended was off duty and not being paid.
The convention centre only charged the police to recover its cost for the day, but took no profit.
The flowers were donated. The TTC lent buses.
If you think that’s too big a dent on the city’s budget, I’ll cut the first cheque to pay down the cost myself.
As for the media, yes, we provided blanket coverage.
A phenomenal amount. Live on TV and the web, pages of newspaper content, blogs, tweets, photo galleries.
That’s because it was an enormous news story. No one was forced to watch. If the coverage offended you, well, the Cartoon Network is always there to enrich your brain.
By Tuesday night, I was emotionally drained. I can’t imagine how the Russell family feels.
But, as Christine Russell said, “it is with Ryan’s courage and his b**********y, and along with all of you, and all of your support, I am able to stand here.”
For that reason alone, there was only honour in Tuesday’s funeral.
'Nuff said.
http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/rob_granatstein/2011/01/19/16953691.html
Well, we know what fuji and Nuttyboi do when not posting on TERB. They hit the radio talk show circuit. I hope the detractors read the Granatstein comments very slowly and more than once.
I have so much respect for the Toronto Sun literary geniuses.
There are many more other media outlets that praised the funeral, the complete opposite of the Sun. Did you happen to catch the commentary on CTV and CBC?
Can't believe you guys are still arguing on this issue, there's always going to be opposing views.
There are many more other media outlets that praised the funeral, the complete opposite of the Sun. Did you happen to catch the commentary on CTV and CBC?Can't believe you guys are still arguing on this issue, there's always going to be opposing views.
Did you actually read the column I linked ?I have so much respect for the Toronto Sun literary geniuses.
another statement "framed" as a question...will this big named personalities go to a hero's funeral without media there?
I wouldn't miss it if they have a lady in a bikini at the end of the segment.I have so much respect for the Toronto Sun literary geniuses.
I caught bits and pieces of it as I was fucking this new gorgeous blonde and my head was in a weird, awkward position, did I misread it or something?
You were reading TERB and boning a gorgeous blonde at the same time? I bet she was impressed or maybe unconscious.I caught bits and pieces of it as I was fucking this new gorgeous blonde and my head was in a weird, awkward position, did I misread it or something?
She was impressed at how I can do both, obviously I can do one well, that's the reading btw, lol. If she was unconscious then I would have read it correctly as I wouldn't have had to worry about her arms and legs flying all over the place and obstructing my vision.
I didn't know that inflatable toys had articulated arms and legs. Maybe that was the final defensive moves before the death roll.
Maybe I hang out with a different class of woman, but they'd get upset if somebody was on a computer in the middle of banging boots. Then again maybe she had to read it to FG and something got lost in translation. I'm trying to throw him a rope, but it's not working.
"The normal reaction of every right-thinking citizen would be to run in the opposite direction.
Sgt. Russell ran into harm’s way. He did his very best to stop the rampage before someone waiting at a bus stop, or heading to Tims for a coffee, ended up dead."
Wow a cop that actually did his job.
If I worked at a clothing store, a customer comes in, I would try and help them, that's what I get paid for.
If I worked at the gas station, I hear the pump going off, I press the button to open the pump, process the customer's payment etc, that's what I get paid for.
If I was a waiter, I'd make sure to serve anyone that came in the reastaurant, that's what I get paid for.
If I was a cop and i see a mad-man driving through traffic, I would try to stop him, because you see that's what they pay me for.
I wonder, if he knew that he was going to end up getting run over, would he have done the same thing? Because THAT to me would be a hero and that person would deserve an even bigger funeral.
Again, I don't know the guy, and I am sure he was a wonderful person caring / giving etc. BUT He died simply doing what he was supposed to be doing. His Job. He is not a hero!
Maybe a really good cop could have stopped the guy AND be able to save his own ass too.
Sgt. Russell ran into harm’s way. He did his very best to stop the rampage before someone waiting at a bus stop, or heading to Tims for a coffee, ended up dead."
Wow a cop that actually did his job.
If I worked at a clothing store, a customer comes in, I would try and help them, that's what I get paid for.
If I worked at the gas station, I hear the pump going off, I press the button to open the pump, process the customer's payment etc, that's what I get paid for.
If I was a waiter, I'd make sure to serve anyone that came in the reastaurant, that's what I get paid for.
If I was a cop and i see a mad-man driving through traffic, I would try to stop him, because you see that's what they pay me for.
I wonder, if he knew that he was going to end up getting run over, would he have done the same thing? Because THAT to me would be a hero and that person would deserve an even bigger funeral.
Again, I don't know the guy, and I am sure he was a wonderful person caring / giving etc. BUT He died simply doing what he was supposed to be doing. His Job. He is not a hero!
Maybe a really good cop could have stopped the guy AND be able to save his own ass too.
