Rabble has a public discussion forum called babble, which is closely monitored and users are frequently banned for what they deem inappropriate comments. "Inappropriate" by their standards is anything that defends the Canadian Conservative Party,The United States of America, Israel or any other conventional institution or utters any criticism of unions.
What is considered appropriate, and is actively encouraged, are vicious attacks on the police. Shockingly, this even went so far as to insult the memory of Toronto Police Sergeant Ryan Russell on the day he was being mourned by most of the city in whose service he gave his life.
They include one from a regular rabble/babble contributor called "NoDiffrencePartyPooper" who claims, amid insulting the police as "Gestapo" and "fascist" that he regrets the death of Sergeant Ryan "as much as the next person."
Sure. If the "next person" is a rabble contributor or Charles Manson. But not if the next person is a decent human being.
You can read some of the even more disgusting comments they made below, with links. Included are those by a moderator called Maysie, who criticizes one person for writing positive things about the police and Sergeant Russell but has no problem with his being insulted on the day his family buried him.
"Here in Toronto, we have been immersed in a media celebration of everything good about our police, after one of them was killed. The coverage has been wall to wall, relentless and reverential. I have no doubt that this is partially intended to wash away the rather more distaff memories of the fascistic police palookas' gestapo tactics during the G20. I regret the officer's death as much as the next person but this story has been a good deal more prominent and profile than it would ordinarily be.. Police are the muscle and hired guns of the state, something the recent media coverage doesn't cover."
"it appears to me that a berserk person was rampaging through town in a stolen snow plough being chased by police, when an officer decided to end the situation by planting himself in the path of the snow plough. Do I have that right? And 10,000 cops have swarmed in Toronto to celebrate that inspired attempt at traffic control?"
From babble moderator Maysie: "Here on babble .. many of us have a negative view of the police, not only as armed agents of the state tasked with the legitimated use of violence and threat of violence against anyone they choose, but who are given special rights above the rest of us, whether at work or otherwise. ..The police will brutalize whoever they choose to, with relative impunity."
"the death of Ryan Russell was essentially a traffic accident."
"In Toronto thousands of gang members are meeting to show solidarity with one of their own. This is the first fatality in that force in many years but they need to send a message to the population that they stand together against the rabble. In the meantime real workers suffer fatalities far more often than members of our privileged institutional gangs. Notice that the corporate bosses in Canada kill more workers than other comparable jurisdictions but the police will never protect us against those crimes. Workers are collateral damage in the corporate world. The police are holy warriors needed to control the population on behalf of those corporate murderers."
More from moderator Maysie :"I should have advised you that posting pro-police propaganda, while not against the rules, is simply not a good idea in a progressive forum such as babble."
I wonder what New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton has to say about all of this?
"gama" submitted the following comment. As readers of this blog know, I don't like to censor comments. Sorry gama but I've had to take out a couple of things here:
ReplyDeleteLibby & Kimmy it's obvious who XXXXXX XX the XXXXX in this relationship ! ? ! { & who brings home the bacon, XXXX-XXXX ! }