Much Ado About Nothing Or Another Example Of Politboro Envy

I lean towards the latter. Councilors and bureaucrats don't get many chances to make "decisions" under the mayor's maoist style of management.

City order burns troops Pulling fire, ambulance ribbons is wrong

By JOE WARMINGTON

The Support Our Troops ribbon on Toronto Fire vehicles, which were paid for by firefighters, are to be removed in September. (Joe Warmington/Sun Media)

Our brave troops will still be fighting in Afghanistan this September even if the magnetic ribbon support decals on Toronto Fire trucks and ambulances won't be.

The city has ordered the Support Our Troop decals to be removed from all fire trucks and EMS vehicles on Sept. 4, the Sun has learned.

The reason? It depends on who you talk to. And there are lots of contradictions.

Some say it is because it was not brought to council for proper approval, others say protocol was not followed. Another reason given is it was a one-year project.

But many City Hall sources tell me it has everything to do with some complaints from a few anti-war citizens who have the ear of some leftist councillors -- and felt the ribbons were in support of the war in Afghanistan and not just in support of the troops.

'IN CONVERSATIONS'

"It was a decision I made in conversations I had with the two chiefs," said city manager Shirley Hoy, who was good enough to return a call yesterday on this and own up.

Several members of council did not extend the courtesy. Having said that, Hoy, though, still attempted to dance around this by saying it was a "one-year support program" and that the decision was made to remove the decals when the vehicles were scheduled for "regular maintenance."

Surely, Shirley, every vehicle is not going in on the same day for repairs?

Later she admitted the support ribbons did not meet "certain corporate standards" for the city.

Maybe we can arrange to give the troops over there some parking tickets and send over a bylaw officer to make sure they are complying with the smoking rules? Corporate standards! What the hell are they talking about?

The whole thing is outrageous but at least now we are on to what this is really all about. They should just say it. This is the politically correct leftist crowd getting their way -- at the expense of our amazing troops in the battle of their lives. This has got to be a moral victory for the Taliban.