Life

Hannah lost her vest thanks to me. I shot her, she shot me and Blitz finished me off. The irony of the situation is that while everyone wanted me dead, only two people actually shot me.

It's OK. I got some priceless quotes from a conversation I had with Makaze over Skype tonight. I think he got a bit ticked off when I called him a mediocre player that is probably worse than Blitz.

Why don't we also include their philanthropic efforts too into this argument? And where their mothers grew up? Because those are also relevant, right? For those of us who are not impaired when it comes to critical thinking, a concussion usually means that a player is out for a week at most and a torn ligament is about a season.

It's supported by the Jewel Runners. On a more serious note, I actually have the full week planned out so that people will at least appreciate rap a little more after this.

Vote for me! Rap for days!

Reading comprehension.

In plain terms, I don't care about after the player retires for the purpose of this argument. With regard to injuries while a player is active in the league, a torn ligament is more serious than a concussion.

I was going to expand on my point after work but BBM answered it for me. I'm looking at the football career, not the after effects. Darryl Talley is a perfect example of the long term effects but in the short run, it barely slowed him down. Yes, my personal example is not a good one but like I said, we're talking from a "player's perpective". A concussion is a slight bump in the road. A torn ligament is much more serious in the short term.

Concussions happen a lot more than torn ligaments and usually sidelines a player for a week at most, even after multiple. A torn ligament may end a career on the spot.

Technically, it wouldn't fall under that category since I've already used the word "fuck" twice and the limit is one.

I've yet to find a copy of TLOP online so I'm still looking.

There's a difference between mature and smut.I quite literally can't write anything if it's restricted to PG. I like to deal with mature subjects and I don't do happy-go-lucky well. If you want, I can give you a rough copy when I finish but as I mentioned, it will be of a mature subject.

Musically, rap. There are many rappers who can weave stories and messages with their words and music. It's a form of art for the very best. Pharoahe Monch (my current name) is an amazing example. He has a song in his 2011 album (W.A.R.) entitled Still Standing. He talks about his personal struggles with asthma that nearly killed him twice as a young child. But he compliments his story with uplifting soulful music and spins the narrative into being about overcoming difficulties, no matter what they are. Asthma is only his own personal demon. It's beautiful to listen to.

It took me a while but I finally have an idea. Be warned that I write for mature audiences. That means drugs, sex and violence.

And congratulations to me for passing the third grade.

This still doesn't explain why you are going out of your way to blame the victims. As it has been mentioned, the Crown failing to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Ghomeshi abused these women does not mean that they are lying about it simply to slander him. I attribute it more to the Crown failing to prepare their witnesses properly considering they were going to suffer rigorous cross-examinations. And you're also not considering the psychological effect that sexual abuse has. Sexual abuse isn't measured by the amount of bruises on the face. And yet, it seems the point of your argument is that "well, they're mostly liars".

This is how I know how you don't know what's going on. Jian Ghomeshi did not rape those women. Jian Ghomeshi beat those women without consent. Have you ever heard of BDSM? That is what this case is about. He didn't force himself on these women and none of them have claimed that. But what remains clear is that these women claim to have been beaten by Jian Ghomeshi during sex. And while it is near impossible to prove in a court of law, that doesn't make him innocent. And another thing. I have not once used the word rape in this topic. Only you. If I meant rape, I would have said it. I said that he sexually assaulted these women because he was tried for sexual assault and not statutory rape. It is not my fault that A) your morals are still fucked up and B) your reading comprehension skills are terrible. Even if this was a case of rape, this is ten years after the fact. Do you even understand how traumatizing it is to be raped by another human being? Here is an example from Canada. Let me list some of the more shocking statistics for you. - 1 in 4 North American women will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime. - Only 2~4% of sexual assault reports are false. - Only 6% of sexual assaults are reported to the police on average. The last statistic that I mentioned is tragic. Six fucking percent. That's 94 people out of 100 who are too emotionally scarred or scared or ashamed to report a ​criminal offense​. That is how fucking serious this is. You need to get your head out of your ass right now.

But they're ​not ​fake. I'm not one to go into ad hominums when it comes to intelligent arguments but I honestly believe that you're a moron. Just because the Crown cannot prove ​beyond reasonable doubt that Jian Ghomeshi sexually abused these women does not mean that he did not. There were rumours floating around for almost a decade that Ghomeshi was a shady character when it came to his private life but people dismissed it as just rumours because whatever he did behind closed doors was his business. Until we all found out that it was ​illegal​. But once again, this cannot be proved beyond reasonable doubt. The only person here lacking in morals is you. You are basically saying that any man who is acquitted from charges of sexual assault is blameless. That is fucked up. By your logic, OJ is blameless because he was also acquitted. "BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT OJ KILLED HIS WIFE!" And everyone knows that Jian Ghomeshi beat those women. But as with OJ, it cannot be proved in a court of law by the law's standards in order to convict the man. EDIT: Your comment is making a mockery of the legal system. You clearly do not understand how it works. Do some research first before you decide to throw in your two cents.

We are Bills fans, hear us roar. We also don't give a fuck. It's Western New York, not like you'll come to visit.

Everyone but the defense lawyer. Marie Henein just cemented her legacy.

Exactly. Just because Ghomeshi cannot be found guilty ​beyond reasonable doubt ​does not mean he is innocent. The two are not mutually exclusive.

Absolutely not. I have no way to respond aside from the above two words. That would be a mockery of justice where you blame the victims. Should we have a posthumous trial of OJ's wife because OJ was found innocent? Chris Rock said it best himself: "I'm not saying he should have killed her... but I understand."

Ghomeshi was tried and found guilty in ​the court of public opinion​. That is what is important to remember. The law is correct. He cannot be found guilty with reasonable doubt. And there was enough of it floating around during the trial.

That's gold. I need to see one of those for Bills fans. As an aside, salary cap is going up. That'll keep us out salary cap hell.

I'm going to rehash this case so that anyone who has not been following Canadian news can now follow along. Mostly because it's a doozy and to an aspiring law student such as myself, it's excellent food for thought. Jian Ghomeshi was a radio host for a popular show on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's bill called Q. He wasn't extensively known but I had heard his name before. He interviewed many Canadians about different topics including Owen Pallett (of Arcade Fire) and Elvira Kurt (comedian who frequented the Just For Laughs festival in Montreal). In October of 2014, Ghomeshi was let go from the CBC. I can't remember what the reason stated was but I do remember the response. Ghomeshi went to Facebook the next day and typed out a long letter about how he wanted everyone to know the truth. He was fired because of his enjoyment and participation in BDSM roleplay. A "jilted ex" was now out to ruin his career and the CBC had fired him to save face. He would be seeking reparations for this action and he wanted to let his fans know that he cared about them. The message was entitled "Dear Everyone". I'm going to quote it in the spoiler so that you can read it. Needless to say, many people expressed their sympathy for Jian during the next 24 hours. [spoiler=Dear Everyone] Dear everyone, I am writing today because I want you to be the first to know some news. This has been the hardest time of my life. I am reeling from the loss of my father. I am in deep personal pain and worried about my mom. And now my world has been rocked by so much more. Today, I was fired from the CBC. For almost 8 years I have been the host of a show I co-created on CBC called Q. It has been my pride and joy. My fantastic team on Q are super-talented and have helped build something beautiful. I have always operated on the principle of doing my best to maintain a dignity and a commitment to openness and truth, both on and off the air. I have conducted major interviews, supported Canadian talent, and spoken out loudly in my audio essays about ideas, issues, and my love for this country. All of that is available for anyone to hear or watch. I have known, of course, that not everyone always agrees with my opinions or my style, but I’ve never been anything but honest. I have doggedly defended the CBC and embraced public broadcasting. This is a brand I’ve been honoured to help grow. All this has now changed. Today I was fired from the company where I’ve been working for almost 14 years — stripped from my show, barred from the building and separated from my colleagues. I was given the choice to walk away quietly and to publicly suggest that this was my decision. But I am not going to do that. Because that would be untrue. Because I’ve been fired. And because I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve been fired from the CBC because of the risk of my private sex life being made public as a result of a campaign of false allegations pursued by a jilted ex girlfriend and a freelance writer. As friends and family of mine, you are owed the truth. I have commenced legal proceedings against the CBC, what’s important to me is that you know what happened and why. Forgive me if what follows may be shocking to some. I have always been interested in a variety of activities in the bedroom but I only participate in sexual practices that are mutually agreed upon, consensual, and exciting for both partners. About two years ago I started seeing a woman in her late 20s. Our relationship was affectionate, casual and passionate. We saw each other on and off over the period of a year and began engaging in adventurous forms of sex that included role-play, dominance and submission. We discussed our interests at length before engaging in rough sex (forms of BDSM). We talked about using safe words and regularly checked in with each other about our comfort levels. She encouraged our role-play and often was the initiator. We joked about our relations being like a mild form of Fifty Shades of Grey or a story from Lynn Coady’s Giller-Prize winning book last year. I don’t wish to get into any more detail because it is truly not anyone’s business what two consenting adults do. I have never discussed my private life before. Sexual preferences are a human right. Despite a strong connection between us it became clear to me that our on-and-off dating was unlikely to grow into a larger relationship and I ended things in the beginning of this year. She was upset by this and sent me messages indicating her disappointment that I would not commit to more, and her anger that I was seeing others. After this, in the early spring there began a campaign of harassment, vengeance and demonization against me that would lead to months of anxiety. It came to light that a woman had begun anonymously reaching out to people that I had dated (via Facebook) to tell them she had been a victim of abusive relations with me. In other words, someone was reframing what had been an ongoing consensual relationship as something nefarious. I learned — through one of my friends who got in contact with this person — that someone had rifled through my phone on one occasion and taken down the names of any woman I had seemed to have been dating in recent years. This person had begun methodically contacting them to try to build a story against me. Increasingly, female friends and ex-girlfriends of mine told me about these attempts to smear me. Someone also began colluding with a freelance writer who was known not to be a fan of mine and, together, they set out to try to find corroborators to build a case to defame me. She found some sympathetic ears by painting herself as a victim and turned this into a campaign. The writer boldly started contacting my friends, acquaintances and even work colleagues — all of whom came to me to tell me this was happening and all of whom recognized it as a trumped up way to attack me and undermine my reputation. Everyone contacted would ask the same question, if I had engaged in non-consensual behavior why was the place to address this the media? The writer tried to peddle the story and, at one point, a major Canadian media publication did due diligence but never printed a story. One assumes they recognized these attempts to recast my sexual behaviour were fabrications. Still, the spectre of mud being flung onto the Internet where online outrage can demonize someone before facts can refute false allegations has been what I’ve had to live with. And this leads us to today and this moment. I’ve lived with the threat that this stuff would be thrown out there to defame me. And I would sue. But it would do the reputational damage to me it was intended to do (the ex has even tried to contact me to say that she now wishes to refute any of these categorically untrue allegations). But with me bringing it to light, in the coming days you will prospectively hear about how I engage in all kinds of unsavoury aggressive acts in the bedroom. And the implication may be made that this happens non-consensually. And that will be a lie. But it will be salacious gossip in a world driven by a hunger for “scandal”. And there will be those who choose to believe it and to hate me or to laugh at me. And there will be an attempt to pile on. And there will be the claim that there are a few women involved (those who colluded with my ex) in an attempt to show a “pattern of behaviour”. And it will be based in lies but damage will be done. But I am telling you this story in the hopes that the truth will, finally, conquer all. I have been open with the CBC about this since these categorically untrue allegations ramped up. I have never believed it was anyone’s business what I do in my private affairs but I wanted my bosses to be aware that this attempt to smear me was out there. CBC has been part of the team of friends and lawyers assembled to deal with this for months. On Thursday I voluntarily showed evidence that everything I have done has been consensual. I did this in good faith and because I know, as I have always known, that I have nothing to hide. This when the CBC decided to fire me. CBC execs confirmed that the information provided showed that there was consent. In fact, they later said to me and my team that there is no question in their minds that there has always been consent. They said they’re not concerned about the legal side. But then they said that this type of sexual behavior was unbecoming of a prominent host on the CBC. They said that I was being dismissed for “the risk of the perception that may come from a story that could come out.” To recap, I am being fired in my prime from the show I love and built and threw myself into for years because of what I do in my private life. Let me be the first to say that my tastes in the bedroom may not be palatable to some folks. They may be strange, enticing, weird, normal, or outright offensive to others. We all have our secret life. But that is my private life. That is my personal life. And no one, and certainly no employer, should have dominion over what people do consensually in their private life. And so, with no formal allegations, no formal complaints, no complaints, not one, to the HR department at the CBC (they told us they’d done a thorough check and were satisfied), and no charges, I have lost my job based on a campaign of vengeance. Two weeks after the death of my beautiful father I have been fired from the CBC because of what I do in my private life. I have loved the CBC. The Q team are the best group of people in the land. My colleagues and producers and on-air talent at the CBC are unparalleled in being some of the best in the business. I have always tried to be a good soldier and do a good job for my country. I am still in shock. But I am telling this story to you so the truth is heard. And to bring an end to the nightmare. Cue the shit-show. The next day, the Toronto Star published an article about how three women had come forth and claimed that Jian Ghomeshi had sexually assaulted them without consent. Less than 24 hours after people were expressing feelings of solidarity with Ghomeshi, these same people tried and convicted him in the court of public opinion. In the next few weeks, the number of women claiming to have been sexually assaulted by Ghomeshi ramped up to almost twenty. The OPP arrested Ghomeshi on grounds of sexual assault and decided to take him to court. Well, the court case is now over with a verdict due in about a month and a bit. Ghomeshi hired the best criminal defense lawyer in the country (Marie Henein) and she promptly tore all three of the complainants to pieces on the stand. Since the burden of proof in a criminal defense rests on the prosecution and requires Ghomeshi to be proved guilty beyond reasonable doubt, it is safe to say that Ghomeshi should be a free man come mid-March. That's a pretty good synopsis of the case. Anyone want to venture out their thoughts before I do the same? This is a very high profile case in Canada so if you're American and you want to respond with "Who's that?", don't.