JCT: I've posted http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTL6KfYoyq8
St. Paul's mob scene from byelection debate and
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=63112625
a longer version of the evening's fracas. Lots of assaults.

And I've posted a video of yesterday's news reports from my blog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSN_3J62Zmo
Finally, these online news reports from my blog at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05hg1Dd5IAE

St. Paul's By-Election Throwdown
http://torontoist.com/2009/09/st_pauls_debate_throw-down.php
http://torontoist.com/attachments/KimahliPowell/20090911St.Paul%27s3.jpg

> While all of the candidates tried to win over the audience
during the debate, the man who stole the show was John C. Turmel.
Turmel has a unique place in Canadian history: he holds the
Guinness World Record for having run and lost in the most
elections (sixty-eight to be exact). He fled the stage and
heckled the crowd in protest of a moderator's rule which forced
residents to direct their questions at specific candidates, thus
effectively limiting his opportunity to speak.

JCT: Hey, I heckled the moderators and my opponents too.

> The crowd heckled back, the police were called, and, at one
point, the debate had to pause as a group of gentlemen attempted
a citizen's arrest.

JCT: You can only do citizen's arrest for an indictable offence.
A summary conviction offence like trespass needs a badge to
effect arrest.

> The whole debacle made for great political theatre..

JCT: It's at the 5 minute mark in the Mob Scene youtube video.
---

Debate hits close to home on issues
http://mytowncrier.ca/debate-hits-close-to-home-on-issues.html
By Kris Scheuer
September 11, 2009
St. Paul's heads into the last week before election day

KS: Part of the evening was disrupted when independent candidate
John C. Turmel, who has run and lost 68 elections, got up from
the stage in protest. He objected that not all candidates were
asked questions from voters.

JCT: Run in 69, lost 68, running in 70. I tried to post a comment
but "Your username is illegal or not allowed to register." Glad
to see he got the issue right, then again, Town Crier guys were
privy to my true objection, that not all was even allowed.
---

St. Paul's debate hits all the hot buttons
http://mytowncrier.ca/st-paul039s-debate-hits-all-the-hot-buttons.html
Around 350 residents pack First Unitarian to hear reps' views
By Kris Scheuer
September 11, 2009

JCT: Number of people went up.

KS: Independent John Turmel, who has run in and lost 68
elections, said, "I don't care how they tax us. It's how they
waste taxes."

The format then switched to questions from the floor with
responses limited to four candidates per query in an effort to
keep the debate rolling while allowing for as many questions from
voters as possible.

JCT: Some candidates should be excluded so others get more
question, we understand perfectly.

KS: This is when the atmosphere changed dramatically.
JOHN C. TURMEL causes a brief disturbance in the audience after
voters chose not to direct their questions to him.

JCT: An hour's worth of disturbance isn't "brief."

KS: Turmel objected and abruptly left the stage to hand out
literature and shout his protests distracting everyone in
attendance.

JCT: It was only shouting when someone shouted at me first,
otherwise, it was banter with the voters, even in the front row.

KS: The interruption made it hard for other candidates to speak.

JCT: No, it made it hard for some in the audience to hear.

KS: At one point and audience member shouted to Turmel, "You got your
15 minutes of fame. We will never forget you."

JCT: I'd rather be remembered for giving them interest-free
credit lines at the UNILETS or Bank of Canada but fighting for my
chance to comment on the issues isn't a bad thing to be
remembered for while the other shut-out candidates got the
voters' respect if not audience.

KS: Eventually police were called and were posted outside the
venue. In the end, they were not needed as calm was restored and
the debate continued after the brief stoppage.

JCT: My protest continued throughout the questions I was banned
from answering, not what I'd call calm being restored by some
magical force. I told one organizer to go get a badge.
---

http://www.eyeweekly.com/blog/post/71570--st-paul-debate-stalled
St. Paul debate stalled
by: Chris Bilton
September 11, 2009 5:35 PM Comments: (3)

CB: Thursday night's all-candidates meeting for the provincial
by-election in St. Paul's was a shit show like this city hasn't
seen since Kevin Clark's mayoral debate disruptions.

JCT: Here's the opinion of the foul-mouthed section.

CB: The meeting, in a packed auditorium of First Unitarian Church
at St. Clair and Avenue, was already shaping up to be a confusing
affair as the four main candidates were joined by a couple of
independents: a Libertarian, the Freedom party and John Turmel,
who I'm personally nominating for lifetime leader of the Stay the
Fuck Away From Politics Party.

JCT: Sounds like the foul-mouth section disapprove of my protest.

CB: Turmel, who's opening remarks came across like a stand-up
comedy routine,

JCT: Something wrong with putting things in a funny light? When
people get the joke, they get the premise so I use a lot of
jokes. My stand-up comedy routine is in the 25 minutes at the
myspace channel.

CB: claims to hold the Guinness World Record for most election
losses

JCT: Claims? with Guinness Record Certificate in hand?

CB: and seems to think that the voting public makes for the
perfect audience for his self-serving nonsense.

JCT: I wonder what self-serving purpose he thinks I have?

CB: When he is understandably ignored during the public-question
part of the evening,

JCT: The last thing the audience wants is more of the stand-up
comedy routine when it's so close to bedtime and they're looking
for something to put them to sleep.

CB: he throws a massive tantrum and spends the next 30 or so
minutes wandering around the auditorium muttering loudly about
unfairness and other bullshit while repeating "If I can't talk up
there, I'll talk back here" - effectively preventing anyone else
from hearing what the real candidates have to say about
accountability in public education and, well, I couldn't even
hear the questions, so who even knows.

JCT: Gee, he didn't get to hear them all so he didn't to get to
them at all.

CB: The Turmel show eventually comes to a head as the moderator
delivers him his helmet, asks him to leave and informs him that
the police have been called.

JCT: That's when the mob scene started and this story teller
stops.

CB: Which is to say that a considerable amount of time gets
wasted..

JCT: For protest of candidate exclusion.

Paul McKeever
Sep 12, 2009 12:26 PM
Freedom Party is Not an "Independent" Freedom Party of Ontario
is a duly registered political party. Under Ontario election law,
candidates nominated by a duly registered political party are not
"Independents". Independents are candidates who lack the
nomination of a duly registered political party. Accordingly,
there were 6 (not 4) candidates at the debate who were not
independents. - Paul McKeever, Freedom Party candidate

KingofthePaupers
Sep 13, 2009 9:51 AM
Lump on a log? "Freedom Party of Ontario is a duly registered
political party... there were 6 (not 4) candidates at the debate
who were not independents. Paul McKeever, Freedom Party
candidate."
Jct: How'd you feel about sitting up there for an hour and a half
with nothing to say because the moderators encouraged the
audience to select only four to answer the questions and exclude
the others. I won't take that insult which is why I don't mind
insulting right back those who think I should be quiet and
acquiesce.

KingofthePaupers
Sep 13, 2009 9:40 AM
Issue is exclusion permitted "When he is understandably
ignored" is not the question. In 99% of debates I've attended
over 70 elections in 30 years, everyone gets to comment on all
questions. I objected to the controllers letting questioners
exclude all but four candidates from answering. Why not pick
three if the intent wasn't to keep getting the same Big Four. I'm
sure the other four who sat onstage with no chance to participate
have earned your respect. Despite your not getting to hear them,
I guess they don't deserve entry into the "STFAFP" movement that
you think I deserve. You didn't know what the issue was, you can
be forgiven for your ignorant conclusion.
--

St. Paul's electorate clearly miffed at HST
http://www.insidetoronto.com/news/local/article/81658--st-paul-s-electorate-clea\
rly-miffed-at-hst
LIAM LAHEY
Sep 11, 2009

LL: Shortly after each made their initial comments, the
proceedings turned whacky when Turmel, miffed at the attention
the four main candidates were receiving from the audience,

JCT: They were so much far more interesting than the stand-up
comedy routine..

LL: opted to leave the stage and wander about while bellowing his
disapproval at the overall process.

JCT: Yes, I may have stentorian voice.

LL: Things got heated, and at one point Turmel found himself
surrounded by residents that strongly urged him to either be
quiet or to go home. In the end, he tired himself out and
returned to his seat.

JCT: My protest did not tire out, I protested to the end. It's
just that everyone had started to cope with a legitimate
disruption to an unfair format.

LL: In the end, it was impossible to gauge who "won" the debate.
But Turmel certainly left a lasting impression.

JCT: I posted a comment:

Jct: It has been repeated that I left the stage of debate when I
was excluded from questions. I objected that the controllers were
making people select only four candidates and exclude the others.
Why not select 3 if they weren't trying to restrict it all to the
Big Four. In 99% of the meetings I've attended in 70 elections in
30 years, all candidates get to comment on all questions. I
objected to the moderators encouraging people to exclude all but
the Big Four. Too bad I'll be remembered for having wanted to
speak instead of being remembered for offering an interest-free
loan system to people who could really use one.

JCT: They didn't let it through.
---

John C. Turmel
http://tweetmeme.com/story/169199607/john-c-turmel
christindal
11th September 0:48
Wondering who John Turmel is? http://bit.ly/NhzkJ After tonight I
hope he's banned from further debates.
---