The Bridge Smear Game

I underestimated what was going on when I wrote this the other day:

• “Matty Moroun has become a Motown Rock Star! His picture and name have appeared in the media more over the past few weeks than during this entire border file. He is even becoming an election issue for the Detroit Mayoral election.”

Rock Star……no way. Celebrity is much more like it. Pretty soon they will not be able to put “reclusive” in front of his name every time he is mentioned with this kind of extensive coverage.

It must mean that he is getting closer to getting his permits on both sides of the river and has to be stopped somehow so smears are the new order of the day. If you cannot beat him on the merits, then demonize him.

To be direct, I am surprised at where the attacks are taking place. One would have thought that they should be coming from this side but they are not. In fact, Eddie loves the Bridge Company these days.

The Detroit media really needs to keep up and not say any longer that he is against the Bridge company since he states:

• “Francis said the city does not oppose the twinning of the Ambassador Bridge, which must win federal approval on both sides of the border, only that the company must assure councillors their concerns will be properly handled.
  
  "What the city wants is to ensure that the Ambassador Bridge addresses all the issues that you and I would be subject to," Francis said.
  
  "There are going to be impacts so we want to minimize those impacts."

All that Francis is concerned about is mitigation and that is no big deal to resolve. More than that, there really is just one major issue:

• “On his CBC interview, he said as his only issue:
  
  "As it relates to the Ambassador Bridge, let me tell you why the City of Windsor is making comments. The Ambassador Bridge expansion requires the closure of Huron Church Road to the river. We believe it's important for the Coast Guard to ask the Ambassador Bridge how they are going to re-establish that connection to our downtown once their expansion takes place."

A Road sign saying “To Downtown” solves that easily.

The latest incident is the story in the Free Press concerning the Coast Guard. I do not know how hard the reporter tried to get the Bridge Company side of the story when he first wrote it. However, in his update he wrote:

• “The president of the company that owns the Ambassador Bridge says the Coast Guard is being fed disinformation and that concerns a second international span is being built without government approval are unfounded.”

Perhaps if he had that quote, the story would not have circulated as it did. Or this:

• “But Stamper said today – and in his letter responding to Coast Guard administrator Hala Elgaaly’s concerns – that the pier and the ramp are part of the $230-million Gateway Project already well underway, which was originally designed to improve access to the Ambassador Bridge and accommodate a second span to the existing bridge.
  
  “We’re saying they’re mistaken, this is not part of the bridge proper,” said Stamper, who added that it’s “disheartening” that misinformation is being given to the Coast Guard.”

Strangely, Channel 7 had the same story the night before and they were able to get this quote:

• “He says he has responded to the letter from the Coast Guard which he says is based on misinformation provided by M-DOT which is now involved in another bridge project.”

You know, dear reader, that there are going to be more smears but what is the objective and why in the US primarily.

The answer should be clear. It is viewed I am certain by those who have planned this campaign that the Bridge Company’s biggest supporters politically are in the Michigan Senate. The objective then is to categorize Moroun as “evil” or whatever other adjective you want to use so that it would become impossible for any politician to support him.

Whatever the smear, it does not matter. Even if it has nothing to do with the border crossing, who cares. In fact, so much the better. Even if it may be wrong as with the Depot, just keep on piling them up. The plan is to ensure that no politician will have the guts to provide any support for the Bridge Company no matter how meritorious their position on an issue.

It is hardly rocket science to figure out who the masterminds are behind this negative campaign. It should be obvious who are giving out the leaks.

While this negativity may be the norm now in the world of politics, one does not allow the game to be played this way when one’s own money is at stake, when almost a billion dollars of family money has been tied up on a project that has taken place over a decade so far and is near completion.

It is a very dangerous game that some bureaucrats are playing. But then again, I would expect that the file is in such a mess and their careers are in jeopardy because they totally miscalculated about the Bridge Company Owners selling out cheaply.

I am afraid that they are miscalculating again if they think that this will cause difficulties. In fact, on the contrary, I suspect that it is just emboldening certain Legislators who now have confirmation that they were right in trying to kill the DRIC waste!