Should the DCR be Permitted to Cut Down the Mature Urban Forrest Along Memorial Drive?

DCR Plans Destruction Of Hundreds Of Healthy Mature Trees On Memorial Drive, Along The Charles River In Cambridge

Mass State Department of Conservatopn and Recreation is progressing with it's plans to destroy HUNDREDS of healthy mature trees along Memorial Dr in Cambridge MA. Marilyn Wellons of CIPAPA and Friends of the White Geese is not your "ordinary" tree hugger. She has attended most, if not all meetings held by the DCR in their vain attempt to garner public support for their destructive policies. Not only has the DCR failed to get the public support it desired, but thousands have writen, signed petitions, and just plain voiced negative opinions during public testimony at pubmic meetings. Still, the DCR buldozes ahead, I am not exagerating, with the development of this precious riverfront resource.

Here is an exerpt from Marilyn's recent letter to the Cambridge Conservation Commission:

"In addition to protecting water quality, the Wetlands Protection Act, WPA, charges the Commission with protection of all habitat in wetland and associated areas, not simply habitat of rare or endangered species. Please note, then, that this project does not restore habitat critical to the health of our metropolitan area. Rather, it destroys it. Memorial Drive here, now, is indisputably habitat to hawks, small mammals, waterfowl and other birds, including migrants. Its mature trees and woody and herbaceous plants from the river to its northern side provide food and shelter for them. The plants beauty and shade constitute human habitat essential for our physical, mental, and spiritual re-creation. Their photosynthesis sequesters carbon from passing cars and improves the air for all. The trees and smaller plants along the shore and banks also prevent erosion. One, Amorpha fruticosa, is used elsewhere in the United States for the erosion control that is central to water quality here as well. The discussion of this plant at 3.3 Invasive Species is more than disturbing. A. fruticosa holds the bank for free. The DCR will eradicate it. Resprouts from the deep-growing roots that make it so valuable for erosion control will be treated with Rodeo. On its face this plan is contrary to the WPA."

Here is Marilyn's comment...

"The DCR is not content with stewardship of a mature landscape on the Charles. It is hungry for projects to serve its own bureaucratic needs and its design-development constituents. It will devour that landscape to get a project, as here."

Estimates of $6 to $8 millions of taxpayers money will be wasted on this wanton destruction of habitat. It is ironic, considering that the DCR recently cried poor when they abruptly closed 21 of 27 public swimming pools around the state in Mid August, in the midst of a hot humid heat wave. The pools shut down were in Lowell, Lawrence, Everett, Somerville, Brighton, Brocton, Worchester, Springfield, So Hadley, among others.

Here I am, answering questions at the City Council candidates forum

Here I am, speaking at the candidates forum sponsored by the East Cambridge Planning Team and the League of Women Voters at the Marlowe Hotel September 9, 2009.

I qant to thank Roy Bercaw for this video.

Can We Trust Elected Officials To Know What Clean or Green Energy Is?

This video speaks for itself. I hope everyone begins to question the non-sustainable, "Green Energy" solutions being advocated by some folks whth a limited, narrow focus, lacking in the wider view of "how does this affect the environment?

Plese note the debate re "clean coal." I would also raise the issue of using farm land do "grow" fuel, which has the nasty, unintended conseqquense of contaminating water, driving up the cost of fuel, and contributing to the world wide food shortage and rice riots. This is why I whole-heartedly oppose bio-fuel economics.

T H I N K

Always ask this question...What makes this green? What is the downside? Who makes money on this scheme?

Is Segregation of the Disabled Different Than Segregation Based on Race or Religion?

GU Student Sues Popular D.C. Bar After Wheelchair Incident
posted 11:44 pm Wed September 09, 2009 - WASHINGTON from ABC 7 News

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0909/657848.html

Taylor Price, a Georgetown U student who uses a wheelchair since a spinal cord injury 5 years ago, claims he was discriminated against when he tried to head for the piano to enjoy the music with his friends. The manager at the bar insisted he "sit in the corner" because he presented a "safety hazard" to the bar.

Here in Cambridge, City Councillor Marjori Decker, and Ken Reeves want to ban people with disabilities who are accompianied by service dogs to a seperate room, where they can "watch City Council meetings on TV."

Do folks see this as unlawful segregation, or as a good way to "accomodate people with disabilities? What does Federal Civil Rights laws say about segregation? In fact, opposing segregation as a "solution" is the very basis of Federal Civil Rights law.

Price has filed a law suit, and I have filed a complaint with the MCAD, because we believe we should not be excluded from the full and equal enjoyment of the activities in question. What do you think? Is it segregation to exclude PWDs from some areas where other members of the public are allowed?

How would you feel if we told African Americans that they had to sit in the corner, or watch City Council meetings on TV in a seperate room? Woulkd you see that as segregation? Or perhaps we should have a seperate seating section for Jews? I wonder if Michael Muehe, the City's ADA coordinator would agree that wheelchair users pose a safety hazard, and agree to their segregation?

Why has the current City Council not addressed this issue? Will it end up like the Montero case, costing Cambridge taxpayers millions of dollars? I have "won" probable cause, and prevailed against the City's appeal, yet the City refuses to settle. And what am I aslking? I am not asking for millions of dollars, I am asking for the City to obey the Civil Rights Act of 1990, Public Law 101-336, otherwise known as the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Service dogs should be welcome at all public meetings, especially City Council meetings.

Sgt James Crowley had 8 Previous Citizen Complaints Against Him Including Racial Profiling

Are the Cambridge police capable of policing their own?

It is a difficult decision for a citizen, especially one who resides within Cambridge and must face these police every day, to actually go forward and file a complaint against a police officer, at the police station. I believe that for every complaint filed, there are a dozen who didn’t file the complaint, either because they did not know they could do so, or due to concerns about retaliation.

Reports that 8 citizen complaints had been filed against Sgt James Crowley were finally released today, weeks after the highly publicized arrest of the disabled Harvard professor at his own home. However, at the time of the arrest and droping of all charges of the Harvard professor, news media swarmed the story, repeating over and over again police assertions that Crowley was an exemplemary cop, who teaches a course on racial profiling, and could therefore never have behaved in an unfair way toward the professor. The MSM demeaned the Harvard professor, further, by repeting the police union's and the police commissioner's praise for both Crowley and for police proceedures. The media stories failed to include the fact that 8 other citizens had filed formal complaints, including two that alledged racial bias, because the police withheld this information.

http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2009/08/20/cambridges_sergeant_crowley_cleared_in_8_citizen_complaints/

How different the national story would have read if this information had been redily available..."Cop with 8 past complaints does it again!"

We learn that the police deemed none of the complaints against crowley to have any merit whatsoever.

What that shows is that the police, believing themselves members of “The Brotherhood,” take care of their own.

It shows is that these 8 complaints were whitewashed.

What it also shows is what I explained twice to Police Commissioner Robert Haas, “If you don’t hold Sgt James Crowley accountable, he will keep on doing it, and eventually he will do it to the wrong person.”

Should The DCR Close Public Pools In Mid August?

The Department of Conservation and Recreation has closed public pools in cities of Lowell, Brocton, Springfeild, Allston-Brighton, Worchester, Everett, Cambridge, Somerville, Lawrence, and more. The kids and working families that live in these cities have no way to get to lakes and ocean beaches.

This comes in the midst of a heat wave. It was 94 yesterday and 95 today, with high humidity making folks feel miserable and Cities declaring a heat emergency, opening "cooling centers."

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view/20090819kids_all_hot__bothered_pools_closed_as_temps_soar/

The State of Mass claims they are too poor to keep pools open for "poor" kids.

However, the City of Boston operates 20 public pools, and Mayor Menino is extending the hours the Boston pools will be open until 9pm.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/08/19/city_hits_95_degrees_matches_record/

Two pools that were schedualled to close Monday, in Cambridge, recieved a one week reprieve, when City and State pols worked with the DCR to have the city pay half the funding. This even though the DCR claims it's not money, but that the lifeguards are college students who have left to return to college. The DCR claims that it costs $12,000 weekly to operate each pool.

http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridge/news/x772306071/Magazine-Beach-pool-closed-after-chlorine-spill

I believe the DCR pools should be opened from Memorial day on weekends until schools close for summer, then daily thru Labour Day. DCR should have plans to open earlier in May and later in September when heat waves come early, like last year, or late as sometimes happens. This year we had plenty of cool rainy days until barely a month ago, and now the pools are being closed in Mid August, in Mid summer, with no place for kids to go.

DCR runs the pools and answers to the Stewardship Council which oversees DCR and all things environmental. RAISE YOUR VOICE AND BE HEARD! SEND AN EMAIL.

Please submit any comments to the Stewardship Council in written form via email c/o Jeff Daley at jeff.daley@state.ma.us or via mail to DCR Stewardship Council, c/o Jeff Daley, 251 Causeway Street, Suite 600, Boston, MA 02114.

Call your State reps and senators. This is not just about where you swim, but serving a public need for those who are in need.

Should Public Servants In Powerful Positions of Responsibility, Like the Transportation Secretary be Allowed to Lie With Impunity?

Today widespread disatisfaction with Mass Transportation Secretary Aloisi could be heard from Republicans, newspapers, TV and radio news, not to mention talk shows. At issue is the lack of transparancy, to state it mildly, or more frankly, the lies being told by Aloisi about the ouster of the MBTA's General Manager.



The video above shows Aloisi promising to be truthful going forward, but the Boston Globe published emails between Aloisi and Dan Grabauskas that shows it was in fact Aliosi who pushed for the unpopular fare increase, not the Grabauskas. What has folks truely upset, is that even after Grabauskas came out and explained he opposed the fare increase, Aloisi, and Gov Deval Patrick continued to misinform "We The People" claiming, falsly, that Dan Grabauskas was at fault, when in fact it was Aloisi.

Even as more heads roll at the MBTA, major TV news reports that it is not only the Republicans that want Aloisi out, but prominant Democrats as well. Voters calling in to talk radio are now blaming Gov Patrick, because, most of them point out, deval Patrick should have known who Aloisi was, and what a great manager Graubauskis is.
http://www.bradjonesonline.com//admin/documents/repository/275/Aloisi_ResignationLetterToGov_11Aug2009.pdf
In addition many critized the Gov for his slander of Grabauskas, blaming him for the two trolly crashes, that investigation determined to be human error and not mismanagement.

We The people need to consider what level of transparancy we are comfortable with, and how many lies and slanders we can tolerate from our elected officials. For myself, I cannot trust those in leadership positions who lie and blame others, unfairly. We need leaders we can trust, because we are also busy doing our jobs, and when we entrust public officials with the peoples business, we do not expect betrayal.

Meanwhile, the toll inequity law suit against the Turnpike Athority is rolling.
http://blog.tollequitytrust.com/