Monday, May 28, 2007

March 19, 2007 ROY BERCAW speaks to Cambridge MA City Council

March 19, 2007: Roy Bercaw, Mid Cambridge Distributor for the Better Boston Bio-Engineered Backbone Manufacturers of Spines for Politicians, speaks at Cambridge City Council, Cambridge, MA. Bercaw discusses:
1. Council policy order to teach City Councilors Robert's Rules of Order, and City Council Rules.
2. $100 million dollar grant to MIT's Broad Institute to find genetic link to psychiatric diseases.
3. Association of Teachers of English as a Second Language.

February 12, 2007 ROY BERCAW speaks to Cambridge, MA City Council

February 12, 2007: Roy Bercaw, Chief Ethical Officer and Ultimate Moral Authority, of the Mid Cambridge Chapter of the American Council on Mendacity, speaks to Cambridge City Council, Cambridge, MA. Announces award to City of Cambridge as the country's most mendacious city. Bercaw discusses: 1. A late report from the City Manager on the taking by eminent domain of a property on Gore Street. 2. Be Curious day. 3. Rodent infestation. 4. Library construction. 5. City Council Buffet Room. 6. Bike racks. 7. CCTV funding. 8. Anticipated injuries to Water Dept. employees.

March 5, 2007 Roy Bercaw Speaks to Cambridge City Council

March 5, 2007: ROY BERCAW, Temperature Control Coordinator, for the North Cambridge Ice Preservation and Stabilization Committee, speaks to the Cambridge City Council on:
1. Energy Detective Kits in libraries.
2. Neighborhood Safety Committee.
3. Police Review Board.
4. Civic Unity Committee excludes persons with disabilities.
5. Mass ACLU efforts on racial profiling, excludes disabilty profiling.
6. Cambridge Human Rights Committee excludes persons with disabilities.
7. English as a Second Language.
8. Know Your Rights.

Cambridge, MA City Council Meeting May 21, 2007

Cambridge, MA City Council meeting on May 21, 2007. We see Councilor Michael Sullivan who is also the Middlesex Court Clerk say "frankly" nine times. Councilor Decker reveals to taxi drivers that her grandfather was a taxi driver. And other remarkable comments by other councilors.

May 21, 2007 Roy Bercaw Speaks to Cambridge City Council

May 21, 2007 Roy Bercaw speaks to the Cambridge, MA City Council regarding Councilor Murphy attending a committee meeting by speaker phone, Cambridge as a World Class City, hand held signs by pedestrians to stop traffic, testing TASERs on persons with disabilities, and other items.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

MAY 7, 2007 ROY BERCAW SPEAKS TO CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL

Roy Bercaw speaks to the Cambridge City Council as the researcher for bio-engineered, bio-degradeable, cuttlefish spines. He questions City Councilor Brian Murphy attending a committee meeting by speaker phone. He suggests that persons with disabilites be used as research subjectsfor training police to use TASERs. He urges consistency in City policy to continue to exclude persons with disabilities from participating in the upcoming hearing on the use of TASERs by police. He reminds the Council that Lt. Robert Ames promotes TASER corporation propaganda that persons with disabilities have an extraordinary amount of strength and enormous tolerance for pain. This makes them candidates for human research subjects. TASER Corporation also promotes a new made up mental illness called ED, not Erectile Dysfunction, but excited delirium which makes them appropriate targets for TASERs.

CAMBRIDGE BUDGET HEARING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPT. MAY 14, 2007

Cambridge City Council held a budget hearing on May 14, 2007, regarding the Community Development Department. The major focus was on biotech development at the expense of all else. The City Council showing its ignorance has no awareness nor concern for the enormous potential of irreparable harms due to the tampering of the biotech research industrial complex with the distinctions between humans, animals and plants.
The City Council and the Massachusetts government have no concern for the abuses to humans used for research subjects without informed consent. In the name of good horrendous harms have been committed historically. City government enables more serious abuses ignoring the past.

BUDGET HEARING MAY 14, 2007 HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

Cambridge City Council held a Budget Hearing regarding the Cambridge Human Rights Commission May 14, 2007. The Executive Director "Mad Dog" Quoc Tran is an attorney. He is also the Director of the Police Review and Advisory Board. When City Councilor Marjorie Decker asked some scary questions, "Mad Dog" did not answer. The Deputy City Manager Richard Rossi, the City Manager Robert Healy and City Councilor and Middlesex Court Clerk Michael Sullivan answered for him. He did answer two of the later questions, e.g., "How long have you held this office?"
This man is symptomatic of how watchdogs do not protect us from government abuses of power. Instead they are chosen for their inabiltiy to assert citizen protections and instead protect government officials from any oversight and accountability.

BUDGET HEARING MAY 14, 2007 CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE

May 14, 2007 Cambridge City Council Budget Hearing
These clips are about the $6 million allocation for the Cambridge Health Alliance.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

May 7, 2007: Cambridge City Manager Admits Law Violation

At the Cambridge City Council meeting on May 7, 2007 the City Manager admitted that the city paymaster violated state law in paying city workers. Beginning on September 11, 2001 the city began paying full salary to some city employees activated to military duty. This is in addition to their military pay. This is contrary to state law. As the Manager says in these video clips this is not legal. Councilor Murphy said the same at the April 30, 2007 meeting.
Through some magical act of expeditous bureaucratic activity the Manager ordered a home rule petition drafted by the city attorney. This was done in less than two days and submitted to the City Council the next week (May 7). This is remarkable considering that there are 3 requests awaiting a report from the Manager from 2003, 4 from 2005, 15 from 2006, and 29 from 2007.
Nicholas Tabor, in the Harvard Crimson reported that the City Council voted on April 30, 2007, to approve full pay for police to equalize paying other city employees. But that is not correct. The city cannot pay activated employees full pay without approval from the state legislature. That is why the expedited home rule petition.
Nonetheless the city is violating state law by paying full salary to some city employees who are on active military duty. It is not clear if they are all in combat locations.
On May 8, 2007 the Cambridge Chronicle online reported that the city currently pays the difference between their city salary and their military pay. But that is incorrect. On April 30, 2007 25 city police officers petitioned the Council for equal treatment to get full pay plus their military pay as other city employees are getting now.
That is the reason for the rush to get a home rule petition approved.The City Manager is clearly worried. As he says in these video clips he is not authorized to pay the employees their full salaries as he is doing now. So he is in violation of state laws. Whether or not this will ever be addressed in this lawless state is anyone's guess. I would guess not.
The word "inadvertent" is regularly used when city employees violate laws. The Manager attributes this to "human error," as opposed to computer generated extra pay?
My several complaints about waste of taxpayer funds and abuses to the state Inspector General have been ignored.
The first 30 minutes of the May 7, 2007 Council meeting was not broadcast on cable TV. The Cable Office did not answer my query as to why. No public comment from four citizens was broadcast nor was the special dance exhibition. I attached some footage of the dancers, which I captured at the meeting, after the Manager's comments.

April 30, 2007: Cambridge (MA) City Comedy Council

During the April 30, 2007 Cambridge City Council meeting City Councilors made their usual outrageous comments. Here is one man's interpretation.

May 7, 2007: Councilor Sullivan's "Frankly's"

Councilor Sullivan's "frankly's." In less than two minutes during the May 7, 2007 Cambridge City Council meeting, Councilor and Middlesex Court Clerk, Michael Sullivan said "frankly" five times. Is he trying to tell us something?

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Roy Bercaw At Cambridge Council April 30, 3007

April 30, 2007. ROY BERCAW, Cambridge citizen speaks to the City Council regarding disability rights, the reluctance of the Police Review Board to reveal when it meets and the refusal of the Executive Director of the Police Review Board to respond to Public Records requests. Bercaw asks if the request of the City Council to MBTA bus drivers to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks applies equally to persons with disabilities.

Planning Bd Approves Spec Permit May 1, 2007

Cambridge, MA Planning Board approved a Special Permit for the former Radisson Hotel AT 777 Memorial Drive. The Board said it fit the requirements of the Memorial Drive Overlay District. In this six-minute video you can see some comments of concerned citizens and the decision of the Board. Though the City Manager purchased ten wireless SONY microphones costing $2,000 each, only one was available for thsi meeting. (video edited by ROY BERCAW.)