Winters, Separated at Birth?

Robert Winters, Cambridge City Council watchdog. Separated at Birth from the Cable Stalker Guy? Ever seen them two together?

Robert Winters is owner of a large home in Cambridge, MA, and has a
PhD. from Boston University. He is a part time instructor at two
colleges. He is the longest serving public figure expressing his
opinions about local government. He is a failed candidate for City
Council and for Election Commissioner.

He is reportedly a long term informant for the Boston field office of
the FBI. Nothing wrong with that if you ignore recent history of that
office. One Boston FBI informant, a hitman for the Boston mob, was the
lead witness in a state murder prosecution. He was able to frame four
Boston men for a murder they did not commit. The Boston FBI knew they
were innocent and withheld evidence from the state prosecutors. Two of
the men died in prison. Two were released after 30 years. They sued
the US Government. A US Judge awarded them $101 million plus attorneys
fees. The US Attorney General's office appeals the verdict.

Similarly the City of Cambridge was found guilty of wrongful discharge
and racial discrimination. This is one of about five pending actions.
A state court judge awarded the plaintiff $6 million. The City
Manager, called reprehensible by the judge, wants to appeal.

The Boston FBI had another informant, James Bulger, who was indicted
for 19 homicides. He openly boasted of corrupting local police, state
police and FBI agents. He remains a fugitive after 14 years having
been tipped off by his FBI handler, who is in prison and was convicted
of homicide himself.

Winters abuses his police affiliation with the Boston office of the
FBI to ridicule and to humiliate persons with disabilities. Abuse of
power is considered an entitlement in Cambridge and in Massachusetts.
He openly advocates denying the Right of persons with disabilities to
run for office, the Right to petition the government for redress of
grievances, the Right to access the government, the Right to be heard
by the government. He is admired and celebrated by a large segment of
the Cambridge voters who share his vile opinions.

He is the Deputy Minister of Propaganda of the Cambridge Chapter of the
Conformist Party. He is a vigorous supporter of the status quo.
Cambridge for more than 50 years is a leader in local government
corruption. Winters openly promotes keeping this type of government.

Winters is the publisher of an all-purpose blog about local
government. He copies information from the City web site repeating how
the unelected City Manager spins facts.

In June 2009 a man with a disability went to City Hall to petition the
City Manager and the Mayor. Police arrested him because the offices of
the Mayor and the City Manager did not like his legal protected
behavior and speech. He did not speak in paragraphs as Robert Winters
does. He was not totally rational as Robert Winters is. He was
reportedly "beligerent."

Winters had this to say about the multiple extreme violations of basic
rights of citizens. (June 17, 2009, rwinters online comment on story
"'Mayor of the Universe’ visits Cambridge mayor,'" By Erin Smith,
Cambridge Chronicle, GateHouse, Posted Jun 17, 2009 @ 08:28 AM)

http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridge/news/police_and_fire/x2122539057/-Mayor-of-the-Universe-visits-Cambridge-mayor

or

http://tinyurl.com/l55uhs

"Perhaps the Chronicle should update its blog post about this:
http://blogs.townonline.com/cambridge/2009/06/11/want-to-see-the-mayor-city-hall-may-call-911-on-you/

That blog post seemed to suggest that the staff of the Mayor's office
was overreacting when they called 911. It would now seem that perhaps
they were doing exactly the right thing."

* * *

Winters supports the abuses of power by the City Manager and the
Mayor. Winters gleefully takes advantage of every opportunity to
humiliate persons with disabilities. He openly criticizes persons with
disabilities who run for office, saying they are part of the lunatic
fringe.

The Usual Suspects

Here are some video clips of the regulars who spoke at Cambridge City Council meetings at the beginning of the 21st Century. First is Robert LaTremouille an attorney.

This is John Pitkin long time (17 years) President of the Mid Cambridge Neighborhood Association. The charter limits running for president to one term. But when I mentioned this at a meeting the members told me that he did not run, they elected him. I did not last long at that organization. The Treasurer screamed at me that I was not allowed to speak because I was crazy.

This is Ellin Sarot an editor.

This is Marilyn Wellons.

This is Robert Winters a math teacher who maintains a web site full of information about the City of Cambridge.

This is Elie Yarden, a retired Music Professor.

This is Kathy Podgers.

Cambridge MA: One-eyed King

Robert Winters is called "The Premier Observer of Cambridge Government."
Americans don't think logically. They do not think politically. Winters is a math instructor. (City Cable TV refers to him as Professor.) He thinks logically. He understands how the proportional voting system works. He is happy to explain it to anyone who will listen.
His web site consists mostly of government information for those unwilling or unable to find it on the city web pages.
He ridicules persons with disabilities. City officials and taxpayer funds address bullying in the schools. But officials ignore bullying by teachers, psychologists, police and politicians.
Winters is a teacher. To persons with disabilities he is an upper class cyber- bully thug. He is admired by academic elitists and self-centered politicians in Cambridge.
Winters says he "learned" about "The Final Report of the Cambridge Neighborhood Safety Task Force." issued on Nov. 19, 2007. [This report is not available online. It is reportedly available at the City Clerk's office.] 50 persons spent 14 months preparing it. Winters did not say that he read the report. At the City Council meeting on December 10, 2007 one councilor explained that some city residents rely on a 9-week city employment program as their only form of employment. It reveals how some residents think, but also what being "The Premier Observer of City Government" means.
For uninformed voters Winters' superficial reporting helps to understand one city issue. To some upper class residents of Cambridge, many of whom have PhD.s, Winters is the most informed. But he is an apologist for the sorry state of local government. He seldom criticizes what goes on. He sees no corruption, and has mild opinions of misguided acts of the city officials.
He never criticizes police abuses and ridicules persons with disabilities. For Cambridge he is the One-eyed King in the Land of the Blind.
"[V]oters don't want the truth; they want to be flattered and made to feel good. [. . .] To tell [them] the truth is risky, for [they are] unlikely to welcome news that [they] are being cheated and [have] colluded by [their] stupidity and indolence." (David Slavitt, Blue State Blues, page 82) For the Cambridge voters Robert Winters provides more than enough for them to understand.
Here is the link to my letter, a different perspective, to the City Council about "The Final Report of the Cambridge Neighborhood Safety Task Force."
http://tinyurl.com/28846n

Why Don't People Vote?

During a panel discussion on December 12, 2007 at the City Cable TV office, three Cambridge MA politicians lament the low voter turnout. Lovell Dyett reveals he was elected to the School Committee. Sandra Graham was a City Councilor and a State Rep. Robert Winters ran for City Council and for Election Commission.
No politician ever raises the possibility that they are the reason for low voter interest. None of these pols did. Voting is the least amount of effort a citizen can make to participate. They don't even need any knowledge of the candidates or the issues. All they have to do is show up or send a ballot to the election commission.
In December 2007 newly elected Cambridge City Councilor Sam Seidel appeared on Harvard Student Ben Eisler's "Inside City Hall" CCTV show. He referred to CCTV and to Robert Winters as NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations). As Bill Clinton said, "Give me a break."
Does Seidel know that CCTV gets $850,000 per year in City money? Is he aware that Robert Winters works for and is protected by a police agency? Or is Seidel intentionally misleading the voters? It is bad enough if he holds misguided opinions and misuses words. But if he deceives that is worse. In either case it is one small example of why voters reach a limit of being offended by politicians and stop paying attention and stop voting.

Robert Winter's New Year's Prediction for Cambridge MA

Robert Winters appeared on Cambridge City Cable TV with former City Councilor and State Rep. Sandra Graham and WBZ radio host Lovell Dyett for three panels in December 2007. They discussed the City of Cambridge. Among the remarkable comments on those shows, Winters made the prediction that the City Council will become more of an advisory body. He indicates that he shares Walter Lippman's view of government, where elitist managers run the government and tell the unwashed what they need to do. This is Harvard's view of government as well. Currently the Cambridge City Council is a weak group of spineless politicians with little knowledge of how the city government works. They defer to the city manager and his appointees.
Under MA state law the Council is supposed to set policy and hire the 25-year serving Manager. This power hungry Manager sets policy and tells the Council what he will and will not do. They are unable to assert their statutory power to reign him in. Winters would make the upside down version of state law permanent shutting out the voters from having any influence on what the city does. Winters refuses to identify which police agency he works for -- the Cambridge police, the Harvard University police, or the FBI. His abuse of police power is obfuscated by the newest City Councilor, Sam Seidel who referred to Winters as a Non Governmental Organization. Since when have the police become a non governmental agency?