1. Comment Received.
2. Response.
3. The totalitarian regime in Cambridge, MA, USA.
4. Supplement.
5. Contacts, Miscellaneous.
1. Comment Received.
I commented on Cambridge and its friends proposal to destroy hundreds of trees on Memorial Drive between the BU Bridge and the Longfellow Bridge and to create major environmental destruction through “underpasses” under the next three bridges which the Massachusetts Department on Transportation rightfully condemns.
I got the following response:
**************
Bob -
Have you ever ridden a bike on the bike paths on the Cambridge side of the Charles River (Mt. Auburn).
If you haven't, please do so.
2. Response.
I certainly have and "improving" the bike highway is no excuse for the hundreds of trees slated for destruction. The bike highway, like the "underpasses" is just a convenient con to get people on board who later will be shafted as convenient.
I have a strikingly impressive victory as a bike activist but I do not consider environmental destruction justified by outrageous highway construction.
An excellent example of programmed backstabbing is the irresponsible part of the Grand Junction bike highway. See my report with photos at http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/destroyed-nesting-area-north-south.html.
For lack of room, I did not go into the real reasons for the route south of where the bike route would responsibly connect to Vassar Street. [Ed: The problem is with destructive construction under and south of Memorial Drive. The responsible route would turn before Memorial Drive, connect to Vassar Street, and connect to Memorial Drive, a very short distance along Vassar Street.]
First, and most immediate, of course, is yet another technique to kill off and abuse resident animals.
The long range reason, and it may no longer be a long range reason, is to move the Allston / Cambridge exit of the Mass. Pike to the Grand Junction Railroad Bridge to open that area up for relocating Harvard Medical School, etc.
The bike highway would be an excuse to widen the railroad underpass under Memorial Drive. The real reason is to hold the off ramp. The lie is that the bike highway which then be moved "regrettably" to connect to Vassar Street and then Memorial Drive by the shorter, more sensible route it should have taken in the first place. But a bunch of destructive hypocrites can please both Harvard and the people it is stabbing in the back.
The outrages inflicted with the lie of bike activism really have much more major reasons, not the least of which, of course, is welfare for contractors.
********** [in original]
Good question, thank you.
I will consider using the above as a blog / facebook / email post.
PS: I have commuted by bike from Cambridge to Waltham. I consider confining bikes to sidewalks just another abuse of the people the Machine lies it is benefitting, and an excellent example of another Machine related organization shafting those it lies it is trying to benefit.
3. The totalitarian regime in Cambridge, MA, USA.
Everything supported by Cambridge and its friends is presented as that which is politically correct, no matter how irresponsible.
And environmental destruction is hidden through lies of environmental sainthood, and a redefinition of environmentalism to restrict environmentalism to defending whatever the City of Cambridge does not feel like destroying.
And the really rotten stuff is done with maximum secrecy and corrupt tactics along with the usual non stop lying of “holier than thou.”
The destruction fought for on the Charles River has been and continues to be handled in exactly that way, showing a very clear knowledge of just how rotten their behavior is.
4. Supplement.
The real lie is when people, as the above, make a flat out one sided statement with the Holier than Thou in the background, while omitting massive environmental destruction which somebody who is Holier than Thou would mention.
5. Contacts, Miscellaneous.
Massachusetts Governor’s Office email form: http://www.mass.gov/governor/constituentservices/contact/.
State environmental people, DES Hotline: ESF.Hotline@state.ma.us.
MassDOT Accelerated Bridges Program: 857-368-8904 or Stephanie.Boundy@state.ma.us
All Massachusetts Legislators’ emails: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/emails-for-all-massachusetts.html.
Cambridge, MA, USA city councilors: Council@cambridgema.gov.
**********
For people listening to Boston Sierra Club endorsements of environmentally destructive members of the Cambridge City Council, you should be aware that
(1) using the world’s definition of “environmentalism,” there are no environmentally responsible members of the Cambridge City Council; Cambridge’s definition is that environmentalists protect that which Cambridge does not feel like destroying; the Cambridge pols are oh, so pious using their secret, fraudulent definition; and
(2) there are Cambridge Machine activists very visible and apparently very active in the Boston Sierra Club.
If you are talking to a person associated with the Boston Sierra Club, do a credibility check. Ask if they are familiar with the “Urban Ring” rapid transit proposal. This is a subway proposal designed to link the existing subway spokes. I have been working on it since 1985. Cambridge raised the project in a comment to an environmental Impact Statement in the last month or so.
If the Boston Sierra Club “expert” answers “yes,” that he / she is familiar with the Urban Ring rapid transit proposal, ask how many rail options there are. If the answer is “one,” you are getting the flat out lie put out by the City of Cambridge.
Cambridge’s flat out lie is that, of the TWO rail options, the only one that exists is the environmentally destructive streetcar option which the City of Cambridge supports. This option would be highly destructive to the environment near the Destroyed Nesting Area of the Charles River White Geese.
The reality is that THE STATE LEGISLATURE HAS SUBSIDIZED THE OTHER OPTION, the responsible Orange Line / heavy rail option, the Kenmore crossing. The state legislature has subsidized the expansion of Yawkey Station as part of the massive Fenway Park area project which has gotten recent press.
Cambridge’s nonsensical proposal would move Yawkey Station three blocks. The Cambridge proposal would not work without moving Yawkey Station. The Kenmore Crossing uses the now subsidized and being expanded Yawkey Station as part of a brilliant megastation.
You should immediately respond to such nonsense from a Sierra Club “expert” by having nothing more to do with this person. Whether the person is stupid or venal is irrelevant, the person has no credibility and is not worthy of your time.
It is frequently difficult to pin these irresponsible people down in general. The deviant behavior in my test is extreme. They are pious in their demands that, if you are politically correct and pro environment, you have to rubber stamp them. Please do not waste your time arguing about destruction they can try to wiggle around.
Turn your back on them and walk away fast.
