Cambridge, MA Keeps Sinecure Alive

In spite of all the delusions revealed by Cambridge City Councilors, e.g., that the city is a world class city, and that councilors speak for "the most vulnerable," that they support "education," and "affordable housing," it is really an ordinary conformist city. This report verifies how any government is unable to stop wasting taxpayer funds. Once an agency is created it will never be defunded. The Nuclear War and Peace Commission, created in 1986, was established to work to prevent nuclear war. It did an outstanding job. Since 1986 there was no nuclear war in Cambridge, in Italy or in Chile. Now the Commission needs a new mission. Under its previous Commissioner, the mission was to prevent conflict between high school students. Now it is the coordinator for sister cities. That reveals one more pattern of Cambridge government. There is no shame among Cambridge officials for taking taxpayer money for doing nothing. How many people without homes could be housed with the taxpayer funds wasted on the Nuclear War and Peace Commission?

[From article]
Sister cities are official relationships between two municipalities that wish to share aspects of their culture, according to Corr. They are usually built around common interests such as business and research, and help diasporic ethnic groups stay connected to their country of origin.
Cambridge has a long history of global sister city ties, including six active relationships with municipalities including San José Las Flores, El Salvador; Tsukaba, Japan; and Yerevan, Armenia. Former sister cities have included Dublin and Florence. Cambridge is also currently in the process of forming a relationship with Les Cayes, Haiti.
“Cambridge is well known, well connected internationally, obviously through institutions like Harvard and MIT, but just the city in general is very connected internationally,” Corr said.
Corr said he expects the process to take a few months to ensure that the relationship is beneficial to both sides.

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/2/11/cambridge-new-sister-city/

Cambridge Explores Sister City Relationship with Reykjavik, Iceland
By JOSHUA J. FLORENCE and SAMUEL VASQUEZ

Harvard CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
February 10, 2016

Support For Nuclear Weapons Treaty Is Flawed

Saying "the alternative to this agreement with Iran [. . .] is an attack on Iran." is a false argument, propaganda. Alternatives include but are not limited to maintaining sanctions and not giving Iran $150 billion, which can be used for terrorism. Saying "Iran [. . .] would be prevented from developing one [nuclear weapon] by this treaty." is not true. It delays does not prevent. He admits it is a treaty here, which requires 2/3 approval of the US Senate. Saying "none of the threat of nuclear war [. . .] will come from Iran." has no basis in fact, no evidence. Iran threatens to destroy the US and Israel. Shannon cites unnamed U.S. officials defending possession and threats to use nuclear weapons. Do words have any meaning when they come from Washington DC officials? He cherry picks statements and organizations for support. His arguments are talking points promoted by the White House. No recognition of alternatives. Nonsense and propaganda. Iran gets 24 day notice for inspections. No Americans can be inspectors. No concern about procedural violations by the White House forcing the treaty on a reluctant congress and population. If this treaty is so great why is it secret with even Congress being denied access to details, side deals? Is this a position paper of the AFSC? Shannon does not recognize the role of the Cambridge Nuclear War and Peace Commission which prevented nuclear war in Cambridge, Italy and South America for 29 years.

http://cambridge.wickedlocal.com/article/20150918/NEWS/150916206

Guest column: Getting things straight about the Iran deal
By Paul Shannon, AFSC
Posted Sep. 18, 2015 at 10:08 AM
CAMBRIDGE Chronicle

Cambridge, MA Educator Wants To Defund Nuclear Defense, To Fund Snow Plows and Transit

[Official name of this city agency is Nuclear War and Peace Commission] 

Has the Cambridge Nuclear War and Peace Commission lost its way after preventing nuclear war in Cambridge for many years? Lennie Bruce recognized the importance of job security. Without a threat of nuclear war the commission may be out of business. I know it makes high school bullies its new focus, but what if someone noticed? $113 billion locally, and $29 billion in US taxpayer funds is spent feeding, housing and clothing illegal immigrants each year, over $4 trillion (versus $1 T for defense) over 30 years. Does not include refugees from oppressive nations, who sometimes take up arms and bombs with America hating illegal immigrants, to destroy the peace and tranquility of the society. Who needs taxpayer funds for defense when new immigrants will protect American freedom? 

http://cambridge.wickedlocal.com/article/20150417/NEWS/150417119

LETTER: Demand a freeze in the nuclear arms race
Posted Apr. 17, 2015 at 2:15 PM
Eva S. Moseley, Mount Auburn Street

Communism, Islam Win Propaganda Wars


http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/10/losing_israel_1.html

October 26, 2009
Losing Israel
By Bill Warner
American Thinker

Cambridge Council Disses Taxpayers and Nuclear War Commission


In 1982 the City of Cambridge created a Nuclear Disarmament Commission. The salary of the Executive Director is now $61,000 plus benefits and a large office with utilities. Instead of focusing on preventing nuclear war [ordinance below] -- its stated mission -- the focus was changed to preventing violence among high school students and having an awards dinner each year. The council insults not only the Nuclear Disarmament Commission but also clueless taxpayers. This useless city commission wastes taxpayer funds while people live in the street or taxpayer funded shelters. Now the useless council wants to waste more money doing the job of the useless Nuclear Disarmament Commission. What a city. Two US Senators will help solve this waste of taxpayer funds?



http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridge/news/x1073706371/Nuke-talk-sparks-heated-Cambridge-council-debate-but-no-ballot-question


Nuke talk sparks heated Cambridge council debate, but no ballot question
By Jillian Fennimore
Cambridge Chronicle (online)
Sep 23, 2009 @ 07:35 AM

* * *

City Ordinance establishing the Commission in 1982.

Chapter 2.90 CAMBRIDGE COMMISSION ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT AND PEACE EDUCATION
Sections:
2.90.010 Established.
2.90.020 Membership--Appointment--Term.
2.90.030 Membership--Qualifications.
2.90.040 Election of Chairperson--Adoption of bylaws.
2.90.050 Function and purpose.
2.90.060 Powers and duties.

2.90.010 Established.
There shall be a Cambridge Commission on Nuclear Disarmament and Peace Education.
(Ord. 987 (part), 1982: prior code Ch. 2 Art. 39 (part))

2.90.020 Membership--Appointment--Term.
A. The Commission shall consist of twenty members, all of whom shall be appointed initially by the City Manager to serve for the following terms:
1. Six members shall serve for a one year term;
2. Seven members shall serve for a two-year term;
3. Seven members shall serve for a three-year term.
After the initial terms all Commissioners shall be appointed for a term of three years.
B. If any Commissioner misses three unexcused meetings of the Commission during a calendar year, that position of the Commissioner shall be automatically vacated upon certification to the City Manager by the Commission.
C. After the initial appointments, subsequent members of the Commission shall be appointed by the City Manager from recommendations provided by the Commission. The Commission shall consult with recognized groups working for nuclear disarmament to obtain names of qualified candidates. Vacancies on the Commission shall be filled not later than thirty days after the vacancy occurs; and if a vacancy occurs prior to the expiration of the members' term, an appointment shall be made for the remainder of the term.
D. The Commission shall be representative of the socio-economic and racial/ethnic populations of the City.
(Ord. 987 (part), 1982: prior code Ch. 2 Art. 39 (part))

2.90.030 Membership--Qualifications.
A. All prospective Commissioners shall believe in and support the goal of nuclear disarmament as embodied in the resolutions passed by the City Council.
B. Commissioners must be residents of the City at the time of appointment.
(Ord. 987 (part), 1982: prior code Ch. 2 Art. 39 (part))

2.90.040 Election of Chairperson--Adoption of bylaws.
The members of the Commission shall elect a Chairperson from among its members, and shall adopt bylaws for the Commission.
(Ord. 987 (part), 1982: prior code Ch. 2 Art. 39 (part))

2.90.050 Function and purpose.
It shall be the function of the Commission to:
A. Support the actions taken by the City Council to protect the citizens of Cambridge and lessen the danger of nuclear destruction to the City;
B. Work to implement the November 4, 1981, mandate of Cambridge voters to "contact the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation to place a freeze on the further development of nuclear weapons in the City of Cambridge";
C. Work with the City government and its departments, educational institutions, private and public agencies, and other interested organizations toward bilateral nuclear disarmament and a peaceful world through public dissemination of relevant information and through educational outreach to the schools and citizens of Cambridge.
(Ord. 987 (part), 1982: prior code Ch. 2 Art. 39 (part))

2.90.060 Powers and duties.
The powers and duties of the Commission shall include the following:
A. To design and disseminate material, and establish a resource library for disarmament education, including a speakers bureau, and to assist citizens in the use of this material;
B. To assist the Cambridge Public Schools and the parochial and private schools in the City in developing nuclear disarmament curricula on:
1. The causes of war,
2. Technology in the nuclear age,
3. The history of disarmament,
4. Conflict resolution;
C. To support and assist teachers initiating such nuclear disarmament curriculum;
D. To hold, and assist in the conduct of, educational and advocacy meetings or hearings on nuclear disarmament by public agencies, organizations, institutions or private persons in the City. This shall include an effort to reach out to those most affected by the diversion of funds from the City: Organized labor, the poor, the unemployed, minorities and women;
E. To initiate public exhibits and events in City Hall, City libraries, public schools and in other locations within the City, consistent with the stated purposes of this chapter;
F. To cooperate with public agencies and private groups in other cities and towns of the Commonwealth in programs for disarmament education;
G. To promote mutual understanding with people in other nations consistent with the purposes of this chapter, such as the City Council's proposal for a "twin" city in the USSR, and the receptions held by the City for peace visitors from Europe and Japan;
H. To develop and recommend policy regarding the prevention of nuclear destruction to the City and the safety of Cambridge citizens to all departments, divisions and agencies of the City, including the City Manager and the City Council;
I. To advance the enactment of legislation which promotes nuclear disarmament at City, State and federal levels, and to monitor the implementation of such legislation;
J. To assist the Civil Defense Department of the City in its duties, consistent with the purposes of this chapter;
K. To determine the extent of nuclear weapons-related industry within the City, and to study, advocate and assist in the conversion of such industries to non-nuclear weapon-related activities, including the retraining of workers employed in those nuclear-related industries;
L. To make public statements and act on matters related to nuclear disarmament;
M. To raise funds for the use of the Commission and to accept money, gifts and services for its exclusive use and expend or use the same, and subject to appropriation or to receipt of such money, gifts and services, employ clerical and technical assistants or consultants; and to be consulted by and make recommendations to the City Manager with regard to the employment of the Executive Director.
(Ord. 987 (part), 1982: prior code Ch. 2 Art. 39 (part))

Glenn Beck's Methods Analyzed


http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1924348-1,00.html

Mad Man: Is Glenn Beck Bad for America?
By David Von Drehle
Time Magazine
Thursday, Sep. 17, 200

Harvard Appoints Lawyer to Teach Ethics

Harvard Appoints Lawyer to Teach Ethics

How is the focus of Harvard University's Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics different from city, state and US laws? Did I miss some ethical standards besides those? Does Harvard Law School teach law, and how to get around laws? Lessig will reportedly teach 'what happens when public institutions depend on money from sources that may be affected by the work of those institutions - for example, medical research programs that receive funding from pharmaceutical companies whose drugs they review, or academics whose policy analyses are underwritten by special interest groups.' Is there any problem with a Harvard psychiatrist getting $1.6 million for signing his name to articles written by drug companies? What happens is that people are encouraged to take unsafe drugs which make people ill. Duh! Do academic consultants to School Committees have any conflicts with colleagues who teach at their institutions? What happens is they get their associates high paying jobs. Duh!
Are there not enough laws in place now? Or is the problem lack of enforcement by elected and appointed officials? Why will Lessig 'encourage teaching and research about ethical issues in public and professional life?'
Saying teaching ethics is of 'enormous importance to our democracy,' sounds like the Harvard Lawyer City Councilor (Hint: BM) promoting democracy by censoring citizen public comment.

Roy Bercaw, Editor ENOUGH ROOM

http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridge/news/x1049856265/Legal-scholar-Lessig-joins-Harvard-Law-faculty

Legal scholar Lessig joins Harvard Law faculty
Unsigned
Cambridge Chronicle
Fri Dec 12, 2008, 04:51 PM EST

Who Made This Possible?

Who Made This Possible?

Joe Keohane says, "If Kim Jong-Il’s going to take any US cities out before North Korea collapses, they’ll probably be on the West Coast. [Boston is] pretty much invincible." (Joe Keohane, "October, The slightly premature but nonetheless terrifying month in review," Boston Weekly Dig, October 25, 2006, Page 12) That didn't happen naturally.
Cambridge's Nuclear War and Peace Commission worked relentlessly for 20 years and prevented Nuclear War, not only in Cambridge but also in El Salvador and in Italy too. The liberal-Democratic-Bush-hating City Manager refuses to permit the Nuclear War Commissioner to aid the President's efforts preventing Nuclear War in North Korea.
The Dig could help persuade the Manager to allocate funds from one of his numerous accounts, allowing the Commissioner to travel to Southeast Asia and to exercise her specialty keeping the peace. Let's give credit where credit is due.
--
Roy Bercaw, Editor
ENOUGH ROOM
Cambridge MA USA

October
The slightly premature but nonetheless terrifying month in review
* by Joe Keohane *
Issue 8.43 * Wed, October 25, 2006

Here’s the good news: If Kim Jong-Il’s going to take any US cities out before North Korea collapses, they’ll probably be on the West Coast. And while the wholesale annihilation of deeply liberal cities like Seattle, Portland or San Fran would virtually assure the continued dominance of the GOP, it would also mean that Boston, once again, gets away totally unscathed.
That’s right, America: We don’t get earthquakes, we don’t get tornadoes, we don’t get tsunamis or mudslides, forest fires, grand mal obesity attacks, Corey Lidle plowing into skyscrapers, school shootings or creationism outbreaks, and we don’t get rogue nukes. By my calculations, that means we’re pretty much invincible. Which is why locals were so puzzled when the MBTA started doing random bag searches again.
Bostonians almost unanimously take our current imagegovernor at his word, so when he announced to The New York Times that the measure was necessary because “We are fighting a war against people who have as their objective the overthrow of the United States government [and] we have to adjust our homeland strategies to confront it,” everyone in town just assumed he was doing it because he’s concerned for the safety of Massachusetts residents, and not because he turned out to be a shameless, opportunist jackass who will never forgive our pinko asses for electing him governor.
Then we said, “Wait, it’s gonna cost what to ride the T next year?!” And the T, as it rifled through our bags looking for bombs and loose change, responded “$1.70.” Long-suffering commuters then attempted to rise to their feet in protest, but they couldn’t, because vagrants had fallen asleep on their laps as their train paused for 30 minutes between Harvard and Central for a “schedule readjustment.”
Then, as if on cue, House and Senate Republicans stripped $4.5 billion in mass-transit security funding from a piece of homeland security legislation. Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff had asked Republican leaders to kill the funding because he didn’t want the bill to become a pork-loaded “goulash” of programs. Thank god it was fiscal discipline behind this decision, and not the fact that people in cities don’t vote Republican and therefore don’t warrant protection from the scourge of terrorists, who, we hear, are plotting right now to blow the holy hell out of a mailbox or grain silo in Corncob, Iowa.
Actually, in retrospect, we’re going to have to take back that bit about being invincible. Because looking back through the month that was (up until press time, at least), we didn’t do too well at all. The bloodbath in the streets continued; rowdy North End soccer fans got duped by a fake World Cup trophy supplied by Anheuser-Busch; we got word that the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority never actually inspected the failed Big Dig ceiling bolts that killed a woman, directly contradicting the claims of ousted pike chairman Matthew Amorello; and former congressman Gerry Studds, the first openly gay member of Congress (and pioneer of the teenage page scandal) died, giving the federal government the chance to honor his service to his country by denying his husband death benefits.
As befits a town that continually laments how nasty and stupid national politics have gotten, our gubernatorial race went from being civil and high-minded (sort of) to utterly, unspeakably savage. Deval Patrick, who coasted through the primaries on a message of hope, hope and more hope, has seen his lead eroded by Republican challenger Kerry Healey and her message of rape, rape and more rape. Even longtime political observers were a little startled by how nasty Healey got so quickly, but then again, you wouldn’t be a true Republican if you weren’t willing to sell your soul for a race you have no chance at winning.
The Massachusetts State Lottery also made some moves this month, announcing that it would be launching a new Keno-style game next year that would involve placing bets on animated car races. There are also rumors of another game, in which gamblers would place bets on half a dozen tiny boats circling a drain that represents their future. There could be a hilarious little noise at the end to keep people coming back for more. Kind of like a boi-oi-oi-oing! sort of thing. Wait, did someone say North Korea had the bomb now?! Quick, somebody call The Decider for some good tough cowboy talk! George Stephanopoulos, you’re on: Stephanopoulos: Last week, after their first test, you went into the White House and you said that any transfer of nuclear material by North Korea would be considered a grave threat to the security of the United States.
I went back and checked, you’ve used that phrase once before in your presidency about Iraq. So, are you saying then if North Korea sold nukes to Iran or Al Qaeda … Bush: They’d be held to account. Stephanopoulos: What does that mean? Bush: Well, at the time they find out, George, one of the things that’s important for these world leaders to hear is, you know, we use means necessary to hold them to account.
Stephanopoulos: So if you got intelligence that they were about to have that kind of a transfer … Bush: Well, if they get—if we get intelligence that they’re about to transfer a nuclear weapon, we would stop the transfer and we would deal with the ships that were taking the—or the airplane that was dealing with or taking the material to somebody.
Stephanopoulos: And if it happened, you’d retaliate.
Bush: You know, I’d just say it’s a grave consequence.
Stephanopoulos: And that’s about as serious as it can get. '
Bush: Well, my point is, is that I want the leader to understand, the leader of North Korea to understand that he’ll be held to account. Just like he’s being held to account now for having run a test.
Eh, let’s move on to something a little less disturbing. Like the Mark Foley scandal. All that could possibly be said about this mess has been said, but it’s worth revisiting some comments made by Bill Maher on Salon.com: From 1995 to 2002, the number of children prescribed antipsychotic drugs increased by over 400 percent. Either our children are going insane—which we might look on as a problem—or, more likely, we have, for profit, created a nation of little junkies.
So stop already with the righteous moral indignation about predators—this whole country is trying to get inside your kid’s pants because that’s where he keeps the money Daddy gave him to stay out of his hair. I don’t care if Mark Foley had been asking boys to describe their penises because I have some sad news for you: Your kid is so larded out on Cheetos and Yoo-hoo, he can’t even see his penis. We live in a country where the ultimate consumer is an obese 16-year-old hooked up at one end to a Big Gulp and at the other to a PlayStation. So many of our kids today are fat drug addicts, it’s almost as if Rush Limbaugh had had puppies. In conclusion, we can pretend that the biggest threat to “our children” is some creep on the internet, or we can admit it’s Mom and Dad.
When your son can’t find France on a map, or touch his toes with his hands, or understand that the ads on TV are lying—including the one in which the Marine turns into Lancelot—then the person fucking him is you. Speaking of drugged-out fat kids who can’t read, there are now more than ever. This month, the population of the US passed the 300 million mark, which means not only that we will avoid the kind of problems facing European nations averaging like a kid and a half per couple, but also that our might is increased a hundredfold! Picture it: Given the current physical condition of our countrymen, with just a little coordinated exercise we could to spontaneously generate enough sweat to destroy a thousand Sri Lankas.
Plus, word on the street is that we’ve been reforming all the enemy combatants we’ve been holding down at Gitmo, so they may be able to pitch in. According to an AP report, “A high-calorie diet combined with life in the cell block—almost around the clock in some cases—is making detainees at Guantanamo Bay fat.” Welcome to America, fellas. Only in our case, we got morbidly obese before they took our rights away. Now, in closing, as your assimilation continues, join us in celebrating how the Dow just crossed 12,000, even as wages keep falling, hours keep getting longer, health care dries up and the cost of living goes through the roof. But at least the economy is strong.
Oh Lord, make November a good one.