Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Records ? What records ? I don't quite understand you.

In Gonsalves: Time for residents to start squeaking, Sean Gonsalves does the work that the other reporters at Murdoch's Cape Cod Times seem not to do.

Take the disciplinary action against former Brewster police Officer Joseph Houston, who assaulted and urinated on concertgoers at a Metallica concert in Boston. Even though Houston pleaded guilty to trespassing and assault charges, and has agreed to end legal attempts to get his job back, the executive session minutes — the written record of what was discussed and/or decided by town officials in closed-door meetings — are still classified top secret 14 months later!

The minutes were scheduled for review and possible release at the board of selectmen's Monday night meeting.

Good luck.

If he thinks that's tough, try getting the Aid to Firefighters Grant information out of the criminals at FEMA or some at the Brewster Fire Department. They send you a lie that they are backlogged, and then blow it off. This is a scene repeated across the late great USA.

(Hey by the way, was that your middle finger yesterday, lady ?)

But it's not just a matter of resources. There's also resistance. Here's a typical experience: You go into town hall, request a public record, and the first thing you are asked is, "Who are you?" Followed by, "And what do you want it for?"

Under the law, they're not even supposed to ask those questions; and if you tell them that, the attitude you get back is: oh yeah, well, what are you going to do about it? Oftentimes it ends there, unless you have the time, energy and — in some cases — enough money to pursue it.

Then there's the political aspirant Police Chief like his CIA-connected brother (Iraqi Republican Guard aren't everywhere) in Quincy, who, as part of the false ruling class, gets to decide whose ass he kisses and who he sends emails to telling them to stop asking him to do his job for which he is so highly paid.

Besides, Brewster doesn't owe anyone records about wee pee at the concert because they're from Connecticut and shouldn't have been in Massachusetts anyway. If they don't like how they're treated by Brewster, they can go home.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

SPQR

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