Monday, May 21, 2007

Cape Wind "Church Lady" on Diane Rhem's Show But Not Local Affiliates


An appearance on NPR's Diane Rhem's Show apparently isn't good enough for "Cape Wind" co-author, Wendy Williams, and self assigned book promoter, CapeCodToday.com, an on-line Cape Cod privately run website owned by former news reporter, Walter Brooks.

For the past week Brooks, a single-minded supporter and promoter of the Cape Wind project, has written numerous outraged articles, solicited angry letters from pro-Cape Wind supporters, invented what he calls "a windstorm of protest" and made phone calls to NPR's WGHB in Boston , the parent company of its local affiliate WCAI, in an attempt to embarrass and bully them into promoting the "Cape Wind" book on air.



As the Church Lady would say "How Conveenient".



Brooks claims "The alleged boycott of a book is a incredibly embarrassing accusation against an institution with a reputation for fighting for freedom of speech and open government."



Yet, his site, capecodtoday.com regularly censors its readers and bloggers, provides only one-sided news articles in favor of Cape Wind, deletes, admonishes, alters comments, suppresses open debate and either threatens to or out rightly bans people for exercising that same freedom of speech with regards to public comments on Cape Wind project.



Is it possible that the "Cape Wind" book just isn't that good?




Apparently, some people at WGHB and affiliate WCAI, think so. And so do readers on Cape Cod.



A check in with Border's Books on the Cape reveals no one is buying the book.



According to Broadcast Director, Steve Young, and others at the stations, they only just received a copy the book and hadn't made up their minds yet about it but he added "WCAI has already aired an hour-long interview with the book's authors on Monday, May 7 during the Diane Rehm Show". Additionally, WCAI has covered many stories on the issue, over the past six years, since the Cape Wind project was first was announced.



Since when does a radio station have the obligation to promote any book?



I listened to Diane Rhem's NPR interview with Wendy Williams. It's a gem.





Never have I read such shameless marketing and vicious finger-pointing at public opposition on behalf of a private developer than that of so-called science writer Wendy Williams and Co-author, editorialist, Robert Whitcomb in a book on any environmental subject.




And yet, Ms. Williams categorically denies she has decided whether she likes the project or is attempting to influence public opinion and decision-making, claiming she is simply reporting on the six year controversy.



Ms. Williams claims "It was not intentional that I followed the Cape Wind story."



Yet, somehow she managed to wind up with an assignment from an international wind industry news magazine, Windpower Monthly, to write about the project.



"How conveenient."



In order to gather information for her 'scientific' report Ms. Williams slipped herself into society cocktail parties, sat in the back of the room taking notes at oppositional meetings and eavesdropped on conversations at exclusive country club fund-raisers and public hearings, preferring to mingle with and sit next to the well funded opposition, whom she characterizes as the rich who only care about their view, rather than the local fishermen, lower and middle class residents and working people of the Cape who also vehemently oppose the project.



I guess that is because she decided the average Cape Codder is too ignorant to know anything about it. If they did, surely they would support what she describes in her 'unbiased' fashion an 'incredibly imaginative ambitious project".



"It seemed to me as of from the beginning" say Ms. Williams "some local people, but not all, some local people had made up their minds that they did not want the project."



"We attended meetings in which people had decided to oppose the project long before the developer had actually filed a proposal. The decision was made in the minds of some before they understood what the technology was, or before they knew very much about who the proponent was, or before they understood much about how the electric grid functions."



Ms. Williams obviously prefers Cape Wind spin to public opinion and their right to object to a project they see as damaging to their community and public resources while conveniently ignoring science, facts and available data.



In an outlandish response to, on-call guest, fisherman Captain Ed Barrett's statement:



"It’s an area that’s very important to fisheries. It’s an area that has natural habitat, it’s has natural structure. It’s an area where a lot of species come to spawn, to forage, to seek protection, and I think any time you start proposing putting 130-40 foot story structures up in an area, in a small area like that with a tight grid as they’re doing, then I think you have to look at the effects that it’s going to have on the marine resources."



Ms. Williams denied there is any fishing in the Nantucket Sound.



"Some people have said that there is a substantial amount of fishing in Nantucket Sound. On the other hand, many people have told me that there is not a substantial amount of fishing in Nantucket Sound. I’m a science journalist, and what I do when a scientist tells me something, and I say, “That’s interesting, can you hand me the documents, and I’ll call you after I read them.” For five years I have been told there is a lot of fishing in Nantucket Sound. I walk there a lot. I don’t see the boats. I’ve asked for the documents, and the documents have never been given to me."



To which Captain Barrett responds:



"I’m in utter disbelief actually that someone could actually say that. There are very specific statistics from the Division of Marine Fisheries that would point to the amount of fishing that does exist. The two important fisheries for mobile gear are squid and fluke. And for squid season, we generally harvest little under 2 million pounds of squid, for fluke season last year’s quota was 1.1 million. Those are species that are caught by day boats, that are caught from harbors such as Woods Hole, Haines, Nantucket, Chatham. There are a substantial amount of fishery -- fishing for sea bass, that’s another -- striped bass. These are all very important species for the State of Massachusetts and they’re (those species are) managed through the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Those statistics are readily available."



Ms. Williams defends:



"I’ve asked Ed for those documents for five years and he hasn’t given them to me."



Why ask a fisherman? Why not go to the source of the data, the State of MA Division of Marine Fisheries and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council? Could it possibly be because Ms. Williams would prefer not to directly receive the scientific data and documents in support of the amount of fishing in the Nantucket Sound?



"How Conveenient."


Originally, "Cape Wind wanted to put 170" (now 130 turbines over 40 stories tall industrial wind power plant with a 100 ft high electrical transformer platform spread out over twenty-five sq. miles) "wind turbines in the middle of Nantucket Sound." Ms. Williams said.



"The developer says it was chosen because he feels that is the best location for the project. The water on the Horseshoe Shoal, which is where these would be built, is quite shallow. It’s very shallow. And he would like to... at this point offshore wind has only been developed in somewhat shallow waters. The technology to develop these projects in deeper waters does not yet exist. It might exist in the future, but it’s not available now."



For a science writer, Wendy Williams seems not to be one to do the research. The technology for deep water wind power is well known and producing electricity off the coast of Scotland.



Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also on call for the show, states:



"The Horseshoe Shoal" proposed area of the Nantucket Sound for the Cape Wind project "is 63 percent of the catch for the fishermen of Menemsha, Chatham, Haines, and a couple of other communities come from there. Well, many of these families believe they will be put out of business because of this project. And all we’ve said to Jim Gordon (developer of the project) is let’s move it farther offshore.”



“You know, that’s what they’re doing in Europe. They have deepwater projects now operating in Europe and they have many, many more planned."




"And let’s put this offshore where it’s not going to harm the fishermen who are so much a part of the culture and the economy of our region. There is many places like Chatham, like Menemsha, and like Haines where the entire character of the communities are built around the commercial fishery. These are fisheries that’s 350 years old. Let’s not steal their most valuable resource and turn it over to an industrialist so that he can make money and put these people out of business."



Obviously, Ms. Williams didn't go to Mr. Kennedy for the science and facts since the Kennedy Family is one of the many Cape Cod families she bashes in her book, characterizing them and the oppostion as wealthy, non reputable, biased, self serving industry moguls, while at the same time idealizing wealthy industrial developer, Jim Gordon of Cape Wind as a self-made man, an honest underdog, politically naïve, straight-forward and determined.



Of course Ms. Williams makes no mention of Gordon's recent proposal of a dirty fossil fuel burning industrial diesel power plant for the already heavily polluted community of Chelsea MA.



The fact is Wendy Williams would be hard-pressed to find anyone in this country that knows more, has sacrificed more, worked harder and more tirelessly for the environment than life-long naturalist and envrionmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is an avid outdoorsman, senior attorney for the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), chief prosecuting attorney for Riverkeeper and President of Waterkeeper Alliance.



His uncle, Sen. Edward Kennedy has been promoting the Nantucket Sound as a national marine sanctuary for nearly thirty years, way before a project like Cape Wind was even a twinkling in a developer's eye and pocketbook. Now he is being called a selfish NIMBY for continuing to protect it.




And Senator Kennedy is advocating a comprehensive national policy on the siting of offshore wind farms since one has yet to be developed.



Instead, Ms. Williams relies on an industrial developer for her 'facts'.



The interview ended with Ms. Williams charge that the opposition to the Cape Wind project is "a very, very wealth group, basically a team to take over a public process".



How ironic that she ignores the fact that the developer of Cape Wind is attempting to take over a public waterway for his own personal gain and stands to make billions in public subsidy and tax incentives for something the affected public does not want nor have they asked for.




"Every time" Kennedy said "there is a national crisis or an international crisis, the first thing that the polluters and the industrialists say is, well, we have to sacrifice our most beautiful areas, whether it’s the ANWR or whether it’s building nuclear power plants or whatever."



"And here is another example. This is a public trust water. It’s one of the most heavily utilized public trust resources in North America. There is up to four million people a year who use this resource."




"What I’ve been fighting for 24 years is private developers who want to come and develop and steal public trust resources and privatize them. "And in this case" he added "there is very, very little democratic protection or process."



Not only has the public objected to it, but the towns, all three airports and passenger ferries (for reasons of public safety), toursim boards, commercial fishing organizations and conservation and wildlife protection groups have as well. Not one elected senator or congressman representing the Cape in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has endorsed the Cape Wind project.



Ms. Williams decries interference in the public process yet she and co-author Robert Whitcomb are doing just that with their book which failed to hear to all sides with open minds, diligently and without bias research the facts, take them into account, present them in an honest and unbiased fashion. Instead they attempt to silence valid public concerns with distortion of the facts, condemnation, avoidance, ridicule, name-calling and spin.



And they smear an entire community of good hard working citizens, they haven't even bothered to know, who have a strong sense of place, seated in democracy, to do it.



"Well, isn't that special?"


9 comments:

Renewable Energy said...

Whether you are pro or con... What happened to this blog?

Anonymous said...

by refusing to allow windfarms all you rich assholes are acting dumber then the people in the special olympics...its a perfectly reasonable solution to broaden our energy resouces...don't want the wind farms? move from the cape...where you ask, somewhere in gods asshole, because satans ass is full

Ron said...

As a colonial-rooted Cape Cod native who firmly believes in the sanctity of our maritime heritage, I am writing to ardently express my steadfast support for the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound. Based upon sensible logic, data and reasoning, I am also conversely opposed to the controversial Cape Wind Project which seeks to despoil and rob us of the pristine nautical legacy bestowed by our forefathers. As a result of the likely profound damaging regional financial, ecological and public safety consequences Cape Wind would wrought upon us all, it should not be allowed to proceed forward to fruition.

The project poses a cogent danger to essential air and sea navigation. Siting the project in Nantucket Sound is a breach of the public trust. Contrary to their sham claims, the cost of the electricity which the project will produce would not be cheap or competitive. It would be an unbearable fiscal burden hoisted upon us without our sanction or consent. Furthermore, it will represent a deleterious local economic blow by it's absconding of undeserved taxpayer-funded subsidies, forced real estate devaluations, and lost revenues from commercial and tourism activities. The proposed one hundred thirty wind turbines will perpetually cause unsightly visual contamination and distressing noise pollution. Finally, Cape Wind will unnecessarily endanger a critical marine and wildlife habitat.

With the aforesaid thoughtful rationales in mind, along with the inherently unfair and inequitable nature of the proposed Cape Wind Project itself, it must not become a reality which will forever doom our children and grandchildren to a ghastly socially inhumane legacy.

Ben said...

Regarding the opposition to Cape Wind:

America used to be a country of innovation, hard work, and taking necessary risks.

That was what defined the "greatest generation" and why they deserved their title. They sacrificed themselves and their time so their children (all of you, the "Me generation") could live comfortably.

Nearing, or in, retirement, you have all made your money; many of you by exploiting the world's resources. But that is not enough. Now, selfish as always and with no thought for future generations, you want to sit back and enjoy your view because you "worked hard" for it. Unlike your parents, you are sacrificing your children and grandchildren so that you can continue to live comfortably.

Oddly, I must thank you. As a 30 year old, I am a child of your generation. Your generation is 100% responsible for destroying the economy, ruining our ecology, and tainting the moral structure of what was once the greatest nation in the world.

Thanks to you and the blight you have created, we, the generation left behind to clean up your mess, are the parents of the next great generation.

My son will grow up to be an honest, hard working, fair, decent, intelligent, humble man and I owe this to all of you. The foundation of the next great nation will be built upon his and his generations backs. It took a while for me to realize this, but you showed me exactly how not to live and how not to raise my children.

Go ahead, as you have for so many years, stick your head in the sand of your high-brow ignorance. But stay out of the way. Your time of usefulness has passed. This nation is being taken from your hands.

I know that my grandchildren, your great-grandchildren, will thank me for it.

Anonymous said...


I can´t stand Robert Whitcomb from Providence, Rhode Island. He is such a sleaze. He molested his daughter now she´s a criminal, drug addict who ruins people´s lives with false accusations of rape. He also used Providence Journal money to pay his molested daughter´s psycho medication.

Anonymous said...



Charles S.

I can´t stand Robert Whitcomb from Providence, Rhode Island. He is such a sleaze. He molested his daughter now she´s a criminal, drug addict who ruins people´s lives with false accusations of rape. He also used Providence Journal money to pay his molested daughter´s psycho medication. Robert Whitcomb also refused to pay me back for the money his daughter stole from me. Lydia Whitcomb is an evil drug addict.

Anonymous said...

C.S.

Lydia Davison Whitcomb is an evil, drug addict liar who makes false rape accusations. That´s right. I said it. I´m not scared of that family anymore.

Anonymous said...

Lydia Whitcomb from Providence, R.I and born July 1981 is a very dangerous sociopath.

She has spent most of her childhood in mental institutions in Providence, R.I for criminal behaviour but now lives in NYC where she works as a babysitter. Most of her psychiatrist have said that she is a very dangerous liar and sociopath. Her father is VP of the Providence Journal Co. and keeps the law from going after her. Whenever she is caught committing a crime his lawyers bullies the victims and make them look responsible for her crimes.

Lydia Whitcomb is known to steal (or borrow money and never pay back) for her drug habits and falsefy doctor prescriptions. She has a very violent temper and will hurt those she feels get in the way of her drugs. She also sells ands uses drugs since she has a severe drug addiction. Like her father she has commited many frauds. Her father, Robert Whitcomb, has stolen money from Roger Williams college when he was on the board. When confronted with his theft he blamed his accusors and walked away.

Lydia Whitcomb has also filed false assault and rape charges against people and ruined their lives.

Robert Whitcomb uses his money and influence to keep Lydia Whitcomb out of jail. He is a crook.

Stay away from Lydia Whitcomb or she will ruin your life. She is a dangerous criminal.

Anonymous said...

Lydia Whitcomb from Providence, R.I and born July 1981 is a very dangerous sociopath.

She has spent most of her childhood in mental institutions in Providence, R.I for criminal behaviour but now lives in NYC where she works as a babysitter. Most of her psychiatrist have said that she is a very dangerous liar and sociopath. Her father is VP of the Providence Journal Co. and keeps the law from going after her. Whenever she is caught committing a crime his lawyers bullies the victims and make them look responsible for her crimes.

Lydia Whitcomb is known to steal (or borrow money and never pay back) for her drug habits and falsefy doctor prescriptions. She has a very violent temper and will hurt those she feels get in the way of her drugs. She also sells ands uses drugs since she has a severe drug addiction. Like her father she has commited many frauds. Her father, Robert Whitcomb, has stolen money from Roger Williams college when he was on the board. When confronted with his theft he blamed his accusors and walked away.

Lydia Whitcomb has also filed false assault and rape charges against people and ruined their lives.

Robert Whitcomb uses his money and influence to keep Lydia Whitcomb out of jail. He is a crook.

Stay away from Lydia Whitcomb or she will ruin your life. She is a dangerous criminal.