Clyde And His Bonnie

The legend of Bonnie and Clyde is at it again. A married couple from Quincy, MA ; Joseph and Jennifer Carrier, decided to support their heroin habit by robbing banks up and down the East Coast with their seven dogs in tow. Their brazen crime spree started in Ludlow Mass when they robbed a bank and made off with not-enough-cash-to-make-it-worth-it. To make things worse-the couple made their getaway in a stolen brown Buick Encore-that Jennifer is wanted for the theft of.

Living the glamorous life of crime, these two then continued on to Florida where the Bonnie and Clyde act continued. Joseph walked into a Wells Fargo in Palm Coast and demanded "large bills". The teller reportedly gave him $300.00, before he reached in and grabbed more leaving with $800.00 total. I'm not sure these two-with their seven Brussel Griffons dogs-can live a life in the lamb and support a heroin habit on $800.00.

So they would, of course have to do it again. And do it again they did, yesterday. This time they chose a bank in Wilmington, Delaware and took off in the stolen car. Police were called and the couple was spotted on I-95 where a high speed  chase ensued.You know how that goes... the couple was arrested and taken into custody. I'm thinking Bonnie and Clyde didn't have a heroin habit that made them sick, but the addiction is still the same. The addiction the the high. The high that they get from stealing and the high they get from the drugs.

These two had a better ending to the story than Bonnie and Clyde, although they may not think so. They get to continue living-without each other-in prison and have a chance at getting clean and turning their lives around. Bonnie and Clyde didn't get that opportunity-prison or not. They ended up dead. Killed by the authorities that hunted them in an ambush. Although their story went on  o became one of legend the real tragedy is that they never got to live long enough to realize that crime, really doesn't pay.

Black And Whitey

So I'm going to see "Black Mass" tonight. I can hardly wait.

I read the book. 

I read the papers when it was happening. 

I live in the city that was terrorized.

I remember the pain it caused the families of the victims; mine included. 

Whitey Bulger is urban legend around here.

I'm fascinated by this moment in history that was captured on film and looking forward to seeing-and almost being there-while the story unfolds. Evil like that has a way of mesmerizing the psyche, which is how Whitey intimidated his victims. Make no mistake, I'm not endorsing a Hollywood glorified Whitey Bulger character, but what I am doing is immersing myself in the story of this crime lord who was enabled by a corrupt FBI agent. I am extremely mindful of the damage that this story has caused, yet I am unable to look the other way. 

Johnny Depp's performance as the cold blooded killer is being hailed as "scary good" which lends itself to the legend of this evil man. Boston Herald scribe Peter Gelzinis explained the truth of Whitey's core evil quite eloquently this morning. He was relaying a story about the murder of a bookmaker 30 years ago who had pissed Whitey off. Gelzinis and his colleague Paul Corsetti were working the story.

"In the course of asking questions, Corsetti got a call to meet a tipster in a bar near Quincy Market. Paul waited until almost one in the morning and was about to leave when a rather ordinary-looking guy approached and asked, "You're Paul Corsetti, aren't you?"

When Corsetti nodded, the stranger asked, "Do you know who I am?"

Paul shook his head, and the stranger told him: "I'm Whitey Bulger, mother (expletive)." Though Whitey announced that he killed people, what he told Corsetti was far more terrifying. He described the make, model, color and license plate of the car Paul's wife used and the name of the daycare center where she dropped their daughter off." 

That's Whitey and who he is. History can be rewritten, but evil is evil, regardless of who is telling the story. 

Shawshanked!

I, like so many others are fascinated by the recent prison break in upstate New York.
Quick recap: 2 inmates serving life sentences escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate, New York. "Little Siberia", as the facility is dubbed, is a well known prison that hardened criminals go to serve out their sentences. The inmates hatched an elaborate plan that looks like it came right out of the script to a movie: The Shawshank Redemption.

The lengths by which these two inmates went to plan and secretly execute their escape has prison officials and New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo baffled.

"The complexity of the escape has astonished prison experts and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who toured the inmates' escape route.

"It was really unbelievable," Cuomo said. "If it was a movie plot, you would say that it was overdone."

He said the inmates cut through a cell wall that included steel a quarter-inch thick, maneuvered across a catwalk, shimmied down six stories to a tunnel of pipes, followed that tunnel, broke through a double-brick wall, cut into a 24-inch steam pipe, shimmied their way through the steam pipe, cut another hole so they could get out of the pipe, and finally surfaced through a manhole."

It's becoming evident that the two inmates had inside help. Inmates David Sweat 34 and Richard Matt, 48, both convicted murderers, used power tools to drill through concrete and metal pipes to escape without a trace, now 3 days and counting. The inmates, not discovered missing until 5:30 AM the morning after the break, had crucial time to get a head start on authorities. But the question remains as to where they got the valuable power tools and why weren't they heard drilling and cutting? A female prison employee is currently being question in the investigation. The woman, a prison tailor, who insiders say knows the inmate "very well". And if they had help on the inside my guess is that they have help on the outside too so the chances of them finding the inmates dwindle with each passing day.

Since this is my new fascination I had a thought-
I think we-society-should be focused on plastering their pictures all over the media. We should be talking about it on TV, radio and print all day long. So much so that it's a topic on the mind and lips of every walking, breathing American.

I would think our time would be better spent discussing these 'on the loose' criminals as much as let's say...topics that get intense media scrutiny like deflated footballs?

Just a thought.

#TheDress...

Evidently the dress is black and blue-but I saw gold and white. I guess that means my emotions are in check? Such a fuss....

But I don't want to talk about that dress. I wanna talk about this one:

Get this...

This dress that Lupita Nyong'o wore to the Oscars last Sunday was reportedly made completely with pearls; 6000 white Akoya pearls-estimating its worth at $150,000.00-was STOLEN right out of her hotel room!  Nyong'o reportedly told police that the dress was stolen out of her room at The London West Hollywood sometime Wednesday between 8am and 9 pm, while she was out. 

Holy Hollwood caper, bloggers! Have a great weekend and please try to lock up your valuables! 

UPDATE: The dress has been found! According to TMZ.com the thief who stole the dress returned it to the hotel after he learned that the dress-made of pearls-were fake! He contacted TMZ to inform them of "Hollywood's fake bullsh*t".

Black Mass

The great Johnny Depp is playing Whitey.

The notorious Boston gangster, Whitey Bulger, that is, and the people of Boston are curious. Beside Ben or Matt, I don't think there was a better choice for the elusive gangster. Depp is playing the title role in the movie adaptation of  the book "Black Mass: The True Story of the Unholy alliance between the FBI and the Irish Mob", written by Boston Globe scribes Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill. 

If you live in Boston, like I do, you would be hard pressed to find someone who does not know the story of the crimes committed by the Irish Mob for decades and the FBI men who allowed them the breathing room to commit them. It's an interesting story, and a book that I read with rapt attention.  Filming is going on now, and Johhny Depp filmed a scene yesterday In East Boston where he eerily resembled the aging, now incarcerated, legendary Boston gangster.  The scene, shot on the same street where a murder occurred just last week, was shot-quite literally-in Irish Mob fashion. According to the Boston Herald:

"in the scene shot yesterday Whitey/Depp and a couple of his henchmen walk with an unsuspecting victim near the water in Eastie. While Whitey shakes the man’s hand, he is whacked from behind by one of the aforementioned thugs. Whitey walks away and gazes out at the Tobin Bridge while the other two drag the body away."

Hollywood's take on this unbelievable story should be very interesting and the casting of Depp is brilliant. No one can take a character and make him believable, possibly even likeable, like Johnny can. (his portrayal of George Jung in "Blow" still remains one of my favorite Depp roles) Its a true crime story for the crime story lovers in all of us."Black Mass" is a best seller written by two Boston Globe writers who worked the beat and covered the Irish Mob during their horrific reign over the city which ends with the disappearance of Bulger in 1994 when he was tipped off by his FBI handler John Connley that the Feds were going to indite him on racketeering charges. He remained on the lamb for 16 years before being arrested in Santa Barbara, California in mid 2011. Bulger, at one time, was the FBI's most wanted man, right next to Osama Bin Laden.

Now he's getting the Holllywood treatment, albeit on screen only, but I wonder what old Whitey thinks of the casting of himself in his true crime story. These stories are the stuff that legends are made of. Lots of people died at the hands of these hardened criminals, and if justice is to be served, the families of the victims of the horrible crimes will share in the spoils of the movie's box office success. As for the real life cast of characters? Karma has taken care of them. And the rest is up to their maker, when they day comes for them to meet him. 

"Rat a tat tat, Whitey."

Steven Davis, the brother of Debra Davis, who the jurors were hung in her murder, reacts after yestereday's verdict. 

The verdict is in. As anticlimactic as the announcement that the Bulger jury had reached a verdict yesterday;  it is, in fact, big local history in the making and bears mention here.

Is  it the bombshell that we expected? No. It wasn't. 

But nineteen people who will no longer have a voice were finally given the chance to tell their story. Maybe their families will find peace in the verdict, maybe they won't. 

Was justice served?

I think there will always differing opinions when it comes to justice being served. If we look at it academically, the split verdict breaks down this way:

Bulger was found guilty of 11 of the 19 murders

2 counts of  racketeering, 

3 counts of conspiracy to commit  murder 

7 extortion counts

1 drug count

6 money laundering counts

Of the eight murders he was not found guilty of , the jury was  hung on only the murder of Debra Davis his ex partner's beautiful, young girlfriend. Her brother, a fixture on the trial daily, vowed to avenge his his sister's death urging prosecutors to persue state murder charges. "It's not over for me until I am in the ground, " he said. 

Bulger will be sentenced on Nov 13 in a process that is expected to take several days. His attorney's say they will appeal on the immunity claim. It's a long shot, but Bulger's got nothing else to do. He faces a life sentence plus. Somewhere, through all the BS there has to be some justice in that, right? The 84 year old gangster will never be a free man and most likely will die while incarcerated. Some of the victims family members, when asked by the press what they thought of the verdict outside the courthouse yesterday said he already "got away with it", walking around a free man for all of his life, only to spend his last days in prison. 

For those of us who spent our lives in Boston, living the legend of Whitey and his thugs,  some of our lives being affected dramatically by Whitey and his thugs, it's  somewhat of a rip off. Had we been able to see the trial; actually see the man that is Whitey Bulger with our own eyes, and seen the courtroom expletive laced exchanges between Bulger and his former partners, Kevin Weeks and Steven Flemmi, we might have had a different feeling about all of this. I guess we will have to wait until 60 Minutes, 48 Hours or Barbara Walters gets the interview. Only then will we get a bit of closure and a small sense of knowing exactly who this monster is. 

Or should I say RAT. 

Like when it was all over yesterday and Bulger was being led out of the courtroom, a woman yelled out, "Rat a tat tat, Whitey!" 

You can bet that captured on tape, it would have been a sound bite that would have stuck like glue to the rat. 

I Was Just Thinking....Test your Legalese

With the Whitey Bulger trial coming to a close, today it was reported that the Bulger defense team submitted several photos of the gangster throughout his life in Boston. The question everyone wants answered is this:

Will Bulger take the stand?

In a trial that sizzled at times and fizzled at times, the highlight being an f-bomb laden exchange between his two former crime partners from the defense table, I have to ask what's really at stake here? We know the guy is corrupt and dangerous. We also know that he's NEVER going to get out of jail; so why take the stand? Why now? Insiders say he's fighting for his reputation.? He's fighting for a reputation that he's a gangster with morals who wouldn't kill a woman and that he was never a rat. That John Connelly tampered with informat files to make it look that way. It seems a moot point.

I pose this question to you:

With today's submission of photos, do you think the Bulger defense is preparing for Whitey to take the stand? If so, what is their strategy?

And,
If you were the defense what would be your strategy at this point?

Discuss...

Killer Instinct

There's been a lot of talk of murder going on in these parts. What with the trial of the century taking place in Boston, the tales of cold, calculated and useless killings scatter the pages of my morning newspaper daily. Aaron Hernandez's alleged killing spree, seemingly playing on a continuous news loop, leave me to think about the motive for so much murder.

For Whitey and the boys, killing was an everyday part of their business. And they were running a very fruitful business. It was a simple means to an end. A" do what we say and nobody get's hurt" type of thing, but far too many people got hurt. They ended up dead because killing was their business. It wasn't personal it was business and they were very good at it. What was another kill when you had already killed so many?

So if Whitey's gang killed to keep business going, what was Aaron Hernandez's business? These two men are a lot more alike than one would think. They killed because they could. And they got away with it because they both believed that their "business" made them untouchable. Their money and their "positions" gave them power. Whitey was the ruthless head of a crime organization that nobody wanted to mess with. What we now know is that although their gang had the intimidation factor on the streets covered, they really were untouchable. They had the Fed's in their back pockets. It's amazing what a couple of career Feds will do for unlimited amounts of cash and drugs and what a group of ruthless thugs will do when the system looks the other way.

But Hernandez? He seemingly had it all.

He had been gifted athletically and worked hard physically, then coddled because of his football ability. That kind of ability puts butts in stadium seats and sets advertiser's hearts aflutter which translates into big dollars. So much so, that Hernandez, at the ripe old age of 23, was paid a $40 million dollar king's ransom to show up and play. $12 million of it, just for putting his signature on a piece of paper.

One has to wonder why throw that away?

It is no secret that Hernandez had questionable dealings with bad people. His name entered into the NFL draft with high hopes, but his reputation for trouble preceded him. His appeal was tainted and many teams took a pass on him. They didn't want the trouble. The Pats thought they could change him. They thought that 40 million would rehab his gangsta ways and that he would play nice now that he was a valued member of the team. But 40 million and "NFL star" attached to his name has a funny way of bringing with it hero worship and a feeling of entitlement. It could almost be argued that it made his taste for blood more ravenous.

Both men killed because they could. It's that simple. In Whitey's case, intimidation and Federal backing made him untouchable and he never thought he would need to worry about the consequences. He owned the consequences. Hernandez thought the same thing. If he didn't own the consequences, he could certainly buy them.  He had covered his tracks before, what would make this time different?

Money, power, fame. A lethal combination. And all for what? The thrill of the kill? Look at them now.

I can think of $40 million reasons not to.

Fade To Black

• He will always be remembered as Tony Soprano. With yesterday's news of the passing of actor James Gandolfini in Rome, Italy (how fitting) at the young age of 51, it's as if Tony Soprano got whacked. And now we will never know what really happened after that "fade to black" moment at the end of the series finale of "The Sopranos". It seems so tragic that the actor's life was cut so short. Somehow, Tony Soprano had more to do. In a way, he was every man's Tony Soprano. 

• Strange goings on here involving New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez. Police found the body of a 27 year old Dorchester man who was shot in a car less than a mile from Aaron Hernandez's North Attleboro home. The car the man was found in was rented to the Patriot's tight end Hernandez. Police later spent hours searching the Hernandez home. He has not been named a suspect in the ongoing investigation...yet. Discuss...

• I'm exhausted from staying up watching all the Bruin's overtime games! We lost a tough one last night, but the B's comeback to put the game into overtime showed heart and courage and skill!! I'm enjoying every minute of it and I predict a cup VICTORY!!

• "Kimye" baby, spawn of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian still has no name! Or no name that we know of yet. Which is HA-LARIOUS! This whole "we need privacy please" thing is just not working for them. The Kardashian's would have an enema on TV if it meant lots of dollar$$$ and now Kimmy has decided that she and Kanye's baby are going into hiding? I can't say I blame her. This is the way it should be. All I'm saying is the machine that is Kardashian will put pressure on Kimmy to have baby in the spotlight more often, causing Kanye to back away from Kimmy even more than he already has, leaving Kimmy alone as a single mom.  AND I also predict that "Donda" will appear somewhere in baby Kimye's name. (Donda was Kanye's mom's name. She passed during a routine cosmetic procedure in 2007)

Please, discuss amongst yourselves..

America's Got Whitey

And so it begins....tomorrow. I can hardly believe it.

Even if you don't come from Boston, chances are you know who Whitey Bulger is. The man pictured above is nothing like the image that is conjured up when Whitey's name is spoken in mixed company. And that's exactly the way he wanted it. He lived in obscurity in a beach community in California for years, yet he really lived right under our noses. Whitey had a knack for that.

The man, who at one time was the FBI's number one most wanted man, and became second to only Osama Bin Laden, was captured in Santa Monica, California, on June 22, 2011. We watched with rapt attention, as they pieced together the details of his 16 years on the lamb with his girlfriend, Catherine Greig. I thought they'd never catch him. I thought old Whitey would die out there, somewhere, if he hadn't already. After all, he was well into his 80's when he was captured. But Whitey's story isn't over. There's still plenty left to tell and he's going to have his last say.

And it all begins tomorrow with jury selection.

There are a million headline news stories out there today that unite us as human beings. Bostonian's recently have a lot to connect and commiserate about. Together we will watch the Bruins in their run for Lord Stanley's cup and we will read stories about the amazing recovery and resilience of the Marathon bombing victims.

And we will most certainly watch the trial of the century take place here at John Joseph Moakley US Courthouse. We will await Whitey's fate together.

Did I Ever Tell You About The Time I Was Robbed?

Twenty Things Your Burglar Won't Tell You

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.
2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.
3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste ... and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.
4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.

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5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbour to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.
6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy.
7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom-and your jewellery. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.
8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door-understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather.
9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. [Don't take me up on it.]
10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.
11. Helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.
12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.
13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)
14. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.
15. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbours.
16. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbour hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing. It's human nature.
17. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?
18. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk through your neighbourhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.
19. Avoid announcing your vacation on your social networking site. It's easier than you think to look up your address.
20. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.

Maybe I'll tell my story soon.

23 Years In The Making

I got so very excited yesterday when I heard the news.

After 23 years to the day, the FBI announced a big break in the mysterious Gardner Art Heist. The Isabella Stuart Gardner museum, robbed by two men dressed as Boston cops on a dark and drizzly night, March 18th, 1990, has remained one of the greatest mysteries and one of the biggest art heist ever. The 13 works of art, valued at $500 million dollars, are today considered to be the most valuable works of art in the world.

What the FBI has announced is this:

• They know who did it. BUT, the statute of limitations has run out.
• They know that the 13 priceless works of art were sent to Connecticut and then Pennsylvania, and then offered up for sale in Philly. 
• That an "East Coast Crime Organization" orchestrated the heist and then tried to sell them off.
• They say they do not know where the precious works are now and they are appealing to the public for information by offering a $5 million dollar reward for their safe return.

What's really exciting is that the works, once theorized to be long destroyed, are now believed to be in good condition. According to Ulrich Bosser, author of "The Gardner Heist: The True Story Of World's Largest Unsolved Art Theft"  (which I read and HIGHLY recommend)

"What’s really exciting is that the FBI says, with a high degree of confidence, that they believe that the works were offered up for sale,” Boser added. “A lot of people have speculated over the years that the works have been destroyed.”

I, for one am intrigued and waiting with baited breath for the outcome which I hope to be the precious works returned to their rightful home.

So I can go see them for myself.

These developments are exciting indeed, but remember when I told you I read the book "The Gardner Heist"?  I learned one of the reasons "crime organizations" or criminals steal valuable art other than money is for use in negotiation to mitigate punishment for other heinous crimes they committed.

Sounds to me like Whitey is singing like a bird in jail.

Through Egg Colored Glasses

Listen, I OWN up to my shi*. If I make a mistake I will tell you I made a mistake, ask for forgiveness and move on. Even and especially if I made a mistake, and I will do my best to rectify the situation.

But this one left me with egg on my face and it wasn't my mistake. I was duped. Oprah didn't guest host GMA..She was on for a mere 10 minutes at most, and she was in New Orleans?. What gives here? Now I'm thinking, where did I hear that Oprah was guest hosting today? I must have heard it on GMA,  where else?  I then think, "am I loosing it?" A quick internet search pulls up:

 "Jessica Simpson, 32, was the first special guest host to replace Robin ...Some of the guests include Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, Oprah Winfrey, and Kelly Ripa. ... All in all, Jessica fitted right in with the "GMA"crew. Oprah Winfrey and the Kardashian sisters will co-host on Thursday, September 13, 2012."

I think they even advertised and teased Oprah as a co-host today. So not me-THEM- have egg on their face. Whatever...just wanted to set the record straight.



Did you hear about the bank robbers in California who threw their heist of cash out a car window during a high speed pursuit by police yesterday?

The thieves allegedly threw the cash into the streets in a filed bid to block the roads with people. Hundreds of onlookers flooded the streets and started picking up the money in a frenzy. The 90 minute police chase came to an abrupt halt when a truck blocked the stolen car's path and police and onlookers swarmed the stopped get away car. Police had a difficult time controlling the crowd, but managed to detain the suspects.

Can you imagine walking down the street and seeing a car speeding dangerously down the road with a ton of money flying out the window?

 I'm thinking after the initial shock, I would too, be grabbing the cash and stuffing it into my pockets as quickly as possible. Thankyouverymuch...

The question is, would you feel guilty for taking the money? I would probably worry that the cops were going to find me and tell me I have to pay it all back and then I would worry that the money was all bad luck karma and think that it brought me bad omens and  bad luck. But that's just me.

What would you feel, bloggers?

He Said/She Said

Interesting stuff going on here in MA.

Convicted killer Michelle Kosilek, who at one time was Robert Kosliek, an MCI Norfolk inmate serving life for the 1992 strangling of his wife and disposing of her body in a North Attleboro mall, has spent many years waging a legal battle with the state to pay for a sex change operation. Kosilek's doctors have diagnosed the inmate with gender-identity disorder and say that his "mental illness" has caused him to attempt suicide and self castration. Those same doctors have prescribed gender reassignment surgery.

Yesterday, Kosilek scored a victory when US District Judge Mark Wolf ruled  that denying the surgery violates his Eight Amendment rights against cruel and unusual punishment and his/her right to adequate medical care.

"She really appreciates the careful consideration of the court and the respectful decision," said Kosilek attorney Frances S. Cohen.

But there are those who don't share in that appreciation.

State Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr said following the controversial ruling that it sets a bad precedent for future cases and is, "well beyond the scope of reason, and an unjustifiable expansion of the requirements of the Eight Amendment." Senator Scott Brown was more to the point calling it "an outrageous waste of taxpayers dollars." 

So the question lies in what constitutes "cruel and unusual punishment". Is it cruel to expect an inmate to serve his/her time trapped in the body of someone they are not? Or unusual for a "woman" to serve her time in the "male" inmate population when a 2009 University of California, Irvine study found that a transgendered inmate is 13 times more likely to be sexually assaulted.? Yet is it cruel and unusual to deny proper medical treatment to any inmate; transgendered or not?

Yesterday Kosilek scored a legal victory but I'm thinking this war is not over. Wether he gets his surgery or not,  20 years ago his wife Cheryl had no legal recourse when he chose to end her life. There was no appeal to Kosilek's ruling that he was going to kill her. No "careful consideration" to strangling her and dumping her body in a mall.

And all because he chose to utilize cruel and unusual punishment and murder her.

Uni-boob

So there's a big  Beantown bru ha ha in the paper today about how the notorious Unibomber, Ted Kaczynski was the talk of his Harvard University's 50th reunion yesterday. Apparently the Harvard Alumni Directory, the "Red Book" allowed Kaczynski, a Harvard Alum Class of 62, to post an updated entry with his personal stats. 

 According to today's Boston Herald:

" Kaczynski’s posting lists his occupation as “prisoner” and his home address as the federal penitentiary in Florence, Colo. Under awards, Kaczynski snidely cited, “Eight life sentences, issued by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, 1998.” Under publications, he lists a 2010 manifesto, “Technological Slavery,” published by “Feral House.”

Sources say the Yard at Harvard was divided over this controversial addition to the Alumni directory. While some defended his right to be included others, like one of his victims, a Yale professor who lost his eye and hand from a Unibomber bomb, found his entry "chilling".

“It’s very chilling,” David Gelernter said. “He’s an unrepentant terrorist murderer who cut people, and slashed people to death in their kitchens, leaving them to bleed, while he hid in a shack somewhere in the West. So for some institution to lend authority to him, well, I can’t believe such things happen in the United States.”

Kaczynski, one of the world's most elusive and notorious criminals, kept authorities at bay for nearly 20 years as he terrorized the country with his mail bombing campaigns. Arrested in 1996, the Unibomber is responsible for 3 deaths and 23 injuries. He was found in a remote cabin outside Lincoln, Montana, in a disheveled and unkempt state. In his cabin authorities found multiple bomb making materials and over 40, 000 hand written journals detailing bomb making experiments. 

While the climate at Harvard yesterday was divided, some felt uneasy but justified about the controversy.

“One way or another, he has just as much right to be in there as I do. He is a Harvard graduate,” said classmate Richard Tucker, a retired investment manager from Newton. Tucker said he thought Kaczynski’s submission was “a little bit brave.”

Class of 1962 secretary Chris Wadsworth confirmed that the information came directly from Kaczynski and added that, "he has a sense of humor in spite of everything." Yale Professor David Gelernter finds nothing funny about it. 

“The new criminals here are the publishers of this ‘Red Book,’ for their passive collusion with this murderer,” Gelernter said.

Diary Of An Obsession

The woman pictured here is Isabella Stuart Gardner, the famed art collector and philanthropist who housed an amazing compilation of eclectic and very important artworks in her Boston home. Her collection is considered by some to be one of the greatest private collections of art in America. Mrs. Gardner spent years amassing these works of art and transforming her Boston home into a museum which she bequeathed to the city of Boston upon her death. Born in 1840 and died in 1924, Isabella Stewart Gardner was an illustrious and notable figure in the press and the subject of much scandal and fascination. Her museum in Boston is also the place where the most notorious and unsolved art heist in the world took place.

She's just my kind of gal, and the subject of my newest obsession.

For me it all started with a simple conversation with our UPS delivery guy. We'll call him T. T and I were chit chatting one day about this new book he was reading called,"The Gardner Heist". If you live in Boston like I do, most Bostonians are fascinated with any and all things that have to do with crime, Whitey Bulger and the Gardner Museum heist. T was telling me about how speculation surrounding the famous 1990 Gardner Museum art heist, where 13 rare and precious artworks were stolen by two mysterious characters in the middle of the night, could be the handiwork of Whitey Bulger and his crew.

"I'd like to read this book when you're done," I told him. And T delivered. About a week or so later, the book was on my desk. It took me a while to pick it up and actually start reading it, but when I did I couldn't put it down. I was hooked. There are so many people in the world who are today, still trying to solve the famous and elusive Gardner Museum heist. There are people who dedicated their life's work to trying to figure it out, and those who've died trying. But this salacious tale is about so much more than crime, and recently I find myself wanting to learn more and more about Isabella Stewart Gardner and her art.

I have never been to the Gardner Museum in Boston. I read the book in late November of last year and then decided to take trip to the museum. I learned that it was closed until January 2012, when it would be reopening with a grand new wing. The grand opening is next weekend I'm looking forward to spending an entire day immersing myself in every aspect the museum has to offer. Like a true art lover, I wasn't wasn't aware of the impact this story would have on me until it was presented before me. But of the countless, precious artworks housed inside the museum, some of some of which I have viewed on the museum website and seen in the book, the ones that intrigue me the most are not the precious Vermeer or the Rembrandt that were stolen in 1990. Yes, those works are fascinating, but the ones that I am most looking forward to seeing are the portraits of Mrs. Gardner herself.

Like a book with the last pages having been ripped out, or a movie that I didn't get to finish, I feel the need to be a part of this wonderful place so I can complete the story in my head. Or somewhat complete the story, because until they find the stolen art there will always be a page missing from this script. But I'm looking forward to walking on the same floors that Isabella Stewart Gardner did close to hundred years ago, as she intended me to.

WOW!

They caught him.

I can hardly believe it. The FBI arrested their number one Most Wanted criminal (now that Bin Laden is dead) last night in Santa Monica California. I can hardly believe it.

James "Whitey" Bulger, the notorious leader of the Boston's most deadly crime family, the Winter Hill Gang, who went on the lamb 16 years ago, finally trapped like the rat that he was. And you want to know how they found him? They put on a media blitz with ads airing on daytime TV during shows like The View, Regis and Kelly and Rachel Ray, and they posted pics of his longtime girlfriend Catherine Greig.

Unbelievable. I'm sure they had some inside info that lead them to put the pressure on because most people who live here truly believed that the FBI had given their golden RAT, a free pass to slip away into oblivion. In case you aren't familiar with the wolds most notorious criminal, I'll give you a small tutorial. Whitey and Steve "The Rifleman" Flemmi ruled Boston's underworld for decades, with an iron fist. They made the Italians look like amateurs because they owned them. They were deadly and ruthless because they could be and they killed and destroyed everything in their path.

They were untouchable because they had the FBI and John "Zip" Connley on their payroll and their rule was unlike any other. It was that same corrupt FBI handler, Zip Connley, who 16 years ago tipped Bulger off as to his impending indictment, resulting in him going on the lamb with his girlfriend. All the other's in the gang were caught, indicted and jailed and have been for the better part of those 16 years Whitey spent traveling the world. The old gang has no love loss for the old 'boss', who would sell his own brother for a winning lottery ticket.

Responsible for at least 19 murders that the Fed's know about, and endless years of corruption and racketeering, Whitey was arrested in an apartment complex last night, without incident. It all seemed so easy. Too easy. The last confirmed sighting of Whitey was in 2002 in London and since then, he has been a picture on the wall of the post offices of the world, right next to Osama. After Bin Laden's death earlier this year, they upped his bounty from one million to two million, then last week the announcement that the media blitz had begun. That extra million from Osama's head sure came in handy.

This whole fascinating story will now play out on TV and I will be riveted. Truth be told, Whitey was such a deadly killer that I have been afraid to write about him here, especially with him still out on the lamb and all. You never know who is out there watching. I think the coast is clear now, and maybe someday soon, I'll share with you my personal reason's for the fascination. It's one hell of a story. But for now, I'm going to watch this play out.

They caught Whitey Bulger.

I can hardly believe it.

That's Some Crazee Sh**

Seems brazen crimes are on the upswing here in Boston. This latest crime has many twists and turns, quite literally. Some time on Monday, a fight broke out over smoking on an MBTA bus that ended with a "person of interest" being pinned by the foot by the bus for over an hour.

Crazy as it sounds, police are reporting that a gang attack occurred on the 39 year old driver of the MBTA bus after he asked them to stop smoking on the bus. Just before the pummelling of the driver occurred, he called for help from the police stating, "I got a situation I need to deal with right away...I got a couple of unruly passengers." The assault apparently caused the driver to loose control of his bus, jumping the street curb, ramming nearby crosswalk pole and stopping in the front of a vacant store front, pinning the foot of a man who may or may not be associated with the assailants.

Today police are analyzing a YouTube video of this incident.

NSFW Alert* (I'm not sure if this is the actual video that police are studying, but this is a video of that scene after the bus came to a stop and had pinned the man) This video contains screaming and loud profanity, be advised.




While there are two sides to every story, yesterday our local news media was reporting this story which was described by the man whose foot was pinned under the bus for more than an hour. His story is far different than the story in the local papers. Hmmm.

My point is this, my friend The Walking Man lives in Detroit, where stuff like this happens every 15 minutes. I live in a much smaller city where brazen crime is not as commonplace and nonetheless shocking when it occurs. When brazen crime becomes commonplace, we become desensitized to it as a way of survival and our instinct to help our fellow man gets overridden by the will to live.

And that right there is some crazee sh*t. You know what I'm sayin'?