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. 

Beloved Boston...A Re-Post

You can't live in Boston today and not reflect on the events of a year ago. 
This was posted on Tues April 16,th, 2013, the day after the bombings.

I wasn't there.

Neither my kids nor my husband were there. We were all safe.

She in NYC, is the one who alerted me of the events via text. He, safe on the golf course with my dad, 70 miles away from the war zone. My husband ensconced safely at his desk and I, enjoying a rare day off with my mom.

I wasn't there, but I could have easily been there like I had so many years before.
I can only share with you how most of us Bostonian who live here felt when the first waves of info came in:

It was 3:15, and I'm shopping at Neiman Marcus in a local suburb. Frick texted me. It read, "Mom, did a bomb go off at the marathon?" "Are u there?" "No."I replied." H/O"

I stopped, and searched the web on my iPhone. I googled Boston Marathon 2013. Nothing. I searched some more nothing. I then searched "bomb at Boston Marathon." I found the footage. I clicked on to the raw video and heard the news that a bomb had gone off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The report  said it was a, "horrific scene". It went on to describe bloodied streets and loss of limbs and I immediately went into safety mode. I started mentally checking off my family members.

That's what everyone that lives here did.

The first text was sent to my best friend. She lives in Boston and is an avid runner. I knew the answer before I finished typing the text, so I immediately placed a call to her seconds after I pressed the send button. I couldn't wait. She answered, "I'm ok." She was crying.
"Thank God," I said. "Were you there?"

"Can," she said between sobs. "I was right there. I had just decided that it was getting cold and that I had shit to do and that it was time to go home." "I felt the blast behind me and turned to see the smoke."
I was so glad she was ok. So glad she was safe. So shocked that she had been so close. She hadn't even called her mom. I let her go, telling her I loved her and to call her mom.

Then I went over the familial list:
I come from a large family and the majority of us are 20-50. Prime Marathon viewing years. The texts began furiously. While I was walking through the store, word got out and people everywhere could be seen either talking on their smartphones or looking at their smartphones. I drove home because no one really wanted to NOT be in front of a TV at this point and we listened to Boston Sports radio, which turned into news talk on the ride home. It was an uneasy next few hours as we awaited word on the family safety. It wasn't until 6:15 that we knew for sure that both my 26 immediate family members were ok and my husband's 11 members were safe. We were lucky.

Then the worst news of all came.

3 people had died and one of them an 8 yr old boy.

Hundreds of people had been injured. It was worse than we could have imagined. I felt at that moment that life had changed.

We were glued to the TV for the rest of the night as I'm sure you were too.

Trying to make the best of a horrid day which was no happy holiday after all.

Of Course, There Are Two Sides To Every Story

Bullies aren't just kids.

That's the first thing I want you to know and the second is that there are two sides to every story.

But this story is a bizarre, sad story becasue not only does it take place in the adult world, but it takes place in the realm of professional sports. Most logical adults would think that stuff like this doesn't happen once we leave college. Or does it? If you ask, now suspended indefinitely Miami Dolphin Richie Incognito, once voted the "dirtiest player" in the NFL, about the hazing/bullying of his fellow teammate Jonathan Martin who reportedly left his team because of such abuse, he will admit to using vulgar language and intimidation, but blamed it on the culture of the NFL locker room.

When the story first came out, ESPN reported that Incognito, a Miami veteran, left a vile voice message for Martin. He uses the N-Word (Incognito is white and Martin is black) and threatens to defecate in Martin's mouth. Shocking? Yes, and in the way those damning words were first reported it was an all out witch hunt for the bad guy. Incognito had long been a problem; according to sources he was kicked out of Nebraska, punched security guards and was released by the LA Rams to name a few of his numerous infractions, so it was easy to think the Dolphins had thrown the proverbial bucket of water over the proverbial Wickid Witch. 

But that was only one side of the story.

The other side is somewhat bizarre and a bit unbelievable.

Incognito was then interviewed by Jay Glazer of Fox. What we learned it that after the vulgar voice mail that was reported by ESPN, there was a bit that was left out. Edited for effect, you might say because Incognito says to Martin before he hangs up, "Call me back, OK?". Truth be told, Martin then called Incognito back.
Huh? 

Reports say that Martin also texted Incognito on Thursday night after Miami's overtime win over Cincinatti. The now famous text reads;
"Wassap man the whole worlds gone crazy. Lol...it's insane bro but just know I don't blame you guys at all. It's just the culture around football and the locker room got to me a little."

That text is the last of 1142 texts that have been exchanged between Incognito and Martin. 

Then the money shot: Incognito revealed that Maritn had sent him a message that read;
 "I will murder your whole (*****) family." to which Martin's lawyer tried to explain away by claiming it was part of an Internet meme, a joke not to be misconstrued. So what's good for the goose may never be good for the goose, eh? 

So who's side of the story is the truth? 
What is the truth? 
Who is the victim? 
Who is the bully? 

Maybe the NFL needs to look in the mirror here and take it's head out of the sand. I'm thinking it's not going to like what it sees. 

I Was Just Going To Say...

I intended to talk about happy Christmas music today, but it just doesn't seem right in this forum.

The Pat's played one heck of a second half last night, but this morning it doesn't really matter. My beloved Boston Herald and I, together this morning have set the tone for the day.

As much as I try, and generally succeed in going on with my life, those little faces, the unspeakable horror creeps in and causes me to hold my children close. Frozen almost, in fear of what could happen, a constant reminder of the evil that lives among us.

I heard my daughter say, "I don't want to talk about it," and I was frozen again, unable to move the important conversation forward. I don't think I wanted to talk about it either. But I did talk to my son. I had to explain to him that his high school will be on lock down today. That visitors must make arrangements to gain entry and that he cannot enjoy the privilege of open campus any longer. He understood completely, once he realized how quickly copy cats can strike and how precious life is.

I know it won't always feel like this. I know I'll tell funny and inappropriate jokes and talk about the frivolousness of life again soon on The Daily Dandy. I just knew it couldn't be today. It doesn't feel right.

I also know I'll try to never forget. I can do that for them. It's just about the only thing I can do for them.

Why?