Watch Whitey Escape

James "Whitey" Bulger, arrested 25 months ago, has been found guilty of assorted serious crimes, including 11 murders. He's due to be sentenced in three months, on 13 November 2013.

Justice can be slow. Now that Bulger (who'll be 84 in a couple of weeks) has been found guilty of crimes he committed about 30 years ago, will justice be done?

Probably not.

In fact, Bulger might still pull a Kenneth 'Kenny Boy' Lay maneuver. If Bulger "dies" conveniently before exhausting his appeals, his conviction might be abated - perhaps even vacated automatically, such that "the law views it as though he had never been indicted, tried and convicted" (link). 

Stranger things have happened in Boston. A key potential witness (Stephen Rakes) was already murdered during the trial; he'd threatened to further tarnish brother "Billy" Bulger's name (William served for decades as a senior official in Massachusetts state government).

Can victim families split the $822,000 in cash that police seized with Whitey Bulger?  Don't hold your breath... Very little Bulger wealth has been officially recovered, though Whitey's net worth could be $200 million or more (it was estimated by Boston magazine as US$50,000,000)  - see Howie Carr (2006) The Brothers Bulger: How they Terrorized and Corrupted Boston for a Quarter Century (NY, NY: Grand Central Publishing); p. xii; also photo below

USA Illegal Subsidies

The so-called bailout of banks & big companies was a corrupt infusion of government cash to loser firms and crooked insiders.

The bailout & TARP were also an illegal government subsidy: unfair to smaller unsubsidized domestic firms, and against WTO rules (anti-competitive against unsubsidized foreign companies).

If the Frenchies or Chinese offered such government subsidies, we'd expect the USA and US Chamber of Commerce would scream bloody murder... But Big Capital protects itself (at taxpayer expense).

Fascist Kindness

Of course extremist government claims to operate for greater good.

Torturers prefer victims walk to the execution ground - minimizing need for force.

The Nazi Gestapo (Geheime Staatspolizei, "Secret State Police") were not empowered to freely detain and imprison. Many unfortunates were held in Schutzhaft —"protective custody"  — an extrajudicial condition where the victim officially requests confinement.  This reportedly (link) included each prisoner signing their own Schutzhaftbefehl, imprisonment order.

Evil progresses with a smile.

Don't give up legal & constitutional protections.

Pervasive secret police surveillance is very threatening.

Why imagine government deserves your trust? Even if you can easily imagine a reason, think again. Why should a democratic government trust shadowy private contractors such as Booz Allen Hamilton (Edward Snowden's last employer) or mercenary companies such as Blackwater and Dow Chemical, and distrust & spy upon its own law-abiding citizens? To them you deserve fleecing if you sheepishly believe their 'bless you' bullshit, as secret police claim "we keep you safe"... These assholes brought us the Vietnam War. When you see smarmy weasels selling government's agenda, and arrogant mean-spirited goons lurking in the shadows, fight back while you can.

Democracy Destroyed

The USA is not really a nanny state, though leadership claim they're governing "for the people" ... in fact, top leaders must pledge to uphold the Constitution, but they routinely lie.

Democracy, and even the veneer of democracy, has been destroyed in America by militarism & our secret police.

Huge areas of government and our nation are now "high security" and secret. So much is off-limits. There is no hope that citizen voters can control the monster, as we're kept from understanding what's going on.

A tiny ruling class has destroyed democracy, and made the American people their slaves.

It's truly bad. But many caring Americans do nothing.

America's Masters

America's furtive secret police are being investigated due to the disclosures of Edward Snowden. This is good - for too long there's been little or no oversight. Huge funding has been spent on protecting the interests of a few handfulls of robber barons, and also ??? -- who knows.

Are there typical secret police? One key problem is too many technicians merely follow orders, and those orders might originate from dark prejudice or from furtive overseas interests. Without oversight or accountability, how do we know our secret services are not infiltrated? Perhaps hardworking well-meaning honest Americans in our secret police now unknowingly work for foreign powers.

Will a personnel snapshot of our secret police and military intelligence show a range of superheros? They may be skinny technicians. Though whistleblowers Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden are heroic to many, the weakest link in their secret services seems very weak indeed.

One of the problems of such extensive secret police forces is their potential to destabilize governments. The FBI "Official and Confidential" black files of J. Edgar Hoover (link) were allegedly used for decades to blackmail Americans - especially high public officials. Hoover is dead. Has all blackmail stopped?

Trains on Time?

'The professional football team's owner released a statement "We are shocked and appalled ... This sort of behavior or attitude from anyone has no role in a civil society. He has accepted responsibility for his words and his actions. He has been fined for this incident." The NFL later released a statement: "The NFL stands for diversity and inclusion. Comments like this are wrong, offensive, and unacceptable."'

We profess to be a civilized people. But while we might properly upgrade our actions, and cavort primly in polite surroundings, and would truly welcome a more unified community -- we have failed.

Americans (usually) profess respect for each other, and are keen to be nice. But our hands are bloodied by constant militarism and slaughter, at home & around the world.

The stink of torture & murder enshroud America's government.

Does it matter if Dick Cheney likes dogs & apple pie?
He killed a million gooks.

Ashoka vs. Obama

Indian Emperor Ashoka lived some 2300 years ago. He's remembered for his wisdom, his efforts to promote peace, and his edicts on right behavior & respect for others. He reached out to the far corners of the then-known world to dig wells and to plant trees. Ashoka supported education and made provision for minority peoples.

"Amidst the tens of thousands of names of monarchs that crowd the columns of history, their majesties and graciousnesses and serenities and royal highnesses and the like, the name of Asoka shines, and shines, almost alone, a star."

     --  H.G. Wells (1921) The Outline of History. New York:Macmillan, p.371

From our own time, the name Obama might have become great. He promised much. He ruled a great nation, and pledged change & hope. But he fizzled, and failed without really trying. Anti-democratic, militaristic, champion of a dangerous secret police, Obama will be remembered, if at all, as just another shallow bum.

Militarism vs. Manning

Can U.S.Army Private Bradley Manning justly be tried by the U.S. military after releasing documentation of American war crimes and murder?

Surely not.

Middle East Feast

The USA tries to make peace in the Middle East.

Or do they?  Israel does what it wishes.

The USA pays out huge subsidies for the opportunity to pretend it's involved with peacemaking. But mostly "the Peace process" is bullshit: a few cozy dinners, a chance to act as statesmen for partisan fools who crave self-promoting TV coverage.

Hoping reportedly to renew key discussions, the USA today appointed Martin Indyk as special envoy & lead negotiator. Clearly Indyk's not neutral - he's a former research director for Israeli lobbying group AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee). It's more likely Marty's there to keep John Kerry, U.S. Secretary of State, on a very short leash.

For non-extremist ideas (link), see  Jewish Voices for Peace