Let’s Talk About Whitey Bulger’s Death
This is not directly about politics, but in the end really is. A couple of days ago, it was reported that notorious mobster, James “Whitey” Bulger was found dead in his cell. OK, he was 89 years old and in poor health; another dirtbag dies in jail. That happens all the time, but this one is different – he was murdered in his cell. OK, that happens all the time, too, right? It’s still different. Bulger, who was wheelchair bound, was viciously beaten to death with a padlock stuffed into a sock to make a sort of medieval mace. That’s not all, though – his eyes had been gouged out and at least part of his tongue cut out. Jesus.
Bulger was an infamous member of the Irish Mob in Boston who was famous for his cruelty and cold blooded murder. He was also an active informant to federal law enforcement during his life of violent crime. He was finally jailed in 2011 for life when caught after 16 years of hiding in plain sight. Since being imprisoned for two consecutive life terms he’s been a pain in the ass for prison officials and disciplined multiple times. Bad guy, right? But here is where it gets weird. Bulger was suddenly moved this week to the maximum security federal prison called Hazelton in West Virginia. Within 24 hours, he was beaten to death and mutilated in his cell. The cell was in the general population of the prison. The prime suspect is a guy named Fotios “Freddy” Geas, a Greek hitman for the Italian mafia in Massachusetts who is serving a life term for murder.
So here’s the point – and it’s not that a really bad guy was brutally murdered by another really bad guy both serving life in a maximum security prison. They’re both vicious murderers. The point is that this is no coincidence. Some official in the Federal Bureau of Prisons in the US Department of Justice authorized this move. This official moved Bulger to a prison where he was most certainly in deadly danger, and danger became reality in less than 24 hours after the move. Some employee of the federal government signed Bulger’s death warrant, and THAT is the point.
We are in a time of great uncertainly and instability. The federal government, led by a morally bankrupt individual, is fragile. This brutal murder in a federal prison by an inmate supervised by the federal government was sanctioned by an official of the federal government. Our Constitution commands equal protection under the law. Those Constitutional rights extend to EVERYONE in our country. EVERYONE, even vicious criminals in our prisons. The Department of Justice has a legal obligation to protect everyone under its jurisdiction, especially those in prison. This murder exposes the rot within the DOJ. If a federal official authorizes a move that would result in the certain death of one under their care, is the next step disappearing people who politically disagree with the government? What about those arrested for protesting in Congress or at the Supreme Court? Bringing the full force of the federal government to take the life of a prisoner demonstrates a shocking corruption that must be removed. Corruption is corruption no matter where it lay, especially in the federal government. This corruption must be exposed and eliminated.
I can’t breathe. Trump’s oligarchy is stifling everything we hold dear.
1Jefe, if you’re worried that they’re coming to get you, you can always seek asylum at the nearest Saudi Arabian consulate.
2I moved to Boston (from Austin) about two years before Whitey left town, one jump ahead of the cops. He was about as bad as they come, and nobody here is shedding any tears for him. But he was clearly set up to be murdered — he was having heart trouble and was supposed to be moved to a prison with better medical facilities, and instead was sent to one where somebody was bound to off him. Whitey isn’t much loss, but I’m very leery about this setting a precedent. I don’t think we’re far away from having political prisoners, and I’m afraid they might meet the same fate.
3OK, you just explained why he was killed to me. I was wondering why anyone would go after Bulger all these years after his criminal career was done. The Mafia in Boston used their man in the prison to pay Bulger back for all the harm he did to them back in the ’70’s. Since he’s already serving a life sentence, the murderer has nothing to lose unless the Feds decide to give him the death penalty, which only hurries up what he’s already waiting for. The fact Bulger was tortured makes it sound even more like a Mafia revenge killing.
4I couldn’t care less about Bulger, but this speaks to your larger point about law enforcement and corruption: The bodies of two sisters were found on a riverbank in New York, duck-taped together face-to-face. They had filed for permanent residence here and been ordered by their government to return to Saudi Arabia. The “authorities” are calling it suicide because they were still alive when they went into the water. This is the craziest damn way to kill yourself I ever heard of. If agents of Saudi Arabia can kill a journalist in Turkey, why not here? How about the bastards (excuse me, Mama) threw them in alive? And like Kashoggi, they were lawful residents of Virginia. Somebody needs to make a noise about this.
5Why should the US be the only one who enjoys the freedom of “extraordinary extradition”?
6With the US using drones and bombs and special forces roaming the globe as traveling hit squads why shouldn’t other countries enjoy the same rights?
It is like bigotry every one just accepts it as “normal” until a large enough mass of people question it.
These murders are an obscenity. They were abscene when the twit authorized them and they are an obscenity when others follow his lead down the foot path to hades.
We live in an increasingly debased world that rewards bigotry, celebrates murder and rewards criminals.
Bulger– small loss.
US Department of Justice facilitating murder– serious loss.
DoJ being stupidly obvious about it– also serious loss.
7One wonders who ordered the transfer, and whether they have a bank account in the Caymans that just received a nice big cash deposit.
8We are rapidly sliding down that slippery slope to join the nations we used to chide and sanction for their obvious corruption. And it hasn’t taken two years, yet. VOTE on November 6 and let us try to stop the rot.
930,000 people (adults and children) were “disappeared” during Argentina’s Dirty War 1976-1983. Most were tortured and murdered in camps. That war was used to overthrow the left-wing political parties.
I pray that federal corruption, greed and violence doesn’t go here.
10Is now a good time to mention Trump’s ties to organized crime?
11Interesting! Always knew Whitey would end up like this. Just a matter of when. Now if everyone in that prison is behind bars except the guards, how did a hitman get out of his own cell and have entrance to Whitey’s cell to do all that he did to exterminate the guy? This took some time and the help of the guards who most likely assured everyone who asked that the hitman never left his cell. Your point about this sort of thing moving into the mainstream against tRump’s critics is a point well taken. What the Nazis did in Germany during the early 40’s and even the late 30’s was a result of practice done elsewhere. Have been concerned that the tRump government (if that is what you want to call it) would now remove children from parents who actively protest against him.
12Sickening. If DOJ can’t or won’t oversee federal prisons, who will be watching state prisons and local jails? Worse yet, this sends the worst message to the prison for profits friends of Dotard45 and the new industry rising to ‘house’ migrant children separated from their families. Due process? What’s that? Donnie probably thinks it is something about books and libraries, and since he doesn’t read …
It’s no surprise that the snacilbupeR are the total reverse of the “law & order” party they falsely claim to be. Jerkwater Beauregard Sessions is what he is, while Dotard45 and his maladministration are the most corrupt out of 45 and will probably hold that title when #145 is sworn into office.
13Many, many years ago I got to accompany my college roommate’s criminology class on a visit to the state pen. I observed that inmates are not always in their cells. They actually have a fair amount of freedom to move around the prison unit during the day. So, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Bulger had a visitor in his cell.
Still, someone – or many people – had to have turned a blind eye to what was happening there. Given that, and given his placement in the prison’s general population, this looks for all the world like a setup. It shouldn’t be swept under the rug.
14Ever hear of Dannemora prison in New York. Years and Years ago citizens were allowed “tours”. The most harrowing looking people were actually the guards.
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