The next thing that happens to Salemme who had been out of jail a little over a year was that in November 2004 he is charged with obstruction of justice and making false statement to an FBI agent about his involvement in the murder of Steve DiSarro. After DiSarro disappeared on November 2, 1999, Salemme had been interrogated more than six hours by federal prosecutors and state police about that. Obviously the prosecutors knew he was believed to have been involved at the time of Connolly’s trial but they apparently did nothing to pursue it and let him claim to be ignorant of it.

On July 16, 2008 Salemme consummated a plea deal with Wyshak. He could have received much more time without the deal and be kept off the street but Wyshak agreed to a deal that sentenced him to five years. Salemme got credit for four years already served in prison. He was to be released in six months’ time in January 2009. He would be back out on the street until charge with DiSarro’s murder.

What was Salemme promised to make him testify? Durham and Wyshak made a deal  that in exchange for his testimony they would file a Rule 35b substantial motion which would allow the judge to lower his sentence and get him out of prison at an earlier date. It was reported afterward: “A judge reduced Salemme’s sentence, making him a free man in 2003 after eight years in prison, because his cooperation helped the government convict retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. . . ..”

As part of the deal they agreed he would not be asked any questions about the Mafia. He would only testify against law enforcement people. I can imagine John Durham making the same type of deal in his investigation of the Obama people with some Russian or Ukrainian mobster who is looking for a deal: “Listen Boris we won’t prosecute you for your crimes or have you testify against any of the gangsters you associate with as long as you give us something on the people who worked with Obama.”

John Durham was the lead attorney in the prosecution of FBI Agent John Connolly who was charged with a series of crimes. Connolly, now eighty years old, has been in prison over 18 years since 2002. He will likely die in prison. Durham worked closely with another prosecutor Fred Wyshak in the prosecution of Connolly. Neither Durham or Wyshak cares that an FBI agent who served more than 20 years in the FBI and retired with honors has received a death penalty.

Connolly, no relation, was convicted on testimony that all agree was perjured. He was convicted on testimony of gangsters with multiple-murders in their background who got astounding deals to testify against him. For example, a man who admitted murdering 20 people got 12 years in prison. When he was released he got $20,000, or a thousand for each victim.

Last Sunday I set out my future schedule whereby I would discuss a certain topic on a different day of the week. Sunday is to be about religion, Monday about politics, etc. I changed Friday from being Free for All Friday to Free For Fun Friday – not that it changes anything it is just I like the use of four “Fs”.

I just want to remind you that the schedule so thoughtfully put together, as Trump would say, “no one in the world could have put together such a beautiful schedule”, I must interrupt it because of the need to examine what kind of prosecutor John Durham has been. I do that Monday through Friday in the upcoming two weeks.

My sermon today is about hate. Sometimes it seems to ooze out of folk especially those who follow Trump. The followers of Jesus were taught not to hate but to love. Love God with your whole being and love your neighbors as your self. That was the simple message that resonated throughout His teachings.

I can see Trump has only a few paths to being elected this fall. All of them are quite nefarious. Here’s how I see it:

a: Indict Democrats. Attorney John Durham will issue a report and possibly indictments for the purpose of affecting the election. It is a United States tradition not to do such things shortly before an election. Trump is desperate so tradition be damned. Attorney General Barr has already said the tradition will not be followed. I will examine the actions of Durham on Monday through Friday over the next two weeks in relation to his prosecution of FBI Agent John Connolly.

b: Secure Russian Assistance. Trump’s fear of discussing Russian providing arms for the Taliban and its paying of money to have American soldiers killed with Putin is telling. He does not want to alienate him and lose his assistance in the upcoming election. There is no doubt it will come. As one article noted Russia’s goal: (Reversing St Francis of Assisi’s prayer) “is to bring discord in place of harmony, error instead of truth, and despair where there is hope.”  It went on to note: “The hostile takeover of the once-moderate US Republican party by Trumpian nationalists on the right and the destruction of classical liberalism by the zealotry of political correctness on the left makes America more vulnerable than ever to the kind of toxic nihilism put out by the Kremlin.”

James Whitey Bulger was made into a very  notorious criminal. The Boston Globe had it on June 25, 2011, in a headline that he was “Back in the town he terrorized.” Howie Carr had it about Whitey and his brother Bill on the cover of his 2006 book “how they terrorized and corrupted Boston for a quarter century.” Alan Dershowitz of  Virginia Giuffre fame, wrote that there was a case of “mass murder and massive corruption” and that Bill Bulger should have been indicted for extortion and taking bribes.

Dershowitz condemned Bill Bulger around the time when he was buddy-buddy with the notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. According to Virginia Giuffre, who had become one of Epstein’s sex toys, who along with other young girls was given out to old men to be abused, she was given out to Dershowitz. It is almost beyond belief that while Dershowitz was involved with Epstein and his ilk he not only goes after Bulger, but he publicly questioned the integrity of “the Dukakises, Whites, McCormacks, Cardinal Laws, O’Sullivans, Welds, Moakleys, and Silbers.”  He said they facilitated the terror campaign imagined by Howie Carr.

The headlines told us he terrorized the City of Boston for 25 years. Yet almost no one heard of him before he fled in December 1991 outside of a small section of the  city called South Boston and some in the criminal element.

He was supposed to be a tough guy but there was no record of him ever going into the ring which was done by lots of tough guys in South Boston.

South Boston was known for sending its tough guys into the Marines. When Whitey’s turn came to enlist he opted for the Air Force. How does that prove one’s mettle?

He was convicted of robbing three banks. He said that he robbed more but there is no record of him having done it. I suppose it takes a certain amount of guts and gall to pull of a robbery, or at least an ability to suppress one’s fears. Whitey did this but he always carried a gun doing it and had others with him.

I should ask whether there is a psychological boost some people get carrying a gun. Does that give a person courage to do things that they otherwise would be afraid of doing.  I ask that because all of Whitey’s bravado seemed to come when he was carrying a gun.

I mentioned a week ago that the Civil Rights Unit under Bill Delahunt the then Norfolk County District Attorney formed a Students Alliance Against Racism. It was quite successful at the time especially because of the cooperation of the police chiefs and police officers in Norfolk County, Massachusetts along with the many teachers, administrators and principals who sought to make it work

During its existence it had a writing competition back in 1985. Some of the students submitted poems. Here is one that was received:

Why Mother?

Why mother? Why don’t the guys want me around?

 And when I smile at them they turn around

Mother, is it because I’m different?

 I just don’t understand…

Mother, in school no ones shakes my hand.

 In the halls no one walks or talks with me,

Is it because I’m different, that they think I’m not fun?

 Sometimes, I just want to scream, I want to run

 I want to be like everyone.

Really, I’m not ashamed of being different

everyone’s different in their own way.

But if it’s not wrong, why is there a price to pay?