It is hard for me to escape the feeling that the Globe is trying to destroy Boston Latin School the gem of the Boston Public School system. Shirley Leung’s article which I wrote about last Thursday which seemed compelled by her bosses has me worried. Ever in search of a Pulitzer Prize it has for years painted a false picture of many events by piling on to an issue. Its way of doing it is clear: an abundance of news articles creating a problem; demand for federal investigations which routinely follows, putting out editorials and demanding its opinion writers to keep the issue alive.
We see it Mayor Walsh. The attack on the major, an Irish Catholic Boston College graduate from Dorchester, a historic toxic combination to the Globe. This is also being coordinated with the Globe’s Bostonian of the Year, Boston U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz who seems to slavishly follow the Globe’s demands. The accusations against Walsh seem so far out-of-bounds ( actions as a union leader urging the hiring of union members) that I had immediately figured out the motive behind it. As I surmised sitting in the wings waiting to take his place is a person the Globe would much prefer over Walsh, a minority person from Harvard. I figured if Walsh’s indicted – which as you know is not difficult given the run away aspects of Ortiz’s office – the Globe will demand he step down.
As for BLS it came to mind when I read an article about Simon Leys which can be found here. I found fascinating. Here are a couple of quotes from Leys, pictured above.
“The demand for equality is noble and must be fully supported, but only within its own sphere, which is that of social justice. It has no place anywhere else. Democracy is the only acceptable political system; yet it pertains to politics exclusively, and has no application in any other domain…for truth is not democratic, intelligence and talent are not democratic, nor is beauty, nor love—nor God’s grace. A truly democratic education is an education that equips people intellectually to defend and promote democracy within the political world; but in its own field, education must be ruthlessly aristocratic and high-brow, shamelessly geared towards excellence.”
Though this may sound simply like an appeal to elitism, in fact it is an appeal to respect the intellectual ability and integrity of students, as Leys’s concluding sentence makes clear: “A university is not a factory producing graduates, as a sausage factory produces sausages. It is a place where a chance is given to men to become what they truly are.”
It may be different today but when I went to BC in the late 60’s, the night school students had little interaction with the rest of the student body and suffered a stigma, probably undeserved. At any rate, the mayor’s BC bona fides were a secret until he ran for his current job. He spent as much time in Chestnut Hill as his contemporaneous jobs with the union and the state allowed, i.e.,not much. God bless Fr. Woods, the dean. I’m not aware of him ever asking anyone to leave.
Aging:
That was my experience that the night students and day students did not mix even at the law school. It is interesting that you say the mayor’s BC connection was secret. Why would that have been or – if as you suggest – Fr. woods did him a recent favor.
and Father Kelly welcomed the FBI agents in attendance …
Chris Hedges
Bearing the Cross
Posted on May 8, 2016
By Chris Hedges
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/bearing_the_cross_20160508
Mourners follow the hearse carrying the casket of the Rev. Daniel Berrigan during a procession after his funeral service at the Church of St. Francis Xavier on Friday in New York City. Berrigan, a Roman Catholic priest and peace activist since the Vietnam War, died April 30 at 94. (Mary Altaffer / AP)
NEW YORK—I arrived early Friday morning, after walking through the rain, at the St. Francis Xavier Church in Greenwich Village for the funeral of the Rev. Daniel Berrigan. I stood, the church nearly empty, at the front of the sanctuary with my hand on the top of Dan’s rosewood casket. It was adorned with a single red carnation and
MS:
Nice article by Hedges – went to his site and liked his book selections. Of course the FBI agents were welcome – they spent so much of their time following Berrigan that it was only fitting they see him off at the end. You did note those in attendance at the funeral laughed at Father Kelly’s comment. Even so, as I understand the Catholic teaching everyone is welcome at its services even sinners.
Matt- John Alite is an ex- Albanian, mob associate of Junior Gotti, he flipped and wrote a book with George Anastasia. John Alite is an interesting guy, he claims with Anastasia in the book they wrote that Junior participated in a 302-proffer. Alite did time also in a foreign prison while on the run , i think it was in Brazil. I have seen a few docs on him.
Doubting:
Another example of the people the feds give deals to. He did less time for his murders than Greig did for her technical crimes that usually end up with a person being put on probation.
and here are a few quotes from Cyril Connolly
Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.
Literature is the art of writing something that will be read twice; journalism what will be grasped at once.
All charming people have something to conceal, usually their total dependence on the appreciation of others.
in other news
Black lives matter
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/08/west-point-female-cadets-raised-fist-photo-investigation
West Point investigates black female cadets’ raised-fist photo
Critics question whether women support Black Lives Matter movement and if they violated military policy by engaging in partisan activity
MS:
My cousin Cyril lived his life to the beat of a different drummer that I heard.
I was surprised you never told me about John Alite another FBI informer/witness who murdered a dozen or so people and the FBI and DOJ went to bat for him and got him a slap on the wrist. I have to learn more about him and do a post on him. Seems like a worthy subject.
Also you kept quiet about Joseph Barone who was an FBI informant for 18 years. Interesting story. I’ll do a post on him also. Seems the same tune is played in New York as in Boston and knowing those in the band at the Seat of Government it is consistent throughout the nation.
As for the black female cadets you can see that it is clearly a black power salute — some of the young women were really into it while other being compelled by the group pressure reluctantly went along. If they use their black power in the defense of our country we will be the gainers; if they are using the salute to say “we too can do it” then they should be proud of their accomplishment. Good luck to those women who spent those grueling years at West Point.
In a diverse world different results are to be expected. Fifty thousand years of a separate evolution are reflected in in the disparate numbers of students versus the numbers of their ancestry in the general population. Equal numbers would be a red flag highlighting a con job instead of an exam school.
And who would suffer? All those students at the bottom of every class at Boston Latin who could have flourished in another high school. Also, those denied their rightful opportunity because they are Asian or White.
Racial equality other than before God and the Law, is a harmful myth, a political tool of leftist rootless cosmopolitans who are glad to divide and weaken America. It harms many; it helps none.
Tadzio:
True in a sense. I’m not convinced there are evolutionary differences among the races. Each one has the brilliant and the slow learner. What is the difference is the opportunity each child has in life. Those with parents or family who care and stress the value of education and discipline will far surpass those who don’t. You are right to point out that for some it is much better to be at the top of the class at a regular high school than to be at the bottom at Latin. In any situation where there is a fixed number of students who are admitted where you give some a pass because of racial considerations you are depriving others of an opportunity just because of their race.
I have a close relation who was wait listed at a top Boston Law School but accepted at one in a state where there were only one or two law schools. Had she gone to a Boston school she would have been just another fish in the pond; where she went she was one of the bigger fish who received much better opportunities than she would have in Boston and went on to prove she was as good lawyer as anyone who came out of Boston. The list of valedictorians at all the Boston high school showed that the kids who came out at the top of their classes were getting offers from the top colleges. Had they gone to Latin with its intense competition and highly motivated student body they probably would not have received such good opportunities.
The Globes pro busing position played a major role in the deterioration of the Boston public school system.I guess that they are trying to finish the job and destroy BLS as well.
P.
Yes, there is no doubt about its actions in the 1970s cheering on the busing that affected none of the cheerleaders at the Globe. The plaintiffs did take a run at Latin back then. It was one of the real provable situations that showed de jure segregation because the school people set up a code system so the admission people at Latin would know if a student was black. The letter “T” was written in the corner of the report card. There were a few days when it looked like Boston Latin was going to changed but even in the face of the substantial evidence it was engaged in those acts depriving deserving black kids of an opportunity for an education Garrity stepped back from doing it.
The Globe as I see it would love to have the BLS matter blow up. I’m sure there is correspondence between those at the Globe in charge of working this matter and the investigators at Ortiz’s office working on the plans how to do it. The Globe does not necessarily want to destroy Latin but to be able to nominate its writings about the school situation for a Pulitzer next year. If BLS is destroyed in the outcome few at the Globe would care. It is only seeking to have the U.S.attorney sticks her nose into it so it can keep writing about it. Ideally the Globe would like to see come Civil Rights charges come out of it; the BLS principal step down, and the school required to add more black students which is something that would warm the hearts of the Pulitzer committee.
Terrific material you quote here by Simon Leys. Thank you, Matt.
GOK:
I thought it was a gem so I wanted to share it. Bright guys like Leys sometimes know how to cut right down to the essence of things and help others think straight. Thanks.