The mood is just about right on the Boston Waterfront. The heavens weep that our government has sunk so low as to put a seriously disturbed man on the stand as its last witness. Steven Flemmi, also called Benji Ditchman because his innards are filled with the swill that flows through the benji ditches in Japan; or the Vilefulman, a name he came back from Korea with allegedly having served in combat but I’ve yet to hear of him having a medal, not even a Purple Heart, never mind three of them like our Secretary of State; or as some prefer Sewerman’s Scumbaggery which seems a little too refined for the man.
Hank Brennan has become the trigger man for the defense. Carney and Brennan (C&B) have a different style of cross-examination which makes them a highly effective team. Carney’s is more the subtle “wolf in sheep’s clothing” spider-type where he lures the unsuspecting victim to her demise with nice words and smiles easing her ever more tightly into his web just like the spider and the more the witness struggles to escape the tighter Carney wraps the silk of her deception around her.
Brennan on the other hand is like his distant cousin, Trigger Burke. He comes in spraying .45 caliber slugs from a grease gun at the witness and when she falls he comes in with his boot and gives her a couple of shots in the face. All the time maintaining the appearance of an innocent youth out walking along seeking answers.
C&B have what appears to be an excellent relationship between themselves, each man appreciating the other. Much credit for this goes to Carney, the elder, who could resent giving Brennan a chance to shine yet encourages him and basks in his intrepidness. I’m sure much time was spent on analyzing each witness and deciding whose style would fit best in doing the cross-examination.
We say yesterday that in the 12 minutes Brennan had available to him Benji was no longer sitting back calmly following the script. He was being forced to look at his life unlike what anyone has ever done before to him. His artery in his neck throbbed as he tried to explain his daughter was not his daughter and that during his flight she had had changed. She had become all of 16 years old when he came back, ripe for his plucking.
It wasn’t his fault he had sex with her – consensual sex he let us know – consensual sex with a young girl who called him daddy – how vile. It was a different time – she used drugs and dressed in an aluring way – it wasn’t his fault – she made him do it. “Whitey murdered her, not me,” he says as if planning to murder his daughter and letting someone else do it exonerates him from blame. It’s the old excuse of utterly corrupt men, “I was just following orders.”
Just like Whitey made him lure his girlfriend Debbie Davis to her death – she also apparently deserved to die – he is so low that he had to slander her family by unnecessarily saying her brother was a drug user as if that was a reason for him to murder her.
The tragedy of all this is Benji was never necessary as a witness to convict Whitey. There were mountains of evidence against Whitey before he came along. There were also landfills of evidence against Benji to show he was up to his ears in murders. He was absolutely unnecessary to the prosecution of Whitey or anyone else. He, above all others, should have been prosecuted. Why would the federals, the representative of the United States, besmirch the name of our fair land by having this man as part of team USA? I truly cannot figure this out.
There is something that we do not know that brought this about. We will figure it out. Maybe during cross-examination we will get a hint about it. That time draw nears. I have people who disagree with me whether Benji had a good night sleep knowing Brennan was lurking in the bushes ready to spring out at him this morning and flail him. We’ll know shortly. I’ll try to keep you updated.
I’ve watched over the weeks at your coverage here – really outstanding. It is appalling to me as a citizen that the government has clearly lost its way in it mono-dimensional view of the world (get Whitey Bulger). If the serial killer Matarano doesn’t deserve to be prosecuted and spend his life in prison – then who does? If Weeks doesn’t deserve to be prosecuted and spend the rest of his life in prison – then who does? How many serial murderers are there in the U.S.? Not a lot, but Boston has its share. How can those responsible for law enforcement given so many get out of jail free cards? Sad and disgusting. How can the FBI supervisor, weasel have escaped prosecution – isn’t this the guy you want to spend his remaining days in jail for violating his oath and corrupting the system and aiding and abetting murder. Sad and disgusting. And, to cap all of the corruption off that is driven by Wyshak – how could any right minded prosecutor put this disgusting, child-molesting, murderous sociopath on the witness stand ever? How could his supervisors let it happen. This whole trial besmirches the reputation of the Department of Justice, the FBI Boston and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston. For that, I guess, Whitey has proven a certain point. The government has lost its way. If I was the defense counsel – that is what I’d argue in closing – the government has lost its way and send a message through your verdict that you reject their corrupt way (I understand the evidence is overwhelming, but the government has lost the high ground in this case, which is pretty damn hard to do when prosecuting the likes of Whitey Bulger and perhaps that’s the saddest comment of all).
I’d also have Bulger testify and let’s get all of this corruption and disgust on the table. He loses nothing. His days are sharply numbered.
I only wish someone with some common sense and common decency could put away all of the murderous sociopaths the government has joined with in its blind pursuit of Whitey. What a miscarriage of justice.
Keep up the good work.
Tommy:
Thanks for the nice words and for taking the time to comment. You correctly point out about the absurdity of having so many serial killers walking the streets of Boston. There are more than you imagine as I show in my post today.
It makes on concerned that a single minded obsession of a senior prosecutor abetted by the media can pretty much run rough shod over justice. He can do what he wants and there are no obstacles to it. In the eyes of the local press he is more “Saint Wyshak” so anything he does is blessed.
I’m convinced Whitey will testify and will give his version of events that will sound truthful. He’ll probably bury himself but he’ll at least have had his chance to tell his story.
Sometimes the federales remind me of the cartoon where the guy is sawing the tree limb with the perched desperado only the guy sawing is also on the wrong side of the cut. In their obsession to get Mr.White they too have lost their way and will pay with a loss in the citizenry’s respect.
This sad tale might make it as a soap opera because it has no real drama just a long drawn out anticlimactic rhythm.
On the other hand the heroic tale has to center on the younger brother of the now better known as Mr.Dark White. The younger brother who carries his heavy familial burden up the ladder of success through hard work and a combination of true athenian and spartan reverence. A man who always would rather be in Bohemia. The man appears to be no mere mortal.
Hopalong:
Agree. That he could survive the vile attempt to bring him down with all the media co-conspirators who forever will be shown to have written tales made up out of a mixture of hate and jealousy speaks to his fine character.
THIS IS THE BEST PART!!!!! JUICY IS THE TRIAL NOW
PAT2E:
It does get interesting – Whitey is definitely a go