Has anyone noticed that for the most part that organized crime in the Boston area has vanished. No one is involved in taking bets on the NFL or other sporting events; the great white sharks have devoured the loan sharks; the leg breakers have gone into extreme boxing; the extortionist have become contortionists; the war on illegal drugs has been won with Nancy Reagan’s “just say no” campaign finally taken hold. I would not be surprised if many of you are not right now standing up and singing FDR’s 1932 campaign song: “Happy Days Are Here Again.”
Could it be that with the departure of “it came from outer space the man who terrorized Boston for decades” in late 1994 we became crime free with respect to organized crime? Was it only because of Whitey that drugs flowed into South Boston and had he not been around there would have been no overdoses or drug dependent kids in that area? Did he have such power that had he not been on the scene there would have been no organized crime outside of the Mafia? Where have all the bookies gone?
Well according to the ‘Boston Globe’s expert on organized crime the organize crime era is over. The Mafia is gone. He should have added all organized crime went with it from all that appears.
I guess you would have to agree. Since Whitey left town 20 years ago it seemed to have ended. Our man at the Globe tells us this because he was talking to “Vince Lisi” the agent in charge of the Boston FBI office. I could not but help noting the use of the term Vince rather than Vincent. He just wanted to show us he is close enough to the guy that they are buddies. It did not surprise me to see the familiarity between this Globe guy and the FBI. I’ve suggested all along the relationship between the reporters and columnists at that newspaper and the FBI along with the Department of Justice prosecutors makes it impossible for them to be objective in writing about those federal agencies. And, if you know the FBI you know one thing, it is definitely a “my way or the highway” type outfit.
J. Edgar Hoover made that clear during his lifetime. Any negative comments by any media person resulted in the door slamming in that person’s face. That tradition continues. That’s what makes suspect anything people like these with close connections write because it must have the FBI’s imprimatur.
The Globe guy tells us that Lisi wants us to believe there is a distinction between the Mafia and the Islamic extremists. Vinny, told him: “there were certain unwritten rules “ These were you were not supposed to hit a cop. Vinny seems bothered that the FBI cannot get the terrorists to agree to these rules. He concludes: “We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
Too bad we couldn’t have learned from Vinny what happened in the shooting of Usaamah Rahim from the FBI viewpoint. We can’t because the Globe guy can’t ask him that. He did say Rahim was shot when the agents: “tried to question him about incriminating information they had gleaned from electronic communications between him and Wright” – a more neutral observer would have written “after he was approached by five agents.” He went on to say: “The grainy video released on Monday sure made it look like Usaamah Rahim wanted to die. He was allegedly armed with a knife and kept moving toward the cop and FBI agents who had surrounded him until he got within a few feet of one and they shot him.”
The problem is the Globe guy (and the Globe) is disabled from critically assessing the matter by the relationship. The video shows Rahim walking from left to right disappearing behind a bush; it then it shows three agents following him and two others moving in a trot behind them to catch up. Before the latter two get there the first three are backing up. Rahim walks toward the agents as they back up. One then moves in toward him and shoots him. Rahim did not alter his pace; had he changed it that would be one thing. If he wanted to die would he have strolled like he was doing? Wouldn’t he have had the knife in the air and started to run toward one of the agents.
That’s the problem with the video from the FBI point of view. There was no reason why the shooting had to happen at that time; the other agents had put distance between themselves so that he did not present a threat to them. The question is why didn’t the shooter? What was the urgency in taking his life since there was no immediate danger? That he had a knife is not questioned; that he was walking toward the agents is true; that there was more time to calm the situation down is also true. Why wasn’t it taken is what the FBI must answer? Perhaps Vinny will tell us some day.
.
Ah yes.
Good old “Siddy” Kelly.
Picture taken June 25, 1924
1930’s era blade-happy Australian gangster and “baccarat king.”
Died 1948 at age 48 of heart disease.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/sidney-siddy-kelly-faced-trial-over-the-vicious-razor-slashing-of-rivals-in-1930s-melbourne/story-fnat7jnn-1226450309370
Is Cullen forgetting about Mark Rossetti? Or does that hurt his narrative that Bulger’s case was a unique and historic turn of events, and not just another FBI informant/gangster story blown way out of proportion by the media? NFL gambling is alive and well, its all done over the internet, and controlled by who I assume to be the same people. Gone are the days of running down to the corner to get your ticket, now you just log on through your Apple Watch (see what I did there?) and place your bet. It’s funny how after you really look at the facts, read a majority of the books on the subject, and take the time to delve into the headlines, you realize that most of Cullen’s articles on crime a fluff pieces conjured up out of thin air.
Reporter Foley … poor line of miserable victims in Quantanamo drag ISIS/ISIL sardonically favors for its … Jihadist … targets ; and innumerable other examples of Jihadi crackpots employing the Sword/Knife to enact a very cowardly form of what they consider ” Divine Justice.” We are crazy if we do not clearly view them as they are, in this World we whirl on …. ” together. ” They’re F’ ing death driven muppets.
There is a reporter in I think Miami who has done a great job describing the FBI’s so-called war on terror. He points out that most of the people they have arrested as so called terrorists are actually mentally challenged individuals who were given both the idea and the means to execute these plots by the FBI or their informants. He even has a copy of a tape made when one of the agents left his recorder running when he went back to the FBI office. On the tape you can hear the agent laughing and calling the target “a retard who couldn’t gather bus fare”. In true FBI fashion, they tried to hide this tape but the reporter got a copy of the transcript. They later accused him in court of being a dangerous terrorist and he was sentenced to 40 years in prison. I’ll see if I can find a link. It’s truly disgusting. There is a brief discussion on iTunes on one of the TED talks if you can’t find a link anywhere else
” How the FBI created a terrorist”
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/03/16/howthefbicreatedaterrorist/
Matt: I found the video to be inconclusive. I also suspect that Usaamah Rahim was more mental case than jihadist. A knife is great weapon if you are fantasizing about assassinating your enemies. But I believe the real jihadists prefer automatic weapons and explosives, no? It’s telling that Rahim and his accused confederates don’t appear to own a single firearm. Kevin Cullen even jokes about the fact that Rahim has taken a knife to the “gun fight” that resulted in his death. I understand that Cullen is writing an opinion piece. But surely he owes his readers a little more than the FBI’s version of reality.
Dan:
I agree Rahim was more a head case than a real threat. I’m wondering how it was that he was carrying such a large combat knife on his person. I have to think it was quite obvious. As for Cullen he made his bed with the FBI so he has to do all in his power to please that agency.
* Whoops …. Usaamah ….. sorry about that … ” SAMMAH ‘ 🙂
Rahim should have been allowed to board a Forest Hills Bus, sit behind a White Christian Devil, and with a thunderous Allah Akbar seen if he could outdo the professional French swordsman a compassionate Henry VIII brought across the Channel to decapitate his beloved Anne Boleyn. Seems like Usama Rahim had his. ” Game Face ” on. And I will happily tell VIN just that.
Jimmy’s appeal. There has settled in a widespread belief that Jimmy’s case is over. I suggest just the opposite. If he wins his appeal … How can he be denied the opportunity to present a defense however improbable… The show has just begun. I suspect even if he loses his appeal his tale will be revealed. Jail time for an aging gangster has a way of convincing people not to care.
Jim:
Jimmy has as much chance of winning his appeal as you do of winning the 800 million megabucks. Defendants are often deprived of presenting defenses that have no relation to the charges or that are not recognizable in law. He’s bound to lose and he will just fade away as time passes and the tale of his life whatever one he wants to tell probably will not be very interesting.