I would like to compare Irish revolutionary leader Gerry Adams, whose letter to the editor appeared in today's Boston Globe with Dr William Bulger, of Boston, Massachusetts, in regard to how each interacts with the law, regarding his brother.
In the letter from Mr Adams he admits that, having sought and received advice, he has supported his niece in her accusations against her father, his brother, with regard to child molestation. His first three paragraphs read:
When my niece, Aine Tyrell, made her allegations against her father - my brother Liam - in 1987, one of my family members accompanied her to social services, and the Royal Ulster Constabulary was informed.He admits he made mistakes in this long process, but he is clear that he was interested in supporting his niece and that he was interested in justice being done and his brother, Liam, admitting to what he had done.
When Aine came back to live in Ireland in the 1990s as an adult, I offered to go to the police with her, and I told her I would support her in whatever action she might decide. She told me she wanted Liam to admit what he had done. There commenced a very long and difficult process in which I tried to create the circumstance for him to do precisely what his daughter wanted. He failed to do so.
Moreover, when Aine decided to go back to the police three years ago, I went and made a statement to the police in support of her.
OK, not perfect, but pretty good, in a trying family situation.
Granted, Wikipedia is not the be-all and end-all of truth, justice and the American way, but here is part of their posting about Dr Bulger and his brother, James (aka Whitey), who is currently a fugitive from the law.
On June 19, 2003, he testified to a House about an incident in which, while still President of the Massachusetts State Senate, he "went to an arranged location in 1995 to take a call from his fugitive brother, apparently to avoid electronic eavesdropping. He said that accepting the call from the gangster without bothering to inform the FBI was 'in no way inconsistent with my devotion to my own responsibilities, my public responsibilities.'"Given his position as first a State Senator and then the President of the State Senate and then President of the University of Massachusetts System, I find his reluctance to be engaged in bringing justice to his brother James to be a dereliction of duty.
What kind of an example is he to other citizens and especially to our youth?
It discourages me that the Commonwealth's Republican Party was unwilling to go to the mat on this issue. It saddens me that the Commonwealth's Democratic Party was unwilling to call out one of its own over this.
Gerry Adams provides the much better example of a brother doing his duty to his brother and to his family and to his fellow citizens.
I hope that others have drawn a similar comparison based upon today's letter from Mr Gerry Adams, stand up guy.
Regards — Cliff
I find the circumstances different enough to have an even lower opinion of Billy. (No "Dr." for me, thank you). Gerry's niece is the only one who can say if Gerry aided his brother against her wishes or not. As cruel as it is to say, our interest as private citizens is not much affected either way--Liam was not abusing us--and I'm a little uncomfortable that someone should be trying to make political hay out of such. (The opinion piece abuses Aine almost as much as anything cited in it).
ReplyDeleteWhitey Bulger, on the other hand, was a known murderer and racketeer whose violence very much affected the well-being and safety of private citizens on uncounted occasions. Billy's knowledge was more than just first-hand from one of Whitey's victims, but corroborated by law enforcement and the judiciary branch of the government in which he served. It's also reasonable to assume he knew about it from his direct conversations with his brother, which should at the very least have led to a hearing regarding disbarment. That he continues to collect a public pension and will never (it would seem) be brought to account is unconcionable.
That the political party system has evolved to the point where men like Billy are not brought to account is worst of all.
We need to conserve our votes for people of independent mind and better moral character.
Just sign me "Unenrolled" and more proud to be than ever.
PS, it's encouraging that your review does not absolve the Republicans and balances the blame with the Democrats, as it should, in my opinion, be. Whenever I read about party-political scandal I'm fascinated to see how the public rhetoric ("we're shocked, shocked to find misbehavior across the aisle!!!") is rarely IF EVER backed up with actual consequences. What few political hangings there are (e.g. Ted Stevens) are so politically-motivated as opposed to fair that it only makes the contrast worse.
ReplyDelete(By the way, Ted's case strikes me as evidence of a collusional agreement that the old guy isn't going to get re-elected so much any more anyway, so he can get thrown under the bus to "prove" that everyone else is on the up and up, while everyone else then gets a free pass for the the same and worse. The opponents make a grandstand play of tearing him down, while his party-mates get to sound loyal while they let it happen, and everybody still keeps enjoying their not-quite-kosher campaign contributions).
Blood is thicker than water.
ReplyDeleteAnd Jack is correct, which goes to show that Dr Bulger would do well in Iraq, either as a Sunni or a Shia. But, quartered safe out here, we tend to think of Iraqis as being just a little bit less civilized that we are and that their ability to run an effective central government is slightly hampered by all the tribalism.
ReplyDeleteRegards — Cliff
You may talk o' gin and beer
ReplyDeleteWhen you're quartered safe out 'ere,
An' you're sent to penny-fights an' Aldershot it;
But when it comes to slaughter
You will do your work on water,
An' you'll lick the bloomin' boots of 'im that's got it.
- Kipling
Spot on.
ReplyDeleteYes, Din! Din! Din!
You Lazarushian-leather Gunga Din!
A great poem.
I haven't read it, but there is a book out by George MacDonald Fraser (Flashman Series) by the title Quartered Safe Out Here, about his time in Burma during WWII, although John Master's book would be hard to beat.
Regards — Cliff