Rating: 
Summary: Additional comments
Review: Does this case have linkage to events described in Jonathan Harr's "A Civil Action"? What would the government do if Whitey Bulger or any of the other informants had children? Consider this: In 1995 Whitey Bulger disappeared AND Harr's book was released. Harr's book describes companies involved in litigation over a water pollution tragedy in Woburn. One of these companies was WR Grace. Grace has a history of Republican sponsorship, with the Grace Commission under Reagan. Walt Disney supported Richard Nixon. Disney received early funding from Giannini corp. which had ties to Middlesex county. Current President Bush is the son of Bush sr. with ties to both Reagan and Nixon. Grace invested in insurance per corporate report and had a major shareholder in the world's largest private pension fund. Grace had an enormous environmental insurance policy. Under Nixon EPA was established. Governor Cellucci (R) , now Ambassador Cellucci, has longtime support for President Bush and Cellucci has been listed as an associate of Teamsters Local 25 George Cashman, heavily involved in movie action and a Woburn resident. Former Governor Bill Weld, a Republican backed by insurance interests and with ties to the Kennedys and Bill Clinton paved the way for Paul Cellucci. The Bushes hail from Texas and Maine. On the Board of Grace were : Peter Lynch(Fidelity Investments), Zbignew Brezinski (NSA), Al Fiers (CIA). Joe Malone (R)did not support Whitey, was destroyed in the last gubernatorial election, and was backed by Fidelity and clothier tycoon Sam Cammarata. Cellucci was backed by Fleet Bank. Disney produced the movie, Robert Redford- a vigorous environmentalist- directed the film. John Travolta ,of Maine, starred in the film having gotten his beginnings in the pop tv series "Welcome Back Kotter"- whose pilot was approved by Michael Eisner. Michael Eisner is head of Disney. Tip O'Neill (D) ,deceased former Speaker of the House, was an advocate for Wr Grace in Cambridge,Mass and of Mayor Daley of Chicago.William Bulger, Whitey's brother, was one of the most powerful men in Massachusetts but Whitey was protective in not tarnishing his brother's reputation. Whitey has been painted as anti-Kennedy but not confirmed. Knocko McCormack, former Senator John McCormack's (R) brother, is remembered fondly by both William Bulger and Tip O'Neill. Whitey has been said to have received support under Governor Mike Dukakis, and from Governor Cellucci (R),Tom Reilly(D), Scott Harshbarger (D), with Tom Birmingham (D) a family friend. Senator McCormack is said to have spoken well of Whitey and felt he was not given a fair shake. FBI agents in the Bulger case have numerous links to Middlesex County. Limone,Salemme and others also have ties to Middlesex County. Judge Wolf and current FBI Director Mueller both worked under Bill Weld (R). Barry Mawn from Woburn was brought in as SAC in the FBI office in Boston, later transferring to NY, where James Kallstrom from Massachusetts stepped down. The Woburn water case signs began in the 1960s as did the Mclean-Mclaughlin wars. Police and fire records have been destroyed for Woburn for that time and the city budget was closed to auditors. In Woburn were two groups: 1) NASA, and 2) Boston Navy Yard. The heads of each lobby group both lived in Woburn. Tip O'Neill supported the navy yard. Middlesex county was home to 10% of the 3000 navy yard employees and NASA would bring in 2-3000 new jobs with a [amt.] million new site. JFK actively supported space, and NASA specifically, while in Washington D.C. the states of Michigan,Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut vigorously fought for the NASA site in their states.LBJ later got the site in Texas.
Rating:
Summary: Mobius Strip
Review: Not long after Whitey Bulger signed on (1975), i know of a person who was raised in state child care and whose circumstances changed significantly in Massachusetts. One day while at work after high school, the person was told " see you in room 320" by a coworker whom this person never saw again. About a year later, some of the person's mail stopped coming at their apartment. A short time later, some military police came to arrest the individual claiming they were AWOL from the military. This person was not in the military. As the person found out, across town was another person with the exact same name. When calling organizations from which the person ("John Doe#1") had not gotten mail, those organizations had the second man's("John Doe #2") address. So John Doe #2 was using this person's address for military service and knew enough about the person to contact organizations that person did business with and have their mail forwarded to the second address. 5 yrs later, when William Weld is said to have headed the Justice Dept criminal investigation division (Mueller-FBI and Judge Mark Wolf as subordinates) and Mike Dukakis was governor.,John Doe#1 was working at a local company and received an incoming customer call for another coworker. In taking a message, it was John Doe #2 who said they lived a few towns over. Another 10 yrs passed and John Doe #1 attended a major Massachusetts church at the insistence of a longtime churchgoer there. As John #1 attended the church, this 'friend' checked up on them frequently to see which services they attended, as if tallying. About a year passed and one day they saw their name in the church newsletter as being in the hospital. When John #1 called the church, John #2 had joined at approximately the same time. John #1 called the hospital and John #2 was in room 320, the same room number given by a mysterious coworker 20 years earlier! What does this have to do with the Bulger case? As part of the Bulger-Flemmi arrangement, was this person setup as a patsy and was their reputation destroyed over a span of 20 years by this John Doe #2? John Doe #2 operated in the same county region as major players in this case. Hypothetically, if one of the major players in this case had a child, how would such a child be treated and would the child prepared as leverage should the fragile relationships in this case falter? Or could Bulger, an air force veteran, have been authorized by Lt Gen Lew Allen (Air Force), Director of NSA or Flemmi authorized by Marshall Carter? Or Were either affiliated with the Treasury Departments or Secret Service?
Rating:
Summary: One Hell of a story
Review: Speaking as a recent Boston transplant amd a fan of O.C. stories this book is awesome. Boston, for those who are unfamiliar, really is a "little" big city....For me its hard to imagine that the politics and crime that is closely linked in this book could happen as recently as it did. As a story it is a compeling read. This book may not be as action filled as other Mafia books, however, as a atory of real life corruption and journalistic detail it can hardly be surpassed.
Rating:
Summary: The Incredible Journey
Review: In this case we see how a covert operation can be carried out and its participants dispensed with when the job is done. The government is shredding Flemmi's family apart, turning relatives against one another. It seems plausible a number of players now prevalent in the Bulger case are in fact long term plants held in abeyance until the time is right, such as with Martorano and Weeks. An acquaintance who has been totally destroyed since Bulger fled in 1995 has been approached by individuals claiming family ties to the upper tiers of local and national FBI managementwhile having been misled by the Justice Management Division of the Department of Justice. These approaches usually involve intimidation or extortion with the deliverers claiming FBI affiliation in the Merrimack Valley region of northern Massachusetts which includes a regional FBI office outside of the Boston office. Has the Defense Investigative Service and FBI teamed up to squeeze a child of Bulger or a close friend of Bulger's to keep Bulger away? Are Whitey Bulger and Flemmi's names being smeared to bringclosure to their roles in a covert operation?
Rating:
Summary: Good job, more info needed
Review: If you are unfamiliar with the case you will learn a lot from this book. From the experience of someone i know, a lot is being ignored or concealed in this case. Whitey's flight occurred around the time 'A Civil Action' was released by Jonathan Harr, about water pollution and a cancer epidemic in a city in Middlesex County,Massachusetts. The earliest signs of the epidemic occurred in the 1960s around the time Steve Flemmi was recruited by H Paul Rico. The water pollution controversy involved at some point the communities of Burlington, Winchester,Stoneham,Reading in addition to Woburn. Many thousands of people were potentially exposed to contaminated water. Middlesex County was a hub for space and military contracts, and Boston was a hub for military contracts as well. The Mclean-Mclaughlin wars began in the 1960s and according to Willie Fopiano the dividing line was Somerville and Charlestown.In 1963 John F. Kennedy was involved with NASA with Middlesex County (Woburn)a primary site.As the space budget had JFK's approval, miltary bases were cutting back.2 groups emerged:1)NASA for Woburn, and 2)Save our Shipyard(Boston Navy Yard).The Boston Navy Yard employed 3,000 and at least 10% of those lived in Middlesex County.The number of new jobs in Massachusetts to be created by the NASA site was roughly equal to or less the number of jobs at Boston Navy Yard but of different skillsets. A small group of workmen(according to local newspaper) transferred from Boston Navy Yard to Portsmouth Navy Yard. Not long after the USS Thresher (first fast attack nuclear sub)sank off Portsmouth,NH killing 129 sailors.A military officer testified before Congress that 20% of the backpressure relief valves had been installed backwards. So in 1963 the Thresher sank,JFK was shot and not long after the NASA site in Massachusetts collapsed, leaving millions of dollars in potential revenues and thousands of jobs abandoned. Given the military and space efforts in the area and cold war concerns with Vietnam raging, high national security in Massachusetts is a given. The Mclean-Mclaughlin wars began around the time of the events of 1963. Within Middlesex County reside or resided many of the characters noted in this case:Ring,Morris,Rico,Connolly,Limone,Mawn. In the area of the Boston Navy Yard: Flemmi, Bulger. In the collapse of the NASA deal,the chair of the Save our Shipyard committee, Cark Roessler, headed up the local Woburn Redevelopment Authority. Instead of NASA, Woburn and surrounding communities had industrial parks developed and local property taxes became among the lowest in the state. The wells in Woburn were not officially shut down until May,1979 and the controversy from the late 1950s until 1979 perpetuated.If they had been shutdown earlier, could this have been seen as a threat to either the NASA site or the industrial parks? Could the events in Massachusetts be summed up in Fletcher Knebel's book, 'Seven Days in May'?
Rating:
Summary: One Hell of a story
Review: Speaking as a recent Boston transplant amd a fan of O.C. stories this book is awesome. Boston, for those who are unfamiliar, really is a "little" big city....For me its hard to imagine that the politics and crime that is closely linked in this book could happen as recently as it did. As a story it is a compeling read. This book may not be as action filled as other Mafia books, however, as a atory of real life corruption and journalistic detail it can hardly be surpassed.
Rating: 
Summary: Incredibly Current and Continuously Engaging
Review: This is by far one of the best books I have ever read. Lehr and o'Neill relate the amazing story of the twisted connection between the Bulger family, the community of Boston and "Southie", and the Boston office of the FBI. I could not put this book down. After reading a few chapters I was desparate for news on the Bulger case, and the story continues to unfold to this day. Whitey Bulger is still at large and on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list, FBI agent John Connolly was recently sentenced for his crimes, and Billy Bulger was, until this past August, President of the University of Massachusetts system. Connections between Billy and Whitey are still being drawn by government agencies and prosecutors and refuted by Billy and the FBI. Read this book and you will be swept with a new hobby: keeping yourself aware of new developments in the Bulger case. You don't have to be a Bostonian to appreciate this story. And it's all true!
Rating:
Summary: A must read!
Review: There is a man referred to obliquely in the prior reviews who has been seriously affected by all of this and essentially left for dead if you will. The man was bounced around as a child overseen by state authorities contracting to nonprofit firms employing former federal officials. One of the state officials charged with guardianship of the boy went by the same name as a female FBI agent listed in Black Mass by O'Neill and Lehr. Another woman charged with guardianship of the boy ran a hard labor camp for juveniles in trouble with the law, where breaking granite boulders with sledgehammers was the norm as was poor food,inadequate rest and mandatory employment where this woman demanding oversight of the teen's paychecks.At the hard labor camp, which was tacitly approved by state social workers and caretakers,local police and allegedly state police, the boy was forced to work 12-15 hour days, often 7-14 days without showers, little sleep and poor quality meals in addition to constant threats of violence, being locked up by state officials or state police and having all of his personal belongings confiscated-- the boy had been sent to this program simply because he had no family or other supports and had NO trouble with the law prior to being put there. The woman in charge of the program possessed the same name as a major manufacturing firm located in southern New Hampshire. This placement was overseen by the state official bearing the same name as the female FBI agent. Some 15-20 years later, this woman re-emerged in the man's life as a girlfriend of a coworker. This same man was befriended as a boy by a couple with indirect alleged links to George Cashman and former Governor Cellucci. When this case broke, the couple disavowed the man. Susan Kelly in her book also discussed the possibility that the early stages of the Boston Strangler murders may have been linked to gangland violence in the wars around which Flemmi emerged. A woman is said to have survived the Strangler but was never interviewed. Is it possible the Boston Strangler in turn is linked to this case ,got a woman pregnant, and the child was used as some sort of collateral for cooperation of the real Strangler? At the same time, Jonathan Harr released his book 'A Civil Action' just after Whitey fled town. When the book came out, the man worked for Grace Co.,unaware of his past as a very young,sick and handicapped boy growing up in the chaos of an environmental tragedy in Woburn,Mass. The fervor surrounding Harr's work appeared in sync with the tepid waters of the Bulger case, and during the early phases of the hearings, Robert Redford and Sylvester Stallone appeared in a Somerville court for ambiguous reasons regarding the Bulger case. Prior to Harr's work, the man had written an autobiographical work of his own which touched upon memories of a sick child in Woburn during the emergence of the cancer epidemic.As the Bulger case broiled, Barry Mawn, native of Woburn, was assigned to the Boston FBI office in pursuit of Bulger- Mawn, Teddy Roosevelt to Cuba, Mawn to Woburn. Many of the Bulger case principals had indirect ties to Woburn and surrounding communities. In addition to all of this, the man's medical records began disappearing, and employment became all but impossible as he was destroyed financially, just as the state trooper who stopped Whitey at Logan airport.Evidence of phone tampering emerged possibly using off premise extensions linked to major companies the man worked for which also did business with the federal government. The man's bank records and video rentals have been scrupulously monitored and broad evidence of a long term evidence gathering investigation of an individual with no history of criminal activity or breaking the law. It seems feasible the man is linked to the Bulger case and has been watched by various agencies who feel threatened by his father, a man unknown to the boy growing up or as an adult. One thing a government oversight or other committee might investigate is the possibility that one of the principals in the Bulger case on either side had a son who was immediately flagged and watched all of his life and used as surety without his knowledge by the government or perhaps even organized crime. The committee might offer protection and encourage that individual to come forward and disclose all they know.
Rating:
Summary: Criminals who didn't need to look over their shoulder
Review: This is a fantastic book. I knew nothing of the true story, so I found every twist and turn very entertaining. It is well written and doesn't get too bogged down in gritty detail. I read about 2-3 books a month and this ranks near the top of ones I've read in 2003. The story is very interesting, but the strength is in it's characters. Whitey, Flemmi, Connolly, etc. all have their moments. I found myself many times thinking to myself, I cannot believe this. But it's true, scary in fact. It has all the elements of a great movie, and I'm surprised that it hasn't been adapted already. It has Scorsese all over it. The authors give you a good taste of life in South Boston and of course expose a criminal decade or two that was aided by the FBI. This isn't conspiracy theory stuff, btw. Agents in the FBI protected their star informants, giving them tips, covering up information, that allowed them to stay on the street and supposedly bust others. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Great Story but a Tad Slow
Review: This is an intriguing tale of corruption and total failure by law enforcement to monitor its informant activities. The story goes into great detail regarding the FBI's truly unholy alliance with Boston's under world crime figures and at times this detail seemingly slows the story down. All in all this is a great story that will leave you scratching your wondering how the heck could such a collapse of the justice system occur?
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