Tuesday, December 10, 2002
‘Coming apart at its corroded seams’: Nice heart-warming piece this morning by Brian McGrory, who starts out: “There are days, weeks even, when our quaint, little hamlet of Boston seems to be coming apart at its corroded seams. ... Other major cities have headlines in their papers like ‘Panel approves new downtown development.’ In Boston, it's all mayhem, all the time.” ...
... Speaking of mayhem:
-- It’s not exactly Paris, 1789-1792, but there are days when it feels like it in Boston. The key line from the rebels: ‘The priests and people of Boston have lost confidence in you as their spiritual leader.’ ... What’s the rough equivalent of the Bastille in Boston? And when do we start storming?
-- Tom Oliphant is rightly disgusted with the ‘scandal system’ in America. But Tom is simply wrong on this one. There’s a lot of pent-up frustration in town -- and Dan Burton/grand jury/scandal bashing ain’t going to cut it. (By the way, don’t forget that Stephen Lynch and Marty Meehan serve with the Watermelon Man on the same committee. ... By the way, Part II: And the next time someone quotes the famous question -- ''You felt more loyalty to your brother than you did to the people of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts?'' -- make sure to include Billy’s response -- “I never thought of it that way. But I do have an honest loyalty to my brother. ... It's my hope that I'm never helpful to anyone against him.” And don’t forget the 21 murders. .... By the way, Part III: I think Mitt’s comments about Billy were some of the more refreshing things to come out of a local politician’s mouth in decades. ).
-- At first, I thought this story was indeed ‘silly’ and ‘desperate,’ as Billy’s attorney characterized it. Then I read Peter Gelzinis’ column this morning and the mention of Zip’s possible/likely involvement made me wonder. It still sounds absurdly far-fetched, but you have to understand that Peter's colleague once had a personal encounter with Whitey, who was just looking out for his kid brother when his kid brother was getting some bad press. ... Peter adds: “Look for stories about Burton, the Hoosier whackjob, firing bullets into a watermelon to prove his foul play theories surrounding the death of Clinton aide Vince Foster. Personally, I think firing bullets into a fresh watermelon in the privacy of one's own back yard is a far cry from firing bullets into live bookmakers, rival drug dealers, stubborn girlfriends and potential witnesses such as Brian Halloran or World Jai Alai exec Roger Wheeler.”
-- Joan Vennochi: “The old Boston is not going gently. As it fights for survival, it clings to power in the highest sanctums of church and state.”
... Speaking of mayhem:
-- It’s not exactly Paris, 1789-1792, but there are days when it feels like it in Boston. The key line from the rebels: ‘The priests and people of Boston have lost confidence in you as their spiritual leader.’ ... What’s the rough equivalent of the Bastille in Boston? And when do we start storming?
-- Tom Oliphant is rightly disgusted with the ‘scandal system’ in America. But Tom is simply wrong on this one. There’s a lot of pent-up frustration in town -- and Dan Burton/grand jury/scandal bashing ain’t going to cut it. (By the way, don’t forget that Stephen Lynch and Marty Meehan serve with the Watermelon Man on the same committee. ... By the way, Part II: And the next time someone quotes the famous question -- ''You felt more loyalty to your brother than you did to the people of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts?'' -- make sure to include Billy’s response -- “I never thought of it that way. But I do have an honest loyalty to my brother. ... It's my hope that I'm never helpful to anyone against him.” And don’t forget the 21 murders. .... By the way, Part III: I think Mitt’s comments about Billy were some of the more refreshing things to come out of a local politician’s mouth in decades. ).
-- At first, I thought this story was indeed ‘silly’ and ‘desperate,’ as Billy’s attorney characterized it. Then I read Peter Gelzinis’ column this morning and the mention of Zip’s possible/likely involvement made me wonder. It still sounds absurdly far-fetched, but you have to understand that Peter's colleague once had a personal encounter with Whitey, who was just looking out for his kid brother when his kid brother was getting some bad press. ... Peter adds: “Look for stories about Burton, the Hoosier whackjob, firing bullets into a watermelon to prove his foul play theories surrounding the death of Clinton aide Vince Foster. Personally, I think firing bullets into a fresh watermelon in the privacy of one's own back yard is a far cry from firing bullets into live bookmakers, rival drug dealers, stubborn girlfriends and potential witnesses such as Brian Halloran or World Jai Alai exec Roger Wheeler.”
-- Joan Vennochi: “The old Boston is not going gently. As it fights for survival, it clings to power in the highest sanctums of church and state.”
