“Whitey
on Trial” by Margaret McLean and Jon Leiberman
Corrupt men and crooked law enforcement
battle in the courtroom. It is fact that James Bulger (Whitey) is a violent,
power-hungry, cold and calculated man. And unfortunately, it is fact that
representatives of our government aided this man and many other gangsters to
get what they wanted. Forget that innocent people were killed in the crossfire,
these gangsters and law enforcement personnel—such as John Connolly, FBI agent,
who now sits in federal prison, John Morris, FBI agent, and many others—looked
out for themselves. Their personal agenda meant more to them than human beings.
And it wasn’t just murder—as if that
wasn’t bad enough—it was also bribery, blackmail, and a multitude of other
crimes that some of us cannot even imagine, that spurred these despicable
people to continue on a path of others’ destruction. Anything to gain wealth
and power for themselves.
“Whitey on Trial” is a non-fiction
accounting of what went on at Whitey’s trial. But it also examines our own government’s
actions as well. Some say the representatives of our government were just as
evil as Whitey’s reign of terror. Witness after witness and bereaving family
members, one after the other, spoke of the brutal conduct of Whitey, Stephen
Flemmi, and the Winter Hill gang’s accomplices.
Judge Casper said during Whitey’s
sentencing, “…I wished that we were watching a movie, that what we were hearing
was not real…,” but unfortunately, “…we were hearing about the real inhumane
things that human beings did to other human beings, seemingly without remorse
and without regret.” Yes, it’s sad that what went on was not that of fiction,
but real life horror. It turned my stomach to see the abuse of power and the
corruption that can occur to those who swore to protect citizens.
I commend authors McLean and Leiberman
for an unbiased accounting and one that is well-written.
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