Friday, August 15, 2003 :::
My brother wants me to discuss Bill Bulger, the recent (i.e., until last week) president of UMass. It's an interesting story; I don't have much to say on it, but I'll provide whatever background comes to mind.
Bulger was, for a long time, the president of the state senate. One of his brothers, James "Whitey" Bulger, was in a similar, if somewhat rawer, profession. To quote the FBI's Ten Most Wanted website:
James J. Bulger is being sought for his role in numerous murders committed from the early 1970s through the mid-1980s in connection with his leadership of an organized crime group that allegedly controlled extortion, drug deals, and other illegal activities in the Boston, Massachusetts, area.
Late in Bill's stint in the Senate, the FBI decided to arrest Whitey. Whitey fled, having been tipped off by his handlers in the Boston FBI office.
Oh, yes, Whitey had friends in the Boston office of the FBI. I believe they intended to get information on other members of his Winter Hill Gang, but they cozied up a bit much.
Anyway, Bill left the Senate, got appointed President of UMass, took the Fifth before a congressional committee investigating his brother, received immunity from said committee (thereby eliminating his fifth-amendment defense against testifying), testified before the committee a few months ago, and resigned his position at UMass last week.
The Boston Globe has collected some of its articles; you can read more there, if you like.
I'm now going to go downstairs with my laptop, so I can do some work while watching the team from Saugus (about ten miles northeast of here) in the first game of the Little League World Series.
::: posted by Steven at 2:53 PM
|
