We're going to get a little serious today because last night Whitey Bulger and his moral-less harpy Catherine Greig were arrested in California. A couple of days ago the Boston branch of the FBI as well as the BPD started to release PSAs during the day to reach people in Greig’s age group hoping to get new leads. Yesterday, while they wouldn’t say what leads they had received, apparently something was deemed useful as the murderous pair have been captured. It is a little less satisfying to know that Bulger is 81 and in ill health. When we imagine the monsters from our dreams, we think of them as robust figures that we can never turn our back on. And while I wouldn’t feel comfortable around this snake even today, I bet now he is the one now who needs to watch his back.
When I was younger I had this reoccurring nightmare of ‘the ugly hand.’ I tortured my parents with my night terrors, always feeling I was vulnerable to the hand’s grasp. I have no clue where this dream came from. I can describe the hand in perfect detail even to this day and while I have outgrown that one nightmare in particular, I’ve always been susceptible to the darkest fears that lie within my mind. I probably will never outgrow nightmares, I’m ok knowing that once in a while I’ll have a hard night’s sleep because I know that when I wake up in the morning, the phantoms of my dreams will evaporate as soon as the light peaks its way through my shades. That is the thing about the monsters in your mind, they’re never as scary as the real ones.
Men and women like Greig and Bulger are scarier than any monster movie because when the film is over those ghouls have gone, whereas the devil that exists in man has no end. Everyone has a story about a run-in with Bulger and his gang, some anecdotes of a different time, others more sinister. In Bulger’s cronies minds they are revered when in reality they are reviled. It is one thing to have respect and want to protect your community but it is quite another to cover for a murderous leach who has terrorized an entire commonwealth during his life time. Money would be the motive behind his acts but I’m sure he enjoyed it as well. It is like potted plant, the more room you give it to grow, the larger it becomes. Unchecked thievery and deceit turns into the worst kind of thing, worse than any ugly hand that might come out of my closet at night.
How powerless we all feel to know that the ogres that we thought might be under our bed are actually the date rapist, the child molester, the drug dealer, the corrupted politician, and the drunk driver who roam our streets. These are the people who take little pieces of our lives away without concern and without remorse. There is no protection from our fellow man, from ourselves. What I learned as a child is that even adults have fears. Beyond the guilt that is clear for men like Bulger and the ‘woman’ who accompanied him all these years, there is the guilt for those who turned a blind eye. Those people are just as responsible, letting him get away for all of this time so all that we are left with is an old man. He won’t even live long enough to serve a year for each of the murders he committed, 19. Nineteen lives taken that we know of. He deserves a lifetime for each. Greig deserves a lifetime away as well and I hope she gets what she deserves.
I also hope for relief for the families affected and redemption for those who committed these acts. It is strange to think that one day many years ago, Bulger was somebody’s baby. I guess all I can take away from that query is that we should treat each other with respect and reverence so we can make sure today’s child does not become tomorrow’s criminal. I’m not including a photo in this blog because I have enough nightmares already and I don’t want to publicize his face anymore than it will be in the coming months. I’m no longer afraid of the ugly hand and now I can sleep at night knowing one more monster is locked away for good.
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