Murder

We are bathed in the accounts of violence in the city of Boston at present. The long overdue trial of Whitey Bulger commences with the testimony of a professional hit man (39 kills suspected), released from prison after only 12 years on condition of testifying at the trial of his former crime boss. The distribution of funds from a public charity to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombs is underway. The murder rate in Boston is already higher than it was last year. This is due largely to gun violence in gang-plagued neighborhoods.

 

At the same time, the U.S. government and national law enforcement stand in locked unity in defense of spying on American civilians at will. What is the worth of this spying if it does not curtail local violence on our streets? The answer is probably simple. The spying is not meant to prevent the murder of a Black or Latino teenager in a low-income neighborhood. The spying is geared to protect wealthy travelers on flights and cruises. The spying is geared to protect the glass towers of the insurance and finance industries. The spying is geared to protecting the financial and military profile of the U.S. government, as a representative of U.S. corporations, not of the citizens.

 

Perhaps the citizens of the U.S. would be more trusting of government if government secured the streets of all their neighborhoods against violence. If New York City can be safer than most major cities in the U.S. because of its wealth and government programs, there is no defendable reason for high murder rates any other city in the U.S.. Spying for a much hyped terrorist threat from outside the U.S. is overlooking the ongoing need for true Homeland Security within our own borders.