Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and a Devil's Deal Chapter 15 Quotes
How we cite the quotes:
(Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote 1
"I'm from South Boston, shrugged one of the witnesses, trying to explain the turnabout to the judge. "We keep things to ourselves." (2.15.50)
So how does Whitey's reign of terror last so long? Remember, Southie is defined by its opposition to outsiders. For a Southie, Whitey is one of them, while the FBI, DEA, and Justice Department are just another group of feds trying to change the Southie way of life.
Quote 2
Connolly was unmoved. "But he's a good guy." Besides, he said, the dead man was "a piece of shit." (2.15.55)
Although Connolly isn't referring to Bulger here, this might help us understand how he so casually helps Bulger murder several men. Moral superiority is one heck of a drug.
Quote 3
The technique benefited Bulger, for between the two, Flemmi was the one with long personal ties to the Mafia. Flemmi, not Bulger, had the juice. (2.15.43)
The most hilarious thing about the whole situation is that Flemmi is actually a decent informant—Bulger's the dead weight. If the FBI had just brought Flemmi onboard and called it a day, they would have saved themselves a lot of headaches—not to mention corruption hearings.
Quote 4
The deal [...] was by now so out of whack that any good [...] was offset by a wave of concessions and corruption. (2.15.46)
By now, Connolly and Morris have broken so many rules that the FBI needs to cover for them just to save its own neck. There would be a massive public outcry if this tomfoolery were made public.
Quote 5
John Morris was now the supervisor of a white-collar squad that mainly pursued public corruption. (2.15.60)
In the end, this is Morris and Connolly's legacy: "public corruption." No matter their intention at the onset, their enabling of Bulger has caused untold pain and suffering, which they in turn profited from.