Posted on 01/29/2012 3:59:20 AM PST by raccoonradio
Sunday column ping
Scandal only way out for state hacks
By Howie Carr | Sunday, January 29, 2012 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists
Forget the countdown to the Super Bowl. What the hacks on Beacon Hill are breathlessly awaiting are the indictments in the Probation Department scandal.
It used to be that elections produced change at the top in the Legislature. Now turnover in the leadership is solely at the discretion of the U.S. attorney, whoever it is, whichever party he or she belongs to.
Once upon a time, a new speaker took power when he amassed a certain number of signed pledge cards from the membership. Now, he takes over when his predecessor receives a target letter from a federal grand jury.
No need to recite the squalid corruption of the past 20 years. Just remember that the last speaker to leave under his own power was George Keverian (D- Papa Gino’s). He left the old-fashioned way in 1990, after running for statewide office and getting crushed.
It’s hard to describe the depth of the corruption and cronyism in the Probation Department. Here’s one story you’ve never heard about a probation coatholder, who’s still on the payroll while simultaneously collecting a state pension. He’s the son of a very powerful hack, and back in the 1980s, this kid was fitfully attending a state college in Western Massachusetts.
On the Fridays before long weekends, a State Police helicopter would land on the quad, and this hackling would board it for the trip back to Boston. I’m not making this up. You couldn’t expect this type of pampered puke to ever really ... work, now could you?
The day before Paul Ware began the investigation that led to these impending indictments, I wrote a column about a probation officer who’d been arrested in the driveway of an alleged heroin dealer in Taunton.
Both his father and his grandfather were solons who became judges, and his mother was running for state rep. (She lost.) He had a law degree, and had started out in a district attorney’s office, but there were issues, as they say.
Again, though, you couldn’t expect the guy to actually go out and get a real job, now could you?
This second kid, was he a beneficiary of judicial or legislative hackerama? That’s the irony here. This scandal isn’t about re-storing good government, it’s about a turf battle between the corrupt judiciary and the corrupt Legislature.
Several hacks have already been indicted by Marsha Coakley, and out west one probation officer has been arrested for allegedly intimidating a witness. This reputed P.O. thug wasn’t even directly related to a hack — he is described as having grown up with the children of an aide to the indicted commissioner, John O’Brien. And O’Brien is a wholly owned subsidiary of Felon Finneran, the corrupt ex-House speaker who took the Fifth when questioned by Ware.
No one is certain exactly when the indictments are coming down. But I’ll know when I see the indicted solons walking past my radio-station office, heads down, on their way to the traditional post-plea bargain interview for a talk-show host’s job.
If you’re indicted, you’re invited to fail in radio. Some things never change.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1399286
Last night I attended a trivia night at a restaurant in Lynn; my classmate and fellow radio guy (at the time) Gary Leavitt was there. He does impressions (stuff on youtube) and is a conservative. I recalled with him how someone did a song about a Walter Dyer stunt in late 1980, and Gary helped out.
The tape of this song is long gone.
Walter Dyer was a leather shop owner (even though he’s passed on, the business survives: Walter Dyer IS leather) and in late 1980 he paid someone to toss $1,500 in dollar bills from
a plane flying over Central Sq. in Lynn. Publicity stunt.
In his Globe obituary (2003), it was said:
“”Mr. Dyer drew national attention on Dec. 19, 1980, when he decided to shower the residents of Lynn with 1,500 $1 bills. The money was to be dropped from a low-flying airplane. Nearly 4,000 people, including Mr. Dyer, assembled in Central Square for the big event with fish nets and garbage bags to reel in the loot. But the pilot of the plane miscalculated and the money fluttered out to sea.”
So some guy does a song about it—there was an instrumental break and we had Gary do comedy shtick in the voice of Howard Cosell. Again the tape is long gone but I remember the song:
Oh Walter Dyer, you surely are no flyer
Please don’t drop your money from that plane
You got bamboozled by the weather, you crazy man of leather
Please stop it, before it blows away to Maine.
Well, at least he didn’t drop live turkeys from a helicopter.
“And they’re...they’re turkeys! Oh the humanity!!” (yup,
from WKRP in Cincinnati)
Speaking of turkeys and Lynn MA, I tossed out a trivia question myself: “What president gave a speech to a big crowd in City Hall Sq. Lynn?” (I had attended, during my high school years...maybe was forced to?...and remember seeing sharpshooters on the rooftops.)
That would be...Jimmy Carter. (Someone did get it right.
The trivia question, that is.)
Another question Gary asked—and remember, he’s a conservative—is “what was Nick Mavroules’ nickname?”
“Nicky Pockets!” Got that right.
I can’t tell who’s worse, the late Nicky Mavroules or John Tierney... Too bad Hudak ain’t running again instead of Richard Tisei, the RINO Barney Frank. This year will mark 20 years since a Republican knocked off a Democrat incumbent for Congress in MA (when Peter Torkildsen took out Nicky and the other Peter (Blute) took out Joe Early in the 3rd).
Is Howie gonna be sharing some stories on the passing of Kevin White ? I’m surprised he hasn’t yet.
Romney boot licker alert!
White died after Howie’s show I think, and he prob. could have done a column on him but didn’t. (I wonder if White was in death pool. When I saw the news Fri night about White dying I thought, “I don’t call the death pool because I figure I can’t get my call in but I’ve thought about having White in there in the past”.
Hudak has and has had money problems (though they did manage to get a bunch of signs up) comp. to Tisei. Maybe Hudak
was handicapped a bit by the alleged “birther” sign—ultimately Tierney’s political machine got out the vote for him. I will say I’ve helped interview Hudak on the radio
and he makes sense, is a nice guy, etc.; also I’ll say
one of my college classmates knows Tisei and says he’s a hard worker, etc. So far he’s got some money and let’s
hope he can knock off Tierney. Anyone but John.
As for Peter from Rutland’s comment, yeah Howie may seem like a Romney bootlicker but I don’t think he brought it up in this column, or in this last one.
Here is a link to the “Henpecked Howie” segment from
Friday:
http://audio.wrko.com/a/51326652/the-lovely-mrs-carr-has-an-issue-with-the-captain.htm
Someone on a radio board (Pippi) said the following:
“At first I thought that she must have not realized that she was live on the radio but then she called back. What a shrill, awful woman she is. I must say though, the callers remarks to Howie about his wife had me howling.”
Now I don’t know if Mrs. C is necessarily like that—
just passing it along...The Bickersons.
The woman could be a prosecutor (prosecutrix?). Talk about leading the witness on cross!
What's on the menu at Chez Carr? HOT TONGUE & COLD SHOULDER!
Funniest sh!t I've heard on Howie's show for a long time.
Mrs. C was embarrassing, but the daughter was PAINFUL to hear. The very embodiment of the classic spoiled brat.
Agreed, although I thought the segment from a few weeks ago of 2 daughters taking Dad to task for his lack of tech skills was also a hoot.
Thanks. Just because a lot of us, some of us, anyway, refrain from making gratuitous comments doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate your posts.
“I can’t tell who’s worse, the late Nicky Mavroules or John Tierney...
Good question. My relatives in the North Shore have tales about Mavroules; not a nice guy and everyone knew it. OTOH, Tierney is a real scumbag as well.
Old School vs. New School...guess I’d say Tierney.
Perhaps he's in KHW's will? For a certain desk, maybe?
Caller: “Sometimes, I wake up b!tchy. Other times, I let her sleep.”
I heard that segment live with the “lovely Mrs. Carr” - lovely she is not, what an embarassing moment for Howie - and - if she does that knowing she is on the air wth does she do in private? I liked the callers who were making comments, they all hit it on the head, except I think there was one person who called and said she agreed with the NOT lovely Mrs. Carr, something about the pugs IIRC. Howie’s home life must s*ck with a wife like that and he’s got a couple of daughters who are probably just like her. Poor Howie!
I missed that, though I heard the comments about it later. Why did she call in?
What happened to Howie? I can't listen to him when he's pushing Romney, which is just about every day.
Kathy is a witch.
I never want to hear her on the radio again.
“Yikes” says Howie....
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