News of a Dorchester man arrested on gun charges in Manchester, NH caused me recall Manchester Officer Michael Briggs, murdered in 2006, and his killer now on death row, Michael "Stix" Addison, originally from the Dorchester area and arrested in Dot after the murder. I'm wondering if there's something other than low taxes that's drawing the Dorchester gun crowd to the Queen City?
Manchester is near a branching point for major roadways coming from Boston and serving other drug markets in Northern New England. This also works in reverse for trade with Canada. (There are a couple of non interstates not shown here that connect it with the seacoast and Portland as well).
I'm not sure of the direction and magnitude of the "flows" of trade here, but it helps to realize that there is also a substantial suburban market for drugs to fully appreciate this mess.
Notice that Manchester is near Concord, but Concord is not in the intensive drug traffic area. Manchester is also fairly near roads that are not marked on this map but which are major, such as US3, I-495 and NH 101.
We are talking all of 15 or 20 miles to the I-89/93 split = near.
Live Free Or Die, means you have an easier time buying guns north of the border.
By the way O-Fish-il - I've seen some of your posts, would you please cut down on the blanket Dorchester bashing? I grew up there, my mom still lives there. Parts of it are great. Parts of it are really, really not great. There's a huge difference between Blue Hill Avenue and Adams Corner.
It is horrible that this happened in Mattapan and gets front page coverage on the papers. Anyone else notice a 17 year old from the $194 million Newton North High got arrested for shooting a Waltham drug dealer in a robbery attempt on Thursday? You might not notice because the Globe buried it on Page B4 next to the legal notices.
Reading today's Globe, I was SURPRISED (/end sarcasm) to see the story about the kid from Newton North, since not a scintilla of coverage had I heard or seen prior to this. This current resident of Dorchester gets sick and tired of all the bashing about my hometown. The illegal drug trade is an absolute cancer on our society -- it ruins everything it touches. The older I get, the more I think we should legalize the whole mess and defang the beast. We'll still have drug-related crime, but hopefully it'll be more analogous to what happens with the drunks. The enterprise of the drug trade will be gone, and with it, the money the funds terrorism in Afghanistan, and on the streets of Mattapan and Waltham.
Let's face it. WHEN this guy and his accomplices are found guilty, we are looking at feeding them, providing medical/dental care and other services for them for decades. If this isn't a glaring example of the need for the death penalty, I don't know what is. I know this state is enlightened and therefore there isn't (and there never will be) capital punishment here. Even if there was, no condemned prisoner would face the penalty. There are too many judges out there that would prevent this from being carried out. In closing think of this. The money that it will take to allow these guys to live out there lives in prison could be used to pay teachers, health care workers, public safety personnel etc. Instead we're throwing it away on those who have forfeited there right to freedom.
That is exactly my argument. The high costs related to appeals, that go on for decades, could be used for other much needed services. Every prisoner has the right to appeal. What is usually missing from these proceedings is the victims and those left behind. As I said this state would never carry out an execution because of the liberal beliefs of the judiciary. Finally, those that have committed this crime (and crimes similar) have forfeited their right to live.
See above. The only way to "fairly" execute someone in this country involves a very lengthy appeals process that eclipses the cost of life imprisonment.
And it's only relatively "fairly". There have been literally dozens of wrongfully convicted men released from death row. As I said in another post, since these convictions are almost always overturned on the basis of DNA evidence, many of these guys were convicted of crimes where the perpetrator raped the victim before killing them. These are precisely the type of especially heinous crimes that trigger people's instincts for revenge and make them liable to believe that the death penalty is a good idea.
The death penalty actually costs more to implement than life in prison. Most of this cost, of course, has to do with safeguards such as numerous appeals and their cost of adjudication, But those safeguards are needed. Even with them there have been dozens of wrongfully convicted men released from Death Rows. Making the death penalty less costly would also involve it becoming more innacurate in application, with plenty of innocent men being executed. In addition, studies show that the death penalty acts as no deterent, and that it is more likely to be applied to poor defendants and black defendants. Ultimately, all moral issues aside, one huge problem with the death penalty is that you can't undo it. Of course you can't undo the years that an innocent person has spent in prison either but you can release them. You can't bring back to life an innocent person who has been executed. The advent of DNA testing has shown that there are an alarming number of people in this country who have been convicted of crimes they didn't commit (and because these are cases where DNA evidence from the perpetrator is available they tend to be gruesome rapes or gruesome rape-murders). And that's just the people who have been exonerated through DNA evidence. How many guys are there were no DNA evidence was left behind and therefor no possibility of exoneration is present?
Killing someone else, when you have the choice not to, is evil. It's as plain and simple as that.
Would you kill someone to pay for a teacher? Would you kill someone to pay for a road? Why is it suddenly fine to do so just because they've killed someone else? Would it be acceptable for the Taliban to kill a prisoner of war, because they didn't want to feed and house him any more?
The mentality that because one person killed another, they should be themselves killed, is part of what leads to endless, bloody feuds; wars that never end, because each party needs to get in the last kill to make up for the previous one. We need to rise above that; realize that there are more important things in life than revenge.
Capital punishment is no more a deterrent than life imprisonment. We do not improve anything by killing the murderer. It only makes us more evil; makes us think that killing is fine just because it's "justified."
Killing is never fine unless there is an imminent threat of harm, and it is the only viable defense. We should do everything in our power to reduce the amount of killing that happens, not increase it just because we feel like we can save a few bucks by killing someone we don't like.
Somebody tipped me off to it. What convinced me it was the same guy was a) comparing the photo to the one posted by Manchester PD and b) that all the Facebook friends whose pages I clicked on were from around here.
I'm not on facebook but I'm surprised they would allow repeated use of the offensive term "nigga". Does this slip thru filtering software because of the more common ending "er" has been changed to "a" or is anything and everything allowed? The fact that this specimen has 167 friends is quite telling too.
Also, when it comes to showing a possible murder suspect's mindset, it doesn't get much better than the following, in his own words. Enter prosecution exhibit A and B:
A) "If u don't spot the vic(tim) in the first 30 seconds that means ur IT. If u don't hear the shots when the shells yell Sun that means ur HIT!"
B) "Ikhlas I wake up break up purple & circle the BLOCK. Sittin' twistin' a TOP. I need a drink nigga it's HOT. The bigga the POT. The bigga the PLOT. Like chics niggas'll TALK. I sit & I WATCH. Slip a clip in the GLOCK. Spit a bit @ ya TOP. If NOT bigga 2 WALK then bigga in CHALK."
I'd be surprised if they tried to ban it because, for better or worse, it's become a fairly common word among many young blacks, and not as a derogatory term (something that's hardly a new idea - think of how "Yankee" changed meaning during the Revolution).
When was the last time you watched (un-bleeped) Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles? The last honest use of the term "nigger" in American media, by anyone of any persuasion. And he manages to make it as ridiculous as Spics, Hebes, Chinks, Dagos, etc. And of course, Irish. As in: "Alright, we’ll take the niggers and the chinks… but not the Irish!"
Calm down, everyone. Take it from this Goddamned Mick--it's just a word! Say it a couple of dozen times like Brooks does in that movie and it becomes as silly as any other stoopid word.
BTW, the Comcast bleeped version of the same makes Brooks' point almost better than the original movie.
Sounds like pretty standard disposable gangsta rap music. It's been around for a while. You can't really criticize it too much in court, since the suburban white kids of the judges and lawyers listen to it. You'll also see it as part of the score of broadcast TV shows. And any English-speaking jury knows that.
Do you honestly think that Facebook censors "bad words" that people post on their wall? Your wall is your personal space; you get to decide how much of an asshole you want to look like to the world. They likely try to filter out anything that could get them legally in trouble, like outright pornography. It's sad, really, that in this country pornography can get you in more trouble than casual threats of violence, but that's not Facebook's fault.
Ikhlas has been interpreted as being upright, sincere, and pure; being distant from show and ostentation in one’s intention and conduct; and being closed to whatever clouds or fouls the heart. Purity of intention, straightforwardness in thought, pursuit of no worldly purposes in one’s relationship with God, and loyalty in servanthood to God are also included here.
Ikhlas requires that one pursue nothing worldly while worshipping and obeying God, that one fulfills the duty of servanthood only because God orders it, and that one remains silent concerning any personal experiences of God’s special treatment and special gifts and seek only His approval and pleasure.
Sincerity is one of the most significant qualities of those most faithful or loyal to God; loyalty is regarded as a source, and sincerity as a sweet water originating from it. The most eloquent of humanity, upon him be peace and blessings, declared that one who drinks uninterruptedly from this water for forty days will find channels of wisdom opened from his or her heart to his or her tongue, and that such a person will always speak wisdom.
Loyalty or faithfulness is the primary attribute of Prophet-hood, and sincerity is its most lustrous dimension. Sincerity is innate in the Prophets; all other people try to obtain it during their lifetime. Among them, for example, the Qur’an describes the Prophet Moses as one made sincere (19:51).
Faithfulness and sincerity were as intrinsic and essential to the Prophets as air and water are to the lives of those who communicate the Prophets’ message to others in every age. In addition, they were the Prophets’ most important sources of power. The Prophets were convinced that they could not take one step forward without sincerity, and the representatives of the cause of Prophethood must believe that they will be able to achieve nothing without it. Faithfulness and sincerity are two wings or two deep oceans extending from Divine Favor and Grace to an individual’s heart. One who can sail in these oceans or fly with these wings will reach the destination, for they are under God’s protection. God values that which is done to please Him, regard-less of its apparent size or importance, not the quantity of deeds. Therefore, He values a small deed done with sincerity over many deeds done without sincerity.
Sincerity is an attitude of the heart, and God views an individual according to his or her heart’s inclination. The Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, declares: Assuredly, God does not consider your bodies, nor your appearances. Rather, He considers your hearts. Sincerity is a mysterious Divine credit granted to those who are pure-hearted in order to increase what is little and to deepen what is shallow, and to give finite (limited) worship infinite reward. One can use it to purchase the most valuable things in the markets of this world and the next, for it is esteemed, welcomed, and respected where others suffer great misery. This mysterious power of sincerity caused God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, to declare: Be sincere in your religion; little work (with sincerity) is enough for you, and: Be sincere in your deeds, for God only accepts what is done with sincerity.
If we consider a deed to be a body, sincerity is its soul. If a deed represents one wing of pair of wings, sincerity is the other. A body without soul is of no worth, and nothing can fly with only one wing. How fine are Mawlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi’s words:
You should be sincere in all your deeds,
So that the Majestic Lord may accept them.
Sincerity is the wing of the bird of the acts of obedience.
Without a wing, how can you fly to the abode of prosperity?
The following words of Bayazid al-Bistami are also very apt:
I worshipped my Lord for thirty years with all my strength. Then I heard a voice saying: O Bayazid! The treasures of God Almighty are full of acts of worship. If you intend to reach Him, see yourself as small at the door of God and be sincere in your deeds.
For some, sincerity involves hiding from others when per-forming supererogatory deeds and avoiding all show and ostentation. For others, it means that whether one is or is not seen while performing religious deeds is not important. Still for others, it means being so involved in worship or religious deeds in consideration of God’s pleasure that one does not even remember whether one should be sincere or not.
Self-supervision is an essential dimension of sincerity, and a truly sincere person does not consider any possible spiritual pleasure that may be derived, or speculate upon whether it will ensure entrance to Paradise. Sincerity is a mystery between God and a servant, and God puts it in the hearts of those He loves. One whose heart is awakened to sincerity does not worry about being praised or accused, exalted or debased, aware or unaware of deeds, or being rewarded. Such a person does not change, and behaves in the same way in public and in private.
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Is there a Dorchester - Manchester crime connection?
News of a Dorchester man arrested on gun charges in Manchester, NH caused me recall Manchester Officer Michael Briggs, murdered in 2006, and his killer now on death row, Michael "Stix" Addison, originally from the Dorchester area and arrested in Dot after the murder. I'm wondering if there's something other than low taxes that's drawing the Dorchester gun crowd to the Queen City?
New England Drug Trade Map
Manchester is near a branching point for major roadways coming from Boston and serving other drug markets in Northern New England. This also works in reverse for trade with Canada. (There are a couple of non interstates not shown here that connect it with the seacoast and Portland as well).
I'm not sure of the direction and magnitude of the "flows" of trade here, but it helps to realize that there is also a substantial suburban market for drugs to fully appreciate this mess.
From www.justice.gov:
Are you confusing Manchester
Are you confusing Manchester with Concord? Concord is the branching point, not Manchester.
check the map
Notice that Manchester is near Concord, but Concord is not in the intensive drug traffic area. Manchester is also fairly near roads that are not marked on this map but which are major, such as US3, I-495 and NH 101.
We are talking all of 15 or 20 miles to the I-89/93 split = near.
Lot easier to buy guns in NH
Live Free Or Die, means you have an easier time buying guns north of the border.
By the way O-Fish-il - I've seen some of your posts, would you please cut down on the blanket Dorchester bashing? I grew up there, my mom still lives there. Parts of it are great. Parts of it are really, really not great. There's a huge difference between Blue Hill Avenue and Adams Corner.
It is horrible that this happened in Mattapan and gets front page coverage on the papers. Anyone else notice a 17 year old from the $194 million Newton North High got arrested for shooting a Waltham drug dealer in a robbery attempt on Thursday? You might not notice because the Globe buried it on Page B4 next to the legal notices.
I love you, John Costello
I don't know you, but I do.
Reading today's Globe, I was SURPRISED (/end sarcasm) to see the story about the kid from Newton North, since not a scintilla of coverage had I heard or seen prior to this. This current resident of Dorchester gets sick and tired of all the bashing about my hometown. The illegal drug trade is an absolute cancer on our society -- it ruins everything it touches. The older I get, the more I think we should legalize the whole mess and defang the beast. We'll still have drug-related crime, but hopefully it'll be more analogous to what happens with the drunks. The enterprise of the drug trade will be gone, and with it, the money the funds terrorism in Afghanistan, and on the streets of Mattapan and Waltham.
YEA!
YALL got what they want! ((in your pretty little city... PLEASE!))
Mattapan Murders
Let's face it. WHEN this guy and his accomplices are found guilty, we are looking at feeding them, providing medical/dental care and other services for them for decades. If this isn't a glaring example of the need for the death penalty, I don't know what is. I know this state is enlightened and therefore there isn't (and there never will be) capital punishment here. Even if there was, no condemned prisoner would face the penalty. There are too many judges out there that would prevent this from being carried out. In closing think of this. The money that it will take to allow these guys to live out there lives in prison could be used to pay teachers, health care workers, public safety personnel etc. Instead we're throwing it away on those who have forfeited there right to freedom.
It costs more on average to
It costs more on average to execute a prisoner than to imprison him for life. Well, so much for your argument.
It costs more...
That is exactly my argument. The high costs related to appeals, that go on for decades, could be used for other much needed services. Every prisoner has the right to appeal. What is usually missing from these proceedings is the victims and those left behind. As I said this state would never carry out an execution because of the liberal beliefs of the judiciary. Finally, those that have committed this crime (and crimes similar) have forfeited their right to live.
See above. The only way to
See above. The only way to "fairly" execute someone in this country involves a very lengthy appeals process that eclipses the cost of life imprisonment.
And it's only relatively
And it's only relatively "fairly". There have been literally dozens of wrongfully convicted men released from death row. As I said in another post, since these convictions are almost always overturned on the basis of DNA evidence, many of these guys were convicted of crimes where the perpetrator raped the victim before killing them. These are precisely the type of especially heinous crimes that trigger people's instincts for revenge and make them liable to believe that the death penalty is a good idea.
The death penalty actually
The death penalty actually costs more to implement than life in prison. Most of this cost, of course, has to do with safeguards such as numerous appeals and their cost of adjudication, But those safeguards are needed. Even with them there have been dozens of wrongfully convicted men released from Death Rows. Making the death penalty less costly would also involve it becoming more innacurate in application, with plenty of innocent men being executed. In addition, studies show that the death penalty acts as no deterent, and that it is more likely to be applied to poor defendants and black defendants. Ultimately, all moral issues aside, one huge problem with the death penalty is that you can't undo it. Of course you can't undo the years that an innocent person has spent in prison either but you can release them. You can't bring back to life an innocent person who has been executed. The advent of DNA testing has shown that there are an alarming number of people in this country who have been convicted of crimes they didn't commit (and because these are cases where DNA evidence from the perpetrator is available they tend to be gruesome rapes or gruesome rape-murders). And that's just the people who have been exonerated through DNA evidence. How many guys are there were no DNA evidence was left behind and therefor no possibility of exoneration is present?
How do you know that he'll be
How do you know that he'll be found guilty?
Killing someone else, when
Killing someone else, when you have the choice not to, is evil. It's as plain and simple as that.
Would you kill someone to pay for a teacher? Would you kill someone to pay for a road? Why is it suddenly fine to do so just because they've killed someone else? Would it be acceptable for the Taliban to kill a prisoner of war, because they didn't want to feed and house him any more?
The mentality that because one person killed another, they should be themselves killed, is part of what leads to endless, bloody feuds; wars that never end, because each party needs to get in the last kill to make up for the previous one. We need to rise above that; realize that there are more important things in life than revenge.
Capital punishment is no more a deterrent than life imprisonment. We do not improve anything by killing the murderer. It only makes us more evil; makes us think that killing is fine just because it's "justified."
Killing is never fine unless there is an imminent threat of harm, and it is the only viable defense. We should do everything in our power to reduce the amount of killing that happens, not increase it just because we feel like we can save a few bucks by killing someone we don't like.
Well now it looks like he'll
Well now it looks like he'll get the chance to show how real he is in prison/
Who Is Kimani Ikhlas?
Has the surname on his FB profile changed since you linked to it?
No, was Ikhlas when I first saw it
Somebody tipped me off to it. What convinced me it was the same guy was a) comparing the photo to the one posted by Manchester PD and b) that all the Facebook friends whose pages I clicked on were from around here.
Nice work, Adam.
Nice work, Adam.
Does Facebook routinely allow racial slurs, threats to kill?
I'm not on facebook but I'm surprised they would allow repeated use of the offensive term "nigga". Does this slip thru filtering software because of the more common ending "er" has been changed to "a" or is anything and everything allowed? The fact that this specimen has 167 friends is quite telling too.
Also, when it comes to showing a possible murder suspect's mindset, it doesn't get much better than the following, in his own words. Enter prosecution exhibit A and B:
A) "If u don't spot the vic(tim) in the first 30 seconds that means ur IT. If u don't hear the shots when the shells yell Sun that means ur HIT!"
B) "Ikhlas I wake up break up purple & circle the BLOCK. Sittin' twistin' a TOP. I need a drink nigga it's HOT. The bigga the POT. The bigga the PLOT. Like chics niggas'll TALK. I sit & I WATCH. Slip a clip in the GLOCK. Spit a bit @ ya TOP. If NOT bigga 2 WALK then bigga in CHALK."
The N word and Facebook
I'd be surprised if they tried to ban it because, for better or worse, it's become a fairly common word among many young blacks, and not as a derogatory term (something that's hardly a new idea - think of how "Yankee" changed meaning during the Revolution).
I miss Mel Brooks at times like this
Adam:
When was the last time you watched (un-bleeped) Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles? The last honest use of the term "nigger" in American media, by anyone of any persuasion. And he manages to make it as ridiculous as Spics, Hebes, Chinks, Dagos, etc. And of course, Irish. As in: "Alright, we’ll take the niggers and the chinks… but not the Irish!"
Calm down, everyone. Take it from this Goddamned Mick--it's just a word! Say it a couple of dozen times like Brooks does in that movie and it becomes as silly as any other stoopid word.
BTW, the Comcast bleeped version of the same makes Brooks' point almost better than the original movie.
Sounds like pretty standard
Sounds like pretty standard disposable gangsta rap music. It's been around for a while. You can't really criticize it too much in court, since the suburban white kids of the judges and lawyers listen to it. You'll also see it as part of the score of broadcast TV shows. And any English-speaking jury knows that.
Filtering software? Do you
Filtering software?
Do you honestly think that Facebook censors "bad words" that people post on their wall? Your wall is your personal space; you get to decide how much of an asshole you want to look like to the world. They likely try to filter out anything that could get them legally in trouble, like outright pornography. It's sad, really, that in this country pornography can get you in more trouble than casual threats of violence, but that's not Facebook's fault.
Maybe more details soon
Press conference at BPD HQ at 4:30.
A few details announced
Statements by Ed Davis and Tom Menino.
Not just the "realest nigga"--also a sincere servant of God
IKHLAS (SINCERITY OR PURITY OF INTENTION)
Ikhlas has been interpreted as being upright, sincere, and pure; being distant from show and ostentation in one’s intention and conduct; and being closed to whatever clouds or fouls the heart. Purity of intention, straightforwardness in thought, pursuit of no worldly purposes in one’s relationship with God, and loyalty in servanthood to God are also included here.
Ikhlas requires that one pursue nothing worldly while worshipping and obeying God, that one fulfills the duty of servanthood only because God orders it, and that one remains silent concerning any personal experiences of God’s special treatment and special gifts and seek only His approval and pleasure.
Sincerity is one of the most significant qualities of those most faithful or loyal to God; loyalty is regarded as a source, and sincerity as a sweet water originating from it. The most eloquent of humanity, upon him be peace and blessings, declared that one who drinks uninterruptedly from this water for forty days will find channels of wisdom opened from his or her heart to his or her tongue, and that such a person will always speak wisdom.
Loyalty or faithfulness is the primary attribute of Prophet-hood, and sincerity is its most lustrous dimension. Sincerity is innate in the Prophets; all other people try to obtain it during their lifetime. Among them, for example, the Qur’an describes the Prophet Moses as one made sincere (19:51).
Faithfulness and sincerity were as intrinsic and essential to the Prophets as air and water are to the lives of those who communicate the Prophets’ message to others in every age. In addition, they were the Prophets’ most important sources of power. The Prophets were convinced that they could not take one step forward without sincerity, and the representatives of the cause of Prophethood must believe that they will be able to achieve nothing without it. Faithfulness and sincerity are two wings or two deep oceans extending from Divine Favor and Grace to an individual’s heart. One who can sail in these oceans or fly with these wings will reach the destination, for they are under God’s protection. God values that which is done to please Him, regard-less of its apparent size or importance, not the quantity of deeds. Therefore, He values a small deed done with sincerity over many deeds done without sincerity.
Sincerity is an attitude of the heart, and God views an individual according to his or her heart’s inclination. The Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, declares: Assuredly, God does not consider your bodies, nor your appearances. Rather, He considers your hearts. Sincerity is a mysterious Divine credit granted to those who are pure-hearted in order to increase what is little and to deepen what is shallow, and to give finite (limited) worship infinite reward. One can use it to purchase the most valuable things in the markets of this world and the next, for it is esteemed, welcomed, and respected where others suffer great misery. This mysterious power of sincerity caused God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, to declare: Be sincere in your religion; little work (with sincerity) is enough for you, and: Be sincere in your deeds, for God only accepts what is done with sincerity.
If we consider a deed to be a body, sincerity is its soul. If a deed represents one wing of pair of wings, sincerity is the other. A body without soul is of no worth, and nothing can fly with only one wing. How fine are Mawlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi’s words:
You should be sincere in all your deeds,
So that the Majestic Lord may accept them.
Sincerity is the wing of the bird of the acts of obedience.
Without a wing, how can you fly to the abode of prosperity?
The following words of Bayazid al-Bistami are also very apt:
I worshipped my Lord for thirty years with all my strength. Then I heard a voice saying: O Bayazid! The treasures of God Almighty are full of acts of worship. If you intend to reach Him, see yourself as small at the door of God and be sincere in your deeds.
For some, sincerity involves hiding from others when per-forming supererogatory deeds and avoiding all show and ostentation. For others, it means that whether one is or is not seen while performing religious deeds is not important. Still for others, it means being so involved in worship or religious deeds in consideration of God’s pleasure that one does not even remember whether one should be sincere or not.
Self-supervision is an essential dimension of sincerity, and a truly sincere person does not consider any possible spiritual pleasure that may be derived, or speculate upon whether it will ensure entrance to Paradise. Sincerity is a mystery between God and a servant, and God puts it in the hearts of those He loves. One whose heart is awakened to sincerity does not worry about being praised or accused, exalted or debased, aware or unaware of deeds, or being rewarded. Such a person does not change, and behaves in the same way in public and in private.