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Old Ray Flynn signs never die; they just get reused in Eastie

Sign advertising work at Boston City Hospital, Raymond L. Flynn, mayor

Pete Butera found this old Ray Flynn/Boston City Hospital construction-project sign being used to block ally access in East Boston.

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Comments

That's a blast from the past.

I was a young teenager when he was mayor just coming into understanding of local politics. If there's one thing I do remember about Ray Flynn is he would always show up at shooting scenes and certain gun-related scenes.

I remember him comforting people's parents and family members. I don't know about the other parts of its tenure.

But the fact that he was out there for the people during some most traumatic moments of the Cities lives was good enough for me.

Thank you Ray Flynn for your public service era.

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When Cardinal Law needed a comforting word and some public support after the child abuse scandal hurt Law's reputation, Ray Flynn was there*.

"I believe it is in the best interest of the Catholic Church for Cardinal Law to stay, implement a no-tolerance policy, so, what happened here with these pedophile priests, will never ever ever happen again," Flynn said Thursday night."

I hope hell actually does exist so these people can all go there.

* Flynn was not there for the actual abused children of course. He probably thinks they lured the priests into sin after watching too much 'Arthur' or something.

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People are now starting to realize there is no God. When you die everything just goes black...... for everyone.

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He was the people's mayor unlike the two clowns who followed him. No phony baloney press conferences, no phony baloney golf tournaments, no phony baloney "let's call the media" on the way to a fire/shooting.
If Ray refused the Ambassador gig, he'd still be Mayor today.

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He sure like the pedophile priest protectors more than the victims. He was very open and honest about his belief that the Boston Globe was a bigger villain for covering the story than Cardinal Law for covering it up for decades.

A poster child for the saying "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

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I mean, I'm a good churchgoing Catholic, and even I know that Ambassador Flynn goes overboard in his cheerleading for the Church, but on the other hand, he was in the Vatican for some time, so that had to have an effect.

Speaking of his time at the Vatican, as another poster noted, he could have served for another decade or two (I don't see him still servicing today. He's just too old.) as mayor if not for Bill Clinton giving him his Ambassadorship. Remember Bill Clinton? The word is that he may have been a bit of a sexual predator. Kind of amazing how people embraced him for years, even when the accusations were out there. Even recently, during the height of the "me too" movement, one of his victims was uninvited to an event because it would have caused too much grief for the 43rd President if she was there. But I'm willing to bet that during the 1990s you weren't calling out people who were making the accusations, that you weren't buying into the idea that there was a "vast right-wing conspiracy" behind all these women making the claims they made, because you were above all of that.

In short, Flynn was a good mayor.

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Using old but functional building materials to serve a purpose should be applauded! Kinda cool to see "old" signage like that.

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I have to see what the person looks like, thereby assessing their wealth and status before I decide whether this should be applauded.

If the person appears lucid, well-read, and enjoys repurposing old things with in an artistic way, then people will approve.

However, if the person is strung out and is just fastening junk, with no artistic feel or irony, then I do not approve. Like when that guy Doug would run for various elected offices with repurposed green political signage, everyone was all, “haha, what a tool!”

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were strung out

most of the repurposed stuff you see now is overpriced mainstream crap for people who stencil "Live, Laugh, Love" on their walls

this here is true Americana, nostalgic without being in your face about it

its pure and raw city life

its perfect

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Authenticity is important. I also like that you drew attention to those lame “Live, Laugh, Love” stencils. Well done.

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With whats his faces name on it?

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This is not how you spell Easte. It's Eastie.

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You and my former copy-editor daughter both caught that typo. Fixed.

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It is intriguing how this piece of plywood might have wound up there. Did the City give the sign materials to some scrap wood lumberyard when it was taken down and then it sat there for years? Alternatively, it could have been someone who found it when the sign was being taken down, and then put it in their basement, but I'd think that would be more likely if this scene was around BMC. Or maybe it was put in by a contractor that has 30 year old signs from all around Boston?

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Those signs were made of something better than plywood.... HDO. Much more stronger and long lasting. Same materials that the highway signs are made of.
Google it.

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