I honestly thought that last week’s post would serve as a transition to get me past the Boston bombings. But what has transpired here since the blasts simply can’t be ignored. Or, more precisely, I can’t ignore it.
When Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev was in the hospital after his capture, our mayor was asked how Tsarnaev was doing medically. Mennino waved his hand and said, “Who cares?” Everybody laughed; in fact, his response became a joke around town. At the time I didn’t find it particularly funny, but didn’t think much about it. Two weeks later and I’m thinking about it a lot.
For the past week Boston and cities around Massachusetts have refused to provide space to bury Dzhokhar’s brother Tamerlan who died in a shootout with Boston police, the FBI, and ATF.
When I wrote last week’s column I never expected the story to disappear. Did expect a blame game which is, in fact, happening. Expected congressional hearings, expected the bombings would become, as they have, a political football.
What I didn’t expect was the downright ugly about Tamerlan’s burial.
I understand and appreciate the agony and anger of people about these hideous, tragic events. I learned firsthand how a mass murder affects those connected to it when I spent much of a summer investigating the Murrah Building bombing for a consortium of lawyers. Most of that time was spent with people who had lost loved ones or were injured by the blast. They all were injured by wounds that would never heal.
But when a state and its municipalities refuse to allow a burial of an alleged bomber, it makes me sick to my stomach. We’ve had no trouble scattering ashes or burying convicted assassins and mass murderers before. Timothy McVeigh’s ashes were spread in an undisclosed U.S. location. John Wilkes Booth’s body at Green Mount Cemetery, Baltimore, Maryland. Richard Speck cold-bloodedly slaughtered eight nurses and his ashes were spread in the U.S. “Nanny” Hazel Doss, who confessed to killing her four husbands, her mother, her sister, her grandson, her nephew and others, is buried at Oak Hill Memorial Park, McAlester, Oklahoma. Lee Harvey Oswald at the Rose Hill Memorial Burial Park in Fort Worth, Texas. Andrew Kehoe, who murdered 38 elementary school children, six adults, and injured at least 58 other people, was buried at Mount Rest Cemetery, Clinton County, Michigan.
The list is near endless, but I’ll only mention two more. Father John J. Geoghan molested more than 130 children and is buried at Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts and the good old Boston Strangler, Albert DeSalvo, is buried at Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, Peabody, Massachusetts. If our state can provide hallowed ground for these criminals…
So why does it matter if a state and municipalities refuse to allow a burial?
My friend Bill often tells me that I rush to defend the worst of our people. He’s not far wrong–though I don’t think he recognizes my compassion for victims. I believe the way a society handles the worst of the worst speaks to the moral fiber of that society. I’m vehemently opposed to state-sanctioned murder (disguised under the benign term capital punishment) for the same reason. It reflects a blood lust for vengeance–something that eats at the decency of our culture.
Earlier I used the word “alleged” to describe the dead Tamerlan. Do I doubt that he colluded to set off those horrific bombs? Not really, but frankly it doesn’t matter. What matters is a cornerstone of the best of our social character. Innocent until proven guilty has, yet again, taken a back seat to the worst of our being. Better to eliminate the protection of rights in the name of hatred and security than to hold those rights up as a beacon to who we are and want to be.
Worse, these eliminations are rapidly becoming the nature of our post 9/11 society. Gitmo, anyone? Islamophobia? Executions? Undeclared Martial Law? Hell, undeclared wars. These aren’t isolated actions, but part of a whole which is successfully shredding what’s left of our ethical and legal fiber. And the greed which permeates our economic life is taking care of the rest.
When I worked for a poor peoples’ criminal defense attorney, or served on juries, I was constantly struck by the number of times judges would remind and remind the jury that the defendant was absolutely presumed innocent, no matter the charge(s). And was always shocked (when on a jury) how often those words fell upon deaf ears.
Furthermore, if Tamerlan was guilty and murdered and hurt all those innocent people who will have to live with their injuries long after he rots in his grave, doesn’t he still deserve to have one? Just as the way a society treats its poor, its criminals, how it treats its dead also shines a bright light upon our humanity.
Only as rich as the poorest of the poor,
Only as free as a padlocked prison door… Phil Ochs
Such is life in Opposite World. Just one more element flipped backwards. Down is Up. Peace is War.
Because you see where this is taking us, you are naturally disturbed by the portents. Others see only the power of driven mobs to be harnessed for their own purpose.
What could possibly go wrong?
Bill (the other)–Not sure I see where this is taking us, but do see where we are now. And it sucks.
You make some great points, Zach. Nicely done. I hadn’t heard that Menino anecdote, and it surprises me – such poor taste. Though I can understand the outrage about burying Tamerlan, I do wonder why now? why him? when we’ve buried so many other evil men and women in this country’s soil.
SAFM–Why now? Because this is the society we’ve become. And it’s just getting worse, sad to say.
Unfortunately all that is happening now is predictable—-the racism against Muslims and the patriotism (flag-waving, warmongering!). Menino, Cambridge politicians, and Patrick were gutless in not allowing the body to be buried in Massachusetts. My hero is the nurse from Virginia that arranged the transport and burial of the body.
Ruben–Wouldna even taken guts. Just a moral compass which AmeriKa has lost.
You only have to listen to the likes of Howie “Little Bastards” Carr to understand what is going on (in the 80’s & 90’s when he was ragging on welfare mothers, this is how he daily referred to their children. Tame compared to what he is putting out there today.) He has an audience of millions and there are hundred across the country, in all media, similar to him.
Zach, you are part of a small minority that for some reason has not been brainwashed by the propaganda campaign. And part of a much smaller minority still (and shrinking as we speak) who still are willing to talk about it.
Jed–I guess I’m too stubborn to be easily brainwashed. But I don’t think I’m alone. I still believe good people are still fighting the fight but we’re all pretty directionless. Guess that happens when you’re surrounded.
Even though it’s the same fight, our numbers are being spread, too thin, across the issues making it difficult to unify opposition against the assaults. Education, health care, war, transportation, voting rights, campaign finance, lobbyists, unions, immigration, Wall St., tax evaders, housing, employment, hunger, desecration of our lands, fracking, “clean” coal, genetically modified agriculture, college funding, women’s rights, the prison/industrial complex…andonandon. Each with its own legion of fighters, but apart from each other and largely doing battle with conjured, but well-funded armies of made out of astro-turf.
.
Other Bill–“Each with its own legion of fighters, but apart from each other” This is what really has to change.
This is nothing new, as described in an excellent article in The Atlantic (http://m.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/05/the-dark-art-of-racecraft/275783/).
It’s little better here in Britain: the sheer persistence and consistency of xenophobia is best exemplified by an East London street called Brick Lane, which has been successively “invaded” by French Huguenots, Irish Catholics, East European Jews and now Bangladeshi Muslims. The language used to demonise each wave by allegedly native Brits is depressingly similar.
Shakib–Old or new it makes me feel unwell. Thanks for the link. Appreciate your taking the time to read and comment.
Great article Zach, I agree that in the collective post-trauma of a tragedy like this, feelings of anger and revenge can make us forget ourselves, and the concept of extending basic rights to the perceived perpetrators can be unpopular right out of the gate. It is my belief however, that in time these simple truths – innocent until proven guilty, particularly in the medical and ethical treatment of the accused, and the right to be laid to rest after we’ve passed – will be much less controversial.
Sam–” It is my belief however, that in time these simple truths – innocent until proven guilty, particularly in the medical and ethical treatment of the accused, and the right to be laid to rest after we’ve passed – will be much less controversial.” I sure hope you’re right. And thanks for reading and commenting. Much appreciated!
When it comes to the burial I agree with you 100% Zach. The people of Boston acted a fool and should be ashamed of themselves. When it comes to the whole innocent until proven guilty part? I am with you on that too. There is an exception to the way I believe we are allowed to handle that though. As a people I do think it’s fair to convict someone in the courts of our minds where the evidence is over whelming and they were killed in a shoot out trying to flee capture. Are they legally guilty? No. Is it wrong for you and I to drop the alleged? No. Is it wrong to deny him burial no matter how you see it legally or not? Yes. It is wrong and it sickens me.
Don. To be honest I believed you would agree with me when I wrote it. We differ on many things but as we get to know each other we’re both better able to anticipate the others’ headspace. Thanks, as usual for reading and comment. Folks don’t understand how much feedback–even negative–is important to a writer. Why should they, really?
Yo Zach….Always interested in your take on everything…always makes me expand my thinking….tho I’m right with you on this one anyway…about the burial….heard someone say “What if it was your son?” Something else to think about.
Big fan of Phil Ochs…Trudy and I used to do his songs when we were guitar-playing hippies….Especially liked “Here’s to the State of Mississippi” and “I Ain’t A-Marchin’ Anymore”….
Another groovin’ blog, Zach….
Gretchen and Trudy
Gretchen & Trudy–What can I say? Thank you.
My first thought was Good God, have I outlived all these monsters? My second was more practical. Most cemeteries are private, and their motivation could be self-preservation because of fear of demonstrations, protestations by families of those buried next to the guy, people defacing the grave and those of others nearby, etc. The rage is understandable. I remember what the Italians did to Mussolini and his mistress and how Hitler died. It doesn’t really matter to the corpse how it’s treated, but corpse torture and corpse defacing is not something I’d want to remember and live with the rest of my life. Once the guy is dead, you really have to let the anger go. The horror is gone. Give it up.
Louise: “Once the guy is dead, you really have to let the anger go. The horror is gone. Give it up.” Why I love you.
I appreciate your eloquent outrage. For so many venues to refuse to bury him merely confirms his reasons for disliking America–after all, he’s dead, and what happens to his corpse means nothing to him; but it is an affront to his family, who were as shocked and appalled as the rest of us at what he did. America–gotta love it!
Martin: ” America–gotta love it!” Or not. thanks for coming by and commenting. Much appreciated.
It was reported today on the Roy Rightnut radio hate show that MIT is to take the body and compress it into a 12 inch diameter solid sphere. They’ll keep it in the freezer until the 4th of July when it will be shot from of a cannon far out to sea during the Boston fireworks display.
No, truthfully if I owned or administered a cemetery in Boston I wouldn’t want his body buried on my place either. Can you imagine the vandalism the good folks would do to that grave and probably scores of others? It would simply be asking for trouble. Again, you can talk sense to a person. You can’t talk anything to a mob.
Legally, if no one wants the body I would assume the mortuary has the right to dispose of it in a decent manner as they wish. Burial at sea seems the best choice to rid themselves of the carcass.
But it does nothing to address the issues you brought up. I’ve noted many a dark change in our society over the past decade or two and it’s getting worse faster, as if some kind of social Moore’s Law was effecting us. We’re getting meaner and less tolerant. Colder. We are changing. We are not the same people we were. We still have the peaceful and kind and brave among us, but as a whole this society is quietly sharpening their machetes.
Kent
Kent–I don’t really believe people are sharpening anything. We’ve, at lest since 9/11 have voluntarily given up a multitude of principles in exchange for security and this Supreme Court has eviscerated them further. Did you ever dream that a corporation would be deemed an individual? I sure didn’t. If we actually want change people will need to organize to make it happen. As of now, I simply don’t see that kind of political organizing.
And how do you imagine the authorities are dealing with their captive? I read that he was radicalized by his brother only weeks before the bombings. I can’t help but think of him as a victim too.
Nancy–I can’t see him as a victim. But the way boston and ma in general behaved disgusted me.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this too. I wonder if part of the reason is many of us are still unaccustomed to terrorism in our backyards. Do shootings, stabbings, drunk drivings seem less egregious than bombings? Maybe, to some people.
I also think that because he died so soon after the bombings – some victims were still in the hospital – emotions were still very raw. If he’d been through trial and was executed or died in prison, I think feelings might have been different. Many municipalities probably feared the security nightmare and expense the media circus might have brought.
If his religion had allowed cremation, I think that would have made a difference.
As angry as people were, I worried someone would do something stupid after the burial to his grave. I’d like to think as a society we are better than that.
Cindy–“As angry as people were, I worried someone would do something stupid after the burial to his grave. I’d like to think as a society we are better than that.” I guess we’re not.
I have a hard time dealing with the Anger that is contained in the whole thing and I can’t help wondering about the Wrathful angry deity we sometimes try to grapple with. Sacrificing some Irish Christian monks to Odin was on the last episode of “Vikings.” How do people control anger and the passions that kill.
Bobby: “How do people control anger and the passions that kill.” The vast, vast majority of the world’s population can and do. But all to often people are urged by their governments, religions, and institutions in which they believe, to murder for cause. And while virtually all those causes are mostly just blood spills, folks follow. It’s those countries, religions, institutions that have to change and the only way that will happen is when enough of us just say no.
A lot of food for thought, Zach. I suppose suppose somewhere in that blog was an answer to all of those issues,but the longer I think about it the sillier it becomes. Is the real reason vandalism of a cemetery? What has become of us?
Hank–No answer that I can see. And certainly no answer to your question about what we’ve become. It’s a horror show.
Just a postscript, though I don’t know if anyone will read this, now that you’ve moved on to your next post: When she was growing up, my wife’s family attended the Catholic Church in Chicago that had no qualms about burying Al Capone after a lifetime of gangland mayhem (and late-life syphilis). Just sayin’ …
Peter–first, thanks for taking the time to read this and comment. Second, why am I not surprised about Capone?