Political dynasties are as American as apple pie. We all know the names Bush, Clinton, Rockefeller, Roosevelt and Kennedy. Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. (1888-1969) and Rose Kennedy (1890-1995) produced nine children together and helped create a legacy that continues to this day. Tragically they lost four of their nine children to violent deaths. Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy (1932-2009) carried the touch for the family for many years until his own death in 2009. In death, they became larger than life figures who became staples of American politics. But behind the historical speeches, money, looks and fame was a Kennedy whose life took a tragic course of its own. She is nearly forgotten in history books about the Kennedys but her story is one that must be told. And here, Kate Clifford Larson tells the sad story of Rose Marine “Rosemary” Kennedy (1918-2005).
From the outset, the story is gripping as Rose realizes that something is not right with her daughter who seems to be developing much slower than she should be. It is not long before it is realized that Rosemarie is developmentally disabled. Rose refuses to give up and teaches her daughter, eventually making enough progress where Rosemarie is able to function with some independence. Larson even includes snippets of letters Rosemarie wrote showing both her progress and lack of development.
In the time period in which mental disability was rarely spoken of and in primitive stages of treatment, the Kennedy family name had much to lose. And this could not be allowed. The family desperately wanted to help its beloved Rosemarie and her father Joe, finds out about another new experimental treatment. And this is the turning point in the book and the author captures the tragedy perfectly, driving home the point to the reader. For Rosemarie, her life would never be the same again and in some ways was over for good. Tragically, she spent the rest of her life in an assisted living facility, never again able to venture out on her own. In seclusion, she remained a carefully guarded secret but her sisters would use her disability in one of the most moving examples to date.
While she may have been unaware, Rosemary’s condition served as the catalyst for her brother John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) and sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver (1921-2009) to create the Special Olympics, through the Kennedy Foundation in partnership with several organizations. The Special Olympics continues to this day and through the games, the memory of Rosemary Kennedy lives on. This is her story, the good, the bad and the heartbreaking.
ISBN-10: 0544811909
ISBN-13: 978-0544811904
The fallout from the arrest and subsequent conviction of Warren Jeffs shocked the Fundamental Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) and its contingent of believers. The man who proclaimed himself to be the prophet has been revealed to be nothing more than a pedophile with a talent for extreme rhetoric. He and many other powerful men, kept the members of the FLDS in an iron grip was they exploited them for their own personal gain. Child labor, sexual abuse and underage marriage have resulted in infamy and the interest of State and Federal authorities. Defectors from the church have become testifying witnesses and told their stories on television and in books. Among these heroic individuals if Carolyn Jessop, whose own story of escape and survival is just as moving and shocking as many others. In confluence with ‘
On June 4, 1994, Greg “The Grim Reaper” Scarpa died of AIDS related complications at the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, Minnesota. The former mobster is known as one of the most feared killers in mafia history. Joseph Valachi is thought to be the first made member of a La Costra Nostra family to shed light on the dark secrets held by the mafia. Following Scarpa’s death, it came to light that he had been an informant for the FBI as early as 1953 preceding Valachi by ten years. Unlike Valachi, he never testified and while an informant he continued to operate on the streets of New York with sometimes very deadly consequences. From all accounts, he took part in or played a supporting role in dozens of murders, some of which remained unsolved. His son, Greg Scarpa, Jr., is still incarcerated but has renounced his former life as a mobster and continues his quest to have his conviction reviewed and his jail time reduced. I was previously familiar with the author Peter Lance, having read his book ‘A Thousand Years For Revenge’ as a sophomore at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. This book on Scarpa came as a recommendation from Amazon and I jumped at the chance to read this engaging and shocking expose. And while the cover of the book is highly enticing on its own, what’s contained is the pages of this book is nothing short of mind-boggling and will make you question everything you thought you knew about the trials and convictions of mobsters, most notably, John Gotti, Vic Orena, Sr., Sammy “The Bull” Gravano and Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso. And next to Scarpa, Casso figures prominently throughout the book and his relationship with the government is just as fascinating.
It’s often said that everyone comes into your life for a reason. Fairly recently, I became acquainted with a lovely young woman who has since become a very close friend. She was born in El Salvador and forced to flee her home with her family during one of the worst civil wars in modern history. Because I was quite young at the time of the conflict, my knowledge of the situation and the experiences of the survivors was severely limited, making it difficult for me to offer any meaningful comments to her story. However, I listened thoroughly and have never forgotten what she’s told me and it was through her stories that I began to further understand the turmoil that continues to plague Latin America to this very day. Recently I read the autobiography of retired marine Oliver North. Most readers will remember him from the Iran-Contra scandal in the mid 1980s during President Regan’s administration. Forced to be the scapegoat following congressional hearings into the intelligence activities to free hostages in Libya and fund the contras in Nicaragua against the Sandinista National Liberation Front, North faded into the background and now lives a quiet life far removed from his former activities. It was in this book that I began to understand the events that occurred in El Salvador, why they happened, who is to blame and why they should never be forgotten.
Defiance is one of the most powerful actions that can be taken by a person. The ability to stand up in the face of adversity tests our courage and in some cases our morale fiber. Rebecca Musser exemplified both as she faced former tormentor and leader of the Fundamental Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), Warren Jeffs. Musser is the former wife of Jeffs’ father Rulon and a major defector from the FLDS church. As she testified, she say stoically in a stunning red dress that surely drew the ire of the once powerful Jeffs. Today Jeffs continues to serve a life sentence at the Louis C. Powledge Unit in Anderson county, Texas. The FLDS continues to operate under the watchful eye of State and Federal authorities in Utah and Texas. Their investigations have shed light on the behind the scenes movements of the secretive and secluded religious faction. Assisted by defectors from the FLDS, authorities pieced together a disturbing pattern of sexual abuse of both children and adults and forced child labor. Their efforts culminated in the conviction of Jeffs.
On January 18, 1983, New York City Police Detectives were called to the scene of a grisly murder all too common in the streets battles of organized crime. An abandoned Cadillac was found with a surprise in its trunk, the body of mobster Roy DeMeo, the homicidal enforcer for the Gambino crime family. He had been brutally shot several times before his tragic demise. During his career, it is believed that he participated in dozens of murders, running a modern-day version of Murder, Inc. His death came as no surprise to some in law enforcement who know very well that many in that life eventually leave it in a body bag. But for DeMeo’s family, his disappearance and death, shook the family to its core.
es “Whitey” Bulger is currently incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Coleman in Sumter County, Florida. The former gangster who once ruled the streets of Boston is now 86 years of age and will spend the rest of his life behind bars. The manhunt to capture him spanned 16 years and for several of those years, he was on the FBI’s list of most wanted criminals. His capture is one of the biggest in U.S. history and also brought down many of the people connected to him, including both known associates and family members. His trial resulted in numerous lawsuits brought against the U.S. government for the FBI’s complicity in facilitating Bulger’s criminal enterprise.
March 21, 1980-Philadelphia mob boss Angelo Bruno is shot to death while sitting in the front passenger seat in a car in front of his house. The ruling commission in New York appoints Philip “Chicken Man” Testa as the new boss and Nicodemo Scarfo as the underboss. Less than a year later, Testa himself is murdered when a bomb explodes under his front porch. After meeting with the commission, Scarfo becomes the new boss and his reign would prove to be the deadliest in the family’s history. Guided by paranoia and a never-ending thirst for blood, Scarfo weaved a path of destruction that would bring down not only himself but nearly the entire organization before being arrested and convicted due in part to the testimony of his nephew and former underboss Philip Leonetti. Leonetti, whose defection is perhaps the biggest in mafia history, gave testimony that sent dozens of mobsters to prison and played an indirect role in the conviction of the teflon don himself, John Gotti. Scarfo continues to serve out his sentence at the Federal Medical Facility in Butner, North Carolina with a projected release date of January, 2033 when he will be 103 years old. Now in his mid-eighties, his life is far removed from his days running the streets of Philadelphia and Atlantic City.
FREETHINKING BIBLIOPHILE 
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