Boston and the Sea

I recently made a trip to Boston. While I could’ve spent a week or more visiting the usual tourist sites, I was out to answer a question: why seafaring? Why didn’t the maritime culture dissipate in the Bay State like it did in other upwardly-mobile, increasingly-educated locales? For this adventure, the MBTA’s Regional Rail system, and occasionally Boston’s subway (The “T”) connected me to various points in the Boston area. My first destination took me 30 miles inland from Boston’s North Station. I travelled up to Lowell from North Station in order to visit Jack Kerouac’s gravesite. As I was carrying my suitcase and backpack, I didn’t want to roll a mile to the cemetery. Instead, I settled for the park named in the author’s honor. Although new investment is freshening the city’s facades, Lowell spent decades a tired factory city, and the buildings showed this experience. Perhaps even then, Jack Kerouac found more opportunity on the road, and at sea as a merchant mariner. Quincy was my next destination, just south of Boston. Here was the home of museum ship USS Salem (CA-139). A heavy cruiser, the ship was built at Quincy’s Fore River Shipyard at the end of WWII, sailing just a decade in active service. Mariners, both active and retired, serve as volunteers doing the important work of chipping and painting; as well as higher-skilled tasks such as maintaining the ship’s electrical system. A ferry, one of many running frequently in Massachusetts Bay, would take me back to downtown Boston. My next day started in Boston Common. As I was crossing a footbridge, I noticed a plaque memorializing a young man who died in Vietnam; he had worked the lagoon’s swan boats as a high school student. I was impressed that this busy, world-class city, could take a moment to remember one of its working-class youth. The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, the Commonwealth Museum, and a University of Massachusetts campus are located on a peninsula known as Columbia Point. The state archives was dedicated by Michael Dukakis, who took credit for the “Massachusetts Miracle”. I am too young to remember a time prior to New England’s economic pivot from small-scale manufacturing to education and healthcare. Perhaps this was another piece of my puzzle: In the last half of the 20th century, a sole breadwinner could live an upper-middle class lifestyle anywhere in the United States with union-propelled American seafaring wages; and relatively isolated from local economic conditions. Nearby is South Boston, or Southie, traditionally Irish-American working-class community whose cold-water beach is known as the “Irish Riviera”. While bar-hopping college-educated professionals now blend into the Southie environment, the area used to be synonymous with trouble. Despite the environment, strong family ties persisted, and educational attainment was encouraged. There was a strong draw to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (some 50 miles south), and thence to sea. Legend has it that upwardly mobile “Southies” made their home in shoreline suburbs south of Boston. But this answer isn’t quite straightforward, as I learned on the train to Scituate. This line was abandoned for 50 years, and when service was restored against local opposition in 2007, ridership fell short of MBTA expectations. These residents were neither trust funders nor the 9-to-5 commuter crowd. Who were they? Retirees, perhaps; but one could look up to banners on the lampposts, bearing a compass rose and geographic coordinates. These small towns purposefully continued to orient themselves towards the sea. I rented a car for my last day in Massachusetts, driving by Plymouth Rock and Buzzard’s Bay, home to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Rick Gurnon, a previous President of the Academy, had spearheaded a transformation of the physical campus, adding green energy education (including a windmill) and a police training program (Emergency Management) to the maritime institution. The student body remained rooted; in the parking lot were pickup trucks and modest sedans. Approaching New Bedford in the morning, I was stopped at a drawbridge, but unlike my Virginia usual, I wasn’t upset with this affair. Instead, I observed that the town still has a good waterfront industry, with finishing boats and ice houses. I arrived at my destination, the New Bedford Whaling Museum. New exhibits are added regularly, but the mainstay is the half-size replica ship Lagoda, built in 1916 at the end of the whaling era. By this time, foreign crews were working these vessels, to include the Portuguese. Towards the end of the 19th century, whaleship owners diversified the local economy, building on the industrial base of whale oil refining and harpoon making. Whale tails can be seen on shop logos, harkening back to the town’s adventuresome days of sail. The race was on. I had a dinner invitation in Boston, and it was noon. On the drive back, I would settle for seeing the US Naval War College, in Newport, RI, from afar. I went by Roger Williams University, Rhode Island’s sole law school, and one of the nation’s premier Admiralty Law programs. In Providence, I stopped by Marvin’s Pizzeria for a good slice. The Narragansett Brewery and Gift Shop is located at India Point Park, a former ship anchorage. One thing you will not find is the traditional lager that serves as the beginning to many New England stories. In good time, I returned the rental car to Motor Mart, a 1920’s-built garage at the edge of downtown. All bags packed, I took the subway to Cambridge, and found that “two girls were waiting for me” at our restaurant. I knew them from the US Merchant Marine Academy.

On the Reasonable Use of Force

 

Duty to Retreat

In contrast to the Wild West, crowded East Coast cities discouraged the possession and use of weapons in self-defense, especially among the often-immigrant proletariat. In the book “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn”, set in 1910’s New York, a father who shoots a child predator is congratulated by his neighbors and the responding police officer, but was ultimately fined for having an unregistered handgun.

The Baltimore Catechism notably favored state power in the form of just war and capital punishment, over the individual action of self-defense. This statist logic was followed by Congress through the 1990’s, when a decade-long Assault Weapon ban and effective death penalty statues were both put into law to combat crime. On taking a life in self-defense, the Baltimore Catechism (1891) stated: “When we are unjustly attacked and have no other means of saving our own lives”.

 

Castle Doctrine

In the midst of late-1960’s protests, Law-and-Order politicians told anxious voters that “your home is your castle”. Rising crime rates, overtaxed police, and inner-city blight made it more plausible than ever that citizens would need to exercise lethal force to protect their homes and businesses.

Bernie Goetz had had enough in 1984 when he was robbed in a New York City subway car. He fired off his handgun, injuring the four muggers. A New York jury affirmed Bernie Goetz’s right to self-defense, and he was only charged with illegal handgun possession. He earned the title of “Subway Vigilante”. Gary Fadden of Virginia, meanwhile, had the run-through by a prosecutor. Chased down on the country road by two armed drunks, he keyed into his workplace for refuge. Instead, the armed drunks had barged through the gate, and Fadden was forced to take a last stand. As part of his job with the firearm manufacturer, he had a machine gun in his possession, and fired it. “F--- you and your high-powered weapon”, one assailant shouted. Empty bullet casings were found near the assailant’s seat. Fadden was cornered in his workplace. Even so, the prosecutor chose to take Gary Fadden to court. The jury sided with Fadden; this was a clear-cut case of self-defense. While vindicated, Fadden was left with over $30,000 in court costs and legal fees; and ultimately lost his job.

 

Stand-Your-Ground

On the eve of passing its stand-your-ground law, Georgia had to reckon with a ghost in its closet. Lena Baker, a Black woman, was sent to the electric chair in 1945 for using deadly force against a White attacker, who happened to be her employer as a maid. She was posthumously pardoned in 2005, and Georgia’s stand-your-ground law took effect in 2006. Then as now, the benefits of stand-your-ground laws are seen as subject to the whims and prejudices of the jury.

 

What was Kyle Rittenhouse thinking?

Kyle Rittenhouse, age 17, the alleged shooter in Kenosha, Wisconsin, was neither owner, employee, neighbor, nor a duly registered security guard protecting an auto dealership across state lines from his Illinois home. Teen access to firearms has been a contentious issue this past decade. Most recently, the Virginia legislature affirmed the right of a 14-year old to use a firearm in home defense. (The premise of the new law is that firearms must now be secured from children under 14).

 Most likely, Rittenhouse was a teenager caught in the tenor of the times. In 1976, 17-year old Joseph Rakes jabbed a man with the American flag in protest of Boston school integration. He was later convicted of assault. Rittenhouse, of course, carried a deadly weapon. A Wisconsin jury will decide if the state should lock him up and throw away the key.

Three Biggies: Self-Defense, War and Death Penalty

Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, acknowledged in General Principles that “There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty”. Even between catechisms, there are differing opinions on these two issues.

Pope John Paul II promulgated the now-famous Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992. In contrast to previous teaching on the issue, capital punishment was legitimized (however narrowly) under self-defense doctrine. This, according to scholars Feser and Bessette, contrasted to historical treatment of the issue as a matter of asset forfeiture: losing one’s most precious asset, human life, in expiation for a crime. Pope Pius XII in 1952 noted that a convicted murderer "has dispossessed himself of the right to live".

Cardinal Bernadin put forth the Seamless Garment in 1983, following Eileen Egan’s 1970’s teachings on the consistent ethic of life. This ethic opposes willful abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, and, note the qualification, unjust war. This concept spread through the American seminaries, and no one was surprised when Cardinal Sean O’Malley criticized the issuance of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s death sentence for his role in the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. The former noted, in line with the John Paul II Catechism, that the threat had already been “neutralized” by Tsarnaev’s imprisonment before trial.  Indeed, Tsarnaev claimed his death sentence was an injustice- after killing 3, maiming 16, and terrorizing a nation. Pope Francis’ recent revision of the 1992 Catechism declares capital punishment “inadmissible”, commenting that previous teachings on the subject were more legalistic than pastoral in nature.

Lesson 33 of The Baltimore Catechism, the American Bishops’ official catechism until last decade, identifies three circumstances when human life may be lawfully taken:

1.       In self-defense

2.       In a just war

3.       By the lawful execution of a criminal.

In practice, public enthusiasm to carry out just rewards- to be “tough on crime” or to “Bomb Agrabah” is tempered by involved parties with respect for human life and recognition of moral culpability. These involved parties are police officers, homeowners, military officers, and trial judges, who direct and carry out the lawful taking of life. For example, no serious politician or official wants to legislate Genesis 9:6 into law. As seen in public discourse, the highest value of human life is assigned to those accused of a capital offense, where one wrongful execution is a moral outrage; and lowest for innocents in a war zone, in which a thousand foreign casualties does not churn the stomach. As an example of this ethic, then-Governor Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign-stop execution of mentally-incompetent Ricky Ray Rector in Arkansas is still discussed today. If this was not a lawful execution per-se, then was it willful murder committed by a future president? (3) Historical statistics likewise demonstrate that the perceived moral hazard of taking an innocent life is greatest with capital punishment, and lowest in war.

·         Self-Defense: 149 unarmed Americans died during an encounter with law enforcement in 2017 alone. (1). This figure does not include accidental deaths under Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground laws.

·         Just War: According to the National Geographic, 500,000 Iraqi civilians have died in conflict since 2003.

·         Forfeiture: Since the 1970’s, 1 possible execution of an innocent person in America. This case was Cameron Willingham, found guilty of arson and executed in 2004. Governor Rick Perry of Texas was informed that trial evidence used outdated fire science, but he chose not to issue clemency to Mr. Willingham. (2)

In matters of human dignity, all these innocent lives should be weighed equally. In practice, they are most certainly not. Our nation spends millions on a single capital appeals, and not enough to provide clean drinking water in Flint, Michigan. There is no absolute truth or fallacy when commeasuring these issues: self-defense, just war and capital punishment. Personally, I feel that the ultimate punishment should be reserved for exceptional cases like Tsarnaev's. The key takeaway is to stay informed.

 Source: (1) https://policeviolencereport.org/

                 (2) Identified by Edward Feser and Jospeh Bessette in By Man His Blood Be Shed

 (3)  https://jacobinmag.com/2016/11/bill-clinton-rickey-rector-death-penalty-execution-crime-racism

                Agrabah is a fictional Middle-Eastern city created by the Walt Disney Company.

Branded by Social Media

The month of June means time for Beach Week, an annual, mid-Atlantic tradition. Celebrating the end of an academic year, unchaperoned high school and college students rent houses, inhabit hotels, and populate the beaches. It is a tradition dating to 1982 or earlier, when the Honorable Brett Kavanaugh, now the most junior US Supreme Court Justice, infamously attended.  During his recent Senate Confirmation process, lawmakers perused fading photographs, yearbooks, a Mark Judge novel, and hazy memories; looking for evidence of unsuitability and lapses in personal judgement.

Times are different today for the young. Smartphones and social media eliminate the possibility of plausible deniability; instead indemnifying any young adult who made a juvenile decision. Such is the case of Kyle Kashuv, whose admissions to Harvard University in Boston was rescinded for social media posts made at age 16. 

Laden with casually-strewn racial slurs, the posts reflect on Kashuv’s maturity at the time, and on the society in which he was raised. That was in Parkland, Florida. Rachel Slade, author of Into the Raging Seas, noted the state’s proclivity to racial slurs and use of the n-word. Fittingly to this case, William Faulkner’s  The Sound and the Fury, set in the 1920’s, demonstrated the culture clash between Southern racial hierarchies and Boston’s progressive attitudes on racial equality.   Today’s Harvard talks the talk of promoting racial justice. Does it walk the walk?

  Since World War Two, the US Army has taken a proactive role in fighting this kind of ingrained racism. In an era that still had segregated lunch counters, Blacks were assigned as Sergeants in charge of turning Southern White recruits into soldiers, physically and morally. Fixing prejudice hands-on, as the US Army has done, is something Harvard has shown unwillingness to do, in rescinding a young man’s admission letter. A more important observation, though, is that the digitally-native Generation Z is coming of age in a zero-defect culture; while previous generations got a pass on their youthful indiscretions- even into the Ivy League.   

“We are sorry about the circumstances that have led us to withdraw your admission, and we wish you success in your future academic endeavors and beyond”, wrote Dr. Fitzsimmons, Harvard’s dean of admissions in a personal letter to Kashuv. 

(Source: Patricia Mazzei, NY Times, 6/17/19)

Our Boston Trip

I sent this sort-of-desparate message last night
after arriving back from Boston. The plane trip
really should have been less hasslesome.

i just came back from a school trip to boston.
hotel-nice, but i was e-stranded from the
computer the whole time- there was a comp-
uter but no internet access. It was freezing cold.
'twas zero degrees fahernheit. 'twas a good
trip though.

Monday
After being served a surprising dessert of Kasuagi gummies I'm about to take a plane ride! I don't know what I am more excited about; the plane ride or my first trip on the AirTrain.

This station seemed to have been designed as part of the airport. They tried to be cool by naming their stations with letters; I got on at "D". It felt like I was trapped in a bubble waiting in the enclosed terminal. The trip went at a slower speed than I would have liked it, and the train was overcrowded, even at midday. We switched between the two tracks quite often, having to slow to 10 in the process. Not enjoyable.

Of course we managed to spend a lot of time at the airport checking in. It would have been faster if we would have taken a bus. No complications on the flight; I truly enjoyed that take-off jolt. No problems with baggage claim. We left the airport in an interesting manner; by boat. The trip was not too enjoyable with the constant rocking of the water taxi. We passed by the USS J>F>K>, the last fossil-fueled US Navy vessel. Mr. Goodwin sure knows a lot about boats.

Our hotel at the Yacht Haven was nice and spacious with a high ceiling and a view across the bay. Nice. Dinner was at Joe's American Bar and Restaurant, who shared the pier.

Tuesday
This was the science center day. I was so eager to see how their subway was like. It was yet bitter cold. I can't believe they called trolleys and buses trains! Such like DC's Zoo Stop, the Science Museum was actually 2 plus blocks from the aerial station. It was cool and the gift store and cafeteria weren't rip-offs!

To Be Continued