Month: September 2013

My former FBI colleague Jack Cloherty passed away September 13,2013. Yesterday his very loving family, friends, neighbors, and fellow FBI agents participated in his funeral Mass. It was a beautiful, meaningful service that Jack would have loved. I owe Jack a particular debt of thanks. Over a period of time Jack helped me understand the full meaning of the Serenity Prayer. It begins;  ” God grant me the SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change; COURAGE to change the things I can; and WISDOM to know the difference.”

At the end of chapter 46, Mark Patrick has just appeared in federal court where AUSA Harvey Bottom is seeking a contempt order to force Patrick to identify his source of information and, failing that, to put Patrick in jail. Patrick is frustrated as this process will only help the terrorists. By innuendo Bottom suggests in off the record comments to a reporter, that when made public, will suggest Patrick is doing something illegal. The FBI makes no public comment and their efforts behind the scene are weak and ineffective.

When I wrote the end of this chapter, as set forth below,  I was totally inspired by Jack and the discussions we had over the years. To Jack, honor is due.

“By the time Liz got home, Patrick was all talked out. She was angry that his name was on the news associated with an adverse court action. She was afraid that was the only thing the public would remember. However, she did admit that her view as a lawyer was entirely different.

Patrick explained what people had said to him that afternoon. She reflected on the comments and they both decided the matter was eating up too much of their life. They would drop it for the time being. CONTINUE

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Sherlock Holmes was lamenting the fact that Mrs. Hudson had just removed the remnants of the tea recently consumed by Holmes and his ever present friend and colleague, John H. Watson MD. He left on his plate a small piece of scone which he now regretted not eating. It was enough of a distraction that made him desire that piece of scone even more.

This was the fourth day of heavy rain which limited the outdoor travels of both Holmes and Watson. It was a time for essential travel only, even wearing waxed cotton long coats. Their second floor rooms at 221 B Baker, Marylebone, London, were quite snug enough but Holmes’ long and lanky frame searched for more room to spread out his near lethargic corpse.

Suddenly Holmes bolted upright in his chair; “Watson, have you read the note we received yesterday from that author James Ring? I left it for you on the breakfast table this morning.”

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The commuter newspaper Metro (www.metero.us) reported on August 28, 2013, words offered by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano the day before when honoring first responders to the Marathon bombing at a ceremony here in Boston. After her words of praise, she reportedly stated that our nation will face a “major cyber event that will have a serious effect on our lives, our economy and the everyday functioning of our society.”

I was stunned. Have you ever heard such a warning before? What does this mean? What does Secretary Napolitano expect us to do in response to this stark warning?

Without a transcript I can’t place the statement in context. What does strike me is when someone in this high government position, with unlimited access to government’s best intelligence says, that such an event will happen, and it will negatively impact our entire country, there should be something more said. There is no hint or suggestion as what we can do right now to mitigate the effects of such a cyber attack.

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