The Poster Boy for Abuse of Authority, Ethical Misconduct and Conflicts of Interest
A Closet White Supremacist with Neo-Nazi Leanings?
There are many reasons why people get tattoos, the most obvious being "self identification"
in which the individual seeks to mark a significant event or aspect of themselves or their lives including the
memorialization of loved-ones. Another is an attempt at "group identification" with a particular group or
organization. The latter could be an attempt to identify as a member of a religion, fraternal organization, military
branch or unit, sports team, or hate group such as the KKK, and the like. Presently, some neo-Nazi and white
supremacist groups use runic characters as part of their group symbolism.
Runes are letters of ancient Norse and Germanic alphabets often believed to have mysterious or magical significance.
There are many different runic characters and symbols that have become popular tattoos, while some of the rune symbols
(so-called "Armanen" runes) have been appropriated by certain historical hate-groups including the World War II era
German Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German
Workers' Party), also known as the NSDAP or "Nazi" party, as well as a number of modem day neo-Nazi and white
supremacy groups such as the "Aryan Brotherhood," "Aryan Nation," and "White-Power Skinheads,"
among others.
The most controversial and objectionable of all runic symbols that had been misappropriated by Nazi Germany to
symbolize hate is the notorious Swastika or "Hakenkreuz." The swastika in synonymous with the Nazi
era German national banner under which the greatest slaughter of human life was perpetrated. Historically, the
Swastika's original symbolism was not negative at all. The word swastika comes from the Sanskrit word "Svastika"
which means "good fortune" or ''wellbeing.'' The motif (a hooked cross) appears to have been used in Neolithic Eurasia,
perhaps representing the movement of the sun through the sky. To this day it is a sacred symbol of Hinduism, Buddhism,
Jainism and Odinism (see: History of the Swastika -United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website). Once misappropriated
and its meaning tainted by the Nazis, however, the swastika's anti-Semitic historical implications have become so
notorious as to make it unnecessary to further discuss here.
The next most commonly identified of the Nazi appropriated runic symbols are the "doppelte Siegrune" (double "Sig"
rune), sometimes also referred to as "SS-Bolts", comprised of two SSs resembling lightning bolts. Those famous symbols
were worn as collar devices on the uniforms of members of the feared "Geheime Staatspolizei" or Gestapo
(German Secret State Police), as well as the military branch of the Waffen-SS, the group identified as Hitler's
own "Schutzstaffel" [literally translated as Protection Divisions or Defense Echelon] who swore an oath of allegiance
directly to Adolf Hitler, himself. According to Wikipedia -Runic Insignia of the Schutzstaffel (see rune below):
DOPPELTE SIEGRUNE (DOUBLE "SIG" RUNE)
"It [doppelte Siegrune] was adapted into the emblem of the SS in 1933 by Walter Heck, as SS Sturmhauptfubrer
who worked as a graphic designer for Ferdinand Hoffstatter, a producer of emblems and insignia in Bonn. Heck's simple but striking device
consists of two Sig runes drawn side by side like lightning bolts, and was soon adopted by all branches of the SS...The device had
a double meaning; as well as standing for the initials of the SS, it could be read as a rallying cry of "Victory, Victory!" The symbol
became so ubiquitous that it was frequently typeset using runes rather than letters; during the Nazi period, an extra key was added to
German typewriters to enable them to type the double-Sig logo with a single keystroke.
The double Sig-runes or SS-bolts were subsequently adopted as the official insignia of the Gestapo and the Waffen-SS by their leader,
Reichsfuhrer-SS, Heinrich Himmler, who also formed the Einsatzgruppen (the SS paramilitary death squads), and facilitated, built and
oversaw the Nazi extermination camps.
The German SS units of World War II were known for their ruthless violence and commission of hundreds of war crimes and crimes
against humanity, from the administration of the many Nazi holocaust extermination camps, including the systematic enslavement,
rape, torture and murder of millions of innocent civilians, to the infamous "Malmedy massacre" of surrendered American soldiers
during the Battle of the Bulge. Having been responsible for the slaughter of more than six million Jews, mentally and physically
handicapped persons, gypsies, homosexuals, political dissidents, ethnic minorities, and those who were deemed undesirable, the
SS was declared a criminal organization at the Nuremberg war crimes trials following the end of the war.
Unlike the Swastika that can be traced back for millenia, and used by multiple civilizations around the world with positive
symbolism until the modem era, the double Sig-runes or "SS-Bolts" have only been associated with one political movement, and
one group in history, that of the German Nazi party of World War II, and particularly, Hitler's own
Schutzstaffel-SS.
Scott Vecchi is reported to have a tattoo which includes the "dopplete Siegrune" (double-Sig rune or SS-Bolts emblem) on
his left bicep (photograph not yet available), which he apparently claims he got to signify his membership as a Scout Sniper
in the Marines. It may also include a rifle scope cross-hair (reticle) and the German words Kopfäjger (head-hunter).
The Schutzstaffel-SS employed a second symbol and uniform collar device known as the Totenkopf (death's head)
consisting of a human skull and cross-bones, as further evidence of the obvious Nazi German symbolism and meaning behind the entirety
of the tattoo.
There was, in fact, a shameful incident in the history of the Marine Corps in which several members of their scout sniper unit stupidly
had their photos taken standing before an American flag above a Nazi "SS" pennant in September of 2010. Those Marines ridiculously
claimed ignorance of the notorious symbolism behind the double-Sig flag and somehow avoided discipline for their actions when the photo
went public two years later. According to foxnews.com: "The image has since surfaced on an internet blog, sparking widespread outrage
and calls for a full scale investigation and punishment, including bringing those in the photograph and anyone who condoned it to court
martial." Major Gabrielle Chapin, a spokeswoman at Camp Pendleton said "The Marines in the photograph are no longer with the unit." Chapin
said she did not know if they are still in the Corps.
"This is a complete and total outrage," said Mike Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, headquartered in Albuquerque,
New Mexico." Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Weisenthal Center, headquartered in Los Angeles, said he does not buy the explanation
that posing with the flag was an innocent mistake and insisted the American public has a right to know what happened. "If you take a look
at any book on the Nazi period, this is the dreaded symbol of the SS, and to have a Marine Corps unit adopt it and put it beside the
American flag when 200,000 Americans died to free the world of that dreaded symbol is just beyond the pale." he said (Marine Corps says
snipers posed with Nazi SS symbol in Afghanistan. The Associated Press, dated February 9, 2012).
The Marine Corps has since banned all racist "hate" tattoos from it's ranks, specifically including such symbols as the swastika, SS
double-Sig runes, and the Confederate flag, among many others (see USMC Unauthorized and/or Inappropriate Tattoos and Symbols (Please note: the preceding link is a PowerPoint document. Please scroll down to slide # 12)).
The next most commonly identified of the Nazi era appropriated modern hate symbols is the so-called "Tyr" rune (of Anglo-Saxon origin,
identical to the Proto-Germanic "Tiwaz" or "Teiwaz" rune, both representing the letter "T"), resembling a simple arrow and
therefore often referred to as the "Pfeil-rune" (German for Arrow-rune). According to the official
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) website, Hate Symbols Database - Hate on Display™:
"The Tye rune is one of many ancient European symbols appropriated by the Nazis in their attempts to create an
idealized "Aryan/Norse" heritage. This gave symbols such as the Tyr rune a new, racist significance that they did not originally have. Nazi
Germany used the Tyr rune as a symbol for a number of Nazi entities, including the leadership schools (Reichsfuhrerschulen) of Hitler's brown
shirts, the Sturmabteilung, and a Waffen SS infantry division, among others.
Since World War II, neo-Nazis and other white supremacists continued to use the tyr rune in a racist context - along with the Elhaz
(or Life) rune, the Tyr rune is one of the most common white supremacist appropriations of ancient runic symbols. Its popularity in part
stems from the fact that it is considered by many to be the "warrior rune" ..."
The Tyr
(warrior) rune and the similar "Tod" a/k/a "Toten" (death) rune were commonly used in place of the Christian
cross on the grave markers of many Waffen-SS soldiers who were killed in action during World War II.
<>Tyr rune (Anglo-Saxon) a/k/a Tiwaz or Teiwaz run (Proto-Germanic): letter "T"
a/k/a Phiel rune, German for "Arrow" rune
Scott Vecchi also has a Tyr
rune tattoo consisting of three bones in the shape of a simple arrow located on the inside of his right forearm.
Vecchi's Tyr rune tattoo has been somewhat disguised by the addition of a
Bull-Whip
which, to the untrained eye, looks somewhat like a snake, but can be distinguished as a whip by the distinct, rounded "Turk's head" or "butt knot" at the end of the handle, and the so-called "lash,"
"cracker" or "popper" at the business tip. The whip is the dreaded symbol of racial dominance and oppression and was the tool of the
Southern slave-master (Both the "whip" a/k/a "lash" and the lynching "noose" share similar symbolic significance to white supremacist
hate groups).
Unlike the stereotypical, inebriated sailor on shore-leave who gets an anchor tattoo on a whim, most people put a great deal of thought, research and deliberation
into the symbols they ultimately choose to have permanently branded to them in the form of body art. The artwork and symbols that most people choose for their
life-long tattoos reflect a great deal on that person's character and ideas, prejudices and politics. If it can be said that a picture is worth a thousand words,
then a tattoo is worth a million words when it comes to telling the world one's true inner feelings and beliefs.
Clearly, Vecchi will try to justify his double-Sig tattoo as his attempt to identify with his former fellow Marine scout snipers, though he is admittedly
too well educated to claim ignorance of the hate inspired, violent and racist symbolism of his choices in body art. His Tyr and whip tattoo are
another matter altogether, but the fact that both tattoos reflect neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic, white supremacist symbolism raises serious questions about Vecchi's
true character and beliefs. Those often subtle symbols might go unnoticed to the untrained observer, but are rather obvious in their meaning to those working in
corrections and law enforcement, where the ability to identify gang members such as members or Aryan Nation is of obvious necessity during booking in order to
segregate members of different, rival gangs from attacking members of other gangs. Gang symbols including tattoos, clothing, graffiti, hand-shakes and hand-signs
are the subject of entire classes in most police and corrections academies. It is also, therefore, wholly unbelievable that Vecchi, who claims extensive work
experience as both a correction officer and a cop, would attempt to plead ignorance of the meaning behind his own anti-Semitic, neo-Nazi and white supremacist
tattoos (See also Crucified Skinhead tattoo).
It is known that small numbers of neo-Nazi, white supremacists had infiltrated certain branches of the United States' armed forces as had been documented in the
infamous case of several members of the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division (Malcolm Wright and James Burmeister) of Fort Bragg, who murdered an African American
couple in North Carolina in 1995 (see "Another Soldier Convicted in Race-Based Killings: The New York Times, 3 May 1997). In October of 2006 the FBI issued a
warning that "white supremacist infiltration of law enforcement" represented a significant national threat (see "FBI's Warning of White Supremacist Infiltration
of Law Enforcement Nearly Forgotten" by Samuel V. Jones dated May 12,2015). According to a 2007 report by the Anti Defamation League, groups such as White-Power Skinheads,
neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan have been growing more active in the United States (Wikipedia: White power skinhead; CBS News: Associated Press (AP) by Alfonso Serrano
"Immigration Fueling White Supremacists" February 6, 2007). As evidence of the national resurgence of such hate groups, nearly a dozen people were hospitalized
following a neo-Nazi "mega-rally" in Sacramento, California as recently as Sunday, June 26, 2016 (Stabbings amid chaos at Calif. "Nazi megarally" on CBS News:
Associated Press dated June 27, 2016).
In the first week of July of 2016 the national press went into a veritable feeding frenzy, viciously attacking Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for
an otherwise seemingly innocuous campaign tweet of a so-called anti-Semitic "meme" (image) of a simple six-pointed star which they claimed represented the Judaic
Star of David, calling Hillary Clinton [the] "Most corrupt candidate ever!" The Trump campaign described the symbol as simply that of a six-pointed "Sheriff's" star,
later changing the design to a circle. (see: "Donald Trump's 'Star of David' tweet explained" on CNN by Jeremy Diamond dated July' 5, 2016). The press were relentless
in their attacks against Trump, whose own daughter, Ivanka, converted to Orthodox Judaism, and whose grandchildren are Jewish.
Though freedom of expression and an individual's political speech are generally protected under the United States Constitution, those rights have certain restrictions,
particularly those of civil servants who are sworn to protect the civil rights of others. A law enforcement officer who is adorned with neo-Nazi and white supremacist
hate tattoos invites serious legal liabilities upon the agency or department whose uniform he or she wears. In the shadow of recent national news events such as the
deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Freddie Gray in Baltimore, Maryland, and the civil unrest, riots, and multi-million dollar lawsuits that ensued,
municipal police departments can not afford the potential liabilities associated with law enforcement personnel who are prone to insight claims of civil rights
violations.
In July of 2016 a citizen drove by a Georgia home and spotted a Confederate flag flying in front, prompting him to file a complaint with the Roswell (GA) Police
Department. The home was owned by a female Roswell Police Sergeant, Silvia Cotriss, who was promptly fired from the Police Department over her posting of the flag.
According to The Washington Post "Roswell's police chief, Rusty Grant, told the newspaper that the department doesn't comment on personnel matters." "Cotriss was
asked as a police officer, how could she not have known about the Confederate flag and its negative connotations," according to the report. "She said she was unaware
until the investigation brought it to her attention" (see "Police Sergeant fired for having a Confederate flag in front of her house" by Sarah Larimer for The
Washington Post dated August 2, 2016; reported in the Boston Globe as "Police official in Ga. Fired over Confederate flag" 3 August 2016). In Vecchi's case, he served
as a non-commissioned officer in the Marine reserves and boasts both Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees, and therefore can not plead ignorance of the notorious
and prejudicial hate symbolism behind his choice of body art. For some reason, however, Vecchi has avoided any consequences for his objectionable personal choices as
a public servant. Apparently, the liberal Democratic controlled state of Massachusetts, that recently voted in favor of transgender bathrooms, is now more tolerant of
racist, hate speech and Nazi symbols than the former Confederate state of Georgia!
Scott Vecchi is not only a Sergeant with the Plymouth Police Department but also serves as a Shift Commander and Patrol Supervisor, as well as a SWAT
(Special Weapons And Tactics) team member for MetroLEC, the Metropolitan (Boston] Law Enforcement Council.
Having allegedly taken part in the sweep of Watertown following the Boston Marathon bombing in April of 2013, Vecchi must have been in his glory, walking those city streets
clad in a black tactical helmet and uniform, resembling a stormtrooper from the days ofthe "Warsaw Uprising."
Had Vecchi taken part in the capture of Dzhokar Tsarnaaev, that terrorist's criminal defense team could have had a field-day cross-examining Vecchi regarding his
political beliefs, associations and prejudices based upon his inferred sympathies to neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups. Likewise, any arrests he makes could
result in the institution of lawsuits based upon allegations, both legitimate and not, of civil rights violations pursuant to 42United
States Code (U.S.C.) 1983. Vecchi is a civil rights lawyer's dream, begging to be called to the stand as an adverse witness under cross-examination,
to explain his tattoos and political beliefs before a jury of his peers. At the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, the potential for immense jury awards including
judgments for punitive damages against his employing municipality, are without bounds.
Let us see if Vecchi can explain the social value of his neo-Nazi body art to some of the last living survivors of the Holocaust residing in Watertown. Perhaps they can
then show Vecchi some of their own, involuntarily imposed numerical tattoos assigned to them by members of the dreaded SS, whose infamous insignia Vecchi
chooses to display on his arms.
If anyone doubts the connection between Vecchi's choice of white supremacist and neo-Nazi body art, and his true character, they need only to look at his personnel
file with the Plymouth Police Department and the numerous civilian complaints that have been filed against him. Like the reviled bullies and thugs of the Waffen-SS who
targeted and tortured the weakest and most vulnerable citizens, the allegations leveled against Vecchi while acting under his authority as a uniformed law-enforcement
officer are equally shocking and sadistic. From allegations of verbally abusing and degrading citizens by calling them "midgets" and "retards" to alleged assaults upon
elderly, minority, physically and developmentally chanllenged persons, Vecchi appears to be no less a thug than the members of the former SS, whose insignia he allegedly
has tattooed on his left shoulder.
On September 2, 2016, Philadelphia Police Officer Ian Hans Lichtermann made national headlines when a photograph of him went viral, showing him in the short sleeve
uniform of a bicycle cop at an earlier Black Resistance March. On Lichtermann's left forearm was a tattoo of an eagle with outstretched wings and its head pointing to
the right, with the word "Fatherland" printed above it. The story created a national outrage with groups such as The Philadelphia Coalition for Real Justice (an affiliate
of Black Lives Matter) demanding an investigation and calling for the officers immediate firing. "The Department doesn't condone anything that can be interpreted as
offensive, hateful or discriminatory in any form" the [Philadelphia] police department. said (see "Philadelphia Police Investigate Officer Photographed with
Tattoo Resembling Nazi Emblem" by Julia Jacobq for NBC News on September 2, 2016). The official Nazi Reichsadler [Third] "Empire Eagle" (also known as the
Parteiadler or so-called [Nazi] "Party Eagle"), has outstretched wings with its head pointing to the left. The Eagle clutched a laurel wreath in its talons, with a
swastika emblem in the center ofthe wreath. Twentieth century German and Italian fascist parties appropriated that eagle symbol from the ancient imperial Roman "Aquila"
eagle, where it symbolized the Roman Empire's military legions. In officer Lichtermann's dubious defense, his tattoo did not include the laurel wreath nor the swastika.
In Scott Vecchi's case, however, his alleged double-sig, SS-bolts tattoo itself, is the official symbol of the fanatical, militant and murderous wing ofthe German Nazi party.
Fair Use Disclaimer: 17 USC § 107
This cartoon is easily downloaded at no cost from several sites on the internet including one posted by the creator, and is therefore public domain. There have
been several modifications, changes, and alterations from the original version, particularly the likeness and name of [Scott] Vecchi. The original cartoon is
the creation of the outstanding, self-taught artist Maximillian "Max" Uriarte. Max Uriarte's comic strip "Terminal Lance" is published
weekly in the "Marine Corps Times" newspaper as well as serveral great books including his newest novel entitled "The White Donkey". This
modified and altered version of Max Uriarte's cartoon entitled "InSSpiration" falls within the "Fair Use" exemption of the United States
Copyright laws pursuant to 17 United States Code § 107 as serving the not-for-profit, public purposes of political education, teaching, commentary and
crticism.
PLEASE RETURN FOR UPDATES INCLUDING TESTIMONIALS COMING SOON!
Note: All of the above-mentioned information is available to the public over the internet, or in the form
of public records that can be produced in response to requests made pursuant to the Federal
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 United States Code section 552, and/or the Massachusetts
Public Records statute, Massachusetts General Laws chapter 66, section 10, and can be accessed
from the following municipal, county and state offices, agencies and authorities: Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority; Massachusetts
Executive Office of Health and Human Services; Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political
Finance; Massachusetts Office of the Secretary of State; Massachusetts State Auditor,
Massachusetts State Ethics Commission; the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority; Greater
Attleboro Taunton Regional transit Authority; the Suffolk County Superior Court, the Town of
Plymouth; and the Plymouth Police Department, among others.
In Memoriam This site is dedicated in memory of Attorney, photographer, graphic artist and website designer, dedicated husband,
father and fisherman extraordinaire, Luke Sweeney (April 30 1954 - August 30, 2016)
