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To: FreedominJesusChrist
The frequent connection between organized crime and machine politics has been evident throughout American history and has shown no sign of disappearing anytime soon, whether it is in Chicago, New York, or Philadelphia.

It's declining year by year and the areas covered were going to go solidly Democratic anyway. Hell you dont need any organized crime here in St. Louis. You can put dead people and dogs on the ballot without the mobs help.

Luckily, intelligent and responsible people like Larry Klayman realize this.

LOL. Intelligent, responsible and Larry Klayman in the same sentence is too much.

106 posted on 06/23/2002 9:20:08 PM PDT by Dave S
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To: Dave S
"It's declining year by year and the areas covered were going to go solidly Democratic anyway. Hell you dont need any organized crime here in St. Louis. You can put dead people and dogs on the ballot without the mobs help."

While it is true that RICO legislation has made it significantly harder for organized crime to be able to survive and perpetuate itself, the belief that it will eventually die out is both delusional and an underestimation of the powerful flaws in human nature that will always exist as long as we are on this earth. The media may tell us that organized crime is not very influential anymore, but that is mainly because they have not come up with enough hard evidence to say otherwise without being held liable for their reporting.

For instance, there are many people both in the private and public sector who believe that the Daley family in Chicago is connected with organized crime (The Chicago Outfit), but have not come up with enough solid evidence that can put the highly suspect behind prison bars. The main goal of any organized crime group is always power and money, and because of this, organized crime is largely non-ideological for purely pragmatic reasons. They will always attempt to control any local government or politician, regardless of party affiliation, in order to achieve their goals of power and money. For instance, organized crime in Philadelphia began with local Republican Party politics. Also, George Ryan, a Republican and Illinois current governor, should be behind bars for the License for Bribes scandal that occurred under his watch as the Secretary of State. Many of George Ryan's closest political affiliates are behind bars, and if Jim Ryan, another Republican, would have done his job as Attorney General of Illinois, George Ryan would probably be behind bars too. Many people believe that both George and Jim Ryan are directly connected to the corrupt machine politics in Chicago, which is in turn connected to organized crime in the area that spans all the way from eastern Indiana, to Rockford, and then up to Racine, WI.

The point is that organized crime will never completely go away, especially in large cities, and the belief that organized crime only exists within Democratic circles is also a hasty and false conclusion. Organized crime within America will only get worse if people continue to be apathetic to the subject and pretend that the problem isn't as serious as it really is.

107 posted on 06/24/2002 12:23:36 AM PDT by FreedominJesusChrist
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To: Dave S
Another Illinois Republican politician, Betty Loren-Maltese, who is the mayor of Cicero, Illinois, has been indicted on charges of racketeering and having connections to the Chicago Outfit or Mob.

This just further illustrates my point that Organized Crime could care less who is what party affiliation or who has what ideology. All they care about is having power, money, and elimating their competition. In a way, theirs is a lifelong struggle for legitimacy, which has become the dysfunctional hero's quest for many of organized crime's sociopaths.

108 posted on 06/24/2002 12:34:14 AM PDT by FreedominJesusChrist
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