by PTown » Mon Dec 30, 2024 6:16 pm
I forget if I was the source of the "Global Geopolitical Power" line. The context was: to illustrate how far the mob has fallen. As in, before, it had global geopolitical power. Now it has "dese dem doze" uneducated pretenders, mostly living within 75 miles of NYC.
Whether I was the source of the line or not, here is what was meant:
1. During WWII, the U.S. government, with the blessing of the highest in government, ASKED Lucky Luciano for help controlling subversive activities at the docks. Whether he could deliver (and how big the threat was) were both debatable. Nevertheless, the point is that the U.S. government -- generals and the Executive Branch -- asked for his help.
2. Vito Genovese was KNIGHTED by the King of Italy, into the super exclusive Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus. (OSSML). Imagine that.
3. After WWII, the U.S. government asked members of the mob to help introduce them to anti-fascists in Southern Italy.
4. During the Cold War, the CIA asked Johnny Roselli, et al, to assist with the assassination of Fidel Castro.
5. Right up through the mid-seventies, Carlo Gambino was so feared that U.S. presidents reportedly never went after him, because his control of the unions that keep America moving (dockworkers, teamsters, etc.) was so thorough, that he could shut the country down.
6. The drug trafficking operations of old often involved complex routes using contacts in Turkey, Corsica, Sicily, etc. Now it's all a lot simpler.
These are just 5-6 examples. Whether you discount 2-3 of them, I'd say it's safe to say the mob HAD genuine geopolitical power, and now it does not. That was the point. It' a pretty simple one.
[size=150]I forget if I was the source of the "Global Geopolitical Power" line. The context was: to illustrate how far the mob has fallen. As in, before, it had global geopolitical power. Now it has "dese dem doze" uneducated pretenders, mostly living within 75 miles of NYC.
Whether I was the source of the line or not, here is what was meant:
1. During WWII, the U.S. government, with the blessing of the highest in government, ASKED Lucky Luciano for help controlling subversive activities at the docks. Whether he could deliver (and how big the threat was) were both debatable. Nevertheless, the point is that the U.S. government -- generals and the Executive Branch -- asked for his help.
2. Vito Genovese was KNIGHTED by the King of Italy, into the super exclusive Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus. (OSSML). Imagine that.
3. After WWII, the U.S. government asked members of the mob to help introduce them to anti-fascists in Southern Italy.
4. During the Cold War, the CIA asked Johnny Roselli, et al, to assist with the assassination of Fidel Castro.
5. Right up through the mid-seventies, Carlo Gambino was so feared that U.S. presidents reportedly never went after him, because his control of the unions that keep America moving (dockworkers, teamsters, etc.) was so thorough, that he could shut the country down.
6. The drug trafficking operations of old often involved complex routes using contacts in Turkey, Corsica, Sicily, etc. Now it's all a lot simpler.
These are just 5-6 examples. Whether you discount 2-3 of them, I'd say it's safe to say the mob HAD genuine geopolitical power, and now it does not. That was the point. It' a pretty simple one. [/size]