Revenge Politics

I was struck that President Biden felt the need to protect army generals and policemen from Trumps revenge  ... 

Pre-emptive Pardons General Mark Milley and Dr Anthony Fauci

He was forced he felt to protect them via Presidential pre-emptive pardons after Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to investigate and potentially prosecute his political enemies during the election campaign.

Death Of A Socialite

In the UK there are still girls that the newspapers like to call a 'socialite' - which means I assume, that they have independent financial means, aka reasonably wealthy parents. There are in fact a remarkably large numbers of such girls still around, and Ms Daisy Boyd was described as such a girl in the popular press.

A Modern Socialite ....

These girls are usually educated in all girl private schools such as Roedean (fees £10,620 - £12,855 per term if a full boarder).

Swimming With The Fishes

At last I am finally able to comment on a real gangland killing, in which the victim has 'cement wellies' (cemented feet). 

 

Laurel And Hardy With Cement Shoes

 

Now the first time I became aware of this form of death i.e. being thrown into a river with feet buried in cement, was in a Laurel and Hardy movie, when the boys got their feet cemented together somehow (I don't recall whether by villains or accident, but judging from picture it was baddies), and rolled about on the edge of a river wharf .... but of course they didn't actually get hurt.

 

Rat Holes

Apparently the image of an all inclusive 'Italian Mafia" under a super Don Corleone is a bit of a myth ... in Italy for example, there are the Camorra, the Santa Corona Unita, the 'Ndragheta and of course the Cosa Nostra. All a based in Southern Italy, but with tentacles throughout the land (especially in Rome).

Mafia Clans In Southern Italy

Over the last 25 -30 yrs they have been forced increasingly on to the defensive by police forces such as the 'Hunters' ('Cacciatori'), or even the Carabinieri (paramilitary policemen), who have increasingly got on top of the hunt for the leaders of these clans.

Corleone - Mafia Town

So much so that they have apparently taken to building underground bunkers of various designs - such as welding two cargo containers together, fitting it out like a doges palace, adding clandestine telephone lines, then burying it underground - in which to hide for weeks or even months at a time.

Mafia Bunkers

There are believed to be hundreds and possibly thousands of such bolt holes across southern Italy, but they all have one fatal flaw .... the Don's have to stay near to their power bases, for fear of losing control or being ratted out (there's no honour amongst the 'men of honour'). One bunker for example was built under the main road of a town which a crime lord ran, with no report by the council or "citizens" to the police, even though it must have been very disruptive when it was being set up, such is the fear and or loyalty they inspire, but it was still found.

So slowly but surely, the police are smoking the crime lords out of their warrens, and digging them out of their dens, and although there are many hundreds of Mafia who were convicted in absentia, and who are still on the run, they are slowly getting caught. So in their efforts to avoid punishment, they are even imprisoning themselves in underground tombs which are not all that different from the prison cells they are trying to avoid.

No Business like Mafiosa Business

We in this blog have touched on this story in other posts because it seems that in Italy, as well as the usual government Department of Trade and Industry, which looks to try and support mainstream businesses, there is also a special Government Department, which has to take over businesses that have been set up by organised crime aka the 'Mafia' or 'Camorra', usually in order to launder hot money, or even just to give 'legal' jobs to members of the mobsters families.

San Marcellino-Based 'Euromilk' Was A Mafia Business

What makes this interesting is that, because so many of these businesses fail when the state takes them over, with just a few exceptions able to stand on their own feet (such as the San Marcellino-based 'Euromilk'), that it actually breeds resentment amongst the local populations, where there is an expression "The state fires people, while the Camorra gives jobs" .... it would be funny really, if it wasn't so deadly.

Its on little things like this, that the success of attempts to eradicate organised crime in Italy may hang ....

Tough Pasta

Salvatore Riina, aka 'The Beast' ('La Belva'), was known to have ordered the murders of magistrates, policemen and scores of rivals (numbering several hundred) throughout the two decades he was the head of the Corleonesi faction of the Sicilian Mafia ....

Salvatore Riina aka 'The Beast'

..... he was alleged to have personally killed 40 men. He was captured after 23 years on the run near Palermo in May 1993

The Two Faces Of Northern Ireland

Ireland has always had a Jekyll and Hyde personality ..... on the one hand its all Leprechauns, Shamrocks, Pubs, "The Craic", 'Smiling Irish Eyes', Guinness, 'St Paddy's Day' and New York Band Parades, but on the other, its Northern Ireland, Sectarianism, Bombings, Assassinations, Mass Murder, Irish 'Traveller' invasions, Marching Seasons, IRA, Republicanism, Orange Orders, Derry, and 'London' Derry ....

There have been very worrying signs that the darker side is coming to the fore again .... there has always been low level violence in Northern Ireland. Even during the 'Peace Process' brokered about a decade ago, the republican gangs have operated as low level criminal enforcers ... allegedly certain sectors of the economy are run by former terrorist gangs, some of whom have drifted into completely criminals endeavours such as bank/post office raids, protection rackets and of course the ubiquitous drug trade (which now finances violence in large areas of the world).

Now however, despite the political and economic gains that have been part of the peace dividend, some sections of the 'Republican' movement have now apparently decided to resume the terror campaigns of the 1970's, 80's and 90's .... their aims are even less coherent than in that last campaign (where even the  southern Irish state didn't want what they were proposing  ... as it would simply have transferred the violence from Belfast to Dublin).  Apparently they don't want Catholics to join the police so they are sending death threats to Catholics who have joined, and have just assassinated a Catholic police officer (after other attempts last year). They also have attempted to place bombs on roads and town centres .... bombs which would kill Catholics as well as Protestants,

This shows how twisted the 'logic' of terrorists becomes ... in order to 'protect' the Catholic community they kill and terrorise members of the same community ..... try and explain the rational behind that. Of course in reality the only 'threat' to the Catholic community now, comes from their 'protectors' in the 'Republican' movement. This has led to the strange sight of the former leaders of 'the struggle' as they termed it, having  to condemn terrorism from another generation of 'Republicans'  .... Martin McGuinness has urged the Catholic community to support the police, and others have also had to make political statements which they may otherwise never have made.

Ironically, while this has been happening, another face of Northern Ireland is being beamed to the world, as Rory McIlroy is trying to win one of the major events of golf, on the final day of the US Masters. So lets finish this post with an image of hope, and not one of terror.

The Bulgar Blues

I have just got back from a trip to Bulgaria ..... the land where Berbatov is God!

I stayed at the Continental Parkhotel ..... an odd mix of crumbling concrete 'palace to the people', and newer build.  But to be fair the room was fine and actually faced a small forest. The resort is called "Sunny Beach" and is one of those purpose built resorts i.e. no old town, so no reason to stay open in winter ..... the whole resort closes from October until April and is inhabited by security guards.


My room to the right behind trees!

The Beach was lovely (at least at this time of year) and there was a a very rickety beach bar called the 'The Ship' nearby ...... there are several of these, and this is the small one before the village of Nessebar peninsular.


I was camped daily just to the far bottom right of the beach shown here.

I should imagine that the resort is hell during the peak season, but during mid September it was fine, with all bars open and sunshine all the time.  

Like most of these sorts of resorts, its completely bypassed any cultural aspects and headed straight down market with Disco's and Euro pop blasting out until the small hours (and thats just the restaurants!). However to be fair, by luck I ended up at a quiet hotel and could pick and choose between noise or not.

The biggest problem facing the resort and all Bulgaria, is that they hope to join the EU and the Euro, and their economy isn't set up to deal with the inflation this will bring ...... another Greece beckons. I was told that corruption was rife in the local and national government, with the Local and Russian Mafia's operating in many areas, so all the indicators of a third world economic and social state ..... perfect for the European Union.

Last of the Kennedy's

Senator Edward Kennedy died this week ..... not many in the UK mourned him, despite his being given an honorary knighthood by the current bunch of left wing cretins who run the UK.

In the US, he appears to have won over a certain section of the US population, despite the fact that he had more character flaws and cracks than an old plate. In the UK, he and his family are chiefly remembered as IRA supporters, who largely detested Britain.

His only real point of interest to this blog is that he is the last surviving male progeny of the father, Joseph P Kennedy, who was alleged to have made his fortune during the prohibition era, as well as being a profound Anti Semite and admirer of Adolf Hitler .........

Ironically, if an Italian descent family had show a similar background for their family fortune, they would likely have been under FBI surveillance and arrested .....

A $ign Of The Times

Forbes Magazine the chronicler of the rich and famous has taken to including drug barons in its annual list of the worlds richest people.

Such luminaries of the criminal world as the Mexican 'giant' Joaquin Guzman (estimated fortune of $1bn (£722m) or Columbia's late but still great Pablo Escobar (personal wealth of close to $25 billion when he was killed) have appeared in its lists in recent years, and one can't help wondering if Japans Yakuza, or the Russian, Georgian, American or Italian Mafia's don't feel the need to compete?

Whilst this listing may be 'honest', is pandering to Mexican and Colombian 'drug' criminals merely one step from outright public acknowledgement and acceptance?