In Defense of the Mafia

Submitted by Merry (United States), Nov 28, 2004 at 12:58

Several posts have comments attempting to analogize tactics of the Islamofascists with those long associated with the Mafia. Not even close.

Mafia killings usually are connected to direct interactions between the victim and his/her killer(s). In other words, there is personal motive that can be understood and recognized. Not condoned, of course, but understood. Mafia victims are killed because they "snitched out" former partners-in-crime, or welched on deals agreed to, or failed to repay specific debts, etc.

The point is, Mafia victims at some point had willfully and knowingly entered into collaborative enterprises with their killers. They are not average citizens who took a public stand against the Mafia, nor crime story authors who write sensational volumes condemning Mafia activities, nor especially are the victims prosecutors, other government officials, or journalists (except for a few incidents in Sicily, where "Mafia" has a more precise definition than in the U.S.).

While Mafia bosses do seem to employ rather crude methods of enforcing compliance and censorship among their own colleagues and groups, they do not generally seek to impose their philosophy or lifestyle on anyone outside their immediate social and business circles.

Islamofascists cannot claim even a small fraction of the moral, ethical and humane standards observed by the Mafia. Tongue still firmly in cheek, but that's called "ribbing on the square."

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