Re: What's the Republcan Bush Crime Family reaction to McClellan about? Omertà

On May 31, 8:34 am, Harry Hope <riv...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omerta

Omertà is a popular attitude, common in areas of southern Italy, such
as Sicily, Calabria, and Campania, where criminal organizations like
the Mafia, 'Ndrangheta, and Camorra are strong.

A common definition is the "code of silence".

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Omertà is a code of silence, according to one of the first Mafia
researchers Antonio Cutrera, a former officer of public security, that
seals lips of men even in their own defense and even when the accused
is innocent of charged crimes.

Cutrera quoted a native saying first uttered (so goes the legend) by a
wounded man to his assailant: “If I live, I’ll kill you. If I die, I
forgive you.”

The suspicion of being a “stool pigeon”, a cascittuni (an informant),
constituted the blackest mark against manhood, according to Cutrera.

............................................................................­......................

Omertà is based partly on fear and partly on idealism – it is an
extreme form of loyalty and solidarity in the face of authority.

One of its absolute tenets is that it is deeply demeaning and shameful
to betray even one’s deadliest enemy to the authorities.

Observers of the mafia debate whether omertà should best be understood
as an expression of social consensus surrounding the mafia or whether
it is instead a pragmatic response based primarily on fear.

............................................................................­.....................

In recent years omertà has been broken by mafiosi.

Joe Valachi was one of the first persons to betray the omertà when in
1963 he publicly spoke out about the existence of the Mafia and
testified before the United States Congress.

_______________________________________________________

Harry

That's what was so striking about McClellan's competence. Competent
people don't have to join mafias. Now we see the result. That's why so
few
Bushistas are competent. Except at kissing wealthy ass, like Dubya
himself,
who prefers to be called Rasheed when he's in The Kingdom of Saud.

RH
.

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