ORGANIZED CRIME MORE THAN THE MOB

These past few days have seen much speculation and little substance
about "organized crime" and its assumed proliferation in the seats of
political power and in society in general (e.g., Les Leyne's Dec. 31
column "Whiffs of crime in corridor of power.")

In the same issue Jody Paterson explores the local as well as the more
national political playground, and particularly the warrior-like
no-holds-barred style of constituency power politics that led (for
example) to the steamroller takeover of the federal Liberal party by
the armed forces of Paul Martin.

(I should add that I believe all parties practise this coup-like
practice of domination but the Liberals are the champs.)

What most interests me at this juncture is the definition of
"organized crime."

It is usually understood that organized crime refers to bikers and
triads and mobsters and the like. Maybe, just maybe, we need to
broaden this definition to include other forms of collective human
endeavours.

Patronage, business gifts, stacking political meetings and other
behaviours that are practised with relish by the greedy, the power
hungry, the tramplers of the democratic process: All of these and more
questionable pastimes of the lazy and greedy perhaps should be in an
expanded definition of "organized crime."

Bill Engleson

Denman Island