Passage of the 18th amendment and the Volstead act which followed ushered in one of the saddest periods of US history. The loss of all those lives which will lost specifically due to prohibition can be placed at the doorstep of the US government.
Why is Elliot Ness (the real Elliot Ness) given hero status?
' Fighting A Never Ending Battle For Truth, Justice & The American Way '
It was a great thing for the Italians and Italian Americans that were poor.
The Italian criminals, who feasted upon their own kind, were now allowed to feast on all of America, giving the Italian ghettos some room to breathe, and it's residents more of an opportunity to experience life as real Americans.
Short Cut, Draw Blood
bronxriza...No, it falls on the doorstep on those that did the killing. A good person will not become a criminal simply because a law is changed or because of necessity. They will figure out a way or go without. A low life is a low life in whatever he or she does whether there is a law or no law.
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Lester..."many of those who died were as a result of the government pitting one person (gang) against another. "
by bronxriza...How many more have died of liver cancer and other health problems since the repeal? Your argument is very flawed.
Lester..."It should also be noted that after the repeal of the 18th amendment it literally put organized crime out of the "rum running" business. They saw the writing on the wall and moved on to other substances, narcotics. "Absolutely not. There is a direct connection between what the government outlaws and organized crime. I remember a music teacher (for the life of me I don't know why or in what context he made the comment), often saying if you want a business or industry to thrive make it illegal.
by bronxriza....So what your saying is it didn't matter what the government did since organized crime did not die but kept going, thus the repeal really did nothing since organized crime lives on today.
by bronxriza...No-one forced the people to drink illegally during prohibition. You associate yourself with crap, don't be surprised if you smell like crap. Many people did not drink during prohibition, so it is up to the individual how they live and the consequences of that choice.The crux of my argument has to do it rights. My argument is the government had no right to impose the 18th amendment. It should never have been proposed and it never should have been voted upon. But it did and what it did was to light a fuse that brought about death of many. You say, "Many people did not drink during prohibition…" and those that did had to live with the "consequences of that choice." I would agree with you if it were a FREE choice. But it wasn't. Those that chose not to drink (it might be more correct to say abstain) and those that chose to drink did so because of the government threat. The threat of arrest, prosecution and/or incarceration.
“Prohibition... goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes... A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.” Abraham Lincoln
I think the key words are, "makes a crime out of things that are not crimes". If you create the crime, don't you create the criminal at the same time? And yes, I understand that the govt didn't force people to drink, but to continue to do so makes you a criminal. What if tomorrow the 28th amendment makes brown hair illegal, we should all dye our hair blonde? Unjust laws makes criminals out of all who protest them.
Only a fool thinks Elliott Ness was a hero. He was a cog in an evil machine. I don't know anyone who thinks the 18th Amendment was anything other than an evil, stupid piece of attempted social engineering.
shareAren't you all a naive bunch. Talking about prohibition like it was so stupid, while nobody even mentioned the war on drugs. Read a recent history on Mexico and tell me people aren't dying for territory even street Corners in many cities are still killed over. And its the exact same concept! Nobody lost more from legalizing marijuana than the criminals. And everyone else in the state now benefits. Just like during prohibition, the worst thing that happens to the people who choose to use, is arrest, or worse, due to lack of regulation, people only get hurt because of low quality. Everyone who has posted on here, should also hope to see ALL drugs legalized! And realize who would benefit (everyone) and who would be out of business (drug cartels).
shareAgree... I only zeroed in on prohibition because it is the Untouchables 'board'
But what you say is true. Legalize and you take the violence out and you put the Mexicans out of business.
Nothing's too good for the man who shot Liberty Valance
Eliot Ness was a hero simply because he chose to take astand and go against Capone. If you read Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley's book THE UNTOUCHABLES you'd get a good idea of what Ness was up against.
But Fraley wanted to spice the book up he was worried about Nees and his honest accounts.
So Fraley added spice to it. But a lot of peple who researched Ness's life found that Fraley did Ness a dis service and that he was in fct a honest cop prohibition agent who was given a assignment and he did it. No matter how many times he was bribed or shot at.
But Ness and the Untouchables were only one of many weapons used against Capone.
after Capone Ness lived a exciting live until he went to Cleveland and took the postion there as Public Safety Director.
Ness did some of his finest work in Cleveland. He also sowed the seeds for his downfall.
The Torso killer eluded Ness The papers called him the mad butcher of Kingsbury Row.
Ness took to drink and was married three times . After he left lawenforcement. Eliot Ness failed in business after business. When he met Fraley he was a forgotten man.
Then Fraley heard the actual stories told by Ness and Fraley convinced him there was a book in it.
The Stories that Fraley left out raised the hairs on his head he later on said.
Eliot Ness died before THE UNTOUCHABLES Was released. He died at 57 convinced that he was a failure. After the release ofthe book andthe TV Series Eliot Ness became an immortal of sorts
Because of his honesty. and because of his refusial to budge a inch Ness was a hero. Even the LAst Untouchable Agent Paul Robsky once wrote that while he personally didn't like Ness. Ness could be counted on to go thru a door and he was the man you wanted at your side when the bullets flew.
Eliot Ness loved the limelight. But at the same time he was a honest and dedicated Cop who had no use for corruption.
I'd say Eliot Ness and his Untouchables were heroes.
Five to one baby,one in five. No one here gets out alive -Jim Morrison
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Not by me - I was on Capone's side.
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