One of my best friends grew up in Brooklin and knew the mafia guys who came through the neighborhoods giving out candy to her and her little buddies. My friend had a warm spot in her heart for the mafia and said they sometimes helped widows and orphans paying their rent, buying school shoes and occasionally paying for street parties.

She said she didn't know about or care about the shake downs or the hits because they didn't affect anyone she knew.

I think the mormons can be like my friend if they contribute to and defend the church but don't know or care about historical, present day, and eternal polygamy or the other dirty church secrets and little known weird doctrine. They are ignorant and want to bask in it. It's comfortable to have ready made wards full of friends and not to have to think to much about what to do in life.

Easier to pay, pray, and orbey and be positive, see the good, and not fret about digging into the kinds of subjects GAs are prepared to face.

My friend's ideas about the mafia were troubling to me. She was a nice person who wouldn't torture or kill anyone, but I thought she and others like her were why the mafia operated and thrived in those neighborhoods. I'm certain she wouldn't turn in those guys who gave her candy and who didn't kill anyone she knew. In fact I think she and her neighbors would probably have lied to the police to protect them.

This is how I see many mormons. They're "nice," but ignorant and they're a main reason the church gets away with lying, coverups, abususe of power, racism, homophobia, and sexism.

This is so true. I know several people who were raised mormon, but no longer believe. However, they still defend the church to no end. They will not tolerate even the slightest criticism of mormonism, they say that it's "never hurt anyone," "a good way to raise a family," "has family values" etc.

They completely ignore any stories of people who HAVE been harmed by the church, by saying that they are lying, or that the church was not at fault, or they just don't care because they know the church is a "good religion" even if they don't consider themselves members.

It's seriously annoying, and a little disturbing what they will defend if it hasn't hurt them personally.

Cheryl, there were people in the East End of London who really loved and admired the Kray Twins. For pretty much the same reasons.

You know, Cheryl? I am just as bad, in a way.

I find myself sometimes defending the Hell's Angels, because my late cousin was a president of a Chartered Chapter here in the UK.

He was an architect, his second-in-command a surgeon and they had a member who became a fairly senior police officer!

Cheryl Wrote:
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Nope. No kidding. ;o))

He actually swore me in, in an honorary capacity, only.

That WAS interesting. From a Mormon to (sort of) Hells Angel.

Being an exmo is interesting.

Looks like they organized their own little mafia.

Many people would obviously rather live under tyrany or in denial than taste the freedom of dealing with reality. They can turn their backs on torture and corruption in favor of personal comfort.

It takes extreme courage and personal integrity to step away and become part of the solution and not part of the problem. That's what I call taking the high road.

There have been crime families in London for 100 years or more. The US government sent over some Secret Agents to investigate possible links with the Mafia.

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/mob_bosses/kray/time_14.html