Everybody KNOWS Where the Booze Is

But who wants to go up against the mob?

I have a thing for mob movies. And by “a thing,” I mean I really love them. I’ve always loved them. To me, “Goodfellas” is a comfort film. I know that sounds kind of warped, but that’s how I roll. Give me “Casino,” or “The Godfather” over anything else.
But just Godfather I and II. We don’t recognize III in this house. As much as I like Andy Garcia, I just can’t with Godfather III. I’ve tried to make myself like it, but I can’t. It is the kale of mob movies.

I’m not sure why I have a thing for these types of movies. Maybe it has something to do with the fact my grandfather came over from Sicily and he had some…stories of the <cough cough> Old Country. He and his Sicilian buddies who settled in McKeesport, Pennsylvania would gather together regularly in his basement to play poker, but before they began, each player would put their gun on the poker table, lest anyone get upset and decide to act on their sore loser attitude.

But as much as I love all the mob movies, the movie I quote the most, without fail, is “The Untouchables.” With a cast starring Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia and Robert De Niro, it is quite the ride.

(Note: Yes, Robert De Niro seems to be in every mob movie I love. I think Bobby is as nutty as a fruitcake, but he sure is fun to watch in these films. Only De Niro can play Capone or Jimmy Conway. I can’t take that away from the guy. Yeah, I’d hate to sit next to him at a dinner party but watching him play a mobster with ease? I could do that every single day.)

For those unfamiliar, “The Untouchables” focuses on Prohibition agent Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) who attempts to take Capone down, but his best efforts fail due to widespread corruption within the Windy City's police force. Recruiting an elite group of lawmen who won't be swayed by bribes or fear, including Irish-American cop Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery), Ness renews his determination to bring Capone to justice. (Disclaimer: this synopsis provided by Wikipedia)

I quote this bad boy a lot.

”You got him?”
”I got him.”

”If you’re afraid of getting a rotten apple, don’t go to the barrel. Get it off the tree.”

”You wanna know how to get Capone? They pull a knife; you pull a gun. They send one of yours to the hospital; you send one of theirs to the morgue. THAT’S the Chicago way.”

”A man becomes preeminent, he’s expect to have enthusiasms…enthusiasms…enthusiasms…”

”What are YOU prepared to do?”

”Never stop fighting till the fight is done…here endeth the lesson.”

I could go on and on because it’s a great film. Even writing about it now makes me want to watch it again. But out of all the fabulous quotes, one stands above the others.

It’s a scene wherein Costner’s Elliott Ness and Connery’s Malone and their posse of “untouchables” attempt to raid Capone’s warehouse. It’s the 30’s and a time where prohibition is the law of the land. Connery’s character leads them to the post office smack dab in the middle of downtown Chicago. Ness is surprised at the location and asks, “HERE?”

To his reaction, Sean Connery replies with the following:

”Mr. Ness, everybody KNOWS where the booze is. The problem isn’t finding it. The problem is who wants to cross Capone.

I think about that line a lot. It occupies way too much space in my brain because it usually has Ennio Morricone’s marvelous score playing in my head at the same time.
I say it often when talking about things everyone knows is true, whether they like it to be true or not.

”Everybody knows where the booze is. The problem isn’t finding it. The problem is who wants to cross Capone.

I think about it when it comes to those who workshop and claim themselves experts in business, but who do not walk the talk; those who fleece their members and subscribers. Everyone knows who these people are, especially those who teach with integrity. But the question becomes who wants to bring this to light? Turns out, very few people, because so many fear what will happen if they do the right thing. The mob mentality is real.

”Everybody knows where the booze is. The problem isn’t finding it. The problem is who wants to cross Capone.

I also think about this quote every time I ponder the “deep state.” And believe you me, I never used to think there was such a thing. Deep State? Whatever. I thought it was the ramblings of the wackadoodles, the conspiracy theorists, and the people with 2am radio shows broadcasting from the middle of the desert as the aliens fly overhead. But the funny thing about that whole “living and learning” thing is that if you keep your mind open as you grow, you find you are no longer content with accepting whatever is being spoon fed into your brain. You seek answers to questions that don’t make sense. You stop reacting with emotion and start reacting with logic. You stop taking things at face value and believing headlines. You look with analytical eyes at the media.

See, most everybody knows there is corruption within the federal government. Especially people in the middle of the corruption. Even the people who stand and proudly say “THERE IS NO CORRUPTION” know there is, indeed, corruption.

The people who say there is no problem with illegal immigration know there is a problem with illegal immigration. And the California legislature just voted to give up to $150K down payment assistant to those in the country illegally so they can buy a home.

The people who fervently argue is no problem with election integrity know there is a problem with election integrity.

The people who say Venezuelan gangs haven’t taken over apartment buildings in Denver know Venezuelan gangs have taken over apartment buildings in Denver.

The people who say it wasn’t Hunter Biden’s laptop knew it was Hunter Biden’s laptop. Especially Hunter Biden.

The people who said Joe Biden is fit to serve another four years know he isn’t fit to serve another four years.

I hold firm that most people know of the problems that plague our country and why they exist. They KNOW WHERE THE BOOZE IS. But to solve the problem, you’re going to have to go up against some powerful forces of corruption. Like the mob movies I love, these organizations go deep. Lots of players who gladly smile and shake your hand while stabbing the American public in the back with the other; who say one thing and mean another. Who promise anything to get into power and then, once in, work to radically change the country. We’ve got a bunch of Capones running around and most of them good give De Niro’s acting a run for its money. Oscars all around!

So, to my mind, knowing government is pretty much synonymous with waste and corruption, it makes sense, then, to put safeguards onto just how powerful that government can get. Yes, there will still be corruption; I don’t think you can get away from it fully. It’s like the gray hairs that continue to pop up on my head despite my best efforts at keeping them contained. It’s the nature of the beast.

But limiting the size, power and scope of the federal government, stripping it of its crazy all encompassing powers which threaten liberty and free speech, and putting power back into the hands of the American People, we can at least stand a chance of limiting the abuses of power it carries out regularly.

Because everybody knows where the booze is.