walrus51

When I read about Donald Trump, I can’t help but think about Al Capone, possibly one of Trump’s heroes, inspirations and virtual mentors.

Capone was born in Brooklyn, just around the corner from Trump’s home turf of Queens.

Despite a carefully disguised criminal career including bootlegging, prostitution, gambling, extortion, murder — and then, the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1929) where 7 members of a rival gang were assassinated — Capone seemed invincible, virtually always a few steps ahead of both the G-men and his political enemies.

Capone himself attracted and accumulated a rather robust fan club, members of which seemed to vicariously enjoy his knack for ‘sticking it to the Man.’

Capone’s downfall began with his arrest and conviction for possession of a concealed handgun in 1929, for which he served less than a year in a Pennsylvania prison.  [Note that the Florida Legislature has finally addressed this horrible situation by passing Concealed Carry Legislation.  Will they name it the “Al Capone Law”?]

That minor conviction slowed Mr. Capone down just enough so that some other ongoing investigations could catch up.

In June 1931, Capone was indicted for 22 counts of federal income-tax evasion; and for conspiracy to violate Prohibition laws over a 10 year period.  Later that year, Capone was tried, found guilty on three of the 23 counts, and sentenced to 11 years in prison plus fines and court costs.

Although he was never held accountable for the most egregious crimes he committed, he was put behind bars, removed from civil society.  He was released from prison in 1939, virtually incapacitated by the end stages of syphilis.  Ultimately, he retired to his mansion in Miami Beach as a powerless recluse, where he died in 1947.

Apparently, Donald Trump doesn’t directly own any properties in Miami Beach, but he does list his primary address to be 1100 S. Ocean Blvd, Palm Beach, FL 33480 — not too far from Miami Beach.

Will you join me to hope and pray that the 20th Century Al Capone story gets replicated as closely as possible by the 21^st Century Donald J. Trump story?

And let’s not forget to look into this new “Al Capone Law” the Florida Legislature just passed.

Maybe Gov. Ron DeSantis is woke enough to realize that what didn’t make sense in 1929 certainly doesn’t make sense in 2023!

Sending people with no training, no license, no documented reason to carry a concealed weapon out onto formerly civil streets, into formerly civil neighborhoods, armed with handguns? Back where I grew up, they probably would have called anyone who even thought about that idea, “just dumber than a bag of freshly clipped grass.”

I’ve heard the sponsor of the bill, Florida Senator Jay Collins, a Tampa Republican and sponsor of the bill, on the radio explaining that those who are ineligible to carry a firearm, such as ex-felons, would still be banned from carrying a gun.

Good to know, Senator. Will they be wearing a t-shirt saying, “I’m an ex-felon, and I’m not allowed to carry a concealed weapon”?

Thank the Lord: Al Capone is no longer with us.

Unfortunately, Jay Collins, Donald Trump and a few other wingnuts managed to infiltrate modern America. Let’s not allow them to use their perverted powers of persuasion to send us down the wrong road….