Al Capone - Don

The Man Who Would Be Don

About age ten my big brother and I traveled with our father to some long-gone neighborhood theater showing a movie my father wanted us to see, Little Caesar.  The movie was made in 1931; our viewing would have been about 1953.  Gangster movies were a big deal from the 1920’s until at least the 1950’s.  The inspiration for these films and their popularity came honestly.  All through the 20’s & 30’s newspapers were filled with the real life “exploits” of bad guys like Alphonse Gabriel Capone ("Big Al" -- on whom the movie may or may not be based).

Big Al Capone was by far the best known character of the 1920's Prohibition era.  Big Al controlled what is best described as his “fiefdom” of South Chicago.  He controlled it with a combination of avarice, women, and singing his own praises.  Unlike others in the 'business' Al made himself a flamboyant public figure known throughout Chicago.  He was a popular media celebrity; bigger than life, and was considered “one of us” by “working-stiffs” who saw his defiance of “the man” as the reason he was successful.

As with any lord of any fiefdom, he demanded fidelity and received love from admirers which he was incapable of returning with loyalty.  Truly he was lord and master of all he surveyed, as long as he contained his endeavors to what could be run out of Chicago’s Lexington Hotel.

As with Little Caesar, Big Al Capone was not as big a deal as he thought himself to be.  When all was said and done he was a "Capo", a mob captain who ran a gang if thugs who adored and answered to him.  His fiefdom was limited by mob agreement to south of Michigan Street.  Al was always quietly underwritten by, paid tribute to, and owed his soul to the mob.  Outside Chicago’s south-side was foreign territory, entered at great risk.  Al’s downfall began when his lust for riches and renown overcame his limitations.

Big Al never made it to “Don” status.  Don being rank used in the Mafia for a made-member of the crime Family with major social status and influence in the organization (think Don Corleone of "Godfather" movie).  In fact, it is highly doubtful Al would even have been considered for elevation to mob “Commission” which was (for all we know still is) the highest level of the America Mafia.  The Commission included only the Don heading each of the crime Families.

Big Al would not have been particularly successful on the Commission, anyhow.  Such an accountable position as Don requires high intelligence, attention to detail, lots of reading, and strong sense of history.  Big Al, to be sure, was “street smart” and understood his business, but he would have been easily manipulated by other Dons if he had been suddenly and unexpectedly added to the Commission.

As it often is with Capos and Dons, Big Al was not brought down by his life of public and documented crimes.  Rather, he was toppled from his pedestal by tax cheating, creative bookkeeping, spending and 'borrowing' more than his declared income justified.  Thus be it ever for the man who would be Don.

LEGAL STUFF DISCLAIMER: Any Resemblance to or Inference of any Living Capo who Would be Don is Surely Incidental -- more or less.

An Atheist in WH?

Is This the First True Atheist to Occupy White House?

February 7 2020

The Evangelical may prefer to dismiss the following.  It may be too challenging to typical American doctrine; touching too close to the demand of I Peter 3.15.

Pro-maga folk, with whom I have only passing acquaintance, could have mixed emotions.  They seem to yearn for a leader who breaks them free of the uncomfortable restraints of traditional decorum for the sake of some ill-defined ego-centered philosophy; and might be comfortable with an atheist yielding unlimited power.

To both of these groups, read on -- it really is just a question.



In 1952 both political Parties wanted as candidate for POTUS the most popular war hero in America, General Dwight Eisenhower.  His problem was that he had never been “baptized” into any Protestant denomination.  He joined his wife’s Presbyterian church.  Right or wrong, prior to 2016 no one could hope to be elected to any office in the land if they did not at least exhibit “belief” in God.  Then we somehow got trump.

Yesterday a perfunctory appearance was made by the chief executive at the National Prayer Breakfast, where he was clearly out of his element.  Possibly betraying ignorance of it being Biblical teaching for two millennia, he began by disagreeing with the previous speaker about loving our enemies. 

What followed was, at best, lacking in what was traditionally regarded as civil discourse.  If, as was noted, this was behavior “unbecoming” a gentleman, it might also be described as unbecoming a drunken gentleman.  But, it would be unfamiliar to refer to trump as a gentleman; and, if drunk at all it would have been intoxication from the unimaginable political power invested the previous day by the majority Party of the United States Senate.



An intelligent young self-professed “progressive” asks:  Is this the first true atheist to occupy the White House? 

This is, unfortunately, a perfectly reasonable and logical question to be asked by someone reared in the current generation; a generation which old men must navigate.  Our young progressive puts forth several anecdotal observations any “non-believer” might see as justification for their question:

·        He is demonstrably unfamiliar with church services, hymns, or their traditions and liturgies; and doesn’t seem to know the Bible – once referring to “two” Corinthians

·        He is first to have no church service in White House [Although there is a high-profile TV evangelist as self-proclaimed “spiritual advisor” who, in this old man observation, may not be best representation of Christian belief to put in forefront]

·        Nothing in his publicly known life reflects any Christian ethic, yet he consistently publicly panders to Christians as “his” people

·        People who have known and worked with and for him have variously described him as: “profane” “bully” “habitual liar” “deceitful” “shameless” ‘amoral” “braggart”

·        When asked specifically if he prayed for forgiveness, he said he thought he would if he ever did anything wrong

To this list must be added yesterday’s bewilderment that a wife would love her husband so much she even cried because he was near death.  An observation he’d made other times.

Having spent a lifetime in the Church it should be said many of these observations can be seen in faithful, church-going parishioners.  So, would the reader please come forward who has evidence otherwise, but is this the first true atheist to occupy White House?  To which must be added the vital question for future generations:  Should it still matter?

Known Wolves Like Trump all my life

I’ve Known Wolves Like This All My Life

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing,

but inwardly they are ravening wolves.  (Matthew 7.15, KJV)

The last time I saw Harry Bussman was in the 1970’s.  I thanked him for the many fond memories my sister and I had as kids riding the Mississippi on his yacht every summer.  I also thanked him for sending so many roses to our father’s funeral they covered the entire wall behind his coffin.

Mr. Bussman owned the largest trucking company in Missouri and the only Electric Fuse manufacturer.  Was never said what else he was into; really don’t want to know.  He told me (and he’d never lie to son of Phil Lewis) that he made $50,000 a day, every day, after taxes, whether or not he got out of bed (I might add, legally).  I have no idea how much money that would be in 2020.

During the 1950’s I met many “men of means” like Mr. Bussman with whom my father interacted.  He also dealt with the Teamster Union when Jimmie Hoffa really could shut down America; and lunched sometimes with men in oddly loose fitting suits identified to me only as ‘business associates’.  Every Christmas we kids were inundated with small gifts from these associates.  Every two years we got a new-to-us automobile courtesy of Mr. Bussman – the last of which I picked-out new off a showroom floor.

In the course of all this the owner of another trucking business told me confidentially some things he wanted me to know about my father.  To paraphrase words heard over 60 years ago:  “Anything given to Phil Lewis was not to buy him or influence business, because nothing could.   Your father is the only honest man in the trucking business in St. Louis.  He is the only man trusted by the freight owners, the drivers, the Union, and the mob.  If Phil Lewis tells you something, it’s true.”

Over time and various circumstances among the many things my father told me were truths about the Mr. Bussmans and the Union leaders and the ‘associates’ of the world.  It’s been a long time, but this is how I assimilated his warnings:

These men will dine you, and wile you, and pull you under the spell of their charisma.  Such people possess an innate ability to find both what they can get out of you -- and where lay your weaknesses to get it.  Never trust them completely; always get it in writing.  They will talk of loyalty, but demand fidelity.  You will hear the truth only where it serves them.  Assume any morality exhibited is based on self-preservation.  When they discern there is nothing more to gain from you, you will be discarded.

Over my now 76 years I have met and observed a lot of wolves my father warned me about, and have come to know what to expect when I see one.  That is why nothing surprised me when one of those wolves came down an escalator and immediately began to beguile and then discard all he touched.  I’ve known wolves like this all my life.