From: dannyb@panix.com   
      
   for anyone still here...   
      
   RICO = "Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations",   
   which is a US Federal law used against, well, initially,   
   groups like the Mafia but, naturally, has spread out.   
      
   But where did this name come from?   
      
   Snopes says [a]:   
      
   "Etymology of RICO   
   Were RICO laws named for a film gangster?   
      ...   
   G. Robert Blakey, the Notre Dame Law School professor who drafted RICO for   
   Congress, maintains the name was selected for functional reasons, however,   
   because it applies to both legitimate businesses which have been   
   infiltrated by organized crime (hence "racketeer influenced") and   
   mob-controlled organizations (which are "corrupt"). He's also said that he   
   has "no regrets" about the cumbersome title, he thinks "it's a neat name,"   
   he's a movie buff, and he "won't confirm or deny" the rumor about his   
   choice's having been influenced by the name of a film gangster. We suspect   
   the similarity in names was merely an unintended coincidence, but since   
   Mr. Blakely doesn't want to spoil the fun by officially denying it, we'll   
   play along and call this one "undetermined."   
          ========   
   Anyway, on tonight's (20-Dec-2024) "Jeopardy!",   
   the Final Jeopardy category was:   
      
   "Movies and the law"   
      
   The Clue:   
   "Drafters...have to have a little fun sometimes",   
     said the author of this law when asked if he was   
     inspired by 1931's 'Little Caeser'"   
      
   The response, of course, which NONE of the   
   three got, is "What is RICO?"   
      
   [a] https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/rico-suave/   
      
   _____________________________________________________   
   Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key   
    		     dannyb@panix.com   
   [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)