THE EDITOR, Sir:
I BELIEVE our law enforcers and politicians need to learn and model a page out of the life of Thomas Edmund Dewey, that renowned D.A. and eventual double presidential candidate who cut down such 'untouchables' of New York Mobster fame as 'Dutch Schultz' and Salvatore 'Lucky' Luciano, during the prohibition years of the early 20th century in the USA.
In recalling the life and work of the man who I had learned about by watching a movie of the life of Dutch Schultz (Arthur Flegenheimer) called "Hit the Dutchman", and by reading the book A Pictorial History of
the Mafia, I recently went to a website called "The Real Untouchables". This title referred to Dewey and his team of crime-fighters who fought adamantly to destroy the crime rate in his city, and nation at large, at the time. I must highlight the quote- "in a city where everyone was for sale Dewey could not be bought- and his success nearly carried him into the White House."
Dewey became so respected by even the Mob itself that Schultz was killed by Murder Inc. when he (Schultz) requested the death with reward of Dewey. The Mob knew that killing a man of Dewey's calibre would only run them to ruin so they got rid of Schultz.
Jamaica needs a Thomas Dewey a fearless decent leader/law enforcer who will risk his life, unhindered by corruption around him, to 'clean up his city'. I note also that what Dewey did before his 'war on crime' was to go on a large scale development of the city's infrastructure, starting with a highway building programme (sounds familiar?), laws against discrimination in employment and then ending with reform of the legal system. This is the way to save Jamaica: wholesale development and a sustained fight against crime.
I am, etc.,
NICHOLAS ALEXANDER
nic7lex@hotmail.com
