Good Afternoon Friends,

We now return to the Corleones in the garden. We had left Michael Corleone with his father, Old Man Vito Corleone, The Godfather of the "Corleone Family," the biggest mafia organization in America. We were talking about this scene from the legendary novel and movie, The Godfather, in the context of how - as we said before - New Money always wants to become Old Money, just as quickly as possible. This is so whether we're looking at the criminal drug lord or the lawful corporate world.

I have not forgotten my promise to talk about at least two, perhaps three methods that New Money use to quicken the aging process of their capital assets, transforming themselves almost overnight into Old Money, socially, legally, and politically. Perhaps we'll make it four. After all, if we include figures like the international drug dealer and consider the process of "money laundering," we understand that he is seeking to become Old Money.

The money laundering international drug dealer, gun runner, and human trafficer, and the like, as well as Don Corleone and Don Clericuzio, who "wash" their money and do all they can to establish a sustainable presence in the "lawful" world by establishing legal business concerns, seek to expand out of "crime" or the New Money, relatively more vulnerable status into the more powerful realm of Old Money. For these types of criminals - as a combination of Existentialist and Marxist analysis tells us, I think - it is not a question of going "straight" for ethical reasons, but going untouchable for legal reasons.

The rich international gangster wants to become the rich international corporate executive, who - as we have mentioned - wants to become the rich international, preferably unelected, government official. Man is the desire to become God.

Now, back to the garden. Old man Vito is talking about how he had no regrets in his life. He's proud of the way he'd been able to provide for and protect his family. "I don't apologize," Vito said.

Vito: I knew Santino would have to go through all this [this being the mobster thing]... And Fredo.... Fredo..... but when it came your time I wanted something better. Senator Corleone, Governor Corleone, something.

Michael: Another pezzenovante.

Vito: There just wasn't enough time, Michael. There just wasn't enough time.

Michael: We'll get there, pop. We'll get there.

And the Corleones did get there, didn't they? In the novel, The Godfather Returns, Michael spells out his long-term plan. Peace with all the other mafia organizations, followed by massive expansion and relocation to Nevada. Then would come reorganization of all the other crime families, better than before, somehow, as well as greatly increased business ties with Sicily.

Tessio and Clemenza (remember those two, Vito Corleone's closest and oldest comrades from the beginning?) were to be allowed to split off and form their own family. Michael would gradually seperate the "family" from anything resembling street crime, to focus on real estate development, the restaurant/hotel business, and gaming.

Then there was the senator from Nevada, whatever his name was. He was a corrupt politician but very senior and very powerful. Michael had negotitiations with him concerning a license for a casino he just bought.

The senator was giving "Don Corleone" a hard time due to what seems to have been ideological ethnic prejudice on the lawmaker's part. The senator's fangs, horns, hoofs, and tail came out as he explained to Michael Corleone that he resented the "dishonest way you people represent yourself," spoiling "this clean country with your oily hair," and so on and so forth.

The senator leaves the meeting with the admonition that the Corleones are not to contact him directly again, "from now on you deal with Turnbull," (a political bagman of his, no doubt, serving as the legislator's liason, as it were, to the underworld).

But then things changed. One night found the senator at an establishment run by Fredo Corleone - poor Fredo! - in which he accepted the favors of a young woman not his wife. But something seems to have "went wrong," and the young woman was dead, a bloody mess. The senator was found sitting over her body, himself clearly beside himself, claiming not to have known what happened.

In comes his savior, in the form of Tom Hagen, Michael Corleones consigliere and adopted brother, who was considered a Corleone (in relation to blood family Corleone) and Sicilian in all but name. He explained that the girl was a "nobody," with no roots, or connections to anybody, no family at all. It is as if she had never existed.

Don't worry about a thing, Hagen soothed. The body would be disposed of discretely. "All that's left," Hagen said to the senator, "is our friendship."

Later, there was a big underworld/corporate meeting in Cuba. It was the senator himself, not Turnbull, who was present and all smiles, saying to Michael, "I'm very glad we can spend this time together."

There's nothing more to say on this. More next time.

wingedcentaur