Italy fights crime

Letter to the Editor, Chicago Tribune, August 13, 2008

This is in response to "Winners at Cannes are hits in Italy too" (News, July 7).

Despite Tribune reporter Christine Spolar's assertions regarding "the relentless criminality of Italian society," citizens up and down the Magic Boot stand shoulder to shoulder in support of Rome's sinewy anti-Mafia efforts.

Unlike other nations that simply talk about declaring war on crime and terrorism, Italy has long been in the forefront of the struggle to root out evildoers, big and small.

Having weathered the depredations of the Red Brigades in the late 1970s and the Mafia in the early 1990s, the Italians coupled a superior intelligence network with muscular commando units to capture the likes of Patrizio Peci, a key member of the Red Brigades, and Toto Riina, the Mafia's "boss of all bosses."

They also rescued American Brig. Gen. James Dozier in the 1980s, decimating the Red Brigades.

With the capture of Salvatore Lo Piccolo in Sicily not long ago, Italy continues its highly successful campaign to crush the Mafia

And the Italians' show of unity in bolstering the "pentiti" informer system demonstrates how a democracy can adopt draconian measures yet still uphold the rule of law.

Rosario A. Iaconis
Vice Chairman
The Italic Institute of America
Mineola, N.Y.