> ...
> I was referring to gossip about the way they (supposedly) tyranize
> (ex-)members and extort money from people. Whether or not they, or
some
> of them, do these things, is quite investigatable, but not by me,
nor
> can I establish the reliability of public testimony presented in
web
> sites by parties to the dispute. And I don't believe you can
either.
>
> Of course we can read their philosophy and form an opinion about
it. But
> their philosophy, whether you or I agree with it or not, has
nothing to
> do with these rumors about the methods they employ for, lets say,
> fostering harmony within the group.
>
> Mira

Do you think our knowledge is similarly restricted with regard to
other exclusive, insular organizations? To pick an example, how
about the famous Five Families of New York City, those being the
Bonanno family, the Colombo Family, the Gambino family, the Genovese
family, and the Lucchese family. Are we truly to not draw serious
opinions as to the methods each of these employed for fostering
harmony with the group?

This does not seem sensible to me.


Tracy Harms