“The notion that John Gotti — or any single mob figure — was some sort of omnipotent New York mafioso is ludicrous. The word 'Godfather' had a nice, Brando-­esque ring, but the title itself is a fraud.”

The '80s “empowered” icky crustaceans like Rush Limbaugh, Dinesh D'Souza, Al­lan Bloom, and Mary Matalin... ruminating on family values, the evil lifestyle of homosexuals, the glories of war, the absolute sanctity of money, and the mot­to of Republicans the world over: Admit Nothing, Blame Everybody, Be Bitter.

“His office’s apparent mishandling of solid BCCI leads is fair crit­icism of him whether he did or did not know about it: he missed a golden opportu­nity to examine the so-called Bank of Crooks and Criminals”

For 1991 alone, total revenues coming in to the PBA came to $63 million. The cop on the beat might well ask, “Where did it all go?”

Thanks to concessions won by Hart­man, within a few years Long Island cops would take it for granted that they earned more than FBI agents.

Patrolman Phil Caruso and lawyer Richard Hartman built the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association into an arrogant, insular, and wealthy institution that stands above the law and beyond scrutiny. Where is the $63 million a year in tax funds and union dues going? Only their friends know for sure.

Giuliani's '89 campaign was rife with dirty tricks only an insider could pull

“Every night was a different club, one after another, and there were real­ly no barriers: blacks and whites, gays and straights... ”

“While the name Warhol has come to stand for many things — a masterful artist, a cutting-edge filmmaker, a perceptive social crit­ic — these days in the legal business, it’s come to stand for an estate that’s rife with conflict, confusion, and outright animosity.”

“Blunts have made it fashionable to smoke pot again. Just about no­body in hip hop circles smokes crack or cocaine anymore.”