The inestimable Steven Greenhut has an excellent and disturbing piece about how police unions in Costa Mesa, California, are using blackmail, intimidation, and extortion in their crusades against any elected official who dares stand up against the unions.

Not surprisingly, the version of “Murder, Inc.” that police are using is a law firm that spreads rumors and lies and apparently is protected by the California State Bar, which is not surprising. As I said before, the article is disturbing, but a necessary read. Will murder be down the road? I don’t know, but the way that the tactics used by police unions parallel those of the Mafia, one recalls Thomas DiLorenzo’s latest book that compares government to the Cosa Nostra.