Why is the 13th amendment (slavery) not enforced by the US Congress aginst the Mafia ?

[elkan80]

AMENDMENT XIII
Passed by Congress January 31, 1865. Ratified December 6, 1865.
Note: A portion of Article IV, section 2, of the Constitution was superseded by the 13th amendment.
Section 1.
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
======================================…

If you can be forced by criminals to do actions that you would not do unless you were coerced by fear.
Is that not slavery?

I have seen thousands of people forced to act against their will over 7 years in our country in the year 2012. To me it is honestly a national disgrace.

My own parents were even forced to act against me from fear of the threats they received from the Mafia.

The Mafia are not like regular criminals they don’t steal your stuff and try to vanish, they control peoples lives like dictators and use people as they wish.
They use women ,children ,old people, disabled people, they have no fear and no honor.

Basic laws are not enforced against the Mafia; it is like playing a game with someone who does not follow the rules and cheats. How long do you keep playing the game?

The US Congress must be forced to act to protect honest innocent Americans freedom.

The only way that will happen is if you call you Congress person and ask for action.

[bret11]

You can only enforce the Constitution and its Amendments against Governments whether they are federal, state or local. Not against persons.

[cadby]

"Slavery" is defined as "a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work." While the Mafia sometimes employ extortion, their activities rarely fall under that definition, except in certain human trafficking cases.

As it happens, the US government is active in trying to shut down the mafia, and has been for years. It is far from easy, however, and there are several impediments to stopping them (one of which has been that in recent years, the FBI has been forced to redirect most of their resources to finding terrorists). However, the mafia itself has been significantly weakened compared to previous decades.

[deangelo51]

I think you need to call the pharmacy and get your anti-psychotic Rx refilled, dude.

[adamka]

gawd, what a moron.

The Constitution applies to government, federal, state, etc - NOT individuals.

The 13th banned slavery by all levels of GOVERNMENT in the USA.