For an employer to take action against an employee, the employer must come with clean hands.

If this legal principal is to be upheld, then the recent kerfuffle involving a picture of Stan Hennessy, president of Teamster's Local 31 posing with members of the Hells Angels, is nothing more than a tempest in a teapot.

Hell, it should not even be a tempest if the people our politicians have been posing with is any yardstick.

The Vancouver Sun published the picture last week prompting questions about the link between the union and the Hells Angels - the most talked about organized crime outfit in B.C. but the one with the least number of members in jail.

Local 31 in Delta led by Hennessy represents more than 6,000 workers in B.C. and the Yukon, including about 230 civilian employees of the Vancouver police, 80 civilian employees of the Abbotsford force, about 350 inside workers at the Greater Vancouver Regional District, and several hundred truckers who haul containers at the Port of Vancouver.

Vancouver civilian police employees have access to highly sensitive information, ranging from the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) to criminal records. They liaise with Crown attorneys, deal with the public at front counters, assist victims, and perform secretarial work in all sections of the department.

Let's not even talk about the Vancouver Port which is internationally renowned for being a gateway for contraband.

Hennessy has denied any association with the Hells Angels but the police force jumped on the picture to raise concerns about organized criminal outfits "influencing or attempting to intimidate" workers.

One can only wonder if Vancouver police chief Jamie Graham, who is disappointed by the union's response to police inquires about the picture, asks the criminal intelligence unit to vet his social invitations.

If he does not, there could soon be pictures floating about showing the top cop cavorting with unsavoury types.

So should action be taken against Hennessy as he fights a bout of guilt by association

If precedent is anything to go by, the answer is no.

Here are some examples involving our leaders;

i) In an internal memo to the RCMP, veteran officer Supt. Garry Clement warned Ottawa of attempts by the Chinese Mafia to make connections with Canadian politicians. Citing examples, Clement states that former premier of B.C., Mike Harcourt, "was hosted by a known Triad associate, Henry Fok, whose son was arrested in the United States for arms smuggling."

ii) In another example, Clement wrote that the then-mayor of Vancouver and current B.C. premier, Gordon Campbell, was photographed in the early 1990s with the son of a Hong Kong politician, who was identified as ruling council member of the notorious Sun Yee Onn Triad " one of the world's largest heroin traffickers.

iii) A secret RCMP Asian Organized Crime Roster--done in conjunction with three other police agencies in Eastern Canada--listed Macau casino king Stanley Ho as a suspected "leader/member" of the Kung Lok triad.

The triad is internationally known for heroin trafficking, running illegal casinos, counterfeiting, and controlling segments of the Chinese entertainment industry. Ho was assigned RCMP gang file number " 89-1770 more than 10 years ago.

But despite the police suspicions, which the tycoon has denied vehemently, Ho is a fixture on VIP guest lists when Canadian dignitaries visit Macau, Hong Kong or China. Officials of his company have participated in Prime Minister's Jean Chretien's Team Canada trade missions to the Far East.

He has been feted and wooed by former prime minister Brian Mulroney, current cabinet members, at least two former B.C. premiers and a host of Canadian diplomats.

Ho, a renowned philanthropist, was a key player in Festival Canada '91 held in Hong Kong.

The $4.2-million extravaganza was launched by Mulroney, and organizers declared Ho a "platinum maple leaf patron" for his donation of more than $100,000. Ho has also hosted then-B.C. premier Mike Harcourt at a private reception at the Hong Kong Hilton held to attract Asian investment in 1991

Ho met ex-premier Glen Clark at his Hong Kong offices to negotiate a fast-ferry passenger service.

iv) Prime Minister Jean Chretien held a private meeting on Feb 26, 1996 at his Ottawa office to discuss the sale of a hotel in his riding.

Among those at the meeting was Gordon Fu, the president of Imperial Consultants, a company that specialized in bringing to Canada Asian migrants who invested between $250,000 to $350,000 in Canadian projects.

Fu and his brothers have been the subject of several major investigations by the RCMP over allegations of abuse of immigrant investor funds, bribery of immigration officers, visa fraud and connections to the Chinese mafia.

The Fu's say all the accusations are groundless. None of the cases made the courts.

A beaming Fu was photographed shaking hands with Chretien. The photo was published in a Taiwanese newsletter.

v) Alleged Vancouver-based loan shark Kwok Chung Tam, had his picture taken with former premier Glen Clark.

The picture was found when police raided his Burnaby home and seized a couple of semi-automatic handguns, ammunition, a silencer, a half-pound of raw opium and almost $80,000 in cash.

Clark's office said the picture was taken in April 1996 when Tam was introduced to the premier at his constituency office.

The former premier denies knowing Tam and said Tam was one of hundreds of people pictured with the premier.

We could go on, but you probably have the big picture by now.