I'm sure some of them resemble dead fish even when their not covered with oil.
Does it have anything to do with Rahm "Dead Fish" Emanuel? :)
...
"In between his stints in Washington, Emanuel got rich working as an investment banker. He once sat on the board of Freddie Mac and recuses himself from any Congressional votes on the mortgage giant."
"Has been known to send out cheesecakes from Eli's Bakery in Chicago to campaign donors and the many Democratic candidates he has recruited over the years. Once, when a pollster made him angry, Emanuel sent him a dead fish."
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1856965,00.html
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(Sonny opens a package to find two fish wrapped in Luca's bulletproof vest.)
Sonny: What the hell is this?
Pete Clemenza: It's a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.