It seems a lot of people have much to say on this matter privately to me, so I shall bring it up publicly.

Along with the recent spike in activity, we have also seen a rise in the amount of bravado on show and I am unsure as to whether the parties involved truly understand how they are portraying themselves and the consequences of their words/actions.

Now, I realise people are going to think this is all about Whitey and Phil_Steak, so right off the bat I will admit that yes, they are in my thoughts here, however they are not the only ones and they are not the worst offenders.

I get where Whitey and Phil_Steak are coming from... they've had enough off the bullshit (I realise not all of it is bullshit) whispers and hearsay and seemingly don't have a care in the world anymore. The problem here lies in the fact that to most people, Whitey and Phil are way out of range of the uhmmm 'Frustrated Few' let's call them, so what happens next? Does it just carry on until it ends up in a giant bitch-fest in the streets? No. Their friends and allies who are within range of these Frustrated Few are the ones who get punished. Let's not pretend this has never happened before. If they "don't care" then I would be very disappointed to hear that being from an allied city to New York.

However, all that being said... they ARE near the top of the food chain so perhaps have more rights than most to act this way. We all have our limits and they are at least in a position of strength to be able to back up their arguments.

These Frustrated Few are playing an equally if not more-so dangerous game. They are NOT in positions of power and seemingly have nothing to lose... until, as mentioned earlier this gets ugly and innocent friends are dragged into the mess. Again, let's not pretend this has never happened before.

Flicking through the pages of my ancestors' journals there was a point in history when my blood was involved in shooting bodyguards. The powers that be at the time had had enough and called a nationwide meeting between upper structures. The end result being that most people that frequented my family's coffeeshop #TeQ were killed if their name was public and others were to be shot on sight.

My blood's activities had got innocent friends killed. On the flip side, we all know what happened to the people who orchestrated this in the end.

This is where the current situation is slowly heading. I urge all parties to take a wee step back and breathe for a second. It may not be yourself that ends up getting punished.

Umbreon trots over with a piece of paper in her mouth.

It would be a shame for either side to take out their frustration on parties not involved in the, for lack of a better word, conversation. Taking actions based on an assumption about someone you haven't talked to, about what they could potentially say or do based on who you think (correctly or not) they are associated with seems misguided at best, and wildly counterproductive at worst. You could very well be turning someone sympathetic to your position against you.

Both those "frustrated few" and those they oppose could make this mistake. It's possible to do so from either positon. It's not punishment when the victim is not involved. It could be called spite, or misdirection, or just being petty. But either way it weakens your position, and makes both you and those who share your sentiments look bad, and in the process can make your ideas look bad. 

I've not been around much the last couple days to see this on the horizon, but if that's the case, please take a moment to realize that people are individuals, and relationships are not based on people sharing ALL of the same belifs and values. Responsibility for words and actions should fall on the individual that spoke them or did them. Not on anyone who happens to occupy the same city, family, or coffeeshop. 

Countdown, as with many things that you say and do, there is a duality. On the one hand, you acknowledge the traditional masculine notions of our society: the aggression, machismo and bravado. On the other hand, you are indulging the feminine: compromise, nurturing and accommodation. It is almost like you are open to both.

Let us use our own relationship as an analogy.  Our ancestors were comrades yet enemies, fighting against the same enemy, yet mistrustful. And now, I like you, but I feel the need to comment on everything that you say in the Streets, in the hope of making you angry. Why? I'm not sure. Is that normal? Probably not. Will I stop? No. Do,you want me to? No. What does that mean? It's for the greater good.

You see, sometimes, the silence of the guns is deafening. We have hundreds of armed individuals, some very accomplished killers, sitting in IWP HQs, with not much to do all day except add more millions to their already substantial assets. The economy is bloated, the Streets are a hive of activity... 

Friends, this is a glorious time to be part of this society.

"Countdown, my friend, I think you say things very well here. I am not going to go into much detail on the matter and how I feel, but I will say a few things. We are better then this.. The way I have been seeing some people hold themselves lately is frankly, to me, a bit disgusting. This isn't a shot at either party, just an observation of them both together. I honestly and dearly expected more then what I am seeing. There is a way to have debates and arguments without having to resort to name calling, it just gets stupid at that point and never proves the point clearly or will be taken seriously. People don't like being disrespected but I wish we would all hold ourselves to a higher standard then what has been taking place recently.

Is it interesting? Yes, to say the least. At least in my eyes. Also, better speeches in extent of quality in my opinion then what we see from the Kuku bloodline. I am not saying their speeches are correct in any manner, but I would be a liar to say they catch my interest when listening. Perhaps that is the inner curiosity in all of us. However, there becomes a line that we shouldn't cross and it's being crossed. It makes things uncomfortable for everyone involved. I can see both sides as... entertaining really is the best word for it. I however would take offense to my members being talked about in a poor manner and I feel it is my responsibility as their CL to defend them in those incidents. Otherwise, why should I expect their same loyalties and responsibilities to fall my way if I don't return the same.

We should hold ourselves to a higher standard then going as far to take it overboard. That isn't what this life is about to me."

I think I know where Countdown got his inspiration for the title of this speech: http://www.attitude.co.uk/

This world thrives on characters and is one of the things that has been particularly lacking since the loss of Roberto_Carlos (Consigliere). If there is a deficiency of personality, intrigue and activity, then things become dull. Most of the leaders appear to be cardboard cutouts of each other and as do the majority of their members. Very few people actually make a notable appearance or do something that makes them stand out, when in reality it is that kind of thing that we need much more of.

In my lowly opinion, there are two things that keep people returning to these shores; great friends and great enemies. Without either, this world is a pretty bland, monotonous place with little reason to complete our often repetitive way of life. This brings me around to the topic itself, Whitey, Phil_Steak, whoever, if they are doing things that are likely to engineer more excitement, more entertainment and more interest, then I'm all for it. Some people dislike the billy big balls routine and if they persist with it, eventually they will feel the consequences of it. That will be on them and their family. As something of a neutral observer, I'm all for it. I wish we had more characters and more people doing things that made this more interesting. 

I think this is a very interesting thread since the latest activity in the streets and i think its good that this thread is started to hear out opinions and views. i hope (but i think) my reply in this thread will be a summary of much things mentioned above by you guys.

First of all its good to get an activity burst in the streets. i like to see that and it also motivates me to participate more in the streets as well. like typing my reply now.

On the other hand to pick up with the current threads about Phil and Whitey. it think the streets is the place to give substantiated criticism on subjects or persons. but it must not turn into a so called "witch hunt" on certain people. 
GF's and CL's act how they are and in what situation they are in. People are People right?

If like you people, their opinions or not, it's your decision to get it started in the streets.

it's easy to go for the easy score and true it would be described as entertaining at first. how longer it takes the more i think here we go again. you made your point and it's getting overdone now. Like Countdown said: Does it just carry on until it ends up in a giant bitch-fest in the streets?

Well i hope certainly not and by responding to this thread i hope there are enough people that would want to prevent this from happening.
Good people always have to suffer from the bad people. (which mostly is the minority)

True we need certain friends and enemy's for this game to get tension and excitement up in this thing of ours. 

Like mentioned on top. its interesting because this is a real big gray area. because we are dealing with opinions of people not always with facts. as long we have the freedom to spread our opinions which is a great thing. people can get offended some way or the other.

Bottom line: Critic is good but think about it before you post and do it with some respect 

If you have nothing to lose.. yeah its quiet hard to stop that sound in the streets (which should be allowed of course) 

I think sometimes it just better not to react or respond too those sounds. Which could be hard if you are the one pointed at.