*Holding a picture of St Francis of Assisi in his hand, the thoughts all came flushing back. It was the biggest day of his life. Everything before it had been leading up to this very moment. Every act he had done as a younger man was done to earn this and every word was spoken to show he had the intellect for this. Every act that got carried out had consequences, positive or negative. He had always tried to make sure the consequences of his actions pushed him in the right direction. The direction to help him to achieve his goal that faithful day. 

The family had opened their books. They had accepted him as a friend of ours, as a button man of cosa nostra. It was huge. It was more than he ever could have dreamed of. He had spent spent most of his adolescent life doing odd jobs, learning from those above him and even earning the trust of those around him. Eventually he had shown enough potential and enough ability for them to trust him with the greatest of honours.

As the memories flashed across his mind, he knew he'd always live and die for his family. The people that looked out for him. The people that protected him. The people that would lay down their lives for one another in a heartbeat without a moments hesitation. These were the people he loved, the people he would literally do anything for. He'd sworn an oath to them, there were bonds there that should never be broken. Looking at the world around us however, he wondered if maybe things had changed.*

<font color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)">I'm here today with a question. In recent times, there has been a </font>noticeable<font color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)"> trend of people dying with no family attachments. I'm not speaking about war deaths or even those that were </font>unfortunate<font color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)"> to be housed under a leader that fell. It's people being dropped from families before being killed. I'm not privy to the reason for the deaths, if someone offered those reasons to me I'd have no real interest in them to be honest. In the vast majority of cases we can see they've slipped into a coma, so death is simply a release for them.</font>

My bloodline is old, and normally cranky. It comes from a different world at a different time and it carries much of the beliefs of the old world with it to this day. Passed down from generation to generation. In those beliefs, being expelled from a family is a punishment that would only be passed down in the most damming of situations. It would be reserved to send a deep, dark message to the friends and relatives of the departed. It wouldn't be done lightly, and the true message of just how serious an act this was would be known to all.

<font color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)">In my mind, being expelled from a family is the worst insult that can be thrown upon a member of this thing of ours. I wouldn't worry if it was a lowly associate, then I'd have no real issues and wouldn't give it a passing thought. However, when a friend of ours is dropped from a family just to be killed... is that something that's now acceptable?  </font>

Have things changed? Is this now considered a perfectly normal thing to happen? Are acts now carried out on a weekly basis that warrant this punishment? What acts do people feel are worthy of this punishment in this day and age? Is this act no longer considered the great insult it used to be in the past?

In olden times, leaders doing this type of action would probably be killed for "trying to hide something". Having said that, the following week a different leader would be killed for "not trying to hide stuff, so they're definitely really hiding something well" so I'm not sure how much weight should be put into that nugget of bygone times. Where my issue comes from, is where it's personal to me and strikes right to my heart. Loyalty.

I'm not seeking to point a finger at any leader who does this or suggest anyone needs to stop doing it. That's their choice as a leader and they're free to do anything they damn well please as long as it isn't putting my family in danger. I do however wonder if our world has changed so much as to now consider this act acceptable? Has it gotten to the point that the next of kin of those concerned don't care that the family their loved ones served, and swore an oath to, now disown them?  

We button men of cosa nostra swear an oath. We swear an oath that shall never be broken under pain of death. We say the words "As this card burns, may my soul burn in Hell if I betray the oath of Omertà" *flicking the card bearing the picture of St. Francis as he says it* "As burns this saint, so will burn my soul. I enter alive and I will have to get out dead" or something very close to this with the same intent behind it depending on how an individual family has chosen to perform the ceremony. We have a standard tenants that undermine all that we are. We have a code, we have rules and we have tradition. Have we really reached a point in time where that loyalty and respect which is shown to a family is no longer treated in kind? When it does happen, are we ok with that? 

*Walks away, still scratching his head. Dazed, confused, old and cranky.*

Raoul smiles briefly at Setanta before speaking.

"I think our bloodlines have been running these streets for about the same amount of time my friend, too fucking long to be honest. However this is nothing new in this world, although it is becoming more common. Some of my ancestors who were blessed enough to be leaders themselves used to do something very similar.

A minor fuck up would be handled with a demotion. A major fuck up saw you sleeping with the fishes or buried in the desert. However, sometimes an associate commits a crime so heinous, a transgression of such colossal magni-fucking-tude that they no longer deserve to have ever been a member of your family. You strip them of that honour before you have them taken care off. you don't want them or their name uttered in your HQ and you want everyone to know that you have cast them out.

I think Matthew said it best..."

And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

"Perhaps it is not always the done thing, but sometimes a simple bullet in the head is not enough."

Ajani listened to his old friend talk and flicked his cigar to the ground. He smiled and began to speak.

Beautifully said my friend. I am also under the same understanding as you as well. When you enter a family and especially when made, it is blood in, blood out. We take a oath, or we are supposed too. Has that stopped? I hope not. I am unsure the reasons as well, but it can and does look quite odd. But as you said it is a leaders choice to do so, but personally I see it semi-insulting to the member as well. I would like to die with the family I worked for if needed be, and that has always been the case.

Curtis listened to his friends speaking about an issue that had caught his own eye recently. He walked over and thanked Setanta for his speech.

"This is something I have been watching too. Especially recently there seems to have been a small outbreak of this kind of action is Las Vegas along with a few other isolated incidents. I am of the same mind you guys hold when it comes to this action. It has only ever been done for one of two reasons.

The first and one you have mentioned being the utter disgust at an act so low that any association with the family or credit for ever being a part of it, would be stripped from the offender before they were shot and disposed of. Their wives or husbands and children would not be looked after, their name would no longer be recognized and their line would be blacklisted for several future generations. 

The second was a far more worrying reason. It was a practice carried out by spineless leaders who wanted to attempt to back-door their in-house murders and hide their actions from the mafioso community around them. A shameful process of disrespect and cowardice that spoke of weak leadership, without the character or strength to face up to their own responsibilities. 

Neither of these are good reasons to see this kind of behavior. Once in a while the first can occur to anyone. You get a bad apple that does deserve such a death. But the second? There is never an excuse for that kind of spinelessness. Personally I find it troubling that we are seeing so many of these deaths in recent times."

The small grey man cough once until a small enough hole could be made. He sat quietly in the back tugging on his cigarette, listening to the crowd around him speak their opinions gave him ample time to form his own. At times he was shocked, he held his emotions in check and listened intently instead, revealing nothing.

He waddled slowly to the front of the crowd and nodded towards Setanta, Godfather Ajani and Godfather Curtis. With a snap of his fingers a bodyguard ushered a few more soap boxes to stack on top for himself to be seen.  He began to climb the soap boxes and formed his thoughts carefully. Looking out at the crowd he could tell that as these men began to speak more and more joined in.

I cannot fathom dropping a button man so he can be laid to rest. To die without my tag on would be the biggest form of disgrace anyone could show. I remember the day I received mine. I remember the individual that placed the card in my hand and my loyalty was theirs. Waking to their death was, tragic. Unlucky for me the mother fucker that squeezed the trigger was already dispatched, else I should've liked to meet him in a very public place and assist him in his journey to the afterlife. What was I to do, but seek employment elsewhere?

When we...

His thoughts trailed off, as he searched for the words to emphasize his point. He waved around, there were no friends of his their, only friends of ours. He coughed and reminded himself he was getting older now, perhaps that's why he rambled a bit here and there.

When we as Mafioso's stoop to this level we stop being cosa nostra. We stop being, 'blood in, blood out'.

What is the point of doing such an act? A little easier kill? What? Really? Disgusting.

I would highly suggest... anyone doing it refrain from doing it in the future. 

Shaking his head he held a hand out and waited for Braum to assist him to the ground. He shook his leg and got his pants back in order, before folding his hands and stepping off to the side. Waiting and listening for the next to step to the box.

As Godfathers, Dons and others made there opinions heard Tony Capazzo just stood there and listened. This particular talk by Setanta however did strike him as interesting. Tony on many occasions had pondered on this very topic. He took off his fedora and raised it indicating he'd like to speak and everyone watched on.

"Although I don't have the ancestry and bloodlines like a lot of our great people here have mentioned I too have an opinion on this matter. I was learnt with...and always knew of....one thing. Very simply......blood in, blood out."

Tony takes a step closer to the crowd.

"When someone has been given the honor to join one's family it is a milestone in his life. He becomes protected and his whole life changes for the better as we all know."

Tony nods as he continues.

"Now if said person does some heinous act to disgrace, harm or otherwise shame his family and Don or Godfather to the point where he is no longer welcomed then I am of the opinion he shouldn't just be 'kicked' out of the family. This thing of ours isn't a book club or a a gym membership in which your membership gets revoked. No, my fellow esteems ladies and gentleman it's a way of life. It's our life and my life."

Tony pauses a moment.

"I can understand and respect those who suggest dropping the family connections with someone before finishing them off, that is a disgrace on itself however my thinking is why even let that person step one foot outside of the family, even with $1, even with anything for that matter. Let the tags remain and let the world know this man that was once protected and taken care of has screwed up and thus has paid the ultimate price. Let it be a message and a warning to all so that everyone can understand the seriousness of the matter and understand the honor and advtanges of being in a family. A person comes into a family and the only way to leave is...

Tony signals a gun gesture to the brain with his fingers.

...Now I can understand sometimes for whatever reason certain people have to be moved around from one crew to another. This isn't something I refer to. I am talking more of the type that is no longer welcomed."

Tony puts on his fedora almost concluding his little talk.

"At the end of the day we must all respect what each particular Godfather and/or Don decides to do with their own member however when doing this we must also always remember that bone chilling line that should never ever be forgotten, blood in blood out."