Let me rephrase when I say "I have been left hand before and it by no means has zero meaning to be a left hand"  I am stating it does have meaning to be a left hand you are the third most valued guy in the crew.. There seems to be a little bit of confusion over that line. So this is to clarify what I truly mean..

Johnny smirks  "Sorry this vodka has me mixing my words up, My apologies"...

Being a left hand is what you make out of it.. You can be a hell of a left hand or lazy but its up to yourself how much you wanna help the crew as a left hand. If you consider left hand a lousy job that has no meaning then that's obviously how your gonna treat being a left hand.. Its all on you.. honestly.."

I feel the same way Mr. Insane.

I think its what you make of it. I seen some left hands bust ass while right's lounge around. I have seen the total opposite. Either way I feel RHM and Left are very important. These are the people you trust. When the CL lays his head to rest at night one of these two make sure the family is safe. Not much different honestly between the two jobs. Yea Right hand has more perks when it comes to certain places in the HQ. I do say this when the Crew Leader or Right Hand isn't online, then Mr or Mrs. Left hand is in total control of the family. Either way its an honorable job in my eyes.

Recently, I witnessed someone place a member who was completely new to this thing of ours in the left hand position, their reasoning for this was because they felt it was a good position for someone to learn the ropes. This astounded me, since I couldn't comprehend the amount of power they had just gifted this complete newbie, however it did show me the amount of importance that was placed on the left hand spot in the current era and that was, minimal.

Gatsby walked around the street pacing back and forth looking at his watch listening to Rusty speak about his feelings of how he wished the role of a Left Hand was something more then how are current time. As he listened he realized that there was once a prestigious outlook many once had on the now shadowed role. 

I have said this once Old Sport and i wish to say it publicly. I believe, without a shadow of a doubt, that the role of Left Hand is a vital and necessary vein between the Crew Leader and crew. Often times a Left Hands position should entail the teaching of common questions, for example; how does one shoot? how does one make money? where does one find a good place to party if not at Gatsby's? The list can go on and on Old Sport, but for me i find that the Left Hand is most needed for this life. 

Personally i would like to see it that the Left Hand is the one leading a family in many pursuits of pleasure. Taking them out of their comfort zones and challenging them to speak engagingly in the streets. To go out into local businesses and mingle with the commoners. When i was at Oxford, going to the local pubs is where i met some of my closest friends. 

I would also add the stress of a Crew Leader is most greatly reduced by a Left Hand who is advantageous with their time. See, as you know Rusty, a leader is often filled with useless mails about their physical appearance to paranoid 'business partners' who are always trying to keep their business alive. One who can sway the community of a family and redirect a load of problems can be a relaxing tool for a leader. Personally i would like to see it where all Left Hands were in part due in full responsibility with finding an important communal aspect within each family.

What would this look like Old Sport? Providing Competitions and Weekly Newsletters that could speak about upcoming events for a family or birthdays. A Left Hand who is sole job is to bring a crew from a group of individuals into a state of familial relations. I think when we start lowering our expectations as a whole, is when see the decline of the Left Hand. 

My line was around these parts long before the time when 'left hand man' was even recognised as a position by City Hall. Some have never looked upon it with much import; an under-whelming Right Hand at best and a glorified babysitter at worst.

After sitting in silence for the duration of the debate observing Wankish Knightsbane finally decides to remove his hat before clearing his throat.

It's quite evident that even a homeless man with dubious vision can see that being the third in command of a organization is a role of great importance and something that should never be taken lightly.

Having been well educated on our history by my own ancestry and a good few of them being in the position of Left Hand Man that this was indeed a role and position of great importance for them and not something that was just given out to the new guy on the block.

However having said that i would say it's completely fair and understandable should that person be tied by blood because what would family be without actual you know family?

Now not everyone was born into this life of ours some of us were ordinary people for a time until matters came in which dragged us into this life... are you following me ladies and gentlemen... Wankish grins.... So there would not be an issue on my part if a Don would give this position of trust to a relative who has just joined the life of crime for it is their birthright correct?

And who are we to deny someone what is theirs by blood and birth.

Wankish tips his hat before returning to the crowds

Im very important

Yes you are Tony, yes you are.

Smiles at TonyVegas.

I think some families value Left Hand's more than others. Sure there will always be families that it is just a position for show, and then there will be families that it is used for work. Actual work.

"Excuse me"  She steps forward to make it easier to see her.  "I do believe that, in some respects, Rusty is right.  The lack of structure has harmed the Family as a whole, leading many to forget about the LHM.  But this is a tragedy that, in my opinion, can be part of the reason for the instability.

Why do I say this? 

Simple, people forget that LHM have keys to the kingdom.  They are men and women of respect, learning how to run a crew, and they deserve the respect that is afforded to RHM.  And the ignoring of them leads to hurt feelings and in some cases, Albeit extreme cases, wars.  All men and women within the family need to hold themselves to higher standards, we are supposed to be men (And women) of respect.  And it is to this standard we must hold ourselves.  And I would love to see RH and LH garnering the same respect as the other. 

I may not know much, and I may not be very old, but this is my observation, what do you think?"

"Every hand places a vital role in the leadership of the Family. Not just in the line of succession, but in the way business is handled. It is crucial that there is a three-pronged mind leading each family. I have always viewed the Two hands as two Halves of the greater whole. While the Right Hand deals with External solutions, like Public Relations and External Affairs, the Left Hand was that of the internal control, keeping up with recruitment and making sure that the associates are provided for (and are providing for in their own right). "

TLM takes a breath.

"But I have definitely seen this fade in the more recent months, as the Right Hand has become more prominent, taking on more of the responsibilities of the day-to-day running's of the Family. We often look at the Left Hand as a stepping stone to the Right, as if the Left Hand is a temporary training program. However...I think it's about time that the Left Hand becomes a bigger figure in the Family, like it has in the past."

I agree with what has been said by the Laughing Man, in that the LHM role could be a potential stepping stone to the RHM role if, for example, the RHM were to set up shop on his own then there is an individual who is ready and prepared to step immediately into the RHM role. While in smaller crews this may be less important, I still think it has an essential role to play within a crew/family. The strongest crews have reliable and hard-working members in the RHM and LHM positions who are always ready to step up to the plate. 

It's my opinion that the value and need of a LHM is often determined by the leaders ability to delegate different Family tasks and responsibility.

Personally I'm a person that prefers to spread the workload around on my upper structure, meaning that the LHM helps furfill some of the tasks that could've been handled by the leader og RHM.

In this aspect, I would like to think that the LHM still holds an important position within this thing of ours.

Also I agree with The_Laughing_Man and SoulBadBoy, the position of LHM is certainly a good stepping stone, for someone showing great potential, and a leader wants to help grow, either for a future position as a RHM, or towards another position within the city.

DemTitties bounces into the conversation and throws his tits up.

Well you see here, I'm a right hand and I don't feel very important either. The only time I get any attention is when Koehler or some other "important" thing around here feels the need to fondle me. And do you think they even ask? Fuck no. Just rude. 

That post of yours just brought the importance of the RHM into a potential heated topic discussion DemTitties... Should we talk about that here or in another thread? 

Hmmm.... Let's talk about it but a lil' bit later...

First, I would like to say I am pleased some higher ranked persons do share the opinion of mine on the potential for LHs to rise and shine when given the oportunity. If the RH of their family is of a somewhat lazy kind (in activity foremost) to have his own family at some point of time, LH's oportunities to have their own crew grow in chances as a plant, and CL's RH stays the man of uttermost confidence for his CL, imo.

Second thing I higlighted in the blood written notes of my ancestors , history has shown that LHs with potential were a target of choice for some young bounty hunters from some other cities. An ancestor of mine had survived some 6 wack attempts by three different hashashins, blinded by some money opportunity and hash soup I guess, in a period of 18h, for being moderately protected. And he was at a LH position at the time. So I guess Leaders should watch to keep their good LH alive as well as after their RH. If one of those guys dies, it's not always easy to find a replacement.

Usualy, in wars, they die first and at the same time as the CL, if things go wrong, so there's no reason to give some more respect to one than to the other, they all family members after all... Personaly, I wouldn't underestimate the potential of any of family members. Each has it's role to play in it's lifetime, some just get more publicity by their position than others...

"Usualy, in wars, they die first and at the same time as the CL, if things go wrong, so there's no reason to give some more respect to one than to the other, they all family members after all... Personaly, I wouldn't underestimate the potential of any of family members. Each has it's role to play in it's lifetime, some just get more publicity by their position than others..." - Smarty.


TLM:> nods in agreement, giving a resounding "Amen!"

He pats Smarty on the back. "Very well said, my friend. I'm glad there are more like-minded individuals out there."

TLM turns back to the others. "Every person has a role to play, whether that role is merely an associate, or that role is the crew leader themselves. People often forget that with the associates, the upper structures wouldn't have the man-power to run a successful family. We need them as much as they need us. We are each pillars that hold this House up. While some may be bigger, or have more reinforcements (ie; Bodyguards or Power), its up to all of us to keep the Family going."