I plan not to stay throughout the conversation but a question has provoked my innermost wonder. It is simple really but perhaps the difficulty lies not in the question but the reason behind it. We have grown to accept it and most perform it themselves, murder, some purposely train their marksmanship skill and others they get what they can. Murder is more or less the way of life and when you agree to work with criminals you can expect nothing less. When does murder become acceptable is the veil that stands before what I seek to ask. My question is at what point is shooting a family member acceptable? At what point do they just become another notch on your gun? I recently seen vitoandolini a former capo for a Chicago family pass away. His abscence was high and yet so was his ranking. In this specific example I feel as though the shooters had made a grave mistake not just in the literal sense of the word. I would have it none other than this way, to properly inform all crew members when they first sign up that they will be shot if your face is not around within x amount of days. Disagree or agree I don’t care too much I have not found myself emotionally attatched to the question but for the sake of fellow mobsters I think everyone deserves to know what leaders permit. 

The man was crewless, and his protection order had expired.

So if we were to continue with that example, Vito is in essence just another notch. He was crewless because his leader died. He was a son of Chicago until the one who adopted him had passed on. Is that an acceptable way of living? 

Seeing as how he'd fallen into a coma for a few weeks, I'm not sure his own survival was still significant to him. 

How long should he have been allowed to live on life support, before someone pulled the plug? 

I’m only playing advocate for the devil. The question I asked is the same as you asked, at what point is it acceptable to pull the plug? I think once a person has fallen ill with abscence it is the right of a leader to decide the fate of the individual as it has always been. The theory I suggest is that moving forward leaders and members would adhere to an understanding of a city wide rule that extends the grace period of absence for a member who is achieved the rank of made man or more. If you fall away with a lower ranking no one would really care but it becomes an issue for someone who agrees on giving their life for a family and city. What would it look like if all that had signed that sacred oath in blood were informed that even if their leader dies and they are crewless they have a grace period that is longer than those who aren’t made men due to the fact that they cemented their lives for a city. Now I mean this not to continue with Vito and I wish other cities would take note, but as it appears Chicago is the only city who cares enough to be in the streets. This is an issue that will carry with us in the future, a question coming from a person with a low ranking should not be immediately pushed to the side. This is an absolute must for the progress of a city and the future of the Mafia. 

 My question is at what point is shooting a family member acceptable?

This is an opinion question and doesn't have a clear answer. It's really up to the crew leader, rh, hitsquad leader or whoever else is shooting a family member. There are many acceptable and unacceptable reasons and some of those reasons overlap each other. A given reason my be acceptable to some and unacceptable to others. This is life. It's all grey.  

The simple fact is that anyone is vulnerable at any time. The only thing that gives us protection is our crew leader, a mafioso who is stronger and more experienced than us, to have our backs. Finding a family to protect you should always be a criminal's first priority, and the community HAS come together to (typically) allow some time for those who are out of town or otherwise inactive to pick up the pieces. But the fact remains that if you have no one to avenge your death, there's nothing stopping someone from killing you. YES, without protection, without a family, you become just another notch on someone's gun. 

Acceptable or unacceptable - the Honey Badger doesn't really give a shit, and neither does anyone who is anyone right now, and neither should you.

If I were to give a shit - I would look at the protection order listing.  It would probably tell me how long untagged gangsters would be safe in the eyes of the heavies around here - and we should all give a shit what they say.

I'm gonna go eat some fucking larvae and maybe get stung by bees.

It's called balance. In this thing of ours, there'll be a greater chaos if balance is nonexistent. Every now and then, the uppers remove bad blood (or stagnant blood) to protect the new generation. It has been the law of the land that we must all follow.

True, it may be difficult if you're at the wrong end of the gun. If you're the 'notch' and the +1 to someone's cannon. But I think it's a communal effort. Just reframe your mind into thinking that your death contributes something to this world. It sucks, but it's all about perspectives, really. At the end of the day, you get to start fresh or take your time off to let the rage subside. 

In actuality, all of our positions here are unstable. We will all be fitted for cement shoes or retire to the old country. Then we get to start all over again. A really interesting cycle.

Chugs beer and walks away.

I think this conversation is with good thought. Does anything really separate a made man from a gangster when they fall into the crewless function? Is it that they were only a made man for a family and not the city? I feel as though that would help clarify everything. What are your thoughts?