Hot_Lips steps on the soap box and clears her throat for a second. Earlier that day, she had a conversation with The_Civilian about pet peeves and how some of them, when spoken of in the streets, were taken quite to heart by passing pedestrians and often speeches took a very different turn than the speaker had intended. This propelled her to written memories in a long line of diaries she kept safely hidden in her New Orleans apartment. She looks to all the esteemed members of the mafia world and says her peace.

"We all have certain parts of this way of life that annoy us, from pickpocketing to the way a leader handles himself in the streets. Lord knows my bloodline has had a few run ins, especially the older women who were more....let's say... in your face, then had to cope with the wrath of a Godfather or two. "

Hot_Lips chuckles as she remembers written words from past diaries, "tail between my legs" was written more than once.

"They were lessons well learned by daughters and grand-daughters who studied the diaries of their beloved predecessors and thought it wise to cross their t's and dot the i's BEFORE speaking in the streets. "

"They tried something new...instead of speaking from their heart and say what is on their mind right then and there, they decided to ask friends and respected colleagues for their opinion before hand. Often these friends agreed with my lady's point of view and promised they would speak up, even encouraged to go for it...but when the time came, friends shy away and they were left alone to fight her own battle."

"Some say it is as it should be, and I do agree as the results were the same. I want to make it clear...my objective today is NOT to blame anyone for my bloodlines past discomforts. On the contrary, it made me a better mobster, or I'd like to believe so."

"I suppose my purpose is to say...when you speak in the streets, do it as if you are alone and be prepared to fight a battle on your own! Your intentions might be noble, you are stating an opinion but think as though you are opening a can of worms. I do not wish to discourage any future speaker, especially those fresh off the boat, but only to warn them of the potential feedback and not be surprised if things go wrong."

"Controversy can be perceived in the littlest thing and if you don't have the backbone for it...it will be built if you are willing to stick around."

"Today, I am not a frequent speaker...I only do when something grabs my heart. It is my opinion and I'd love to hear others."

Sammy sighs, straightening his hat before he begins to speak

"Firstly, about the supposed bloodline tarnishing. Only you can change how your bloodline is viewed. If you really want to make a new start, stop concentrating on the past and concentrate on the future you could have. As you said, nobody is to blame for your bloodlines previous discomforts, make a new name for yourself, prove to people you are not past the point of no return and you shall be rewarding for doing so"

Sammy smiles, and nods to Hot_Lips

"It is important that you speak your mind in these streets, the whole point of coming out here is to voice your opinion on a matter that you yourself start, or that somebody else has already started. However, there is a way to do it. You have to speak respectfully to others around here, especially those who have earned the respect. If you speak to people like dirt, you're damn right they are going to want you dead. Respect is one of the core values of our life, as long as you speak respectfully, you have much much less chance of ending up at the bottom of a canal or river.

"That being said, even speaking with what you may think is respect, can sometimes be perceived otherwise. You just have to be careful how you approach things, but without pussy footing around your point and stepping on eggshells. You just have to find the balance really"

Sammy smiles again, and tips his hat

Hot_Lips approches SammyGarcini with her hand extended...

"I'm pleased to meet you sir. I believe I may have mis communicated. I never talked about bloodline tarnishing, only about my bloodlines path through the years and learning with their mistakes...I'm proud of the path that was taken. I have never regretted anything that ever happened with my ladies and I'm only stating the frame of mind I have right now."

"You are assuming I, my bloodline, have spoken to others with dirt but it was not a fact. It was NOT my way of speaking but my thoughts on certain aspects of this way of life that have gotten me in hot water. I will agree though, my thoughts on ...let's say pick pocketing...is not the norm but I have learned. My point was, when you embark into a speach, consider it a challenge that you will need to defend. I was never disrespectfull to anyone and please do not assume I was."

Catherine frowned as she thought back to her family and their past. She bit her lower lip while listening to the two people before her speak and then finally she said, "I would never open my mouth unless I believed in what I was saying. It would just be a waste of time if I was wishy washy, or on the fence about something. Why speak unless you're passionate about what you have to say? Past discretions aside, you aren't your ancestors, and you can learn from their choices and mistakes, but you shouldn't let who they were rule who you are now. You are your own person, your thoughts and feelings are your own. So speak from the heart, speak truthfully and no one should be able to find fault with what you have to say. Unless of course they're a bit of a dick and just like disagreeing with you" she said with a laugh. 

"I suppose my purpose is to say...when you speak in the streets, do it as if you are alone and be prepared to fight a battle on your own! Your intentions might be noble, you are stating an opinion but think as though you are opening a can of worms. I do not wish to discourage any future speaker, especially those fresh off the boat, but only to warn them of the potential feedback and not be surprised if things go wrong."

Well, if its opinions you want.. I'll share mine. You might not have wanted to put people off speaking by starting this speech, but from listening to your words, the only thing I take from it is that people speaking need to prepare for some sort of shit storm of attacks from the public. What sort of impact do you think such negative views can have, other than stopping people from speaking?

I think your view on the streets is all wrong. Yes, people can receive negative feedback on their points, but they will also hear positive feedback. There are a lot of mafioso walking these streets and we all have differing opinions, people should never consider their opinion as something that can only be shared if they are willing to fight a solo battle.

You got one thing right though, ALWAYS think about what your saying before you say it, and take the time to discuss your points with others before coming out into the street to discuss it with the world; as often you'll find that something that seemed good in your head, could be taken a whole new way when said out loud.

It also seems you havn't taken your own advice, after the first person responds to your comments you go straight on the defensive; this is why such an attitude is NOT productive to your points. Being on the defensive makes it seem like someone is attacking you and that is not always the case, if you come across as trying to attack them back with your response then obviously things will get heated unintentionally and ruin your whole speech.

Sammy was simply adding to your comments, and you took it personally. I'm not here to defend Sammy, he can do that all by himself, i'm simply highlighting that your approach to our streets is, in my opinion, all wrong and completely contradicts the message your sending out to others.

A defensive attitude is not the thing to have when you raise a point. A positive attitude should always be your baseline. Speak from the heart, sure, there is nothing wrong with that, but don't come out looking for a one man fight against the world, as if thats what your expecting to get, chances are you'll get it in the end.

WhereWasI sneaks up on Fozzie and places a banana ontop of his head and watches as the monkeys spring towards it.

I usually don't get my comments approved before saying something, but than again I'm addicted to Heroin and battle monkeys on a daily basis. Don't be afraid to speak your mind respectfully, because their will always be people who dislike you or say something negative no matter what you do. Some people hate the creative types, some hate because they're bitter and won't forgive and forget, some people hate the same conversations hashed out again and again, and others just hate because they feel inadequate about themselves.

WhereWasI stares at the lion in the crowd.

We all know why you're pretending to be a lion Mr. Iocaste, and writing "WhereWasI smells" in the HQ won't fix that.

But the point is if you're afraid of being criticized use this...

WhereWasI pulls out a paper bag and writes WhereWasI's associate above the eye holes,

Just put this over your head when people ask you to speak and no one will think you're sane enough to answer. They might even give you a nice apartment with the walls padded for free.