Dressed in a suave suit, Bill steps up onto the bench on the street corner, taking a swag from his trusty hipflask before addressing the masses

Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the Mafia, I am your host, Bill Williamson.

The masses cheer and applaud the handsome, talented man on stage.

Alright let's cut the shit. In recent weeks I have noticed quite a few things around these parts and different types of people starting to emerge and evolve. Today I come here to address these issues and discuss certain types of people.

Overall I have noticed the development of this whiny, bitchy attitude from a lot of people like the world owes them a living and they deserve this, that and the other. You get what you earn and make for yourself and your family, man up and earn your own living and make something of your life instead of sitting around waiting for other people to do it for you.

Now, I want to address all the "my mother/father died in the recent war and now I'm going to come and moan about how unfair it was and how shit the people who killed me are" I hate to break this to you people but life is unfair, this is the mafia, it's even less fair. When you decided to pursue our way of life you knew death would inevitably come, probably sooner rather than later. Sure I feel bad for you that your parents died but it's the way life is, it doesn't provide the need for you to come out to the streets and moan about how unfair it was and whilst I'm on the point: To the "people who tell us all about how shit the winning side Were" This is all well and good, but if the prevailing side was shit, then what did that say about the abilities of your parents? Get a grip.

This part of my speech is dedicated to all the "unsponsored -48 losers who moan about how bad the current leaders are but intend to do nothing, to change the situation, apart from moan incessantly." I've got news for all of you too. The current leaders have earned their stripes from the people who authed them, whatever it may have required. Often this is their ability to lead teams, their firepower, and their overall ability to ultimately contribute to the smooth, successful running of a city. So where do you find the right to criticise them? Too many of these people come out to our fair streets using the protection afforded to them by the gods, to call out and attempt to muddy the names of crewleaders, these people often fit into the above category also. They all too often contribute nothing to our society apart from slander. Here's a suggestion for you people, grow some balls, build a gun, rank up and change things. Man up or fuck off.

The real question that is really on my mind is what happened? My bloodline has been through many generations here and has enjoyed some degree of success and it's true, you get out what you put in. Why is it that so many so called Mafioso these days no longer seem to value hard work, honour, omerta or any of our core values? People show a huge lack of respect but yet seem to think they are entitled to all the respect in the world. Respect is earned, not given. Something needs to be done and something needs to change before our society descends into a mess of crying, whiny little fools who don't want to make the effort yet with to reap the rewards.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the Mafia. Life here is not fair, there will always be betrayals, people will continue to die and people will continue to steal. It's what we do, if you don't like our ideals or the way we do business then retire and channel your energies into something more constructive. Don't come out to the streets and attempt to slag off and drag down the people who put the effort in to succeed and be the best that they can because it makes you look childish and silly and I hope the speech will make some of you consider your ways.

Finishing his speech Bill lights up a cigarette before taking another swag from his trusty hipflask, he then proceeded to wade his way through the crowd to colossal round of cheers and applause.

Mudkip watches as the senior member of there crew talks for a hour or so.

Well bill , i'd have to agree on most of your points friend , they may think they have legitimate reasons for crying but honestly , whats that helping..?

This is the mafia , rank up and do something about it.

amen

Or for the newer generations of mafiasos, rank up and pay someone to do your dirty work!

PJ walks by when he suddenly hears the words "Or for the newer generations of mafiasos, rank up and pay someone to do your dirty work!". Stopping he turns to identify the speaker.

Marcus, i think I love you.

Before he walks away he recognizes the decent speech and makes a personal note to return when he has more time and does not have an appointment with a hubcap.

Certain things have always been this way. After a large removal of a well experienced crew, a few new offspring will always approach these streets to say something. To say whatever is on their mind. Can you blame them? This may be the Mafia, but it's in our gene pool to be upset after losing a loved one. The key is let these people go on with their rant and ignore them, let them vent. Let their name tarnish even more. People know what bloodline they hail from.

The old saying "Build a gun, rank up, and change something" is much more these days. I'm not saying you can't do anything if you wanted to, its just more difficult these days with the place of bodily security. Back in the old days things were different and death was amongst us everyday. You never knew what would happen when someone with a cannon was irritated with the local Bosses or even the head of a city. I remember a certain someone named SamTheAmericanEagle, get me wrong but I believe he was gunned down by a local Wise Guy. These days it takes a single crew or even a whole city's attention to hit one person. For example, Ire. As much as I do respect the saying, its just much harder these days.

Now the question you bring up, "What happened to this thing of ours?", is really answered in it's self. We've changed, the whole scheme of things has changed. We've adapted and the outcome of that is what you get here. We've aloud ourselves to set minimum standards for certain things. I brought this up the other day in another conversation, the idea of having city wide requirements for being looked at for your button. The you must have "1 thread and 15 posts" and so on. People tend to think once they meet those requirements, they're entitled to everything that the true mafiosi has worked hard for.

And thats where we're wrong as a whole. We've set standards for something that should be mysterious and unknown. People just do whats needed to get by, they don't go the extra mile. Those that do, are the ones in power or even better, the ones that last long enough so they can get into power. I did enjoy your last few words Bill. Where people are saying "amen" I say salute!

Listening to the men before him Zal overhears what MikeHunt has to say before adding something

Mr Williamson sir, I can understand what your saying about the children of the recently dead coming to the streets. However think on this if you will. Just because they are the voices you hear on the streets, doesn't mean they are the only voices. This are just the ones who have nothing to risk or loose by coming out here. Plus I have to admit on a personal note it can be entertaining, even if it is wild and baseless.

turning to MikeHunt

What you say Mr hunt is very true, the old saying is one to be respected but these days it could actually be very dangerous. Allow me explain what I say. I don't mean dangerous for the victim but dangerous for the one who wishes change, be that for the good of the world or a personal vendetta. Take any Godfather in any city, they are going to be Insanely Well Protected as they should be, they are also going to have fortifications to their head quarters. So for someone to build a gun, rank up and make a difference you are talking at the minimum six months of training, during which time said Godfather has six months to bolster their defences even more.

Say it is an action out of vengeance, to hold on to feelings of animosity for that length of time is not healthy for anyone. It is most certainly not a desirable trait for someone who, if they have built up an offence capable of undertaking the task, may also by that time be a leader themselves. So therefore their single act could in theory turn into all out bloodshed on our streets. Not something that I'm sure any of us wish to see.

Very well made points indeed! However, The mafia, whilst about honour and integrity is also full of betrayals and heartache. In my honest opinion, our society is changing for the worse as people seem to have much less respect for the bold and slanty suits of our world. As time goes by we see mere 'nobodies' taking to the streets to explicitly attack and question our leaders as happened to a good friend and fellow NY'er of mine. I'm not saying that people are not entitled to an opinion but i consider it downright disrespectful for simple associates to come to our streets and insult leaders and hands. Gone are the days where they would simply be shot for such disgusting and disrespectful behaviour and this saddens me.

I personally believe that our society's morals and standards are in decline and something rapidly needs to be done to combat this or we will end up with a society similiar to ones in the outside world. Our society and people are unique in this world like no other and something needs to be done and problems need to be addressed before we sink into a state of disrepair. Now this is of course in part down to the leaders but the associates themselves need to change their attitudes and ideas towards their interactions with others.

I'm all for evoulution and development, but not when it threatens everything that we know.

Well I would say that the days where they would simply have been shot are not gone at all. Generally those who do tend to act like this do have a much shorter life span than most. So don't be totally saddened, the wee buggers do still get shot.

I however fail to see how our moral standards are in a decline, yes there are ones that do this. But it only generally happens after a major death, or huge shake up. It's a natural progression in our society. Nobody really pays that much attention to them anyway and they are generally a minority. While it's wrong and shouldn't be done. It isn't going to tear the the very fabric of our society.

Ease your mind, we aren't about to descend into anarchy.

Takes a long pull of his joint and then offers it to Bill

It's might calm those fears.

Not for nothing, but this is something you just noticed in the past couple of weeks?

Mayor_McCheese - my blood has only recently returned to these shores, of course my ancestors noticed these worrying changes, however I do not see that little bit of information to be relevant to this debate.

The Mayor's point is reveleant because it is true. The whinning, crying, and shit slinging isnt new. Furious suns and daughters have been crying the blues for as long as anyone can remember. They hit our streets telling sad tales of the unjustices their parents endured. Does it change anything? No, not in the least. Are the statements, the slanders, zee logz sometimes a bit too brutal? Yes they are, but there is nothing that can be done to stop it. You cant shoot a civilian, and you cant mute them. Let them tell their tales then fade away into oblivion.

Bill, My remark was meant more as a commentary on the whiners, much to your point. If it came off as argumentative or as a jab at your speech, that was not my intent, although I can see why it would have come off that way. I'm actually in full agreement. The post-war babies come to our streets with nothing to lose, which gives them freedom to say whatever they please, being that they know their time here is short before their next of kin returns to repeat the ranking/dying/whining process all over again. It's pretty piss-poor, albeit something I've grown accustomed to unfortunately.

" Or for the newer generations of mafiasos, rank up and pay someone to do your dirty work! "

That is exactly what the hitlist is for, its sad to see that nowdays it is virtually unused. Once homeless bums no longer required the use of the hitlist, it seems to be only used for jokes and banter.

Or for the newer generations of mafiasos, rank up and pay someone to do your dirty work!

To me, this is the best response. Once you are gunned down, it takes way too long to rank up sufficiently to do anything about it. Cash can be accumulated quicker so it becomes the means to the end. The only city excluded from this is Chicago. With the caps in place, ranking up and doing something about it becomes more realistic. While I do not bring my complaints to the streets, some people DO have legitimate gripes and use these streets to speak their mind. I see nothing wrong with that. Some people need an avenue to vent. In fact, venting is healthy.

I don't see why it was necessary to call the -48's losers. Many have kin that have recently died or are brand new to our shores. Listing them as losers seems inappropriate to me. The majority of -48's become valuable mafiosos in this thing of ours. Maybe having some compassion for our mafioso brethren is in order rather than belittling them.

You are mistaken which is probably my fault for not being clear enough. I did not, by any stretch, mean that all -48s are losers. I meant that many of the people who come to whine and bitch on these streets are often losers who use their -48 protection to take liberties.

In any case, venting is healthy however there is a difference between venting and making successful, accurate points and moaning because they feel aggreived due to their death. There is infact a difference, many people come to the streets only to moan about their misfortune, go moan in a coffee shop. There is no need to cry all over the streets.

In any case, venting is healthy however there is a difference between venting and making successful, accurate points and moaning because they feel aggreived due to their death. There is infact a difference, many people come to the streets only to moan about their misfortune, go moan in a coffee shop. There is no need to cry all over the streets.

First, thanks for clarifying what you meant. As for the above, there is a fine line between making accurate points and moaning as you day. Ones whining may actually have valid points, even accurate points to back it up. We do not know everything here. There are many families and cities. Some things are lost in the communication so we are not all privy to everything. What you may consider invalid may, in fact, be valid. It is difficult to be sure.

Complaining in coffee shops often brings the wrath of those who are managing the coffee shop. They tend to call people ungrateful and have even threatened to ban people for complaining within the coffee shops. While I have seen their wrath is selective, it is there none the less.

I grant you that there ARE certain bloodlines that make a train wreck of the truth. There really isn't anything that can be done about it though. In one society I used to frequent there was one thread where anyone could say anything they wanted. This kept the complaining to a controlled area and made it easier for people who did not want to listen to it to avoid it. Maybe something like that would work here?

And yes, I realize I caught a temporary case of OOCitis here. I apologize in advance for that.