Paul had been in his office all day long reading mail and answering phone calls. It had been a normal busy day for him. Working for Don Odd was a very strange job with his weird request and strange out of nowhere phone calls to talk about nothing. However Paul enjoyed the conversations with Don Odd he was a intelligent man with a lot of experience. Paul and Odd had known each other for quite some time and Paul's Grandfather also was an associate of Don Odds before he was a Don of course. After hanging up the phone with recently with a friend Paul began to think to himself about the trust and loyalty he gave to Don Odd. He of course never doubts Don Odd and will never let his loyalty fail but what about the other newer members of the family and new ones that come to us looking for a place to work and give their loyalty. So he asked himself a couple of questions and really couldn't think of an answer so he got his hat and jacket and stepped out into the streets.

What I come out here to do today is to ask a couple of questions that just came to me in the last few hours. What is it that truly inspires loyalty in you as a mafioso?How can you offer loyalty to someone you know nothing about?

My ancestors have been in this thing of ours for quite awhile they have met many powerful people and worked for many of those people. They have made bonds and friendships with many mafiosi. Once I decided to get into this thing of ours I started searching for journals and notes about these people so that I would know who I could contact to help me in this life. Thanks to my ancestors I have been able to get to know some of the current people in power and knew things about them before I ever talked to them. I knew who I could approach and get advice from and know that I could trust. However someone new to the country wouldn't know Tom Jr. from Christopher. How can they approach Tom Jr. a man they have never spoken to and know noting about and say to him "You have my loyalty and I will die for you?" I mean would you seriously approach someone you have never spoken to and tell them you would die for them without ever speaking a word to them before or ever being told anything about this person? I wouldn't.

Paul took out a cigar and his lighter and fired it up. With a few short puffs he continued.

Standing up here has also raised a few more questions. Forgive me if you feel I'm invading your personal space by asking these questions and it of course is all up to you to answer or tell me to fuck off. What I ask is this for you personally what qualities does a leader have to have to turn your head? To inspire you as a member to work hard, and to fight for them? What is it in some leaders that makes you leave notes to your next of kin to search out that same person to follow in their parents' footsteps and to truly serve?

    I'm inspired by how my Crew Leader, Return_Of_Ghost, acts in public. He's cool no matter the situation and doesn't let events, good or bad,  take him from that admirable mind set. He gave me a chance to prove myself, which I will always be thankful for, and never once questioned whether I was ready. He believes in his members and what they are capable of but doesn't set outrageous restrictions or gives them everything on a plate.

True, I didn't know anything about any of the big players when I started. So I took a chance by joining The Revival. I wasn't recruited by him...I'm sure many people are either recruited or choose their crew leader more by random choice than informed decision, the new players at least.

Deuce listens quietly. Impressive ancestory right there. Makes mine seem insignificant. Stepping out to speak...

I wanted to address this issue personally since it seems to fit my situation rather nicely. I consider my line new since I am only the 3rd generation. Deuce has also outlived both his ancestors combined. Had the circumstances surrounding both deaths been something I was ok with I would have surely at least tried to find my ancestors friends. However, they were all dead and that alone is reason enough not to. Every one from the Godfather who promised the first of our line great honor if his son returned, just before he shot him. Down to the lovely woman who first turned his thoughts to dating in the, as I saw it, unused restaurants. That son did return, his notes are a confused mess of reactions to losing an entire family and knowing absolutely nothing of what was happening. There is a lot of anger in those notes. Anger due mostly to lack of training in this way of life.  Looking back with 20/20 vision, I can see they weren't being disrespected so much as the family was busy planning great betrayals and secret wars and had little time to really teach them anything. Amidst such fantastic plans they could hardly trust me enough to let me in the inner circle.

Deuce shrugs not really caring if anyone cares.

So here I come. I can try to find people who had not yet accepted my line and reinsert myself in a fake hierarchy or something, or I could start fresh. Well I have enough respect not to join those who killed off mine and really wanted to be what I was, neutral. At the time there was very limited family options, I think I asked Aurora first, ya know trying to be close to power and all. She very nicely declined. MrFcuk was open and I asked in my best get me out of this war tone, and he let me in. The best street presence I had seen in the short time my line has been around was Odd's unusual speeches about MrFcuk. Philly was logical and it had the bonus of being ground floor so to speak. Plus the hasty name picked for me worked out...who could ask for more.

Now in my short time here I have been Made and given a Sub crew. This is a far cry from my previous experience. You can be sure my loyalty is never given lightly, but once given, it goes to the core of my being. I have been shown respect and I have advanced in power as a direct result of MrFcuk and Odd regardless of how well we actually know each other or how much we interact. So maybe now you can understand how I could hand out such loyalties even though I have a couple ancestors who knew a few people.

As for what I look for in a leader. Street presence seems the most important thing, and by that I mean people respect you on the street. It's easy to spot.

Deuce steps back into the crowd.

I am not interested in responding to your final questions. The thing in your speech which perked my interest was the question of "How can you give your loyalty to someone you know nothing about?".

It's quite easy, my friend. Joining this thing of ours is a huge honor and privilege. Although we often forget this, based on the common practice of families accepting any dirty vagrant off the streets. However, in theory, a man who is struggling to make ends meet and feed his family will do anything to be given the golden opportunity of being allowed to enter this secret society. Add to that the traditions of the Sicilian people - we understand that by joining this thing of ours, that we are pledging loyalty to family and agree only to leave in a coffin. It is something that many cannot understand unless they grew up with the Sicilian values and traditions. It is understood that we are giving up something in exchange for the protection and opportunity offered by Cosa Nostra.

So, yes, based on our heritage and our economic plight as street scum, we can easily be willing to vow our lives in return for the opportunity to enter a family. It is the way it has always been, and we do not think twice about it.

"Add to that the traditions of the Sicilian people - we understand that by joining this thing of ours, that we are pledging loyalty to family and agree only to leave in a coffin." Butt_Ox

This line has really struck a chord with me Mr. Ox as it is something i firmly believe in and I see the total opposite from many many "honorable" bloodlines. Just because the head of your family dies doesn't mean you give up the fight, pack up yer pots and pans and move to a different family. You stay alone (or if possible, join the family that has started up in place of your previous boss) and FIGHT. When your boss tells you that you are part of the family, you are. When family members are hurt or killed (unjustly) the remaining members should rally round and decapitate whoever is responsible, just because the head dies does not mean the body should wilt and die too.

You are absolutely spot on sir when you mention the practice of families accepting anyone off the streets who asks. Maybe this is partly caused by the Gods conviction that nobody should NOT be given a chance whereas I believe nobody should be given a chance until they can at least do the minimum of pledging their loyalty to their family AND sticking to that path, no matter what happens. 

During my lifetime I have been offered numerous positions in other families whether they be new start-ups or already established families but apart from wondering how much money i could bleed out of them I never gave them a second thought. Hydro is my boss and it will stay that way until my body is in a box, if she goes down first then I will fight until the bloody end to avenge her death (whether I think the reasons for her death were right or wrong), she is my boss, she is my guardian, she is the captain of this ship and i sink with it. There is only one way I would leave her family while she is still alive and that is if she asked me to join someone else to help them out.

Back to the original postee;

"What I ask is this for you personally what qualities does a leader have to have to turn your head? To inspire you as a member to work hard, and to fight for them? What is it in some leaders that makes you leave notes to your next of kin to search out that same person to follow in their parents' footsteps and to truly serve?" Paul_Walker

They need no qualities Sir, I am not here to judge them. They are here to judge me. I was recruited into the family and by accepting the invite I declared my undying loyalty to them, promised to work as hard as I could and fight to what could be my death.

I am small fish in a big pond and I'm not afraid to admit it.

I'm not asking for a Crew Leader to show favortism, or hold anyones hand. My opinion, they're should be a mix of Mentor and Gangster. Guide newly Made Guys into the ways of Our Thing the best they can, and handle things as quickly as possible how ever they see fit. Both my Dad and Cousin were close with their Don's, and he never took their friendship for granted. That's what brought me to America, not only in the hopes of seeking my father's friends out, but to hopefully get introduced into the ways of this thing, and make some good friends of my own.