When leaders commit themselves to starting a war, I believe they owe an explanation to the people who have put their faith in them. Mine will be as brief as I can make it, since I appear to having some slight health issues relating to the bullet in me.

I'd like to begin by stating that I have no personal issues with Lucretia_Borgia or Deimne- how can one not admire what they've accomplished as leaders and warriors? I may disagree with them in some regards, but the rationale behind this war, and I can obviously on speak on behalf of myself, was entire professional. The previous week saw two instances that led me here today. First PsychoGirl, a Don in my family on her first account who had been IA for three weeks, went rogue and missed a shot at one of Miss Borgia's captains. The captain in question stated "It's hard to hold you accountable for the roguing itself - they're unpredictable", which is a sentiment that I somewhat agree with. However, I hold myself responsible in that I should have anticipated the possible of PsychoGirl returning and acting unlike herself and made sure it would not be an issue. That failure was my own. Miss Borgia approached me and eventually stated that 20 million dollars would be an appropriate sized check to smooth over the incident.

At this point, I was already prepared for war. A Don going rogue, regardless of the circumstances, is something very serious. And I had no desire to pay Lucretia 20 million dollars. I did so, however, so that I'd at least have a chance to go into the situation better prepared. I considered 20 million to be a fairly outrageous sum. If she wanted to war me over it, then sure. But this was something new- and once I'd established a pattern of paying, I strongly suspected Lucretia would find ways to ensure these payments continued. Until I couldn't pay them and she attacked me when I was weaker for my empty bank account.

Over the next couple days it was made clear, and became apparent, that it would be nearly impossible to attack Las Vegas without the involvement of New York. Obviously, this made me cry crocodile tears. But I truly believed that, given enough time, Las Vegas would move against New Orleans. And if they'd hit us first, we wouldn't have lasted for a hundredth of the time that we did. So I forged alliances and continued to make preparations. The second incident, involving Adelaide (a LHM of one of my Underboss) and Bellisima (a capo) in the streets is available for all to read elsewhere, as is the debate on their comments. I attempted to institute punishments that would spare their lives for the coming battle, but the offending parties were soon dead in the streets.

I have no problem with extortion and murder. Hell, I've done them both myself my entire life. But acts like these between cities, in my experience, inevitably lead to war. When blood and millions of dollars are involved, even if peace returns for a time, war nearly always shows up down the road. Even if it somehow hadn't, I'd rather die fighting than let New Orleans become a city known for making payments in the tens of millions of essentially protection money from stronger organizations, with other cities gunning down our Made Men without a response from us. And as I stated, New Orleans did not remotely possess the kind of defensive capability or firepower to survive a first assault from either NY or LV. Our best chance, however slim it may have been, was to attack, rather than scramble and bow to remain in an untenable position just to survive a little bit longer.

A little more luck certainly would have been nice, but I have few regrets.

A few parting comments:

- I will be extremely disappointed with any inhabitant of New Orleans, or their offspring, who comes out and bitches in the street about what happened. If you want to bitch, find me in the coffeeshop. Certain people believed they had the power to enforce certain things- I exercised my power to try to stop them doing what I believed was best for my family, and died. This is our line of work. This is what we signed up for. Act with honor, please.

- Whoever began the "The Return of MacLeod" discussion is a fraud. I assure you all that my father is dead, and that I will shortly join him.

- Finally, I'd like to say thank you the members of The Renaissance for the years of happiness you provided, as well as the lessons that I learned. If you're reading this, know that I am very proud of what we accomplished together. But at the end of the day, every path leads here. I hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I did.

Please direct all questions to your local Ouija board.

"on her first account"

Excuse me for the random OOC-itis here.

It is better to live one day as a Tiger than a hundred years as a sheep.

I will always believe that.

Lucretia brazenly steps forward into the gathered crowd, leaving her bodyguards far in the wings. She was decidedly not afraid for her safety, now or at any part of the evening. Even that part where Kates shot at her, and as she drew her gun she found her shot obscured by a bunch of lunatics firing wildly into the air. She was wearing a red dress, which was probably for the best considering it was now smattered with
the blood of fallen foes. Such a shame how easy it is to get careless and leave a nasty stain on your clothes when dealing with these sorts of things.

Well, well. This is one of the more interesting rationales I've heard for warring someone in a long, long time. I think I need to offer my viewpoint, which I think most shall agree was eminently reasonable considering the circumstances. First, let me simply read the exact copy of the letter I sent to Godmother Kates in the immediate aftermath of the incident she describes. There's nothing overly personal about the letter so I don't think the deceased will mind.

Dear Kates,

I'll try to keep this brief and to the point, as I'm quite busy right now. It seems that a short while ago someone from your immediate family, a Don in fact, went rogue, bought out of your family, and shot at my street boss Cryptic's RHW Ellies. I was not there personally at the time and am relying on second hand information for the summary, but the essential facts I believe are along those lines.

Which brings me to the nub of the matter. Under normal circumstances, I am quite content to see an attacker buried and be done with the matter. However, when the offender is so high ranked, so brazen and unrepentant as to buy out in hopes of continuing the carnage, and the attempted victim so vital to the Las Vegas crime syndicate, in this case I feel that is quite insufficient. I believe a substantial financial settlement is also appropriate in such cases to put things right once again between cities. I look forward as to your suggestions as to what size a check is on the way to clear up this matter.

Sincerely,
Lucretia Borgia, Godmother of Las Vegas

I think my reasoning stands for itself on this matter, and is why I chose to simply repeat it verbatim. Is there a single person in these cities who does not feel that a rogue Don is a matter far more serious than "shoot them and be done with it?" Who thinks a quick note saying "sorry my Don shot at your boss's right hand woman" is sufficient to put things right? I can't even begin to imagine how such a serious transgression like this could be treated like it were a triviality, like some associates got into an overheated bar fight or something.

In any case, it seems the late godmother was unhappy because I decided to lay an extremely reasonable fine the city of New Orleans instead of shooting them all on the spot. And let there be no mistake about this: when a Don from the family of a Godfather decides to go rogue and shoot at my city's right hand men or women, I will always feel it 100% justified to level that city without batting an eye or asking an explanation. $20 million? What was I thinking? That is far, far too low, now that I think about it again.

If you don't like this sort of logic, let me just say one thing. There's a very, very simple way to avoid having to pay such fines. Don't screw up. Don't give some "psycho girl" a badge that reads "Don" and expect her to keep the crazy to herself. All of this was avoidable by simply being more judicious in the choice of promotions. I find it extremely surprising that cities such as Philadelphia and Los Angeles would go along with such a foolhardy explanation for a suicidal mission such as this one. Alas, it was so. Hopefully we can all get on for our lives ... those of us that still have them, anyway.

At that, Lucretia decides to blend back into the crowd and hear what people have to say.

I can see both sides to this and, for once, consider them both valid.

Kates bridled at the prospect of simply living in thrall of the powerhouses of this world, Lucretia did as mobsters do and extorted under the threat of violence when given a pretty good reason to do so.

There are two aspects I would quibble with, but these are only minor irritations. The first is that she should not have promoted PsychoGirl to Don in the first place. From my understanding of the situation, PsychoGirl had done everything she should have done to get Made Man, and beyond that I don't really believe there's a reason for holding back further promotions... as I see things Made should be the big hurdle.

We cannot predict the future actions of any member we take into our employ. Kates couldn't reasonably have forseen this outcome based on a name... or surely CrazyNine would not be where he is today?

I also take some issue with the demand of financial recompense for a rogue... I read from my forebear's journals that there used to be many many more rogues, in fact some of their fondest memories seem to be of days referred to as "BA day" or reminiscences of the days Rockstar and friends tore through the cities. While I know it makes perfect sense from a business perspective to discourage rogues (and, let's face it, they are pretty pointless these days anyway) there's still a part of me that misses that aspect of our way of life.

I am curious, had the rogue been from one of her captain's families rather than the GF crew itself, would the outcome/demands have been different? Is it perhaps a MORE serious matter given that the Don bought out from directly under Kates herself? I've been mulling it over and really can't come to a fixed conclusion.

Do you seriously expect some mobster to come out here and incriminate himself to you?  I see that badge on your shirt. You're not fooling anyone.

Besides, I'm a legitimate businessman dealing in pork products. Nothing to hide here.

"A little more luck certainly would have been nice, but I have few regrets."

You certainly could have done things differently to influence that. You make your own luck in this world, and it will not escape anyone's notice that your alliance's plummeted after the death of Noah, King of Jews. GRHS.

Mr Pig, Mr Pig. If you take a glance at the inbox on DirtyLittleSekrit's desk, I think you will discover I am no ordinary sheriff.

Besides, it never hurts a crim... erm, a legitimate business enterprise to have some contacts in law enforcement.

The only matter of any importance regarding money is that Lucretia_Borgia felt that she deserved recompense and had the power to enforce the taking of it. Whether or not this is documented practice or has ties stemming back to the old country is more or less irrelevant. If Lucretia asked for Kates to do a little dance and sing a show tune, then the choice would have been to die or dance. The request is only as ridiculous as the ability to enforce it and in this case the choice was to pay or die.

Kates determined that she wasn't prepared to live by the say so of Las Vegas, which was a miscalculation of the situation because she had very limited chance of success or survival in other circumstances. People rarely see the noose coming down around their neck before it is strangling them and whilst she may not have known it, she's been living with it in place virtually since she began. Failure to recognise that or to wrongly believe she was capable of removing it was another failing.

New York and Las Vegas are the powerhouse cities of La Cosa Nostra at this moment in time. Some of us pointed this out a long time ago and the evidence is littered in the obituaries of this fact once again.

V's statement is perplexing after his old boy living one hundred years as a sheep before a few hours as a marked man. People who believe in this 'honourable death' sentiment continue to baffle me. This is business not a medieval knighthood. We aren't all brothers in arms sitting around our round table, about to mount our steeds and rescue fair maidens. This isn't about right and wrong. This is about success or failure. If paying Lucretia gives you a reprieve on the situation then that is the option you as a responsible family leader should take. Sometimes you have to bend the knee to those in power, or they will beat you into the ground.

The smart play is to avoid getting cornered in that situation in the first place. Kates had nearly a year to train a weapon capable of doing damage, longer in fact than Deimne and Lucretia_Borgia had. The fact that she wasn't in a position to deliver up the big scalps, nor was anyone from Los Angeles or Philadelphia, pretty much tells you why they lost and why they have been taking the say so of New York and Las Vegas. Luck isn't to place, laziness or the better work rate and ability of the opposition was.

To suggestion that "Don" and "Made Man" are on a par in terms of responsibility is also woefully inaccurate. Made Man is joining the family, Don is leading it. A Don is supposed to understand and embody all the principles of our business to the point that they can confidently and accurately manage or operate their own organisation. Every button man on the streets isn't a Don, they may be a friend of ours and trusted with secrets, but they haven't risen much above the entry level position of the upper structure. They run in crews headed by Capos; they do not lead themselves. Giving someone the title of Don should mean that they are capable of filling in as the number one within an organization or city. If this was adhered to, I imagine a lot of people would be finding their way back down the ranks.

~G~warble.

In this thing of ours they are different levels of Power. The ultimate power only belongs to one man. Rarely two men have equal power... well... i've never seen this. And if you want to start a war on a certain issue, it is better to be sure that the one with the ultimate power is on your side. Otherwise, failure is your only option. Dying on the event of war, especially when you have started it... is failure. If someone with greater power makes a deal with you in order to solve a certain issue. Well, i would accept this deal... if i was'nt happy about the offer than i would call a meeting and try to find common ground. And if common ground became impossible and i decided to start a war... i certainly would'nt send my kin here to tell everyone that i failed. I would tell my kin to rebuild and make himself stronger than i ever was in order to gain greater power. So that if he ever has issues to solve, he would have the power to call the shots. Or be on the right side of the deal... the side with the ultimate power. It is all about power... if the advantage is'nt on your side... you have no other choice but to be a knee bender or follower.

And on this event... 20 million is a very very small amount of cash. Rogues are very serious, as we have witnessed. If a rogue takes out two or three high ranks in the same family, how much money do you think is lost? How much potential cash income is to be lost? Really, who in their right mind is going to say that 20 million is'nt letting you off easily? If this is the true reason of this entire war than i am amazed. But what can i say, it was all about who had the ultimate power in the first place. And since the one responsable for war did'nt have the ultimate power... well, i think it goes without saying!

"V's statement is perplexing after his old boy living one hundred years as a sheep before a few hours as a marked man."

My father lived 100 years as a sheep? I don't fucking think so. Get your facts straight before you try and besmirch my family name. Prick.

Alright, correct me.

What did -V- do during his tenure as a leader other than make pictures of cheese with his Godmother?

He stood for what he believed in. To me you are nothing, just a no name C with nothing better to do than pick fights all day long - and I certainly will not be drawn into an argument here. The people who were important to my father know exactly who I was, and what I was about.

V.

The people who were important to my father know exactly who I was, and what I was about.

So after accounting for these 1-2 people, I guess the answer is nothing. Unless you count his lengthy tenure as Hitlist Watcher.

Indignant thug alert. Batton down the hatches friends.

Welcome to the world of V and how to win friends and influence people.

I would like to point out that Gwarble is not a no name C, he might be a no name G but certainly not a C

I see Thugs standing for what they believe in.  A family Boss should do a little more.  Just saying.

By the way, I am better than all of you.

I'm not picking fights with anyone. The fact that your response to proving me wrong was to provide no evidence at all that I was wrong and instead to try and insult me, pretty much says it all.

You attempted to make out like getting three cities butchered was a respectable decision and not utter folly. That view needs to be addressed and corrected wherever it is found in a hope that it isn't repeated by future generations of leaders.

Given the complete lack of evidence provided that -V- did anything, I'm going to conclude that he did nothing for the majority of his seven months and then died along with the majority of his city when they bit off more than they could possibly hope to chew.

No name ~G~warble.

I just received a note from V, it reads as follows:

"Tell Gwarble I'm not returning to the conversation as I have made my point through unquantifiable 'tenets' of life.

Signed,
V"

Hearing the name of her mother's CL being besmirched, Pepper comes forward.

My mother was in V's crew and by no means would she have considered him to be a sheep just as her fellow comrades would not as well. I also do not. As I am not a CL and either are some of you and have absolutely no idea how to run a family, how can you spit on the grave of a man by judging him. You weren't apart of his family. Personally, I can only speak badly of a CL whom I knew well and was in their crew, otherwise I regard them with respect.