I received a PM from one of the members here that basically asked me if and why the Mob is different than it was over 25 -30+ years ago. After replying to his PM i felt that his question was a good one that deserved to be posted and discussed on the boards. So without revealing who that member is who sent me the PM ( I'll leave it up to him to reveal himself in this topic if he chooses to do so) I am posting my reply to him :


Please keep in mind when writing my feelings about the mob, the Mafia and La Cosa Nostra that I in no way endorse, support, admire or hold in high esteem these people because they are really nothing more than punks, murderers, leaches and most of all cowards. Obviously by being a member of these boards I do have an interest in mob history as it has had a significant influence in the many laws that have been implemented in this country and therefore has infamously made it's place in part of history over the last century.

Is the mob anything like it was 25 - 30+ years ago? Of course not. Things seemed to change in the early 80's as the young turks began to "get away" from and disrespect the traditional mob cardinal rules that were put into place by La Cosa Nostra. The unwritten "honor" among thieves rules that were adhered to over the decades slowly began to erode because the young guns did not want to "work their way' up the ranks and instead began to take what they thought was the easy way up by disrespecting their bosses, flashing their wealth in the streets trying to impress those around them and acting like tough guys who were "all powerful" They wanted those around them to KNOW that they were connected and / or mobbed up. And in doing so they brought unneeded attention to the mob and the families. That unneeded attention gave the authorities the tools to eventually go after the mob. And because the authorities began to round up and build cases against these mobsters, it caused these flashy punks to begin to make deals and rat....which really caused the toppling of what was once a solid foundation for La Cosa Nostra.

Most, not all, but most of the "old timers" (again they like the young punks were nothing more than murdering cowards) acted differently. They did NOT seek outside attention. They remained humble in the public eye, made themselves appear as though they were church going family men ( can you spell Carlo Gambino? ). They frowned upon any kind of flashiness because they knew that it would only bring unneeded attention to this thing of theirs.

Of course their were the exceptions throughout the decaades.....Bugsy Siegel, Joe Colombo and John Gotti to name a few. But the "smart" mobsters, the real powerful people around them frowned upon and even warned these guys about their flashiness and attention seeking actions. Meyer Lansky and Charlie Lucky constantly warned Siegel. Carlo Gambino despised Joe Colombo's quest to bring equality to the Italian American community. Joe Armone and Neil Dellacroce continually scolded Gotti for his flashiness.

In my opinion things for the Mafia began to crack right after the death of Carlo Gambino. That crack began to grow even bigger with the death of Neil Dellacroce...and it really began to crumble when John Gotti came to power and basically challenged the federal government to try get him.

Of course Sammy Gravano was, in my opinion, the final wrecking ball that knocked La Cosa Nostra completely to the ground.

And in keeping with my feelings that it all began in the early 80's, there is no doubt that U.S Attorney Rudy Giuliani built the foundation that eventually dealt a striking blow to the mob because of his willingness to go after the mob and his ability to utilize the RICO statute in doing so.


So to simply answer the original question presented to me i a PM of "Is the mob anything like it was 25 - 30+ years ago?" In my opinion it is not due to the reasons that I stated above.