Skinny:

With respect to the article and Cali, I would have to agree that it is very likely BS. My only point was that I have heard from people that he is far from being a "half-gangster" in your parlance. You compared him to Vinny TV and I do not believe that to be accurate at all.

With respect to the pecking order argument, I completely agree with you Skinny. There are a number of guys that would be ahead of him and are more highly regarded due to the time they have put in and their related clout. Furthermore, I agree with you that Nick Corozzo has a massive amount of respect in the Family and is one of those guys. So does Marino. So does Gambino. At the same time, I believe that those guys acknowledge Cali's aptitude. This is pure speculation for the purpose of providing an analogy, but consider the Genovese Family. Punchy Iliano has been around forever. He is a legend. But Barney makes more sense as the leader of the Family. Corozzo is in prison, Marino is in prison and - as you said - turned down the boss button. Gambino clearly pulls Cali's strings, but so what? I do not think that Frank is a "half-gangster."

The Federici argument is completely separate. Not once did I say that Tony is "poor as shit" or "not a heavy guy at all." Tony is wealthy and as serious as serious gets. My argument was made in the context of a thread about the "Top 5 Richest Capos." Tough Tony is not one of them. But life is not black and white Skinny. Again, this is the only "street" argument I will stand by through my own personal knowledge. The Cali point is based on things I have read and heard second hand. My opnion of JoJo has also been echoed by many others, but I am willing to acknowledge that I could be wrong about him. My understanding is that without Nicky, he would not be even close to where he is.

I am sorry I rubbed you the wrong way to such an extent. My PMs related to NJ were based on a complete lack of understanding on what goes on there today and I appreciate your responses.