Anguish of the Least; You Haven't Lost the War.

Zero in on the target,
Don't you forget why the wild sent you here;
Look to life,
Conquer fear,
Because where your going,
All feelings defy cheer.

Look on up, look on down,
Show the world that you won't frown;
Win the day, hear them say,
'My God this world will pay.'

From the sea,
To the sky,
The hidden truth,
The constant lie,

The updates from the front lines of life;
Why all the goddamn constant strife?
How the world, yes it spins;
Good and bad,
No one wins.

CHORUS:

There isn't anywhere for you to hide,
Because your demons come from inside;
When you know just how you failed,
You will see that no one prevailed.

But the water,
Oh how pure,
When the brave ones,
Touch the floor;

Because for me,
And for you,
The only way to fail,
Is to do wrong to,
Any and all that are around you.

Sarcasm; oh how cynical,
Oh how crushing to the pinnacle,
Oh how denting to persona,
You can't use one Swedish krona.

Don't you send me spinning circles,
With thoughts around my head;
Because with the world in this condition,
Someone might end up dead.

CHORUS:

There isn't anywhere for you to hide,
Because your demons come from inside;
When you know just how you failed,
You will see that no one prevailed.

Dark alleyways,
And very bright streets;
Busy overworked commuters,
Working for the corporate cheats;

Futile independence,
Charging cops with a sword,
Boom boom, crack crack,
Their life is all they afford;

The drinkers and the smokers,
Losing touch with their words,
Cough cough, hack hack,
All they've got is the last two thirds;

History's mark is left on my mind,
From Alexander's triumphs,
To the vikings great find;
From the change in the glaciers,
To this moment in time;
There's been good,
There's been evil,
There's been cruel,
There's been kind;

Let me find you,
Simply set on the bench;
We can fix this together,
Just pass me the wrench.

I know sometimes life seems quite distant,
And I know sometimes friends can be resistant,
Just don't let all that take you down;
'Cause then you'll be the one wearing the frown.

CHORUS:
There isn't anywhere for you to hide,
Because your demons come from inside;
When you know just how you failed,
You will see that no one prevailed.

**Please Note: This is a work in progress**

ORIGINAL DRAFT OF CHORUS WRITTEN BY JAMES FOISY; SLIGHTLY EDITED BY ME, KYRAN PATERSON-KING. THE REST OF THE SONG WAS WRITTEN BY ME.

Since My Last Post: To help me get it off my chest

Well, I'd like to give everyone an update on how I've been doing as it may help me to vent a little bit; but first, let me give you (at least) the jist of what I've been up to since my last post a couple of days past (which was, as everyone most likely noticed, Christmas Day).

On the particular day I made that special Christmas post, I received some very nice presents from my family: a brand new cellphone with a full keyboard, a world map for my bedroom, $25, a quirky model of a melting motorcycle, a pocket knife, and plenty of socks and boxers, as well as some presents I received the previous Friday during my Christmas with my dad (due to the fact that I would be with my mom on the actual date of Christmas) which were a 'Perfect Push-up' workout set with a routine guide, an acoustic guitar pickup, a couple of movies (How Hitler Lost the War and Fight Club; yes, the one starring Brad Pitt), as well a Lonely Planet book: 1001 Things to Experience (I'm pretty sure that's the exact title, but don't take my direct word for it. The book itself isn't in the room with me, and I don't feel like going all the way upstairs to check the title).

On the following day (Boxing Day), I decided to take a chance and attempt to use the Vancouver transit network to get from my grandmas place in Ladner, all the way to Downtown Vancouver (which, for those of you who don't know, is actually a fair distance in terms of being part of the same extended municipality) and I was entirely successful, albeit not without some slight confusion. First, I caught a bus from the Ladner Exchange to the Bridgeport Exchange in the neighboring city of Richmond, and from their boarded a Skytrain which took me directly into the Downtown Vancouver city center. I walked around there for awhile, checking out a few different book stores and the like, and then contacted a friend who was down from Powell River visiting a parent of theirs for a part of the Christmas Break, and agreed to meet them at Metrotown (on a farther end of the city to the east). So, once again, I found myself on a Skytrain, and ended up going back and fourth (in confusion) from the city center station to that particular routes terminus station; finally, I discovered the proper route I was meant to take, and was quickly whisked away to exactly where I needed to go, with time to spare as that friend of mine got caught in traffic.
I was dropped off at the Metropolitan Mall of Metrotown, which was filled to the brink as if it were a zoo; it was hard to not constantly bump into someone. I then met my friend, and we hung out for about an hour until I decided I needed to get home before it got to dark for me to know where I was going, and as such, I took a Skytrain back in the opposite direction, and was able to make good time due to the fact that I had figured out how to not get confused in the simple Vancouver transit network.
When I made it back to the Ladner Exchange, I picked up something to eat at the McDonald's which was placed directly in front of the bus stop, assuming everyone at my grandmas place would have eaten already, only to discover, as soon as I did get back, that their was KFC waiting for me; and I'm not one to decline a meal, so I had a second dinner.

I stayed up late that night (despite the early time I was required to get up at: 6:30 AM) watching the movie American Gangster on Move Central HD; it was quite a superb movie, I definitely recommend it to anyone who's into realistic crime movies, or simply good action.

The next day, I woke up early, showered, and was out the door as soon as I had changed as my mom had slept in a few minutes late, and as such, had woken me and my brother up later then had been expected. I didn't get a chance to eat breakfast until we got to the ferry terminal, where I had a cinnamon bun and a cup of coffee.
On the roughly 6 hour long drive back to Powell River, the weather began to deteriorate, and with it, I began to feel more and more depressed for reasons I wasn't entirely sure of (maybe I have that seasonal depressive disorder? I don't know, I just find winter a time when I get very easily affected by others actions, as well as my own actions, usually in a negatively emotional way; but hey, when I get old enough, I could always chase summer between the two hemispheres if I really wanted to) and I began to over-think the littlest things (which has been occurring lately for some strange reason since I was directly excluded from spending time with my friends one day, as I spoke of in my post Update from the Front Lines of Life) like sparse text message responses, to no text messages at all from neither my friends nor my friends contacting me in some way, shape, or form through Facebook. I know that sounds a little absurd, and I found it strange that I was really as upset as I was over it; although its probable that it would have been my previously existing condition, as well as my tendency to over-think things during this time of the year when my assurance, consolation, self-image, and self-esteem seem to go down the drain that caused me to be as upset as I was.

When we finally made it back to Powell River and had unpacked everything, I was forced to go upstairs by my mom because she wanted the living room for some 'alone time.' While I was up there, I attempted to drown out my thought by watching loud TV, which only caused me to become more upset, and I finally broke down into tears (not maniacally or anything, don't worry), and asked myself a series of questions about what was wrong with me, and answering a few of them. After I was done, I was still upset, but not as much as I was prior, so I decided to give everyone on my blog an update, as well as vent my feelings as best as I could; which brings us to this very moment.

So, thank you to anyone who actually took the time to read this, and even more thanks to anyone who may decide to respond, although I'm not expecting it.

Peace out. I hope everyone's doing better then I am/was.
Hopefully the remainder of everyone's Christmas Break is good, and I wish you all a very Happy New Year. :)

Old Saint Nick

Well, I guess I don't need to apologize for any prolonged internet absence, as I posted something only a few days ago as I remember; but for persistence's sake, I will. So I'm sorry, forwardly and truly.

Anyways, I just decided to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (why Merry and Happy need to be capitalized is beyond me; it just didn't look right to me when I didn't), and hope that everyone got what they wanted, as well as, whether they did or didn't get the material possessions they had wished for, they realize that this time of year is about something entirely different then simply presents (as Wal-Mart and corporate America would have you believe); to some, it may be about Jesus, to others, it may be about Allah or the Sun God Rah, or Mars the God of War, who knows? As I see it, the 'Christ' part of 'Christmas' was simply a lift-off point that led to something much different, and possibly bigger (for better or for worse, it truly depends of the culture and the people).
It's a time to appreciate the people and places around you, to appreciate what you have and what you've obtained; a time to spend with family, and hopefully a few friends, as well as a time to lift or at least ease some of the stress brought on by the dismally cold winter months.
It's also meant to be a time to allow the current year to fade into history, and let a new, hopefully very promising year to bring to us whatever it may have in store.

So here's a quick preliminary goodbye to 2009, and a quick, preliminary introduction to 2010; also, I'd like to recognize that this blog has now been up and online for exactly one year and nineteen days, and has reached 122 posts (as soon as this post goes live).

So, I wish a Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good New Year, for lack of being close to nighttime, as well as considering the fact that it's now Christmas Day, not Eve; and I guess tonight will also double as Boxing Day Eve if you put it into a certain perspective; I'll probably be taking a bus into the city of Richmond tomorrow, and from there, I'll be catching the Skytrain to Downtown Vancouver to play tourist for a little while, as well as pick up some belated Christmas presents for a few friends (on a $40 budget).

Anyways, peace out everyone. If you haven't already had your Christmas dinner, I hope you have a good one. If you have, I hope it was good.

Update from the Front Lines of Life

As I traditionally do, I apologize for my long internet absence.
I've been riled up in the frontline of life for the past (at least) couple of days, with school finally letting out for Winter Break just this past Friday, as well as severe domestic strife which has led me to become slightly oversensitive to the actions and words of others towards me, although I have made one concrete find from all this; my name and likely hood aren't met with much respect or caring a majority of the time, but that may simply be my fault, despite how hard I try to make my friends happy as often as I can, as well as let myself be noticed with my happy-go-lucky attitude that usually gains me nothing but a hurt arm, stomach, or crotch.

Anyways, I'll drift towards whats been affecting me the most lately: peoples attitudes towards me.
Most adult attitudes meet me with caring, potential, maturity, and respect, although sometimes with my mom its quite the opposite (although there's some justification as to why, but it has nothing to do with me).
On the other side of things, the basic teen attitude received from people who aren't directly part of my group of friends, and who in all likelihood I don't know incredibly well, is mixed. From some who believe they're better then not only me, but plenty of other people, its negative, although not intimidatingly outspoken; that's to be expected from people like that though.
From generally new acquaintances in different classes and such, it may be sparse at times, but its respectful and kind, and in some occasions can be quite fruitful conversationally.
From people I don't know, it's quite neutral which is, as I said before, to be expected. I guess I'm happy I don't have some automatic negative stigma on my head like some people do.
From my circle of friends, it's either been neutral, slightly cold/annoyed, on some occasions physically abusive for no real clear reason, and other occasions verbally abusive, or simply conversational in many different ways, shapes, and forms (both positive and negative).
For the most part, the negative occasions I mentioned may simply be due to the attitude that can be attributed to the time of year, which seems to being about an aura of negativity, unless lifted by either pure positivity from every front, or simply the presence of something innocent and mesmerizing; usually snow (which, as most of us here in the Canadian Pacific Northwest have noted, made only one premature season cameo, and is probably going to stay generally hidden by the constant wind and rain until after Christmas is over).
The real cementing of all these negative waves I've been picking up was recieved mainly due to the fact that my mom was also being quite negative and uncompromising towards me, which made me feel like everything and everyone was against me (the thing with my mom has been solved since though).

I honestly can't wait until spring and summer.

A Capite ad Calcem (From Head to Heel)

There was once a pitch black river,
A river which did not thrive.
It choked the land and all around,
So none who passed survive.

The men who toppled forward,
To the screaming cold of death,
Tinted the water blood red,
As they let sink one last breath.

The glowing in the distance,
As the embers dance so free,
Expulsion of all feeling,
As the river reflects but me;
The fire spreads ambition,
For man and mind to see,
But in this age of afluenza,
Man has all but glee.

This river sits so dormant,
Down on mother natures lap;
A testament to all that's died,
To a perpetually shifting map.

This fire won't fall short,
Until it's job is said and done;
And even once that's over,
It's but a beginning to 'the fun.'
Vengeance in its iron,
Will twist to all degrees;
Until the arsonist comes to heel,
And his life; how fast it flees.

Life seems so surreal,
When you wake to none but screams;
The glistening of a gun barrel,
Reality splits at the seams.
To stay alive at gunpoint,
Is not alive at all;
All that's left is conviction,
And an ever-fading call.

That river; oh how still it was,
On that fateful summer night;
When the real men got off their knees,
And fought their final fight.

"Sors Ventus Temerarus."
Fortune Favors the Bold.

Equilibrium

Your forward notion;
It's a living emotion;
And the winds will guide you,
As the forward,
It finds you.

'Cus the world will stand blind,
As an idle young mind,
It will think of your kind,
And trust you to find,

The planet we've lost,
To the greedy and shallow.
Bring them their justice,
From the knot of the gallows.

Fascism Versus Socialism: The Greater of Two Evils

To say that both Socialism and Fascism are entirely bad in any and every way, shape and form, the only real way these ultimately decided views are cemented is by the darkened memories of people such as Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Francisco Franco, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong; each with a shady past, and even shadier and dishonest time in power.

That’s not to say that these ideologies aren’t flawed; it’s to say that they’re just as flawed as any other past or present political ideology, and that includes democracy, which can be immediately tied to things like fascism when one brings into account the fact that Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was (in technicality) elected into office by democratic, constitutional means, despite the fact that fascist revolutions are primarily remembered as coming to fruition through armed uprisings; although one can just as easily argue that some democracies (if not democracy in general) all came into existence both directly and indirectly as a result of armed revolt and/or conflict.

For example: the American Revolution expelled British colonialism from the United States, and established the world’s first modern democratic state; and the French Revolution (which, in the end, did lead to the rise of Napoleon who formed a French military dictatorship with incredibly expansive imperialistic intentions) began as an attempt to destroy medieval feudalism in Europe and directly convert to democracy, although, in the end, the majority decided that was too much of a disparity from what had preceded the revolution, and they quickly allowed themselves to be subjugated by a man with obvious intention.

Although democracy leaves a nations power where it belongs: in the hands of the people; many have also flirted with the idea of a ‘responsible dictatorship,’ in which the supreme leader of a nation would easily be able to override long political stalemates between the opposing left and right, and in which there would be no drawn-out stall in political response to different situations and circumstances.
As the Great Depression shows, the incredible lack of response to the economic decline in democratic states was primarily due to a lack of understanding for the inner and outer workings of economics, as well as constant infighting between the left, right, and center; and during that period of time, it’s easy to see the appeal of a fascist dictator or socialist movement, as it allowed the overriding of all political opposition, and an actual addressing of the problems which were clearly laid out right in front of them.

Coming from an angle such as that, humanity can reasonably say that temporary dictatorships or state intervention into national economics is justifiable under certain circumstances. The only problem is that these dictators and state interventions of the past have always been carried out with ulterior motive and no intention to give up that power without a good, long fight, even after the storm has passed. With that constant occurrence, it lead to even more storm clouds following the end of the depression, which eventually led to the Second World War, as well as the Cold War that followed, each being a clear clash of ideologies. So, let’s officially begin this essay with an obvious segregation of the two great ideological evils of the 20th century.

Fascism can be clearly defined as ‘ A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.’ (Houghton Mifflin Company)
As true as this may be, it’s not the only definition of fascism there is. Fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini (often accredited as the creator of the fascist ideology) did not become a outwardly racist state until 1938 (Adler) after it’s relationship with the incredibly anti-Semitic Nazi Germany was strengthened ten-fold due to Hitler’s policy of expansionism and rearmament; as such, a separate, broader definition of fascism would be ‘oppressive, dictatorial control.’ (Houghton Mifflin Company)

Socialism, on the other hand, can be clearly defined as ‘a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.’ (Random House, Inc.)
Unlike fascism, there is a much more specific definition that applies better to this essay; and due to the nature of this essay (comparing the greater of the two evils), it seems necessary to give you the direct definition of totalitarian socialism (widely known as Stalinism): ‘The bureaucratic, authoritarian exercise of state power and mechanistic application of Marxist-Leninist principles associated with Stalin.’ (Whitefield)

To say that this totalitarian form of socialism is incredibly similar to fascism, most would agree with you. This form of authoritarianism seems incredibly right wing for a so-called ‘left-wing’ communist state.
So, instead of directly defining once again exactly what Soviet socialism (Stalinism) is, lets instead move on to define the different forms of fascism as applied to different countries: Nazi (National Socialist) fascism is most likely the most infamous form of government that has ever existed in the history of the world; not only did it advocate the simple manipulation and complete control of Germany’s people, but it also called for racist laws, as well as racial supremacy and racial extermination (usually by means of the infamous concentration camps).

The Nazis created a cult of personality around their ‘Fuehrer’ Adolf Hitler, who, in turn, with the major assistance of his close advisers, laid the foundations for the Aryan racial myth, which was, in a nutshell, the claim that all true German Aryans were descendants of the ancient Teutonic Knights, to whom were valiant warriors who built an incredibly advanced civilization whose heights of power and technological progress were never met by any of the other great powers of the time.

To attempt to build basis for these claims, the Nazi propaganda machine (under direction of Hermann Goering) reported the alleged ‘discovery’ of many ancient Aryan artifacts (all of which were proven false both during and after the Nuremberg Trials of 1945-46) as well as false confirmations of the Aryan ‘history’ by Nazi archeologists as well as outside sources to whom were either bribed or intimidated into falsely confirming the Third Reich’s claims. (Shirer)
Through this racial ideology, the Nazis gained an even tighter stranglehold on the German people, and were able to further exploit them for their own gain; it also provided justification for the discrimination of minority groups living within German borders, the most prominent being the Jews, 6 million of which were dead due to Nazi atrocity by the end of the war.
On the not-so-different side of things, Italian fascism gave root to the fascist ideology in the first place; yet Mussolini’s fascism, until around 1938, held one major difference from Nazi Germany; it didn’t advocate or practice state-endorsed racism; in fact, it was indifferent to every form of racism.

It wasn’t until around the time Germany invaded Austria that Italy began reforming its racial policies to be strongly opposed to the Jewish minority.
To include Spanish fascism (under Francisco Franco), their wouldn’t be much to add due to the fact that it was virtually Italian fascism, with the major difference that the movement in general was inspired by Adolf Hitler, and lasted much longer then any of the other fascist states of the Depression era; in fact, Franco’s fascist Spain lasted until his death in 1975, after which power was handed over to Alejandro Rodríguez de Valcárcel, who in turn gave the power back to Spain’s hereditary Royal Family whose heir at the time was King Juan Carlos I. Juan oversaw the transition of Spain from a fascist dictatorship to a parliamentary democracy. (The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition)

Now, to be fair in the weighing of the two ideological evils, a detailed explanation of Stalin’s Soviet threat is in order, beginning with his apparent ‘left-wing’ fascist tendencies that seemed to be more than slightly similar to Hitler’s power-driving techniques: these tendencies included the purging of political opposition to his regime, as well as the systematic starvation and/or murder of minorities (by means of Russian concentration camps, who to be fair, killed close to 2 million or so, as well as an additional 7 to 8 million died by simple starvation or execution under Stalin’s reign). (Margolis)

It’s a deep shame to the Western world to say that, out of desperateness, we were forced to temporarily befriend this megalomaniac in order to defeat another dictator to who shared a lot in common with the man whose country he attempted to invade. Sadly, as was expected near the end of the war, this simply lead to further threat and further issue with the beginning of the Cold War, which is said to have officially begun in Berlin directly following the end of the Second World War, but it can also be argued that it began prior with the focused efforts of the Western Allies to beat the Soviet Union to liberating certain countries and/or geographical areas from Axis control (most notably the race for the liberation of the Balkans, which Stalin expressed interest in, yet British Commonwealth forces beat them to it).
The Cold War lasted for 45 long years of tension, in which both the Comitern and the Allies feared nuclear war, until the eventual dismantling of the USSR by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991. (Clines)

To come to a final verdict on which was (and may still be) the greater evil of the two, we need to investigate the impact both ideologies had on history; and with this, we’ll start with fascism.
Fascism, through the Nazis, gave way for the renewed efforts of racially discriminatory groups (such as the Klu Klux Klan) as well as the formation of many new organizations like the American Nazi Party, renewed German Nazi organizations following German reunification, the formation of skinhead movements across North America; most prominently in the U.S. state of California, and general neo-Nazism worldwide.

Using the broader term of fascism, the creation of fascist political parties throughout democratic countries is nothing new. Despite the fact that these attempts to resurrect the fascist ideals, these parties have usually remained quite obscure and have never gained much of a momentum in any country, let alone even come close to gaining power.

The BNP (British National Party) which, although it does not directly identify itself as fascist, but instead as a far-right conservative movement, practices many fascist tendencies, and, although this observation may seem slightly bias to some, it would be quite easy to argue that the BNP is indeed a fascist movement, considering their immigration policies which are stated directly on there website which read:
‘The BNP’s policy is to:
- Deport all the two million plus who are here illegally;
- Deport all those who commit crimes and whose original nationality was not British;
- Review all recent grants of residence or citizenship to ensure they are still appropriate;
- Offer generous grants to those of foreign descent resident here who wish to leave permanently;
- Stop all new immigration except for exceptional cases;
- Reject all asylum seekers who passed safe countries on their way to Britain.’ (British National Party)

Also, seemingly for its own gain, on the page which details its policies on democracy, it is directly stated that ‘The British National Party is proud to be in possession of some of the most modern and progressive concepts of democracy which are firmly at odds with the other parties’ increasing totalitarianism.’ (British National Party)

To coast back to the to the central topic of this essay, lets look into the impact which Stalin’s totalitarian socialism left on the world; one of which holds quite a lot in common with one of the major impacts which Hitler and his National Socialist party left, known as Neo-Stalinism, which is favor of the restoration of Stalin’s cult of personality (which means the restoration of many old Soviet statues of the brutally suppressive dictator, as well as looking at him in a bias, positive light in the field of education as well as any contemporary works on the subject).

Constructive impacts which in all generality have stuck with Russia since the end of the Second World War include the transformation of Russia from a unindustrialized state lacking the basic necessities of today’s life (such as electricity and running water) into one of the worlds leading military and economic superpowers which, agriculturally, far out-produced the United States or the entirety of all the NATO countries combined, at least agriculturally, during the Cold War era, and in most regards continues to do so to this day. (Dlmick)

So, I guess it’s fair to say that Stalin did impact Russia positively when looking at it from a strictly economic point-of-view; but at what cost?
About 20,000,000 people died premature deaths in the Soviet Union before the end of Stalin’s reign of terror; about 10 million due to the Second World War (in which individual retreat was against the army doctrine, and if they turned to run from German bullets, instead they were shot by their commanding officers. That’s not to say retreat didn’t occur; but when it did, it was a collective decision, not individual) another 1,048,000 killed simply for having an ethnic background considered unfavorable to the state, another 4 million after being repatriated following the end of the war, and killed due to the perception that they had ‘Nazi-infected minds,’ and about 6 million more were also exterminated for either speaking out against Stalin, or simply because food wasn’t provided to them, and they ended up starving to death. (*Multiple Sources)

To say that these deaths don’t have impacts that still reverberate around the world today would be a lie, and with a combination of the knowledge of Stalin’s so-called Socialism, as well as Hitler’s so-called National Socialism, we are now able to predict and protect ourselves from such things ever occurring again.
In the case of Nazi German fascism versus Soviet Russian socialism, there is no greater evil; I’d have to consider it a fair draw.

Overall, in the case of fascism versus socialism as simple raw ideologies as opposed to actually applied to any particular state or historical period, the idea of socialism is of a much fairer and beneficial nature to the peoples progress, protection, and well-being; although that’s not to say that the raw ideology itself is without flaws; it’s just to say its incredibly humanely altruistic as compared to the inward greed of fascism.
Although, to be fair, to say that the raw ideology of fascism has no upsides or benefits would also be a mistake; yet, it would seem that it would only be a positive idea when applied to economic prosperity, not the general well-being of the people.

So in my final verdict, I’d have to say that fascism is the greater of the two evils, and that in generality, socialism is only an evil when applied to the century that came to an end almost 10 years ago, and that it’d be very possible for the ideology to make a comeback, albeit in a positive, democratic means, as opposed to a repeat of the Stalinist era.

Fascism won’t be making any sort of major comeback if I have anything to say about it.

Florentine Nights II

Part 2: Their Smiles Could Make You Cry

Nino Moretti couldn't help but to pick at the scab on his right index finger formed after gripping a pistol abit to tight more than once.
He was growing impatient as he waited to meet with Don Esposito regarding his next assignment; he was hoping that this time, he wouldn't have to work with his long-time counterpart, Lucio Rizzo.
Lately, he had been growing more and more impatient with both Rizzo, as well as, respectively, life in its entirety; he could feel his sanity slipping through the cracks little by little.
Florence had never been for him, yet neither had his home of Sicily, where crime was just as rampant and organized as it was here. He had come to Florence seeking asylum from the violent underworld of southern Italy, only to discover that it was no different to the north.

In vain, he attempted to settle down into a normal life in ancient Florence, only to have the deja vu of his entire past take a 360 degree spin when he was reintroduced to heroin.
Inevitably, after 6 months of a heavy addiction to the drug, he was both run out of the job, and run to the brink financially; that's when he rediscovered the mafia.
Around the time that the Originale Kimora collapsed in on itself, Nino saw the light of opportunity arise from Eric Esposito's Nuevo Kimora.
He arranged a face-to-face meeting with Esposito himself only three days later, during the climax of the Nuevo Kimora-Salvezza war, with Eric only agreeing to the proposal in a bid to gain extra cannon fodder for his brutal stand against the Salvezza.
Nino and Eric quickly came to an agreement; the Nuevo Kimora would provide Nino with housing, as well as protection, but, most importantly to Nino, they would provide him with a monthly supply of heroin as so he could satisfy his lethal addiction.

Through a blank-check obligation to Eric's cause, Nino was conscripted to fight on the mean streets. He showed exceptional combat skills, and due to this, he was partnered with the neurotic, yet incredibly efficient young rising star of Esposito's criminal enterprise, Lucio Rizzo.
Together, they single-handedly assassinated both the Don and Consigliere of the Salvezza, effectively ending the war and amalgamating the remainder of the now dead empire into the now flourishing and ever-expanding Nuevo Kimora.

The sound of footsteps cut Nino off in mid thought, and he looked up just in time to see his Don enter the room; "Good evening, Mr. Moretti! I apologize for keeping you waiting."
Hiding his discontent, Nino replied, "It's of absolutely no relevance, Don Esposito. I can wait as long as you need me too."
"Your as flattering as always, Nino, but still, I apologize. Anyways, I assume you're wondering why I asked you here."
Nino said nothing; he simply nodded.
"There's been a new... development.. in our relations with the Guerrilla Kimora."
Nino's stomach clenched, just as it always did when he could already tell what was coming.
"In retaliation for our defeat of the Salvezza last week, the Guerrilla's have attempted to cease our expanding influence before it reaches them." Eric said, a strange irony biting his tongue.
"Last night, they took the original Kimora headquarters from us."
"I thought the old headquarters were abandoned?"
"Generally, yes; but the location is symbolic. Whoever controls the original compound, controls the legacy of the original Kimora. As such, I took the necessary measures to protect it with an armed contingent of men."
"And still, the Guerrilla's somehow tore through it with their meager numbers?"
"Never underestimate a fellow Kimora, Mr. Moretti; as splintered as we may be now, none of the groups have lost their flare or determination to conquer."
Skeptically, Nino nodded in partial understanding.
"And my involvement in all this is what?" He asked.
"You and Lucio are going to raid their main headquarters and kill their Don and Consigliere, as well as their respective families. You're going to show them that any with war with us is a short war. No resistance will be tolerated. You're going to reunite our two splinter factions, just as we did with the Salvezza."
Nino winced as he heard Lucio's name, and his hopes of avoidance sunk.
"What about the police on that end of the city?" He asked.
"Don't worry about them; they're on my payroll now."
Nino couldn't help but to admire Eric's quick efficiency when it came to making pivotal plans like this; but he quickly realized one thing still remained. The plan itself.
"How are we supposed to pull this off?" Nino said, attempting to hold back his nervous twitches at the thought of such a deep cover mission like this.
"I'm getting to that, but first.. this is going to be a long assignment, Mr. Moretti. Do you think you're up to the task?"
"Whats the payout?"
"Big."
"How big?"
"200,000 euro."
Nino winced. He had never dreamed of such a large payout. In immediate follow-up, he replied, "I'm in."
Eric smiled; he had got both the answer he had expected, as well as the answer he had wanted.
Producing a map of the city from beneath his desk, Esposito quickly pointed to a large, fortified building in old Florence. To its left, a large, open plaza.
"Your going to infiltrate the Guerrilla's Palazzo Vecchio."
Nino winced once again, doubt quickly striking his mind.
"With all do respect, Don, how the hell are we supposed to do that?"
"How? You gain their trust. Once you gain their trust enough to enter their compound, both of you will come and see me. From there, we'll organize a date and time to plant bombs inside the Palazzo. The next day, as if you're still their simpleminded, loyal foot-soldiers, you'll set off the timed detonators. Make sure you're both far away from the area by the time the bombs go off."
Slightly offended by Esposito's statement of the obvious, Nino squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. All that was running through is mind was the fact that he was already bound to do this.
He had let money get the better of him.

"Now take this map, find Lucio, and explain the assignment to him." Eric ordered blankly.
He could no longer hold his nervousness in. As he looked up, his lip began to twitch as he said, "Ye-ye-yes.. Of course.. si-sir."

Florentine Nights I

Part 1: The Mind of an Urban Warlord

"Don't smile, you sick fuck." Nino Moretti hissed to his counterpart.
"Come on... you've gotta have some sense of fun in this line of work, my friend! I mean, look at him!" Lucio Rizzo said, smiling neurotically as he stared at the bloody, limply body of their latest victim, propped-up to make it seem as if he was picking his nose.
"You need some serious fucking help, Rizzo. Really. Who does this kind've shit?"
"Apparently I do." Lucio sarcastically shot back.

Sighing, Nino holstered his gun in his pants waste, an angry disgust flashing across his face as he averted eye contact with the chuckling Lucio Rizzo.
This was simply another act of brutality in a string of violent crimes striking the ancient Italian city of Florence; yet another take down in a seemingly futile struggle for control of the European drug trade. In a sense, it was a war lacking a victor, and any victory won was always short-lived, as the following day it seemed normal to discover that another of your acquaintances was killed in a quick, meaningless exchange of bullets after running into a member of a rival faction while shopping at a metropolitan mall.

The original gang, the Kimora, used to have a tight strangle-hold on the entire city and a large majority of the peninsula until infighting caused it to shatter into multiple seperate gangs; originally, it had been fractured into only 4 seperate factions: the Guerilla Kimora, the Salvezza, the so-called Originale Kimora, and the Nuevo Kimora, each out to re-establish the once flourishing Kimoran criminal empire under a new banner and new leadership.
Eventually, more infighting followed, causing each group to fracture once again; the Originale Kimora became so fractured it virtually disbanded itself, its former members either winded up dead, or ended up dissolving into the criminal melting pot of the Florence underworld.

"Ahhh, Nino Moretti, my friend, we will be rich someday, I promise you, and all this will seem like ancient history; a sort of surreal nightmare. Nothing more." Lucio stated reassuringly.
"You say something similar everytime we kill someone, yet we've been doing this for several years and still nothing has changed." Nino retorted.
"These things take time and patience... as well as loyalty and conviction. I can feel our time for freedom and salvation though. It's close at hand, just trust me."
"You're one crazy motherfucker, Lucio." Nino said, allowing abit of a smile to peak out from beneath his veil of insecurity.
Laughing loudly, Lucio said "And you're one hell of a man, Nino."

* * *

"Smile for the camera, don." Photographer Victor Riello said, grinning broadly from cheek to cheek.
"The war with with the Salvezza is finally over! Their don and consigliere have finally been dealt with." Riello continued, attempting to satisfy his dogmatic loyalty towards the Nuevo Kimora by flattering its don, Eric Esposito.
Eric, being part American on his mothers side, had grown up under heavy mafia influence in New York City under the motivating spirit of his Italian mafioso father.
The 'mean streets of the Bronx,' as they were known, had taught him almost everything he would ever need to know about the workings of a criminal underworld; from extortion, to intimidation, to establishing powerful ties, to how to keep yourself uncompromised when it came time to exterminate a life for a bouquet of reasons, the New York underworld had given him a place to establish, and later fine-tune his hereditary skills.
When he turned 18, he made the decision to go to the University of Philadelphia, where he took a hands-on business-ed course; yet his real hands-on experience came when he established a campus-wide empire of drug dealing under the anonymous alias of 'Doctor Ex-Fed.'
The 'Doctor Ex-Fed' business later expanded to include large chunks of the area surrounding the campus, and came to be known for its high quality, as well as incredibly high quantity, which was provided by his fathers 'family business' back in New York.

He later withdrew from his university studies, but through a series of bribes and intimidation, he was permitted to remain as a resident at the university dorms for another 4 years.
From his dorm room, he organized the building of a much larger imperialistic criminal enterprise that would remain more than semi-autonomous from his fathers entrepreneurial ambitions.
It took him only 2 years to build more then half of the empire he had envisioned, and he quickly became nationally known; with this gain of national fame, he also gained a sense that ruthlessness and brutality were the only things that were going to expand and maintain his already flourishing empire, and on the eve of the Iraq War, he demonstrated just how far he was willing to go when he murdered not only one defiant businessman who had not capitulated to his expansionist demands, but massacred both him and his entire family.
It was clear who was ultimately responsible for the murders, yet evidence was severely lacking and the coalition investigation which included the NYPD, PPD, and FBI could tie up none of the loose ends.

Two years of heavy investigation and scrutinization passed, until finally some damning evidence appeared from what seemed like thin air, directly implicating Eric and his entire criminal enterprise in the multiple homicides.
Eric, fearful of federal prison and the shattering of his entire criminal facade, was quickly bailed out by his father, and with the help of the money he had made during his quick and complacent reign, fled to the United Kingdom.
In London, he quickly discovered there was no longer any room for new criminal empires, so he decided to dig even further into European criminal affairs, and attempt to join the Florentine Kimora, who seemed to be on the brink of self-destruction, and who, if the right circumstance permitted, may present him with a unique opportunity; one which he was more than ready and willing to take.

"Don Esposito!" Riello called, "Your chaperon has arrived!"
Lifting himself from his armchair, Eric walked towards the door, a smug grin quickly spreading from cheek to cheek as he realized just what he had gained.
What he had gained, was absolute power.
But absolute power came with a price; and a large one at that.

As was obvious to not only himself, but also his close circle of personal advisers, all of which were quite religious, was that he had also earned eternal damnation.

He didn't seem to mind.

The Final Solution

The hardwood, oh how cold it is,
On my frail , aching back.
Denial of the simplest things,
A perpetual state of attack.

The damning screams of Germany,
Sees the end of so many lives,
From France to Luthuania,
The war machine arrives.

Enough can't be enough,
For the man who wants it all.
The clueless blue eyes of Bavaria,
They all heed the false call.

The Gates of Hell swing open,
Admitting old and young;
'A dead Jew is not a working Jew,'
The taste of cold metal on my tounge.

The smell of blood and iron,
Mixed with intoxication,
Oh how damp,
'The child is no use to us,'
So he's sent to seperate camp.

The last thing I remember,
As I stood above that pit,
The crying of old ladies,
As they finally cease all belief and quit;
Is the whispers of my father,
As he said 'you'll get them back,'
The crack of bullets tear the calm,
As he drops atop me like a sack.

Preying in simple disbelief,
I sooth my beating heart,
As I realize I'll get revenge,
And this is but the start.