by B. » Wed Dec 16, 2015 1:15 am
People with integrity never have to say "that's a fact" or "I only share what I know" because they either have credibility or they don't and it's implied in what they say. If someone disagrees or proves them wrong, someone with integrity should be happy to open a discussion about it.
Picasso is a great example of why I never trust someone when they say that they only share info that they "know". Many so-called connected or street guys say this on the boards over the years. When they are proven wrong about something, they either pull some "I have my opinion, you have yours" bullshit or if they can get away with it they get indignant, like you'd have the audacity to question them because they're doing the world a favor . It was even worse with Picasso because his fans would act up on his behalf and he had complete immunity.
His lies didn't all go under the Picasso persona, either. He claimed that he was supposed to school Gambino associate Joseph Vollero on how to become a made member (supposedly Vollero had been proposed -- he was never made and later become an government witness himself). Yes, low-level Irish-American associate Lenehan claimed that he was supposed to school an Italian-American on how to be a made guy. You can see where that delusion would translate into the Picasso persona.
“He wasn’t made because he hadn’t established the needed mob political skills he need to navigate the induction process,” Lenehan said.
“Another year, two at most, I’d get him primed for the ‘jump,’ but I flipped.”
The fact is that Picasso is Steve Lenehan. That isn't up for any debate or discussion. The gray area is in whether you believe the stories Steve Lenehan has told under this persona over the years. Personally, I believe some of what he's said, as there is no doubt Lenehan was connected to the Newark underworld where Cosa Nostra members had a dominant presence. But it is impossible to fully trust a single word he says when those potentially truthful stories are buried beneath stories about being a third-generation member of the Genovese family with personal connections to Jerry Catena, Gyp DeCarlo, and Vito Genovese. Stories and info about infamous people and places from before he was even born.
But he didn't leave "Stevie" out of his fantasy stories. Nope. According to Picasso, Lenehan was among the most feared tough guys in Newark and on some nights, Pic would reflect on where "Stevie" went wrong and even once pondered that if Lenehan had been Italian and had the chance to be made, maybe he wouldn't have flipped. It didn't stop at Steve Lenehan, though, as "Picasso" dragged Steve's father Bill into his stories, talking about how Bill Lenehan and other legitimate men from the neighborhood were part of a secret hit team for the Genovese family who had participated in some high-profile murders.
The question is, how can you trust that person to even tell you the time of day? You can't.
People with integrity never have to say "that's a fact" or "I only share what I know" because they either have credibility or they don't and it's implied in what they say. If someone disagrees or proves them wrong, someone with integrity should be happy to open a discussion about it.
Picasso is a great example of why I never trust someone when they say that they only share info that they "know". Many so-called connected or street guys say this on the boards over the years. When they are proven wrong about something, they either pull some "I have my opinion, you have yours" bullshit or if they can get away with it they get indignant, like you'd have the audacity to question them because they're doing the world a favor . It was even worse with Picasso because his fans would act up on his behalf and he had complete immunity.
His lies didn't all go under the Picasso persona, either. He claimed that he was supposed to school Gambino associate Joseph Vollero on how to become a made member (supposedly Vollero had been proposed -- he was never made and later become an government witness himself). Yes, low-level Irish-American associate Lenehan claimed that he was supposed to school an Italian-American on how to be a made guy. You can see where that delusion would translate into the Picasso persona.
[i]“He wasn’t made because he hadn’t established the needed mob political skills he need to navigate the induction process,” Lenehan said.
“Another year, two at most, I’d get him primed for the ‘jump,’ but I flipped.”[/i]
The fact is that Picasso is Steve Lenehan. That isn't up for any debate or discussion. The gray area is in whether you believe the stories Steve Lenehan has told under this persona over the years. Personally, I believe some of what he's said, as there is no doubt Lenehan was connected to the Newark underworld where Cosa Nostra members had a dominant presence. But it is impossible to fully trust a single word he says when those potentially truthful stories are buried beneath stories about being a third-generation member of the Genovese family with personal connections to Jerry Catena, Gyp DeCarlo, and Vito Genovese. Stories and info about infamous people and places from before he was even born.
But he didn't leave "Stevie" out of his fantasy stories. Nope. According to Picasso, Lenehan was among the most feared tough guys in Newark and on some nights, Pic would reflect on where "Stevie" went wrong and even once pondered that if Lenehan had been Italian and had the chance to be made, maybe he wouldn't have flipped. It didn't stop at Steve Lenehan, though, as "Picasso" dragged Steve's father Bill into his stories, talking about how Bill Lenehan and other legitimate men from the neighborhood were part of a secret hit team for the Genovese family who had participated in some high-profile murders.
The question is, how can you trust that person to even tell you the time of day? You can't.