Mike in Clear Lake
11-10-2008, 01:28 AM
The Assimilation by David Winterhalder
I think I mentioned once that I have never met a One Percenter that I didn’t like. This of course was when I was a child growing up in Los Angeles. I was surprised that later as an adult, the few that I have met since also proved to be polite, at least to me when met on an individual basis. My thesis to date is just to don’t mess with them, and they won’t mess with you. Certainly, do not wander into their business or social circle to satiate one’s curiosity.
Before I go on one of my long consulting gigs (I am currently in Africa) I will usually pop into the local bookstore to pick up some reading material. This time I picked up The Assimilation by David Winterhalder. The book is about the Bandidos MC, with a focus on how Bandidos Canada was formed, and then later how they were shut down. Bandidos Canada was actually an MC known as The Rock Machine (TRM) that patched-over to become Bandidos Canada. This was news to me in that I didn’t know that motorcycle clubs do these patch-overs, kinda like a merger. Apparently this was in response to a rivalry between Hells Angels MC (HA) and TRM, whereby TRM expected more firepower and respect by becoming a chapter of Bandidos in hopes that HA would back off. There is much intrigue in the story and the only real criticism I have of the book is that the author should know by his age that Robert F. Kennedy was killed in Los Angeles, not San Francisco. I was left with the impression that Bandidos USA actually shut down Bandidos Canada in what became known as the Shedden Massacre. However, this conclusion is not concrete and I am not sure if the real story will ever come out.
The book is an interesting read in that it shows the generational differences between Hunter S. Thompson’s views of One Percenters in the 60’s versus the One Percenters of today. In addition to the story itself, I found the appendices to be very informative. These appendices contain club laws & policies, job descriptions of the different leadership positions, lifestyle rules, rules for interacting with members from other clubs, etc. Another tidbit I picked up is that most major MCs also have subordinate clubs that come in two different categories. These lesser clubs are similar to the relationship between major league and minor league baseball. My conclusion is that one sacrifices his self-sovereignty for the assumed brotherhood of joining a One Percenter MC.
I’m through with the book and ready to pass it along. It is worth the read. PM me if interested. Ironically, while I was in the bookstore waiting in line to purchase the book, there was a member of Los Carnales MC standing behind me. We had a nice talk about riding. For those of you who don’t know, Los Carnales MC is a club of law enforcement officers and La Familia is their associate club of friends and family.
I am now reading The Queen of the South.
I think I mentioned once that I have never met a One Percenter that I didn’t like. This of course was when I was a child growing up in Los Angeles. I was surprised that later as an adult, the few that I have met since also proved to be polite, at least to me when met on an individual basis. My thesis to date is just to don’t mess with them, and they won’t mess with you. Certainly, do not wander into their business or social circle to satiate one’s curiosity.
Before I go on one of my long consulting gigs (I am currently in Africa) I will usually pop into the local bookstore to pick up some reading material. This time I picked up The Assimilation by David Winterhalder. The book is about the Bandidos MC, with a focus on how Bandidos Canada was formed, and then later how they were shut down. Bandidos Canada was actually an MC known as The Rock Machine (TRM) that patched-over to become Bandidos Canada. This was news to me in that I didn’t know that motorcycle clubs do these patch-overs, kinda like a merger. Apparently this was in response to a rivalry between Hells Angels MC (HA) and TRM, whereby TRM expected more firepower and respect by becoming a chapter of Bandidos in hopes that HA would back off. There is much intrigue in the story and the only real criticism I have of the book is that the author should know by his age that Robert F. Kennedy was killed in Los Angeles, not San Francisco. I was left with the impression that Bandidos USA actually shut down Bandidos Canada in what became known as the Shedden Massacre. However, this conclusion is not concrete and I am not sure if the real story will ever come out.
The book is an interesting read in that it shows the generational differences between Hunter S. Thompson’s views of One Percenters in the 60’s versus the One Percenters of today. In addition to the story itself, I found the appendices to be very informative. These appendices contain club laws & policies, job descriptions of the different leadership positions, lifestyle rules, rules for interacting with members from other clubs, etc. Another tidbit I picked up is that most major MCs also have subordinate clubs that come in two different categories. These lesser clubs are similar to the relationship between major league and minor league baseball. My conclusion is that one sacrifices his self-sovereignty for the assumed brotherhood of joining a One Percenter MC.
I’m through with the book and ready to pass it along. It is worth the read. PM me if interested. Ironically, while I was in the bookstore waiting in line to purchase the book, there was a member of Los Carnales MC standing behind me. We had a nice talk about riding. For those of you who don’t know, Los Carnales MC is a club of law enforcement officers and La Familia is their associate club of friends and family.
I am now reading The Queen of the South.