I have read the McQueen book and pretty decent however I felt he kept repeating in it. I had seen the documentary. I read three of Sonny Barger's books and have to say that I enjoyed them.

 

You guys crack me up. All bikers are just innocent fun loving guys and all cops are corrupt prejudiced ********. Too funny. There are good and bad in both groups. I cant say I've had alot of good experiences with LEOs but at least I can be honest and say I deserved what I got most of the time. And I've met a few really cool OMC members. But they werent exactly boy scouts. I just dont see how someone can openly belong to an "outlaw" mc and then get their panties in a twist because thier reputation proceeds them. Prejudices stay alive because they are usually rooted in fact. Ofcourse they dont describe every individual in the group. But usually a good amount. If you saw someone who dressed like a gangbanger standing by your house or car would you think "Oh, Im sure he's cool and has a reason to be here" ? No. You would assume he's up to something bad. Im not sticking up for cops. They chose their profession and all the crap that goes with it. They deal with shitty people and situations daily. I dont feel sorry for them either. If they dont like it then they should look for a different job. But you guys who just have to attack them every time they comment are comical. This an open discussion forum. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. If you dont like it then start youre own OMC ONLY forum.

 

I have to agree with Twisted's first comments. Bargers books arent a "Howto" guide on being a badass tough guy, nor are they the boasts of bullies. He simply tells it how it was in his day, choices he and his friends/club members made, and the kind of commitment needed to follow through on their choices.

As Twisted said, good, bad or otherwise, it isnt all about being a "Biker". For me the central meaning was simply if you make a decision, have the ***** to follow through with it. If you commit to protecting whats yours, then Protect it, if you say you have your brothers back, then keep your brothers back. (All qualities the Military instill into service men and women as well, at least during my years of service). Barger may come off as self absorbed, or as a walking terror on wheels, or whatever other label you want to put on the guy, it dont matter as he was a man of conviction. Simple as that.

You can read as much interweb anti 1% biker crapola that you want into his books, but they are an interesting read nonetheless, and for those that can put aside the stereotyping and prejudice and see the bigger picture it holds meaning that sits at many peoples core set of values, and unfortunately for many others a meaning they only wish they could follow through on.

Just because its told by a guy with the kind of history Barger has is irrelevant, as it is applicable to any and all. Military, LEOs, Fire brigade etc etc all operate to one degree or another on a similar set of values. Would you call them badass 1%ers? I dont think so.
You don't need to be a HA or MC member to simply stand up for you and yours, you need to be a person of conviction. That's what Barger speaks about.

and no, i am not a Barger worshiper, nor am I an MC member or a 1% MC wanna be, and i dont consider myself a "Tough guy". I am just a guy who loves to ride and believes everyone is entitled to a modicum of respect and simple courtesy until they prove they dont deserve it, in which case i just wont waste my time with them and move on. And yes, I will stand up for me and mine when i have to, but that doesnt make me some kind of badass.

 

To you scared of 1%ers, read Out Bad if you really want to be scared.
The power wielded by "those working for us" is what you should be worried about.

 

I can't say I understand why but some people don't seem to understand the definition of 1%er. They seem to think a 1%er is a guy like Peter Fonda in Easy Rider. If you are a hard core biker and belong to a MC club good on you but that does not make you a 1%er. Living outside the law does. If you belong to a club or support a club that supports it self with illegal activities (extortion, loan sharking, prostitution, drug dealing) like the HA, Banditos, etc. you fit the dictionary definition of a 1%er and are a burden to society. You also don't deserve anyone's "respect" and won't be getting mine. BTW fear for your personal safety is not "respect" for the person or group threatening it. You can say these clubs do nothing illegal or it's just a few bad apples but over 25% of HA are currently incarcerated in my country and the majority have a criminal history, and there are too many chapter leaders serving life to argue this is not the predominate culture of these clubs. If you still support them, what does that say about you?

 

Next....

 

Rather narrow not to mention squede view , Not everyone 1% is a villain or criminal you've just drank to much of the propaganda kool aid and are kinda stuck on stupid about that . You've made a number posts before and every time everybody is a criminal , skip the SOA reruns will ya ?

There are a bunch bad boys but not all of them sorry to pop that bubble for you . About your respect issues , safe bet you'll never be within a mile of anyone you need to worry about giving to and an even safer bet they won't be losing any sleep over it .

 

After reading your post I bought it yes it was a good book. I read the entire thing in about 5 hours.

 

Yeah the 99% should just all go home....yeah bullshit...sorry but the majority still rules.

 

The data about criminal activity related to motorcycle gangs is pretty compelling and no secret.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011...r/gangs_102011