“No doubt, you say that “all the Cossacks are criminals”?”
I said no doubt the Cossacks were criminals, as in the gang. I did not say anything about each individual member.
As I’ve explained in the past, you cannot become a member of an outlaw gang without proving yourself by committing felonies on behalf of the group. So anyone who is a full patched member of an outlaw gang is obviously a criminal. Prospects may or may not be directly guilty of criminal acts (yet), but they surely will be if they want to become full members. That does not absolve prospects of criminal liability for being members of a criminal organization in conspiracy with the other members that do commit criminal acts.
“Crimes committed by some clique within an MC...”
There is no criminal “clique” within an outlaw gang, besmirching the reputation of law-abiding members. They are criminal organizations, with the criminal operations directed from the top, just like any other criminal organization. You don’t go off on your own and do things without approval of the President, or you’d be out of the club very quickly. So, no, this apology for the outlaw gangs doesn’t fly.
“And it appears to me that a platoon of Bandidos rode down from Dallas, and had other things in mind than participating in making peace with Cossacks.”
I can agree with this 100%.
“THAT part of things is not the fault of Cossacks, as far as I can tell”
No, but the Cossacks were already at war with the Bandidos, and so showing up heavily armed at the meeting, before the Bandidos arrived, and taking over the Bandidos’ reserved section certainly doesn’t make them look like innocent victims.
“It’s no wonder Cossacks felt like they were being set up, when they saw that later arriving group of Bandidos had split up, and were approaching the Twin Peaks location from different directions.”
Perhaps they were “set up” by a fake peace offer, or perhaps they thought they could stand their ground against the Bandidos on their home turf, and overestimated the forces they were up against.
“But to hold those types out as examples for all other patch wearing ‘bikers’, even if just far enough to encompass Cossack MC in it’s entirety of membership as being “criminals” (which you just did!) while making no distinctions between the MC’s themselves — RIGHT DOWN TO EACH INDIVIDUAL MEMBER too, is too much, and is even ungodly.”
I don’t say that “all other patch wearing ‘bikers’” are criminals. I’ve said over and over again on these threads that this isn’t my postion, and I’ll say it again. Most bikers are NOT criminals. However, if they are patched members in a 1% club, then they most assuredly are criminals. If they are prospects in a 1% club, they are, at the very least, conspiring with criminals.
I'm simply not buying the "you have to commit a felony" noise in order to be a MC member, having that apply to Cossacks MC.
They were never of that precise sort, although there may have long been some number of members who had done time for some offense or another.
They haven't exactly been on the radar as seriously bad organized crime syndicate, engaging in blatant motorcycle theft. More like they were organized in part, and have been at least sometime since, to help protect against their own members suffering that.
Most of them appear to be guys with jobs and families.
They don't exactly typify and label themselves as "outlaw" bikers as far as I know, although they likely eschew having paid memberships in the AMA for the most part, which is where the term "outlaw" first came from.
Even the AMA no longer universally calls all MC's and riding clubs "outlaw" for reason of not adhering to AMA rulz.
One never had to commit crimes on behalf of the MC to be a member of Ghost Riders, or Winos, or Leathernecks, or Iron Order.