March 2007

Letters to the Editor

In response to Don Hennigan’s review of Out in Bad Standings: Inside the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, The Madding of a Worldwide Dynasty, by Ed Winterhalder (Blockhead City Press, 2006):

D.H. are you reading what your writting about? Or just being paid to rant about someone's scribblings!! Conn is out to make $ thats all he's about and if he thought he could make a buck off of talkin bad about you he would !! His thoughts of his importance in our Club is bull. Our Club is 40 years old and doing fine, it was doing fine before him (the whole 5 or 6 years he was in) and will continue to do so!!--Bandido Nomad Dirty Ed 1% er, a 30-year member in good standings

Don Hennigan replies:

Dirty Ed, Yes I do read what I review, and no I was not paid for my opinion.  I believe I mentioned in my review that Con Ed wrote his book to “cash in on the recent rising interest in motorcycle clubs.”  I did not express any opinions that were detrimental to the Bandidos M.C. or any of their affiliates.  As a matter of fact, the Bandits are responsible for a bizarre peace in the areas under their influence.  Con Ed may have overstated his importance in the Club; sometimes that is the case and a person tries to appear more significant to the flow of events than they actually are.  What is important about Con Ed’s book is that it gives civilians the opportunity to see inside of a REAL motorcycle club, not a Hollywood version of an M.C.  I did allude to the feeling that Ed may have been trying to “curry favor with the club” but this is entirely a personal view.  I understand your anger at Con Ed and his obvious attempt to make a buck off the name of your club and his abandonment of the ideals of brotherhood that the Bandidos and other M.C.s hold so dear.

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