I thought the Russians were just thuggish assholes.
Not so much. If you really want thuggish, and a penchant for mindless cruelty, it would have to be the Irish gangs. They are the worst of the worst. If you knew the history of the Irish gangs, you would understand why the Irish were so discriminated against. There was good reason for those signs saying "No Irish allowed". The Aryan Brotherhood started off as an Irish prison gang in San Quentin called The Bluebird. My husband was from Chicago when Chicago was still habitable. The Russians stayed away from the Irish. Without a doubt, the mexican cartels for all their torture and beheadings, could take lessons from the Irish.
I have heard stories about the Irish, the Westies in particular. I read the book about Mickey Featherstone and Jimmy Coonan.
Despite all that has been said about the Irish criminal gangs, they would still be better than democrats.