Say Goodbye to Cockfighting
Seriously, say goodbye.
The long, controversial history of legal cockfighting will come to an end in Louisiana -- and the United States -- on Aug. 15, 2008, if Gov. Kathleen Blanco signs a bill sent to her by lawmakers Wednesday.
I love boxing. I love MMA. I love fights in film, comic books and TV. I spend far too much time thinking about whether Spider-Man could beat up Batman (Um, he totally could), or whether Mike Tyson in his prime couldve pummeled a rhino with a flamethrower horn (depends on the weight class.) However, for some reason, Ive never been interested in cockfighting.
The practice of pitting specially bred roosters in fight-to-the-death matches, has been condemned for years by animal rights activists and others as cruel and barbaric. When New Mexico outlawed the events earlier this year, Louisiana was the only state in which it is allowed.
My reasons might seem obvious, its cruel, barbaric, wrong
That really isnt it, it just sounds kind of boring. I gotta be honest, if one of those roosters could throw an uppercut, Id be in.
Maybe its that they dont have arms? I could see cheering for a rooster who had feather covered, jacked-up arms that he punched stuff with. Id cheer even louder if he chomped on a lit cigar while doing it.
A separate measure by Sen. Art Lentini, R-Kenner, to ban gambling at cockfights kicks in Aug. 15 of this year, if Blanco signs it, which Lentini said would put a major dent in the activities.
Damn. I was planning on continuing to bet on these cockfights which will no longer be happening. If the fights are illegal, wouldnt gambling on them also be illegal? They might wanna look into outlawing chewing with your mouth open at cockfights, too, just in case.
"The gambling ban is the end" of cockfighting, Lentini said of his Senate Bill 221, also on its way to Blanco's desk. "It is over. It is like having video poker and you can't win any money but just build up game credits."
Im not sure its like that at all. Isn't video poker popular? Is he advocating putting the roosters into little headgears?
Opponents of the ban have said the practice is part of the culture, especially among Cajuns in southwest Louisiana, and that the birds are better treated than those being prepared for consumption.
That sounds about right, actually. Again, my problem isnt moral, its that these fights sound uninteresting. Im gonna go out on a limb and guess that theres far too much pecking. Cant we give one of them a gun? Can we watch them live together in a house for a few months and really get on each others nerves? Something!
Ritchie opposed the immediate ban, arguing that those in the industry need time to dispose of their roosters, equipment and supplies.
Dispose of? Well, if theyre gonna kill em anyway
Might as well let them go out with some sort of a championship at stake. At the very least, a participants ribbon.
Besides the one-year delay in banning the fights, Ritchie said his bill brings chickens under the animal cruelty law which had not protected them in the past. The bill makes exceptions for chickens raised for human consumption, and it also allows the practice common in Acadiana on Mardi Gras of horse-riders chasing chickens and killing them for a gumbo or other pre-Lenten dish.
Now we're getting somewhere. I hope those riders are clad in some sort of cool looking armor. And wielding those gladiator-style weighted nets.
According to Ritchie's bill, anyone convicted a first time for cockfighting can be fined up to $1,000, face a maximum of six months in jail or both. Lentini's bill prohibits wagering at cockfights and sets a $500 fine, six months in jail or both on a first conviction.
Got it. Just make sure your winnings add up to more than $500.
You know, I think I'll check out a few fights after all. Maybe I can teach them kung fu or something... August 15 doesnt leave me much time. See you in Louisiana!
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Nimbusfool
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