Subject: Dancing With the Devil

I know many people who will be reading this probably have no idea what the APG is.  And more importantly, who I am.  I am Orlando Riera-Gomez, Chairman of the Association for the Preservation of Gamefowl.  It is the oldest and largest group in Florida which protects the rights of the gamefowl breeders and sportsmen.  Anyone who knows me understands that I do not use this or any other public forum very often.  In most cases, more damage is done in a public forum than good.
 
The APG has defeated every bill ever introduced against our industry in our state.  The past two years another group made things very difficult in the Florida Legislature for the gamefowl industry.  This year, as indicated in a recent article in the Gamefowl News, they danced with the devil once again.  You cannot dance with the devil without being burned.  This group would like you to believe that the APG was at fault.  Just look at the facts. 
 
Political correctness is much different than politically stupid.  Anyone with a half a brain can look at the past nine years and see what happened.  When you know it all, and refuse to coordinate and help each other, you lose.  Our industry took a major hit this legislative session.  We have only ourselves to blame.  The APG made more attempts to work together than we can count.  Our conscience is clear, since we never danced with the devil.
 
This article may annoy some of the readers.  It is not intended to inflame or aggravate anyone.  The truth is, the APG has lobbied government exceptionally well over the years.  The loss this year hurts the APG and our industry, but our balance for lobbying fees is $zero.  Can the other group say the same in their loss?  We have felt for some time that if we do not start working together, our industry is doomed.  That was painfully apparent this year. 
 
If you think it's time to do the right thing here in Florida, the APG is open to everyone.  Insofar as the rumors floating around, the information provided by Verbon is not quite correct.  I will not go into the facts in this public forum, as it would only hurt our industry.  I will say, do not panic, and do not dispose of anything you own at this time.  Get the facts and then make a decision on what is best for you. 
 
The APG will be holding a meeting very soon.  We will post it in the Gamefowl News, so that we make sure we reach as many people as we can.  I hope this article does not make things worse in our state, but the truth needs to be told.
 
Orlando Riera-Gomez
 
 
 
..........Invitations and Greetings.........
Lets send him sooo many gamecock figurines that he has to notice we are out here... here's how you do it, but we should send them at around the same time, with the fact and fiction of the gamecock in each one!

The White House Mailing Address

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500


Invitations and Greetings

Please follow these guidelines to extend an invitation to the President, Vice President, Mrs. Bush, or Mrs. Cheney. Please follow these guidelines for information about greetings.


Gifts

Gifts sent to the White House, especially oversized and crated items, may experience a significant delivery delay due to the security screening process. In addition, we request that gifts of a consumable nature (e.g. food, drink), as well as flowers and other perishable items, not be sent to the White House. While the President and Mrs. Bush and Vice President and Mrs. Cheney appreciate your thoughtfulness, they have asked that you look instead to your local community for opportunities to assist your neighbors in need.


I have picked out a nice one already! We should send a fingerprint with it though, so the HSUS wont be able to send them anthrax and us get blamed for it or nothing crazy like that.They are very prone to do so, put your name and all on it, I am, I am proud to be a breeder and a cocker. If we ship them on the 7th, they may arrive the day the farm bill goes into effect. Below is the fact and fiction sheet we should send in.


Print this off and put it in the package!
------------------------------------------------------

            The Gamecock
         
          Fact -vs- Fiction


Myth: Many believe that chickens are "trained" or "taught" to fight through various methods.

Fact: Chickens cannot be "trained" to fight nor "taught" not to fight. There are over 100 different breeds of chickens that will fight and many of those breeds will do so instinctively, unto death!

Myth: People who raise Game Chickens will start "training" them, as soon as possible.

Fact: As mentioned chickens cannot be "trained" for combat. It is either a specific trait of their genetic makeup and a natural born instinct, or it is not, and so this behavior will not be manifested. In all cases however, due to hormonal influences at sexual maturity (around 6-8 months), all roosters will begin chasing hens. At this time their own natural instincts for domination begin to flourish. This is a time when a rooster is more concerned with proving his virility, than he is in even feeding himself! This is a process only nature can dictate.  Gamefowl breeders can't accelerate this process, nor "train" a rooster to become "dominant."

Myth: There is no need to fight them, why not just raise them without combat?

Fact: This is not an impossible task, but certainly not an "advisable" route, for anyone interested in MAINTAINING THE INTEGRITY OF A BLOODLINE!  You can raise Gamefowl and never fight them.  However, without that "Test" you risk the compound error of allowing inferior specimens to reproduce. This not only weakens the genetic pool overall, but also encourages a downward spiral in the general health, fitness and survivability of future generations within that family line. Now as mentioned, it is possible to keep Gamecocks from fighting, and here's how to do it: 1. As they reach the age of maturity you must separate all males, as they cannot remain together after this point or they will kill each other. 2. Females may be kept together but never separated then reintroduced. This is because Game Hens have many of the same genetic traits as the roosters do. Though they are tamer and somewhat less aggressive, game hens will still very often fight with any new hen they are exposed to. And yes, this can often even be to their deaths!

Myth: Instead of being fought, they could be raised on farms for meat and eggs, just like other chickens.

Fact: Not possible. These are not ordinary "domestic" chickens, but rather an ancient and more genetically "natural" strain then today's "Broilers or Layers," and so Gamefowl cannot be raised or housed the same manner as their domesticated cousins. Currently there are zero egg and/or meat producing companies using Gamefowl in this way. As their application for these purposes cannot be accomplished "cost effectively."

Myth: Gamefowl left free will learn to live together without fighting.

Fact: This is exactly WRONG! A false belief and myth created by Animal Rights "Theorists" with NO PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE OR EDUCATION IN POULTRY BREEDING OR SCIENCE! PeTA (People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) are notorious for perpetuating this type of fallacy. However, a few years ago when PETA tried it with over 300 Gamefowl chickens. The result was a lot of dead chickens with the ones surviving being so mangled by one another, they were put to death by these "experts," as well! PeTA just did not want to take on the responsibility for caring for them separately as they require!

Myth: The owners of Gamefowl find it necessary to abuse their chickens by hitting, kicking or torturing them in order to make them "mean."

Fact: Nothing could be FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH! If you kick or hit a Gamecock you will turn him into a man hater that would rather fight YOU, than another rooster.  Think about it. If a person shows chickens with either a razor sharp knife or a gaff attached to their chickens legs, is he going to want one of those roosters to be carrying a "grudge" against him? No, a Cocker has to handle a rooster several times during a match and he sure doesn't want to handle a rooster that either resents or fears him. Not a chance! As a matter of fact, before a match the roosters are often just as calm and gentle with their owners as a parakeet, or favorite pet Cockatoo. By nature, roosters usually only hate OTHER ROOSTERS!

Myth: Fighting roosters are abused and cruelly cared for.

Fact: Gamefowl are some of the most pampered creatures on earth. Just one visit with a Gamefowl Breeder would convince you that Gamefowl have superior conditions, nutrition and care to that of any other species of poultry! You might literally be amazed by the individual care given to every single chicken. In many cases these birds probably receive better treatment than most other people's beloved pets!

Myth: Metal "spurs" aren't natural for a rooster so attaching them for fighting, is cruel.

Fact: Roosters grow a natural spur on their legs and they can be, and often are fought only using those alone. However, this method of "Naked Heel" fighting is actually considered a more inhumane way of fighting these warriors by many Cockers. Why? Well, because a natural spur (averaging 3 inches long), will do a great deal of damage, however a death can take considerably longer than with steel spurs. In the natural spur, an average fight might be in the neighborhood of 2 to 3 hours in length. In the past some have gone on as long as 16 hours before a death occurred. (Please note, the chickens determined the length of these fights, not the spectators.) So, it seems that in reality the roosters are definitely much more inhumane to each other, than any human sponsors would ever be!

Myth: Fighting roosters eventually stop fighting when they get tired but are "forced" to continue. I have seen the handlers keep picking them up to get them to start fighting again.

Fact: Roosters can become exhausted during a match. Therefore, it is natural for them to stop struggling for short periods of time in order to catch their breath. However, this in NO WAY indicates surrender, defeat or submission! Because, as soon as he sees the other rooster again, he will try to hit him. This behavior will continue until either he or his opponent is dead. Roosters are never "forced" to fight. It's not only "impossible" but totally contrary to a Cocker's basic philosophy. A Cockfighter would NEVER want a chicken he needed to encourage to stay in a fight. A bird like that is totally useless to the Cocker for anything else but STEW! However, a rooster may be picked up several times during a match, but only to provide care, comfort and rest, not because the rooster wanted to "quit!" After all, when two roosters are put together and one will not peck the other? The match is OVER!!! (BTW....Often, fights are not even to the death, either!)

Myth: There has to be a better life for them than fighting?

Fact: NO! In fact, the ancient instincts built into these chickens are so powerfully manifest in their everyday behaviors, that only by DENYING them the ability to act out their own need to establish dominance, do we treat them "inhumanely." It is the denial of their NATURAL INSTINCTS that constitutes the GREATEST CRUELTY OF ALL!!
 

              President Bush, please helps us protect this ancient bird from Extinction in America. Give us the freedom with rights, and protected places to test, as well as the freedom to ship our birds, a lot of our families well being depends on it.


            Sincerely,

------------------------------------------------------


Kevin "hotcocker" Haynes
Member: The asba
www.theasba.com

 
 
 
Can You Imagine The Backlog In The Court System If EVERYONE Involved In Something Like These Cockfighting Charges Would Refuse The AR Plea Offer?

..........None of the men accepted a plea offer made by a deputy district attorney.........


In The Words Of J.P. Goodwin In A 1997 Interview..............

.......... I would tell them that if they are arrested, not to accept deals such as probation or fines because we do not want activists relegated to the sidelines. We want activists up at the front. I'd also tell them to use the courts. Instead of trying to get things dismissed, use the courts to make a big media issue..........
 
 
 
 
26 plead innocent to cockfight charges
By Jess Sullivan


FAIRFIELD -- More than two dozen men, nearly all of them Hispanic and most needing interpreters, came to court Monday morning to answer to charges they participated in an April 5 cockfight match at an abandoned barn east of Fairfield along Highway 113.

A total of 26 men entered not guilty pleas to a misdemeanor charge of attending a cockfight. Commissioner Barbara James ordered them all back to court July 5.

Deputies investigating a citizen's call expressing concern about dozens of cars parked at the barn on the abandoned rural property north of Cook Road found a 20-foot fighting circle inside the barn along with 70 roosters which were taken into custody by county animal control officers. Deputies also confiscated a dozen sets of razor-sharp gaffes, or bladed spurs.

The men, some wearing hats with pictures of their favorite fighting cock affixed to them, were all issued citations by Sheriff's deputies.

The crowd of men who came to court added to what was already a busy court calendar. With the help of a half dozen court interpreters, several of the men said they were homeowners or have regular income making them ineligible for court appointed attorneys. A few men claimed they were on vacation from Mexico.

None of the men accepted a plea offer made by a deputy district attorney. The deal offered to exchange a guilty plea for a fine, fees and 20 hours of community service work at the county animal shelter. The men face a possible maximum punishment of one year in jail and a fine of not more than $20,000.

Jess Sullivan can be reached at jsullivan@dailyrepublic.net.
Source: http://www.dailyrepublic.com/articles/2003/05/06/news/news5.txt
 
 
Feathers Or Fins, It Still Sounds Like Terrorism, Doesn't It?
 
.......So nice people believe it's wrong to shock chickens, but OK to bomb places where human beings work. Hmmm........
 

Is PETA the Sinn Fein of the animal rights movement

<P>SEAFOOD.COM NEWS [Copyright 2003 The Chronicle Publishing Co.
The San Francisco Chronicle] by Debra J. Saunders MAY 6, 2003-IN ITS LATEST GRAB for publicity, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals threatened to picket 'The Producers' in Los Angeles because star Jason Alexander moonlights for Kentucky Fried Chicken. PETA has dubbed May its 'KFC Month of Action,' with the catchy slogan 'Kentucky Fried Cruelty -- We Do Chickens Wrong.'

The threat led to a meeting between Alexander and PETA top dog Ingrid Newkirk. According to PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich, PETA has decided not to picket 'The Producers,' as Alexander subsequently complained to KFC about its abusive practices.


KFC spokeswoman Bonnie Warschauer wouldn't comment other than to say, 'You'd have to talk to Jason Alexander's people' about the conversation. I tried, but I only got as far as Alexander's publicist's assistant, who offered no information.

PETA's Friedrich said that Newkirk discussed misinformation on the KFC Web site, such as the company's claim that its 'guidelines and audits are designed to manage and monitor each step of the process to ensure that all birds are handled humanely and suffer no pain.'

It's true: 'no pain' has no truth. As Joy Mench, director of the Center for Animal Welfare at the University of California at Davis, noted, poultry producers have developed strategies that make chickens grow to 20-week size in six weeks, which can make chickens lame, and 'there is evidence that lameness can cause pain.'

Mench clarified, however, that this is a poultry producer issue, not KFC's problem.

Which leads to the issue of misinformation on the PETA Web site, with its list of eight 'key demands' of KFC, including that KFC stun chickens with gas, not electricity.

Mench agreed that gas stunning would be preferable to electric stunning of chickens, but noted that the USDA has yet to clarify that gas stunning is kosher.

But even where PETA seems to be right on gassing, its other demands don't quite wash. The group also demands machine handling of chickens before they're killed. (Mench agrees that chicken handling is 'not pleasant work,' but noted that some mechanized methods result in 'more birds that are dead on arrival' at the processing plant.)

In the course of our talk, a hurt-and-perplexed Friedrich confessed that he has been quite unhappy with my criticism of PETA, an organization that, he claimed, simply wants to lessen cruelty in the world. People who are kind to animals, he added, tend to be kinder people.

That claim doesn't fit with PETA's apparent sympathy with violent animal-rights activities.

I went to the Southern Poverty Law Center's Web site and searched for PETA. Lo and behold, the center quotes Friedrich at an animal rights conference: 'If we really believe that animals have the same right to be free from pain and suffering at our hands, then of course we're going to be blowing things up and smashing windows . . . I think it's a great way to bring about animal liberation, considering the level of suffering, the atrocities. I think it would be great if all of the fast-food outlets, slaughterhouses, these laboratories, and the banks that fund them, exploded tomorrow.'

So nice people believe it's wrong to shock chickens, but OK to bomb places where human beings work. Hmmm. Maybe that's why I can't help but consider PETA to be the Sinn Fein of the animal rights movement.



John Sackton, Editor
http://www.seafood.com/'  Seafood.com News  1-781-861-1441 
tsackton@seafood.com Email comments to jsackton@seafood.com</a>

Source: http://www.seafood.com/news/current/96369.html