Are There Violent Eco-Terrorists Embedded In Mainstream Tax-Free Animal Rights Organizations?
Or
Are There Violent Anti-War Terrorists Embedded In Mainstream Tax-Free Animal Rights Organizations?
Or
Are There Violent Terrorists Embedded In Mainstream Tax-Free Animal Rights Organizations?
 
 
Remember This..........
 
Eco-Terror Leader Incites War Protestors to Disrupt Our Nation- (03/27)
National

The former spokesperson for Earth Liberation Front (ELF), a noted domestic terror organization, has called on war protestors to “severely disrupt” the overall functioning of our nation’s society.
 
In a manifesto published on politically radical Internet sites, Craig Rosebraugh advocated violence and destruction as he instructed activists who oppose the U.S. military engagement in Iraq to “engage in strategies and tactics that severely disrupt the war machine, the U.S. economy, and the overall functioning of U.S. society.”
 
Rosebraugh claims that unless protest tactics like marches, picketing, rallies and civil disobedience serve to disrupt the functioning of the political system and the economy, they are “pointless, and perhaps even counterproductive.”

He urged activists to riot, attack financial centers and media outlets, harass political leaders, target U.S. military establishments and to refuse to support America’s troops.  He encourages property destruction, online sabotage and tactics to knock media networks off the air.

 
“An atmosphere of severe unrest, if manufactured properly, will force the U.S. government to place military resources in the streets of the United States, will threaten the economy of the United States, and ultimately create a political atmosphere unfavorable for Bush to continue on with the war,” wrote Rosebraugh.
 
The message of social disruption and destruction that Rosebraugh issued to war protestors is the same message he continues to send to extreme environmental advocates.
 
Recently, Rosebraugh told Oregon’s Willamette Week, “Terrorism can be OK, can be justified.”  He asserted that political activists must use a range of tactics, legal and illegal, violent and nonviolent.

 

 
 
An Occurrence We Can Testifiy To As Providers Of The Truth Is.......
...........thousands of virus-laden emails..........
 
Is The Human Hatred Just A Little Easier To See When Animal Issues Are Out Of The Way?
 
........"anti-war pacifist" supporters..........
..........they're the most violent people I have ever met in my life..........
 
 
 
Death Threats Flood Anti-Hollywood Celebrity Websites
By Marc Morano
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
April 21, 2003

(CNSNews.com) - The sponsors of at least two different websites chronicling the anti-war statements and activities of Hollywood celebrities, say they're being inundated with death threats from "anti-war pacifist" supporters of the celebrities.

The sponsor of one of the sites, who would only identify himself as Tim C., said he has received nearly 100 death threats since starting www.famousidiot.com less than two months ago. Tim's mother and wife want him to stop exposing Hollywood's liberal activists out of fear for his personal safety.

"If they are anti-war pacifists, they're the most violent people I have ever met in my life. It's really unbelievable," Tim C., told CNSNews.com. The website's motto is: "They (Hollywood) don't speak for us."

The author of another anti-celebrity activist website, www.HollywoodHalfWits.com, dedicated to "exposing the ignorance, insanity and anti-Americanism of Hollywood celebrities," also claims defenders of Hollywood activists are anything but pacifist.

"I have received death threats, thousands of virus-laden emails, words of pure hatred, all this from the peace-loving, compassionate free-speech left," Mark of HollywoodHalfWits.com told CNSNews.com. Mark declined to reveal his last name as a safety precaution.

"I'm just an average American living in a small town in California. Due to the threats in the hate mail I get, that's all I can say," Mark said.

Tim C. of Famousidiot.com said the threats are relentless. "I receive on average one death threat a day ... we had no clue that these folks feel that strongly," he explained.

The war in Iraq prompted a blitz of high profile celebrity anti-war activists voicing their dissent in the media and as a result, created a host of new websites dedicated to chronicling, criticizing and ridiculing the famous activists.

Visitors to famousidiot.com rank a top ten list of celebrities they most want to boycott. Actress Janeane Garofalo is currently ranked the number one boycott target, followed by actor George Clooney and the country music band, Dixie Chicks. The site also lists the appropriate studio or production company next to each celebrity to aid people in launching a boycott.

Famousidiot.com "is dedicated to exposing the elitists among us that feel compelled to speak out against the very country that afforded them the opportunity to earn a king's fortune."

Mark, of HollywoodHalfWits.com, claims he has drawn 1.3 million visitors to his site since its launch in February. The website features a "Hall of Halfwits," which includes a who's who of liberal activists, including Garofalo, Clooney, the Dixie Chicks, Sheryl Crow, Mike Farrell, Ed Harris, Jessica Lange, Madonna, Michael Moore, Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Martin Sheen, Oliver Stone, and Barbra Streisand.
 
<snip>
 
Entire Article Available At: http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=/Culture/archive/200304/CUL20030421a.html
 
 
USA Today opens debate on animal-rights 'Misanthropes'
Posted On April 22, 2003

USA Today has published two letters regarding an op-ed by the Center for Consumer Freedom's Executive Director, Richard Berman. The first, penned by a professor of pharmacology and neuroscience, provides even more support for our position:

Medical researchers spend millions of dollars protecting their animals from these extremists, money that might otherwise be directed to finding cures for diseases. Promising young scientists are turning away from medical-research careers to avoid the prospect of harassment and death threats to themselves or their children from these extremists. The training of veterinarians is being compromised by animal rightists who oppose the use of animals in veterinary curricula.

Until society recognizes that the illogic of animal rightism requires lies, violent threats and terrorism to sustain its message, we will continue to suffer from this aberrant philosophy.

The second letter, titled "Animal rightists misunderstood," argues that peaceful vegetarians are the real voice of animal advocacy, and that Berman "selectively" quoted "a vocal minority of misanthropes." If only that were so.

Berman quotes only two such "misanthropes": Kevin Jonas, the leader of the violent group SHAC, and Ingrid Newkirk, the president and co-founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Jonas is scheduled to speak at the Animal Rights 2003 convention -- marking his recent validation by the wider animal rights movement. And SHAC has arguably been more effective than any other animal rights organization in recent memory, having terrified into submission major financial institutions like The Royal Bank of Scotland, Citibank, CSFB, HSBC, Deloitte and Touche, and Barclays.

Like it or not, PETA and SHAC are the voices of today's animal rights movement. If "mainstream" animal rights zealots consider these two groups a "minority of misanthropes," they should try to marginalize them. Disinviting Jonas from the movement's biggest event would be a good start.

Until then, Berman's thesis holds true: "The animal rights movement has gone from cute and cuddly -- think baby seals -- to callous and cutthroat."

Source: http://www.consumerfreedom.com/headline_detail.cfm?HEADLINE_ID=1886
Callous And Cutthroat?
 

Payments for Fighting Cocks Bring Criticism

By BARBARA WHITAKER

LOS ANGELES, April 21 — Officials in California are destroying millions of birds in an effort to stop the spread of a deadly avian disease, and they are paying owners, including many suspected of cockfighting, for their losses.

The latter situation has caused outrage in some quarters.

"We do not believe the federal government should use Americans' hard-earned tax dollars to compensate cockfighters," said Wayne Pacelle, senior vice president of the Humane Society of the United States.

In a recent letter to the secretary of agriculture, Ann M. Venneman, seven members of Congress agreed. The asked the Department of Agriculture to outline measures to prevent cockfighting and stop the spread of the avian disease, Exotic Newcastle Disease, an influenza that does not affect humans but is easily transmitted among fowl.

"By paying owners of fighting birds at black market rates," the representatives wrote, "the U.S.D.A. is endorsing the practice of cockfighting, which is illegal in the state of California. The government has no responsibility to compensate those engaged in illegal activities."

But officials with the Exotic Newcastle Disease Task Force, which is made up of state and federal agencies, said they had no choice but to reimburse owners of game fowl, some of which are used for show.

"There is no law against owning the birds," said Larry Cooper, a spokesman for the task force in California. "There is no law against raising the birds. The only interest we have is if we find in someone's backyard gamecocks either infected with Exotic Newcastle or considered a dangerous contact."

The authorities are investigating whether fighting birds played a role in bringing the disease into Southern California or in helping it spread through the state and the nation. Eight Southern California counties are under quarantines to restrict the movement of birds.

The disease has been found among fighting birds in backyard flocks in Nevada, New Mexico and Texas.

In response to the outbreak in California, State Senator Nell Soto, an Ontario Democrat, has introduced legislation that would allow district attorneys to charge cockfighters with a felony; cockfighting is currently a misdemeanor. Nationally, a ban on interstate transportation of fighting birds will take effect in May, and legislation has been introduced to increase jail time to two years from one year for violators of laws against animal fights.

The Exotic Newcastle Disease outbreak in California was discovered in October in a flock of backyard birds. As of April 4, state and federal officials had spent nearly $93 million trying to eradicate the disease.

About $12.5 million of that was paid to poultry producers, which have destroyed more than 3.1 million birds. Owners of "backyard birds," including chickens, exotic pets and game fowl, were reimbursed $5.1 million. Some 138,000 of those birds have been killed; about 35 percent were game fowl.

"I can't say 35 percent are fighting cocks, but a high percentage are," Mr. Cooper said. "There were a lot more cockfighters in people's backyards than we expected to find."

In the early 1970's the disease devastated the state's poultry industry. Twelve million hens and other birds were destroyed, at a cost of $60 million. Eradication took three years.

In recent months, investigators have fanned out over several neighborhoods in Southern California in an effort to identify infected birds. When birds are identified as infected or as being a threat, they are killed. A price is negotiated with the owner based on factors like the bird's breed, age and quality of care.

A federal appraisal list values game fowl from $20 to $200. Critics charge that the government has been paying even more. Payments have ranged from $5 for a chicken to $1,850 for a yellow-throated parrot.

Investigators are relying on several sources, including mail carriers, to identify where birds are kept. And the door-to-door campaign has distressed many bird owners. In March, several sued Gov. Gray Davis and government agencies, demanding that steps be taken to keep birds from being killed arbitrarily.

But in California, which has a $3.5 billion poultry industry, stemming the disease is foremost, officials said.

"We are very much concerned about game birds and how they can affect the future of our industry," said Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, a trade group. "But right now there's too much at stake to worry about how much people are being paid and whether the birds are used for fighting. Right now we just want to get rid of the disease."
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/22/national/22BIRD.html
 
 
Cockfighting's last gasp

They come, lately, as purveyors of Asian food delicacies: killer gamecocks as Chinese finger food.

Or, in another attempt at image makeover, as providers of exotic feathers, however blood-spattered, for that booming, blood-spattered exotic feather industry we've all read so much about.

Cockfighters have even suggested to Florida legislators that they're fulfilling an educational need, providing breeding stock for tykes whose sole youthful ambition is to win a 4-H blue ribbon at the county fair in the category of most murderous rooster.

Cockfighters, obviously, are in need of a new, more convincing rationale. And quick. Their barely legal status in Florida is as endangered as a puny gamecock.

A bill in the Legislature that would -- finally -- ban training, breeding, transporting or otherwise possessing cocks or fighting dogs passed unanimously out of committee in the House of Representatives last week.

The Senate bill will be taken up in committee on Tuesday. Unless cockfighters come up with something new and very creative, this could be the end of animal blood sports in Florida.

ALREADY ILLEGAL

Staging cockfights is already illegal in Florida, but police have complained that the law is written in such a way that unless they catch the roosters in the very act of fighting, no matter how much incriminating evidence they find at the scene, convictions are as scarce as hen's teeth.

The new bill would also make it a felony to attend animal fights as a spectator.

Tuesday might just be D-Day for cockfighting.

Lt. Sherry Schleuter of the Broward Sheriff's Office has testified before lawmakers in Washington and Tallahassee that suspects caught at cockpits with fighting gamecocks equipped with metal knives attached to their spurs have merely claimed that they were raising and training the animals in Florida to transport and sell in states where the ''sport'' remains legal. Not that police believed them, but it gave the chicky boys a valid defense in court.

After Oklahoma voters outlawed cockfighting last fall, New Mexico and Louisiana became the only states where residents can legally stage these bizarre rooster death duels. But on May 15, a new federal law will ban transporting fighting cocks across state lines or to other nations. So much for the Florida cockfighters' claim that their killer chickens were all marked for export to New Orleans or Santa Fe.

CULTURAL BIGOTRY?

The rooster boys, many of them North Florida rednecks, also loved the argument that banning fighting cocks amounted to cultural bigotry against Hispanic ethnic groups in South Florida. But Rep. Marco Rubio, a Miami Republican who sponsored the bill, has ruined the it's-our-Latin-heritage argument. ``I'm Cuban-American, and I can tell you that five Cuban Americans voted this out of committee.

Rep. Rubio, without bothering with cultural nuance, said, ``We just think this is a pretty barbaric practice.''

Come Tuesday, in the Senate hearing, Senate sponsor Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, said a number of law enforcement officials would testify that cockfights tend to nurture other criminal behavior -- gambling, drugs, gunplay.

It so happened that the last time the word ''cockfighting'' appeared in The Herald was on March 8, after gunplay broke out at a clandestine cockfighting arena in Northwest Miami-Dade County. One man was beaten, another was shot in the face. Money and a car were stolen.

Police discovered a cockpit, 50 roosters, cockfighting paraphernalia and a few bloody feathers at the scene. But not a hint of exotic Asian food spices. And not a single 4-H blue ribbon.
 
 
Source: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/columnists/fred_grimm/5668495.htm
 
 
Florida..........
 
House 1911: Relating to Animal Fighting or Baiting  


H1911    GENERAL BILL by Public Safety & Crime Prevention; (CO-SPONSORS) Barreiro
  (Similar H 1429, S 2350)
  04/21/03 HOUSE  Filed; Introduced, placed on Calendar -HJ 00417
Source: http://www.flsenate.gov/session/index.cfm?Mode=Bills&Submenu=1&BI_Mode=ViewBillInfo&Billnum=2350&Year=2003
 
 
Florida Senate Committee on Agriculture
Members:
Chair: Nancy Argenziano (R)

Vice Chair: Anthony C. "Tony" Hill, Sr. (D)
 
J.D. Alexander (R)
 
Michael S. "Mike" Bennett (R)
 
Larcenia J. Bullard (D)
 
Victor D. Crist (R)
 
Paula Dockery (R)
 
Gary Siplin (R)
 
Information Source:
 http://www.flsenate.gov/cgi-bin/View_Page.pl?Tab=committees&Submenu=1&File=index.html&Directory=committees/senate/ag/
 
 
 
04/22/03 SENATE CS by Agriculture; YEAS  8  NAYS  0
 
Senate 2350: Relating to Animal Fighting Act  


S2350    GENERAL BILL by Klein; (CO-SPONSORS) Posey  (Similar H 1429, H 1911)
  Animal Fighting Act; defines term "animal fighting"; revises elements of
  crime of animal fighting or baiting; prohibits certain acts associated
  with animal fighting or baiting; provides for seizure, impoundment, &
  euthanasia of animals under certain conditions; amends provisions re
  search warrants, etc. Amends 828.122, 933.02,.18.  EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon
  becoming law.
  03/04/03 SENATE Filed
  03/19/03 SENATE Introduced, referred to Agriculture; Criminal Justice
                  -SJ 00232
  04/17/03 SENATE On Committee agenda-- Agriculture, 04/22/03, 9:45 am, 301-C
  04/22/03 SENATE CS by Agriculture; YEAS  8  NAYS  0
Source: http://www.flsenate.gov/session/index.cfm?Mode=Bills&Submenu=1&BI_Mode=ViewBillInfo&Billnum=2350&Year=2003
 
 
 
 
Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 2350

    By Senator Klein





    30-699A-03

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to animal fighting or baiting;

  3         amending s. 828.122, F.S., the "Animal Fighting

  4         Act"; defining the term "animal fighting";

  5         revising the elements of the crime of animal

  6         fighting or baiting; prohibiting certain acts

  7         associated with animal fighting or baiting;

  8         providing for the seizure, impoundment, and

  9         euthanasia of animals under certain conditions;

10         providing penalties; amending ss. 933.02,

11         933.18, F.S.; amending provisions relating to

12         search warrants; providing an effective date.

13 

14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15 

16         Section 1.  Section 828.122, Florida Statutes, is

17  amended to read:

18         828.122  Fighting or baiting animals; offenses;

19  penalties.--

20         (1)  This act may be cited as "The Animal Fighting

21  Act."

22         (2)  As used in this section, the term:

23         (a)  "Animal fighting" means a fight between roosters

24  or other birds or between dogs, bears, or any other animals.

25         (b)(a)  "Baiting" means to attack with violence, to

26  provoke, or to harass an animal with one or more animals for

27  the purpose of training an animal for, or to cause an animal

28  to engage in, fights with or among other animals.  In

29  addition, "baiting" means the use of live animals in the

30  training of racing greyhounds.

31 

                                  1

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 2350
    30-699A-03




1         (c)(b)  "Person" means every natural person, firm,

2  copartnership, association, or corporation.

3         (3)  Any person who knowingly commits any of the

4  following acts commits is guilty of a felony of the third

5  degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or

6  s. 775.084:

7         (a)  Baiting, breeding, training, transporting,

8  selling, owning, possessing, or using any wild or domestic

9  animal for the purpose of animal fighting or baiting; any

10  other animal.

11         (b)  Owning, possessing, or selling equipment for use

12  in any activity described in paragraph (a);

13         (c)(b)  Knowingly Owning, leasing, managing, or

14  operating, or having control of any property facility kept or

15  used for any activity described in paragraph (a) or paragraph

16  (b); the purpose of fighting or baiting any animal.

17         (d)(c)  Promoting, staging, advertising, or charging

18  any admission fee to a fight or baiting between two or more

19  animals;.

20         (e)  Performing any service or act to facilitate animal

21  fighting or baiting, including, but not limited to, providing

22  security, refereeing, or handling or transporting animals or

23  being a stakeholder of any money wagered on animal fighting or

24  baiting;

25         (f)  Removing or facilitating the removal of any animal

26  impounded under this section from an agency where the animals

27  are impounded or location designated by the court under

28  subsection (4), subsection (5), or subsection (7), without the

29  prior authorization of the court;

30 

31 

                                  2

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 2350
    30-699A-03




1         (4)  Any person who willfully commits any of the

2  following acts is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree,

3  punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083:

4         (g)(a)  Betting or wagering any money or other valuable

5  consideration on the fighting or baiting of animals; or

6         (h)(b)  Attending the fighting or baiting of animals.

7         (4)(5)  If a court finds probable cause to believe that

8  a violation of this section or s. 828.12 has occurred, the

9  court shall order the seizure of any animals and equipment

10  used in committing the violation Whenever an indictment is

11  returned or an information is filed charging a violation of s.

12  828.12 or of this section and, in the case of an information,

13  a magistrate finds probable cause that a violation has

14  occurred, the court shall order the animals seized and shall

15  provide for appropriate and humane care or disposition of the

16  animals.  This subsection is not provision shall not be

17  construed as a limitation on the power to seize animals as

18  evidence at the time of arrest.

19         (5)  If an animal shelter or other location is

20  unavailable, a court may order the animal to be impounded on

21  the property of its owner or possessor and shall order such

22  person to provide all necessary care for the animal and to

23  allow regular inspections of the animal by a person designated

24  by the court.

25         (6)  If a veterinarian finds that an animal kept or

26  used in violation of this section is suffering from an injury

27  or a disease severe enough that it is not possible to humanely

28  house and care for the animal pending completion of a hearing

29  held under subsection (4), final disposition of the criminal

30  charges, or court-ordered forfeiture, the veterinarian may

31  euthanize the animal as specified in s. 828.058. A

                                  3

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 2350
    30-699A-03




1  veterinarian licensed to practice in this state shall be held

2  harmless from criminal or civil liability for any decisions

3  made or services rendered under this subsection.

4         (7)  If an animal can be housed in a humane manner

5  until a hearing is held under subsection (4), s. 828.073

6  applies.

7         (8)  In addition to other penalties prescribed by law,

8  the court may issue an order prohibiting a person who is

9  convicted of a violation of this section from owning,

10  possessing, keeping, harboring, or having custody or control

11  over any animals for a period of time determined by the court.

12         (9)(6)  This section does The provisions of subsection

13  (3) and paragraph (4)(b) shall not apply to:

14         (a)  Any person simulating a fight for the purpose of

15  using the simulated fight as part of a motion picture which

16  will be used on television or in a motion picture, provided s.

17  828.12 is not violated.

18         (b)  Any person using animals to pursue or take

19  wildlife or to participate in any hunting regulated or subject

20  to being regulated by the rules and regulations of the Fish

21  and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

22         (c)  Any person using animals to work livestock for

23  agricultural purposes.

24         (d)  Any person violating s. 828.121.

25         (e)  Any person using dogs animals to hunt wild hogs or

26  to retrieve domestic hogs pursuant to customary hunting or

27  agricultural practices.

28         (10)(7)  Nothing in This section does not shall be

29  construed to prohibit, impede, or otherwise interfere with

30  recognized animal husbandry and training techniques or

31  practices not otherwise specifically prohibited by law.

                                  4

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 2350
    30-699A-03




1         Section 2.  Section 933.02, Florida Statutes, is

2  amended to read:

3         933.02  Grounds for issuance of search warrant.--Upon

4  proper affidavits being made, a search warrant may be issued

5  under the provisions of this chapter upon any of the following

6  grounds:

7         (1)  When the property shall have been stolen or

8  embezzled in violation of law;

9         (2)  When any property shall have been used:

10         (a)  As a means to commit any crime,

11         (b)  In connection with gambling, gambling implements

12  and appliances, or

13         (c)  In violation of s. 847.011 or other laws in

14  reference to obscene prints and literature;

15         (3)  When any property constitutes evidence relevant to

16  proving that a felony has been committed;

17         (4)  When any property is being held or possessed:

18         (a)  In violation of any of the laws prohibiting the

19  manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors,

20  or

21         (b)  In violation of the fish and game laws, or

22         (c)  In violation of the laws relative to food and

23  drug, or

24         (d)  In violation of a quarantine for citrus canker

25  pursuant to s. 581.184, or

26         (e)  Which may be inspected, treated, seized, or

27  destroyed pursuant to s. 581.184; or

28         (5)  When the laws in relation to cruelty to animals,

29  as provided in chapter 828, have been or are violated in any

30  particular building or place, but no search shall be made in

31  such building or place after sunset, unless specially

                                  5

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 2350
    30-699A-03




1  authorized by the officer issuing the warrant upon

2  satisfactory cause shown; in which case such property may be

3  taken on the warrant so issued from any house or place in

4  which it is concealed, or from any vehicle, aircraft, or

5  watercraft in which it may be found, or from the possession of

6  any person by whom it shall have been used in the commission

7  of any offense or from any person in whose possession it may

8  be.

9 

10  This section also applies The provisions of this section shall

11  apply also to any papers or documents used as a means of or in

12  aid of the commission of any offense against the laws of the

13  state.

14         Section 3.  Section 933.18, Florida Statutes, is

15  amended to read:

16         933.18  When warrant may be issued for search of

17  private dwelling.--No search warrant shall issue under this

18  chapter or under any other law of this state to search any

19  private dwelling occupied as such unless:

20         (1)  It is being used for the unlawful sale,

21  possession, or manufacture of intoxicating liquor;

22         (2)  Stolen or embezzled property is contained therein;

23         (3)  It is being used to carry on gambling;

24         (4)  It is being used to perpetrate frauds and

25  swindles;

26         (5)  The law relating to narcotics or drug abuse is

27  being violated therein;

28         (6)  A weapon, instrumentality, or means by which a

29  felony has been committed, or evidence relevant to proving

30  said felony has been committed, is contained therein;

31 

                                  6

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 2350
    30-699A-03




1         (7)  One or more of the following misdemeanor child

2  abuse offenses is being committed there:

3         (a)  Interference with custody, in violation of s.

4  787.03.

5         (b)  Commission of an unnatural and lascivious act with

6  a child, in violation of s. 800.02.

7         (c)  Exposure of sexual organs to a child, in violation

8  of s. 800.03.

9         (8)  It is in part used for some business purpose such

10  as a store, shop, saloon, restaurant, hotel, or boardinghouse,

11  or lodginghouse;

12         (9)  It is being used for the unlawful sale,

13  possession, or purchase of wildlife, saltwater products, or

14  freshwater fish being unlawfully kept therein; or

15         (10)  The laws in relation to cruelty to animals, as

16  provided in chapter 828, have been or are being violated

17  therein, except that no search pursuant to such a warrant

18  shall be made in any private dwelling after sunset and before

19  sunrise unless specially authorized by the judge issuing the

20  warrant, upon a showing of probable cause. Property relating

21  to the violation of such laws may be taken on a warrant so

22  issued from any private dwelling in which it is concealed or

23  from the possession of any person therein by whom it shall

24  have been used in the commission of such offense or from any

25  person therein in whose possession it may be.

26 

27  If, during a search pursuant to a warrant issued under this

28  section, a child is discovered and appears to be in imminent

29  danger, the law enforcement officer conducting such search may

30  remove the child from the private dwelling and take the child

31  into protective custody pursuant to chapter 39.  The term

                                  7

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 2350
    30-699A-03




1  "private dwelling" shall be construed to include the room or

2  rooms used and occupied, not transiently but solely as a

3  residence, in an apartment house, hotel, boardinghouse, or

4  lodginghouse.  No warrant shall be issued for the search of

5  any private dwelling under any of the conditions hereinabove

6  mentioned except on sworn proof by affidavit of some

7  creditable witness that he or she has reason to believe that

8  one of said conditions exists, which affidavit shall set forth

9  the facts on which such reason for belief is based.

10         Section 4.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

11  law.

12 

13            *****************************************

14                          SENATE SUMMARY

15    Amends provisions relating to animal fighting or baiting.
      Defines the term "animal fighting." Revises the elements
16    of the crime of animal fighting or baiting. Prohibits
      certain acts associated with animal fighting or baiting.
17    Provides for the seizure, impoundment, and euthanasia of
      animals under certain conditions. Provides penalties.
18    Amends provisions relating to search warrants issued in
      connection with violations involving cruelty to animals.
19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

31 

                                  8

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Source: http://www.flsenate.gov/cgi-bin/view_page.pl?Tab=session&Submenu=1&FT=D&File=sb2350.html&Directory=session/2003/Senate/bills/billtext/html/
 
 
 
Tilting at justice in Florida?
Opinions Of Some Of The Concerned Americans Who Attended The.........
04/22/03 SENATE CS by Agriculture; YEAS  8  NAYS  0
 
Subject: Hurt but not killed in Florida
I spoke before the Ag Committee in Florida today. The bill they wanted to pass would have outlawed the owning of a game chicken.  They unanimously supported the bill with an amendment that does not outlaw the owning of a game rooster, but does outlaw having anything that shows that the intent of the roosters owned is to fight them. We seemed to be doing fair in the committee until O.G. stood up and spoke and informed these Senators that he fought chickens in Louisiana, New Mexico and other states (I stress other states).  He also informed them that an injunction was being filed against the bill that was passed in Washington.  WE IMMEDIATELY LOST ALL CREDABILITY.  We need to understand that there is no way that in a meeting like this one that we are going to educate Senators and have them support us. This bill still has to go to the floor, where there is no doubt it will pass, now.  We were hurt today, but not killed.  If we do not learn how to be better politicians - we are going to kill ourselves. 
 
B.H.
 
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Subject: Matters were already decided before we got there today
I attended the Committee meeting at the Capitol today and just like O. said, I heard the chairman say before any testimony at all began, let's go ahead and pass this thing and we'll make the ammendments later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.  I truthfully don't think that there's anything that anyone could have even said or done today!! I only addressed the bill and said that I very strongly opposed this bill. The chair asked if there was anything else.  After hearing what O. and I heard eariler coming out of the Chair of the Senate Ag Committee's mouths, that matters were already decided before we got there today, I declined only to say, I don't want to waste anymore of your Precious time!!. I knew that if I didn't step down when I did I would have gone off on every S.O.B. in the room! 
 
R.R.   
 
...........Lawmakers have until Thursday to take it up again...........
 
 
House Rejects Bill To Lower Cockfighting Penalties
Tuesday April 22, 2003 11:00pm
 
Oklahoma City (AP) - A bill that would spare cockfighters from a prison term was defeated today in the Oklahoma House.

Members voted 52-to-47 against the Senate-passed measure that proposed a statewide vote on reducing first-offense cockfighting penalties.

Under the cockfighting question approved by the people last November, anyone who raises chickens for fighting could be charged with a felony, punishable by a 25-thousand dollar fine and up to 10 years in prison.

The bill proposed to lessen the penalty to a misdemeanor on the first offense punishable by a 2-thousand to 25-thousand dollar fine and up to a year in jail.

Opponents of the measure say it is an attempt to tamper with the will of the people.

The measure was kept alive on a motion to reconsider. Lawmakers have until Thursday to take it up again.
Source: http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0403/84343.html
 
 
.........How popular? Last year nearly 1.3 million paid to see cockfights in Puerto Rico.........
 
'Born to fight'
 
By Thom Loverro
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
 SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Walter Rodriguez sits high in the seats at Isla Verde's Club Gallistico, watching as his bird prepares to fight for its life in the pit below. 
     This is a bird Rodriguez has nurtured for more than a year, a bird picked from a long line of fighters and meticulously trained for this moment. This is a bird that, according to Rodriguez, carries his own fighting soul with him.
     "Their fight is our fight. It is like a part of ourselves fighting in the pit," he says.
     Thirty-five seconds later, the bird is carried out of the pit, bloody and near death. Rodriguez's fighting spirit is wounded, too.
     "It is very emotional sometimes," he says. "Sometimes you have to be ready to lose in the cockpit."
     Rodriguez lost one of his prize roosters in that fight, but he wasn't the only loser. Some fans among the 200 in the club that day lost money betting on the fighting spirit and skill of his rooster, though some won money betting against it.
     This scene is repeated every day, in 110 cockpits across Puerto Rico.
     During the Montreal Expos' recent 10-game "home-stand" in San Juan, tourism officials provided reporters from the mainland a look at the culture of the island: rum factories, nature preserves, museums and historic neighborhoods.
     Never did they mention the part of the culture that truly is a passion in Puerto Rico — far more than is baseball — even though the busloads of journalists passed by Club Gallistico nearly every day.
     "It is part of our culture, and we are very proud of it," says Carlos Quinones, who has raised and trained roosters and run cockpits for 50 of his 58 years.
     For Quinones, cockfighting also is part of the family history. His father raised roosters and ran cockpits, as did his grandfather. His grandfather eventually became the "commissioner" of cockfighting in Puerto Rico, where the sport is regulated by the Department of Recreation.
     "It is very old here. It has been here a long time and is very popular," Quinones says.
     How popular? Last year nearly 1.3 million paid to see cockfights in Puerto Rico, a far greater number than paid to watch baseball on the island.
     "It is part of our lives," said Juan Carrillo, a former owner and trainer of roosters. "We have grown up with this."
     Cockfighting has existed for more than 300 years in Puerto Rico, where it has been legal since 1933. The sport is banned everywhere else in the United States but Louisiana and Oklahoma. The Puerto Rican government licenses cockpits and sends judges to enforce rules at an estimated 100,000 cockfights each year.
     "We keep the game under control," Quinones says. "We do inspections. We go to court if there are abuses, and we give out fines to people who break the rules."
     As with sports in which humans compete, the use of performance-enhancing substances is one of the chief problems regulators face. And of course, since betting is involved, there always are questions of criminal influence, though Quinones insists there is no organized crime involvement in cockfighting.
     Critics say cockfighting is merely controlled brutality toward animals. Even here, it faces opposition from animal rights groups.
     The Federation of Animal Protection constantly works toward eliminating the sport on the island, and outside forces chip away at the practice as well.
     A federal law that goes into effect May 1 prohibits fighting birds from being transported across state lines or out of the country. That will prevent a number of cockfighting enthusiasts in the United States — World Boxing Association heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr. among them — from raising roosters and sending them to Puerto Rico to fight. However, Quinones remains confident that cockfighting will outlast its critics.
     "It would be very difficult to do away with it," he says. "It is a big part of our society."
     Rodriguez, 57, has about 100 roosters that he raises and trains on his mountainside home and rooster farm in Guaynabo. His father and grandfather both raised fighting birds. He has four children, none of whom is carrying on the cockfighting tradition — though one, a film student in the United States, is making a documentary on the sport. But his 7-year-old grandson, Mishak, has taken a liking to it and hangs around with his grandfather and the birds.
     "I think he will be the one to carry it on," Rodriguez says.
     Rodriguez sees cockfighting as one of the last lines of defense in a struggle for control, not only on the island but throughout the world. It is, as he sees it, a struggle between testosterone and estrogen.
     "We know we are looking at the last stages of the agricultural society and eventually cockfighting will probably disappear," Rodriguez says. "But not because men decided that we want it to disappear. But it will be estrogen sensitivity that will not accept cockfighting as part of the culture. It is part of the testosterone culture."
     There is nothing but testosterone on Rodriguez's farm.
     "We only take what we consider superior birds for breeding, and superior birds are those that show a lot of qualities of combat, a lot of class and disposition," Rodriguez says. "The best way to consider the breeding stock is to fight them and know their ancestors. I won't breed any bird unless I know his father and his grandfather and his mother and grandmother. ...
     "If you don't breed the right birds and the right hens, you might inherit some bad qualities. You don't want a runner in the cockpits. You want a bird that fights to win or die."
     Rodriguez starts training roosters when they are about 8 months old and works with them for about 10 weeks. Then, they are ready for the cockpit, some of which are ramshackle facilities in small towns. Others are small arenas that might seat 600 people and have bars and restaurants inside.
     Club Gallistico is a round building just a few blocks from a row of major luxury hotels on the beach and marked by the word "Cockfighting" on the outside. People started filing in this day long before the first fight. They came to joke, to talk — and to take a close look at the birds they would soon bet on.
     Each bird is displayed in its own tiny cubicle behind glass, with its opponent in the next cubicle. As fight time approaches, the birds are brought into another room — also behind glass, in full view of the bettors — where fighting spurs are meticulously put on their legs.
     First, the birds are cleaned and tested to make sure there is no foreign substance on them. Then the legs are taped, very much like a boxer's hands before a fight. The spurs then are attached to the tape by melted wax that quickly hardens.
     "Putting the spurs on is an art," Quinones says.
     A boy about 12 years old, with the help of his father, was putting the spurs on a rooster he had raised. Outside, children played in the fighting pit where the boy's bird soon would fight for its life and, according to those who love the sport, the honor of the family.
     The spurs used to be made of metal, and the ones used in underground fights often still are. But the ones used in legal fights in Puerto Rico are made of plastic, though that doesn't make them any less lethal. Fights still often end with a bird being carried out dead.
     Owners set up fights between birds of about the same weight and competitive level. Each owner puts down one officially recorded entry bet, usually $200 to $500. Then, if they desire, owners can make side bets with one another.
     The birds are placed in a plastic box on an electric pulley — one on each side, separated by a plexiglass divide. The box is sent out on top of the arena to the middle of the building, then is lowered into the circular pit.
     This pit, which is carpeted and about 20 feet in diameter, also comes with a sponsor: The padding has "San Juan Marriott" lettered on each side.
     Handlers inside the pit take the birds out of the box and put them into sacks. They then pull them out of the sacks and use a fake bird to get the fighters worked up.
     "It is an aptitude test," Quinones says. "It shows bettors that the bird is ready to fight."
     While this takes place, the bettors — some of whom are members of the club and sit in $35 ringside seats while others sit in $10 general admission seats — yell back and forth, placing wagers as if they were commodities traders. There are no betting windows, no electronic or written records of the transactions.
     "It is all done on the honor system," Rodriguez says. "Everyone is honest here — even the gangsters."
     Sometimes large sums of money are at stake.
     "Once I saw a man bet $17,000, and the bird lasted just six seconds," Quinones says. "Sometimes the bets are very high."
     As the bets fly, the birds get one last look from a judge who sits in a special ringside chair. Then the fighting begins.
     The roosters flail at each other, pecking and raising their legs and taking swipes with their spikes. There is a 15-minute limit, but fights usually last between five and six minutes. More bets are placed as the match goes on, with some bettors making five or six wagers on a single fight.
     "You have to determine whether a blow is lethal or not and how much longer the bird might last and then bet on that," Quinones says.
     If a bird cannot fight back for one minute, the fight is ended.
     Most often, a lethal blow is delivered. After about four fights, the blood and feathers are cleaned from the pit, and competition resumes.
     It will go on all day, sometimes for 12 hours. This goes on across the island, as it has for several hundred years. This is the sports soul of Puerto Rico, and its supporters are proud of it — no matter how cruel and brutal it may seem to an outsider.
     "It is a thrill," Rodriguez says. "These birds are born to fight. This is the oldest sport in the history of humankind. There is no other sport that can claim it has been practiced for 3,500 years, since the days of Persia.
     "The armies used to use the birds to illustrate to their soldiers how they wanted them to fight. The way they would do it was before the troops would go into a fight, they would put two birds together to fight. At the end, they would tell the troops, 'This is the way we want you to fight. You fight until you die.' "
 
Source: http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20030423-95502402.htm