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Opinions
Of A Concerned Subscriber........
Hello to all you Rooster people out there, who are some
of the best people I've ever been associated with in my 67 years, and to
you no where's with the HSUS, Politicians and the rest of the power
mongers in the U.S.of A. government and legal system.
In response to Henry Carroll's "kind"
letter to the fraternity about our being a danger to society, I've thought
about the same subject in the past.The only tie the idea of the HSUS
labeling of us as degenerates, serial killers, dopers, child
molesters, women beaters, rapists, or what ever
else we've heard and seen in print, is a legal lever for them to
pressure the politicians and make them feel better about accepting dirty
money for their personal and campaign uses. I also ask and wonder, of
the hundreds of times, we as a whole, have been maligned by them and the
media, have they been sued by our clubs for character assignation, lies,
unproven and unchallenged allegations? Are their accusations
rescinded on the front pages? Never to my knowledge. We have absolutely no
voice.
When I speak of these instances to
friends who use animals in other ways than gamefowl are, and even copy and
pass out articles about what's going on from this website, they'll for the
most part , read the first page, then tell me reading this kind of
news _isses them off. They agree, but don't see the real
point of me doing as I do. Like the old idea goes, there's no one
directly after them , YET. Even fisherman and hunters don't see
the true picture and think their organizations will take care of the
heat. They also say what I've heard in the past about the money lost to
industry and American businesses, "they'd never allow that to happen,
we spend a lot of money to bolster the economy for them to pass those
kind of laws". As a nation we are the most gullible as I see it. First of
all who are "they"? The U.S government is not in Iraq to lose money. The
picture told to us is not their reasons for doing what they do, nor
the reasons for the rest of the so called "free world" to agree with our
governments actions. The joke is we are paying for it in taxes while they
export all the decent, higher paying jobs to other countries. Then we hear
lately that the "Congress", who don't forget, always look out for the U.S.
Citizen's best interests and rights, are going to impose extra taxes
on the Chinese goods entering our country, from our companies over
there paying .30 cents an hour to the workers, to correct a so called
trade unbalance with China. Who do you think is going to be paying these
extra taxes? Not the Chinese for sure. To be honest It will me you
and I, the consumers here in the States. Don't forget our fellow
American's, our son's and daughter's are all over the world losing
their lives, devastating their families and their future's for the Bush's
and Kerry's of the world, and don't believe they care. Think twice
what they mean when they talk "Democracy", "Human Rights", and "
Humanitarian" reasons. We had them once upon a time and they are gone now
and no one realizes it yet.
A
subscriber
Anthony C.
Florida
P.S. A State where another Bush let and helped bad
legislation pass, some of the worst, against the gamefowl people, and
in the favor of HSUS interests and desires. May I also add, I am a
conservative, not a liberal. |
The proposed force, expected to be approved by police commissioners today, would combine the expertise of animal-control officers with the muscle of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Its goal: To not only prevent animals from being mauled or killed in bloody contests, but help prevent a culture of human and domestic violence that stems from animal abuse.
"If you can think of a way to hurt any living creature, it's been done in Los Angeles," said Bob Ferber, supervising attorney for the city attorney's Animal Protection Unit, which helped spur the task-force concept.
"There is no possibility of ending violence in this society as long as children can watch animal abuse go unpunished -- from a Doberman lying in a pool of blood in the front yard to a pit-bull fight going on in the back yard every weekend.
"This task force is a miracle come true."
Once popular as a gambling sport in the South, dog fighting has now become the status sport of gang members from New York to Los Angeles.
While cockfighting is prevalent in the San Fernando Valley, dog fighting is pervasive across the city, Ferber said, particularly in South Los Angeles.
The animal-cruelty task force would comprise two full-time police officers, including a detective, and five full-time animal-control officers to investigate what many believe to be a growing number of street blood sports.
It would also work with the City and District Attorney offices to prosecute animal-related crimes in addition to the weapons, drugs, gambling and gang-related offenses police say often accompany the animal-fight scene.
In creating a special force to pursue animal-related crimes, Los Angeles would follow the lead of such cities as Chicago, Boston and San Francisco. Pending City Council approval, the task force should be up and running by summer.
Residents in poor neighborhoods have complained for years about howling dogs and squawking cocks at organized fights and many say a crackdown is long overdue.
"I'm excited about the prospect of what this task force can accomplish to eliminate the widespread animal abuse that occurs in Los Angeles," said Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa, whose office helped spearhead the task-force plan.
"We know there is a distinct correlation between the mistreatment of animals and people."
The Humane Society of the United States estimates there are 40,000 serious and hobby fighting-dog owners and breeders nationwide -- with a far greater number of "street" fighters goaded by gang, hip-hop and inner-city culture.
Such fights are often held for a small fee around a central box, or "pit." Dogs, bred for aggressiveness, are sometimes kicked into battle. Others are used as "bait," to incite a taste for blood. Cocks are armed with small blades, or gaffs.
Dogs and roosters become mangled, scarred and frequently killed.
Until now, police paid little heed, Ferber and others say. And animal-control officers lacked the muscle and investigative skills to crack down on organizers. As a result, prosecutions of fight organizers and spectators fell through the cracks.
Now, in addition to gang members, some say a new generation of inner-city teens are involved in animal fights -- those in it only for kicks.
"The breeding of pit bulls for fighting in this city is out of control," said Melya Kaplan, executive director of the Voice for the Animals Foundation, the Venice-based advocacy group that broached the task-force concept. "We've got to stop this.
"In the past, nobody tried ... It's a violent, violent sport. There are kids there. There are animals being hurt. It's seeping into society. People in the neighborhoods are complaining -- they can't stand the screaming of the dogs anymore."
Both the Saint Martin's Animal Foundation in Acton and the Villa Lobos Pit Bull Rescue in Agua Dulce say their shelters are full of ex-fighting dogs.
"It's bad," said Tia Torres-Cardello, founder of Villa Lobos, who grew up in the northeast San Fernando Valley and who runs a "Pets in the Hood" program in juvenile halls. "It's kids, youngsters, who are doing it -- the majority of them are teenagers."
Albert Vasquez was cruising through an alley close to home when he smelled something foul coming from a cardboard box.
Opening its lid, he discovered his two missing pit bull terriers -- Rex and Princess -- apparent victims of a dogfight.
"I grew up with them since they were puppies," said Vasquez, 20, of Los Angeles, who had raised his dogs for battle before they were stolen. "It was like they took a shower in blood.
"I called all my friends, saying, Who would do something like that? ... They should ban (dog fighting), give 'em tickets or something, make it against the law."
For police, combating blood sports is a way to cut down on the "broken windows" that can beckon other crime.
Assistant Chief Sharon Papa, a self-professed "animal person" who once rescued dogs and cats from her police car, introduced the task-force idea to Chief William Bratton, who said he was surprised it wasn't already being done.
"I just want people to know that we do care about this issue because there is a correlation between animal abuse and domestic violence," said Papa, who will lead the new team in its pilot phase.
"We really think it puts the department on the front end of intervention with kids who are at risk of going down the wrong path. If we can get them to respect a dog or animals in general, it'll make a huge difference in their respect for people."
Though there is anecdotal evidence about animal cruelty, Papa said officers will first study the extent of the problem to justify using scarce police and Animal Services Department resources.
The Animal Services Department reports about 8,000 animal-cruelty complaints each year, most of them of the "dog-no-food-water-shelter" variety.
David Diliberto, director of field operations for the department, said the Los Angeles police can greatly assist his officers by doing background checks on animal-fight suspects and by wielding a big stick in tough neighborhoods.
Now, he said, his officers must walk up to a suspect's home in a gang-ridden neighborhood without a gun or handcuffs.
"This could be a 'three strike' felon, somebody wanted for murder," he said. "We have no way of running their ID to see if they're a dangerous person. Having LAPD officers with us, I think our officers will be more inclined to arrest people on the spot for animal cruelty.
"It's a win-win situation all around. It's going to make the quality of life for animals in this city much better."
Dana Bartholomew, (818) 713-3730 dana.bartholomew@dailynews.com
Source: http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20954~2711714,00.html
.......In the Philippines, meanwhile, the government is backing cockfighting all the way......
Cockfighting: A blood sport
ONE minute you’re a contender, the next you’re all washed up. So it was for Keapana, the gallant loser of bout 65 of the World Slasher Cup in Manila.
His fight started promisingly as, urged on by the feverish crowd, he advanced menacingly on the favourite, Joe Fire Fly.
But as they clashed in a furious tangle of feathers for the third or fourth time, something went terribly wrong and he slumped to the sawdust floor.
“He’s dead,” said Keapana’s grim-faced trainer as he carried the broken bird away, blood gushing from its head.
With hundreds of bouts to go in the three-day tournament, there was no time to mourn his passing.
“Nowhere is (it) like here – this is the capital of the cock-fighting world,” says Rich, a farmer from Canada who says he faces growing persecution for his hobby back home.
Cockfighters in the Philippines are more likely to get mobbed by admirers than be persecuted.
There are more cockpits than churches in this predominantly Roman Catholic country, and in Manila’s Araneta stadium the names of great “cockers” like Chuck Berry and Johnny Jumper are spoken with reverence.
Completing the atmosphere are bookies called “Cristo” who stand with their arms wide open to take bets, and a life-sized carving of Christ on the crucifix guarding one entrance.
Cockfighting, or sabong, is a rare point of common ground between the impoverished majority and the rich elite. Driving through the provinces, it seems that every family is nurturing a cock in their backyard and dreaming of glory.
But there are few “Rocky”-type tales at the World Slasher Cup, regarded by many as the cockfighting world championships.
Big money is needed to recruit the best trainers and breeders to shape the birds into killing machines, with a little help from a murderous 8cm blade tied to one heel.
Asked to sum up the appeal of the sport which dates back to before Spanish colonisers arrived, cocking aficionados speak of the thrill, Filipino men’s love of machismo and gambling, and a sense of fair play rarely found outside the cockpit.
“This is where you see the spirit of sportsmanship,” says Rodolfo Albano, a former congressman and owner of about 300 cocks. “No one cheats because, if they do, they will be attacked by the crowd.”
Albano says he treats his cocks like babies, but all innocence ends once they get in the ring.
A typical fight goes something like this. Amid a rising buzz from the crowd as last-second bets of up to three million pesos (RM205,000) each are placed in a flurry of hand signals, the cocks are psyched up for battle and set loose. Blood is quickly drawn and one sinks to the ground. But if he still shows some fight, the other is allowed to keep attacking, pecking at its eyes and slashing with the razor-sharp blade.
Fans say cocks hate each other anyway and their sport just gives nature a helping hand.
“It’s a lack of understanding. All they see is the blood and the gambling,” says Bobby Fairchild, a mountain of a man from Oklahoma, complaining about pressure from animal rights campaigners. “It’s about the connection between a man and a whole family of roosters.”
Fairchild is one of a growing number of cockfighting refugees who see the Philippines as a kind of Nirvana. The US Supreme Court refused to overrule a ban on the sport in Fairchild’s home state last year, and campaigners are now targeting the only two states where it remains legal, New Mexico and Louisiana.
In the Philippines, meanwhile, the government is backing cockfighting all the way.
The state-run gaming authority has plans to launch Telesabong, an online system that will allow fans to bet from home, which could rake in a fortune from millions of overseas workers pining for their national sport. – Reuters
By JAMES C. LOUGHRIE
Valley Press Staff
Writer
As they burst into a Lake Los Angeles shack, they broke up a cockfight arena with two rings, about 50 men and 93 roosters.
In the end, 21 men were cited while the rest fled, according to Sgt. John Perez of the Lancaster Sheriff's Station. Perez said an estimated 30 men escaped when two deputies entered.
After receiving a call from an anonymous informant, deputies arrived at the makeshift arena shortly after the fights began.
"They were just getting started," Perez said.
"We could tell there was one (fight) that had already started because there was a rooster with bloody feet. He was in a cage, and there was blood all over the bottom of the cage."
Cockfights, which are illegal in California, involve two roosters going to battle using their talons to cut each other. It can lead to roosters' deaths and often involves gambling.
The venue for the fights was a rural area near 185th Street East and Avenue H-6, where few could witness what was going on.
"The area's pretty wide open," Perez said. "There's some houses, but for the most part it's wide-open desert."
The building in which the fights were to be staged was constructed using garage doors as walls.
The doors were fastened together using light poles.
This interior, Perez said, was "just wide open with dirt floors."
Perez said no one at the fight claimed to own the residence or know the organizer.
"Everybody claimed they didn't know nothing about nothing," he said.
jloughrie@avpress.com
Source: http://avpress.com/n/tusty11.hts
Courtesy: Gerry C.
Wayne Pacelle, Humane Society president and chief executive officer, said the city and federal government's failure to safeguard the seals from human intruders is improper and violates state and federal laws, including the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
"When we see the law being violated like this, we do not sit on the sidelines," Pacelle said at a news conference at Children's Pool beach, where about 140 seals were resting.
Pacelle's announcement came after a keynote speech he delivered yesterday at the annual meeting of the Friends of County Animal Shelters.
With 8 million members, the Washington D.C.-based Humane Society is the nation's largest animal welfare organization.
Pacelle said the plight of the seal rookery is "one of the most significant marine mammal issues on the West Coast." The rookery is the only mainland site south of Carpenteria where the species come ashore to give birth. The birthing season runs from January to July.
Although the Humane Society is willing to negotiate with the city to reach a solution, "we intend to see this through until the seals are provided protection from harassers," he said. "This doesn't require a complex or costly solution."
San Diego City Councilman Scott Peters, whose district includes La Jolla, yesterday said the city is working with federal officials to provide the seals protection during the pupping season.
Beginning in 1999, parks crews at the direction of the City Council created a buffer zone with a rope barrier and numerous signs to prevent sightseers and other beachgoers from spooking the skittish seals.
The seal haven was unpopular with those who complained that the mammals' droppings were polluting the beach and usurping the public's traditional access to the beach.
In response, the City Council last fall ordered the barrier removed and enacted a "shared-use" policy intended to encourage people to resume using the cove for sunbathing, swimming and diving.
Seal advocates contend humans have repeatedly harassed the wild seals, and the animals are showing signs of stress from having to constantly flee into the ocean.
"There are plenty of other beaches that people can use," Pacelle said. "The seals just need a tiny little area in order to be protected. We don't understand the city's stubbornness and the disregard for federal law."
Pacelle said the Humane Society will go to court to prevent the city from following through on plans to excavate sand from Children's Pool to increase tidal flushing and narrow the area used by the seals to rest.
Two lawsuits related to the seals are pending against the city. One was filed by a local swimmer who contends the city must keep the seals away because the beach was given in trust specifically for children. Another legal challenge by animal-rights advocates alleges the city is violating an ordinance prohibiting the mistreatment of animals.
Terry Rodgers: (619) 542-4566; terry.rodgers@uniontrib.com
Source: http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050213/news_1m13seal.html