Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Cock Fighting

For the dip shit Republicans who are still fighting the Cold War and a Red Scare. I don't know if they honestly believe such tripe or if they are using it as a club to bash progressives, but, a poster at Kos sets 'em straight:

Daily Kos: Socialism is Evil:
"Listen:

Democrats are not socialists. Democrats are not capitalists.

Democrats are problem solvers. We don't believe that government is THE answer. Nor do we believe that government is the problem. All we care about is finding solutions to problems. Sometimes the answers may be addressed by the free market. Sometimes that market may exhibit problems of its own which would require oversight. Sometimes the government may be the best tool to solve problems. Whatever works. That's all we care about.

Republicans are not the party of problem solvers. "

________

In more cock fighting news.....

Wheeler over at Alablawg consistently produces some top-notch commentary. Always worth a read. I find myself agreeing with him often. A few days ago he tackled cock-fighting. The literal kind not the figurative kind.

Today’s Really Stupid Law:
"First of all, why cockfighting is a crime at all is beyond me. Is it something nice? No. Something I would ever do? No. But the only suffering is by a bunch of stupid roosters. And what’s gonna happen to these roosters after Johnny Law busts up the fights? They’ll be killed. So why not let them go out in a blaze of glory? Anyway, I sure hope no-one who opposes cockfighting eats chicken, because what happens to the Colonel’s best prior to the application of his secret recipe of herbs and spices would be called tortuous by even John Yoo.

Second, even granting the criminality of cockfighting, no-way this is a federal issue. How do cockfights in Alabama effect interstate commerce? I want a real answer, not a Wickard v. Filburn answer."
_______

This is late being posted but I still thought it important enough to include in today's post before it got relegated to the posts of Christmas past pile.

I may start focusing more on the lying nature of the GOP smear machine.

When Gore won his Oscar you knew the shit would be slung far and wide. And who better to start the fecal flying than Drudge (no link for that operative).

Read:

Gore Responds To Drudge’s Latest Hysterics:
"The right-wing is angry that Al Gore has won so much public attention and goodwill for his work on global warming. Determined to smear his efforts, Drudge writes in a screaming headline:"
_______

Come take a look at some of the people in my neighborhood, in my neighborhood, in my neigh-bor-hood.

If you want to buy the most perfectly seasoned wok and possible dabble in the skin trade.....

San Francisco: An insider's take on Chinatown:
"SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Behind Chinatown's gilded storefronts, dim sum joints and souvenir shops are stories -- often unpleasant ones -- of civil rights violations, racism and public housing struggles."


_______
_____
___

6 comments:

Chris Mansel said...

If you're under the hideous impression that national politics can get no worse than contemplate a Jeb Bush/Joe Leiberman ticket thrusting itself off from a Battle carrier parked just off Palm Beach while its crew members are forced to carry out their duties amidts the whims off the right wing press.

Navy Lt. - Sir, another reporter is crawling in and out of the missile firing station naked and screaming about the undiscovered amendments of the constitution hidden in Paris Hilton cell phone.

Admiral - Jesus, not again. See if you can coax Sean Hannity out with a copy of the dead and dismembered in Iraq.

Imagine Joe Lieberman trying for at least a few hours to get into one of those flight suits. Imagine Jeb Bush beating or having beaten up every reporter who covered his daughter arrest for drugs and having their bodies buried at sea.

- Chris Mansel
Florence, Alabama

Anonymous said...

Isn't one of the big deals with cockfighting, especially in urban areas but also rural, that it is often tied up with organized crime? It becomes a doorway onto a larger issue (in addition to the objections to cockfights qua cockfights).

AAW said...

Yeah it is tied to organized crime because it is illegal. Weed is tied to organized crime because it is illegal too. Rum Running/Moon shining was illegal and tied to organized crime at one point also.

I just don't buy the 'gateway' argument. It is too simple-minded and can be applied to about any-damn-thing. Picking my nose is a gateway into picking your nose... Whatever.

Then there is the animal cruelty issue. Alablawg makes the point that what is done to consumer chickens before they end up on my plate is far more gruesome than letting two cocks fight each other.

You may ask "Well, what about dogs"? should we allow dog fights? No. I don't eat dog and the brain size of a dog is many times larger than a rooster. Coming from the country I can confirm that rooster are about as stupid an animal as you can find.

I don't really know the answer. I do not that there are quite a few gruesome things folks do in the name of tradition. I'm just not sure on who and why they get regulated the way they do.

Anonymous said...

Commercial farming is indeed cruel, but I don't really see that as a justification to encourage cockfighting. Even though it doesn't get discussed in terms of the laws (though I imagine it would in social criticism, which I'm not much of a consumer of) it seems like the social effects of bloodsport would be a strong reason to oppose cockfighting. For the same reason people oppose shooting caught bears, or anything else... what does it encourage in the population... that watching death is fun.

But, I'm way out of my bailiwick on this, so maybe a philosopher will wander by.

AAW said...

Boxing is legal. Ultimate fighting is legal. Those are blood sports. What's the social effect there? What about kids that fight spiders or scorpions in boxes? Look I don't oppose cock-fighting but I do oppose dog fighting. There is a difference for me, but I'll admit that there's a big contridiction there. I just think we waste a lot of time in energy on stupid shit that shouldn't be illegal. I guess that the libertarian coming out in me. We just seem to have too many hypocritical laws.

AAW said...

Hey binky:

Check out the comments on the orginal post by Alablawg. Some good back and forth:

http://alablawg.wordpress.com/2007/03/05/todays-really-stupid-law/#comments