Update: Cockfighting now illegal in Louisiana! Also, dogfighting & Mike Vick:

[Ninong]

Note: Thread title was changed on July 19, 2007

Congratulations to Gov. Bill Richardson and the state of New Mexico. They finally banned cockfighting. That leaves Louisiana as the only state where cockfighting is still legal, although it's illegal in some local areas in the state.

We have been trying for years to get our retarded legislature to ban cockfighting but in spite of the fact that polls show that 80% of Louisiana residents favor a statewide ban, we still can't even get it out of committee. That's because the retards in charge couldn't care less about the will of the people. This is still the most backward state in the nation in more ways than one.

[schrocat]

Congrats Dude!!!

[Ninong]

Thanks a lot!

Breaking news:

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Gov. Kathleen Blanco might be the one to break up cockfighting in Louisiana.

She said she's now in favor of a bill that would ban the sport.

Blanco didn't take a position on the issue last year, and a bill to end cockfighting did not pass the Legislature.

When a new law takes effect in New Mexico in June, Louisiana will be the only state in the country where cockfighting is legal.

I realize it's hard for people in other states to believe that our governor would be too wimpy to take a position against the bloody, cruel "sport" of cockfighting, but such is politics in Louisiana. Besides, what does she have to lose? She can't possibly win reelection. Any Republican could beat her. The Democrats have to talk her into retiring at the end of her first term. They're working on her right now but she has been resisting.

I guess she figures if Bill Richardson can do it, so can she. There is an old redneck retard who is the chairman of the state senate agricultural committee and every year he is forced to hold hearings on banning cockfighting but every year he only allows the people who support the "sport" to testify. Somebody from something called the Gamecock Breeders Association always testifies that their sport is the same as thoroughbred horse breeding in Kentucky and that it brings in $850 million a year and that Louisiana should be "proud of its heritage." The Southern states are very big on the "heritage" argument. They haul that one out for anything that is too outrageous to stand on its own merits. If anyone says anything in favor of the proposed bill to ban cockfighting, he tells them to "shut up," he's running the hearing. He literally tells them to "shut up!"

I think I mentioned this in this forum a couple of years back but the reason that cockfighting isn't considered "animal cruelty" under Louisiana law is because these fighting cocks are classified as "fowl" in the law and are therefore, according to Louisiana, not animals! That's right, in Louisiana a "fowl" is not an animal. So it can't be cruelty to animals.

Reminds me of Christian fundamentalist William Jennings Bryan, who testified for the prosecution in the Scopes trial, saying that "man is not a mammal." Clarence Darrow forced him to repeat this "fact" several times during the trial. Funny thing about that, the local people agreed with Bryan.

Sometimes I think I'm living on another planet down here.

[Ninong]

From April 7, 2004:

Survey data released by The HSUS and the Fund for Animals demonstrates that a strong majority, 82 percent, of Louisiana voters support a proposal to ban cockfighting. Only 12 percent oppose such a prohibition.

So how is it that a bill to ban cockfighting that is supported by 82% of the voters can't get approved in the state legislature?

Only in Louisiana!

[jkeithh1969]

Because it's Louisiana....after 10 years of living here, I have quit trying to figure this state out.

[Ninong]

Well, I was born and raised here so I think I have figured it out. I did spend five years in North Texas (terrible place) and 21 years in the San Francisco Bay Area (wonderful place) but my formative years were spent in New Orleans.

Talk about going downhill:

At the time of the Louisiana Purchase (1803), New Orleans was the second or third largest city in the country. At the beginning of the Civil War, Louisiana was the second richest state in the country. When I was in grammar school (1940's), New Orleans was much larger than Houston, Dallas or Atlanta and San Antonio was just a town.

Even as recently as the 1960's, New Orleans had more than 650,000 residents (not counting suburbs). By the time Hurricane Katrina hit, the population of New Orleans was down to 450,000 and it's now around 240,000. And entire neighborhoods are still without electricty more than a year and a half after the storm.

And our do-nothing governor has finally come to the realization that maybe it would be safe for her to finally say something in favor of banning cockfighting.

[jkeithh1969]

Yeah because now they can't say "well New Mexico allows it too".

[Ninong]

Yeah because now they can't say "well New Mexico allows it too".

The last time I brought this topic up in this forum, a couple of years back, it was Oklahoma, New Mexico and Louisiana. Now it's just Louisiana.

When I was a kid, Louisiana was usually ahead of Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama at the bottom of all the "lists." Now Louisiana is usually either dead last or next to last. And New Orleans has replaced Detroit as the murder capital of the country.

[Ninong]

Gov. Blanco has a news conference scheduled for 6 p.m. today. I think she's going to announce that she will NOT run for reelection. So that means she could speak out in support of the ban on cockfighting without worrying about losing the retarded vote.

[almostdiva]

Unbelievable that a "fowl" is not an animal... what is it then, according to these folks?

What did gov Blanco say at her news conference??

Does the revenue actually get generated off cockfights? I was always under the impression they were done in small, places, not well publicized, etc, etc. Am I wrong on this? Do people actually GO? I'm sure the bet alot -- but that can't be counted as revenue, can it?

Rebecca

[Ninong]

Unbelievable that a "fowl" is not an animal... what is it then, according to these folks?

I think what they mean by that is that the roosters they breed for cockfighting are classified as "fowl" under state statutes and that therefore you can't be charged with "cruelty to animals" if you are cruel to a rooster. Otherwise, people might want to charge someone with cruelty to animals for wringing a chicken's neck or chopping off it's head. Anyway, I think that's what they're after but when the story hit the national news a couple of years ago (the last time I ranted and raved about this topic), the article written by a New York paper made a big deal out of the fact that Louisiana classifies fighting cocks as "fowl" and not as "animals." That's because of a statement made by the chairman of the state senate agricultural committee that roosters were not animals, they were "fowl." His statement does sound stupid but not as stupid as William Jennings Bryan insisting that "man is not a mammal."

What did gov Blanco say at her news conference??

She said she was sorry we didn't realize that she was just a little old school teacher who had no business ever running for political office in the first place, since she was obviously in over her head.

Oh, wait... She didn't say that? Maybe that's something she should have said.

What she actually said was that after long hours of prayer (they all use that line down here) and after discussing it with her family, she had decided that it was critically important that she devote all of her time to helping fix Louisiana in its time of crisis and not be distracted by having to be involved in the politics of seeking reelection. (She forgot to mention that Bobby Jindal (R) is 24 points ahead of her right now in the polls.) She defeated Jindal last time around, getting 52% of the vote.

So she bowed out because she doesn't have time to spend on mere politics right now. She needs to devote all of her time to helping fix all the problems that beset the state.

Now everybody is waiting to see if John Breaux, who retired from the U.S. Senate a few years ago, will leave his lucrative lobbying practice in D. C. and run for governor. I don't know if he will or not. I don't know if he wants to or not. Mitch Landrieu, the lieutenant governor and Mary Landrieu's younger brother, will run but only if Breaux announces that he is not running.

Jindal will almost certainly defeat any candidate other than maybe John Breaux. In any event, the state Republicans are already running anti-Breaux ads on TV and he hasn't even said if he's running yet.

And Mayor Nagin (a Democrat), who backed Jindal (a Republican) against Blanco, hasn't said yet who he's backing. Nagin spoke before an all-black convention in D.C. a few days ago and now he's all upset because video of his remarks has been played on the local TV news programs. He was clearly pandering to his audience and he said stuff that really doesn't make sense but it was stuff his audience was more than willing to hear. Now he's trying to backtrack by saying that people shouldn't read too much into something he said before an all-black audience.

What Nagin said was that "they're" studying this. "They're" studying the effects of FEMA shipping "members of the community (code word) all over the country" and "what effects that will have on the remaining voting population." In other words, he's implying that "they" probably think it's a cool idea to ship "members of the community" all over the country so that "they" can take over, whatever. He was implying some sort of conspiracy to deliberately ship black people far away from New Orleans so that the remaining population would be less "chocolate," to use his favorite expression.

So now he's being asked by black TV anchors to please explain who "they" are. He can't. He said "they" is whoever you think "they" might be and that, besides, those comments weren't intended to be repeated outside that all-black convention. Just more proof that he shouldn't go off script. They need to write his speeches out in advance and have them peer reviewed beforehand and then he needs to stick to the script. He's a loose cannon when he goes off script.

He's not half bad as politicians down here go but he says some of the goofiest things sometimes. When he was first elected, he received 80% of the white vote and only 20% of the black vote. He was considered the "business" candidate. The other candidate was also black. The city was then 67% black.

This last time around, when he was reelected, he received 20% of the white vote and 80% of the black vote. The other candidate was Mitch Landrieu, who received 80% of the white vote and 20% of the black vote. Voting down here is always polarized along racial lines. Nagin defeated Landrieu. The city is approximately 52% black right now from all estimates but nobody knows for sure exactly what the population is. I have seen figures ranging from a low of 200,000 to a high of around 250,000.

Does the revenue actually get generated off cockfights? I was always under the impression they were done in small, places, not well publicized, etc, etc. Am I wrong on this? Do people actually GO? I'm sure the bet alot -- but that can't be counted as revenue, can it?

I think when they say it's an $850 million a year industry, they're talking about breeding. Betting on cockfights is illegal but it's done anyway. I think these birds are shipped all over the country for illegal cockfighting in other areas.

Whether something is illegal or not has never made much difference down here. When I was a youngster, Mayor Chep Morrison (4-term mayor of New Orleans) ran as a reform candidate and shut down all of the illegal gambling in the city but there was a lot of illegal gambling right next door in Jefferson Parish. In fact, the sheriff was a co-owner of one of the biggest gambling clubs that operated openly. The red-light district of New Orleans, Storeyville, was shut down during WWI by the Army. All of the houses of ill repute were in one area then. Now they're scattered around.

[Ninong]

I think when they say it's an $850 million a year industry, they're talking about breeding. Betting on cockfights is illegal but it's done anyway. I think these birds are shipped all over the country for illegal cockfighting in other areas.

Update:

Looks like I was wrong when I said that "betting on cockfights is illegal," but it is now.

Louisiana recently passed a bill making gambling on cockfights illegal. That new law takes effect August 15, 2007.

Later, on the very last day of the legislative session, Louisiana finally passed a bill banning cockfighting statewide. That law goes into effect in 2008.

P.S. -- I predict that in certain parts of the state, donations to local law enforcement will go up and enforcement of the new laws will be lax if not non-existent.

[weez1959]

Making something illegal no matter how sick and twisted it is has never stopped it from happening

Can Vick really be this sick? (phillyBurbs.com) | Mike Sielski
If this doesn't make you sick and pull on your heart strings at the same time...

Making a law go into effect now or 2008 or in ten years will have minimal if any effect on this disgusting sport. Punishment should include putting the people responsible through the same thing those poor animals have to suffer at thier hands. I guess that would put me in the same category as them but at least I would feel better

[Ninong]

The Michael Vick thing is disgusting. His sponsor, Nike, said they are "reviewing the information." Ha! They're also launching a new Mike Vick shoe next month.

A few weeks ago, Vick told an Atlanta TV station: "Everywhere I go, all around the world, people still support Mike Vick. So regardless of what I go through people gonna love me."

I have a feeling Mike Vick is in for a major surprise. People love dogs a lot more than they love people who mistreat dogs!



Hey, check this out. A waterspout over Lake Pontchartrain just a little while ago:



Evidently there were two or three of them. More pics here. Not exactly something you want to get too close to in your boat.

[weez1959]

A few weeks ago, Vick told an Atlanta TV station: "Everywhere I go, all around the world, people still support Mike Vick. So regardless of what I go through people gonna love me."

Well hopefully he'll get his comeuppance when he ends up in jail! I'm sure there are plenty of inmates who love dogs more than Mike Vick!

Wow those water funnels are pretty cool! As long as no one gets too close Did you actually see them or were they too far from you?

[Ninong]

Wow those water funnels are pretty cool! As long as no one gets too close Did you actually see them or were they too far from you?

I'm not about to drive in that direction just to get a closer look. :eek3:

I'm only about five miles north of the northwestern edge of Lake Pontchartrain. I have thunderstorms over me right now but that's perfectly normal for this time of year. We're subtropical.

Here ya go, check out our current weather.

[Poseidon]

That is CRAZY!!!! Any reason that a water spout doesn't make land fall? Wouldn't it then be called a TORNADO!?

So George you get to worry about Tornadoes and Hurricanes too.... Lucky YOU!

[Ninong]

That is CRAZY!!!! Any reason that a water spout doesn't make land fall? Wouldn't it then be called a TORNADO!?

Over water it's called a waterspout; over land it's called a tornado. Usually a water spout sort of breaks up after passing over land. You wouldn't want to be on the beach at the water's edge if one was coming in but if you were a couple hundred feet inland, you would probably be alright. However, the Causeway, a 24-mile long bridge that crosses the middle of Lake Pontchartrain would not be a place you would want to be if a waterspout passed over.

So George you get to worry about Tornadoes and Hurricanes too.... Lucky YOU!

All hurricanes spawn tornadoes when they make landfall, especially in coastal areas. So, when you get a hurricane, you get tornadoes along with it.

[zhenya]

Wow! Those waterspouts sure look cool if you are far enough from them to enjoy the view...

I am glad to hear that Louisiana is joining the human race and passing laws that make sense in regards to animal rights and hopefully preventing further cruelty.

A few weeks ago, Vick told an Atlanta TV station: "Everywhere I go, all around the world, people still support Mike Vick. So regardless of what I go through people gonna love me."

I have a feeling Mike Vick is in for a major surprise. People love dogs a lot more than they love people who mistreat dogs!

He is definately in for some surprise but yes, people in Atlanta and some other areas of the South will support Michael Vick no matter what. However, this is a federal case and he is definately will have a hard time putting this behind him. In fact, I don't know if he will play game of football ever again. We'll see how the owner of Atlanta Falcons reacts to this but I have a feeling he may not like all this attention he'll be getting from the Animal Rights groups and such.
I personally will never look at this person the same ever again, or watch a game if he is still in it.

[Ninong]

The Michael Vick thing is disgusting. His sponsor, Nike, said they are "reviewing the information." Ha! They're also launching a new Mike Vick shoe next month.

A few weeks ago, Vick told an Atlanta TV station: "Everywhere I go, all around the world, people still support Mike Vick. So regardless of what I go through people gonna love me."

I have a feeling Mike Vick is in for a major surprise. People love dogs a lot more than they love people who mistreat dogs!

Update:

ATLANTA (AP) - Michael Vick's legal troubles prompted Nike on Thursday to suspend the release of its latest product line named after the Atlanta Falcons quarterback.

Nike has told retailers it will not release a fifth signature shoe, the Air Zoom Vick V, this summer. Nike spokesman Dean Stoyer said the four shoe products and three shirts that currently bear Vick's name will remain in stores.

Vick will be arraigned next week in a Richmond, Va., federal courtroom on charges of sponsoring a gruesome dogfighting operation.

Meanwhile, Falcons owner Arthur Blank issued a statement Thursday, saying the organization is "working diligently on exploring our options."

You can read the rest here.