Texas police arrest 169 in cockfight raid

[StarfarerBill]

Source: Guardian UK

Police in a small Texan town north-west of Fort Worth have raided an illegal cockfight, arresting 169 viewers and cock owners and seizing more than 100 roosters who were being pitted against each other to the death.

As a police helicopter swooped on the fighting pit that had been erected near Poolville in northern Texas, many more spectators scattered and managed to get away. Among those arrested were up to 15 children, some as young as seven, who had been watching with their parents.

Cockfighting has been criminalised in 39 states including Texas, and is a misdemeanour punishable by fines in the remaining 11, but despite these sanctions it continues to flourish.

Supporters say it is a competitive sport that is based on the natural behaviour of roosters. But opponents, led by the Humane Society of the United States, denounce it as cruel and brutal.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/03/texas-police-cockfight-raid-arrests

[virgogal]

1. Bastards !!!! eom

[nickyt]

2. Grrrreat piece of news!! Sorry for the children, oh my, they don't know what the

hell's going on - but the "adults" - fuck off, all of yas -

[ladywnch]

12. It would be nice to think that the kids might be so frightened by this

that they wouldn't ever want anything to do with it again......but I doubt it.

[tularetom]

3. Gallo del Cielo - Rooster from Heaven

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMJkMA7EW9E

A classic by master songwriter Tom Russell.

Not condoning this barbaric activity, this is just a great song.

[Kali]

9. love that song

and the area around Casas Grandes

[Duckhunter935]

4. part of the culture

[LanternWaste]

5. No-- it's not.

No-- it's not. This coming from a guy who has lived almost his entire life in TX (Fort Worth to be more specific). It happens, but it's certainly not part and parcel of the culture.

[boppers]

6. If it's part of the culture there, it's time to change the culture.

Not all cultural values are acceptable in a larger civilized society.

[argyl]

7. I've lived in Texas almost my whole life and have never been to, been invited to attend,

or even known anyone who has spoken of ever attending a cock fight. That goes for dog fights as well.

[boppers]

8. Regional within the state, perhaps?

Texas is big enough to have more than a few cultures, Austin and Nuevo Laredo and Dallas are three very different kind of places, for example.

[WolverineDG]

19. Nuevo Laredo is in Mexico, btw nt

[MicaelS]

18. "Chicken-fighting" is the term they used, so I'll use it.

When I used to live near Austin (1977-1989) plenty of men in the outlying rural areas raised fighting chickens. I was told one older man had been doing it for over 30 years. And I'm not talking 1 or 2 chickens, I'm talking 100 or so at a time. This man lived outside of town and had a bunch small corrugated steel A-frame huts in his side yard. These men were almost invariably blue-collar white or black men, the small town I lived in had few hispanics. This was a very serious pursuit for these men, they spent $$$$$ on this, and I was told that the betting could get into the thousands of dollars on just one match.

I was invited several times by co-workers, but I told them this was something I did not have the slightest bit of interested in, thank you very much. Never was into blood sports, never even hunted. All this made me the local odd-ball. During these years I never heard of a single raid or arrest. But of course this was 20 years ago.

I never heard of ANYONE mention dog-fighting, thank god. I don't know how I would have reacted.

[w8liftinglady]

20. unfortunately,in Ellis County it happens quite a bit-along with meth labs

[tbyg52]

21. So? Female genital mutilation, to give the first example that pops into my mind,

is part of some cultures as well.

[Kali]

10. plate of shrimp

I took two videos yesterday with my cellphone camera. Two of my banty roosters (that were raised together and should have had this all worked out by now) went at it for about 15 minutes. Interesting to watch how testosterone impacts behavior in all kinds of critters.:freak:

[gratuitous]

11. Caught 'em with their pants down

Now throw the book at these bastards. Or maybe shackle their hands behind their backs, tie some knives to their ankles, and let the one who can walk out of the locked room first leave alive.

[rasputin1952]

13. Um...

Supporters say it is a competitive sport that is based on the natural behaviour of roosters.

I have yet to see "natural behavior", that includes doping w/steroids and attaching blades to the legs.

These "people" are sadistical knuckledragging idiots, and they are a curse upon humanity.

[Ian David]

14. Yeah, but I bet they go to Church every Sunday. n/t

[rasputin1952]

15. Of that I'm sure...

:(

[hedgehog]

16. I've kept a free range flock of roosters and hens for 20 some years now.

It's true, the roosters (and an occasional hen) will face off, and it is fun to watch. The only reason it's fun to watch is that 90% of what goes on is posturing. Generally, one bird backs down and the scuffle is over with nothing more than some ruffled feathers. The only bird that ever got hurt was a big white rooster that someone gave us. I suspect he was one of the modern breeds and didn't have the right instincts to know when to quit.

[JDPriestly]

17. And no arrests of the major players on Wall Street who caused

the economic melt-down.

And no arrests of those who authorized torture of prisoners.