New Mexico outlawed cockfighting on Monday in a victory for animal welfare groups, leaving Louisiana as the last state in the country where the controversial practice is legal.
"I am proud that New Mexico will now move beyond cockfighting and join the 48 states that have already banned this outdated practice," said Gov. Bill Richardson after signing the bill.
Cockfighting involves roosters with razors tied to their claws battling often to the death with spectators placing bets on the outcome of each contest.
Supporters argued cockfighting was an Hispanic tradition and that any ban would push it underground. Opponents said it was a clear-cut case of animal cruelty and that it encouraged illegal gambling.
The ban had the support of the influential New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops, which represents 600,000 New Mexicans.
"At this time we have to speak out because of our children," said Allen Sanchez, spokesman for the Conference of Catholic Bishops. "The church clearly defines that cruelty to animals is wrong."
Opponents of the ban, which goes into effect on July 1, called it a blow to Hispanic culture.
"We have a right to have game birds. It's part of our culture," said farmer David Lopez. "The law is just going to push cockfighting underground like it did for dog fighting."
The bill prohibits cockfighting in the 20 New Mexico counties where it wasn't already illegal.
State Sen. Phil Griego, a Democrat who opposed the ban, called it a "slippery slope."
"What's next? A ban on rodeos? Then hunting and fishing? Jesus never said cockfighting was a sin," he said during a hearing on the legislation.
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2 comments:
As a concerned club sub member, who represents, I think, those of us who have purported a second generation of members, that will some day carry the torches for all of us(and who already carry blue cans whenever possible to us) I would like to offer a solution to the ban on cockfitghting in New Mexico.
While some may see this as a problem, I choose to look at it as an opportunity. I mean do we really want to live in a country where a man cannot bring his 9 year old son, or lovely little girl to watch maniac chickens peck and scratch each other to death in a gangreanous, disease infested pit, while at the same time, learn the important mathematical skill of the vig. I vote most emphatically no!
To remedy this situation, the only viable solution is to seize this moment, and roll out our own travelling series of cockfighting extravaganzzzas! Andrew has already begun training his "athlete" and you should see the size of his cockfighter. He was like a little Jimmy Neutron, disassembling my Mach IV razor, and affixing those 4 vibrating, plus one sleek stationary blades to the fowl's beak and claws, and I feel we will soon be ready to rumble.
As for a venue, I'm sure we could convince Jack O'Rourke to reopen Barrells, and employ some scantily dressed coeds to be ring girls and referees.
So man up boys, train your cocks, and lets make some chicken pies!
While I've never had the opportunity and privilege to accompany the many distinguished members of Clubsub on their world tour (not to mention that my wife would probably never allow it), permit me to say this - for the annual summer excursion to be cancelled to a seemingly arbitrary
ruling it utterly preposterous and complete fucking nonsense. Hey, I don't want to watch cockfighting any more than the next rational man - all that blood, violence, seeming disregard for the welfare of the participants - how did the Mexicans develop such an arcane sport of fighting each other with their cocks? Who wants to PAY to attend a swordfight? I, for one, am admittedly 100% red-blooded homophobic, and you won't catch me at a "sporting event" where little Mexican men drop their pants and toss their sombreros aside in a feigned show of bravado and start whacking each other (pun) with their fleshy attachments. That is fucking nauseating. The only thing I can imagine is that, in this case, size does matter. There's never anything good in Mexico anyway. Fuck them. Let's go to war with them next. As for our Clubsub - long live our dreams of world conquest, and on with the vaca!!
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