The Associated Press via The Washington Post: High Court Turns Down Cockfighting Appeal
Under the Oklahoma law, participants in cockfights and raising birds for fighting could face up to 10 years in jail and $25,000 fines. Spectators can be charged with misdemeanors.Sherry Todd, an assistant attorney general in Oklahoma, told justices: "The right to conduct cockfights is not a fundamental right. In fact, the federal government and 48 states have enacted some form of law prohibiting cockfighting."
© 2004 The Associated Press
The right to use your property as you see fit provided you do not initiate force or fraud against a non-aggressor. It was this recognition that set the United States apart from all other nations, even though only in degree. It is the degradation of this recognition that is killing our freedom, even though it happens inch by inch.
This law negates the right of chicken owners to do what they want with their property. It negates the right of land owners to use their property to host cockfights. It negates the right of people with money to exchange that money in a system of betting to wage their wealth on which rooster will win the fight. It negates the right of people to voluntarily observe the fights provided they are there with the consent of the landowner. This law, no matter how frivolous the stakes may seem to you, is a direct attack on the peaceful use of private property.
The very people who are supposed to be protecting our rights are the ones punching holes in them.
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But what about the question of animal cruelty. I could give a fuck about chickens but if someone was raising dogs, or mountain lions for fighting i would have a problem with that.
The betting im down for, what you do with your money should be your fucking business but where do we draw the line.
Maybe we could bring back rat races, or mantis fight like in china. nobody cares about rats or insects, but somehow somebody always find a way to love a mangy looking animal like a chicken.
i bet we could make a profit off breeding cat sized rats and putting them in mazes with a cat. instead of cheez at the end it a fight to the finish. A true game of cat and mouse.
Lynx, buddy, welcome to the website. Expect an entirely different tone from me on here that you've come to know from me offline. :)
I recognize that people can and are cruel to animals. You know how attached I am to felines. Someone who beats animals and treats them with contempt and disrespect is likely showing symptoms of a larger mental problem. However, I do not believe animals have rights in the sense of human rights. Therefore, laws that fine people and put them in jail for hurting animals are wrong.
I view "what you do with your money should be your fucking business but where do we draw the line" as openly contradictory, man. What is the basis for the first part of that sentence? The right to dispose of your property as you see fit. There aren't different categories of property; you either own something or you don't (joint ownership like marriage being an exception that proves the rule).
I'm not saying you should be powerless in the face of some economic activity you dislike. Nothing in my philosophy says you can't spread your own opinion about how you think certain animal fights are vicious immoral sports, provided you respect the property rights of others while doing it. If you felt so inclined, you could start or join a public education campaign to convince people the sports are wrong.
But using the state to incarcerate and steal from those you disagree with is a crime of greater magnitude than two animals fighting to the death.