Columbus Dispatch on Cockfighters Lawsuit Against Federal Law

[Political Animal]

http://libpub.dispatch.com/cgi-bin/documentv1?DBLIST=cd03&DOCNUM=24619&TERMV=174:12:5477:12:10514:12:10630:12:31359:12:

 

END COCKFIGHTING 
Discrimination claim to defend 'sport' is absurd 

 
 Friday, June 6, 2003 
EDITORIAL & COMMENT   16A 
  
 

A lawsuit filed last month in Lafayette, La., falls
into the category of defending the indefensible. 

Louisiana cockfighters and breeders sued the federal
government because of a ban on the shipment of
fighting roosters. The suit claims the law
discriminates against Cajuns and Latinos, because
cockfighting is integral to their culture. 

Cockfighting is illegal in every state but Louisiana
and New Mexico. In November, Oklahoma voters patched a
gap in their laws by outlawing cockfighting. 

John R. Kramer, a law professor at Tulane University
in New Orleans, asserts that the ban denies equal
protection to Cajuns and Latinos. He is representing
the United Gamefowl Breeders Association, two
breeders, two owners of fighting fowl and an arena
that holds cockfights. 

Cajuns and Latinos in Louisiana should demand an
apology from the plaintiffs. Their heritages are rich
in cultural traditions, so why link their ethnic
groups to this ugliness just because some Cajuns and
Latinos participate in animal cruelty for "sport''? 

Wayne Pacelle, senior vice president of the Humane
Society of the United States, is confident the suit
will fail, saying Congress has the authority to
regulate interstate commerce. 

The Dispatch wishes not only for the failure of the
lawsuit but also that the people of Louisiana and New
Mexico face up to the awfulness of cockfighting and
join the rest of the United States in making it
illegal. 


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