Louisiana Bans Fighting Cocks; Crowing Cocks Still Legal
[Ed. note: This post is by SOPHIST, one of the finalists in ATL Idol, the “reality blogging” competition that will determine ATL’s next editor. It is marked with Sophist’s avatar (at right).]
Next week, Louisiana will become the last state in the union to officially ban cockfighting. The business was already on the decline in Louisiana thanks to new federal laws that make transportation of roosters across state lines for fighting, a felony.
Still, defenders of the “sport” bemoaned the new law. “The culture, the custom of the Cajun people, it’s gone,” said Chris Daughdrill, a cock breeder from Louisiana.
When Oklahoma banned cockfighting, lawmakers there tried to make the sport more humane. Oklahoma State Senator Frank Shurden suggested fighting roosters be fitted with protective vests and boxing gloves. “We want to show the nation that we’re more than trailer parks and a perceived lack of sophistication,” Shurden said at the time.
Good luck with that Oklahoma.
Back in Louisiana, Elizabeth Barras, who has fought champion cocks for years, made an insightful point about the new Louisiana statute. “They’re still going to fight, they’re still going to fight for years to come,” she said. “They’ve still got cockfighting in every state. They just hide it from the law.”
Though we have achieved John Adams’ goal of a government of laws, those laws must still be enforced by men and women. A fact Elizabeth Barras knows all too well.
(74) 
Comments
funny and well done!
Weak. ATL is cooked.
boxing gloves? Seriously? that is hilarious
Funny, brief, entertaining. Well done.
SOPHIST, SOPHIST, SOPHIST!!!
Significantly better then F&D...
Much funnier and more interesting than F&D. And actually related to the law.
SOPHIST!
I liked it. it was cute, nothing fancy, but better then f&d
Better than F&D's post by default, but this is weak and irrelevant. WTF?
Vests and boxing gloves -- classic.
JERRY: Kramer, cockfighting is illegal.
KRAMER: Only in The United States.
JERRY: It's inhumane!
KRAMER: No, Jerry, it's not what you think it is.
JERRY: It's two roosters peckin' at each other!
KRAMER: What?
JERRY: Yeah!
KRAMER: Well, I thought they wore gloves and helmets, you know, like "American Gladiators."
"...laws that make transportation of roosters across state lines for fighting, a felony."
Weak comma use. Should have rephrased along the lines of "laws that make it a felony to..."
IMO, all ATL Idol finalists are united by a kind of desperation. The only blogger other than Lat who is qualified to be here is Kash.
Children in my daycare program frequently posted funnier things on ATL, it was no big deal.
Is Oklahoma for real? that is the funniest thing I have heard all day
Nicely done Sophist. Should've linked the Elizabeth Barras line though.
Other than that, well played.
11-- hahaha I had forgotten about that scene!
Short and to the point. Well done.
Blah.
where are the vault rankings?
Much funnier than F&D which was basically just a big block quote.
Although neither of them had very good material to work with. Yeah, the occasional silly law story on here is funny.
But this place really lives for the Biglaw and Federal Judge gossip. Everything else is just filler.
Pretty terrible, but way better than F&D. Sophist wins, ATL does not.
#11 - This is becoming a website about nothing.
What did you do this morning? There's a posting.
Maybe something funny at Starbucks? There's a posting.
Seriously - no one here is Penske material.
EPIC FAIL
New. New. LOW.
Sophist could have phoned it in and won. Like shooting fish in a barrell.
At least this didn't just paraphrase another article. Bringing in the Oklahoma bit was a nice try. Not sure if it worked, but at least it shows a little effort.
22, you're going way too far back into the annals of legal messageboards for most of the noobs on here.
But I say, Huzzah!
Not much better than F&D's post. In fact, I would rate them the same.
ATL is doomed once Lat leaves :(
Btw Lat, pls post something today already!
Ugh..really? WTF?!
Terrible. Just plain terrible.
#11---When I get home this evening I am going to watch that episode. Thanks for the reminder--Sophist should have referred to it. Maybe you should be the new EIC. You have my vote.
What if Lat is really Penske? That would blow my mind.
the best is the oklahoma bit, nice job
It's obvious that Sophist has a network of friends posting here and bashing F&D. Honestly, this wasn't that funny, and nothing about this post is "classic." Maybe Sophist deserves credit for gaming the system, but this was weak at best.
John Adams: YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH! Son, we live under a government of laws and those laws have to be enforced by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, David Lat? You weep for cockfighting and you curse Cajun culture. YOU HAVE THAT LUXURY. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know, that deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you WANT me in government, you NEED me in government.
This job requires that the blogger display substantial and genuine disdain for the subjects of her posts and, occasionally, for the commenters.
Lat has more divaliciousness in his leopard-print thong that any of the ATL Idol candidates have been able to muster over what is now 3 weeks of bullshit.
This wasn't that good but I think Sophist's been consistently better than F&D and everyone else, except for the first two Marin posts which I thought were pretty funny.
I wish Lat had entered as one of the contestants just so he could put the blame on us if he lost out. Instead, it's all on him. Pretty sad; but I have faith that Lat will be able to mold Sophist into at least Kash quality. I think Sophist at least has the better sense of humor; the rest can be picked up in the transition phase.
The gentlemen at my preparatory academy would often provoke altercations between winged beasts for the purpose of sport, and would adorn them with implements of safety so as to comply with the country ordinances. It was not a conspicuous occurrence.
~Fraternity Lothario
34 -- i think "classic" was referring to the idea of vests and gloves, not the post.
OMG, ROTFLMAO at 38.
38 to EIC!
Well done post overall. Hated the last sentence. hated the last link.
B+
(I gave F&D a D- for her post.)
On the final round of voting there has to be a choice for "none of the above". If that choice does not exist I suggest that all ATL readers refrain from casting any vote at all. With a record low voter turn out Lat will be forced to do something. Who is on the not voting at all band wagon?
38--funniest and most original post of the year. Well done!
Seriously, 38 to EIC.
Why didn't you make a joke tying together the new laws forbidding transportation of roosters across state lines with the Mann Act? You know, something that plays on the cocks/p*ssies pun.
ha ha ha. he said cocks a lot.
what a dope. F-
Lat, please include an option to vote 38 as EIC in the final vote. Thanks.
Horrible. Please learn to use commas correctly.
48 to comma intern.
#34 = F&D's one and only fan
Weak title + "joke" about John Adams = FAIL
High brow reference to John Adams's political philosophy plus linking it to ignorant cockfighters in the south = Next ATL EIC.
Sophist's misuse of commas is atrocious, but overall I rate this as being a little bit better than F&D for going beyond just summarizing the news story.
Both entries were quite weak. And not for lack of material - both of the news stories were inherently funny. Lat or Kash would have hit a home run with them. But the contestants choked.
If things don't pick up, I may join 42 on the not voting at all bandwagon.
Usually I roll my eyes at the punctuation police in the comments, but seriously, this was, distracting, and annoying in the use, or, failure, to use, commas.
Proofread, idiot.
Usually I roll my eyes at the punctuation police in the comments, but seriously, this was, distracting, and annoying in the use, or, failure, to use, commas.
Proofread, idiot.
Really weak ending, and you need to reenroll in Punctuation 101.
But still, better than F&D's weak effort. F&D, you disappoint!
I'm getting depressed here. Really bad. I thought F&D's post was a little better this morning, but she's been weak overall. I will come with you on the not-voting bandwagon, 42.
I agree with the substance of #36, though not with all the wording -- that image of Lat in a "leopard-print thong" is one I would rather not have in my mind. But yes, the only one on here who has come close to Lat's style is Kash, and she isn't available for the EIC position. The contestants have not been that good overall, and the two finalist posts today are particularly weak.
"Elizabeth Barras, who has fought champion cocks for years,"
tee hee
42 - i'm in.
Fail with extreme prejudice.
guys in my high school used to put protective gear on their cocks all the time. it was no big deal.
this may not be great, but it's still better than f&d. as much as we don't want any of these people, we can't change the contest at this point. sophist has a better chance of being molded into the atl style.
that was the whole story? BOOOOOOORING.
Alex was weak for not writing a farewell post.
I have several clients with sheds full of pet roosters. But they tell me their hobby is breeding chickens for perfect physical specimens. I'm sure they enter the results in the state fair.
42 here---let's get this grass roots non voting band wagon moving. Need to put the pressure on Lat and let him know we are serious. The readers are the true strength of this blog.
No one here is Cravath material either. This place stinks like CWT sex.
The Ass of Cravath
63---you sound like Chamberlain. ATL readers of the world unite and rebel.
42
62: now THAT was a properly done Frat Stud.
BOOOOO! THIS STINKS WORSE THAN SIMPSON THACHER!
"Back in Louisiana, Elizabeth Barras, who has fought champion cocks for years, made an insightful point about the new Louisiana statute."
I have a champion cock, but she has never fought it.
Mr. T used to officiate cockfights in the basement of The Paris Shop in Newark, NY.
Man do I hate lawyers. Why did I ever throw in with you weenies?