I admit it, I get a little jaded after writing what seems like the same stories month after month for so many years (well, the same bad jokes, at least). We’ve tracked the growing number of bans against cockfighting with some interest, but to be honest, I was skeptical regarding how much the laws might be enforced.
Washington and Oregon, you totally blew my mind.
Gregory reports that following a two year (!) effort, federal and state authorities have arrested more than 50 people in the two states in one of the largest cockfighting crackdowns in Northwest US history. Charges ranged from conspiracy to illegal gambling to racketeering to drug trafficking to, oh yeah, violations of the Animal Welfare Act. US Attorney Karin Immergut also pointed out “the close relationship between cockfighting and drug-trafficking in the Pacific Northwest.”
Congratulations to all involved, and kudos for recognizing that cockfighting isn’t just a harmless gathering of yokels and giving the issue the attention it deserves.
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