Cockfighting is pure family fun!

• Ok, so I know what you're thinking. Mike, what kind of bad parent are you that you would drag a 2 yr old to any event that included the mere possibility of seeing roosters attack one another?

• The answer is South Bend's West side Memorial Day Parade, which for 85 years running was apparently free of most animal cruelty (besides making band geeks parade around; my younger self included I confess).

• Right towards the end of the parade, after the marching bands, the police cars, the fire trucks (of which many my Papa bought ages ago), and the mix of janky clunkers and muscle cars, it happened. Following a group of gauchos (Mexican horseback riders in full regalia), two impressively hatted men carrying roosters, turned towards each other and set their roosters onto the ground.

• Holding a short leash on each, they removed a small muzzle (what niche manufacturing company makes those I wonder?) and the roosters went straight at each other (without any prompting). Audible gasps around me aside, the whole event took all of about 15 seconds. I'm sure those cocks barely got to get a sweat worked up (ignore the sexual euphemisms, please). Quickly, they were scooped up, point end away from the torso, and the muzzle replaced.

• Four points are important to mention here:

1. These were clearly professional handlers.
2. These were not garden variety farm roosters. They had the long flowing wing & tail feathers (see @ right), and the temperament of bred gamecocks.
3. Why would someone display this during a parade?
1. Pride? Really, an illegal and despicable act is what you choose to honor?
2. Profit? If you were going to subtly announce that you are in the cockfighting business, wouldn't you just walk one cock on a leash, and let everyone in the know instantly pick up on it.
4. This is a despicable "sport." I love football, and it certainly is a contact sport, but the point of the game is not to injure an opponent; it happens and sometimes losers do target another athlete intently. However, its not by planned intent a bloodsport. This is one reason why boxing and I don't get along (ignore the blog name please).

• Luckily, Ché had no idea what was going on, and neither did the other kids around. They were staring at the huge horses. The excuses of some people, "wasn't on purpose," or "probably happened once," are horse excrement. I was there, I saw it. It was clear as day. And if you read the SBT article, people at different stops along the route saw it too = happened more than once.

• There is beauty in a chicken (just ask my cousin), but its not found in the barbaric wholly unnecessary deaths of what could instead make a perfectly good sandwich.
  

• Sorry for the long delay, I get busy, and bored. I don't want blogging to feel like work.