Courtney Fern: Writer concerned with rooster laws supports cockfighting
Re “Don’t put limits on rural roosters” (Page 3B, Feb. 19): One might wonder why a recent letter writer opposes a reasonable ordinance to crack down on cockfighting, but the answer is quite obvious: The author is the president of the United Gamefowl Breeders Association, a trade group for cockfighting interests and also known as the California Association for the Preservation of Gamefowl. His group raises money that appears to be almost entirely spent on efforts to block laws increasing penalties for cockfighting and hiring lawyers to challenge anti-cockfighting statutes.
Cockfighting is not only a gory, inhumane bloodsport, but it is commonly associated with other criminal activities such as drug dealing, weapon sales and human trafficking. The writer of the letter might like to believe that cockfighting is a constitutional right, but it’s actually a felony in California, and rightly so. An ordinance to limit the number of roosters on properties in Stanislaus County would help law enforcement to stifle cockfighting in the community.
Courtney Fern, California State Director for The Humane Society of the United States, Los Angeles
Editor’s note: The Bee’s letters policy does not allow letter writers to refer by name to the writers of previous letters, unless the previous letter writer is a public figure. John Harless, who wrote the letter “Don’t put limits on rural roosters,” did not identify his affiliation with the cockfighting organization in submitting his letter.
This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Courtney Fern: Writer concerned with rooster laws supports cockfighting."