More things horribly wrong in South Carolina

Thursday, April 21, 2005

Cocks relieved, women wary
Happily, the brutal "sport" of cockfighting may soon be a felony in South Carolina, but domestic violence will remain a misdemeanor. The anti-cockfighting bill passed the Judiciary Committee, but legislators tabled the "Protect Our Women in Every Relationship Act (POWER ACT)." Both cockfighting and domestic violence are currently misdemeanor crimes, punishable by 30 days in jail. If the bill passes, cockfighting will become a felony, punishable by five years in jail. Domestic violence crimes will remain a misdemeanor.

Rep. John Graham Altman is a full-throated supporter of the cockfighting ban and an opponent of the domestic violence legislation. He bristles when asked how he reconciles his bold stance on cock rights with his solicitude towards first-time domestic crime abusers:

"People who compare the two are not very smart and if you don't understand the difference, Ms. Gormley, between trying to ban the savage practice of watching chickens trying to kill each other and protecting people rights in CDV statutes, I'll never be able to explain to you in a 100 years ma'am."

Altman argues that there shouldn't be a second offense in a domestic violence case because no woman should go back to her abuser. So, it's unclear why he opposes a law that would have made first offenses felonies.