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Cock fighting is just plain foul

The other day Ron spotted the neighbor over the fence and offered him one of our giant cabbages. We certainly have plenty, after all, and have shared with two other neighbors as well. This neighbor, a Hawaiian, had a gift in return: two bags of freshly smoked pork! Onolicious! It's really good just dipped in the sweet-hot Hickory Farms mustard we got for Christmas. Giving and sharing whatever you have is a strong part of Hawaiian culture. Once, at the airport, I commented on how nice a woman's lei smelled. She smiled and gave it to me. What a lovely custom.
Not all cultural practices and customs are created equal, however. There was a front page article in the paper today about the impact of a new federal law making cock fighting a felony. Cock fighting is technically illegal in Hawaii, but it's fairly prevalent here, especially in the Filipino community. Arguments in favor of cock fighting in the paper came from frustrated chicken owners who feel their culture, customs and way of life are being ever threatened by mainland influences, by people with different values who just don't get it. Hmmm... human sacrifice and burning witches at the stake were once regular cultural practices too, but we no longer condone them. While I don't equate the killing of humans with the death of chickens, it does seem we should have evolved by now so as not to sanction practiced animal cruelty in the name of cultural practice. Of course, I'm just one of those haoles from the mainland who don't get it. Cops say that whenever they bust up a cock fight, there's always plenty of gambling involved, not to mention alcohol and drugs. Ironically, proponents claim it to be a wholesome activity the whole family can enjoy. Apparently, they bring along the kids, the grills and a picnic and make a day of it, like one big tailgating party. Amazingly, owners often attach sharp, metal barbs to their roosters' feet so that they can inflict more damage and make for a particularly dramatic and bloody contest. Nice, huh? Many of the men quoted in the article said that they would probably quit fighting the chickens if faced with the possibility of felony charges. In my enlightened opinion (if I don't say so myself), that is a very good thing.
I will say, however, that the chickens are beautiful.
I think we set a new record this week. A new record during our tenure on the island anyway. We had five days with no rain. It began misting heavily this afternoon, however, so everything's getting well soaked yet again. Since the water tank is down to about half full (or is that half empty?), a little rain may actually be a good thing. Sheesh. Did I just say that?
A hui hou. Aloha.

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