November 7, 2009
Mystery: What rooster group?
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Strangely, a man in a chicken suit appeared at the state Capitol, passing out leaflets advocating "Cockfighting at West Virginia Casinos." He refused to give his name. A phone number on the leaflet was disconnected. An organization cited on the leaflet doesn't exist.

Then someone named Bradford Parker told reporter Alison Knezevich he represented the West Virginia Association for Gamecock Sports, which wants the Legislature to legalize rooster combat. However, state officials never heard of such an organization, which isn't registered as a lobby group.

Some observers think the chicken event was a political "dirty trick" designed to defeat an Ohio casino referendum on last Tuesday's ballot. Ohio voters were asked to approve casinos and authorize them to provide any type of gambling available in a neighbor state. If Ohioans heard reports that cockfighting might be legalized in West Virginia, it could scare them into voting against Ohio casinos -- that's a theoretical explanation for the Charleston stunt.

Well, if that was the plot, it didn't work. Ohio voters approved casinos.  

Meanwhile, the chicken puzzle remains unsolved. Is the West Virginia Association for Gamecock Sports real -- or was the Charleston appearance a phony ploy to sway the Ohio balloting?

If the rooster-fight group exists, we ask its leaders to identify themselves publicly and state their request.  If none come forward, that's evidence the whole thing was a hoax.

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Posted By: barbarian (5:21am 11-15-2009)
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It was probably a gazette editor creating something to write about

Posted By: St. George (2:49pm 11-10-2009)
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I MET THE "CHICKEN" WHILE ON BREAK. I SHOOK HIS (ITS) HAND. I THOUGHT HE WAS ONE OF THOSE ANIMAL RIGHTS PROTESTERS. HE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY; I THINK HE WAS A MUTE.

Posted By: True WV (10:15am 11-08-2009)
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Maybe someone just wanted to draw attention away from our Barbi problem so that bill could be passed next time.

Posted By: WEST VIRGINIAN (3:40am 11-08-2009)
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"Meanwhile, the chicken puzzle remains unsolved."

nnn

Perhaps it was Don Blankenship in the Chicken suit. He enjoys fictitious groups like "For the Children".

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