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Chicken Interview

First my disclaimer. I am not taking up for anyone or putting anyone down. I do not live near the cockfights, so I have no idea what the people that live in that area put up with. I can not respond to whether or not the Sheriff's Dept. has been responsive to complaints or whether or not there have been any. I will say up front that I have friends on the Sheriff's Department and Earl Loy has been to my home (not to arrest me). But on the other hand I have two friends that I will not mention by name that work at TV stations in Knoxville. My points are my opinions and nothing more. I will give anyone who wishes, a place to respond to this. Click here to respond.

I am not taking up for the Sheriff. I am not taking up for cockfighters. Personally I think it is cruel and bothersome to do such things with little animals. Chickens are living breathing creatures just like you and I. Actually, one of the only differences between a chicken and people are that chickens taste good on buns with barbecue sauce! I have never attended a cockfight in my life. The only time I have ever touched a chicken has been at Colonel Sanders, and it was long since dead and greasy.

With that said here are my points.

I am sick and tired of reporters coming to our county and blindsiding public officials. None of you can say I'm pro public official after reading the rest of my articles, but I am sick of reporters coming here and trying to make us look like back country hicks. They have no intention of righting a wrong, or bettering our conditions of life. They only intend to make someone say something or do something to spice up an otherwise dribble filled newscast. The closest we come to the truth from these people is the weather forecast. I used to think that weather people were the biggest liars in the world. Then I met reporters. Reporters sometimes tell the truth in articles, that's for sure. But the lie they tell is in that they hope to make a difference, or that they hope to right a wrong.

The truth of this matter is that chicken fighting does go on. Chicken fighting is illegal. The people in that area need help cleaning up their community. I can not commentate on the specifics because I don't know the facts other than what I saw on TV and I don't trust that. The two gentlemen who spoke to the reporter seemed honest and truthful, so I will take their word in that they have a problem. They started a petition because it's their duty and it's the democratic way of doing things.

What can our Sheriff do? Absolutely nothing without a complaint. And even a complaint itself isn't usually enough. A complaint doesn't entitle him to a search warrant. That takes evidence. If all it took was a complaint, I'd complain about all my neighbors who anger me. Then the police, acting on my complaint, would break in their doors looking for whatever I make up that they are doing. Folks that's not America.

Now, we have evidence in this case. Beer bottles on the side of the road. While a problem, it isn't sufficient to get a search warrant for a building. But what about dead chickens on the road. Nope, it won't get a judge to issue a search warrant. Unless someone saw the chicken murdered in that building and the dumped on the side of the road, it doesn't help. It only helps then if the person is willing to sign a sworn statement saying he witnessed the chicken's murder. Anyone can write a story or article. It plays well on a website or on TV. But DA's and police must make it stand in front of a judge and twelve people.

So the police will most likely be there Saturday night to watch the chicken fights. Most likely the fights will be called off due to the media coverage. But, even if it's not what can the police do? Chickens aren't like drugs. You can carry a chicken in public in full view. If you do and even wave it at the policeman he has no right to detain you for it. Chickens are not illegal. You can stand on any street corner and hold a chicken and break no laws. The policeman can ask you what you are doing, but your Constitutional rights say you can keep your trap shut.

If people complain about the noise a policeman can go to the building and ask to be let in. If refused all he can do is tell them there has been a complaint and leave. Sure he can arrest people for disturbing the peace. But that's all. He can see 100 people all standing around in a building holding chickens, but he can't arrest them. He can ask them their intentions toward the chickens, but should they refuse to answer, he can go no further.

Few people know this but even a search warrant is not a license to search. When I go to the judge to get a search warrant I must provide two key things. An inventory of what I hope to find, and the evidence I have that it may be found there. If I get a warrant to search your house for an elephant that is all I'm allowed to search for. Now if I see drugs laying on a table in plain sight I can arrest you for it. However, I am not allowed to open a trashcan and look inside. If I do and see drugs I am not allowed to take them or arrest you for it. Know why? The law says that I am to search for elephants as stated in my search warrant. I have no feasible reason to believe that an elephant would fit in that trashcan so I am not allowed to look in it for the stolen elephant.

What can I do? I can ask to see in the trashcan, but should you refuse that's as far as I can go.

But this newsman has a tape! I bet he didn't tell them he was taping did he? Did he have a warrant that allowed him to film these people? Oh well, that's not allowed in court.

What's my point in all this?

The people near the chicken fights have a problem and it needs to be fixed. The Sheriff's departments hands are somewhat tied, by the laws they have to uphold. The D.A says he hasn't prosecuted anyone because sheriffs don't arrest these criminals. Although he could personally ask the grandjury to look into it. The D.A. could also ask the TBI to get involved. But he won't because it is low priority.

If your wife or husband is home alone and someone is breaking in. They call the police and hope they get there in time, right? How mad are we going to be when they call and the police say "We'll get there as quick as we can, all the officers are transporting 50 people from the cockfights." Then your husband or wife is murdered or worse because of the police being tied up at the cockfights.

This is what the DA and the Sheriff both tried to tell the news media. Now something should be done, we all know that. And since two people stepped forward and said "We are not afraid, we'll complain." Something will be done. But what? Very little, most likely, but not because of lack of work on the Sheriff or DA. Because they must follow the letter of the law. Arresting people for cockfighting is tons harder than arresting a drug dealer. Drug dealers can't carry their wares openly. So if seen they can be arrested. Drug dealers deal with the sort of customer who, if refused credit, will get mad and turn them in. Regardless of what we think of cockfighting and the people that do it, they are a close knit bunch. One doesn't inform on another, it's too much like a gentleman's club.

We allow the newsmedia to come here and attempt to make us look like hicks. Do they cover our parades? Do they cover our wrecks? Do they cover our break ins? No! They only come when they think they can make us look like idiots. Last year, the Union County Walk-A-Thon committee asked the Knoxville news media to come up and cover the Saturday Walk-A-Thon. They were told that the TV station only maintains a skeleton crew on weekends and couldn't come, as something IMPORTANT might happen in Knox County.

Yet everytime we have a parade we beg them to come and sit in a car and wave at us like Kings and Queens. Folk's I'm telling you right now if all you want is someone to sit in a car and wave at parade watchers I'm your man. I volunteer. I realize I don't have the drawing power of a weatherman, to get the crowds out, but I'll do it free of charge. And if it's crowds you want, I'll do it in a woman's dress!

I am tired of the newsmedia making us out to be hicks, it ceases to be funny. I'm sure the Sheriff wishes he had said this or that or hadn't said this that way. I have never been interviewed that I didn't feel bad afterwards. But none of us could have done differently if forced to answer quickly in a parking lot with some guy sticking a camera in our face.

What would I have done differently? Well, I'm glad you asked. You know of course I'm a nut and prove that every week in my columns. But here are my thoughts:

Should I have been placed in Sheriff Loy's position that day, I would have arrested the reporter. That's right folks, you heard it here first. When he asked why I hadn't done anything I would have replied in my worst country slang, "Well sir, it's hard to build a case. People that do that are closed mouthed. Can't hardly get anyone to confess that they've attended these events. But since you're willing to admit to it yourself, and provide me this nifty tape as evidence of you being there I'll make you my first arrest."

Sheriff Hutchison in Knox County has proven that bad publicity from the local media only increases your chances at election time. They're going to try to make you look bad anyway, I'd just try to make sure that I wrote the script.

Second thing is this, if cornered by some guy running up to me, carrying a camera and saying cockfights this or that, I would have stopped him. I would have said "I have an incident going, I'll speak to you in a moment." Then I would go to my office and clear my head and see what I had going about the cockfights. Twenty minutes of waiting in my lobby would help this young man's adrenaline level decrease and I would have him brought to my office and have the interview there and not in a parking lot.

Ever notice how Tim Hutchison is always interviewed in an office? He grants interviews by appointment. They get an appointment and inform him up front what the topic will be. Sheriff Loy was good enough to speak to this person. This makes him a friendlier person than me.

Sheriff Loy knows more about the Sheriff's department than I do. However, I would hire an information officer to deal with the media.

So what did the newscast do? Well it gave me something to write about but little else. Will it help the people of Bull Run to get rid of their problem? Not really, because even if the police go there Saturday, the cockfighters have TV's too. They know better than to show up.

I do not fault the people of Bull Run, I'm sure they are fed up. I am just tired of the news media running up here to make us look like hicks. They don't come to cover our Alternative School. They go to Karns and cover the story "People don't want Alternative School across the street from their Middle School." Our Alternative School is in the same building as the Middle School. But since we can't be made to look like idiots over this, they don't come.

I challenge all of you to watch the news tonight. Keep a watch near you. Time the actual news and then time the meaningless witty banter among the "newscasters." Which one occupies more time? The thirty minutes are made up of fluffy stories that some writer or newscaster hopes wins him or her an Emmy. Do I really need to know that doctors have found new reasons for me to take laxatives? Do I need another reason? Personally, I'd rather hear about breakins or car wrecks.

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