He was not blue but he did have some iridescent hues of blue, red and black. He was not a devil although McNab and The Judge wanted everyone to think so. Farley, the county extension agent who spread the word about the fight, said that not only he had two death matches but that he survived them and is ready to fight Big Red. He said that if he killed Big Red that people would have to start wearing tuxedos to the fights and pay $1000 admission and $100 just to loiter and bet while on the premises.
Every politician has been heard to say during his or her career, “the American voter is the smartest voter in the world.” This statement should sound a few alarm bells for voters. Every voter knows another voter or two who is a complete moron. But The Judge never had to kiss anyone’s ass for a vote. Everyone kissed his ass for the honor of voting for him.
If you wanted to make a living in that steamy green, worthless county, you had to work for The Judge whether or not he held office. If he did hold office, you didn’t have much to worry about when it came to fines, felonies, misdemeanors or fees. They were waived, unless he didn’t like you. If he didn’t like you; everyone knew it and Sheriff Dan would find a reason to pay you a visit.
Sheriff Dan and six deputies were always present at the pit because there was always a lot of money around. The odds were written on a chalk board and the bets were collected by hand from some of the boys in the auditor’s office. They told the fans that if Big Red won, then there would be free moonshine at all of the fights.
This was not true; but no one was about to complain if it ever came up again. McNab brought the moonshine in the same truck with his gamecock. The Judge got a cut from the wagers, from the bird men, from the moonshine and from the admission. He waved McNab’s fee but made his opponent pay for a time slot. He would pay McNab’s purse of $10,000 even if he lost and if The Blue Devil won, he could keep both the purse and The Judge’s patronage. It was worth the hype for the next fight.
By the time the birds were dropped into a deep pit in the red clay, a few fights had broken out among the fans who, bet on different birds. Each bird had its comb and wattles removed as well as his heel spurs to accommodate 2’' spurs that were taped to its legs.
Perhaps someday, a mathematician with a supple mind can demonstrate with mere numbers how it is possible to have an eternal soul. For now, a person’s world-view is definition enough for me. For now, the best explanations that I have heard are that there are an infinity of opinions, more than one person can know. For most people their soul lives on in a kind of synecdoche for a few generations, each succeeding generation loses more of their source identity but also creates their own. For a paltry few, their work and biography remain for centuries but not their soul.
“It is not for humans to say whether or not there is a soul or a God or even eternity. These are simply human ideas, used like most human ideas, to take advantage of others”, these were the teachings that were part of my soul.
The Judge was a wealthy and powerful man. He was wealthier now that he sold some land for an auto assembly plant, land that he accumulated over time because of back taxes that were owed by county residents. In most of these cases, the judge had liked these tax delinquents but as he said, “My hands are tied, I have to obey the law.” He was especially law abiding when taxes were owed on a parcel of land that completed a tract.
The district Federal prosecutor got wind of this land grab. The governor, both senators and his congressman told him, “There is nothing I can do, he’s a political appointee and not an elected official. The CEO and Chairman of the auto company had promised a set number of jobs to the Secretary of Labor in the right to work state, Somehow, the case of local tax racketeering was dropped by the Justice Department in favor of more urgent matters before the people.
“Could it be that accommodations were found for the auto company? Could it be that unelected people could manipulate the system to deny justice or even a chance for justice? Could it be that donating money to your political party is a waste of money if they cannot prevent or affect this? What do we get for our money if all that it does is support pundits, pollsters, strategists and party operatives? Doesn’t this alleged cock fighting resemble national politics, football, basketball and baseball?” wrote a columnist in the state capitol.
The next day, the columnist wrote about taxes. He never mentioned the subject of corrupt politics again. All of the people that worked for The Judge at his cock fighting arena were party recruiters or officials. They never seemed to have enough money for the party or its candidates but they all were paid by the party to maintain offices and communications. Everybody was a Republican because everybody voted for The Judge but nonetheless, the party presence had to be maintained.
A nonprofit animal rights organization moved into the capitol and received a lot of public support for rescuing birds from fighting. It was only in the urban part of this rural state but they struggled on against 150 years of traditional blood sport. They arranged with the auto manufacturer and the manufacturer’s dealers in the state to promote cause advertising. For every fighting bird that was brought to the nonprofit, the customer received a factory and dealer discount and the nonprofit received 5% of the total sale from the manufacturer. No one ever asked anyone about their party affiliation.
They managed to get a law before the state legislature to make all blood sports a felony (up until then, it was a misdemeanor) and to make it a felony to attend a blood sport competition, to own fighting paraphernalia and to raise game for fighting (up until then, that was all legal).
The nonprofit was looked to as people who created commerce and jobs; the auto company stopped paying dues to the industry that lobbied for auto businesses because their money was better-spent driving sales up. The local auto dealers contributed to building stronger communities.
I await news of the rest of the story now that a civil rights group has moved into the state capitol..