Forty-nine states have now made cockfighting illegal, with the fiftieth, Louisiana, voting to make cockfighting illegal by 2008.
Puerto Rico has responded by passing legislation declaring cockfighting a "cultural right."
Apparently, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" weren't good enough, and PETA's veg-friendly suggestion won't suffice: fried plantains rarely scratch one another to death under heavy provocation.
Links:
[1] http://www.suntimes.com/news/world/469696,CST-NWS-cockfighting16.article