GRAPHIC: In 2001, a Mississippi man sued a lumber company for destroying his property, including a chicken pasture, and requested $300,000 in damages. GRAPHIC: The following scenes are from the plaintiff’s deposition in that case. GRAPHIC: Every word is presented verbatim. Int. Conference room - day Lawyer Tell me about your poultry business. How long have you been in the poultry business? witness Thirty years. Lawyer What kind of items do you raise? witness I raise red wing Piles and black straight comb Bacheva chickens that come out of Ireland. I have two breeds of chickens. They haven’t been listed with the national poultry program as complete breeds of chickens but the world recognizes them. They’re sterling blacks and sterling piles. Stenographer Pile? P-I-L-E? witness Yes, sir. Pile means white. Lawyer Do you have a separate business that you have incorporated where you conduct this business or is this something you do just in your own name? witness Sir, I had a vision back when I was a child that nobody else in this world could recognize but myself. I know where Osama Bin Laden is today. I know the cure for SARS today. I know many, many things in this world that other people don’t recognize and don’t understand and don’t know. Simply because I follow the chicken. witness (CONT’D) That sounds stupid, it sounds unrealistic to — witness (CONT’D) — you think it’s childish. But the national bird is the eagle. But the international bird is the chicken. The chicken will carry you down the darkest alleys of the world safely. The eagle will take you down that road by yourself to get you killed. The chicken will take you down there and sleep you in the attics of muslins. witness (CONT’D) It’ll sleep you in the hotels of kings and the palaces of kings and queens. I’ve lived with the mayor of Djibouti— witness (CONT’D) I’ve lived with the daughter of the advisor of the president of the Philippines. I’ve been to Guadalajara, I’ve been— if I set here, I would hate to make him have to write the places that I’ve been for the chickens. The Witness lists more places which sound like gibberish. Stenographer Wait a minute. witness — you know what I’m saying. I’ve been around the world six times on the back of a chicken. I — Lawyer Hang on, Mr. Pittman. I think you’re losing the court reporter with some of this stuff. Stenographer I didn’t get none of that. Lawyer Did you get the part about Osama bin Laden? Stenographer I got that part. GRAPHIC: The plaintiff testified that he never read the terms of the timber deed, and that it was confiscated after he signed. Int. CONFERENCE ROOM - day - later Lawyer Okay, sir. Now, let me just back up. Because I don’t want us to get off of the subject. The question is— witness And lightning striking me and then trees falling on me and hail storms and rain storms and snakes. I’ve bit by snakes and bit by spiders and stung by hornets and wasps and thieves have shot at me and everything else. And you know why I did all that? For the chickens. Why would I do all that for the chickens? Because I said, like, whatsoever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord. And I’ve been feeding those chickens for God for thirty years. CUT TO: GRAPHIC: During the plaintiff’s testimony, he was repeatedly reprimanded by the trial judge for his behavior. INT. CoNFERENCE ROOM - later Lawyer Okay. What does the chicken have to do with God? Pittman launches his final sermon. witness God uses the foolishness of the world to confound the wise and he manifests his strength through weakness. I think you can reflect back on enough Bible stories to kind of get an idea as to what I’m referring to. In man’s opinion, the Eagle is the stronger of the birds, but the game chicken is really. The game chicken won’t run. The Eagle will. The chicken is the national bird, international bird. The chicken is man’s best friend, dog, you can say dog is, they eat dog everywhere to, but the chicken is the international bird because it is the food supply for all of the human races. The man that knows the chicken as well as I do has a home in any culture of people on the face of the earth. GRAPHIC: VERBATIM GRAPHIC: The jury awarded the Plaintiff $3,200 in damages. GRAPHIC: (MAKE ONE CARD?) He appealed the decision.