Group Disputes Leather Title; Claims Russian Interference

LONDON, ARKANSAS

A group of leather title competitors have formed a group FILC, Fairness in Leather Contests, to question the legitimacy of several local, national, and international leather titles granted over the past 5 years.

Master Andy Smithers, 57, has entered more than two dozen leather contests over the past half decade and has failed to win or even be named runner up in any of them.  Most disturbing to him was a contest last year in Missouri where he was the only competitor and still managed to lose in what organizers called “a landslide.”

“It just seems odd,” he told The Daily Flogger, “so I started looking into it.  It appears that there may be some serious interference going on, either by the Russians or the Chinese.  But mostly we suspect the Russians.”

Smithers has filed court cases against several producers of leather title competitions, particularly seeking financial records, advertising records, and any details of meetings between organizers and an foreign entities.

Slave Hector Rondigo, who was recently named Mr. Southwest Missouri Slave, says he has seen a lot of “strange things happening lately, especially in the tallying of votes,” but didn’t have any specific evidence of collusion.

Event organizers have denied any involvement of Russians or any other country.  As Master Kippy Slater, organizer of one of the country’s largest leather contests said in a recently released statement, “We speak to competitors from all over the world.  While we have had contact with leathermen and leatherwomen in Russia, we have never given any candidate any special consideration.  In spite of recent reports, there has never been any collusion with any government, foreign or domestic.”

Smithers says he will continue looking into the issue.  “There has to be some kind of collusion.  How else can you explain me losing every contest I have ever entered?”