Atlanta Falcons QB, Michael Vick, the 36 year old with the $130 million dollar contract to push a ball around a piece of green and get knocked down, will plead guilty to federal charges arising out of the dogfighting case involving his property, his friends, his dogs and his cruelty.
Give him credit - when his co-defendants said he was directly involved in the slaughter of 8 dogs, he decided that perhaps his media statements, his statements to the NFL and his statements to his fans might have to shift a little. From 'I look forward to clearing my good name' to 'I'm guilty'.
But you think I'm pleased about it? I think it's a stupid friggin' shame that a man used his talent to make the 'Amerikan Dream' come true for him and his family, and he screwed it up. The idea that he will serve jailtime doesn't make me feel good at all. That's what we need. Another black man in prison. You think Michael Vick is the only sports star with this kind of dirty habit? Killing animals for sport? For sheer bloodlust, and in the cruellest way possible?
Dogfighting. I wrote about the tradition of dogfighting in America on my blog in June 2006, after I got into a nasty little spat with breed fanatics when I supported local law that would have mandated the spay neuter of bully breeds. Not banning them. Fixing them. This game, of pitting two animals who enjoy the fight, into a dirt ring and watch them rip each other to pieces has a long and filthy history. But it isn't part of Black History Month, trust me. White working class southerners started the legend of the 'dogmen' and the tradition of fighting their prized bullies to the death - family men, who posed for photos with their brood of kids holding rifles and 80 pound cropped ear pits, men who were proud of their confederate background - guns, hunting, dogs, drinking and generally just being good ol' boys.
So, I'm not feeling good about Vick going to jail. What will he be, what will he do when he comes out? My question is. How do we stop producing men like Vick? And instead of finding the most punitive way of dealing with this jerk, how about we insist he spend the next twenty years talking to fellow football players about cruelty, animal abuse and hey, he could add in that people who abuse animals rarely stop there. And that is, ultimately, where my anger lies. Vick got caught is all. You think the NFL, the corporate sponsors and law enforcement don't know what these sports studs are doing?
People who abuse animals rarely stop there. Now there's a mantra for my lovable harmless fuzzball Rush LimpBiscuit.
Absolutely, the issue is so much bigger than Vick and his (caught) co-horts. The pink elephant over there in the corner needs to be recognized.
Posted by: Deborah | August 21, 2007 at 03:00 PM
I like your idea of how Vick could make restitution besides going to jail.
Posted by: Deb in Minnesota | August 22, 2007 at 11:41 AM