My latest sports column is up at Pajamas Media. In it, I lay into Michael Vick and tell the story of how the prosecutors were able to pressure him into pleading guilty.
A sample:
Michael Vick will be out of football this season and almost certainly next season as well. And if it comes out that his Bad Newz Kennels was involved with even shadier characters and practices, that suspension could become permanent. But whatever punishment meted out to the young man, it pales in comparison to what he put those helpless animals through during their short, brutal lives.
For that, there is nothing in the United States Code that covers the cruelty and depraved indifference shown by Vick toward those animals nor the manner in which he sought to deceive everyone about his nefarious and heartless enterprises.
10:31 am
You know, I think I have to say something good about Vick. It was refreshing, I think, to see that he has publicly admitted what he did was wrong, made no excuses, and did not take the route so many celebrities do of blaming their childhood, substance abuse or other lame reasons for their actions. If nothing else, Vick seems to be taking his well-deserved licks responsibly and for that reason believe he can be rehabilitated, of course time will tell.
11:05 am
In this despicable world of dog fighting, the dogs are not the animals. I had no idea of how widespread this practice is – in both black and white communities. You don’t have to be a member of an animal rights org. to find this totally unacceptable and to hope that Vick’s prosecution will be the first of many. While I don’t feel sorry for Vick at all, some good may actually come from this.
11:16 am
“publicly admitted what he did was wrong, made no excuses”
You left out “turned my life over to Jesus.”
My advice: Don’t make any critical decisions with out assistance.
For the seventh time, some say.
11:18 am
I managed to butcher that response! The “seventh” refers to getting religion to get out a jam.
Se also touchdown grandstanding replays for a sense of the sincerity here.
11:49 am
Larry,
Last time I checked, “turning yourself over to Jesus” is not used as an excuse for why someone did something bad. He hasn’t, so far, blamed anyone or anything but himself for what he did. The only point I make is that is a rarity in today’s celebrity culture and should be encouraged.
12:05 pm
There is no doubt that Mr vick is a despicable excuse of a human being. The behaviour of his associates and himself, the cruelty they all displayed cannot be excused or forgiven. But, why has there not been the outrage directed at those whom race greyhounds and deal with insufficiently competative animals in the same manner as vick? They are every bit as barbaric. They are every bit as violent. And, these behaviours occur daily, inflicted on thousands of dogs. Where is the anger ?
1:21 pm
The day that those of you who rail on about this case rail just as hard against abortion and the millions of children slaughtered by barbaric procedures such as partial birth abortion, I’ll listen. Until then, it’s nothing but blatant hypocrisy.
5:08 pm
“7Wonder95 Said:
1:21 pm
The day that those of you who rail on about this case rail just as hard against abortion “..........Actually some of us do. That you would choose be silent about an atrocity because you have decided that others aren’t strident enough about other atrocities makes you a facilitator ,an enabler, in silent agreement with the perpetrators. It means that your concerns are at best alledged, and quite likely, aren’t as important to you as you suggest.
11:09 pm
Edward,
Who said I was being silent? Just because I don’t post a comment on this forum doesn’t mean I am being silent, does it? That’s quite a big generalization there (and judgement), equating me with the perpetrators, and it is a false one, especially without facts. My point was merely that so many people (like that nutjob Sen. Robert Byrd) will make big speeches about something like this and never lift a finger to save unborn children.
5:57 am
Wonder85, you took the words right outta my mouth, mr. kkk byrd should say NOTHING.
11:41 am
“Who said I was being silent? “....Well, if you are unwilling to listen, as you stated, then you are in effect ignoring the concern, abetting it in fact. And, in ignoring the atrocity, unlikely to have anything to say about it. I didn’t suggest that the lack of posts here is indicative of your silence, but, that, you will choose to ignore a concern due to an hypocrisy that you perceive to exist. You have painted, quite literally, everyone with the same brush because you believe that everyone outraged by vick isn’t outraged by abortion. A substanciation that cannot be supported and is patently false. False for many posters here as well as at other blog sites. You didn’t restrict your allegations to only buffoons such as Sen Byrd, and appeared to include nearly anyone, everyone. If your intent was to limit your allegations to those of the Sen Byrd bent, then I was mislead by the lack of that clarity.