Mike Vick- Witness

I am so sick of hearing about Michael Vick, from both sides of the issue. How many news stories can we really read about the same thing... How many comments can we leave, for and against, before we realize we're all just idiots parroting the same hollow messages over and over? The bad analogies and the out-of-nowhere animal activists all make me want to cut my wrists.
Should he get a chance to play football again? Who fucking cares? Roger Goodell will decide, and I don't imagine he's going to look at the comments on the last Vick story on ESPN.com. Both sides have all their arguments, and both sides are so far off base that they should just all shut the fuck up.

EDIT: Right below this, I say, "Animal Lovers." I probably should have said, "People who are going to claim to love animals just to give them the opportunity to tear someone down in order to feel better about themselves."

Animal Lovers: I guess you guys didn't realize this, but down 'South,' there are a lot of old timey stuff like this going on. I know it's a shock. Guess what? They were torturing Negros down there 50 years ago, so dogs just didn't make the list. Vick has a bigger name, so you're hearing about it. The real tragedy that you should be thinking about though, is that while he's been in prison, I'd bet 20 times as many dogs have been sacrificed to dogfighting, without it ever making the news. In Louisiana, cock fighting is still legal, too.

Further, take a look at yourselves. You like football, I'm guessing, which is why you know who Mike Vick is. Guess what? Football is pretty much organized human dogfighting, played with a ball made out of pigs that were sacrificed to provide you with entertainment. I dare you to try and tell me that you watch the game to see a corner cover a wide receiver with perfect technique- you watch hoping to see peoples' careers ended by a huge hit. Sure, you don't admit that even to yourselves, but you watch to see living things get destroyed- just like a nice wreck in a Nascar race. Even if you're one of the more 'enlightened' folk who watch to see a good game, your money is still paid into a league that is built on destroying peoples' bodies over their careers and then dumping them off when they are no longer of use. Oh yea- if you're really “down with the cause,” tune out the NFL is they let him back in. Stick up for your beliefs instead of your conveniences for once in your life.

My final thought here? If you care so fucking much about the poor animals, stop wasting your time posting inane comments about this bullshit, and get out there and do something- dogfighting is barely the tip of the iceberg of animal cruelty. There are pounds and shelters all over the country that desperately need your time and money- spend some of each helping out, and get the fuck off espn.com.

Michael Vick/Good 'Ol Boy Lovers: Do you not realize that what this guy did is just purely sick? I mean, it is the behavior one might expect from a well-off sociopath. Granted, his upbringing could very well have ingrained in him the notion that what he did was nothing to be ashamed of, but, if that's the case, do you really think a couple months in prison broke him of that and he's genuinely remorseful? Deep down inside, there's a 90% chance that he is looking at this whole situation as just a giant annoyance. Don't think for a second that the fact that he's got a lawyer and a PR guy to make sure he's saying the right things means he's thinking them... Hell, Obama had folks convinced he gave a shit about Gay Rights, and look how that's working out...
My final thoughts toward you guys? The thought that it's 'OK' because it's been done for 200 years doesn't fly. The thought that someone grows up thinking it's OK, and has to go to jail for six months, and gets out thinking that it's terrible and that he's a horrible person is ludicrous. If he gets back in the league, and dedicates his time and money to right the wrongs he's done, then I'll believe him. Until then, I think not. Oh yea- if you think hunting or fishing for 'sport' is ANY better than dogfighting, you're fucking retarded. The length of time that you torture an animal before it's death makes no difference in the end- you're still a cruel fuck.

Disclaimers:

Some of this may seem disjointed, as it's in response to the thousands of comments on ESPN.com, and not simply a post about my thoughts.

I am an animal lover, and between myself and my fiance, we have 3 cats, 2 dogs, and a bunny, all of which but the bunny were rescued; We're even looking after a malnourished Pit Bull mix that was strolling though our yard... My general view is that purposeful animal abuse should be dealt with with the same severity as crimes against humans- animals are basically children, and to abuse that innate love and trust is just about the worst thing a person could do, and often an indicator of someone that will migrate that behavior to humans, given the chance.