[maryellen]

i could care less if vick was purple.. he got off easy.. that cottonwood TX man got 112 years for basically the same crime.... goes to show money goes along way....



http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=c6e78942205b03abe8d60 18eb4dad2df

Vick’s Sentence Shows America's Racist Ways

New America Media, Commentary, Charles Jones, Posted: Dec 11, 2007

Editor’s Note: Atlanta Falcon’s quarterback Michael Vick was sentenced to two years in prison for running a dogfighting ring out of his home and some dog-lovers are up in arms over – what they say – is not enough time. But New America Media commentator Charles Jones says that the reaction of some Americans to the Vick case gives away their contradictory views regarding black men.

Michael Vick doesn’t deserve the almost two years the Feds slapped on him this week for fighting and killing pit bulls. But he was lucky to get 23 months – it’s not the five or six years I thought he would get. I’m sure that Michael Vick is as close to elated as possible, under the circumstances.

With Vick’s sentencing out of the way, maybe his critics can back off and stop couch quarterbacking his legal proceedings. If there is any good luck Vick has had over this past year, it’s that the dog-loving world isn’t his judge and jury. If they were, he would have been lucky to get off with the legal maximum.

When I checked out comments responding to an article about his sentencing, I wasn’t surprised to see the PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) crowd disgruntled about how “short” his prison term is. I wasn’t even surprised to see the number of people who actually equate the value of a dog’s life to that of a human. People who seriously feel that Vick should be executed or banned from pro-football for life just rub me the wrong way – especially because a lot of what I’ve heard in the media concerning this case has racist undertones.

Black people have a history in this country of having our lives valued at less than those of dogs. We were only 3/5th human after all.

I know, some of you are thinking: “Race-card! Race-card! Out of context!”

But, consider this contradiction: Vick and co. were fighting pit bulls – a breed that has been deemed so vicious that mainstream America is increasingly working toward eradicating them. Cities like San Francisco have adopted strict neutering and euthanization laws for these dogs. Mainstream America hates, fears and mistrusts pit bulls damn near as much as they do young African Americans like Michael Vick.

Maybe that’s why the hood loves pit bulls so much. Maybe it’s that they are as feared and mistrusted by mainstream society as we are – and they make people think twice about robbing your house.

My neighbor is a 10-year PETA member. This neighbor not only stays away from pit bulls, but even complained (and exaggerated) to my landlord that a “vicious dog” was roaming the complex when I allowed my two-year-old daughter to play outside our apartment with a friend’s two-and-a-half-month-old pit bull puppy. My landlord freaked, the puppy was banned from the property and I was threatened with eviction if he was ever seen within our gates again. I have personal experience with how people deal with pit bulls.

So to feign this care for all dogs and fake like the fact that Vick is black has nothing to do with the public vitriol that surrounds him is just dog doo-doo. Michael Vick is in prison where men and women all over this country are beaten, raped and stabbed daily. And he’ll be there for at least two years. To say that he deserves a murder sentence because he abused or even killed a few dogs belonging to a breed that the powers that be would like to kill off, is ludicrous and shows how very little a young black male’s life means to America at the subconscious core of her being.

[bahamutt99]

You know, while the race card thing is irritating, he does make a good point about how the public views the breed.

[Lucy Loo]

So is he saying that because MV is a black man and Pit Bulls are hated anyway, that he shouldn't get shit?

Some people will do anything to further their racist agenda.

Dog fighting isn't a race issue, it is a humane issue.

I have had it up to here with the race card regarding MV and his dogs. Race has nothing to do with the fact that MV was fighting and torturing dogs. Dogfighting has been a sport to many for years. Historically it was a sport that was enjoyed by all races, mainly white. But anytime the race card can be thrown into a scandal, expect it to get blown up bigger than it already is. Even Whoopi Goldberg said that MV should not be prosecuted for what he did, for it was a "cultural thing that black men do". That is like saying that all of the illegal immigrants can do what they want when they sneak across our borders because "it's a cultural thing, they do this in their country so they shouldn't be prosecuted for it here."

As a Pit Bull owner and lover, I do not and will never condone dogfighting. But it is that heritage that made our beloved breed what it is today so you cannot deny it. And it is not MV making his dogs fight that disgusts most bully owners, it is what he did to the dogs that didn't make the cut. The torture that he put his losing dogs thru is what landed his ass in hot water, not only with the authorities, but with Pit Bull owners everywhere. And it would'nt have matter if he were black, white, or any other race.....To say that race is the issue rather than animal abuse is an insult to bully owners everywhere. If it were Bret Favre I would feel the same way, but at least if it were him we wouldn't be hearing all of these excuses about race.

[fearlessknight]

THIS IS ABSURD..... THIS IS the damn problem.....he got off easy because of his money, he got off easy because of who he is, and he got off easy because he is BLACK.......yes thats what I said....when you have all of these black people out there screaming racist, racist, what do you think will happen...and then you have all of these black people out there defending in some way or another some way to JUSTIFY his actions and THEN have the nerve to say that he did HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING ELSE THAT IS GOING ON WITH THIS BREED..........IGNORANT is all I can say and the man should have been shot, electrocuted or drowned for that matter. Give the SOB a taste of his own medicine, it is MORE than deserved.
NO I am not racist....so don't go there
I too could care less if he was orange, but the fact is, he is black....and that did play a role in his outcome.
Because..."they ALWAYS get the shitty end of the stick" oh you poor poor thing....lemme bake you a cake for what you did.....give me a F'ing break!

[fearlessknight]

never mind...I found it online.....

[HelloJen]

I really hope Vick finds a nice boyfriend in prison. Someone with REALLY big feet.

I think that part of his sentence should have him doing mandatory shelter work, forever.

[NcPrisonGuard]

AMEN Fearless!... Thank you! I love you for saying that! Thank you!!!

[redboylove]

Out of curiousity...why is micheal vick branded as such a bad guy that deserves the harshest of punishment while we all love look up to and almost praise TG, FB, MC and a few others? if we sit back and believe that dog fighting being illegal is the justification of why we feel one way towards vick then we really are lying to ourselves and eachother. It may not have been a felony but it has been a misdameanor which is still illegal correct? I don't condone but I do or would like some calrity. Thank you.

[Gatlinsmommy]

I don't care who did the act of abusing the dogs. I don't care if it was my neighbor down the street, or if it were MV, the fact that dogs were hurt and killed for the sole purpose of making more money is the problem! Playing the racist card is ignorant and selfish. I don't care if you are white, orange, pink, black, green. If you abuse a living, breathing creature for the sole purpose of lining your pockets, the eff you. Doesn't matter if you are rich, if you are poor, if you are famous or not. It is wrong. We can't judge him, only God will, and only God knows if he is truly sorry for it, and has moved on. Bottom line: dog fighting is wrong, and anyone who does it should be punished accordingly. Race, income, society status, etc. should not be taken into account.

[Alma]

THIS thread was from 2007, guys.

[Turner]

Originally Posted by redboylove Out of curiousity...why is micheal vick branded as such a bad guy that deserves the harshest of punishment while we all love look up to and almost praise TG, FB, MC and a few others? if we sit back and believe that dog fighting being illegal is the justification of why we feel one way towards vick then we really are lying to ourselves and eachother. It may not have been a felony but it has been a misdameanor which is still illegal correct? I don't condone but I do or would like some calrity. Thank you.

This is an old thread so I won't go into detail.

It is because Vick FOUGHT dogs, not MATCHED them. There is a difference. If you still have questions, use the search feature to find old threads about this, you can PM me, or start a new thread.

[CoolHandJean]

Redboy, my problem with Vick wasn't the dog fighting, though it is illegal and if you do it, you have to pay the consequences, which I felt his punishment was good enough.

My problem was the way he went about culling out the curs. A simple bullet to the brain would have done the job, instead of hanging or drowning the dogs.

[fearlessknight]

Originally Posted by redboylove Out of curiousity...why is micheal vick branded as such a bad guy that deserves the harshest of punishment while we all love look up to and almost praise TG, FB, MC and a few others? if we sit back and believe that dog fighting being illegal is the justification of why we feel one way towards vick then we really are lying to ourselves and eachother. It may not have been a felony but it has been a misdameanor which is still illegal correct? I don't condone but I do or would like some calrity. Thank you.

There is absolutely no comparison between the "dogmen" you mentioned and the jackass Vick.

[CynthiaATL]

Thread Closed

This thread is from 2007. And this topic has been discussed over and over. Like Turner suggested start a new thread.