Okay, I'm not paying much attention to the dog bites man or dog bites dog or whatever story about this fellow. If what is said about hanging animals and all is true, then he should be subject to some punishment if there are state and local statutes. Unfortunately, for this fellow, he happens to have a talent for throwing a football. Had he been a software developer, who would have known or cared.*
But punishment at the federal level? Where in the constitution is this? What next, a federal jaywalking statute?
*the voice of humility on sports. In childhood, I was a talentless baseball fanatic. I practiced and practiced to no good purpose. I followed the Red Sox with a passion when that was really, really stupid. Then, with everybody else, watching TV in a freshman dorm common room, I saw the Sox win the 1967 pennant. It was what I had waited all my life to see and I realized how boring watching other people play a sport was for me. Maybe there is some value to others that I don't understand, but when I have had to sit through a contest, I've either just tried to stay awake out of courtesy or made jokes** out of boredom. Still have my Ted Williams baseball card though, which I'll give up when they pry my cold dead hands off of it or best offer.
**The jokes were not that good. Example, when at a Bruins game, a player went down in a heap and was taken off the ice to the hospital, my comment was, "Just shows you, hockey isn't a white man's game."
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5 comments:
As a resident of Atlanta, I am fully exposed (over-exposed) to everything related to Michael Vick.
I have no objection if someone running a dog fighting operation and killing the non-contenders spends some time in jail. But when people start throwing around numbers like 5 years, or 20 years!!, something has gotten seriously out of hand.
Consider the following:
Leonard Little, defensive end for the St. Louis Rams, killed a woman in a drunk driving accident in 1999. He was suspended for half of a season. In 2004 he was convicted AGAIN of drunk driving. He's still playing in the NFL.
Rickey Manning, a cornerback for the Chicago Bears, was involved in brutal attack which he and his buddies perpetrated against a guy sitting alone in a Denny's staring a laptop computer. They called him a nerd and Jew (he was actually of Iranian descent) and then beat the victim into unconsciousness. He's still playing in the NFL.
Jamal Lewis, running back for the Baltimore Ravens, was caught in the middle of a deal to move 5 kilos of coke right here in Atlanta (his hometown). He did a few months in jail, in the offseason, and was suspended for a couple of games. He's still playing in the NFL.
And speaking of the Baltimore Ravens, and of Atlanta, and of the last name "Lewis," who can forget the Super Bowl Eve when Ray Lewis, Ravens linbacker, came to town, and a couple of his homies stabbed two people to death outside an Atlanta nightclub.
During the police interview, Lewis did everything he could not to give up their names, or any connection to him. He ultimately pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice. He's still playing in the NFL.
One wonders how Vick got the idea that dog fighting would not prove an insurmountable obstacle to an NFL career.
BTW, another Falcon's player is also facing an animal cruelty charge related to mistreatment of dogs. Why is this case not flashing all over the nightly news? Jonathan Babineux is an undistinguished back-up defensive tackle. I'm afriad that few care about the fate of his dogs.
Of course you are right that the whole thing is out of hand. The panem et circenses culture is ridiculous when some guy is holding gladitorial combat between animals is treated as more of a criminal than boys who are guilty of battery against their fellow man.
I am not at all surprised, it is only out of hand if you are not part of normal culture.
Mr. Babineux is fortunate to be a bit obscure and in Mr. Vick's shadow, or so I would guess.
The whole FEDERAL thing is stupid. He should get probation and call it a day,however just like with everything else,black men get no justice. I feel sorry for his mama. This is the reason why I fear for my son. This country is so RACIST.
If you want to get worked up about federal overreach get upset about the PATRIOT ACT, not this. I don't see how jailing dogfighters in any way impinges on civil liberties.
Put this in context: after first the New Deal and later the various Civil Rights Acts of the Sixties the centralization of power became effectively complete-every extension of federal power over the States since then is simply an elaboration on the now assumed irrelevancy of claims to exclusive jurisdiction by States and localities.
But i guess everyone still likes to conjure up the ghost of "state's rights" when riding their own pet hobby-horse.
But i guess everyone still likes to conjure up the ghost of "state's rights" when riding their own pet hobby-horse.
When (obviously) it serves their purposes.
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