Sports Illustrated came out with yet another article on the ex Micheal Vick dogs. We'd like to hear what you folks think about this but I do want to make one comment however. While dogs are forgiving by nature, some dogs can be damaged from abuse. Some are more resilient than others within any breed. This is one reason why it is very important to evaluate each dog on his own merit individually and not by his breed.People should be judged as individuals too. Should Michael Vick be able to go back to football? Is it the same as if an engineer lost his job due to committing a crime? What are your thoughts?
Comment away!http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1153074/index.htm
Posts
I think if he truly showed remorse for fighting these dogs, I would be willing to forgive. However, there's really been no indication that he thinks what he did was wrong and is trying to make amends.
ReplyDeleteI agree I`ve seen absolutely no remorse for what he did to the dogs.
ReplyDeleteIf kids didn`t look up to these Sports figures I wouldn`t care if he went back to Sports but they do.
If he was an Engineer and kids looked up to Engineers(and they should),I`d say he shouldn`t be allowed back in that field.
It`s all about the message being sent to young people.
He should certainly be allowed to earn a living but it should be out of the Public eye.
I wouldn`t even want him doing Public Service Announcements against Dog Fighting.
He needs to fade away.
Let Leo do the PSA`s.
Would we want Pedophiles doing PSA`s about child abuse?
Why is SI interviewing PeTA,especially about Pit Bulls?
That`s bizarre.
"People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)..........require that Vick submit to psychological testing before being reinstated, including a brain scan that purportedly will reveal whether he has psychopathic tendencies."
I hope the Doc will give a 2 for 1 or even a group rate.
I think Ingrid Newkirk et al should have a scan at the same time.
I wish people would do some actual research and then publish it far and wide about PETA and their position on pit bulls. In many ways they are no better than Michael Vick when it comes to ethical treatment of this breed. They are just as guilty of killing them.
ReplyDeleteShould Vick play in the NFL again? NO WAY
Should PETA get involved in this? NO WAY...they need to take a long hard look in the mirror...
I think he should be allowed back but the bar should be set high for him and if he can do it and transform his life to become the role model he should have been from the beginning then that is also a good lesson for people - that anyone can change their life around to do good if they choose to.
ReplyDeleteNow he'd also have to show much remorse for his horrific crimes and the seriousness of them as well if he were to change his life around.
I also think we need more stories about people like Jarrod Cooper from the Oakland Raiders who do do great things for animals instead....
OOOhhh! I vote for the PETA brainscans!!! And while we're at it, let's test their DNA! Maybe we can find a gene that identifies logic-defying, irrational tendencies....and just THINK what sort of legislation we could create then! Perhaps PSL? PETA specific legislation??? :D OK I'm done.
ReplyDeleteI think it's also up to the NFL to send a message as to what they will tolerate and what they won't. It should be up to each corner of society to send a message that states we won't hurt animals. It can't only be up to animal welfare orgs but all of society or most anyway. If not we are always picking up the pieces and dogs still suffer.
ReplyDeleteMarthina
Vick made an agreement with prosecutors and served his sentence. He is free to go back into society and seek work where he pleases. The NFL is a company that has a strong interest in it's public image. If you watch the NFL they always have PSA's on their players involvement with charities (particularly the United Way). They suspend and fine players for doing things that they deem inappropriate and in violation of their player policies. If I was the commissioner of the NFL I would ask myself "What positives does Vick bring to the league and what negatives?". Vick's plea bargain was in his own self interest. Remember he came out denying involvement with the dog fighting operation. He made a deal when it was clear that a trial would result in a harsher sentence and the airing of a lot of dirty laundry that would tarnish his image even further. Vick has nothing positive to bring to the NFL. He is now polarized in the public eye and he hasn't done anything to change that.
ReplyDeleteOne disappointing thing about this case is PETA's prominence in Vick's story. When they say outrageous things or make outrageous requests like "getting a brain scan" they have the effect of branding all others who strive for animal rights as "delusional" or "psychotic" because the general public at times lumps groups together. You are either for Vick or you are against him and with PETA and the crazies requesting brain scans. It only takes one team owner to want Vick and he will be back. They only good I see coming from this would be the mandatory press conferences players have to do and the potential questions that could be asked of Vick.
Kevin R
I absolutely do not think that Vick should be allowed back in the NFL. This is not a matter of simply allowing someone who has served his time (he should have served 23 years, not 23 months) to go back to his profession. Children look up to those in the sports profession more than any other (which is something I will never understand, but that is another topic altogether). If he had molested children or tortured a person, we wouldn't even be having this conversation.
ReplyDeleteAs far as PETA goes, I am a little sick of the bashing. No, they should not be the spokesperson for pitbulls, and I absolutely disagree with their stance on pitbulls, but they do a lot of amazing work on behalf of animals. They have gotten more companies to change their practice (vis-a-vis animal testing, fur, etc.) than any other animal rights group. Their litigation department is fantastic (and not extremist at all). For all their flaws, PETA gets a lot done. In the animals rights world we should be working together -- the exploiters want us to be divided. Let's not give in to that.
"For all their flaws, PETA gets a lot done."
ReplyDeleteOh yeah they`re getting a lot done alright.
PeTA`s 2007 Kill rate-91%
http://petakillsanimals.com/downloads/PetaKillsAnimals.pdf
PeTA`s 2006 Kill rate-97%
http://www.virginia.gov/vdacs_ar/cgi-bin/Vdacs_search.cgi?link_select=facility&form=fac_select&fac_num=157&year=2006
PeTA kills animals
http://www.petakillsanimals.com/
Ingrid Newkirk-PeTA`s Shame
http://www.nokillnow.com/PETAIngridNewkirkResign.htm
Dying for Liberation
http://www.nationalreview.com/smithw/smith200507130830.asp
Some Quotes
http://www.nopitbullbans.com/?page_id=7
“Pet ownership is an absolutely abysmal situation brought about by human manipulation.” Ingrid Newkirk, national Director, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA), Just Like Us?” Harper’s, August 1988, p. 50.
“Let us allow the dog to disappear from our brick and concrete jungles–from our firesides, from the leather nooses and chains by which we enslave it.” John Bryant, Fettered Kingdoms: An Examination of A Changing Ethic Washington People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, (PeTA), 1982, p. 15.
“You don’t have to own squirrels and starlings to get enjoyment from them … One day, we would like an end to pet shops and the breeding of animals. [Dogs] would pursue their natural lives in the wild … they would have full lives, not wasting at home for someone to come home in the evening and pet them and then sit there and watch TV,” Ingrid Newkirk, national director, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA), Chicago Daily Herald, March 1, 1990.
“Arson, property destruction, burglary and theft are ‘acceptable crimes’ when used for the animal cause.” Alex Pacheco, Director,PETA.
Animal Rights?
No Thanks
Animal Welfare
Yes Please
How do we know PETA or Ingrid Newkirk and others were not misquoted in these publications?
ReplyDeleteContact them and ask them if they were misquoted.
ReplyDeleteSome quotes on tape
ReplyDelete(Some graphic pictures,some explicit language)
Penn & Teller-Bullsh*t-PETA 1-3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0exLa6saV9o
I really didn't mean for this to turn into a PETA blog. Believe me I am not a supporter but let's try to keep it civil and on topic as to MV and should the NFL welcome him back.
ReplyDeleteMary
Sorry
ReplyDeleteFeel free to delete my PeTA posts
Defense of them makes my blood boil,obviously.
I`m usually in such a good mood.
Pibble - no worries! Believe me I'm with you on this one, just trying to keep on topic.
ReplyDeleteMary
Well, I totally agree with Pibble about that certain org...and it's almost impossible NOT to comment about them these responses when the article in question has nearly as much to do with them as it does with Vick...
ReplyDelete...but anyway...to answer the question...should Vick be allowed to go back to football? NO!!!! He's never shown an ounce of remorse for what he has done. He's just sorry he got caught. He's really nothing but a serial killer. Why would anyone want someone like that on their team? Not exactly what most folks would consider to be an upstanding citizen or good role model by a long shot. He needs to just go away without ceremony...
Such is the unforgiving climate Vick faces. He has been brought to his knees, stripped of his freedom and fortune, and as satisfying as it might feel for some to see him like that, he has been down for as long as the law requires. It's time to let him try to get back up. Vick's return to the NFL shouldn't require that we judge him to be fully redeemed; many of us never will. But we need to acknowledge that as with most other offenders who have fulfilled the terms of their punishment, he ought to be allowed to pursue his old career, if he's still qualified for it.
ReplyDeleteThat's from the SI article... and I think perhaps instead of shouting "Vick shouldn't play co's he abused those dogs!" (which don't get me wrong... I'm one of those who are furious that him playing again is even a consideration.) We should be shouting for policy change that would get him (and anyone else who CHOOSES to make crime their favorite pastime) DISQUALIFIED.
NHPBR - You said it! The bigger question to me is why do we continue to excuse and seemingly reward them for their less than stellar behavior. How many of us have known kids who were standouts in sports in high school who were given 2nd and 3rd chances because athletics was their way out of a bad situation (or whatever the story may have been), that continues in college and low and behold they end up in the NFL. According to Wiki-answers there are currently 32 ex-felons playing in the NFL. I don't know the date of that answer but it doesn't take much googling to see the number of players who either currently or have played in the past who have some pretty serious crimes in their records. As long as we put so much importance on winning at all costs I don't see anything changing in the near future. Who knows maybe once again MV will have an impact on policies?
ReplyDeleteYes, winning at all costs. This sets a bad example to kids. And yes, the NFL needs to set policy.
ReplyDeletePibble- no worries. Your posts are always funny, informative with good points. Anytime!
Ok guys, now guess the breed above and have fun!
Marthina
Um, do any of you PETA-bashers actually know anyone personally who works at PETA? I thought not. And that website petakillsanimals.com is full of crap. And if you think the ownership and breeding of dogs has done anything but bring sorrow to these glorious creatures, you haven't been to a shelter recently and watched a dog get euthanized. Your dog may be happy; the majority of dogs in this country are not. Humans simply have no right to own other living beings. We rescue animals now because we have to, because there is no other choice. There is simply no excuse ever to breed any domestic animal, considering how many are in the shelters.
ReplyDeleteNHPBR
ReplyDeleteI think you hit the nail on the head.
Here`s someone who has created the NFL All-Time Felon Team.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/25919-nfl-all-time-felon-team
You know it`s bad when Vick only gets Notable Mention as Quarter Back.
Who knew you could google
"How many Felons play in the NFL?" and a bunch of sites would pop up.
That`s very telling.
Hey can anyone tell me why I have to boot my dog off the back porch to pee when the temp falls below a certain point?
How`s he going to cope if he`s set free?
Haha. My dog is the same way. She refuses to get bathed or step out in the rain in the backyard, but the second I put her leash on, she is quite happy to jump in puddles. Weird.
ReplyDelete