What To Do With Michael Vick Gear

Lots of anger about Michael Vick. Hopefully all that energy we are putting out there creates something positive in the long run...

It is disturbing to think a certain percentage of the population is honestly going to be swayed by Michael Vick's "enlightenment" carefully crafted by his overpaid attorneys. Call me a cynic, but I don't believe a man who has been allegedly torturing animals since childhood coincidentally has a religious epiphany as a result of getting caught and losing his job.

If there is anything good about the Michael Vick story, it is that there is an emerging increased awareness about animal cruelty and animal fighting. However...

I think it is a sad commentary that we, as a culture, are using the Vick story to compare "What's worse?" "What's worse", we ask, "carelessly fathering illegitimate children, or dogfighting?". "Dogfighting or gambling?" "Dogfighting or rape?" "Dogfighting or racism?" "Dogfighting or hateful nationalism?" "Dogfighting or (fill in the blank)....?" The comparisons to dogfighting have been endless.

Dogfighting is one more piece of evidence our country is in need of a spiritual transformation (please note I said spiritual and not necessarily religious). Animals are sentient beings - they feel pain, and they suffer, just like we do. They are not more important, or less important than human beings, but like human beings, they are important, too.

Every major faith teaches its followers to be responsible stewards of animals and the Earth. Please help us get the word out that caring for animals, just like caring for people, is an important part of just being a decent person and citizen. If we make this a priority, there will be no more dogfighting horror stories, and no more pointless comparisons of evils. Let us all rise, together, to be better people than we are today, shall we?

Chaplain Nancy Cronk

Founder, www.AnimalChaplains.com

See this is the type of stupidity I've come to expect from this site ! Some people here just haven't grasped the concept of reading between the lines of a comment and attaining a full understanding ! Poster #[41], How do you figure I'm a racist ? Is it because you know I'm telling the truth ? Let's face the facts with this story, If Michael Vick were a Non-Minority, & Wasn't rich this story doesn't make the Media outlets . His Employer has nothing to say about it due to the fact that the Jack-asses from PETA keep there mouths shut ! This Country hasn't changed much from the days of Segregation in some parts . Sure Minorities have the same rights as everybody else here, but that in no way changes the atmosphere surrounding the politics of Race relations . Just look at Black athletes in this Country, Take into consideration Allen Iverson . Every time he played in Indiana the Fans would boo him and call him a "Porch Money", & "Nigger Shit" ! Why do you think they do that their in Indiana #[41] ? Because that's the only way some folks from them parts know how to express there disdain for Iverson's game and the fact that he's Black ! When Iverson had his legal issues his was vilified as an Uneducated-Ill mannered thug . Why is that #[41] ? Because of the way he carries himself, All for the fact that he doesn't fit the general Atmosphere of what's accepted in this Country ! Vick is no different, Bottom-line, If Vick doesn't have the Money, (Power, & Respect) The prestige, (Accepted Color) this whole case does not reach the coverage it currently has ! Don't hate me for telling it the way it is Poster #[41] , That's just the facts ! the World we live in is a "Cold , Yet Positively-Blighted" Version of itself ! Posted by; "Still Not Amused"

#38 you are racist man. Just get over it. Vick commited a crime and whatever color of his skin he should serve jail time and be treated by psychatrist.

Yes well, I've been called far worst ! The fact still remains, If Vick were a white guy we probably wouldn't have heard about this dog fighting fiasco . So say what you want, Unfortunately in this country everybody has a right there own opinion . Posted by; "Still Not Amused"

#38: you're Still An Idiot.

Poster #[11] has a point . I'm not agreeing that it's cool to kill dogs, Just a couple of things come to mind with sad sorted story . #[1] If Michael Vick weren't Black we wouldn't have heard all of what's been told here ! Then you factor in the fact that this man has money, Yet another excuse to crucify him at high noon ! OK fine all you people can sit back and swear to hell that race didn't play a role in this story all you want . The bottom line is it did, & Always does ! Minorities in this country will always be viewed as "Secondary Wealth" . What that means is if a person of color were to commit a crime whether they be of poor up bringing OR Wealth they will be viewed the same ! Just look at what happened to (Yeah I know bad example) O.J. Simpson . Dude had everything going for him with his career on the field and his mistake was falling in love with a White woman . I'm not saying that he did kill her, & I'm saying the opposite, The point with that was the outcry from both sides of the "Wall" . All the White folks viewed him as a killer not because he may have had the best possible motive for killing her, but because of the race between them ! Mike Vick has made some rather remarkable missteps in his career with the Falcons & I understand the teams position with regards to fending off the critics here . This was nothing to do with this man's Employer . As long as he's able to fulfill his contractual obligations there shouldn't be any problems . It's just sad that people used this as an excuse to posterize him as the center of all this dog fighting mess ! Posted by; "Still Not Amused"

Don't know about Brooklynites, but this Manhattanite is behind Mr. Vick. one hundred and ten percent.

white people don't understand. They are trying to hold black people to their standard. Hello, you have to respect other people's cultures. The black culture allows for the killing of dogs. It's not a big deal to us. White people will never get us. what michael vick did was not bad. You ever see "Old Yeller"? A little cute white boy kills his dog in cold blood and everyone feels for the boy. A black man kills some dogs and he's the anti-christ. If that ain't some racist shit.

Us real Brooklynites support you all the way Mr. Vick.

POW right in the kisser, karma is right mr. #32

since when do you believe in karma? whitey don't believe in karma, they believe in ME ME ME and F' anybody else.

OH, I'll see you in Hell, I'll be waiting for you.

see you there, friend.

Yet another example of "keeping it real" goes horribly wrong.

#31 - those of us who are not sick take pleasure in making you angrier. so go ahead and get angry. someday you'll get yours too.

karma's a bitch.

In the meantime some sicko is sticking a M80 up a dog's butt and lighting it up in defiance.

All this does is make sickos angrier. POW right in the kisser.

Vick will serve a third of his sentence (12 months) - so he will be jailed for all of 4 months - at most. And then he'll be back in the NFL next fall. Meanwhile, he can do the rounds of daytime talk shows and show contrition - maybe even tear up a bit - and Americans will quickly forgive and forget. It's already been scripted by the NFL and Vick's management.

To #11...You can NOT compare what Vick and his pals did to the euthanization of animals by shelters.

Vick and his friends killed dogs by bodyslamming them to the ground, electrocution, drowning, hanging, etc..

And these were the ones that didn't perform - didn't fight. The repeated torture of those dogs went on every time they were put in a match against and other dog.

For money.

If this case were an anomaly, barely a blip on a radar, it would be a gruesome thing. But, the fact that this happens every day makes it very much an ISSUE.

I have no problem being considered censorious in your book, believe me.

As you people are bitching, some animals at CACC just got put down and put in a 55 gal drum.

Ready for tonight's pick up.

whitey has had it hard all these centuries, trying to teach the darkies how to behave like humans. it's hard though; all these monkeys want to do is fight, steal bananas, throw shit around, jerk off and make lots of screeching noises. frustrating work. you should try it sometime. if you did, you would want to give up and throw them all in cages too.

Come on, it is SO OBVIOUS that #19 is trolling and/or a non-black racist attempting to “cleverly” make black culture look bad.

But he needn’t bother when we have #7 taking the same side sincerely. Sigh.

Why is it so EASY to piss whitey off? You'd think they had it hard all these centuries?

#19, you want to behave like an animal, dont be surprised when you and your kind get treated like one

#11: "centuries and centuries" ago, black people were slaves. It was no big deal, in fact to own slaves meant you had high status and were a prominent figure in society. They were hung up from trees by their necks, they were drowned, they were beaten to death, burned alive whenever their owners felt like they weren't getting their money's worth from them, be it weakness in performing their labor, or insubordination. This was morally acceptable back then. According to your idiotic logic, it would be ok today too.

Yes, there are lots of people fighting dogs today in the US. That doesn't make this case trivial. This isn't some asshole thug in the ghetto, or some redneck piece of shit in his trailer park. The reason why this IS news, is because Vick, when he accepted his hundreds of millions of dollars and endorsement deals, became a public figure. With that comes RESPONSIBILITY, and our TRUST.

Like it or not, he was a role model for millions of kids. He became the face for his team and the NFL. It turns out he was a barbaric MORON. You would think that with all the money and fame, he would take that opportunity to do some good for his community. This is what he chose to do instead. That's a big letdown for everyone.

This is so obvious I shouldn't have to spell this out for you. You are either a complete idiot as well, or are playing dumb and are seriously lacking in moral fibre yourself.

why couldn't he killed some chihuahuas, I'd love to punt kick one of those in the head and see it sail between the uprights.

guess that picture of me posing next to a roasted dog in Vietnam 11 yrs ago was photoshoped.

Why hasn't the NFL given him a lifetime suspension yet? Vick should never play the game of football ever again.

@19:

You are joking, right?

The greatestt crime was taht Vicke is being sent to jail for his culture. LEave his culture and mine alone. This is part of our cultre!!!

You see - #11 and #13, what you get with your position? You get #17. And that does NOTHING to help black people. It just makes us look violent and dumb. I am neither of those things. If you are, then please keep it to yourselves.

al sharpton: why the white man gotta bring the black dog killers down?

#13- vietnamese people don't eat dogs unless it was during the war. It's usually koreans and the people in the unsophisticated parts of the mountains of china that eat dogs and are brazen about it.

#11, I agree with some of your points, but this type of cruelty shouldn't be looked at as being ho-hum. If anything, it should send a message to others that it won't be tolerated.

Just because we live in a violent society, it doesn't mean that we should look the other way at these violent acts. We should hope for change - and not more of the same.

If I were him I'd just kill myself. He probably won't be bacj in the NFL, he will forever be a social pariah, and aside from spending his millions, what can he do now? I think he should give himself a dose of the old juice he inflicted upon the defenseless animals he tortured and killed. That awful degenerate waste of sperm and egg.

they were DOGS people!!! DOGS!!! not humans, but DOGS!!! Who gives a rats ass about a drooling, shit-wherever-you-want, tasty (in Vietnam) animal? Why is dog fighting no better than what they do in those equally inane dog shows @ the garden every year?

I hate football and the idiots who play/watch it, but Vick was used. He's black, rich and now an example. Of what, I'm not sure.

#7 - It’s not a question of black men being better or worse than dogs. It’s a question of cruelty being wrong. Making it ok to kill or torture dogs is not going to make anything better for black men (unless you are a black man who can’t think of any other way to make money than by torturing dogs, in which case – screw you). If you want to be in support of black men or be against racism, please feel free – I am – but this is not the way.

can we please stop wasting media attention on this utter non-event? about 2 million dogs are euthanized each year in shelters in the US. yes that's right 2 MILLION. i'm not saying that's bad or good, but it's just a fact, and if some of those dogs are used in fights instead, it is maybe a little sad, but only the type of superficiality-obsessed culture watchers who think that Paris Hilton going to jail was the biggest event of the year could possibly argue that it really matters. We live in a culture where there are entire TV shows comprised of footage of car crashes and sports injuries. We kill millions of food animals every year. (not everyone eats meat, but i do and so do probably the majority of the idiots who are ranting on about how this dude is such a horrible guy for dogfighting.)Dogfighting is just such a non-issue in the world today. it's been around for centuries and centuries and our censure of it today does not automatically mean that it makes a person bad-- it just means we are censurious of different things than our ancestors. Please stop! i get enough of this tripe about how bad it is from the Daily News.

#7, if dogs were above the level of black men, Michael vick would have been electrocuted, drowned, hanged and/or beaten to death by now. Instead he will get to spend some time in jail, working out, watching tv, getting three square a day, and "finding God" no doubt. Seems to me like he's getting off pretty easy.

These guys are looked up to by so many of our youngsters. They should all be held accountable for their actions. The high price of fame and fortune should be accountability. Folks turning in their #7 jerseys to the spca is priceless. Jail time, fines and community service would not be enough punishment for this cretin.

what the fuck? how can dogs be above the level of black men? black men are better than dogs!!! you can't kill dogs now?

all that dog meat could of fed the homeless.

spit roasted dog like they do in vietnam. or fido stew.

One thing we can be sure of is that the NFL's popularity won't suffer a bit. NFL teams could fill their rosters entirely with prison inmates on work release and every game would still be a sellout, and TV and merchandising revenues would still be in the stratosphere.

Man this guy is in a world of shit. I would not give anything to be him right now.

"Given Vick's talent, we bet there will be a team who will give him a change to play - unless, of course, the NFL gives him a lifetime suspension."

a change to play?

"Michael is in the process of trying to heal himself and his family."

What is the remedy for being a completely sick and heartless bastard? He should probably OD on it.

What kind of world is this when Henry Hudson is the presiding judge; and on-again-off-again manager Billy Martin is the defendign attorney!