There once was an athlete named Vick.
For whom football was never a trick.
But while helping his peeps
Even though they were creeps.
He stepped squarely onto his dick.
Attend the tale of Michael Vick. Rarely has a person with so much ability managed to flush his life down the crapper with such totality. (insert Mike Tyson) Seriously, could he have chosen a more heinous crime in the eyes of Americans? O.J. killed two human beings and a jury let him walk. Vick's peers weren't going to make that mistake. He was going to jail even if the jury were Klingons. Perhaps, if Vick can demonstrate either true remorse or exceptional football skill and, if some team owner is crazy enough to give him a shot, he might return to the game that made him rich and famous. Possible but unlikely.
As with most bizarre crimes, the public response says as much about us as it does the criminal. Martha Stewart did a little time for shading the truth about her investments and returned to being America's most annoying homemaker practically overnight. Michael Milken served two years for insider trading (actually a 98 count indictment) and is now the face of philanthropy.(I believe the first thing he gave away was his hair.) Robert Blake killed his wife (probably). Phil Spector killed his girlfriend (definitely) Then, of course, there's the Juice. None of these offenders could expect the level of contempt likely to accompany Michael Vick should he return to a public life.
O.J. was actually a minor celebrity right up to the moment he invaded the hotel room of some low-life in Vegas. Thankfully, there is no statue of limitations on stupid.
It's difficult to imagine a crime against any human (except children) that could have earned Michael Vick more enmity among the citizens of this country. So let me see if I understand, torturing dogs for sport is a serious crime. Torturing people to support megalomaniacal desire to wage war is praiseworthy. Please don't misunderstand, I like dogs too but dogs, like cows and chickens, are animals. I'm not suggesting that we permit felons like Michael Vick to go unpunished, only that we accord human beings the same level of dignity that we grant Lassie. (Presumably, if Vick had explained he was only trying to get the dogs to tell him about the next attack, he'd be a free man today.)
This is not either/or. Both crimes should be treated as crimes. Many people recommended mitigation in the Vick case because, they said, dog fighting was more culturally acceptable in the black community. That's racist crap but beside the point. Dick Cheney claims that he was saving America. Also crap. Also beside the point. Haul the son of a bitch into court and let him explain why a potential war with Iraq was worth shredding the Constitution. He might make a case for mitigation but not exoneration.
No one should want to see Michael Vick wear a football jersey any time soon. He should be barred from the game for the same reason that Pete Rose and Mark McGuire aren't in the Hall of Fame. Sports isn't just a job it's a contract with the fans. You have to be more than an exceptional player. You must also be a passable human being. The higher you rise in adulation, the higher the expectation of your character. Even Charles Barkley has to keep his demons under control.
Americans want to feel that their elected leaders meet those same high standards. Bill Clinton destroyed any chance of being considered a great man when he chose to play up-skirt with an intern. If the Bush Administration is so proud of its record, they should stop hiding behind executive privilege and come clean. Michael Vick's cell will be available shortly. We are a pretty forgiving country...unless you kill dogs.
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