Michael Vick and dogfighting

Do I want this to describe me or not:

Those who are incapable of committing great crimes do not readily suspect them in others. --Francois De La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680)

My friend Suzanne sent me this article, which sums up the response to Michael Vick nicely. I found the comments of "Mr Field's" quite illuminating - his rationalization regarding the charges against Vick are distressing to read - he doesn't seem to have any idea the level of depravity we're talking about. It's not just letting dogs follow their natural instinct to fight, which would be unseemly, but not heinous. Instead you have dogs trained in the most disgusting fashion possible and then publically dispatched using the most revolting possible methods. His naivete is problematic to say the least.

Why has the case resonated so strongly with the American public?
By Patrik Jonsson
The Christian Science Monitor

ESPN and the sports pages routinely cover the bad behaviors of athletes, but the dogfighting charges against superstar quarterback Michael Vick have struck a different chord with Americans.

Since a US attorney in Virginia indicted Mr. Vick 10 days ago for conspiring to "pit" dogs against one another, the case has triggered animal rights protests, talk show laments, and kitchen table disgust.

On Monday, the NFL ordered the the fleet-footed and hugely popular Atlanta Falcons franchise man barred from training camp while it conducts its own investigation.

The case, experts say, has forced Americans to confront the history ofdog fighting, their own feelings on the nature of human primacy over animals, and even the covert appeal of blood sport.

snip

Of 622 Atlantans polled by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week, 65percent wanted Vick gone. (Meanwhile, 97 percent of people had heard aboutthe case, according to the AJC poll.)

snip

Terry Fields of Atlanta, who considers himself a fan of Vick, says thatdogfighting is a bad idea. On the other hand, he says, "these kinds ofdogs pull on the chain to fight."

But he questions whether the charges are as bad as allegedly beinginvolved in killing a man, which Baltimore Ravens star Ray Lewis was charged with before pleading guilty to a misdemeanor, or allegedly raping a woman, a charge NBA star Kobe Bryant faced before the alleged victim refused to testify. The NFL and NBA did not take action against theplayers in those cases.

The charges and the punishment against Vick are unjust, Mr. Fields says. "But there's a lot of dog lovers out there."