tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812670776373470303.post3627588202646203670..comments2024-03-11T15:46:13.155-04:00Comments on In The Arena: Ruminations About Competition: The Michael Vick Case Raises Uncomfortable QuestionsDavid Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08444347475303187373noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812670776373470303.post-78886811842772419402007-08-27T22:50:00.000-04:002007-08-27T22:50:00.000-04:00Dogfighting is one more piece of evidence our coun...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. <BR/><BR/>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 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.<BR/><BR/>Chaplain Nancy Cronk<BR/>Founder, AnimalChaplains.comAnimal Chaplainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07070162711602338173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812670776373470303.post-89607694059492500222007-08-24T21:52:00.000-04:002007-08-24T21:52:00.000-04:00I believe that we as humans have 'walls' where peo...I believe that we as humans have 'walls' where people are concerned, but not where dogs are concerned, because we believe that dogs will not hurt us emotionally and let us down the way people can and often do. <BR/><BR/>We believe that they are more capable of loving us unconditionally, and therefore we are more capable of loving them unconditionally....which leads us to feeling more outraged when anyone does them harm.<BR/><BR/>Incidentally, I work for chained dogs every day through my nonprofit org Dogs Deserve Better, and have been attacked by a foster dog I got off a chain, (an unneutered male on a chain has the highest bite factor) sending me via ambulance to the hospital. <BR/><BR/>So even though I now have a very real understanding that a dog can and will harm a human given the right circumstances, I still am very quick to defend them and still see them as defenseless and more in need of my protection.<BR/><BR/>To read more about chained dogs, visit http://www.dogsdeservebetter.orgTamira Ci Thaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03817058803497226049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812670776373470303.post-22405557172534786162007-08-24T05:29:00.000-04:002007-08-24T05:29:00.000-04:00Madnice:We don't know how much time Vick is going ...Madnice:<BR/><BR/>We don't know how much time Vick is going to serve, so it is a bit early to suggest that he is going to get too much time (unless you believe that he should not serve any time at all, because it certainly appears that he will serve some time behind bars).<BR/><BR/>I don't think that Vick should be in prison forever; I think that he should get whatever the median sentence is for a first time offender who funds a dogfighting operation of that scale. I don't know off the top of my head exactly what that would be but it seems to me that he should get more jail time than the other co-defendants because he ran the show and because he was the last party to cop a plea. <BR/><BR/>I think that he should be suspended by the NFL for one season after he is released from jail--this is a serious crime and he compounded things by lying to Goodell and Blank. After the one season suspension, he should be eligible to apply for reinstatement. <BR/><BR/>Vednam:<BR/><BR/>I realize that people have a wide range of views about this, but I would distinguish between killing an animal for food and forcing animals to fight to the death for entertainment. To lump all animal deaths into the same category is like failing to distinguish between cold blooded murder and killing someone in an act of self-defense. Killing an animal to eat it, whether done by humans or other species, is part of the natural order; dogfighting is simply barbaric. I know that my stance does not go far enough for the PETA people and goes too far for others, but that is how I see it.David Friedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08444347475303187373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812670776373470303.post-4129838639345384592007-08-23T17:52:00.000-04:002007-08-23T17:52:00.000-04:00I suspect that the sentiment that many black peopl...I suspect that the sentiment that many black people have that Vick is getting a raw deal has as much to do with the way he has been vilified in the media as his impending sentence.<BR/><BR/>Another ridiculous thing about the general public's outrage is the fact that animals (cows, pigs, chicken, etc.) are slaughtered every day for food, hunting wildlife is deemed perfectly acceptable, and yet Vick is the devil's son for being involved in dogfighting.vednamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08144638228173993116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812670776373470303.post-68077322206325879262007-08-23T11:57:00.000-04:002007-08-23T11:57:00.000-04:00These issues are uncomfortable but shouldnt be. Ra...These issues are uncomfortable but shouldnt be. Racism will always be here and most white people need to realize it. I say white people because black people already know it hasnt left and white people dont experience racism. The racial divide is more in Atlanta (obviously) than anywhere else. <BR/><BR/>I understand dogs are important to a lot of people but they arent people. There are more things to worry about than dogs. I know what he did is illegal (the gambling is probably the biggest part of this situation) but I dont think he should serve this much time. <BR/><BR/>Mary Winkler kills her husband and does 7 months. What kind of world are we living in? If she was black, would she have gotten just 7 months? I know she had a stress disorder and....well let me get back to the issue of sports. Ive heard people say Vick should be in prison forever. Its a shame what kind of world we live in. The racial divide is definitely similar to OJ.madnicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07496277691175179159noreply@blogger.com