Man's Base Appetites

I was reading several Philadelphia Eagle fan blogs yesterday and was mildly surprised to see that the pro/con ration was maybe fifty/fifty.

I was over to my buddy Cookie's blog, the Cook Shack, this afternoon and read his take on Michael Vick's hiring by the Eagles and decided to examine my own feelings about his recent good fortune and to delve into the reason why I react to his situation the way I do.

About six years ago I was conducting some initial surveys of missing persons and unsolved homicides in our part of the state. I also got interested in the studies of serial murderers and found that some of them displayed their homicidal tendencies by killing animals.

This 2003 study cities the interview of violent and nonviolent offenders in a Florida correctional facility. The study found that there is a much higher likelihood that violent offenders, as children, committed acts of animal cruelty, particularly on their pets. What was even more chilling was that the manner in which these animals were tormented or killed resembled the manner that they tormented their human victims. This was not true for nonviolent offenders who also committed acts of animal cruelty as children.

Let me be clear, I am not suggesting that Michael Vick is a serial killer, nor am I suggesting that he could be a serial killer in the future, nor that all those who engage in this activity are potential serial killers or potential violent felons.

I am suggesting that dog fighting is not a "sport" like hunting or racing. It is an ignoble exercise designed purely to satisfy a base human appetite for gambling, violence and bloodshed.

And I am suggesting this - that dog fighting will attract people who desire to see animals tear each other to pieces. Same thing goes for cock fighting.

This amuses them; this excites them, this entertains them. And perhaps for a small percentage of them, this will not be enough. And these are the people that will prey on humans. They have already become insensitive to suffering and bloodshed and like low grade pornography, they are ready for the next step.

It not only amused Michael Vick to witness this savagery, he provided an organized outlet so that others could satisfy their immoral, bloodthirsty appetite for suffering and death. And for this reason he should not participate in any professional sport.

It's not that I hate Mr. Vick; I don't hate him - I don't know enough about him to say whether or not he is an evil person. I realize that anyone can change their ways and that people can be redeemed (Jesus has done this for us) and conduct themselves as useful, productive citizens. And indeed I welcome the opportunity for Mr. Vick to prove himself. But there has to be an element of accountability. Professional sports must prove itself to be a haven for role models, not ex-offenders. We cannot, as a society, keep sending the message to our youth that no matter how completely you screw up, it doesn't matter. It does matter, it matters a lot. Our prisons are full of this message. Mr. Vick should be free to pursue any career he chooses (except perhaps as an animal trainer) but he should not be allowed to reenter professional sports. He had his shot and blew it.

Now I like to hunt. Last November I only had one chance to take a shot at a deer running by me. I completely missed it. I was very relieved that it was a complete miss because I did not want the animal to suffer while we tracked it down to dispatch it. I wanted a clean kill and then harvest the meat. If I did not intend to harvest the deer, I would not be out in the woods.

Hunting is a sport, a great sport. I feel acutely alive when I am hunting. Every sense is heightened. I am completely focused. Thoughts of work, finances, stress factor - all is gone as I concentrate on my physical surroundings and prepare myself for a possible encounter with some prey. Even if I do not see a deer (or a turkey), I walk out of the woods refreshed and revitalized; joking with my family and friends who have joined me for the morning.

This is hunting, this is sport. Dog fighting is a bloody, idle diversion that must be eliminated.

National Felony League

It appears that the National Felony League, the NFL, has indefinitely suspended Michael Vick.

In disciplining Vick, commissioner Roger Goodell said Vick's admitted conduct was "not only illegal but also cruel and reprehensible" and regardless whether he personally placed bets, "your actions in funding the betting and your association with illegal gambling both violate the terms of your NFL player contract and expose you to corrupting influences in derogation of one of the most fundamental responsibilities of an NFL player."

Activities that were "not only illegal but also cruel and reprehensible" and blah blah blah blah blah.

It appears that the "most fundamental responsibilities of an NFL player" are to make money, make more money, makes lots and lots of money, makes tons and lots and scads of money for the NFL owners and screw the corrupting influence crap which is really a scream. He was not exposing himself to corrupting influences, HE WAS THE CORRUPTING INFLUENCE!

The NFL could have made a powerful statement by permanently suspending Vick but they balked as usual and Vick sooner rather than later will return to making millions of dollars for his TBA owner off morally challenged Americans.

Convicted felons are not permitted to vote in most states of the Union, but they can appear in front of millions of people, influence the nation's youth, make commercial endorsements that show being a convicted felon has an up side by viciously slaughtering animals for the pleasure of gamblers playing professional football.

Vick has also plead to the killing of dogs that did not perform well in "testing sessions".

"Peace, Phillips, and Vick agreed to the killing of approximately 6-8 dogs that did not perform well in 'testing' sessions at 1915 Moonlight Road and all of those dogs were killed by various methods, including hanging and drowning. Vick agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of Peace, Phillips and Vick."

I wonder how Vick would have reacted if Arthur Blank had him strung up by his balls after screwing up a few passing plays at training camp?

And Vick's lawyers are spinning away like mad.

"While Mr. Vick is not personally charged with or responsible for committing all of the acts alleged in the indictment, as with any conspiracy charge, he is taking full responsibility for his actions and the actions of the others involved," the defense team said in a written statement after the plea agreement was filed.

"Mr. Vick apologizes for his poor judgment in associating himself with those involved in dog fighting and realizes he should never have been involved in this conduct," the statement said.

Poor judgement, eh? The 22 page Summary of Facts issued by the federal prosecutor has this to say:

"Most of the Bad Newz Kennels operation and gambling monies were provided by Vick..."

But then goes on to state:

"...Vick did not gamble by placing side bets on any of the fights. [...] did not receive any of the proceeds from the purses that were won by 'Bad Newz Kennels.'"

Then an experienced Richmond, VA, lawyer, Brian Grossman, states:

I think that the gambling issues will not be nearly as important at sentencing for Mr. Vick as the issue of cruelty to animals," Grossman said. "I highly suspect the language in the summary of facts regarding gambling was negotiated by Mr. Vick's attorney's to address the NFL's issues about gambling."

George Dohrmann of Sports Illustrated has a good perspective on Vick's gambling/not gambling deense:

He put the money up. He lost money if his dogs lost. However, Vick says he didn't win money if his dog won. Can one be a gambler if one never takes any winnings? Defenders of Vick could argue he was simply putting up money for his friends to gamble, that he was (if this is even possible) only half a gambler.

Whether or not he placed side bets could be viewed as irrelevant because betting on the dogs alone constitutes gambling. But I have no doubt Vick's lawyers fought to get that line in the statement. It allows Vick to say he didn't bet, to deny gambling, even if he did place bets of a different sort. It's a seed of doubt for Vick supporters looking to sow a defense.

The only thing missing is Vick appearing on national TV, pointing his finger at the camera and saying, "I did not have sex with that pit bull."

The Moral Equivalency Express

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