The animal bloodsport bearbaiting, in which a trapped bear is set on by dogs. It was a popular sport in England until the 18th century. A modern English foxhunt begins; riders on horseback and a pack of foxhounds chase a wild fox to death. Below, a cockfight. Sharp metal talons are attached to each rooster's legs. Cockfighting is now outlawed in all 50 USA states, although Louisiana's ban will not go into effect for about a year.
The ancient Mariner earnestly entreateth the Hermit to shrieve him; and the penance of life falls on him.
And ever and anon through out his future life an agony constraineth him to travel from land to land;
And to teach, by his own example, love and reverence to all things that God made and loveth.
Farewell, farewell! but this I tell
To thee, thou Wedding-Guest!
He prayeth well, who loveth well
Both man and bird and beast.
He prayeth best, who loveth best
All things both great and small;
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all.
-- Samuel Taylor Coleridge,
"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (1797)
Shortly before the Michael Vick dogfighting scandal broke, Louisiana became the last USA state to ban the bloodsport of cockfighting -- but with a one-year delay to allow cockfighters time to try to soften the ban's financial loss. The next-to-last state to ban cockfighting was New Mexico.
In arranging to plead guilty to federal charges involving the pitbull dogfighting operation he and his friends ran, Vick apparently held out for the right not to have to admit to having gambled on the dogfights. Sports gambling is the ultimate taboo in the major US professional sports, one of the only acts which can trigger a lifetime playing ban. Vick and his lawyers believe or hold out hope that he can play pro football again after admitting to murdering dogs, as long as he didn't bet on them.
Some of the reader comments are racist. Some of the reaction to the Vick scandal among African-Americans is that the charges reflect an old, on-going use of the white-controlled criminal justice system to find any excuse to destroy any successful black American.
Small but visible rifts are showing in African-American opinion and response to the Vick mess. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference cancelled an invitation to have Vick appear at a convention as a role model to African-American youth. The Atlanta chapter (Vick plays for the Atlanta Falcons) of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the USA's oldest and most prestigious black advocacy group, came to Vick's defense and issued a call for fairness; a few days later the national NAACP issued a statement clearly condemning animal cruelty, but conceeding a local chapter's right to have its own opinions.
Even animal cruelty and abuse are not simple political and social matters, particularly when a shadow of racism clouds them. Ultimately, however, love of animals cuts across all racial and ethnic barriers; it is among the deepest of all human instincts, and to my experience no "ethnic defense" of cruel animal practices has ever prevailed in any community or any such dispute or scandal. Black people are disgusted by cruelty to animals, white people are disgusted by cruelty to animals, and all sane and decent people take pride that in the last century, particularly in North America and Western Europe, societies and governments have moved toward protection of animals -- wild and domestic -- and away from cruelty, abuse and bloodsport.
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The Chicago Tribune (Illinois USA)
Friday 24 August 2007
Vick admits to killing dogs
by ALICIA P.Q. WITTMEYER and VERONICA GORLEY CHUFO
RICHMOND, Virginia -- Michael Vick admitted to attending dogfightings, funding the Bad Newz Kennels dogfighting operation, and participating in the killing of dogs, in court documents filed with the U.S. District Court in Richmond this afternoon.
In the documents, signed by the Atlanta Falcons quarterback and Newport News native, Vick says he provided "most of the 'Bad Newz Kennels' operation and gambling monies" but that he did not participate in the side bets that often accompanied the dogfights. He also did not receive any of the proceeds from the purses won during the fights.
He also admitted that he participated in the killing of six to eight dogs that didn't perform well in test fights by various methods, including hanging and drowning them.
"Vick agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of Peace, Phillips and Vick," the documents said.
He also admitted to being aware of times that his co-defendants killed a number of dogs that performed poorly in test fights.
Media reports on Thursday had suggested that he would deny killing any dogs and deny any involvement in the gambling operation.
Vick's plea agreement, which is similar to those of his three codefendants, alludes to the football player spending a year to a year and a half in jail. If Vick "cooperates fully and truthfully," the prosecutors will recommend that he is sentenced "at the low end of the applicable guideline range," the agreement said.
Under the agreement, Vick must provide all information about the case to prosecutors.
He will also have to pay for the disposition of all pitbulls seized during an April search of his property, as part of the plea. Vick is scheduled to enter his guilty plea to a conspiracy charge related to dogfighting in U.S. District Court in Richmond before District Judge Henry E. Hudson Monday. Hudson will have the final say over Vick's sentence.
He will be the last of four codefendants to enter a guilty plea. Two of the codefendants Quanis Phillips, 28, and Purnell Peace, 35, pleaded guilty last week to federal dogfighting charges and said Vick had actively participated in killing dogs. The first codefendant Tony Taylor, 34, pleaded guilty on July 30.
The agreements of all four co-defendants tell the same gruesome story of Taylor, Phillips and Vick coming together in 2001 to start the dogfighting operation that would become Bad Newz Kennels, with Vick purchasing the Surry County property at 1915 Moonlight Road to serve as the operation's home base.
They also describe Vick and the others attending dogfights in different states, and hosting dogfights in Surry County with participants coming from New Jersey, the Carolinas and Maryland.
Surry County Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald G. Poindexter has said he still intends to seek local charges against Vick.
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reader COMMENTS
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Vick admits to killing dogs
Michael Vick has signed a plea agreement in which he admits killing six to eight dogs.
Showing posts 1 - 20 of 55
Dog Lover
Silver Spring, MD
Hang Vick according to Religious Doctrine..
An eye for an eye, a death for a death.
kerry
Columbus, OH
If Vick serves time, I hope they put him in one of the prisons where the inmates have been training puppies for service dogs-I'll bet they'd treat him the way other prisoners treat child molesters...
FrankWhite
Santa Ana, CA
Now he is off to a resort style prison, where he will still get his **** kissed. Just cut this guy off. Make him get a 9-5 job like everyone else.
pitbull fighter
Tampa, FL
Just another classic Vick move. At Virginia Tech his only family cheered when the starting QB broke his leg and Vick got to play. Scum family, scum son.
Stephanie
Avon, CO
Piece of filth! Book him for all you can get.
I4NI
Columbus, OH
I only hope that someday, someone will do to the four of you, what you have done to those dogs.
Jeena
Sharon Hill, PA
This is no admission; this is a last resort. He knows that if he pleads to the gambling, he'll get banned from football for life. His story changes more than than my 2 year olds diaper. And it's just as foul!!!!
Dianame
Gáldar, Spain
I think these people should have the highest jail sentence possible for cruelty to animals. They are too despicable for words. It is obvious that some people never have enough money to satisfy themselves.
too cool for school
Tampa, FL
Not only did they cheer and clap, they also said horrible things about the starting QB and how Vick deserved the position. This coming from one of the cousins that turned him in!
He deserves worse
Springfield, MA
I laugh when I hear that we should go easy on Vick because he made a mistake. Truth be told he made (at least) 8 of them in a barbaric, cold hearted, calculating manner. This wasn't one isolated case but more of snapshot of his lack of values. He is the worst kind of person. He has no humanity. He creates chaos and death for his own amusement. Scum.
JengoPop
Salt Lake City, UT
Vick, make up your mind. Celebrities in trouble. Which of the following celebrities has committed the worse offense? a) Paris b) Bill Murray c) Lindsay d) Mel Gibson e) Michael Vick f) Nicole Richie
Vote at http://www.pollicious.com
Christina Pacosz
Shawnee, KS
Finally, the truth from this supposed football star. Dogs are vulnerable creatures and this man apparently never knew that. How did he learn such evil then? Shame on the NAACP for supporting him. A clear message MUST be sent that abuse of animals and profiting from that abuse is against the law. Put Vick behind bars for the maximum and every state law he and the others violated needs to be prosecuted as well. Animal abuse is almost always linked to the abuse of children and others, including women. Down with the Michael Vicks of this world!
crazy jew
Phoenix, AZ
Those african americans are like animals anyway..
ckc
Charleston, SC
he's lying,why would anybody fight dogs and not bet on them.byebye ****
tradamerica
Madison, WI
Media reports on Thursday had suggested...
Vick notwithstanding, you media jerks (worse than used car salesmen) release inaccurate info so often that it's a wonder anyone can believe this latest report.
Vick should be fined, should do community service, should be under supervision for at least 2 years, and allowed to play football next year, so he has the money to pay dearly for what he did. EOM
jmills plant city fl
Plant City, FL
confiscate the property.
Toby
Portland, ME
Us niggahs is stupid
Lord Larry
Montréal, Canada
Two options, they fight dogs unarmed and naked or they fight each other,for our amusement and bets of course. I'd be totally cool with no jail time for whoever submits to this punishment.
Luigi999
San Jose, CA
He's finished. Bury him now.
jmills plant city fl
Plant City, FL
vick will be welcomed as a hero and a celebrity in prison. that's the way it is. those people don't see anything wrong with what he did. and i am sure that he himself does not see anything wrong with it either. people in prison seem to be sociopaths and only pretend to be like other people as it suits their needs. they do not really care what pain they cause.
9 comments:
Timbeaux, Louisiana
There should be no laws against dogfights or cockfights. These PETA nuts have spent billions to propagandize the last two generations. They will continue to twist the truth and mindwash the youth until they have laws against hunting, fishing, rodeo, and finally eating meat. My grandparents would roll over in their graves if they new our country had become so concerned with animal rights while totally neglecting the rights of unborn humans.
hi anonymous -- first rule of Vleeptron -- No Anonymous Driveby Comments. Yours gets erased in a few hours.
It's by no means PETA or the last two generations. Laws against cruelty to animals, in the USA, began with the advocacy of Henry Bergh, who founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 1867, when the NY state legislature gave his organization the power to make arrests. Bergh originally focused on the humane treatment of dray horses in NYC -- and the citizens of New York City backed him and his ASPCA.
The movement to protect animals from cruelty has spread throughout the USA, Canada and Europe ever since. It's how most people want animals protected and treated.
Abortion is a different issue, and I'd be happy to discuss it if you'd use your name or website link. I can't see how a Pro-Life advocate will make anything better for the unborn by expressing uncaring contempt for the welfare of animals.
Too late for cockfighting in Louisiana. By next year it will be illegal. The cops will bust you for it.
I travel in parts of the world where people still hunt to feed their families. I understand it and respect it. But anyone who kills animals for "sport" -- and with weapons that give the animal no possible chance -- well, I'll be very happy to see that kind of hunting outlawed.
Also, learn to spell. You want to pursuade people about something you think is important? Finish high school, go to college.
Thanks for making me do a little research about one of my heroes. Shortly after founding the ASPCA, Henry Bergh was asked to help rescue a nine-year-old girl from a cruel domestic situation, and the fight led to the first laws and organizations to protect the rights of children in the USA. One of the first results was the founding of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
So if it's all about protecting human children and infants, the great historical figure who did that in the USA also protected animals. And the American people, and even politicians, supported both efforts. You can't separate the two.
Of course Vick participated in betting on the dog-fights, he just hasn't been caught yet. For some real bias in news reporting on this case just tune in to CNN and listen to the comments made by Don Lemon and TJ Holmes. They are trying to defend Vick's mental illness by saying that "dog fighting is socially acceptable in some circles" and that all the outrage over animal abuse is "racially motivated." Vick's so-called appology is nothing more than a pitiful attempt to manipulate people into letting him off the hook. According to Vick, he has now found "Jesus" through all of this. He better hope that Jesus is with him in his well deserved jail cell at night while he is being punked.
Hiya JCH --
The "I swear I never betted on the dogfights" thing is a pretty patently obvious attempt to leave a tiny future window open for Vick someday to return to playing pro football. You can (and often do) keep playing pro ball for all manner of Naughty Stuff -- firearms, drugs, etc. -- but Sports Betting is the One and Only Ultimate Lifetime Ban Taboo.
Vick's lawyers bargained with the federal prosecutors for that one condition -- that he didn't have to admit to betting.
Consequently, we may someday get to see a dog-strangler, drowner and electrocuter take the field and play QB again.
(And hear 50,000 fans scream curses at him.)
A whole bunch of "things" are socially acceptable in "certain circles." Prince Charles just married an avid fox-hunter (who could never understand why so many of his subjects were so hostile to her).
But this slimy defense is causing a huge rift in the top echelons of the African-American community, the NAACP and the SCLC just for starters. To defend Vick, members of these organizations are being asked to put on a t-shirt that says "murdering dogs is Okay with me, I'm black." And most of them are every bit as disgusted with it, and every bit as outraged, as any animal lover of any ethnicity.
This crap ain't gonna fly. It ain't gonna fly with Vick's grandmother, it ain't gonna fly with football fans, it ain't gonna fly with the NAACP or the Urban League.
JCH, your prejudices are showing on
http://merlinoaks.blogspot.com/
That's one very handsome dog, clearly happy as a clam in a loving home.
Don't hate me, we got cats. (Not enough land to let dogs run around and exercise enough, I love dogs but I'd just feel terribly guilty to keep them cooped up.)
There are many activities which are perfectly legal in the United States that are harmful, cruel and even deadly to animals. From horse racing to medical research to cosmetic testing to hunting and fishing, animals are routinely injured or killed in the pursuit of sport, entertainment, gambling, pleasure, medicine, and beauty with no repercussion from the law.
Minks are slaughtered to make fur coats for wealthy women. Queen Elizabeth attended the Kentucky Derby despite the fact that horses are whipped in the hope that they will run faster and are commonly "put down" after being injured while racing. The vice-president of the United States was driven around in an armoured limousine so he could take pop-shots at defenseless birds (and elderly men). Why then, is the United States government ruining one man's life because he engaged in dog fighting? Is dog fighting less cruel than shooting defenseless birds in the pursuit of "sport?"
Fact of the matter is that, either cruelty to all animals should be illegal or there should be no laws against it at all. There should never be a two-teared justice system, where some acts are legal only because they are done by members of higher social status, while acts of the same logical consistency are illegal because they are thought to be committed by people of lower social status, in this case, minorities and rural southerners.
Hmmm Vleeptron doesn't get a whole lot of Yiddish ... I'm the Northampton Chess Potzer myself ...
This is about as reasonable and pursuasive a defense of Vick as the world is likely to see. You could do worse than cc:ing it to Vick's people, they could do worse than hiring you to try, during the next few years, to help rehabilite his public image. Not that I think it would do much good, but you have an authentic talent for making a mountain of Radioactive Shit smell like a meadow of Lavenders.
There is a bit of fairness in these matters. When Camilla Parker Bowles "came out" as Prince Charles' girlfriend, her first few years of the British public "getting to know you" consisted of photographs of her in her foxhunting outfit off for a happy day of terrorizing and murdering a defenseless fox. ("The unspeakable hunting the inedible.") Poor woman couldn't understand why millions of Britons wanted to chase her through the woods with a pack of barking dogs rather than see her marry the heir presumptive to the throne.
So it's not all about an unfair shake against minorities and rural southerners. When by a person's own actions and choices he/she buys into a "hobby" of cruelty to animals, the anger and outrage this engenders cuts across all social and economic and ethnic lines.
Though ridiculed and villified in his day, Henry Bergh succeeded in his animal protection activities because he touched a much deeper part of the human experience than the already marginalized culture of cruel animal bloodsport and the 19th century's almost universal assumption that an animal was nothing more than property whose owner could whip him to death for fun and profit. You might went to re-read the children's classic "Black Beauty," for the portrait it paints of how we treated work horses, and how it helped shape our public attitudes.
In the last 20 years, greyhound racing -- where "retirement" meant destroying perfectly healthy but slow dogs -- has also soured in the public mind.
And rich women don't dare go out in public in their fur coats anymore, because a gallon of spit isn't good for a fur coat. It's not PETA activists who irrationally stir up these changes in society's attitudes. Animal rights activists just focus a spotlight on deep feelings of love and protection for animals that have always, always existed.
There's an extremely thoughtful and interesting movie that's unique in American films for its treatment of these ideas: "Bite the Bullet." You should rent it as a great, thrilling popcorn movie, but behind the popcorn, there are some deeply moving and intelligent ideas at play about the relationship between all sorts of men and women -- rich and poor, aristocrat and saddle tramp -- and animals. And it also authentically respects and honors the authentic good things about decent animal sports.
Vick's choice was to glory in nothing but the vilest kind of torment and cruelty to animals. If you collect all the people who defend or even glorify what he's done, white and black and Hispanic, rich "sports" and poor -- my, what a charming crowd that would be. Just for openers, would you leave your daughter with them for the day? Your son? Would you bring your mother to a pit bull fight to show her what fine people these friends of yours are who practice this "sport"? If your mother is horrified and disgusted, is she some sort of bigot?
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