For My Dogs

I have intentionally stayed away from the Michael Vick story....

Until now.

I wanted to ingest everything that was swirling around this one before committing my thoughts to paper. After doing so, here are my complete feelings.

1. Michael Vick is a scumbag. What he did was disgusting and his debt to society should be paid in full whenever the check comes due.

2. Michael Vick is far from the only person involved in this "sport." He is however, the biggest name so the feds had a field day with him. They cut the head off but the body is alive and well in all 50 states. Let's see how many more busts they make in the coming year. My feeling is we won't hear anything else about dog fighting for a long time. Maybe until the day Vick is released from prison.

3. On a certain level, I find it amusing that people are this worked up about Pit Bulls. They are acting like Vick hung and drown cute, cuddly animals that anyone would want to adopt. This of course is complete nonsense. Pit Bulls are the most vilified domestic animal in America. I would venture to say 99% of the protesters outside the courthouse would never have adopted one from an animal shelter. In fact, go to your local shelter and take a look for yourself. Pit Bulls are readily available. What happens to all those dogs when they aren't adopted? Here's a clue.... It involves death. How many of these protesters left the courthouse and rescued a Pit Bull on the way home?

Hell, if someone moved in next door to you and brought eight Pit Bulls with them, how long until you would be looking to move? How long before you are calling animal control to investigate?

The outrage that eight of these animals were killed was a bit silly considering hundreds are "put down" every day without a peep from the public in protest.

4.

PETA needs to shut their mouths and forever go away! They are nothing more than a cult! A hypocritical and dangerous cult.

PETA themselves have personally killed over 14,000 dogs and "put down" over 90% of the animals they collect. Many of which could be adopted out to the public if they put forth half an effort to do so.

PETA supports and funds domestic terrorism. They support the bombing of medical labs that use animals in their research. Meanwhile, members of the PETA executive board use medications developed in such labs for their own survival.

HYPOCRITES!

Don't take my word on it.....

http://www.petakillsanimals.com/article_detail.cfm?article=134

Plus, if this is what eating healthy looks like....



Pass the Krispy Kremes!

5. The black people protesting in defense of Michael Vick need to have their heads checked. Why is so hard for black people in America to turn their backs on obviously bad people? O.J. I understood on a certain level. That was more about the police in America and their historically awful treatment of the black community. Plus, O.J. still claims his innocence. He was acquitted in an American court and set free. I, like most sane people, think he got away with murder. However, if the black community wants to continue with their blind support I will politely just continue to look the other way.

Here's the BIG difference. Michael Vick pled guilty! He admitted doing all of what they claimed he did. This happened AFTER he lied about all of it. In the end, this makes him a lying murderer of innocent animals. It's time for the black community of Atlanta to start celebrating some actual heroes. Go down to you local firehouse and find a black firefighter. Go to the local public elementary school and ask for a black teacher. Those are the true heroes in America. Black and white America.

6. America is happy to hang Vick on their way to the local dog race or horse track. Hypocrisy in action folks. Horse racing is made up of countless people abusing horses by shooting them up with steroids and other drugs. This makes the horse grow too big for its' own legs and leads to the breakage of those legs. How many horses do you see walking with a limp? None, because as soon as their drugged out body gives out they are killed immediately.

Every year thousands and thousands of Greyhounds are killed in America all in the name of "sport." This of course is after they spend their lives in tiny cages and suffering terrible injuries while people place bets on the outcome.

That sounds strangely familiar doesn't it?

If a Greyhound is proved to be a weak competitor they are killed.

That sound familiar?

Let's hang Vick for killing eight dogs while thousands are murdered at race tracks every year. While I agree killing one dog is too many I don't see why an entire sanctioned industry is written a free pass every year for the same crimes against animals.

7.
If Michael Vick can find him, Jesus needs to change his phone number!

Where was Jesus when Vick hung and drowned those dogs? My guess is, not on call. Jesus, do me a favor and let the phone just ring once and awhile.

In the end, Michael Vick needs to go away for a while. However, so do horse tracks, dog tracks and PETA. Only when that happens will I say justice for the animals has been truly served.

Six Years Later

Jesus,

Has it been six years? Seems like yesterday in many respects. In many others, it seems longer. Strange how the past can do that to you. I remember waking up and turning on the TV to see a report of a plane hitting the WTC on the morning shows. I, like many others, just assumed some idiot flew a single engine into a building in Manhattan. I turned off the TV and jumped into the shower. I drove to work listening to the CD player. It wasn't until I arrived that we understood what was really going on.

Where's my father?

That was the first thought. He works location scouting for a television show that always shoots in that area of NYC. Something that was driven further home every time I was on location staring at a huge hole in the ground these past couple of years.

Busy signals.

That's all we got that morning. Busy, busy, busy. Like the devil's alarm clock ringing in your ear.

Finally got the call that pop was all right and then I spent the day bartending as people walked in and out the door muttering "how" and "why" and "towel headed bastards” The beer flowed and the shots got poured. People that walked in confused left wasted and numb. I remember standing 20 miles outside NYC in a parking lot of the bar. You could see the sky over Manhattan dark and cloudy. So close.....

I went home and called my recent ex-girlfriend and we made up. The little stuff didn't seem so big that day.

Or any day since for that matter.

I've sat and watched as politicians have run and won campaigns built on fear based on that day. I've seen and heard the victims used and exploited for political gain and corporate stock building. Stood by and watched as people argue and mis- manage funds donated to help the families of the victims. In some cases only 10% of donations ever got to their intended target.

The Nation stood by and allowed that day to become a battle cry. We've sat and watched as over 30,000 of our nations best and brightest have been injured fighting in a country that had nothing to do with that day. Nearly 4,000 killed in the name of "freedom"

Six years later and not much changes. Rudy Giuliani is running a fear campaign. Rudy, who may be the biggest fraud since Bush Jr...... Rudy, who's "leadership" led to New York's Bravest losing countless men that day. Rudy, who has made MILLIONS giving speeches on counter-terrorism while ignoring the facts and exploiting the victims. After all, surviving having a building nearly fall on your head shouldn't qualify as anything more than lucky.

But that doesn't matter.... Keep the population scared. Living in fear and consuming. That's the new American Dream. That's how elections won and people "protected"

Not for me and not today. Turn off the TV and put down the newspaper. Realize today, like six years ago, you still have a better chance of being struck by lightning than blown up by a terrorist. Remember the dead, celebrate the living. Honor our soldiers and pray for their safe returns. Don't allow exploitation to become an accepted political platform... Demand more from our leaders and above all....

Don't sweat the little things.