American Redemption

I don’t pay attention to sports anymore, but apparently Michael Vick is back in a big way this year.

I never much joined the ranks of Vick haters a few years ago when the dog fighting scandal hit. I lived in Philadelphia at the time, and I owned a cat. I remember watching her play with a mouse for over half an hour, pawing at it, pouncing at it after letting it get a few hops away, biting it and shaking it around as it squeaked. It was the best damn show I ever saw.

Is it so hard to be both an animal lover and an appreciator of blood sports?

I own two dogs, and I wouldn’t want them fighting for sport, but I don’t see what’s so criminal about the basic concept of dog fighting. If I had kids, I wouldn’t encourage them to box, but I don’t want it to be illegal. I am just able to separate the two very easily for some reason.

Do I like the idea of dogs being killed? No, but maybe if dog fighting was legal, there could be some humane regulations placed on it. I don’t know, maybe it’s awful and should be illegal, but if so, is it really something worthy of jail time?

I don’t think so, but so many people are vehemently against it and loved nothing more than cutting down a rich, over-privileged athlete that anti-Vick fever swept the nation… until he got released and started winning.

It’s a strange look into the empty void of American morality. Someone can do something that nearly everyone says is abominable, but if he plays a game very well, he’ll be forgiven.

Well, it’s good news for Mel Gibson, who will be playing pretend this year in a movie I’m frankly looking forward to seeing… when it comes on cable.