Purgatory doesn’t exist for Michael Vick.
In the eyes of PETA, there’s no place for him to be cleansed, “purged” of his transgressions — he belongs in one place. You know where.
So Vick sponsored a dogfighting venture. So he assisted in the brutalization and killing of animals by hanging, drowning and electrocuting them.
In this scrupulous society, we are all aware of Vick’s sins — sins that some say are far worse than any man has committed, sins that require the creation of a tenth circle in hell. Vick would have been better off had he killed a man under the influence of alcohol. You hear me, Donté Stallworth? But Vick committed the unforgivable: killing man’s best friend.
So for that, PETA and secular society want an Act of Contrition.
How’s this?
For bankrolling the operation, he got two years in federal prison, and was indefinitely suspended by the NFL. His livelihood was taken from him. His contract endorsements were voided. His good name was tarnished — probably forever. He became the poster boy of dogfighting.
And now this.
Justice hasn’t been served. Oh, Vick’s already stood trial. We’re not talking about the federal case brought against him — that docket’s closed. But Vick’s still taking the stand in the court of public opinion.
His recent signing with the Philadelphia Eagles has been widely criticized, many people outraged that the City of Brotherly Love would offer this brother a shot at redemption.
Justice isn’t (color) blind.
That’s the reason so many repeat offenders are minorities. That’s the reason we can’t reintegrate convicted felons into society. That’s why those felons are blackballed back into a life of crime. It’s profitable to stigmatize them. There is a sector of business for crime. Eradicating it altogether would mean the loss of jobs, profit margins and a segment of the middle class. Desperation and crime are best friends, both funding a lucrative business.
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Want to talk about sin? Want to talk about something just as — if not more — barbarous and sickening as what Vick did?
An intensive campaign by PETA and other animal rights activists has been launched. Its purpose: to keep Vick forever barred from the NFL.
Let’s call it what it is: collusion.
Watch the demonstrations that will take place when Vick finally takes the field.
As he victimized those dogs, Vick should continue to suffer. Some say allowing him to return to football and make millions of dollars isn’t fair.
Some sound logic that is.
They’re neglecting the fact that it’s the only legal outlet Vick has. Four years ago, Vick was ranked 33 on Forbes’ list of Top 100 Celebrities. The cash flow was heavy. He has already established a standard of living. But because of his legal woes and other financial mismanagement, he had to file for Chapter 11. Even after cutting a deal, he owes millions of dollars to creditors. Forcing him to work a low-paying job wouldn’t provide him a path to pay off his debt, leading to the onset of frustration. What’s that? At the intersection of frustration and desperation is a street, the road to perdition, and reentry into organized crime.
Is that what we call a shot at redemption?
Philly’s willingness to sign Vick means, for the most part, the lobbying has failed, though Vick’s conditional reinstatement was a concession on the part of the NFL to interest groups.
While Vick can practice with the Eagles and participate in the final two games of the preseason, it’s unlikely he’ll suit up during Week 1. In fact, it could take as many as six weeks before Vick plays, depending on when commissioner Roger Goodell feels inclined to fully reinstate him.
The point is this isn’t an eye-for-an-eye situation. Allowing Vick to fall by the wayside again isn’t vindication for the deaths of those pit bulls. That’s what the prison time was for. But PETA wants Vick shackled for the remainder of his life.
This isn’t a story about dogfighting. Or a narrative about Michael Vick. Race is always an element.
Few of the dogs Vick and his boys bred at Bad Newz Kennels survived what’s called The Pit of Despair.
For that, PETA wants to make sure Vick, a black man, never leaves it.
