Forgive Michael Vick? Move on from the whole "Michael Vick Thing?" He did the crime and did the time, etc. I can get where some folks are coming from but here's the deal. He committed a crime. Crime? He committed crimes. Aside from the dog thing, which was horrific, he still got arrested for other stuff. Felony Stuff. He knew exactly what was going on on his property. He aided and abetted all that stuff. He committed other CRIMES besides dog fighting.
OK, he served his time. That's great. However he should NEVER have been allowed near professional sports again. Never. He's done nothing but profit from his time in the "hoose-cow." Oh, but he lost all his earnings and potential earnings when he went into prison. Boo-hoo.
I don't see him giving one nickle beyond what he was court-ordered to give to those dogs. If I were his P.R. person, I'd be all over him like spots on a Dalmatian to be doing more and more. Both publicly and privately so some snoopy reporter would find out.
I don't see him, week after week after week going into schools and community centers and preaching against Dog Fighting and Drug Usage to his idolizing masses. I don't see him doing one ounce of Good. And he could have. He was and still is in a tremendous position to do incredibly good things, to be a huge power of example.
"I screwed up. God will be my Judge and I don't think He's going to be happy with me. I was horrible and cruel beyond words to His defenseless creatures. I enabled people to do illegal, horrible and inhumane stuff. I knew it was going on and I did nothing. In fact, I participated! I will never do it again and I vow to spread the word and tell people it's wrong, it's immoral, it's inhuman, it's inhumane and don't you ever do it! Don't get caught up the spiral of horror! It's not cool! You're a big loser if you do it. It's no way out!" He truly could have had a public "Come To Jesus" moment and done something uplifting with this whole ungodly mess. A true Man of God (or Goddess) would do such a thing. And they'd keep on testifying!
That's why so many "animal people" think he's such a jerk and still have him in the pillory of public opinion.
You don't hear anyone saying, "Well, Bernie Madoff is doing his time. Let's move on, shall we?" Nobody that I know of or have heard of is willing to give old Bernie a pass. There are people who are making it their life's mission to find that money and make restitution.
But because Michael Vick is a football player, an athlete, we should just "move on?"
Please do not flip out the "You're just being that way because he's black" card. Dog-fighting, dog killing, dope dealing, trafficking, illegal-gambling, felonious, scum-buckets come in all shapes, sizes and socio-economic backgrounds. I wouldn't care if he was pink with purple polka dots. He and his charming relatives and friends were a bunch of opportunistic criminals. Period. To pull out the "race card" is demean to people like Martin Luther King.
I understand "To err is human, to forgive divine." (Alexander Pope) And the Latin: "Errare humanus est." Yes, as spiritual folks, we should pray for Michael Vick, pray especially for his "vick-tims" and for all the people who invested and believed in him. He duped and cheated every stinkin' one! He is still laughing his way all the way to the bank with million dollar endorsements and contracts. If you or I had committed his crimes, we probably wouldn't be able to get a job at McDonalds, get a car or buy a house.
He is the poster child for "You might get caught, you might have to do some time, but you can profit from this." What lesson does this teach kids? Where are the ethics?
And speaking of.....why don't most professional athletes have to sign ethics' clauses?
Why is it that an athlete gets a slap on the wrist but some poor "muther f-er" from the ghetto would still be in jail? (Better lawyers notwithstanding.)
His consequence for committing his crimes should have been banishment from professional sports, in particular football. If he'd been a NASCAR driver (and believe me, I don't like NASCAR very much) his getting back into the sport would have been a total non-starter.
I'm sorry but if you are a professional athlete and you get nailed for felonies, that's it. You're done, buster. If he'd done this stuff, he would have been kicked out of the Olympics! Nobody is that good or necessary to the football cause. There are many worthy high school and college kids ready, willing and able to take your place.
Get a real job and find out how tough it is for a convicted felon to get work. Then maybe I'll give you a brief hall pass. Just don't ever do it again. Ever. The same as with any other felon.
©2012 Mia Knerly-Hess
No comments:
Post a Comment