America Has Gone To The Dogs

by Raynard Jackson

What is this world coming to when a man that killed someone gets 30 days in jail, but a man that tortures a few dogs gets nearly two years in prison? American’s have lost their minds!

Let me explain. On March 14, 2009, Donte Stallworth, a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (N.F.L.), struck and killed a pedestrian attempting to cross the street. It was determined that he was driving under the influence of alcohol (he had a blood alcohol of 0.12, Florida’s legal limit is 0.08). So, he was legally drunk. He was charged with DUI and second degree manslaughter on April 1, 2009. On April 2, he turned himself in to the police and was released on $ 200,000 bail. Yesterday he pleaded guilty to all charges and received a sentence of 30 days in jail, 2 years of house arrest, 10 years of probation, permanent loss of his driver’s license, and 1,000 hours of community service. Stallworth is reported to have also reached a financial agreement with the decedent’s family (thereby avoiding a civil lawsuit). The terms of the settlement was not made public.

Now, flashback two years to Michael Vick. Vick was quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the N.F.L. In July 2007, Vick and three others were indicted on both federal and Virginia felony charges related to dog fighting. Vick was accused of financing the operation, directly participating in dog fights and executions, and personally handling thousands of dollars in gambling activities.

In early August, all of the defendants had agreed to individual plea deals with prosecutors. By August 24, according to media reports, Vick pled guilty to "Conspiracy to Travel in Interstate Commerce in Aid of Unlawful Activities and to Sponsor a Dog in an Animal Fighting Venture". In addition, he admitted to providing most of the financing for the operation itself, as well as participating directly in several dog fights in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and South Carolina. He also admitted to sharing in the proceeds from these dog fights. He further admitted that he knew his colleagues killed several dogs that didn't perform well enough. However, while he admitted to providing most of the money for gambling on the fights, he denied placing any side bets on the dogfights. He also denied actually killing any dogs himself.

U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson accepted Vick’s guilty plea the same day it was proffered. Hudson sentenced Vick to 23 months in federal prison. Vick was also required to deposit $1 million dollars into an escrow account to defray the costs associated with the caring and rehabilitation of the dogs used in his fighting operation.

Legally, I understand why and how these two cases were settled as they were. But, it just doesn’t seem right that you can kill a person while drunk and get 30 days in jail. Someone else is involved in dog fighting and gets 23 months in jail.
Legality aside, what does this say about our country when a person is killed and no public outrage (not even from the victim’s family). Kill and abuse a few dogs and it’s a media circus! People were talking about dogs as though they were humans.

But, these same people won’t raise their voice at the death of a human.

Now, all the talk is whether N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell will reinstate Vick to play football again. According to USA Today, Goodell stated that Vick must show “genuine remorse” before he will be allowed to play in the N.F.L. again. Goodell continued, “he’s going to have to demonstrate to the larger community—not just to the N.F.L. community and to me—that he has remorse for what he did and that he recognizes mistakes that he made.”

How do you prove remorse? Isn’t that kind of like “knowing pornography” when you see it? Vick has paid his debt to society and is entitled to move on and continue with his football career (if a team wants him).

But, there are other clouds on the horizon for Vick. Earlier this year in a local Virginia newspaper, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) President, Ingrid Newkirk stated, "Saying sorry and getting his ball back after being caught enjoying killing dogs in hideously cruel ways for many years doesn't cut it.

Commissioner Goodell knows that he has an obligation to the league and to millions of fans, including children who look up to ballplayers as idols.”

There is absolutely no evidence that Vick “killed or enjoyed” being cruel to dogs. Vick simply made poor choices. Again, he as paid his dues to society and PETA needs to back off and show the same type of concern for humans who are mistreated, tortured, or killed.

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a D.C.-based political consulting/government affairs firm.