Second chances

As we all know, Michael Vick got signed by the Eagles now that he's out of jail. In a lot of ways, I'm so glad that he went to jail for a long time and lost millions of dollars in endorsements because it sets a good example of "who cares if you're a celebrity" and to shed a little more light on dog fighting. Also, most importantly, that if you get caught, you'll be fucked; probably worse than Vick because you won't have the money to hire the high-powered lawyers.

What he did was appalling. It was terrible and unfortunately, it is done everyday by thousands of ignorant tools who do not deserve any sympathy or even the love from an animal. Normally I'm not a pitbull fan, I think they're scary and most of the people I've seen who have them only keep them as pets to make them feel more masculine. Pathetic. However, I don't believe that any dog should have been put through the kind of abuse that those dogs inflicted on each other just for the entertainment of assholes who should be euthanized and neutered so they don't create more ignorant miscreants.

I think it all has to do with the upbringing of a person. It just goes to show that you can take a person out of the trailer park but you can't take the trailer park out of the person. Even with the privilege, money, power, and fame, Vick went back to his old "roots" of a poor kid growing up in ghetto-like conditions. I hate people who bring up their upbringing as an excuse for their behavior; you have all the opportunity to change yourself and get yourself out of the ghetto (which sometimes makes me think why we waste so much time and money on people who can't grasp this concept).

Anyway, I do believe in second chances, however. I don't think Vick is 100% remorseful for his actions; I think he's more upset at having to re-create his image and to prove himself as a football player rather than a respectable member of society. I think, in fair retribution, that half of his earnings should be donated mandatorily to animal welfare groups, the Humane Society, rescue groups, etc. I know he'll have a lot to prove and to gain the respect back, but I highly doubt that he will even consider giving up his millions as a way to gain some kind of retribution. Unfortunately, I think he only has money on his mind and most likely, he only cried himself to sleep in prison because he was in prison; not because of what he had done. He was probably cursing the dogs and getting caught for his horrific actions.