Check and Mate?

Yeah, I haven't updated my blog for a while. It's mostly because since joining Facebook, I've been using the status updates to write tidbits of my thoughts more often. It is so much easier, since I'm limited in length as to what I have to share, and blogging, well, takes so much more time and energy.

Anyway, this post is a relatively easy one, because it's mostly a copy-and-paste job. On Wednesday, both a Facebook friend and I found out about this horrendous news regarding a raid on a dog fighting ring here in Chicago. I posted a status update, as usual, with a funny twist: "John Ho just learned that we have an 'Animal Crimes Unit' here in Chicago!!! When is NBC going to add Law & Order: ACU?!?"

My Facebook friend also posted something related to this a few minutes later. And from there, a heated discussion ensued in the comments section, which I have detailed here below. Of course, names have been changed to protect the strange.


Status update @ Wed at 1:54pm:
Daniella just found out that police busted another dog fighting ring in the Chicago area. I'm really starting to hate people - how can you be so cruel to an animal?


Following below are comments on said Facebook status update:


Daniella's Friend #1 @ Wed at 2:00pm: boooooo!

John Ho @ Wed at 2:05pm: It wasn't just an animal. 9 dogs!!! They even used 4 puppies barely a month old as bait for the fighting! And it wasn't just a house, but the neighbor next to the day care is also in on it, because they found a modified treadmill used strictly to train fight dogs! Disgusting what people can do, huh?

Daniella's Friend #2 @ Wed at 2:10pm: The guff was empty the day they were born. First dogs, then people!!!

Daniella's Friend #3 @ Wed at 2:10pm: They should put the culprits between two angry pits that don't know who they are as punishment and see what it feels like to be torn apart!

Daniella's Friend #4 @ Wed at 3:10pm: i have a pit. sweetest, most loving (and intelligent) dog i have ever owned. a dogs character is that of the owner. most fighting pits are intentionaly inbred so they are born all eff'd up. the others you hear about attacking have ignorant, dumb ass owners. furthermore, you never hear about other breeds who attack, which happens all the time. ... Read Moreonly pits...the media, as usual, warp the reality for shock value. pits have a bad rep. on a related note...michael vick should still be in prison much less on a football field! he killed his dogs my hanging, drowning and slitting there throats. hes a piece of shit as a human being...hes evil. theres my rant of the day! lol

John Ho @ Wed at 7:52pm: So what I'm understanding here is that even after someone has paid his/her dues for the crimes he/she commits, it's still not enough? Sure, Vick did something that is very detestable in my books, but he served his time. Why are people still harping on that? Sounds to me like even after someone has paid his/her due for a given crime, you simply can't forgive. Nobody is perfect. But he did his time for his crime. Let's just get over it. For otherwise, capital punishment would be in place for every petty crime, including the kid who steals $2.

Mutual Friend #1 @ Wed at 7:52pm: How can people be so cruel to other people?

Daniella's Friend #5 @ Wed at 8:23pm: What John said!

Daniella's Friend #6 @ Wed at 8:47pm: Hate people? Wow. How 'bout hate people's behaviors? Ya, it's pretty disgusting what things are done.

Daniella @ Thu at 9:09am: John - Vick didn't serve time for animal cruelty, he served time for federal racketeering. I don't care if this makes me sound like the biggest bitch, but if someone kills another living being, they should not be able to go back to their cushy NFL job. He sucks as a QB anyway...

Daniella @ Thu at 9:09am: And I just realized that my above statement doesn't make me sound like too much of a bitch - but sorry, yes I hate certain people AND their behaviors. He's a piece of shit.

John Ho @ Thu at 9:19am: Then you're a mass murderer! Think about the number of living beings you have killed every time you killed a bug, or poisoned a bug with bug sprays, etc. Think of how many living things you have killed when you de-worm your dog. ;-) In some religions, that is considered bad, because whether it's a bug, fly, or whatever, anything that is a living thing has a soul. Think about that...

Daniella @ Thu at 9:34am: Wow, really reaching for an argument aren't you?

Daniella's Friend #4 @ Thu at 10:10am: bugs??? holy hell. soft, bleeding hearts. some sick rapist kidnaps your child, rapes then murders them? lets see how forgiving you are then. There are white souls, grey souls & black souls in this life. The black souls are just shells, their job, unbeknowest to them, is to try and smother the light of the others...the good in this world. They bring anxiety, depression & anger into our lives when they are near us - like moths to a flame. There IS evil in this world, and punishment is justifiable. When it comes to evil, they are NOT our equals! If I would get a DUI, my time would be much longer than Vicks. If it was I who did what he did, rest assured, I would still be in prison. Who gives a fuck hes an nfl player. Our society is so addicted to celebrity its sick...this countries ablility to turn a blind eye to cruelity and immoral behavior by these assholes amazes me. again...bugs?!?!? come on man

Daniella's Friend #4 @ Thu at 10:16am: by the way daniella...you dont sound like a bitch. you sound like someone who'e passionate about their convictions and beliefs...

John Ho @ Thu at 10:26am: Nope, not reaching for an argument. Just using your argument, that's all.

Hey, I'm not saying that when I'm a victim, I will have the mentality to keep things in perspective. If my child is raped and murdered, I can't say for sure that I'll let the judicial system work it out for me. But I also can't say for sure that I'll just go grab a shotgun and kill the rapist in the courtroom. I won't know what I'll do until it hits me directly.

But for now, I'm taking the route of letting the judicial system work its way out. We all have an opinion. Your opinion is that there's nothing he can do to return to his "cushy" job. My opinion is that he served time, and he is working extra hard to use this experience to talk to kids and others in the public community to discourage animal cruelty and dog fighting. I think, in my opinion, that this is good. Learning to forgive is not easy, but worth a damn. Hating forever, well, is kinda sad.

Daniella @ Thu at 11:12am: A) Once again he did not serve his time for animal cruelty. B) The talking to kids about what he did thing is the biggest piece of PR bs I’ve ever heard of. C) I’m a huge supporter of rescue organizations,and the things I hear about what people have done to dogs, cats, etc is enough to, yes, make me hate other human beings. I’m sorry, but I just can’t forgive the guy for what he, and so many other subhumans like him, have done. Forgiveness is not easy in my book and if that makes me a sad person, then so be it. It’s not sad to have a passion or have convictions, sorry. We’re just going to agree to disagree I guess. I’ll make sure to hug my dog, who was starved, dehydrated and living in filthy conditions for a year extra tight for you tonight, John.

John Ho @ Thu at 3:40pm: Good for you for rescuing your dog. We need more people like you.

But let's make the facts clear. In federal criminal case number 3:07CR274, he is indicted for dog fighting, including the money, gambling, transportation and animal cruelty aspects of dog fighting. And on August 24, 2007, he pleaded guilty to all charges, and the judge sentenced him (which, by the way, exceeded the sentencing guidelines). So I'm not quite sure where you got the fact that he did not serve his time for animal cruelty.

Here's the indictment document: http://news.findlaw.com/cnn/docs/sports/usvick71707ind.html
Here's the plea agreement document: http://news.findlaw.com/wp/docs/sports/usvick82407plea.html

Let's not forget that double jeopardy doesn't apply in the state of VA when it comes to charges coming from state prosecution. So he also pleaded guilty there and paid his dues as well on state level.

John Ho [cont'd from above because Facebook has a text limit]: Dog fighting is an underground activity that, unfortunately, is more widespread than ever. Not only is the "sport" itself cruel, but it is often tied to other vices, like gambling, gangs and criminal activities. It is a sad, sad thing that despite tougher laws enacted, this activity still continues.

You have to look at the silver lining though. Without the NFL's most highly paid player's case in the matter, dog fighting as a public issue would not have gotten such attention and awareness. And on top of that, Michael Vick not only apologizes and has paid his dues to society, but he is working with the Humane Society in speaking against the "sport." Because of this, more police officers than ever have elected to get special law enforcement training related to animal cruelty.

Even after all the good that can come out of him, you still can't forgive? The Humane Society has. Let's focus on the positive outcome of this so that more dog fights can be stopped with his message.