For those who don’t know, in 2010 Michael Vick was found guilty at several offenses of animal cruelty. He did not only organised dogfights, he also tortured, hanged and drowned his own dogs.

Now I think, it is not only logical but also necessary for people to get outraged and upset by this news. Any form of cruelty or violence, wether against people or animals, should get a response like that.

Chris Rock (stand up comedian/actor) obviouly thinks otherwise.
In a youtube statement he says: white people are overreacting when it comes to Michael Vick. And he continious by saying: somebody can rape his dog, if they just dont rape his daughters. He is quoting a man, who compared Mike Tyson (who was convicted for raping a woman) with Michael Vick, and he is outraged by the comparison.

Now I do not think animal cruelty is the same as rape, but I do think both should get the same reaction; People Should be offended by it, get angry about it and speak up.

Now Chris Rock is a stand up comedian who talks a lot about free speech and fighting for your rights. Now if you lay this next to the statement about Michael Vick, he obviously dont live by his own words, when free speech and fighting for your rights, is only allowed as long as it not one of his friends or idols.

Now here is another example of a celebrity speaking on the behalf of Michael Vick.

Mos Def (rapper) is making an even more ridiculous and stupid statement. For example:

In his statement he is:
1 Comparing dogfighting with UFC fighting
2 Saying vick was found guilty without evidence
3 Saying vick found guilty cause of his purple suit
4 Saying it is a conspiricy from the government to take down the biggest NFL player because he earns to much money and is a black man

My response to that:
1. Comparing dogfighting with UFC fighting: UFC fighting is a Sport, where athletes compete by their own choice. A sport which has rules to keep it sportive match up and keep the fighters safe from serious injuries. UFC fighters dont fight till death and it is the fighters own choice to compete in a match up. Dogs do not have that choice they are forced from a young age to fight. MMA athletes have a life besides their sports, the dogs don’t they are just used and when they lose a fight they are put down in the most horrific ways. In sports they dont let fighters train on babies or little kids. With Dogfights they use puppies and smaller or straydogs as bait for fighting dogs to practice their killing. When an athlete loses a match they get medical care, support and get to go home. When dogs lose a fight they will die in the ring, get beaten up by their owners or as in Michael Vicks case they are hanged or drowned. There is no comparison between MMA as a sport and the cruelty of fighting dogs.  Among martial arts fighters there is a group of fighters fighting against dogfighting! Their slogan is: We choose to fight, Dogs dont have that choice.

http://www.knockoutdogfighting.org/our_team.html

2.  Saying vick was found guilty without evidence: Michael Vick was sentenced and plead guilty on several accounts of animal cruelty including killing 6-8 himselve by drowning and hanging. There was lots and lots of evidence in this case: videos of dogfights, dead dogs on his property, several statements of eyewitnesses/participators. If there was not such a overwhelming amount of evidence Michael Vick would have probably just denied every fact, but when facing charges and the evidence mounted up he realised there was no other way than admitting to his acts of cruelty.

3. Saying vick found guilty cause of his purple suit: Michael Vick being sentenced because of his purple suit or because of his skin color? This is not only an incredibly dumb statement it it also very offensive. A lot of people all over the world really are judged on their skincolor and and I think there are still a lot of people in prison who have been wrongfully accused just because of their skincolor or believes but Michael Vick is certainly not one of them! By comparing a real criminal, with the people who are truly wrongfully accused, is very disrespectfull to those people who really are innocent and in prison.

4. Saying it is a conspiricy from the government to take down the biggest NFL player because he earns to much money and is a black man. Again, in the same category, Michael Vick was not sentenced of his purple suit, not because he is black man, not because he was a NFL player…but because he killed and tortured several dogs.

Now Mos Def, just like Chris Rock, is pretty big on Free Speech. Guess that does not count, when it is about their buddy or idol torturing animals or people fighting for animal rights huh?

The Facts about Michael Vick:

Federal criminal prosecution
Speech by Senator Robert Byrd made to U.S. Senate following the indictment of Michael Vick on federal dog fighting charges. In July 2007, Vick and three other men were charged by federal authorities with felony charges of operating an unlawful interstate dog fighting venture known as “Bad Newz Kennels.” Vick was accused of financing the operation, directly participating in dog fights and executions, and personally handling thousands of dollars in related gambling activities. Federal prosecutors indicated they intended to proceed under the powerful provisions of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization.

Convictions
By August 20, Vick and the other three co-defendants agreed to separate plea bargains for the federal charges. They were expected to each receive federal prison sentences between 12 months and five years.
On August 24, Vick filed plea documents with the federal court. He pleaded guilty to “Conspiracy to Travel in Interstate Commerce in Aid of Unlawful Activities and to Sponsor a Dog in an Animal Fighting Venture”. He admitted to providing most of the financing for the operation and to participating directly in several dog fights in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and South Carolina. He admitted to sharing in the proceeds from these dog fights. He further admitted that he knew his colleagues killed several dogs who did not perform well. He admitted to being involved in the destruction of 6–8 dogs, by hanging or drowning. The “victimization and killing of pit bulls” was considered as aggravating circumstances that led prosecutors to exceed the federal sentencing guidelines for the charge. He denied placing any side bets on the dogfights.

On August 27, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson accepted Vick’s guilty plea. Sentencing and prison On December 10, Vick appeared in U.S. District Court in Richmond for sentencing. Judge Hudson said he was “convinced that it was not a momentary lack of judgment” on Vick’s part, and that Vick was a “full partner” in the dog fighting ring, and he was sentenced to serve 23 months in federal prison. Hudson noted that, despite Vick’s claims that he accepted responsibility for his actions, his failure to cooperate fully with federal officials, coupled with a failed drug test and a failed polygraph, showed that Vick had not accepted full responsibility for “promoting, funding and facilitating this cruel and inhumane sporting activity”. Vick was assigned to United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth, a federal prison facility in Leavenworth, Kansasto serve his sentence.

More dumb people defending their buddy/idol:

Another cruel trend amond dogfighter is trunking:

Read more on Dogfighting and Animal Cruelty here:

Cesar Milan about Banning Breeds
Stop BSL
Dogfighting
Help to Stop Dogfighting
Stop PuppyMills
Stop Fighting the Dogs Music Video
Safe a Life and Adopt

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