
Well-said. Except perhaps for the word hate, which I'll take as an exaggeration used for effect. |
Nope, not an exaggeration. Obama voter now turned hater. (Basically I hated McCain more. ![]() But not one who will irrationally criticize everything he does. There are some of those, and I don't respect them. |
Oh please Michael Vick is not my favorite person but he did his time, he said he's sorry. Let it go, people! |
Nasty. |
The problem also seems to be that the article purports this to be some sort of publicity stunt, yet there is no evidence to that effect. Obama called Lurie privately. The conversation got leaked. How is that Obama's fault?
I have no problem with Obama saying that. I would say the exact same thing, probably in even stronger terms. But regardless on if you agree with Obama or not, complaining about his handlers or what he was thinking is foolish. He called a very influential citizen about a huge endeavor he was undertaking ("greening up" the Linc) and offered him praise on a decision he made. He didn't hold a parade. He made a phone call. Get over it. |
I think that Ezra Klein got it right:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/12/why_obama_weighed_in_on_behalf.html Patting Lurie on the back for playing Vick might give the White House communications shop some headaches, but it's also worth doing: About one in 100 Americans are currently behind bars, and more were behind bars at some other point in time. And as this Pew report (pdf) shows in grim detail, the punishment doesn't stop when convicts leave prison: "Serving time reduces hourly wages for men by approximately 11 percent, annual employment by 9 weeks and annual earnings by 40 percent." And those numbers hide a serious racial tilt: "Incarceration depresses the total earnings of white males by 2 percent, of Hispanic males by 6 percent, and of black males by 9 percent." And that Tucker Carlson is rabid. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/early-lead/2010/12/tucker_carlson_michael_vick_sh.html |
Either we're putting too many people behind bars, or we're putting the right number of people behind bars (with the conclusion that we've got a lot of f-ups in our society.)
Either way, we've got to take a long, long, hard look at ourselves. My theory? As a nation of immigrants, we are chock full of people who're too good for their homelands and full of people who couldn't hack it in their homelands. Or, they were kicked out for being troublemakers, like the Scots-Irish, whose culture dominates in lower class Southern Whites and among all Blacks, since nearly all African-Americans came to the South originally. |
You wouldn't be so forgiving if he had molested a child but you can forgive because he used poor, defenseless, animals for his amusement and to make money on bets? Vick is a prime example of what is wrong in America, if you play football, or any sports well, nobody cares if you rape, carry on dog fights, take drugs, murder, just as long as you make money for some sports team or make movies that bring in the dough As for Obama. Yes, he does need an new adviser who will tell him when he should shut his mouth. It's the economy, stupid. Obama should have learned this from Bill Clinton. |
Do you feel the same way about hunters? Fishermen? Circus performers? Zookeepers? Exterminators? Dogs are animals just like any other. Just because you think they're cute and fluffy doesn't make them special and doesn't make Vick a bad man. We reserve special judgment for athletes because, by and large, America has issues with black men making money. Where is your critique of Roethlisberger, who raped two girls? What about all the movie stars and their foibles, many of which have human victims? Nah. Let's get on the poor black kid who grew up in a subculture that included dog fighting and who bankrolled, but had very limited interaction with, dog fighting. He's CLEARLY the problem with America. |
Do you honestly think that the man forgot about the economy, just because he took a few minutes out of his personal time to comment on Michael Vick? Bravo for trying to tie his opinion on whether Vick is rehabilitated to rape, drugs, and murder. Your real issue is that you do not want to forgive Michael Vick. Fine, but reasonable people can disagree. You can't turn this into a diatribe about "what is wrong with America". Most people don't like what he did. This is not apathy toward the crime. But some people feel like he is sorry, he was punished enough, and he deserves a chance to turn his life around. |
Wow. The stereotypes applied across the board to whole classes of people just boggle the mind here! |
This is pure bull! I think ALL athletes are overpaid and all film stars. But they are allowed to get away with just about anything they choose to do. As for Roethlisberger, he should have been sent to prison, hard time, and castrated. Many people have bad childhoods but this doesn't give them a pass to go out and do anything they want and then blame their childhood. I, personally, can't stand Clarence Thomas but he is a prime example of what you can attain irrespective of your "subculture" childhood. What does Vick have in common with the above in Italics? If you are bankrolling a drug pusher does this, in your opinion not make the person guilty of selling drugs. Your argument is specious, at best. |
I hate to break this to you, but if you buy your meat at the supermarket, you're just (or nearly) as guilty of perpetuating cruelty against animals as Vick. Factory farmed animals aren't treated a whole lot better than the animals used in dogfighting. |
As for Roethlisberger, he should have been sent to prison, hard time, and castrated.
I must have missed the news of his conviction . . . what's that? He wasn't convicted? Or even charged? Well, never mind - the PP KNOWS he's guilty. |
Reading comprehension is hard, isn't it? I compared Vick to the italicized section because all of those involve people killing or harming animals voluntarily, and often times for pleasure. Got that? Second, I am not saying that a rough upbringing excuses bad behavior. Vick grew up in a community where dog fighting was acceptable. He didn't think it was wrong. Why is that hard to understand? Not everyone shares your moral orientation. And that's a good thing. |