My Thoughts on Racism, Michael Vick and the Jena Six

If issues regarding race were water in a pot, then right now it would be flowing over the brim. At the moment, the most polarizing topics involve Atlanta Falcon/U.S. felon Michael Vick and a group of Louisiana teenagers known as the "Jena Six."

Let's start with Michael Vick. Last night, ESPN held a townhall meeting at the Georgia World Congress Center. They invited panelists, audience members, and even held a simultaneous online chat discussion on ESPN.com. The meeting was billed as the "Vick Divide" and the most disappointing aspect of the meeting was the audience. Anytime, someone made a salient point opposing Vick, the crowd hissed and booed. At one point, moderator Bob Ley asked the crowd, by round of applause, to indicate whether or not they believed that dogfighting should be a crime and the sheep...I mean, audience gave a thunderous ovation indicating that it should not be a crime. Honestly, you cannot be that stupid. First, Vick's situation has nothing to do with race. The only racial component here is that Vick is black and that did not play a part in the charges that were brought against him. Forget race, Vick was guilty and he finally owned up to that, even though it took three of his fellow defendants and former friends copping to plea deals to convince him otherwise. Second, some people are under the misconception that dogfighting was made a felony after Vick's case came about, but contrary to that belief, dogfighting has been a felony for decades in Virginia. Third, some people utter "Well, they were just dogs." My response: "Well, to drown, electrocute and slam them to the groud is just animal cruelty and killing them is just a crime." Vick supporters scream that he is being persecuted, but I think they meant to say prosecuted because he was and now he's going to prison. Look on the bright side, Vick has impeccable agility and Lord knows he will need that evasive ability in prison.