[Posted by Jake]

All the animosity directed at Michael Vick is an increasing concern. It is racism at its ugliest. Vick's expression of his desire to continue his rehabilitation with a pet unleashed a firestorm of negativity directed at our esteemed columnist, simply because he attempted to explore that controversial sentiment.

Racist hatemongers are demonstrating their ignorance and intolerance with this vendetta against Vick. Dog fighting is a cultural norm imported from Africa to the American South. Genuine diversity, as opposed to politically-correct lip service, demands we appreciate customs from outside of our Eurocentric experience. Just because it doesn't neatly fit into the paradigm of white suburban morality doesn't mean we should stigmatize the participants. Perhaps Vick's greatest crime was being born poor and black, in a blighted Newport News project.

Last time I checked, fox hunting was still celebrated as a legitimate upper class pursuit, along with horse racing, equestrian competitions and dog obedience trials. Dog racing and rodeo are enjoyed by less wealthy demographics. Male newborns are routinely mutilated by circumcision. Young women are disfigured by cosmetic breast surgery. Professional boxing, wrestling and mixed martial arts continue to cripple their combatants. Even the NFL and NHL are just beginning to understand the extent of the brain damage caused by concussions in their sports.

Yet against this broad panorama of pain and socially-accepted abuse, to people as well as animals, Michael Vick is somehow vilified as the poster child of cruelty?