Dogfighting

I am sure all of my four readers are aware of the current plight of Michael Vick, the supremely talented superstar quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons. If not, the short story is that police in Atlanta raided Vick's crib, suspecting his cousin of some drug-related activity, and instead, found some thirty scarred and angry dogs. See here.

Now, in the wisdom of the professional athlete, two Washington Redskins players decided to come to his defense, and the defense of backyard dogfighting. I don't really have an opinion on dogfighting - it seems inhumane, but I could be convinced of its place in the backwater cultural heritage of America, somewhere alongside bear-baiting. So this isn't about that. What I did enjoy was this tiny bit of sports reporting, including Clinton Portis' embrace of liberatarianism, Samuels' giggling, and their apparent secret knowledge of the sporting habits of prominent politicians. It does seem like they know something, right?

In an interview with WAVY-TV, Portis said that if the Atlanta Falcons quarterback is charged and convicted of being involved in a dog fighting operation, then authorities would be "putting him behind bars for no reason."

"I don't know if he was fighting dogs or not," Portis said. "But it's his property; it's his dogs. If that's what he wants to do, do it."

Portis said dog fighting is a "prevalent" part of life.

Portis, a native of Laurel, Mississippi, added: "I know a lot of back roads that got a dog fight if you want to go see it. But they're not bothering those people because those people are not big names. I'm sure there's some police got some dogs that are fighting them, some judges got dogs and everything else."

"Politicians," added Samuels, who found it hard to keep from giggling while Portis was talking.

"Presidents," added Portis with a laugh.

And on a different note, RM forwards me this excellent interview of Billy Graham by Woody Allen. Courtesy of mentalfloss magazine.