Yeah well here is my cultural thing hooking up people like Mr. Vick to the same aligator clips he used on the dogs and plugging him into the wall. We'll see how cultural he thinks that is........... Maybe we could bet on how long it will take for him to beg for the mercy he failed to show the dogs.
not that what happens with the pretty girls is right, But who do they hurt but their own self ? and really they may need the media attention to stay alive for a moment in time longer.
but we as humans feel for the" under dog " so too say , and these little beast bred to kill one another have no friends , i really think the fact he isnt blonde has little to do with the outrage we are hearing about this.
now if he killed his wife or hit one of those "hot young blond chicks" yeah then it would be a couple of days probably.
the thing about animal lovers is they love animals and often put them in a innocent without defense child of mankind scope soooo it goes beyond and above what people may do to one another and much more emotional and heated problem.
He already is claiming to have "found Jesus" as a result of this situation.
Why does it take so long for sentencing? Dec 10? this is the end of august! I don't understand that. Do it now and get it over with.
Well, one thing the delay will cause is ensuring Vick will NOT be reinstated to his QB job in the NFL before the season starts... even IF he were just sentenced to probation and/or community service.
The longer it takes for sentencing, the longer it will be before Vick can "rehabilitate" his image in an effort to return to football. THAT will cost him most and cause him the greatest personal loss/sacrifice.
The other thing is the feds will be talking to him about what he knows about other dog fighting groups and people the more he sings the more he has to influence the judge on his sentence to go lightly He knows if he does not work with them he is in for some long tim, they also have a clause in the deal they can pull it anytime and go to full trial.
when i was a kid (bout 11-12 years old) I caught a bee, wasp, yellow jacket, and hornet. I put them in a jar, shook the jar and waited to see who would win the "fight".
After, about 30 seconds of watching these insects flop around the jar, and move about in a very disoriented way, I felt really bad. So I put the jar down, opened the lid and ran away.
I realized that doing that sort of thing was stupid. Fortunatly the insects didn't fight each other. They all flew away, a bit shaken I presume, but alive.
I couldn't imagine doing that to a dog. It's wrong.
----
BUT,
It's not like he got in a car drunk and killed a mother and her son like Leanord Little did. (Little is a football player for the Rams. He killed two people as a drunk driver and did not get suspended by the league like Mike Vick did).
Someone made the argument that Vick did what he did on purpose, and Little did what he did "under the influnece"... So it's not like Little meant to kill those people.
To me, Vick is under the influence of stupidity. But what he did is not as bad as what Little did.
----
AND,
It seems to me that the only reason the Feds went after Vick so hard is because of the Money involved. If they were just fighting dogs, and no money was involved the case wouldn't have been as big.
to me thats a bit off. Not 100% sure im right on this, but if i am, I'm dissapointed.
when i was a kid (bout 11-12 years old) I caught a bee, wasp, yellow jacket, and hornet. I put them in a jar, shook the jar and waited to see who would win the "fight".
After, about 30 seconds of watching these insects flop around the jar, and move about in a very disoriented way, I felt really bad. So I put the jar down, opened the lid and ran away.
I realized that doing that sort of thing was stupid. Fortunatly the insects didn't fight each other. They all flew away, a bit shaken I presume, but alive.
I couldn't imagine doing that to a dog. It's wrong.
----
BUT,
It's not like he got in a car drunk and killed a mother and her son like Leanord Little did. (Little is a football player for the Rams. He killed two people as a drunk driver and did not get suspended by the league like Mike Vick did).
Someone made the argument that Vick did what he did on purpose, and Little did what he did "under the influnece"... So it's not like Little meant to kill those people.
To me, Vick is under the influence of stupidity. But what he did is not as bad as what Little did.
----
AND,
It seems to me that the only reason the Feds went after Vick so hard is because of the Money involved. If they were just fighting dogs, and no money was involved the case wouldn't have been as big.
to me thats a bit off. Not 100% sure im right on this, but if i am, I'm dissapointed.
The world is changing my friend. And it’s not a childhood memory anymore. There are forces that bee, carrying harbingers of times to come. Better be prepared or be grounded in the sand. It’s coming faster than you see.
Our Vet said, They are not even bringing up the golden retrievers (a non-fighting dog) thrown into the pit bulls to be ripped apart so the pit gets the taste for blood.
In Chicago, a client of ours moved there, and she told us IHO that Animal control is giving pets to these people to be used as bait.
She, the client, had a young pit named Queen. She was on the porch sitting quietly with her. And animal control got a call she was vicious. The dog wasn't. They took her, and when our client went to retrieve her, with the couple hundred dollars they required, her dog "had been killed and cremated"
Queen was about 8 mos. old, the client was black and in a black community, SHE told me, it is heavily rumored that AC there is involved in a ring and she thinks they stole her dog for fighting or bait.
The Black pet owners there are outraged. But she said they are kept in check by thug types threatening the area. She is a brave teenager and set out to write and call everyone 'cause she is heartbroken and MAD. She was going to contact the NAACP on behalf of her dead dog and see if she could get help. Funny, they came out on behalf of an abuser
Whoopi Goldberg started her stint on ABC's "The View" Tuesday by coming to the defense of convicted felon Michael Vick.
# DISCUSS: How Do You Feel About Whoopi's Addition To "The View?"
Just 15 minutes into the show she brought up Vick's conviction on dogfighting charges.
"You know from his background this is not an unusual thing for where he comes from," said Goldberg.
"There are certain things that are indicative to certain parts of our country."
Co-host Joy Behar seemed shocked at Goldberg's statements.
"How about dog torture and dog murdering," Behar asked.
"Unfortunately it's part of the thing," Goldberg replied.
"You're a dog lover. For a lot of people dogs are sport," she added.
Behar continued to shake her head in disgust.
Goldberg said it seemed to her that it took a while for Vick to realize that the charges against him were serious.
"It seemed like a light went off in his head when he realized that this was something the entire country really didn't appreciated, didn't like," Goldberg said, referring to Vick's guilty plea.
She said if the case had involved somebody from New York City her feelings would have been different.
Goldberg pointed out that Vick was raised in the South.
"This is part of his cultural upbringing," said Goldberg.
Co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck said she was encouraged by the NFL suspending Vick indefinitely.
But Goldberg continued to defend Vick saying "This is a kid who comes from a culture when this is not questioned."
It was Goldberg's first day moderating the talk show. She took over from Rosie O'Donnell who quit the show earlier this year after feuds with Donald Trump and Hasselbeck.
Last month Vick entered a guilty plea in federal court in Richmond, Virginia
In his written plea, Vick admitted helping kill six to eight pit bulls and supplying money for gambling on the fights.
Vick will be sentenced on the dogfighting charges in December. The federal sentencing guideline projects a year to 18 months, but the judge can impose up to the five-year maximum.
Vick and three co-defendants, Purnell Peace of Virginia Beach, Quanis Phillips of Atlanta and Tony Taylor of Hampton all pleaded guilty to interstate dogfighting conspiracy charges.
The details outlined in the indictment and other court papers fueled a public backlash against Vick and cost him several lucrative endorsement deals, even before he agreed to plead guilty.
The case began in late April when authorities conducting a drug investigation of Vick's cousin raided the former Virginia Tech star's rural Surry County property and seized dozens of dogs, some injured, and equipment commonly used in dogfighting.
Again, just *because* it is part of someone's upbringing doesn't make it RIGHT or EXCUSEABLE.
He knew better.
He was not uneducated.
He did it for sport - and ultimately - for greed.
Vick is a monster - I hope they throw the book at him, but seriously doubt it considering the media attention this is getting.
I think someone else said it earlier but - WHAT IF slavery was part of your background? Would it be OKAY then to keep slaves? Would that make it acceptable?
I love dogs. The thought of anyone using them for dogfighting makes me sick. But I get what Whoopi is saying. I don't think she's saying it's okay because it's the culture he grew up in. I think she's simply stating a fact, that he grew up in a culture where this was okay. It's an explanation for how he could even consider his behavior, but it's not an excuse for it.
Yes LZ, you make a good point. But it does seem like she (Whoopie) is coming to his defense. I just wonder if anyone at all would come to the defense of a famous white man for doing the same thing. And, amongst "white trash", there is a history of dog fighting as well. What if some white kid worked his way up and out of the trailer parks, got a scholarship in football to Duke or wherever, then got drafted into the NFL and was later arrested for dog fighting? I'll bet you no one would stick up for him as we have seen in the Vick case. It's a terrible thing that young Mr. Vick has jeopardized his NFL career. I mean, for every young man that makes it all the way to the NFL, there are likey tens of thousands of young high school stars who never even got a college scholarship. And many of these young kids are now injured for life with bad knees, and etc. And here the guy is, a star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons! Wow! He has blown it so badly it's pathetic. But, I am hoping that the Law will simply be upheld when it comes to sentencing. NOW, I, on the other hand, don't see a reason for him to be banned from the NFL for life. The way I figure it, if a person commits some other crime, and does his time in jail, and can still play the game well enough, then if they can still cut it, they should be able to continue playing. Yes, Whoopie points out that dog fighting is a cultural thing, but, it's barbarity far outweighs it's legitimacy, and any defense in the name of "cultural background" seems to led towards an excuse for such behavior.
I say throw the book at him for his crime and throw him in the slammer for no longer than any
normal" person would go into The Big House for the same crime. And when he is out, let him see if he can still play the game. And if he can't cut it on the football field, then I guess his career will be over because of his terrible error in judgment.
The one thing I have admired about him is that he admitted to doing it come what may, and he hasn't hidden behind some flimsy defense.
Is it possible that he was so entrenched in his "culture" that he simply did not realize it is illegal?
Personally, I don't think so!!!
Ignorance of the law is no excuse.
I did not see the show mentioned. I think Whoopie needs to make it clear, though, whether she was "defending" or just offering an "explanation" of this culture.
Animal Attorneys Demand That Virginia Legislature Strengthen Prosecutors' Ability to Combat Dogfighting
08-23-2007
Proposed Amendment to State RICO Act Could Send Dogfighters to Jail for 40 Years
Richmond, Va. – The Animal Legal Defense Fund is approaching Virginia legislators to back a proposed law that, if in place, could send dogfighters like Michael Vick to jail for up to 40 years on a first conviction. ALDF has drafted a recommended amendment to Virginia state law that would enable prosecutors to charge dogfighters under the state RICO (“Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act”) statute. RICO—a very powerful tool that prosecutors can use to combat organized criminal operations—is commonly used to address a wide variety of organized criminal efforts, including drug dealing, gambling, and trading in child pornography.
Given the power to utilize a state RICO case in a dogfighting operation, prosecutors would have increased muscle in seeking justice for the animals abused, and, as in the Vick case, even executed by their owners. While dogfighting is already illegal in 50 states and by federal law, the ability to bring a RICO case would provide specific advantages to prosecutors overseeing dogfighting investigations, including extended statutes of limitations, longer sentences, and larger fines. Prosecutors also have the power to “seize and freeze” defendant assets prior to conviction in a RICO case. If Michael Vick’s charges had been part of a racketeering case, the authorities could have seized the Surry County house he used for his kennel operations and dogfights—a house he sold for well below market value shortly after the first search warrant was executed.
“The vast majority of all dogfighting cases are discovered as a collateral matter to some other type of criminal investigation, be it a drug case, a gambling investigation or simply in response to a 9-1-1 dispatch to a domestic disturbance,” says ALDF Executive Director Stephen Wells. “Adding dogfighting as a RICO predicate would give law enforcement and prosecutors an additional tool, and strong incentive, to start directly targeting organized dogfighting rings—not to mention that it would send a very strong message to the dogfighting community that the stakes just got substantially higher.” In Virginia, a first conviction for racketeering carries a maximum 40 year sentence (on a second conviction, the defendant can get a life sentence); on its own, dogfighting is a “class 6” felony, allowing for only a five year maximum sentence.
ALDF is now actively seeking legislative support for the proposed amendment among Virginia lawmakers, and are pushing for a similar amendment in Georgia, home of Vick’s Atlanta Falcons. Such an amendment could eventually be applied in each of the 32 states that have RICO laws and even in the case of the federal RICO Act. Currently, Oregon is the only state that specifically includes dogfighting in its list of RICO predicate acts.
Also see what ALDF is doing to combat dogfighting in Georgia.
Recommended Posts
Top Posters In This Topic
4
5
4
5
Popular Days
Aug 26
17
Aug 27
15
Sep 4
8
Sep 5
8
Top Posters In This Topic
Linda Z 4 posts
ChasUFarley 5 posts
Dot Matrix 4 posts
rhino 5 posts
Popular Days
Aug 26 2007
17 posts
Aug 27 2007
15 posts
Sep 4 2007
8 posts
Sep 5 2007
8 posts
WhiteDove
Yeah well here is my cultural thing hooking up people like Mr. Vick to the same aligator clips he used on the dogs and plugging him into the wall. We'll see how cultural he thinks that is........... Maybe we could bet on how long it will take for him to beg for the mercy he failed to show the dogs.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bumpy
Oh Lord won't you buy me a night on the town...dialing for $$$...Poor Mike, a dog's best friend! What will corp. Amerika do?
http://www.drudgereport.com/
I sure do hope he finds Jesus!
Link to comment
Share on other sites
GrouchoMarxJr
Sure...let him find Jesus...
...maybe he'd be good at correctional outreach...
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bumpy
Maybe send the bastard back to the farm! <_<
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6966055.stm
Link to comment
Share on other sites
dmiller
Hmmm. If he were a hot young blond chick with a famous name,
I'd bet that he'd get out in one or two days. <_<
Link to comment
Share on other sites
pond
not that what happens with the pretty girls is right, But who do they hurt but their own self ? and really they may need the media attention to stay alive for a moment in time longer.
but we as humans feel for the" under dog " so too say , and these little beast bred to kill one another have no friends , i really think the fact he isnt blonde has little to do with the outrage we are hearing about this.
now if he killed his wife or hit one of those "hot young blond chicks" yeah then it would be a couple of days probably.
the thing about animal lovers is they love animals and often put them in a innocent without defense child of mankind scope soooo it goes beyond and above what people may do to one another and much more emotional and heated problem.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
WhiteDove
Maybe he can take some English lessons in jail ..........
I
for forgiveness?
Link to comment
Share on other sites
krys
Why does it take so long for sentencing? Dec 10? this is the end of august! I don't understand that. Do it now and get it over with.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Rocky
He already is claiming to have "found Jesus" as a result of this situation.
Well, one thing the delay will cause is ensuring Vick will NOT be reinstated to his QB job in the NFL before the season starts... even IF he were just sentenced to probation and/or community service.
The longer it takes for sentencing, the longer it will be before Vick can "rehabilitate" his image in an effort to return to football. THAT will cost him most and cause him the greatest personal loss/sacrifice.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
rascal
Good
Link to comment
Share on other sites
WhiteDove
The other thing is the feds will be talking to him about what he knows about other dog fighting groups and people the more he sings the more he has to influence the judge on his sentence to go lightly He knows if he does not work with them he is in for some long tim, they also have a clause in the deal they can pull it anytime and go to full trial.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
nandon
it is a cultural thing.
the culture of stupidity.
when i was a kid (bout 11-12 years old) I caught a bee, wasp, yellow jacket, and hornet. I put them in a jar, shook the jar and waited to see who would win the "fight".
After, about 30 seconds of watching these insects flop around the jar, and move about in a very disoriented way, I felt really bad. So I put the jar down, opened the lid and ran away.
I realized that doing that sort of thing was stupid. Fortunatly the insects didn't fight each other. They all flew away, a bit shaken I presume, but alive.
I couldn't imagine doing that to a dog. It's wrong.
----
BUT,
It's not like he got in a car drunk and killed a mother and her son like Leanord Little did. (Little is a football player for the Rams. He killed two people as a drunk driver and did not get suspended by the league like Mike Vick did).
Someone made the argument that Vick did what he did on purpose, and Little did what he did "under the influnece"... So it's not like Little meant to kill those people.
To me, Vick is under the influence of stupidity. But what he did is not as bad as what Little did.
----
AND,
It seems to me that the only reason the Feds went after Vick so hard is because of the Money involved. If they were just fighting dogs, and no money was involved the case wouldn't have been as big.
to me thats a bit off. Not 100% sure im right on this, but if i am, I'm dissapointed.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bumpy
The world is changing my friend. And it’s not a childhood memory anymore. There are forces that bee, carrying harbingers of times to come. Better be prepared or be grounded in the sand. It’s coming faster than you see.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dot Matrix
Our Vet said, They are not even bringing up the golden retrievers (a non-fighting dog) thrown into the pit bulls to be ripped apart so the pit gets the taste for blood.
They also throw in kittens and puppies.
I said Vick did this?
He said yes.
Maybe in one of the vet mags
But it is how pits are trained to fight.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dot Matrix
NEVER put in the paper, "free to a good home"
That is where they are getting them.
In Chicago, a client of ours moved there, and she told us IHO that Animal control is giving pets to these people to be used as bait.
She, the client, had a young pit named Queen. She was on the porch sitting quietly with her. And animal control got a call she was vicious. The dog wasn't. They took her, and when our client went to retrieve her, with the couple hundred dollars they required, her dog "had been killed and cremated"
Queen was about 8 mos. old, the client was black and in a black community, SHE told me, it is heavily rumored that AC there is involved in a ring and she thinks they stole her dog for fighting or bait.
The Black pet owners there are outraged. But she said they are kept in check by thug types threatening the area. She is a brave teenager and set out to write and call everyone 'cause she is heartbroken and MAD. She was going to contact the NAACP on behalf of her dead dog and see if she could get help. Funny, they came out on behalf of an abuser
I hope she is still okay.
Edited by Dot MatrixLink to comment
Share on other sites
Dot Matrix
Bait dogs
Part of the crime
http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/n...60223/dog.shtml
Of interest:
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0534,shaftel,67093,5.html
Link to comment
Share on other sites
coolchef
eison is not a normal human being
he and people like him should be put down along with monsters they created
damn it's not the dogs fault
of course it's cultral but not here!
if you don't want to adapt to our cultrure go back to where you ancesters came from and take your monsters with you
and have at it
Link to comment
Share on other sites
J0nny Ling0
Whoopi Goldberg Defends Vick I don't know how she could consider doing that, but, she has.
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/14040573/detail.html
POSTED: 11:19 am EDT September 4, 2007
UPDATED: 12:45 pm EDT September 4, 2007
NEW YORK --
Whoopi Goldberg started her stint on ABC's "The View" Tuesday by coming to the defense of convicted felon Michael Vick.
# DISCUSS: How Do You Feel About Whoopi's Addition To "The View?"
Just 15 minutes into the show she brought up Vick's conviction on dogfighting charges.
"You know from his background this is not an unusual thing for where he comes from," said Goldberg.
"There are certain things that are indicative to certain parts of our country."
Co-host Joy Behar seemed shocked at Goldberg's statements.
"How about dog torture and dog murdering," Behar asked.
"Unfortunately it's part of the thing," Goldberg replied.
"You're a dog lover. For a lot of people dogs are sport," she added.
Behar continued to shake her head in disgust.
Goldberg said it seemed to her that it took a while for Vick to realize that the charges against him were serious.
"It seemed like a light went off in his head when he realized that this was something the entire country really didn't appreciated, didn't like," Goldberg said, referring to Vick's guilty plea.
She said if the case had involved somebody from New York City her feelings would have been different.
Goldberg pointed out that Vick was raised in the South.
"This is part of his cultural upbringing," said Goldberg.
Co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck said she was encouraged by the NFL suspending Vick indefinitely.
But Goldberg continued to defend Vick saying "This is a kid who comes from a culture when this is not questioned."
It was Goldberg's first day moderating the talk show. She took over from Rosie O'Donnell who quit the show earlier this year after feuds with Donald Trump and Hasselbeck.
Last month Vick entered a guilty plea in federal court in Richmond, Virginia
In his written plea, Vick admitted helping kill six to eight pit bulls and supplying money for gambling on the fights.
Vick will be sentenced on the dogfighting charges in December. The federal sentencing guideline projects a year to 18 months, but the judge can impose up to the five-year maximum.
Vick and three co-defendants, Purnell Peace of Virginia Beach, Quanis Phillips of Atlanta and Tony Taylor of Hampton all pleaded guilty to interstate dogfighting conspiracy charges.
The details outlined in the indictment and other court papers fueled a public backlash against Vick and cost him several lucrative endorsement deals, even before he agreed to plead guilty.
The case began in late April when authorities conducting a drug investigation of Vick's cousin raided the former Virginia Tech star's rural Surry County property and seized dozens of dogs, some injured, and equipment commonly used in dogfighting.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ChasUFarley
Again, just *because* it is part of someone's upbringing doesn't make it RIGHT or EXCUSEABLE.
He knew better.
He was not uneducated.
He did it for sport - and ultimately - for greed.
Vick is a monster - I hope they throw the book at him, but seriously doubt it considering the media attention this is getting.
I think someone else said it earlier but - WHAT IF slavery was part of your background? Would it be OKAY then to keep slaves? Would that make it acceptable?
GIMME A BREAK
Gawd, this case sickens me!
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Linda Z
I love dogs. The thought of anyone using them for dogfighting makes me sick. But I get what Whoopi is saying. I don't think she's saying it's okay because it's the culture he grew up in. I think she's simply stating a fact, that he grew up in a culture where this was okay. It's an explanation for how he could even consider his behavior, but it's not an excuse for it.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
washingtonweather
Slavery was cultural - did that make it okay with all southern whites?
Link to comment
Share on other sites
J0nny Ling0
Yes LZ, you make a good point. But it does seem like she (Whoopie) is coming to his defense. I just wonder if anyone at all would come to the defense of a famous white man for doing the same thing. And, amongst "white trash", there is a history of dog fighting as well. What if some white kid worked his way up and out of the trailer parks, got a scholarship in football to Duke or wherever, then got drafted into the NFL and was later arrested for dog fighting? I'll bet you no one would stick up for him as we have seen in the Vick case. It's a terrible thing that young Mr. Vick has jeopardized his NFL career. I mean, for every young man that makes it all the way to the NFL, there are likey tens of thousands of young high school stars who never even got a college scholarship. And many of these young kids are now injured for life with bad knees, and etc. And here the guy is, a star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons! Wow! He has blown it so badly it's pathetic. But, I am hoping that the Law will simply be upheld when it comes to sentencing. NOW, I, on the other hand, don't see a reason for him to be banned from the NFL for life. The way I figure it, if a person commits some other crime, and does his time in jail, and can still play the game well enough, then if they can still cut it, they should be able to continue playing. Yes, Whoopie points out that dog fighting is a cultural thing, but, it's barbarity far outweighs it's legitimacy, and any defense in the name of "cultural background" seems to led towards an excuse for such behavior.
I say throw the book at him for his crime and throw him in the slammer for no longer than any
normal" person would go into The Big House for the same crime. And when he is out, let him see if he can still play the game. And if he can't cut it on the football field, then I guess his career will be over because of his terrible error in judgment.
The one thing I have admired about him is that he admitted to doing it come what may, and he hasn't hidden behind some flimsy defense.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
waysider
Is it possible that he was so entrenched in his "culture" that he simply did not realize it is illegal?
Personally, I don't think so!!!
Ignorance of the law is no excuse.
I did not see the show mentioned. I think Whoopie needs to make it clear, though, whether she was "defending" or just offering an "explanation" of this culture.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ChasUFarley
Of interest.... and on a more positive note...
Animal Attorneys Demand That Virginia Legislature Strengthen Prosecutors' Ability to Combat Dogfighting
08-23-2007
Proposed Amendment to State RICO Act Could Send Dogfighters to Jail for 40 Years
Richmond, Va. – The Animal Legal Defense Fund is approaching Virginia legislators to back a proposed law that, if in place, could send dogfighters like Michael Vick to jail for up to 40 years on a first conviction. ALDF has drafted a recommended amendment to Virginia state law that would enable prosecutors to charge dogfighters under the state RICO (“Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act”) statute. RICO—a very powerful tool that prosecutors can use to combat organized criminal operations—is commonly used to address a wide variety of organized criminal efforts, including drug dealing, gambling, and trading in child pornography.
Given the power to utilize a state RICO case in a dogfighting operation, prosecutors would have increased muscle in seeking justice for the animals abused, and, as in the Vick case, even executed by their owners. While dogfighting is already illegal in 50 states and by federal law, the ability to bring a RICO case would provide specific advantages to prosecutors overseeing dogfighting investigations, including extended statutes of limitations, longer sentences, and larger fines. Prosecutors also have the power to “seize and freeze” defendant assets prior to conviction in a RICO case. If Michael Vick’s charges had been part of a racketeering case, the authorities could have seized the Surry County house he used for his kennel operations and dogfights—a house he sold for well below market value shortly after the first search warrant was executed.
“The vast majority of all dogfighting cases are discovered as a collateral matter to some other type of criminal investigation, be it a drug case, a gambling investigation or simply in response to a 9-1-1 dispatch to a domestic disturbance,” says ALDF Executive Director Stephen Wells. “Adding dogfighting as a RICO predicate would give law enforcement and prosecutors an additional tool, and strong incentive, to start directly targeting organized dogfighting rings—not to mention that it would send a very strong message to the dogfighting community that the stakes just got substantially higher.” In Virginia, a first conviction for racketeering carries a maximum 40 year sentence (on a second conviction, the defendant can get a life sentence); on its own, dogfighting is a “class 6” felony, allowing for only a five year maximum sentence.
ALDF is now actively seeking legislative support for the proposed amendment among Virginia lawmakers, and are pushing for a similar amendment in Georgia, home of Vick’s Atlanta Falcons. Such an amendment could eventually be applied in each of the 32 states that have RICO laws and even in the case of the federal RICO Act. Currently, Oregon is the only state that specifically includes dogfighting in its list of RICO predicate acts.
Also see what ALDF is doing to combat dogfighting in Georgia.
SOURCE: http://www.aldf.org/index.php
BOLD text (emphasis) added by Chas.
Edited by ChasUFarleyLink to comment
Share on other sites
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.