Hit By a Pitch

The Michael Vick indictment is up at The Smoking Gun. I know this doesn’t mean he’s guilty. I mean, we all know that an indictment does not equal guilt. I learned in my criminal law class that prosecutors could indict Mother Teresa if they wanted, and as a former criminal defense attorney who has seen her share of bogus-ass shit in the criminal justice system, I’m really serious about the whole “innocent until proven guilty” thing. I also try to avoid forming opinions on guilt without having all the facts.

So at this point, all I can really say is that if he is found guilty, I hope that, at a minimum, he never plays in the NFL again. Animal abuse is something that disgusts, upsets, and pisses me off more than just about anything in the world. It’s a cowardly and horrible thing to do and people who abuse animals are pussies of the highest order. It’s one of those things that inspires me to act but at the same time upsets me so much I can’t even stand to hear about it most of the time.

The indictment alleges, among other things, that:
1) Vick’s pal Peace (nice name) shot and killed a dog with a .22;
2) numerous other dogs were shot and killed;
3) numerous dogs were forced to participate in dog fights;
4) a dog who lost a fight was wet with water and electrocuted;
5) more than 10 dog fights were held on Vick’s property;
6) dogs were “tested” for fighting ability and the dogs who didn’t do well were killed by various methods, including hanging, drowning, and being slammed to the ground; and
7) 54 pit bulls, some of whom had what appeared to be fighting-related injuries, were found on Vick’s property, along with a rape stand and other dog fighting paraphernalia.

I just read the whole thing and shit, I don’t have anything else to say.