In the Dog House

A choke chain has been placed around Atlanta Falcons quarterback, Michael Vick's neck and everyone seems to want a chance to pull. The NFL superstar has been indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple charges of dog fighting. The allegations have sparked outrage among animal rights advocates, football fans, and politicians.

Federal investigators have found sheds stained with blood and several live and dead dogs on Vick's property at his Virginia estate; evidence enough for a trial. Vick and 3 others are due in court on July 26th. If convicted Vick could face up to 6 years in prison and a $350,000 fine.

Nike has suspended the release of a new Michael Vick sneaker. This is not the only suspension Vick is likely to face.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is under tremendous pressure to suspend Vick from the league. On the floor of the Senate, Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) denounced animal cruelty in all its forms. "Hundreds of thousands -- if not millions -- of dollars are often at stake in the breeding, the training and the selling of fighting dogs. How inhuman, how dastardly! The training of these poor creatures to turn themselves into fighting machines is simply barbaric."

Senator John Kerry (D-MA) sent a letter to Goodell asking for Vick's immediate suspension. Kerry's letter pointed out that professional athletes are role models. "As the most popular team sport in America, professional football has a responsibility to showcase the highest levels of behavior and sportsmanship," he wrote.

Investigators believe that if a dog was too weak to fight, or lost that they were killed in very disturbing manners. It has been said that dogs were drowned, shot, and even electrocuted.

My Opinion:

Michael Vick, you are accused of being a poor role model, awful human being, and terrible quarterback. I hereby find you guilty of all charges. As punishment, you are sentenced to fight the very dogs you neglected and abused. When you lose, you will then be drowned, shot, electrocuted, and then shot again. We'll see how you like it, sicko.

Scooting Around Justice

Former White House aide, Lewis "Scooter" Libby was sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in the CIA leak scandal that revealed the identity of an undercover agent named Valerie Plame. He was convicted of lying and obstructing justice. Tonight he is not behind bars, and will not be serving any time for his crime.

On July 2nd, President Bush commuted the 30 month prison get away from Libby's sentence. He is required to serve 2 years probation and pay a $250,000 fine. This isn't quite a full pardon. A full pardon would have completely eliminated Libby's criminal record.

Bush said in a statement " I respect the jury's verdict, but I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison."

His decision has outraged Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said "Libby's conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq war. Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone."

Speaker Nancy Pelosi asserted that the president "condones criminal actions."

Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald says the president was wrong to commute Libby's sentence; claiming that Libby was sentenced under the same laws other citizens are subject to.

It is fundamental to the rule of law that all citizens stand before the bar of justice as equals," Fitzgerald said.

My Opinion: Can George W. Bush be any bolder? He is blatantly smacking the judicial system in the face. He just doesn't care! It disgusts me that he would let Libby walk away from jail time. If this were the common man, he'd be sitting in a federal penitentiary. But, he's the Vice President's former Chief of Staff, so he gets special treatment from the executive branch. While he was subject to the same laws as you or me, he has his buddies at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to back him up and get him out of any jam he may get into.

The president should've let Libby serve out his sentence in its entirety. Instead he decided to interfere and further tarnish his reputation. Hell, when you're already at 28% approval, why not shoot for 0%? Moron.