20 Years Ago Today…
…Sports Illustrated published a cover story about pit bulls, and the growing problem of illegal dogfighting activity in the United States.
Quoting from the article:
This loathsome “sport” is, by most accounts, more widespread than ever in the U.S. At the same time it is even less humane, having passed from the hands of the old-time ”gentlemen” breeders into the mitts of the borderline sadists. Once primarily a rural dementia, dogfighting has become a city problem as well, the outgrowth of the popularity of pit bulls.
I bring this up, because both Senator John Kerry and Senator Robert Byrd were members of Congress back in 1987. The same two senators who have recently stepped up to the soapbox and blasted us all with fire, damnation and other general forms of flatulence regarding the Vick situation. Senator Byrd talked of reserving the “hottest places in hell” for those who took on such “barbaric” activities, while Senator Kerry wrote an impassioned letter to Commissioner Goodall, demanding Vick’s suspension.
…so where was this bluster 20 years ago? One can only assume they were not SI subscribers. Maybe they just bought the swimsuit edition.
Not that any of us should be surprised by the lack of action up until now by these two blowhards. Our Democratic leaders seem to have a habit of waiting for situations to pass a tipping point before finally making a stand.
Speaking of which, don’t you boys have a few more all-nighters to pull regarding that Iraq situation? Why don’t you let the NFL worry about Vick; right now you’ve got bigger fish to fry…
And with that, I’m taking off the political/serious writer cap & throwing it back in the closet for another 6 months. Back to football and fart jokes on Monday.
NFL, Michael Vick, dogfighting, Atlanta Falcons, Senator John Kerry, Senator Robert Byrd, 20 year slumber
July 27th, 2007 at 10:06 pm
I almost never heard of dog fighting before so it must have been really secret.
The “cock” fights, especially in Mexico and more to the south are much more known.
And yes, the second picture is much easier to the eyes than the first one.
July 28th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
TC, It’s been a problem for quite some time, as that SI issue highlights. However, authorities have been doing a great job lately of cracking down on these illegal rings.
My biggest problem with the Senators in question is that they only get this fired up when a high profile athlete is charged. Then they use it as a media PR tool for their own benefits. (Don’t even get me started on Al Sharpton…)
As for Elle? Couldn’t resist. That issue came out right when I hit puberty. Ah, the memories…